How Zapier is Going Beyond Automation in 2024

Zapier is the most popular no-code automation provider available, but in the last several months, they’ve been expanding their features to go beyond software automation. 

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With Zapier’s latest tools, you can build databases for your Zaps, custom web pages, AI chatbots, and more.

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In this post, we’ll show five new ways that you can use Zapier to save time and enhance your workflows beyond simple automation. 

Create databases for your automations with Zapier tables

With Zapier tables, you can create simple tables for your Zaps to reference. These tables essentially can be used like any spreadsheet or database app, like Excel, Google Sheets, or Airtable, but they have very limited features in comparison.

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However, Zapier’s Tables integrate neatly with your Zaps, giving you the ability to launch a Zap with the press of a button in a spreadsheet row. 

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If you’d like to learn more about how Zapier tables work, you can check out our post here for an overview of Zapier tables. As a beta feature that’s being constantly improved, the UI has already been updated since our post was published, but the functionality remains largely the same. 

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Tables also connect with Zapier interfaces, the next feature we’re going to explore. 

Interfaces

With interfaces, you can create simple, custom web pages with a drag-and-drop builder.

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Your interfaces can include links to your Zaps, forms connected to Zapier Tables, buttons to launch automations, and more. 

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Interfaces can be a useful way to package and deliver an automation to a client or for your team, but they offer much less flexibility than web pages built in apps like Webflow, SquareSpace, Wix, Softr, or Wordpress. 

AI Chatbots

One of the most appealing features of Zapier interfaces is the ability to add a custom AI chatbot. 

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These Chatbots now have their own menu item in Zapier’s dashboard as well, and are an easy way to set up a shareable chatbot to interact with clients and leads. 

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Zapier provides a convenient template that you can use to give your chatbot a custom directive, and on premium plans, you can upload text files with information for your Ccatbot to reference. 

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This feature is still in beta, and will likely not be replacing products Chatbase or Botpress in the near future, but it’s a remarkably easy way to get a chatbot up and running. 

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You can check out this XRay Tutorial for a look at an earlier version of Zapier chatbots. Many of the specific settings and UI options have changed since then, but it will still help you get a sense of how Zapier chatbots work. 

Zapier Canvas

Zapier Canvas offers a unique way to create basic flowcharts. 

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While dedicated apps like Lucidchart are generally much better for creating diagrams, Canvas gives you the ability to add your existing Zaps to each flowchart. 

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Then, you’ll see every step of the Zap in the diagram, making it a convenient way to document your Zaps in the context of larger workflows. 

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If you’d like to see how Zapier Canvas compares to apps like Miro and Lucidchart, check out our rundown of the 5 best flowcharting apps for planning your automations. 

Build Zaps faster than ever with a visual editor and an AI assistant

These last two features are more directly connected to building automations in Zapier. 

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With Zapier’s new visual editor, you can edit your automations by simply dragging and dropping steps into place. 

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While this doesn’t change much for the process of building a Zap initially, it makes it much easier to update an automation after it’s already been built. Now, you can re-order the steps in your Zaps with a few quick clicks. 

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And if you try to rearrange your steps in a way that will break your automations, Zapier will provide a helpful warning. 

Building Zaps with AI

When you create a new Zap, you’ll now see a panel at the top of the screen that invites you to create your automation by sending a quick prompt to an AI assistant. 

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Building Zaps with AI currently produces some mixed results. It’s quite effective at assembling short, linear Zaps without any branching. 

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However, it will usually fail to include any conditional logic that you might mention in your prompt, and can’t configure steps beyond choosing the app and action. 

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Even with its limitations, the AI Zap builder is still a useful time saver for Zapier builders. You can see it in action in this XRay tutorial about connecting Zapier to Make with webhooks. 

Explore Zapier’s latest and greatest features to get the most out of your Zaps

The world of SaaS tools never stands still, and no-code automation has to continually evolve to keep up. 

With Zapier’s latest features, the automation provider is becoming a more versatile platform for creating automated workflows, AI assistants, databases and more. 

If you haven’t used Zapier in the last year, or if you’ve just been focused on building automations, take a moment to check out their newest features. You may just find a new way to save some time. 

If you’d like to see more Zapier news and tutorials, be sure to check out our blog or our YouTube channel. You can also follow XRay on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.