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3 workflows to improve team collaboration

Automation to support brainstorming, delegation, and communication

By Krystina Martinez · August 21, 2020
teamwork primary img

For many of us, group projects in school were a terrible introduction to teamwork. Thankfully collaborating with coworkers is usually a more pleasant experience, but you're still dealing with different work styles, schedules, and personalities.

We can't do anything about personality differences, but Zapier can help accommodate different workflows and app preferences to help you get the job done. Our automatic workflows—which we call Zaps—let you send information between apps so you don't have to constantly check if your teammates are on track with their parts of a project.

Use these Zap templates—pre-made workflows that help you get started—to address common collaboration problems. Just click on a template and you'll be guided through customizing it. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.

You'll need a Zapier account to use the workflows in this piece. If you don't have an account yet, it's free to get started.

Brainstorm asynchronously

Brainstorming sessions within your team can be fruitful or frustrating. Some people need more than a one-hour meeting to generate good ideas, but it's counterproductive to call multiple brainstorming sessions to tease them out.

Instead, try a workflow that allows time for asynchronous brainstorming. However your team members like to jot ideas—whether it's in a note-taking app or posting their stream of consciousness in Slack—you can use a Zap to automatically save those ideas in an online whiteboard tool.

Create Miro cards when notes on Evernote are tagged

Create Miro cards when notes on Evernote are tagged
  • Evernote logo
  • Miro logo
Evernote + Miro

Add Miro cards for new notes added to a section in OneNote

Add Miro cards for new notes added to a section in OneNote
  • OneNote logo
  • Miro logo
OneNote + Miro

Create Miro card widgets for new Google Tasks

Create Miro card widgets for new Google Tasks
  • Google Tasks logo
  • Miro logo
Google Tasks + Miro

Create Stormboard ideas from Google Form results

Create Stormboard ideas from Google Form results
  • Google Forms logo
  • Stormboard logo
Google Forms + Stormboard

Create an idea in Stormboard from reactions in Slack

Create an idea in Stormboard from reactions in Slack
  • Slack logo
  • Stormboard logo
Slack + Stormboard

Then, when you get enough ideas on a whiteboard, you can call a meeting to whittle them down to what your team will focus on.

Delegate tasks automatically

When there are a lot of moving parts to a project or process, it's easy to miscommunicate who's supposed to do what. For example, who on your sales team will follow up with new leads? When a new task is added to your project management app, who will tackle it?

Whether you're running an eCommerce business or a project for a specific client, you can use a Zap to delegate tasks to colleagues.

Does one coworker prefer receiving team chat notifications, while another prefers having things added to their own task management app? If you add a Paths step—available on our Professional plans and higher—it will route specific tasks to specific people, based on certain conditions, no matter what method each person prefers.

Create Trello cards from new Google Forms responses

Create Trello cards from new Google Forms responses
  • Google Forms logo
  • Trello logo
Google Forms + Trello

Create Salesforce tasks from new Acuity Scheduling appointments

Create Salesforce tasks from new Acuity Scheduling appointments
  • Acuity Scheduling logo
  • Salesforce logo
Acuity Scheduling + Salesforce

Create tasks in Microsoft To-Do from new Microsoft Outlook emails

Create tasks in Microsoft To-Do from new Microsoft Outlook emails
  • Microsoft Outlook logo
  • Microsoft To Do logo
Microsoft Outlook + Microsoft To Do

Create Trello cards from new Shopify orders

Create Trello cards from new Shopify orders
  • Shopify logo
Shopify

Turn new assigned conversations in Help Scout into Asana tasks

Turn new assigned conversations in Help Scout into Asana tasks
  • Help Scout logo
  • Asana logo
Help Scout + Asana

Add new Trello cards to Todoist as tasks

Add new Trello cards to Todoist as tasks
  • Trello logo
  • Todoist logo
Trello + Todoist

Add new JIRA issues to Asana as tasks

Add new JIRA issues to Asana as tasks
  • Jira Software Server logo
  • Asana logo
Jira Software Server + Asana

Communicate progress

You can't collaborate effectively if you're not communicating effectively. While some matters of communication are best left to humans—such as providing context behind a particular decision—automation can take care of tasks such as updating your team on what you're accomplishing.

If your team uses a team chat app, with one (or a few) Zaps, you can turn any channel into a command center where notifications of project activity or completed tasks are routed.

Send Slack channel messages with a digest of new Basecamp 3 to-dos on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule

Send Slack channel messages with a digest of new Basecamp 3 to-dos on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule
  • Basecamp 3 logo
  • Slack logo
Basecamp 3 + Slack

Get Slack notifications for Trello cards created or closed

Get Slack notifications for Trello cards created or closed
  • Trello logo
  • Slack logo
Trello + Slack

Create notifications in Google Chat for new or updated records in Airtable

Create notifications in Google Chat for new or updated records in Airtable
  • Airtable logo
  • Google Chat logo
Airtable + Google Chat

Post a new message to Google Chat whenever a Google Sheets row is updated

Post a new message to Google Chat whenever a Google Sheets row is updated
  • Google Sheets logo
  • Google Chat logo
Google Sheets + Google Chat

Post Slack messages for new Jira Service Management request updates

Post Slack messages for new Jira Service Management request updates
  • Jira Service Management logo
  • Slack logo
Jira Service Management + Slack

Let automation be your teammate

Working with a team comes with its own challenges, but with the help of automation, you don't have to worry about the tasks that trip up most teams. Now, you'll have more time to focus on getting the job done.

Related reading:

  • The 11 best online whiteboards

  • The best mind-mapping software in 2020

  • 4 Common Problems Caused by Collaboration (and How to Fix Them)

  • Online collaboration tools you should know

  • Popular ways to automate Linear

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A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'