What is Zapier?
Zapier is an online automation tool that connects apps, such as Slack, Gmail, Zendesk and others. You can connect two or more apps and automate repetitive tasks without having to rely on developers and coding to build these integrations. With custom automated workflows, you can send emails, get updated about apps, copy data between your software, and even schedule meetings automatically.
Common terms:
Zap
A Zap is an automated workflow between your apps. For example, you may have a Zap that saves your Gmail attachments to Dropbox and another Zap that saves emails that you star in Gmail to a text file. Zaps consist of at least two parts: a trigger and one or more actions.
Trigger
A trigger is the event in an app that starts the Zap process. Once you set up a Zap, Zapier will monitor the app for that event. For the save Gmail attachments to Dropbox example, you can receive a lot of emails through your Gmail account, but the Zap isn't triggered until an email contains an attachment.
Action
An action is the event that completes the Zap. For the save Gmail attachments to Dropbox example, the action is uploading the attachment from your email to Dropbox.
How can Zapier help us?
Zapier can integrate with thousands of apps, but below are a few examples of how it can help us:
1. Integration with Facebook pages. Post adverts straight from the system to your Facebook Page/Group.
2. Integration with Google Calendar. Pull appointments from the AgentOS Diary directly into a Google Calendar
3. Integration with Mail Chimp. Pull all email address and contact information from the AgentOS into MailChimp and send out bulk/mass emails with ease.
Logging in:
When you first log in to Zapier, you'll be presented with your Dashboard, where you can quickly build a Zap and see some popular Zap templates (pre-made Zapier workflows).
Creating a Zap:
There are two ways you can create a Zap: You can use Zap templates - pre-built workflows - or create your own Zap from scratch if you need more customization.
For the most customization, you can create a Zap from scratch. To get started, click the + sign button, which is in the top left corner of the navigation menu.
Setting up the trigger
Step 1: First you'll pick the trigger app, which is the app that you want to start the Zap. Enter the app's name in the search box or, if you've already connected apps to Zapier, click on the app icon. In this example, we'll use Twitter.
Step 2: Pick the specific trigger for the app from the list of options. Trigger examples can include events like New Email Received, Document Updated, or Changed Spreadsheet Row. In this example, we'll use Search Mention.
Step 3: Now you need to connect or select your account. Choose an account that is already connected to Zapier or click the Sign in to button to add a new account. A pop-up will appear, prompting you to authorize Zapier to connect to the app. Click Continue.
Step 4: If there are fields or other app options that you can or must include in the Zap, you'll set those up in this step. For example, you might specify the label for Gmail, the spreadsheet, or the folder in Dropbox needed for the Zap to work the way you want. In the below example, we'll can enter a Twitter search term we want to monitor. Then click Continue.
Step 5: Next you'll need to test your step to make sure it works correctly. In the step, you'll see which information from the app will be used for the trigger. Click Test & Continue to make sure the trigger works. Wait for the success message before proceeding to the next step.
Setting up the action
Now it's time to tell the Zap exactly what you want it to do.
Step 1: First you need to choose the action app. Type in the name of the app you want the action to be applied to. It can be the same app as your trigger app or a different one. In this example, we'll use Google Sheets.
Step 2: Next you need to choose how you want the app to behave in response to the trigger. Action examples include Update a Calendar Event or Send an Email. In this example, we'll choose Create a Spreadsheet Row. Then click Continue.
Step 3: Now you need to connect or select your account. Choose an account that is already connected to Zapier or click the Sign in to button to add a new account. A pop-up will appear, prompting you to authorize Zapier to connect to the app. Then click Continue.
Step 4: Now is the spot where you can customize your Zap. In this step, you can tell the Zap exactly what you want it to do with the data from the trigger app by filling in the blank fields here. Use the drop down menu on every field to tell the Zap to pull in data from the trigger step.
Once you click on the drop down menu, a list of data from your trigger app will appear. You'll likely want to choose the data points from your trigger app that most closely match the field in your action app.
Some fields are required. For example, if your action is to update Google Sheets, you'll need to select which spreadsheet and which worksheet you want to update.
Other fields are optional but often still important to fill out. In this example, in the Handle field in Google Sheets, we'll choose the Username field from Twitter. That way, the Zap will put the correct Twitter username into the Handle column in the spreadsheet. Similarly, we'll match the Tweet Text column in Google Sheets with the Text field from Twitter.
For some fields, you can also enter the information directly rather than selecting it from a dropdown box or by clicking the plus sign (+). For example, in an email field, type in an email address. Or in a description field, type in any text.
Once you've made your choices, click Continue.
Step 5: Now we'll test the action. You'll see which information from the trigger app will be sent to the action app. Click the Create & Continue button to make sure this step works as intended.
Step 6: Finally, click the Done Editing button. Be sure to give your Zap a name by clicking the pencil in the top left corner of the editor. Then toggle the On/Off button at the bottom of the page to On. Your Zap will run automatically from now on until you turn it off.
Come back to your Zap at any time to edit the steps or change specific details. You'll find all of your Zaps on your Zaps Page.
If you need any help when setting up your first Zaps, please contact support@agentos.com
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.