Since our founder, Kelly’s Automate It with Zapier book was released it has received some fantastic reviews on Amazon. We knew the book would help new Zapier users but didn’t realise how useful it would be for people with different levels of Zapier knowledge.
When you start using any new software it can be a minefield trying to learn about it in an efficient way, especially when you run a business and time is so precious. It can take hours to wade through YouTube videos, and you often have to take laborious notes for the parts which relate to your own requirements.
Having a book that you can dip in and out of, where you can bookmark the important sections and flick through the rest is the perfect solution for many people. Making a small investment in a book about automation can pay for itself very quickly when you use what you’ve learned to save hours of manual effort in your business. Building just a single automation can make a huge difference to your bottom line, in converting leads that you may have lost or streamlining your financial processes.
Here are some of the early reviews I’ve received, and I’m looking forward to receiving more as I inspire more people to learn about automation using Zapier.
Review from Alba
“This book is so helpful!! Whilst I have been using Zapier in my business for a few years already (and would consider myself relatively proficient), after reading this book I have realised how little I was using the functionality of many of the built-in apps in my business.
It has also saved me countless hours in trying to establish certain multi-step zaps that I have been putting off implementing for a while now. I particularly found chapter 2 useful in helping me simplify these processes prior to automation.
The book is laid out in a very clear and easy to navigate way, and I appreciated the step-by-step examples that made the implementation very straight-forward. Whilst I was not approaching this book as a complete novice, I would say it’s still appropriate for a complete beginner as everything is so clearly explained, in fact, I wish this had been written years ago!”
Review from Riz
“I don’t normally write reviews but I feel like I have been quite empowered by this book. I am a business owner and have been struggling with the sheer volume of admin generated in the day to day running of the business for several years. I heard about the program Zapier last year but not having the resources to invest in someone to implement automation processes into my business I didn’t delve any further. Things have got to a bit of a crunch point and I have decided to bite the bullet and do what I can to automate my processes myself. Not having a technical background I was quite sceptical about my ability to use Zapier without help l but I have found it to be quite user friendly. ‘Automate It with Zapier’ has made the whole process straightforward – the author takes things at a very steady pace and doesn’t assume any prior knowledge of the program. Even though I haven’t yet worked my way through all the book I am starting to see immediate results in terms of efficiencies (and of course admin workload) just from implementing a few Zaps covered in the first half of the book. Whilst it initially took some time to get my head around the basics the book is carefully laid out and very well written with lots of diagrams alongside the text, and the time investment has been well worth it. Having access to all the Zap templates used as examples in the book helped my learning process even further. And having got to grips with the fundamentals I do now feel I have the confidence to tackle the more ‘intermediate’ automations covered in the next part of the book. All in all, I’m very happy with my purchase! If I could ask for one more thing, it would be to have a few more challenge exercises, as I found these to be eye-opening.”
Review from Michael M
“This book is extremely useful for anyone looking learn more about Zapier and how Business Process Automation can help companies and organisations better leverage the tools they currently use to create greater efficiency by automating workflows and allowing better integrations between apps. I was very impressed with how accessible and clear the book is, easily guiding the reader through the most basic steps of creating a Zapier account, to creating your first basic Zaps, to more advanced multi step Zaps, it is all super accessible and easy to follow.
Chapter 2 gave me a lot of insight into how to do go about improving my processes before automating them, the only suggestion I could make as an improvement would be to have another few examples to work through as there are so many potential use cases for automation.
Overall I really appreciate the well illustrated examples that allow a visual learner like myself to easily comprehend the material, I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to get to grips with the powerful world of Zapier!“
Review from Hugo M. Cox
“This book is unusual in that it offers very good plain-English explanations of concepts that would not overwhelm an IT novice, yet are still informative and useful (without being patronising) to a more experienced user. I have been a Zapier user for about a year and a half as a group operations manager using it to implement and integrate a number of platforms, and now as a consultant in the same field. I consider myself very proficient in the areas I use frequently, but there are various Zapier features and apps I have not yet needed to use. What makes it stand apart from many books of this nature is the way it does not dive into the specific detail of the skill it is teaching but offers a good background to give context and to set the scene first.
It gives a real-life example of how or when the skill/function (e.g. Line-item to Text) might be used which makes it far easier to understand. For example, I have always liked the idea of Storage by Zapier but have never used it as I wasn’t sure what I might use it for – now I have a couple of good ideas and will be trying it out! Similarly, the book offers some excellent advice outside of pure zap building, like deciding which account type to get, settings, navigating the platform and monitoring and managing task usage. Similarly, it describes the importance of defining the process before building the zap, with a good explanation of how you might do it.
