In this guide, you'll get:
Insights from RevOps leaders who've solved these problems—and how you can do it, too.
Tried-and-tested strategies for connecting your tech stack and scaling automation across your teams.
Workflows to steal and adapt across your customer journey.
At the time, Lena's team had just migrated to a new marketing automation platform (MAP), so adding another tool to her previous company's tech stack was the last thing she wanted. Settling for middling tools felt safer at the time, even though her team needed more complex workflows.
Have you had the same thought? We don't blame you. You already use built-in workflows in your CRM and MAPs. They might work well or get you halfway there. Don't get stuck juggling another disparate tool that fails to scale with your needs. That shouldn't be your destiny.
"I might've been able to keep a system I loved and generally worked well for our go-to-market (GTM) team, while using Zapier for…other use cases [beyond] marketing emails," Lena admits. "It also would've been more cost-effective. I think we spent an additional $100,000 per year on other tools."
How to get your tools to talk
Just like your customer journey, your tech stack (and all its warts) is unique to your business. You can use Zaps to bridge the gaps, keep the tools and processes that already work well, and trim the excess—all without needing a developer.
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Automate manual steps between processes
Ideal for: Repetitive, manual tasks between existing workflows that don't need a human touch.
You can likely think of plenty of manual steps in a process you'd love to offload to automation, but you couldn't make it work. Built-in integrations are too basic, or third-party tools couldn't support complex workflows.
Instead, lean on a dedicated automation platform. To get started, identify the breakpoints in a process where automation ends and onerous copy-pasting begins.
The fastest way to do this is with Zapier Canvas, our free AI-powered diagramming tool. Visualize every step, app, and person involved in a workflow—and even transform your plan into a draft Zap all in one spot.
Connor Sheffield, Head of Business Automation at Zonos, regularly uses Canvas to document automated workflows and demonstrate their impact to his executive team. That helped him find ways to cut their software spending.
Zonas
Hudl
Zonos needed more flexibility and visibility, so Connor built a marketing automation solution entirely on Zapier, which saves the company $12,000-$13,000 annually.
"With Zapier, we replaced Pardot completely as a marketing automation platform for Zonos," he says.
You don't have to ditch Pardot if it works for you. (We love our Pardot integration.) But by visualizing (and automating) processes within your existing tech stack, you'll identify what you truly need for your GTM strategy.
You can also automate using your existing tools without spending more on software licenses. Hudl saves $15,000 per year in software licenses alone, thanks to automation powered by Zapier. And that's just the beginning of the potential cost savings.
"I was able to leverage Slack and our [automated workflows] to avoid the need to add dozens of Salesforce licenses for our specialized teams," says Tori Phillips, Hudl's Revenue Operations System Administrator. “Our users get answers and fixes to their issues much faster now."
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Expand your CRM and MAP workflows with webhooks
Ideal for: Sending data from other tools directly to built-in workflows, as well as catching leaks in your sales and marketing pipelines.
At Zapier, we use the best tools for the job and connect them using automation. This approach is preferable to forcing monolithic solutions to work for us.
Instead, our RevOps team uses a combination of built-in CRM workflows and Zaps throughout the customer journey. This allows for greater flexibility and customization when business needs shift.
If your marketing platform or CRM's workflow tool supports it, use our built-in webhooks tool—available on paid plans—to trigger a Zap from an existing workflow.
For example, we have an internal HubSpot workflow that qualifies leads. If a customer who needs product support accidentally ends up in our qualified lead queue, the workflow sends a request to the Zapier-generated webhook URL. That webhook triggers a Zap that creates a Zendesk ticket and redirects the customer to our Support team.
You also don't need to wait for an engineer to use webhooks. At Lena's former company, she felt guilty whenever she asked an engineer to make minor edits to existing workflows.
"I didn’t know that I could use webhook steps… [with Zapier]," she says. "Even if I need someone else to help with more technically complex steps, I can still own the Zap and adjust other steps without waiting for help."
How much granular control do I need?
Lena says her choice comes down to which platform has what she needs. "Sometimes, the functionality of Zapier gives us greater granular control—and vice versa [with built-in capabilities]," Lena says. Let the features you need for a process guide you.
Am I combining data in multiple ways?
"When [our RevOps team] prefers to do things using Zapier, a lot of times it's for combining data across multiple sources in multiple ways, or [our CRM] doesn't have the functionality." Zapier can pick up where your existing tools fall short.
Where can I debug issues faster?
Plan for the worst-case scenario, so if something breaks, you can get things back online quickly without interrupting operations.
