A guide to using Zapier in education

Ever wished for seamless integration between your favourite apps, websites, and more? Perhaps you want to connect an app to HubSpot that doesn't offer native integration? While HubSpot does admittedly offer an impressive arsenal of natively integrated apps, sometimes that perfect match doesn't quite exist. This is where Zapier steps in to bridge the gap. In today's competitive landscape, connecting various tools and platforms is vital for efficiency; the HubSpot-Zapier partnership is the solution, simplifying processes and automating tasks. But the possibilities don't end with HubSpot. Zapier goes beyond just connecting HubSpot and also integrates with a variety of other apps, forming a seamless and interconnected environment.

5 Essential Zapier Integrations for Your Product Roadmap

What is Zapier and how does it work?

Zapier acts as a bridge that brings together different web applications, enabling them to seamlessly work together. It operates on a straightforward principle: when a trigger event takes place in one app, it automatically initiates an action in another app. This is made possible through the use of "Zaps", which are workflows that you can set up between different apps. For instance, Zapier can craft a task in Trello when a new contact is added to HubSpot, or notify you via Slack, WhatsApp, or other platforms when a deal progresses in your sales pipeline. Even unrelated apps can sync; think of automatically generating Zoom meetings when events are noted in your Google Calendar. This automation ensures classes or meetings are linked with Zoom details, saving manual effort. The possibilities really are extensive and also adaptable to your needs.

What are the benefits of using Zapier?

Zapier's benefits are vast due to its bespoke nature, with admissions teams benefiting from streamlined communication, improved organization, and enhanced service delivery. Below are some examples of this -

Automated Communication: Zapier can instantly notify admissions teams about new inquiries, applications, or form submissions, ensuring prompt responses to prospective students.
Database Management: It can automatically transfer applicant information from forms to databases, simplifying data entry and organization.
Scheduling Interviews: Zapier can sync with scheduling apps to automatically arrange admission interviews and send reminders to both teams and applicants.
Communication: Zapier facilitates instant communication by syncing apps such as Slack or email with educational platforms, ensuring students receive timely updates and reminders.

This Zap here sends applicants a thank you email on Outlook and also creates a task on Trello for admissions to review the application when a new student enquiry form is received

What can Zapier do that HubSpot can't?

There are many things that can't be done natively in HubSpot, here are a few examples -

Create custom objects from external forms. HubSpot forms can create custom objects, but if you use a third-party form builder like JotForm or Eventbrite, you'll need Zapier to help you create a custom object in HubSpot based on the data collected in the JotForm.
Find records in other systems. Zapier can help you find records in other systems based on a unique value, such as an email address or a phone number. This is useful when there is no direct sync between two systems. For example, an educational organization might have children as deals in HubSpot, but children as a custom object in Salesforce. Zapier can be used to find the corresponding record in Salesforce for each child deal in HubSpot.
Integrate with fundraising. management systems. HubSpot has direct integrations with some fundraising management systems, but not all of them. Zapier can help you integrate HubSpot with just about any fundraising management system, even if it's not on the HubSpot marketplace.

Step-by-Step Guide to Integration

1. Select Apps: We're gonna start off by choosing the app you want to be the trigger for your workflow. For this example, I'm going to use Google Forms.

This is where you select the app you want to use for your trigger

2. Choose your trigger:

The next thing is to choose what action in your chosen app is going to activate the zap. I've selected "new form response" so that when a student or parent fills out an enquiry form on Google Sheets, the zap will run. This is also known as a "Trigger". You'll also want to run a test to make sure Zapier is receiving the data from your app as expected

An text box where you can select your trigger from a dropdown list

3. Chose your action

Next, you will need to select your desired action. This is the application that will be activated based on the trigger instructions provided in the previous step. In this case, I have chosen HubSpot as the destination app, which will generate a new contact whenever a form is submitted through Google Forms.

A text box where you choose your event or action from a dropdown box

4. Configure your action

In order to configure the action, we need to map the fields from the Google Forms submission to HubSpot. As you can see, the email field on HubSpot is automatically filled with the data extracted from the email field on Google Forms.

A range of text boxes that represent fields in HubSpot

4. Test and Activate:

The last step is to test the zap and ensure its functionality. In our scenario, the zap will generate a contact in HubSpot and will transfer the desired fields - including the first name, last name, and email. If the test is a success, you can publish your zap!

The test submission that will be sent to HubSpot, consisting of a number of filled out fields

Reaping the Benefits

Once your Zapier integrations are up and running, you'll witness a remarkable shift towards heightened efficiency and productivity. Mundane administrative tasks become a thing of the past, freeing up educational institutes to channel their energy into crafting learning experiences. Students reap the benefits of seamless communication, well-organised resources, and tailored interactions that ignite their engagement. And of course, the integrations on HubSpot you've just been longing for are now available, albeit unofficially...

Hopefully, this blog has taught you something you perhaps didn't already know about Zapier, or if you've never used or heard of Zapier before, now you can go away and think of all the ways it can be used to take your processes to the next level!

To learn more about HubSpot's reporting and all their other amazing tools that could help you, book an education specific demo here!