Automate It with Zapier and Generative AI: Harness the power of no-code workflow automation and AI with Zapier to increase business productivity

Cover
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Contributors
Table of Contents
Preface
Part 1: Getting Started with Zapier
1
Chapter 1: Introduction to Business Process Automation with Zapier
	Technical requirements
	How process automation helps businesses increase productivity
		Introducing BPA
		How your business applications communicate with each other
		The options available for businesses to connect their tools
	The “no-code revolution” and workflow automation with Zapier
	Understanding the key terms used by Zapier
		What is an app?
		What is a Zap?
		What is a trigger?
		What is an action?
		What is a task?
		What is the Zap editor?
		What is the update time/syncing interval?
		What is a filter?
		What is a formatter?
		What are paths?
		What is a multi-step Zap?
		What is Zap history?
		What is Autoreplay?
		An example demonstrating the use of these terms
	Choosing the right Zapier plan
		Which is the right Zapier plan to use for your business?
	Creating a Zapier account
	Familiarizing yourself with navigation on the Zapier platform
		Icons in the left sidebar
		Icons on the top right
		Footer menu
	Changing your settings and preferences
		My Profile
		Email Notifications
		Advanced
		Data Management
		Account
		Billing and Usage
		Members
	Summary
	Questions
2
Chapter 2: Preparing to Automate Your Processes
	Technical requirements
	Simplifying your processes and assessing what can be automated
		Assessing your top-level management goals
		Involving your team
		Brainstorming your processes and prioritizing them
		Analyzing and simplifying your processes
		Identifying what can be automated
		Documenting your processes
	Establishing how your business apps integrate with Zapier
		Searching for information about your app
		Reviewing the information on the app profile page
		How to use your app with Zapier
	Getting the most out of the Zapier app ecosystem directory
		Navigating the app ecosystem directory
		A brief guide to choosing new apps for your business
	Summary
	Questions
3
Chapter 3: Building Your First Automated Workflow (Zap)
	Technical requirements
	Strategizing your first workflow
		Reviewing your process and app information
		Creating a step-by-step workflow plan
	Connecting your apps to Zapier
		Connecting your apps in My Apps
	Creating your first Zap in the Zap editor
		Navigating the Zap editor
		Setting up your trigger step
		Setting up your action step
		Understanding statuses in steps
		Naming your Zap and turning it “On”
		Editing your Zap – Drafts and Versions
		Using Zapier’s guided workflows (Zap templates)
	Understanding field data types
		Date/time
		Number (integer)
		Boolean (true/false)
		File
		Decimal
	Ensuring your processes and automations stay current
	Summary
	Questions
4
Chapter 4: Managing Your Zaps
	Technical requirements
	Keeping your Zaps organized
		Labeling your Zaps adequately
		Using folders and sub-folders in the Zap management area
	How to manage your Zaps
		Managing your Zaps using the top navigation bar
		Managing your Zaps from within their specific Zap rows
		Restoring Zaps from the Trash folder
		Utilizing the Zap Settings tab in the Zap editor
	Understanding Zap statuses
	Managing your connected apps
		Sharing your connected apps
	Sharing your Zaps and folders
		Sharing a copy of your Zap with Zapier users outside your account
		Sharing Zaps and folders in your Team or Company account
	Summary
	Questions
5
Chapter 5: Troubleshooting and Handling Zap Errors
	Technical requirements
	Managing Zap error alerts
		Adjusting your email notification settings
		Setting up an error alert workflow with the Zapier Manager built-in app
	Managing app status alerts
		Monitoring the Zapier Status page
		Setting up an app status alert workflow with the App Status by Zapier built-in app
	Utilizing Zap history information for troubleshooting
		Understanding the Zap history page
		Understanding task statuses
		Viewing detailed Zap run information
		Managing Zap history data
	Finding help – help center, customer support, communities, experts, and workshops
		Finding app-specific help in app profiles
		Utilizing the Zapier help center
		Engaging with the Zapier community
		Reaching out to Zapier customer support
		Hiring a Zapier Certified Expert
		Courses, workshops, and privately hosted communities
	Summary
	Questions
Part 2: Customizing Your Zaps with Built-in Apps by Zapier – Functionality and Practical Uses
6
Chapter 6: Creating Multi-Step Zaps and Using Built-In Apps
	Technical requirements
	Creating Zaps with multiple action and search steps
		Adding a search step using the + icon
		Adding a search step in a Choose value… field
		Exercise – creating a multi-step Zap with a search action
	Deleting, duplicating, pasting, reordering, and renaming steps in your Zaps
		Renaming a step