Vemos mais acordos fechados no seu futuro. Com um balcão de acordos automatizado, coordene as aprovações entre diferentes ferramentas para eliminar a burocracia e chegar à linha de chegada mais rápido.
Este fluxo de trabalho aciona algumas ações diferentes do seu aplicativo de chat para colaboração e comunicação entre equipes. Então, ele percorre as etapas de aprovação necessárias no seu CRM usando seus fluxos de trabalho incorporados.
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Bridge bottlenecks with backdoor integrations
Ideal for: Proprietary software, tools without webhook features, and freeing up engineering and IT resources.
Zapier has more than 7,000 integrations, along with additional solutions to address internal bottlenecks like:
Your tool doesn't have a direct Zapier integration
You use complex, hard-to-integrate, custom software
You still have to go through IT or engineering for minor changes for security purposes
You can unclog the first two types of bottlenecks by using a backdoor integration—an alternative app integration that acts as a bridge so you can automate with your chosen tool.
For example, instead of constantly checking an app's status page, use our built-in RSS by Zapier tool in a Zap to automate alerts for system outages in your tech stack. That way, your whole team will know right away when something is down.
But what about more complex needs, like working with custom software without an API? Jet Agency used an SQL integration as a bridge to unlock automation when using its proprietary CRM.
For something more robust, you can even build a private Zapier integration, with or without coding, through the Zapier Platform,
Let's be clear: We do not recommend going behind your technical teams' backs. (Zapier rhymes with "happier," not "torch your cross-team relationships.")
If your IT or Engineering teams are concerned about security, software licensing, and risk mitigation, address those to get their buy-in. That's how Jet Agency's Executive Vice President of Biz Ops James Sperry secured developer approval and converted the entire team into power Zapier users.
Encontrar um CRM para um corretor de fretamento de aviação privada é como encontrar um unicórnio mítico. É por isso Agência Jet usa seu software proprietário, conhecido como "Grid", para obter voos, gerenciar leads e lidar com outras operações comerciais.
Sempre que James Sperry, vice-presidente executivo de operações de negócios, queria testar algo, ele enfrentava lentidão e obstáculos ao passar pela equipe de desenvolvimento anterior.
A Jet Agency utiliza o Zapier MySQL e PostgreSQL integrações para fazer com que seu software proprietário se comunique com outros aplicativos. Agora, eles podem integrar seus sistemas com o chat da equipe e até mesmo com a IA.
"A velocidade é incomparável [com o Zapier]. "Partiremos de uma reunião com vendedores, alguém sugerirá uma ideia e, no final do dia, poderemos implementá-la."
Chapter 2: Data hygiene starts at the source (of truth)
When data across your systems is missing, doesn't match, or is inaccurate, you might as well be making decisions blindfolded.
All your forecasts are off. No one trusts the data available. Context gets lost in handoffs, risking deals, reputations, and, ultimately, revenue.
That's why a source of truth is a critical pillar for speedy, strategic decision-making.
Anchor automation around your source of truth
Your source of truth is a central system where your Zaps will send and retrieve data. Think of it as the anchor for your automated processes.
When you use Zaps intentionally to reinforce your source of truth, you'll have a more holistic view of your data in one place, reduce context-switching, and keep your data squeaky clean.
Here's how:
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Don't get buried in mountains of irrelevant data
Your CRM will most likely be your source of truth, but that doesn't mean you'll be info-dumping everything there. Think through which data sources will be useful fuel for your revenue engine.
"The main goal is to show how each GTM team's data can be meaningful to each other," explains Justin Nakano, our RevOps Strategy and Analytics Manager at Zapier.
Pinpoint those intersections with Zapier Canvas, our AI-powered diagramming tool. For example, your Sales team relies on high-quality leads from Marketing to meet their goals. So, you can map out how you'll feed those leads from your ad platforms, email marketing, and other sources to your CRM for lead scoring.
"Marketing’s impact is reflected in sales performance, with lead volume and quality playing a critical role in driving conversions," says Justin. "A tailored sales strategy by customer segment ensures further success."
Customer Success takes over in the post-sale journey. When Customer Success Managers (CSMs) learn how customers actually use your product versus how it's marketed, they can automatically share those insights with the Sales and Marketing teams.
Automatize as transferências de contas para compradores qualificados e preserve o contexto em pontos de transição críticos na jornada do cliente.
Sempre que os acordos atingem o estágio de qualificação para compra no seu CRM, este Zap notifica sua equipe sobre o valor do acordo. Então, ele cria um slide deck personalizado e atribui uma tarefa na sua ferramenta de gerenciamento de projetos com o deck anexado.
