From Automation Veteran to AI Pioneer: How Evan Nison transformed his agency with Zapier MCP

Evan Nison has been automating business processes since the early days of IFTTT and Zapier. As the founder of NisonCo, a PR and SEO agency that recently expanded into AI consulting, Evan has always looked for ways to eliminate manual work and scale operations efficiently.

"We started literally with IFTTT way back in the day," Evan said. "I would create different Gmail accounts that I could forward emails to as triggers for different Zaps. When AI started coming out, I obviously got very into that from an automation standpoint."

Today, NisonCo runs dozens of Zapier Agents across multiple accounts, handling everything from lead generation to client onboarding. But when Zapier MCP launched, Evan saw an opportunity to take automation to the next level.

Challenge: Connecting AI intelligence to business systems

Despite being an automation expert and AI enthusiast, Evan faced a common problem: he wanted to give AI tools like Claude access to his business systems, but lacked the technical expertise to build custom integrations.

"I'm very good with AI, but as soon as I get to GitHub, I’m not always sure what my next step is," Evan said. "Any MCP server that's hosted on GitHub or doesn't have an HTTP URL is over my head. That's where Zapier has been the best for filling that gap."

The challenge was particularly acute when trying to integrate AI with proprietary business data and specialized tools that don't have native AI integrations.

Solution: Zapier MCP as the Universal Connector

Zapier MCP became Evan's bridge between Claude AI and his entire business ecosystem. As one of the first MCP servers available, it allowed him to connect Claude to any of Zapier's 8,000 app integrations without writing code.

Here's some of the key ways Evan uses it:

1. Automated Client Onboarding: When a client signs a contract, the system analyzes the signed DocuSign document, extracts client information, and creates a QuickBooks customer record, all before Evan even notifies his bookkeeper.

2. Enhanced Content Creation: "When writing blogs, I use it to reference documents, calls, or emails to add authority and personal experience," Evan said. He recently wrote a blog about MCP servers, then had Claude review internal team calls, emails, and Google Docs to weave their personal experiences into the content, making it significantly more valuable.

3. SEO Account Management: The team is building an MCP-powered SEO workflow that connects SEMrush, Google Analytics, and Search Console data. This allows Claude to understand complete client context from calls and research, then make data-driven recommendations and create new documents automatically.

4. Lead Generation Enhancement Building on existing Zapier Agent workflows, Evan uses MCP to enhance lead qualification by giving Claude access to CRM data, email history, and research documents for more intelligent lead scoring and outreach.

Results: From manual tasks to strategic focus

The integration of Zapier MCP has transformed how NisonCo operates:

• Reduced Manual Work: Client onboarding tasks that previously required manual data entry now happen automatically

• Enhanced Content Quality: Blog posts and reports now incorporate rich, contextual business data

• Faster Decision Making: Account managers can access comprehensive client data through natural language queries

• Scalable Processes: Workflows that previously required human oversight can now run autonomously

Looking Ahead: The future of AI-powered business operations

Evan's vision extends beyond current implementations. He's planning custom applications combining deterministic workflows with AI intelligence, all powered by Zapier MCP.

"The short-term future for us is custom apps that do a lot of our workflow with MCP servers working with AI," he said. "AI-powered custom apps with hard-coded workflows and MCP integrations."

His next major project: an SEO management system that automatically creates three-month roadmaps by analyzing client calls, accessing SEO tools through MCP, and generating actionable recommendations, requiring only human approval before execution.

"There's always going to be niches that people like me just want an MCP for, and we can't figure out how to build it ourselves," said Evan. “That's where Zapier MCP makes sense, even as more native integrations become available."

Evan's advice for others looking to implement Zapier MCP: "Start with simple use cases that you're already automating with regular Zapier workflows, then gradually add AI intelligence through MCP. The authentication is very easy with Claude, much easier than trying to build custom integrations."

For businesses ready to bridge the gap between AI capabilities and existing systems, Zapier MCP offers a proven path forward, as demonstrated by Evan's transformation from automation expert to AI-powered business operations pioneer.