Other Useful Built-In Apps by Zapier

In the previous chapter, we reviewed three Zapier built-in apps to extract and compile data. In this chapter, we will continue looking at more built-in functionality that Zapier has to offer with its range of built-in apps. We will cover descriptions of their functionality and provide practical tips on how to use them.

First, we will explore how to use the Zapier Chrome extension (previously called Push by Zapier) to initiate one-off automation from any page on the internet, and how to shorten URLs with URL Shortener by Zapier. Then, we will discuss how to translate text from different languages using Translate by Zapier, and how to score lead information using Lead Score by Zapier. Lastly, we will cover how to use data on weather conditions using Weather by Zapier, and how to use astrological predictions using Retrograde by Zapier.

We will cover the following key topics in this chapter:

• Zapier Chrome extension – triggering...

Technical requirements

To get the most out of the content and exercises in this chapter, you will need access to a Zapier account. The Zapier Starter plan will be adequate for building multi-step Zaps.

Zapier Chrome extension – triggering one-off automations from any web page

The Zapier Chrome extension built-in app, previously called Push by Zapier, uses a Google Chrome extension to manually trigger one-off automations from anywhere on the web. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of ways you can use this app to add productivity to your day. The Zapier Chrome extension built-in app can be used as a trigger step at the start of your workflow, as well as an action step, as follows:

• New Push (trigger)
• Reply to Chrome (action)

Before you can use the Zapier Chrome extension built-in app in your Zaps, you must install the Google Chrome extension in your browser. Let’s review how to add the Google Chrome extension to your browser.

Setting up the Google Chrome extension on your browser

The first thing we need to do to use the Zapier Chrome extension built-in app is to install the Google Chrome extension in our browser. Follow these steps to install...

URL Shortener by Zapier – shortening URLs in your Zaps

If you want to make long and untidy Uniform Resource Locator (URL) strings shorter and easier on the eye, you can use the URL Shortener by Zapier built-in app. This is especially useful if you have text length restrictions in the app you’re sending the URL to and if you want the URL to be displayed in a neater format. URLs are generated with a zpr.io/ prefix and a unique alphanumeric suffix. This works similarly to shortened URLs generated using Bitly.

Here are a few examples of when you can use the URL Shortener by Zapier app:

• Sending a shortened URL in an SMS or when you post a tweet to Twitter. They both have text limit restrictions.
• Sending an email to a customer with a link to a web page with a long URL.
• Adding the shortened URLs of new blog articles to Airtable.

URL Shortener by Zapier can only be used as an action step with the Shorten URL action event.

Here are some examples from...

Translate by Zapier – translating text

The Translate by Zapier built-in app allows you to translate text into over 100 different languages. It can also be used to detect a language in a set of text.

Here are a few examples of how you can use this app:

• Translating a received email from German into English and adding the translated text to your customer relationship management (CRM) tool
• Detecting the language on a web page and raising a ticket in Zendesk for specific members of your multilingual team to address

The Translate by Zapier built-in app is handy to use in your Zaps if you regularly work with multiple languages.

Here is a Zapier Community example of how you can use Translate by Zapier: https://community.zapier.com/show-tell-5/small-business-series-translate-by-zapier-22197.

Tip

For more inspiration and access to pre-built templates, you can review the Translate by Zapier built-in app profile page at https://zapier.com/apps/translate/integrations...

Lead Score by Zapier – scoring and retrieving lead information

The Lead Score by Zapier built-in app allows you to gather information from the web about a contact and their associated company using their email address. The search also produces a customer fit qualification score based on various data points. The app uses data from MadKudu.com, a data enrichment service, which, as a standalone service, can be quite pricey for small businesses and start-ups. With the Lead Score by Zapier app, you can perform up to 500 free searches per month using this service. However, if you’re likely to need a higher number of searches, you can sign up for a paid plan at MadKudu.com and use the Zapier-MadKudu integration instead of Lead Score by Zapier.

The most common reasons you would want to use Lead Score by Zapier are for enriching contact data, lead prioritization, and qualification, therefore allowing you to make better decisions on which leads to follow up with first and understand...

Weather by Zapier – using weather conditions in your Zaps

The Weather by Zapier built-in app gives you access to weather conditions in a specified area, based on latitude and longitude coordinates. You can use it to get daily weather notifications and only trigger if it will rain that day (for your local area based on your Zapier timezone settings). You can also search for current weather conditions and tomorrow’s forecast for a specified location. This app is handy to use personally or if you and your team work outdoors – for example, if you work in the construction, landscaping, or dog walking industry. Weather by Zapier is best used with a notification action in subsequent steps, such as sending an email or SMS.

Important note

The Weather by Zapier app uses the timezone settings specified in your account to run accurate triggers and search actions. Ensure that your timezone settings have been adjusted accordingly.

Weather by Zapier can be used as both...

Retrograde by Zapier – using astrological predictions in your Zaps

You can use the Retrograde by Zapier built-in app to trigger your workflows based on Mercury retrograde astrological predictions. You can choose to trigger your workflows when Mercury enters or leaves retrograde or to trigger once a day when Mercury is in retrograde.

Tip

For more inspiration and access to pre-built templates, you can review the Retrograde by Zapier built-in app profile page at https://zapier.com/apps/retrograde-by-zapier/integrations.

The following is a list of trigger event options that Retrograde by Zapier provides:

• Mercury enters Retrograde (trigger): This event triggers once Mercury enters retrograde
• Mercury in Retrograde (trigger): This event triggers once per day when Mercury is in retrograde
• Mercury leaves Retrograde (trigger): This event triggers once Mercury leaves retrograde

Each of these triggers is similar in terms of setup; however, they all return...

Summary

In this chapter, we learned about a few more of Zapier’s built-in apps. We covered specific functions, such as how to use the Zapier Chrome extension to initiate a one-off automation from any page on the internet, how to shorten URLs with URL Shortener by Zapier, and how to translate and detect text from different languages using Translate by Zapier. We also discussed how to retrieve and score lead information using Lead Score by Zapier, how to use data on weather conditions using Weather by Zapier, and how to use astrological predictions using Retrograde by Zapier in your automations.

In the next chapter, you will learn about more advanced built-in apps. We will review how to use webhooks and polling triggers, make API calls, and use JavaScript and Python code in our Zaps, as well as how to store data.

Questions

1. Which Zapier built-in app allows you to manually trigger automations from any page on the internet?
2. How can you automate the creation of shortened URL links using Zapier?
3. If you need to perform more than 500 lead score searches each month, what paid-for alternative can you use to Lead Score by Zapier?