		Duplicating a step
		Adding steps
		Copying and pasting steps
		Deleting a step
		Reordering a step
	Introducing apps by Zapier
		Setting run conditions and using logic with apps by Zapier
		Using apps by Zapier for communication
		Extracting and compiling data with apps by Zapier
		Other useful apps by Zapier
		Advanced apps by Zapier
		Managing your Zapier account with apps by Zapier
		Newly released apps in the alpha and beta testing phases
		The powerful Formatter by Zapier app
		Apps with AI functionality
	Summary
	Questions
7
Chapter 7: Getting Started with Built-In Apps
	Technical requirements
	Filter by Zapier – applying conditional logic to your Zaps
		Setting up the Filter by Zapier app
		Understanding filter conditions
	Paths by Zapier – adding branching logic to your Zaps
		Setting up the Paths by Zapier app
	Delay by Zapier – adding delays to your Zaps
		The Delay For action event
		The Delay Until action event
		The Delay After Queue action event
	Schedule by Zapier – scheduling your Zaps to run at intervals
		The Every Hour trigger event
		The Every Day trigger event
		The Every Week trigger event
		The Every Month trigger event
	Exercise – creating a multi-step Zap with a scheduled trigger, search action, filter, path, and delay
	Summary
	Questions
8
Chapter 8: Built-In Communication Apps
	Technical requirements
	SMS by Zapier – sending text messages
		Setting up SMS by Zapier
	Email by Zapier – sending and receiving emails
		The New Inbound Email trigger event
		The Send Outbound Email action event
		The New Read Receipt trigger event
	SMTP by Zapier – sending emails through mail servers
		Setting up the SMTP by Zapier app
	IMAP by Zapier – retrieving emails from mail servers
		Setting up the IMAP by Zapier app
		Customizing and using the New Email trigger event
		Customizing the New Mailbox trigger event
	Summary
	Questions
9
Chapter 9: Exploring Built-In Apps for Extracting and Compiling Data
	Technical requirements
	Email Parser by Zapier – extracting data from emails
		The New Email trigger event
		The New Mailbox trigger event
	RSS by Zapier – using RSS feed readers
		The New Item in Feed trigger event
		The New Items in Multiple Feeds trigger event
		The Create Item in Feed action event
	Digest by Zapier – compiling data in digests
		The Append Entry and Schedule Digest action event
		The Release Existing Digest action event
		The Find Digest search action event
	Exercise – creating a multi-step Zap with an RSS feed digest
	Summary
	Questions
10
Chapter 10: Other Useful Built-In Apps by Zapier
	Technical requirements
	Zapier Chrome extension – triggering one-off automations from any web page
		Setting up the Google Chrome extension on your browser
		The New Push trigger event
		The Reply to Chrome action event
	URL Shortener by Zapier – shortening URLs in your Zaps
		Setting up the Shorten URL action event
	Translate by Zapier – translating text
		The Translate Text action event
		The Detect Language action event
	Lead Score by Zapier – scoring and retrieving lead information
		The Find Person and Company Information search action event
	Weather by Zapier – using weather conditions in your Zaps
		The Will It Rain Today? trigger event
		The Today’s Forecast trigger event
		The Get Current Weather search action event
		The Tomorrow’s Forecast search action event
	Retrograde by Zapier – using astrological predictions in your Zaps
		Setting up a Retrograde by Zapier trigger event
	Summary
	Questions
11
Chapter 11: Advanced Built-In Apps by Zapier
	Technical requirements
	Resources for understanding API documentation
	Webhooks by Zapier – using webhooks and HTTP requests in your Zaps
		Webhooks by Zapier trigger events
		Webhooks by Zapier action events
		An example of using the Catch Hook trigger event of Webhooks by Zapier
		An example of using the PUT action event of Webhooks by Zapier
	Using the API Request action event (feature in beta)
	Using App Extensions in multiple Zaps (feature in beta)
	Code by Zapier – using JavaScript or Python code in your Zaps
		An example of using the Run JavaScript action event of Code by Zapier
		Generating JavaScript or Python code with ChatGPT
	Storage by Zapier – saving and storing data
	Summary
	Questions
12
Chapter 12: Managing Your Zapier Account with Built-In Apps
	Technical requirements
	App Status by Zapier – getting notifications of integration incidents
	Zapier Manager – managing errors and account changes
		Events to manage Zap errors and alerts
		Events to manage apps, Zaps, and folders
		Events for Zapier account administration
		Events for Team and Company account user management
	Use cases
	Summary
	Questions
13
Chapter 13: Newly Released Apps and Features
	Technical requirements
	Early access to new features
	Looping by Zapier – using loops to process datasets
		An example of using the Create Loop from Line Items action event of Looping by Zapier
	Sub-Zap by Zapier (feature in beta) – building modular processes
