If you’ve ever exported a list from your CRM, tidied it up in a spreadsheet and then uploaded it somewhere else just to send a message, you’ll know it’s not exactly the highlight of anyone’s week. It takes time, it’s easy to grab the wrong version of the file, and by the time the message goes out, some of the details may already be out of date.
The good news is that most of that copying and pasting can happen on its own. Prodocom connects with thousands of other apps through Zapier, so your CRM, forms, spreadsheets and calendars can send SMS, email and fax through Prodocom automatically, using the information you already have.
How does Zapier work with Prodocom?
Zapier is an automation tool that links different apps together without any coding. According to Zapier, Prodocom integrates with more than 9,000 other apps on its platform, and you can get started on Zapier’s free tier.
Each automation, which Zapier calls a “Zap”, is made up of two parts:
- A trigger, which is the event that starts things off, such as a new contact being added to your CRM or a form being submitted.
- An action, which is what happens as a result, such as Prodocom sending an SMS or adding that person to a contact group.
It works in both directions. Something happening in another app can trigger an action in Prodocom, and something happening in Prodocom, like a link being clicked or a message being delivered, can trigger an action in another app.
What can you automate?
The Prodocom app on Zapier covers four main jobs.
Keep your contacts in sync. Prodocom can create, update or find a contact, and add people to a contact group, whenever something changes in another app. That means new leads from your CRM, form or spreadsheet can land in the right Prodocom group without anyone uploading a file, and keeping them current is a big part of avoiding the hidden cost of a dirty contact list.
Send messages automatically. Prodocom can send an SMS, an email or a fax as the action in a Zap, so a message can go out the moment something happens in another system.
Feed results back to your other systems. Events in Prodocom can trigger actions elsewhere. The triggers include a campaign being created or sent, an email being opened, a link being clicked, and a message being delivered or not delivered. So if someone clicks a link in your campaign, that activity can be passed back to the tool your team works in every day.
Manage opt-outs and exclusions. Prodocom can add a recipient to an unsubscribe group, or add them to the exclusion list for a Campaign Board campaign. That helps keep opt-outs consistent across systems, and stops someone who has already acted from being chased by the rest of the campaign.
Are there ready-made templates?
Yes, and they’re the quickest way to get started. Zapier currently offers these templates for Prodocom:
- Send emails in Prodocom when contacts are created or updated in HubSpot
- Create Prodocom group contacts from new Salesforce records
- Create new Prodocom contacts from new or updated rows in Google Sheets
- Create new Prodocom contacts from new entries in Typeform
- Create new Prodocom contacts from updated rows in Microsoft Excel
If the app you use isn’t on that list, it’s worth searching for it on Prodocom’s Zapier page. The apps Zapier lists as popular pairings include Google Calendar, Calendly, Pipedrive, Mailchimp, Microsoft Outlook, Facebook Lead Ads, Airtable and monday.com, so there’s a good chance your tools are covered.
What’s worth knowing before you start?
A few practical details will save you some head-scratching later.
Timing depends on your Zapier plan. Prodocom’s triggers work by Zapier checking for new activity at regular intervals, and on Zapier’s Free plan that check happens every 15 minutes. That’s fine for most jobs, but if you’re automating something time-sensitive, like SMS appointment reminders, it’s worth factoring in.
Some apps need a paid Zapier plan. Zapier treats certain apps as “Premium”, and Salesforce is one of them, so check which plan you’ll need before you build.
Contact groups matter. When Prodocom creates a contact through Zapier, it needs to know which group to put that person in. Setting up your groups first makes everything else easier to organise.
Test before you go live. Run your Zap with a small test group and check the results in Prodocom before switching it on for your whole list. It’s much easier to fix a field that’s landed in the wrong place with five contacts than with five thousand.
What if your system isn’t on Zapier?
Zapier covers a lot of ground, but not every system is on it. If yours isn’t, we can often connect it to Prodocom directly through an API instead, so it’s worth asking before you go back to exporting spreadsheets.
Either way, you don’t have to set it up alone. If you’d like a hand working out which automations would save your team the most time, or you’re not sure whether your system can connect, get in touch and we’ll talk it through with you.