Zapier

Zapier is the automation tool that most small businesses should know about and almost none have set up. It connects your existing apps and creates automated workflows between them, without any coding.

The concept is simple: when something happens in one app, Zapier automatically does something in another app. These two-step automations are called Zaps.

What Zapier connects

Zapier integrates with over 6,000 applications. Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, Trello, Asana, Notion, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Xero, QuickBooks, Typeform, Calendly, Stripe, Shopify, and thousands more. If you use a software tool, there is almost certainly a Zapier integration for it.

What you can automate

The possibilities are enormous, but here are the automations that deliver the most value for small businesses:

Enquiry management: New contact form submission triggers an automated reply to the customer, adds their details to a Google Sheet, and creates a task for your team to follow up. Nothing gets missed.

Review requests: Job marked as complete triggers a message to the customer 24 hours later asking for a Google review. Consistent, automatic, no awkwardness.

Invoice reminders: Invoice overdue in Xero triggers a polite chasing email. Escalates if still unpaid after 7 days.

Booking confirmations: New appointment in Calendly triggers a confirmation email and adds the booking to your calendar.

Lead management: New lead from your website form triggers an email to your sales team, adds the lead to your CRM, and sends the prospect a follow-up sequence.

Getting started

Go to zapier.com, create a free account, and try building your first Zap. The interface walks you through it step by step. Choose your trigger (what starts the automation), connect the app and your account, then choose your action (what happens as a result). Test it with real data, then turn it on.

The free tier allows up to five Zaps and 100 tasks per month, which is enough to test the concept and automate your most valuable workflow. Paid plans from £16/month give you more Zaps and multi-step workflows.

The ROI

The value of automation compounds over time. Once a Zap is running, it keeps running. A review request Zap set up once generates reviews every week for years. An enquiry response Zap means every single lead gets an immediate professional response, even at midnight on a Sunday.

Most small business owners who set up their first Zap are annoyed they did not do it sooner.

How to get set up

1. Go to zapier.com and click Sign Up Free
2. Sign in with Google or create an account with your email
3. Click Create Zap and choose your trigger app (for example, Gmail — meaning "when I get an email")
4. Choose what you want to happen next (for example, add a row to a Google Sheet, or create a task in Notion)
5. Follow the steps to connect your accounts and test the automation. Zapier walks you through each step.

Time to get started: 10 to 15 minutes for your first automation Do you need a credit card? No — free tier available