Unlocking Financial Independence: Embrace AI for Work Automation - Part 2 (google spread sheet automation with Email)

Hello, today I’ve prepared the second part of our series on AI tools for work automation.

Zapier, a company that is growing frighteningly fast worldwide, is what I’ve prepared for you. Those repetitive tasks I have to do boringly! If you could do it just by looking at a short guide without any coding with a few simple operations? These dreamlike things are actually happening these days.

The Birth of Zapier

Zapier was founded by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop. They started their startup in 2011 and have achieved their current growth and success.

Wade Foster: As the CEO of Zapier, Wade leads the company’s vision, strategizes, and leads the team. He is famous for his passion for development and business and is actively involved in the startup ecosystem.

Bryan Helmig: As Zapier’s CTO, Bryan determines the product’s direction from a technical perspective and guides the development team. He leads the company’s technical progress with his technical knowledge and creativity.

Mike Knoop: As the CTO of Zapier, Mike works to improve the product’s design and user experience. He focuses on enhancing the completeness of the product and user-friendliness.

Thanks to their efforts and passion, Zapier is now a globally famous work automation platform, providing integration with millions of users and thousands of apps. The growth and success of Zapier are largely due to the efforts and vision of these founders.

A Simple Way to Use Zapier

Zapier is a tool that allows you to create workflows that automate repetitive tasks by connecting over 6000 apps. These workflows, called Zaps, consist of a trigger (the event that starts the work) and one or more actions (the event executed by the trigger). When a Zap is published, the action step is executed every time the trigger event occurs.

You can configure custom Zaps using various tools provided by Zapier, which can reduce unnecessary work and improve productivity across the organization.

How to Make a Zap: 1. My Custom Order Form

You can create a Zap from scratch using a blank Zap in the Zap editor.
You can configure workflows using AI.
You can choose pre-made Zap templates.

In addition, you can customize your Zap by adding various built-in tools such as search steps, filters, formatter steps, delays, and paths. These advanced features allow you to fine-tune your workflows more precisely.

Once a Zap is completed and published, the action step is executed every time the set trigger event occurs, and you can check the log of Zap activity in Zap history. If an error occurs, you can also learn how to troubleshoot the Zap.

The manual provides useful information for users who want to learn how to automate tasks using Zapier.

The reason for making a Zap is to simplify and automate your repetitive tasks. Zapier supports over 6000 apps, allowing you to automate everything from simple tasks to core business processes without coding. Team or company plan users can share and collaborate on Zaps to enhance productivity across the organization.

How to Make a Zap: Following Someone Else’s Proposal

Start with a Blank Zap: You can create a Zap from scratch in the Zap editor. Hover over the left sidebar menu in your Zapier account and click ‘Make a Zap’.
Use AI: If you describe the desired workflow in plain language using AI, AI will suggest trigger and one or more action steps.
Select Pre-made Zap Templates: You can use pre-made Zap templates that already include triggers and actions.

You can use Zapier’s built-in tools to customize your Zap. For example, you can use the search step to find existing data in an app or add a filter to limit the Zap to run only when specific conditions are met. You can also use features such as adding a delay between Zap steps or changing the data format with the formatter step.

Once a Zap is published, Zapier executes the action step every time the set trigger event occurs. You can check the log of Zap activity in Zap history, and if an error occurs, you can learn how to solve the problem.

Building a Zap can increase work efficiency, save time from repetitive tasks, and allow you to focus on more important work.

This is my favorite part. “The work I’m doing, someone must have done it!” “They have already created templates after many trials and errors ahead of me!” Therefore, the charm of Zapier might be the part where you just have to use it.

Integration of Zapier with Other APPs

One of the most beloved work automation projects in Zapier is “Integration between Google Sheets and Email.” This project enables the automatic creation and sending of emails using Google Sheets, a function often used by various users.

Through this project, users can automate various tasks. For example:

Customer Inquiry Handling: When a new customer inquiry is registered in Google Sheets, an email is automatically created and sent to the designated person in charge through Zapier.

Marketing Campaign Management: When campaign data is updated in Google Sheets, an email is automatically created to inform the marketing team of the campaign performance or to direct necessary tasks.