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Transform data while protecting your source of truth
Data integrity is critical for reliable reports and insights. That's why you don't want to make too many updates in your CRM—it'll throw off your reporting.
Instead, use a spreadsheet or database as a temporary intermediary storage spot to automate data transformation before sending the clean version to your CRM source of truth.
"There's a lot of these temporary [Google Sheets] that we'll build to store all this data until we know that the concept is going to work," says James Sperry of Jet Agency. "Once we know it'll work, then we'll build it into a real [SQL] table so we don't bog down our production databases."
Tabelas de consulta dinâmicas are one of the tried-and-true tricks when matching multiple pieces of related data across apps. However, automation can be tricky with traditional spreadsheets and databases. Moving columns around can break workflows, and tracking change history requires hacky workarounds.
Enter Zapier Tables, which works hand-in-hand with Zaps, so you can automate your data (including approval workflows), keep track of changes, and edit data without accidentally triggering an automated workflow.
Use a spreadsheet if…
…multiple teams need to collaborate on draft versions for planning or forecasts.
"It's particularly useful if you're still refining formulas or awaiting approval for key performance indicators (KPIs)," says Justin.
Watch for: Moving columns, sorting, and row edits can accidentally trigger a Zap.
Use a database if…
…you have fully transformed datasets that need minimal updates.
Justin says dynamic lookup tables, trend analysis, and large volumes of cleaned data are good candidates to automate through a database.
Watch for: Editing filter conditions in database views may introduce new records, which can accidentally trigger a Zap.
A Zonos ajuda lojas on-line a simplificar o envio internacional, taxas e impostos na finalização da compra.
As operações internas não eram tão simples. A Zonos enfrentava atritos em todos os lugares: sua plataforma de automação de marketing (MAP) era inflexível para suas necessidades de dados, as transferências eram de alta tensão e a integração do cliente era lenta.
A Zonos automatizou seus processos de aquisição e ciclo de vida de clientes usando Zapier Interfaces, Tabelas, e Salesforce. As equipes Teams não precisam mais gerenciar leads manualmente, criar novas contas de clientes ou comunicar informações básicas para integração. Eles até substituíram seu MAP por Tabelas e Interfaces!
"O Zapier realmente nos permite criar soluções completas para nossas equipes internamente e integrações externamente. Ele não oferece apenas pensamento de dados e mapeamento de dados. [O Zapier está] manipulando, enriquecendo, aumentando, formatando e transferindo esses dados, tornando-os visíveis."
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Refine the data flow to your source of truth
There's a reason "firehose data enrichment" isn't a term—inundating yourself with data doesn't necessarily give you usable insights. You need the right data.
Fortunately, Zapier has plenty of tools you can use to maintain data quality and hygiene:
Narrow down datasets and exclude incomplete or irrelevant data with a filter step. With Paths, you can also add branching logic to automate more complex processes that trigger based on specific rules.
Standardize data formats with Formatter by Zapier. Automatically remove spaces, format dates, run simple calculations, split text, and even set default values.
Usar Código por Zapier to run Python or JavaScript for advanced data cleaning or validation. Haven't written code since Myspace was a thing? Describe what you want to achieve with the built-in AI assistant to generate code.
Automate actions through large datasets with Looping por Zapier, which can run through arrays of line items, text, and numbers.
RevOps pros like you already turn to these tools every day to get cleaner data and clearer insights.
Chapter 3: Fix funnel leaks and scale with Zap systems
As a customer journey architect, you clear the path so your GTM teams, tools, and processes flow smoothly—all while these elements constantly change.
But staying ahead of shapeshifting strategies isn't just about speed, accuracy, and agility. You have to think through scale and execution.
How to move fast (without breaking everything)
The secret to scaling automation with your GTM strategy: Zap systems. This modular automation is a series of Zaps that each automate a specific function, but, as a whole, automate an entire process.
When used strategically, multiple smaller Zaps give you more flexibility and help you scale far better than one 50-step workflow.
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Why Zap systems scale
Multiple Zaps simplify editing and collaboration. Sometimes, you need to make changes to accommodate strategy shifts or team needs. With Zap systems, it's easier to gain context and edit the Zap that's most affected by the shift—without compromising the entire process.
It's also easier to build on an existing Zap system. For example, if you're testing TikTok ads to generate new leads, it's easy to tack on a new Zap to your existing lead capture process. And if the experiment doesn't work out, you can turn it off without affecting other lead sources.
In fact, many of the workflows we've featured here are Zap systems!