The book covers a lot of ground in a lot of detail; many experienced users probably pretend to know/understand all of it but probably don’t! The author clearly knows Zapier across the breadth and depth of its capability, rather than the most common features and applications; this knowledge only comes through experience and she clearly has that in spades. I personally found the explanation of APIs, webhooks and polling in Chapter 1 very interesting. I previously ‘sort of understood them but never bothered to learn more as I never really needed to, but now I have a better understanding it will influence my choice of apps and how I plan the zaps (and may even tempt me to look into the black art of Webhooks by Zapier)!
I also really liked the 3 scenarios at the end of the book with the scenarios and their respective suggested solutions – a great way of demonstrating a zap/set of zaps to automate a workflow, and to sanity checking your own problem-solving and creativity.
My only (and probably unfair) criticism of the book is that it doesn’t cover some of the very new tools such as Looping by Zapier (hence the 4-star review), however, this may have been released after the book was written. There will almost certainly be more new features released more quickly that the book can be updated.”
Review from L E Winters
“As a long-time trustee of a small charity with many volunteers and only one paid part-time employee, I am very excited to have looked through the new publication Automate It with Zapier and already have lots of new ideas to explore how to make my organisation work and communicate more efficiently.
Our biggest challenge at the moment is how to increase capacity and work with the new people we have attracted, so efficient operations are critical. A new hybrid way of working, combining in-person meetings with our new experience (this past pandemic year) of Zoom meetings creates new strategic and technological challenges as well.
The book is very well laid out in structure so I feel confident that as a non-specialist I can get to grips with the general principles of automation and then usefully dip into what we need. Just what we need at this stage, thank you Kelly Goss.”
Review from Ali
“Automate It With Zapier is an incredibly useful and comprehensive guide to automating tasks using Zapier. It is absolutely perfect for anyone who wants to understand what processes can be automated and how to get started with Zapier.
The book takes you through every step of the Zapier signup process, and also – crucially – how to assess and document your processes really simply without expensive mapping tools. It’s written in easy-to-understand language and explains all the key terms really clearly.
I’ve been using Zapier for nearly two years and couldn’t believe how much I learned by reading the book. It’s like having a Zapier expert walk you through every aspect of using the software, without needing to trawl the internet and waste hours finding the information you need.
The book is so practical too, with worked examples for every type of automation which is demonstrated. I feel like this book will live on my desk and I’ll be able to dip in and out as my business grows, and it has already sparked ideas for new automation which will save me valuable time.
What would be a really useful addition would be in the guide for choosing new apps for your business (towards the end of Chapter 2). It would be really helpful to list the apps for different categories which have the most triggers and actions in Zapier. If I was looking for a new CRM, finance or email app then knowing which ones can connect to others in lots of different ways using Zapier could inform the selection process.
Whether you’re an experienced user or have never used Zapier before, I think everyone has something to learn from Automate It With Zapier.”
Get your own copy!
If you want to get the most out of business automation using Zapier then you can buy a copy of Automate It with Zapier from Amazon and through the publisher Packt.
Here are links to Amazon (.co.uk) and Amazon (.com) to get yours now!
Check out our automation training programme
And finally, if you’re really keen to transform your business using automation, then visit the Solvaa Automation Academy. Our signature training programme, ‘Simple Automation Blueprint: Zero to Hero’ is aimed at anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of business process automation from the experts – a sure-fire way to recession-proof your business.
It’s an 8-week blended learning course with on-demand videos, templates, resources and weekly group coaching sessions. And it’s more than just a Zapier course (although we do show you how to use Zapier like a pro) as you’ll learn about Process Mapping, Business Process Improvement and Business Process Management too – principles that can be applied to other areas of business too!
Whether you are a complete novice or have been using Zapier for a while, our programme is for you. It’s perfect for individuals and teams in micro, small and medium-sized businesses, including solopreneurs, consultants and freelancers. You’ll have access to our experts and can participate in live calls where you can ask all your burning questions, as well as hands-on workshops to keep you on track with implementing your new skills. We run regular cohorts so there will be an opportunity for everyone to participate.
Our head trainer, Kelly Goss, is a specialist in business systems, process improvement and automation, and one of less than 100 Zapier Certified Experts in the world. Kelly has many years’ experience in optimising systems and processes, and implementing automations for clients and is now passing on her knowledge to students through our trademarked ‘4-Step Solvaa Automation Methodology®‘.
Find out more via our dedicated Solvaa Automation Academy website.
Read more about how our certified experts use Zapier workflow automations to simplify processes and increase efficiency.
Solvaa is a process and automation consultancy specialising in improving sales, operations and financial administration workflows. We help you to simplify and streamline existing processes, integrate your business tools to make data transfer more efficient and automate manual tasks to increase productivity. We are Zapier Certified Experts, Pipedrive Certified Experts and Xero Certified Advisors.
Contact us today to discuss how Solvaa can help you simplify, improve and automate all aspects of your business with Zapier to save you time, reduce costs and keep you agile as you grow.
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