	Web Parser by Zapier – scraping data from webpages
		Setting up the Parse Webpage action event
	Transfers by Zapier – moving bulk data between apps
		Setting up a transfer between apps
		Managing your transfers
		Transferring existing data from your Zaps
	Zapier Interfaces (feature in beta) – building custom forms, chatbots, and visual interfaces
		Getting started with Zapier Interfaces
	Zapier Tables (feature in beta) – storing and structuring data in tables
		Getting started with Zapier Tables
	Summary
	Questions
Part 3: Using the Features of the Formatter by Zapier Built-In App
14
Chapter 14: Formatting Date and Time
	Technical requirements
	An introduction to the Formatter by Zapier built-in app
	The basics of adjusting date and time values using Zapier
		Using the date and time your Zap runs in fields
	Manipulating dates and times with Formatter by Zapier
		Using custom date formats
		Adding or subtracting time
		Comparing two dates
		Formatting dates and times
	Summary
	Questions
15
Chapter 15: Formatting Numbers
	Technical requirements
	Using Zapier to transform numerical values
	Formatting numbers with Formatter by Zapier
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Format Number transform option
	Formatting currencies with Formatter by Zapier
		Understanding country locales and currency formatting
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Format Currency transform option
	Formatting phone numbers with Formatter by Zapier
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Format Phone Number transform option
	Performing mathematical operations with Formatter by Zapier
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Perform Math Operation transform option
	Generating random numbers with Formatter by Zapier
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Random Number transform option
	Using spreadsheet-style formulas with Formatter by Zapier
		Setting up the Numbers action event with the Spreadsheet-Style Formula transform option
	Summary
	Questions
16
Chapter 16: Text Formatting Functions in Zapier – Part 1
	Technical requirements
	Using Zapier to transform text values
	Capitalizing the first letter of every word
		Setting up the Text action event with the Capitalize transform option
	Applying title case to a string of words
		Setting up the Text action event with the Titlecase transform option
	Converting all the characters in a string of text into uppercase
		Setting up the Text action event with the Uppercase transform option
	Converting all the characters in a string of text into lowercase
		Setting up the Text action event with the Lowercase transform option
	Pluralizing words
		Setting up the Text action event with the Pluralize transform option
	Finding the first position of specified text
		Setting up the Text action event with the Find transform option
	Replacing characters, words, or phrases
		Setting up the Text action event with the Replace transform option
	Counting the number of characters in a string of text
		Setting up the Text action event with the Length transform option
	Counting the number of words in a string of text
		Setting up the Text action event with the Word Count transform option
	Removing whitespace
		Setting up the Text action event with the Trim Whitespace transform option
	Summary
	Questions
17
Chapter 17: Text Formatting Functions in Zapier – Part 2
	Technical requirements
	Converting a name into the name of a superhero
		Setting up the Text action event with the Superhero Name transform option
	Splitting characters or words into segments
		Setting up the Text action event with the Split Text transform option
	Truncating text to a specified character length
		Setting up the Text action event with the Truncate transform option
	Removing HTML tags to leave plain text
		Setting up the Text action event with the Remove HTML Tags transform option
	Assigning a default value
		Setting up the Text action event with the Default Value transform option
	Transforming text with a spreadsheet-style formula
		Setting up the Text action event with the Spreadsheet-Style Formula transform option
	Extracting data from blocks of text
		Extracting an email address from a block of text
		Extracting numbers from blocks of text
		Extracting URLs from blocks of text
		Extracting phone numbers from blocks of text
	Advanced text formatting features
	Summary
	Questions
18
Chapter 18: Zapier’s Utilities Functions
	Technical requirements
	Introducing the Formatter by Zapier Utilities action event
	Importing data from CSV files
		Setting up the Utilities action event with the Import CSV File transform option
	Using lookup tables for related data
		Setting up the Utilities action event with the Lookup Table transform option
	Picking data from a list
		Setting up the Utilities action event with the Pick from List transform option
	Manipulating line items
		Understanding line items
		Converting text into line items