Não deixe nenhum dos seus leads ao acaso. Com esse fluxo de trabalho, você gastará menos tempo gerenciando sistemas para cada alteração de CRM, nova campanha ou evolução de parâmetros UTM.
Este sistema Zap divide a captura de leads em Zaps individuais para cada campanha ou canal, facilitando a contabilização de peculiaridades de dados por plataforma.
Depois que os dados são padronizados em um formato consistente, eles são canalizados para um único Zap abrangente que encaminha os leads para um CRM.
Isso facilita a manutenção e a escalar desse sistema com novas campanhas ou canais.
2
When to fix the flow with Zap systems
Here are some signs a process needs to be a Zap system:
There are clear, organic breaks in a process. For example, this can be handoff points where team ownership changes. You may want to give the respective teams the flexibility to modify Zaps to make the process work for them. Or, there are distinct functions you can manage separately, such as capturing form submissions, reformatting data, and transferring data to the final destination.
You need to lock down permissions at a specific point. You may have a Zap handling sensitive data submissions in your CRM, so you want to restrict editing access to certain teammates to ensure data integrity. You can share and limit access to Zaps on Team and Enterprise plans,
You're duplicating the same data formatting steps across multiple Zaps. Let's say you're routing leads to your CRM. You may need to standardize data from various sources, such as leads from different social channels, and each one has different formatting quirks. You could use separate Zaps to route those different lead sources to a "catchall" Zap that fixes the formatting and then creates a new lead in your CRM.
3
How to fight funnel leaks with Zap systems
Even if you have a process that meets all the criteria, your team needs to determine whether a Zap system is the right approach based on your tools.
For example, can you troubleshoot your lead outreach Zap faster if it's one big workflow, or broken up into smaller Zaps? If Zap systems make more sense, ensure you understand the purpose of each puzzle piece to avoid scaling disasters.
"You really have to understand how the pieces fit together," advises Lena Yue, our Marketing Operations Manager. "If you understand the process really well, it's a lot easier to troubleshoot."
Risk reduction tips for Zap systems:
Understand and document the process. Our RevOps team uses Canvas to document processes and leave additional notes in our CRM. You can also add notes within Zaps, e try these tips for keeping your Zaps systems organized,
Watch out for Zap loops. If you don't understand how the process works, you may inadvertently get your Zaps stuck in a neverending loop on the same data. You can prevent loops by using filters and unique values. And don't forget to document everything!
Avoid rate limits. It's like a RevOps law for rate limits to occur at the worst times. If you're using Zap systems with large datasets, you can customize the polling interval in your Zaps. This feature is available on paid plans and allows you to control how often Zaps check for new information.
A Posh foi fundada em 2020 como uma alternativa mais flexível às plataformas tradicionais de gerenciamento de eventos.
A retenção e a expansão de clientes foram um desafio para a pequena equipe de apenas quatro membros em tempo integral.
A Posh criou um sistema de engajamento de saída que mantém os clientes atuais engajados e, ao mesmo tempo, envia comunicações de divulgação e acompanhamentos mais rápidos para nutrir novos leads.
Em vez de enviar 100 e-mails após cada evento hospedado em sua plataforma, a equipe de crescimento da Posh pode se concentrar em tarefas de maior valor, enquanto o bot gera novas receitas.
"Quando começamos a usar o Zapier, ele realmente reformulou a maneira como pensávamos sobre escalabilidade."
Chapter 4: Beyond the buzz – AI strategies for RevOps
AI is poised to change how we work. But you don't chase trends—until there's strong data to back it up. It doesn't help that you hear five AI horror stories for every success.
You need dependable tools to prevent accidental leaks of sensitive data, disruptions of critical parts of the customer journey, and revenue compromises for the entire business.
That's why we recommend specific, strategic ways to use AI with a few guardrails in place. The strategies will give you the reins so you can harness the power of AI on your terms.
AI strategies for the scared and skeptical
If you're anxious about AI, unsure how to use it, or haven't found a helpful use case, you're not alone. Our RevOps team at Zapier initially felt the same way.
"[At first], I was like, 'Oh, I automate a lot. Why do I need AI?'" says Lena Yue, our Marketing Operations Manager. "I just didn't understand the power it unlocked."
Instead of diving into the deep end, Lena recommends starting slowly with these principles in mind:
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Add a human touch for anything customer-facing
AI is helpful, but it's not perfect. (We all know that well by this point.) Still, you may be navigating two competing viewpoints on using AI in your organization—just like clean energy brand ovo,
"The non-technical population in our company is like, 'let it loose on everything,'" says says Usman Mahomed, Head of Product at egg. "In the technical population of our company, we're a lot more apprehensive about letting an LLM [large language model] speak to customers."