Order Processing and Shipping Management: When a new order is added to Google Sheets, an email is automatically created to process tasks such as shipping the product and notifying the customer of the delivery.

By integrating Google Sheets and email in this way, users can efficiently manage work and automate tasks. This project was very popular among Zapier users and was used in various industries and fields.

Now that it’s integrated with over 6000 apps, it’s a whole new world.

Let me introduce you to the key concepts of Zapier

Zapier is an online tool that automates repetitive tasks by connecting your apps and services. Without the help of coding or developers, you can automate by connecting two or more apps. This guide explains a few key concepts to help you get started with Zapier.
Action: An action is an event that is performed after a Zap is triggered. For example, if you want to send a text message every time you receive an email, ‘sending a text message’ would be the action.
App: An app refers to web services or applications like Google Docs, Slack, Salesforce. Zapier provides integration with over 6,000 apps, allowing you to move data or automate repetitive tasks.
Auto-retry: Available in the Professional plan and above, this feature automatically retries a failed Zap step due to temporary errors or downtime.
Beta: Represents apps, features, or products that are still in active development and subject to change. There are two types: open beta and closed beta.
Filter: You can add a filter to limit the execution of a Zap only when specific conditions are met.
Multi-step Zap: A Zap that includes one trigger and one or more actions. It is considered a multi-step Zap if it includes filters or searches.
Paths: A feature that allows you to build advanced workflows that perform different actions based on different conditions.
Polling Interval: The frequency at which Zapier checks for new data in the trigger app.
Premium App: An app that is only available to paid plan users. The Starter plan can use up to 3 premium apps, and the Professional plan and above can use an unlimited number.
Task: An action that a Zap successfully completes. For example, in a Zap that includes an action to create new contacts in Google Contacts, each created contact is counted as one task.
Test Record: When you first set up a Zap trigger, Zapier finds existing data in the trigger app

Similar Work Automation AI tools

Integromat (Now called Make): Integromat is a platform that allows you to visually build complex automations by connecting various apps and services. It offers a user-friendly interface and flexible configuration options.

Microsoft Power Automate (Formerly Microsoft Flow): Microsoft Power Automate is primarily integrated with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and allows you to automate tasks such as emails, notifications, data collection, and transmission by connecting various apps and services.

IFTTT (If This Then That): IFTTT automates connections between apps, devices, and services based on simple conditional statements like “if this, then that”. It mainly focuses on personal life automation and is used in various fields such as smart home devices, social media, and web services.

Automate.io: Automate.io is a platform that automates simple one-to-one integrations between cloud-based apps as well as complex workflows. It is useful for automating various business processes such as marketing, sales, and support.

Tray.io: Tray.io is a platform for building complex enterprise-grade automations. Users can create deep integrations and automations using a powerful visual workflow editor. It is suitable for solutions targeting large enterprises and advanced users.

Workato: Workato is a powerful platform for business process automation and integration. It offers a wide range of integrations and automation options suitable for various departments including IT, HR, marketing, and sales.

While these platforms may have paid options, they also offer free plans with certain limitations. Finding the right AI tool that suits your needs can provide a sense of relief, even if there are costs involved. It’s important to explore the features and limitations of each platform to determine which one best fits your requirements.

Free Sites Similar to Zapier

IFTTT (If This Then That): IFTTT is a platform that allows you to connect various apps, devices, and services to create simple automations. Basic automation for personal use is available for free, and if you need more features and automation options, you can consider the paid plan.

Zapier: Zapier also offers a free plan. This free plan allows you to create a certain amount of tasks and simple automations each month, including a limited number of Zaps and steps. If you need more complex automation or a higher volume of tasks, you can upgrade to a paid plan.

Microsoft Power Automate: Microsoft Power Automate offers basic automation features for free. This can be especially useful for Microsoft 365 users. If you need more features or enterprise-grade automation, you may need to consider a paid plan.

Integromat (Make): Integromat offers a free plan for basic automation tasks. The free plan includes a certain amount of tasks and data transfers per month, and allows you to create a limited number of scenarios and tasks.

Automate.io: Automate.io also provides a free plan for basic automation. This free plan includes a limited number of actions and automations (bots), and is suitable for small-scale automation requirements.

Hope this helps with your repetitive tasks! Have a great day!