		Converting line items into text
		Using a line itemizer to create, append, or prepend line items
	Summary
	Questions
Part 4: Getting the Most Out of Zapier
19
Chapter 19: AI and Automation
	Technical requirements
	Early access to new AI features
	Create a Zap (beta) – drafting your Zaps using AI
	Running Zap AI Actions (beta) using the Zapier Chrome extension and the ChatGPT plugin (beta)
		NLA and AI Actions
		Zapier Chrome extension NLA actions (beta)
		The Zapier ChatGPT plugin (beta) – running Zap actions from ChatGPT
	Building AI chatbots (beta) using Zapier Interfaces (beta)
		Creating an AI chatbot (beta)
	Other AI-powered Zapier built-in apps and features
		Formatter by Zapier – Split Text into Chunks for AI Prompt (beta) transform option
		AI-powered Formatter by Zapier steps (feature in beta)
		AI-powered Code by Zapier steps (feature in beta)
		AI-powered Notes (feature in beta)
		AI-powered troubleshooting (feature in beta)
		AI-powered App Extensions (feature in beta)
		AI by Zapier (feature in beta)
	The OpenAI and ChatGPT integrations with Zapier
		The Zapier-OpenAI integration
		Zapier-ChatGPT integration
	GPT AI prompting guidelines
	Summary
	Questions
	Answers
20
Chapter 20: Automating Your Marketing Processes
	Technical requirements
	An introduction to automating your marketing processes with Zapier
		Understanding what marketing processes can be automated with Zapier
	Where to start with automating your marketing processes with Zapier
	Automating social media marketing processes, illustrated with the Facebook Pages integration
		Facebook Pages trigger events and use cases
		Facebook Pages action events and use cases
		Setting up a multi-step Zap with the Facebook Pages integration
	Summary
	Questions
21
Chapter 21: Automating Your Sales Processes
	Technical requirements
	An introduction to automating your sales processes with Zapier
		Understanding what sales processes can be automated with Zapier
	Where to start with automating your sales processes with Zapier
	Automating lead management processes with CRM integrations, illustrated with the Pipedrive integration
		Pipedrive trigger events and use cases
		Pipedrive action events and use cases
		Pipedrive search action events
		Tips for using the Pipedrive integration
		Setting up a multi-step Zap with the Pipedrive integration
	Summary
	Questions
22
Chapter 22: Automating Your Operations Processes
	Technical requirements
	An introduction to automating your operations processes with Zapier
		Understanding what operations processes can be automated with Zapier
	Where to start with automating your operations processes with Zapier
	Automating online Word document processes with the Google Docs integration
		Google Docs trigger events and use cases
		Google Docs action events and use cases
		Google Docs search action events
		Setting up a multi-step Zap with the Google Docs integration
	Summary
	Questions
23
Chapter 23: Automating Your Finance and Reporting Processes
	Technical requirements
	An introduction to automating your finance processes with Zapier
		Understanding what finance processes can be automated with Zapier
	An introduction to automating your reporting processes with Zapier
		Understanding what reporting processes can be automated with Zapier
	Where to start with automating your finance and reporting processes with Zapier
	Automating accounting processes with the Xero integration
		Xero trigger events and use cases
		Xero action events and use cases
		Xero search action events and use cases
		Tips for using the Xero integration
		Setting up a multi-step Zap with the Xero integration
	Summary
	Questions
24
Chapter 24: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices to Enhance Your Productivity
	Technical requirements
	Best practices for using Zapier effectively
		Starting with the basics
		Preparing before you automate
		Getting to grips with steps, fields, and data mapping
		Managing your Zaps effectively
		Staying on top of your task usage
		Setting up alerts and understand how to troubleshoot
		Understanding the different built-in Zapier apps and features
		Getting inspired
		Reviewing your processes and automations regularly
	Tips and tricks to enhance your use of Zapier
		Trigger data not pulling through
		Timezone settings
		Extra Fields alerts
		Refreshing fields when you make adjustments in your app
		Doing more than what Zapier integration with an app allows
		Thinking outside the box
		Using the Zapier community as a resource
	Summary
	Questions
25
Chapter 25: Challenging Your Problem-Solving and Zap-Building Skills
	Technical requirements
	Introduction and guidance
	Three scenarios (novice, intermediate, and advanced)
		Scenario 1 – novice
		Scenario 2 – intermediate
		Scenario 3 – advanced
	Guidance on suggested solutions for each scenario
		Scenario 1
		Scenario 2
		Scenario 3
	Summary
Assessments
Index
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