Connect your tools so info moves itself

If you spend time copying details from one app into another, like website enquiries into a spreadsheet or new bookings into your calendar, a connector tool can do it for you. This guide explains in plain English how tools like Zapier and Make work, and walks you through setting up and testing your first connection safely.

Before you start

• One copy-and-paste job you do often between two apps. If you haven’t picked one, the “Pick the first task to automate” guide helps.
• Logins for both apps, with permission to connect them. On a shared or work account, check with whoever manages it.
• About 45 minutes for the first one.
• A working source of records, such as a tested website form or booking tool, plus one sample record and the intended follow-up owner.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

8 out of 10

Estimated completion time

2–4 hours, plus a week of trial runs

Skills you’ll need: Configure triggers, field mappings, and account permissions. You must trace test records and handle failed or duplicate runs.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Connecting your website’s intake to the system you work in can reduce copying and missed enquiries. A verified trigger and clear ownership help each submission reach the right record and person.

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand how connector tools work

   Connector tools such as Zapier (zapier.com) and Make (make.com) sit between your apps and pass information along. Every connection has two parts:

   • A trigger: the thing that starts it, in the first app. For example, “a new form is submitted on my website” or “a new email arrives with an attachment”.
   • An action: what happens as a result, in the second app. For example, “add a row to my spreadsheet” or “save the attachment to a folder”.

   Tip: Zapier calls each connection a “Zap”; Make calls it a “scenario”. They do the same basic job. Both have help pages and templates for common connections.

   Illustrated exampleOne event starts one useful action

   Trigger · website formNew enquiry received10:24am · a form was submitted

   NameAlex TestMessagePlease send a quote.

   Connector passes the details

   Action · spreadsheetAdd one new row

   NameMessage

   Alex TestPlease send a quote.

   No copying and pasting

2. 2

   Step 2: Write down the job in one sentence

   Use this pattern: “When [something happens] in [app], then [do this] in [other app].” For example: “When someone fills in the contact form on my website, add their name, email and message as a new row in my enquiries spreadsheet.”

   Then list exactly which details need to move across, such as name, email, phone and message. This is the part people most often skip, and it’s where most mistakes happen.

3. 3

   Step 3: Check your apps are supported and what it costs

   Search the connector tool’s app directory for both of your apps. If both are listed, you can usually connect them without any code. If one isn’t, check whether the app has a built-in way to connect to the other first; that’s often simpler.

   Connector tools usually charge by how many times your connections run each month. Work out roughly how often your trigger happens, then check the tool’s official pricing page before you build anything.

   Check the exact event and action, not just whether both app names appear in the directory. For a website enquiry, confirm which provider captures the form, which account holds its submissions, and whether your plan offers a New submission event with the fields you need. A booking-created event is different from a page visit or a notification email. For a custom form, ask whoever built it which supported integration actually exposes the saved request.

   Write the handoff before setup: website form → original submission → supported trigger → enquiry record → owner notification. Choose one place to track status and one person to follow up. If the event or access is unavailable, keep the manual route and resolve that prerequisite before switching it off. Follow the contact-form guide first if the website does not yet capture a real request.

   Tip: Before you add a connector tool, check whether one of your apps can already do the job. Many form, booking and email apps have built-in links to common tools.

4. 4

   Step 4: Build it with test data

   Sign in to the connector tool, start a new connection, pick your trigger app and event, then your action app and event. The tool will ask you to sign in to each app to give it permission.

   Then match the details: tell it which piece of information from the first app goes into which field of the second, such as “Email” into the “Email” column. Use the tool’s test option with a made-up entry, like a test form submission from yourself, not a real customer.

   Create one recognisable enquiry through the real website using contact details you control, then find its original submission. Open the connector’s run and compare the name, contact field, message, and reference with the final record. Confirm the intended owner receives the notification and can mark the enquiry handled. Test a missing required field too; a rejected submission should not create a successful follow-up. Use the tool’s duplicate/retry controls if supported, and check existing records before replaying any run.

   Tip: Only give the connector tool the permissions it asks for to do this one job. If it asks for access to things it doesn’t need, stop and check its help pages.

   Illustrated exampleMatch each detail to its destination

   Made-up form submissionSpreadsheet column

   Full nameAlex Test

   Goes intoName

   Email address[email protected]

   Goes intoEmail

   Your messagePlease send a quote.

   Goes intoMessage

   Test the whole row. Alex Test should appear under Name, the email under Email, and the message under Message.

5. 5

   Step 5: Run it alongside doing it by hand

   Switch it on, but keep doing the job by hand for a week as well, or at least check every result. Look for missing entries, details in the wrong column, odd formatting or duplicates.

   If something is wrong, fix the matching in step 4 and test again. Only stop doing it by hand once a few days pass with no surprises.

   Illustrated exampleCatch surprises during the first week

   Example check logCompare the form inbox with the sheet

   1. Day 1
      3 enquiries → 3 rowsNames, emails and messages all match.
      Checked
   2. Day 2
      2 enquiries → 3 rowsOne enquiry appears twice. Investigate the duplicate before relying on it.
      Needs a fix
   3. After fixing
      Test again, then keep checkingWait for a few days with no surprises before stopping the manual checks.

   Matching counts are a start. Open the rows and check the details too.

6. 6

   Step 6: Write down how it works and who to tell

   Write a short note: what the connection does, which apps and accounts it uses, and who to tell if it stops working. Keep it with your other business notes.

   Connections can break quietly when a password changes, a form is edited, or an app updates. Check on it every so often. If it does stop, the “Fix an automation that stopped working” guide walks you through it.

I run a small business and I want to connect two apps so information moves between them on its own. I’m not technical, so please explain in plain English.

The job in one sentence: [When something happens in app A, do this in app B]
App A: [for example, my website contact form on Squarespace]
App B: [for example, Google Sheets]
The details that need to move: [for example, name, email, phone, message]
How often it happens: [for example, about 20 times a week]

Please:
1. Tell me whether one of my apps might already do this without a connector tool, and what to search for in its help pages.
2. If I need a connector tool like Zapier or Make, describe the trigger and the action in plain English.
3. Give me a simple checklist for matching each detail to the right field.
4. Suggest a test plan using made-up data, and what to check for in the first week.
5. Point out anything risky, such as private customer details or messages sent without me checking.

Don’t guess at exact menu names or prices. Tell me what to look up on the official help and pricing pages instead.

For a website intake workflow, first identify the actual form or booking provider, original record, exact supported trigger, required fields, account access, and follow-up owner. Do not infer support from app-directory membership alone. Give me an end-to-end test from the public page to the final record and notification, including invalid input and duplicate/retry handling. If a prerequisite is missing, keep the manual route and list what must be resolved.