That's why RevOps leaders add a human review step for anything AI touches that's customer-facing. Instead of trusting AI entirely to personalize lead outreach, egg minimizes risk by combining Zaps, our ChatGPT integration, e Zapier Tables,
When a teammate clicks a button in Tables, it triggers a Zap that prompts ChatGPT to write and create a draft in Microsoft Outlook. The team can review the drafted email and make any changes before sending it.
If you're generating content with AI, add a human review step to curb inaccurate info.
"If AI is inferring anything from the internet about [a company], we double-check and make sure it's correct," says Lena.
A missão da egg é ajudar consumidores e empresas a simplificar a mudança para energia renovável. As equipes de vendas da egg gastavam horas por cliente em prospecção pesquisando, mas não conseguiam fechar acordos sem isso.
Ovo criou assistentes de pesquisa de vendas personalizados e orientados por IA usando Zapier AgentsEm vez de gastar horas compilando pesquisas, suas equipes de vendas podem se concentrar em fechar mais acordos.
"A melhor coisa sobre [Zapier Agents] é que ele é um agente [de IA], não um LLM fixo. Como [os agentes] podem fazer essas pesquisas no Google, podemos encontrar informações em tempo real nas quais podemos confiar, o que é simplesmente incrível."
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AI is a helpful assistant—not an expert
There are a few areas where AI can be a helpful assistant for RevOps tasks:
Formatting and correcting grammar. For example, AI can quickly convert lists into a table, prioritize items according to specific criteria, and correct inconsistencies between British and American English.
Summarizing and editing content. Chris Ondera, Sales and Success Enablement Manager at Zapier, created an AI-powered coaching bot that analyzes sales and success call transcripts. Thanks to this bot, sales reps receive an additional three to five coaching sessions per week and increased enablement-driven insights by 50%. Steal this workflow for yourself.
Calculations and formulas. "We do a lot of analysis," says Lena. "Sometimes, I ask for help with conversion rates or calculations for forecasting spreadsheets."
Research that doesn't require detailed accuracy. "I used AI to automatically research how much funding a company has received." Jenny Hsu, Revenue Operations Technology Manager at Zapier, says. "There isn't a public database for funding, so this would've been a highly manual process otherwise."
While AI isn't a subject matter expert, with the right prompts and knowledge sources, you can customize AI to meet your business needs.
January 2023
January 2025
That's why AI is Zapier's fastest-growing app category with more than 10 million tasks delegated to AI each month.
Jet Agency used OpenAI's Assistants API to build Jetson Booker, an AI-powered teammate that answers questions and conducts specific searches in their internal, proprietary database. So, if a Sales rep needs to book a flight for a client, they can ask Jetson to find available "empty leg" flights to offer. With Zapier's ChatGPT integration, Jet Agency can also use Jetson in their Zaps, saving them hundreds of hours processing emailed quotes,
Gere visões gerais abrangentes da conta com IA para que sua equipe tenha os insights mais recentes para personalizar cada chamada de vendas.
Quando há um novo acordo no seu CRM ou um cliente é transferido para o sucesso do cliente, este fluxo de trabalho usa Zaps separados para pesquisar informações relevantes em suas ferramentas — pense em tickets de suporte, dados de uso de ferramentas de produtos e muito mais.
Em seguida, ele usa o OpenAI (ou sua plataforma de IA de escolha) para encontrar informações importantes sobre a empresa e o setor para clientes em potencial.
Por fim, tudo é consolidado em um local central, como uma nota no seu CRM, uma mensagem de chat da equipe ou o que você preferir, liberando os representantes de vendas para se concentrarem em impulsionar os acordos.
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A dash of personality yields better results
You won't get the results you want from AI if your prompt is confusing or vague. After all, it's not human, so it may not use the right tone or know how to process info unless you say so.
Need a quick shortcut to AI success? Give it a role to play.
"We find that our prompts work better when we clearly state their role, like 'you are a RevOps analyst,'" Lena explains.
Defining the role first frames your AI's knowledge and helps it process the rest of your instructions through a narrower lens. You can also inject a little fun with your prompts, as Jet Agency did with their bot, Jetson Booker.
"He has a whole persona of this cool airline pilot guy," James Sperry, Jet Agency's Executive Vice President of Biz Ops, says. "It's just a more fun way to interact with our data."
The bottom line: You're the boss—AI is just your helper.
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