Zapier
Zapier is a service that connects apps to each other, so something happening in one can automatically make something happen in another, without any code.
In plain English
You build a rule: when a new form is submitted on my site, add the person to my email list and post a note in my Slack. Zapier watches for the first thing and does the rest.
Each rule is called a Zap, and it is always the same two parts: a trigger that starts it, and one or more actions that follow.
Why it matters
It removes the small repetitive jobs that quietly eat a working week. Copying an address from one tool into another is exactly the kind of thing software should be doing.
It is also how AI gets into a real workflow. A model can sit in the middle of a Zap, summarising the enquiry before it reaches your inbox or drafting the first reply.
How it works
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You connect the apps onceAuthorising Zapier to act on your behalf in each one.
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You pick a triggerA new form entry, a new order, a new subscriber, a new row in a sheet.
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You map the fieldsTelling it that the form’s email field is the one the email service should use.
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You add the actionsIn order, with conditions if some should only run sometimes.
Automations fail quietly
A broken Zap does not announce itself; things just stop arriving. Turn on the failure notifications and check the history when something feels too quiet.