The thing nobody mentions about selling AI services or CRM setups is that most of the new features are just shiny distractions.
Last week, I spent a few hours digging through the newest GoHighLevel updates. It’s a bit like being handed a Swiss Army knife where half the tools are for things you’ll never actually do, like de-scaling a fish or performing emergency dental work.
However, amongst the noise, there are a few genuine gems that change the game for how we manage clients and data. The trick is knowing which ones are worth your time and which ones are just there to look good on a feature list.
Why the New GHL Custom Objects Feature Changes Everything
For a long time, GoHighLevel felt like a very smart address book. You had contacts, and you had opportunities, but if you wanted to track something unique—like a fleet of cars, a list of properties, or specific student enrollments—you had to get creative with tags and custom fields. It was messy.
Custom Objects have finally arrived, and they are the single most important update for any agency looking to move upmarket.
By using Custom Objects, you can now build a database structure that mirrors a client's actual business. If you’re working with a real estate agency, a "Property" can now be its own entity related to a "Contact."
This matters because:
- It allows for much cleaner data management.
- You can trigger automations based on changes to an object (e.g., when a property status changes to "Sold").
- It moves GHL closer to a full-scale ERP, making your agency more indispensable.
If you’ve been struggling to shoehorn complex business models into a standard CRM, this is the tool you’ve been waiting for. It’s worth sitting with your data structure for a moment to see how this could simplify your life.
The Reality of AI Ad Copy and Creative Tools
GoHighLevel has been leaning heavily into integrated AI content generation. You can now generate ad copy, social posts, and even images directly within the planner.
I’ll be honest with you. Most of it is perfectly fine, which is exactly the problem. It produces the kind of "safe" marketing that people have learned to scroll past without even blinking.
Where this feature actually shines is in the blank page syndrome phase. Using the AI to generate five variations of a Hook-Story-Offer sequence gives you a baseline. Your job—and the reason your clients pay you—is to then add the human wit and the "so what?" factor that an LLM can't quite grasp yet.
The new Content AI updates make the workflow faster, but they don't replace the need for a good copywriter. It’s a tool for velocity, not necessarily for quality. Use it to build the skeleton, then put the meat on the bones yourself.
Enhanced Workflow Triggers and Versioning
There is nothing quite like the cold sweat that follows accidentally deleting a complex automation that took you three days to build.
The new workflow versioning and "Restore" features are the quiet heroes of the recent updates. Being able to roll back to a previous version of a workflow is a massive safety net for agency owners who have junior staff (or high-caffeine mornings) poking around in the backend.
Furthermore, the addition of more granular triggers—specifically around IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and advanced call routing—allows for a much more professional setup.
If you are curious about how to stitch these together, you might want to book a consultation to look at your current sprawl.
Client Portal and Communities: A Real Slack Alternative?
The GHL "Communities" feature has seen a lot of polish recently. The goal is clearly to give agencies a way to host their own groups, courses, and client interactions without paying for separate platforms like Slack, Circle, or Facebook Groups.
Is it perfect? No. But it is getting very close to being "good enough."
The benefit here is the "all-in-one" promise. When a client can log in to check their leads, watch a training video, and ask a question in the community all in one place, the perceived value of your "system" goes through the roof.
It stops being a tool you sold them and starts being the ecosystem they live in. If you want to dive deeper into how ecosystems beat tools, you can find more articles on AI and automation on the main blog.
Conversation AI and Practical Implementation
The Conversation AI (the chatbot feature) has moved out of its awkward teenage phase. It is now much better at staying within the "knowledge base" you provide it.
The mistake most people make is trying to make the AI do everything. They want it to book the appointment, answer technical questions, and handle objections. That's a lot of pressure for a bit of code.
The most successful implementations I’ve seen lately use the AI for one thing: availability.
When a lead messages at 11 PM on a Sunday, the AI is there to say "Hello, we're closed, but I can help you find a time for tomorrow." It bridges the gap. It keeps the lead warm.
- Pro tip: Use the "Bot Trial" mode extensively before letting it loose on your clients' leads. There is nothing quite as awkward as an AI promising a 90% discount because a lead asked nicely.
How to Roll These Out to Clients
Whenever GoHighLevel drops a dozen new features, it’s tempting to send a "Good News!" email to your entire list. Resist that urge.
Your clients don't care about "custom objects" or "workflow versioning." They care about whether their phone is ringing and if their dashboard is easy to read.
Here is how I suggest handling these updates:
- The Internal Audit: Which of these features actually saves your team time? Implement those first.
- The "High-Value" Beta: Pick your three most tech-savvy clients. Offer to set up a new feature (like the Client Portal) for free in exchange for feedback.
- The Upsell: Once you have a success story, package the feature as a "Premium CRM Tier."
If you’re reading this on a Thursday, you should definitely get the free book which covers more of the strategic side of managing these transitions.
Summary: Focus on the Foundations
The latest GoHighLevel updates are impressive, but they are only useful if your foundation is solid. A fancy Custom Object won't fix a broken lead generation strategy, and a Community feature won't help if you don't have anything to say.
Pick one feature—I'd suggest Custom Objects or the improved Workflow Triggers—and master it. Build something that actually solves a problem for a client today. Then, and only then, look at the next shiny thing.
In the end, the best feature GHL ever released is the one that allows you to stop worrying about the tech and start worrying about the business. Use these updates to simplify, not complicate.
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I write about AI tools, business, and unconventional working life at steventann.com. Come say hello.
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About the Author
Steven Tann is an AI consultant, author of "You're Selling AI Wrong", and founder of SalesM8. He writes about AI, sales, and running a business from a narrowboat on the English canals. Connect with him at steventann.com.