Zapier and Make do one thing: when something happens in tool A, they automatically do something in tool B. New order in the shop, new row in the spreadsheet. New form submission, new customer record in the CRM.
No programming required. What you do need is to know which copy-and-paste job you repeat by hand every day.
Want to see what could be automated in your business?
Send us the list of tools you use and we will come back with three ready-made workflows.
What they actually do
Every automation has three parts. Understand these and you understand all of them.
| Part | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | The event that starts the flow | A new order |
| Filter | The condition for it to continue | Only if it is above €100 |
| Action | What happens | An email goes out and a sheet updates |
A workflow can chain many steps. Start with two.
Ten workflows that pay off from day one
| # | Workflow | What it saves |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact form → CRM + notification | Lost enquiries |
| 2 | New order → tracking sheet | Manual data entry |
| 3 | New Google review → phone alert | Late replies |
| 4 | Invoice → cloud folder | Hunting for files |
| 5 | New customer → welcome email | Forgotten follow-up |
| 6 | Booking → reminder 24 hours before | No-shows |
| 7 | Expense receipt → accounting sheet | Lost receipts |
| 8 | Abandoned basket → email sequence | Lost sales |
| 9 | New lead → assigned to a colleague | Delays |
| 10 | Weekly report → automatic email | Manual reporting |
The first is almost always the most profitable. One enquiry lost to a spam folder costs more than all the subscriptions combined.
The sixth connects directly to an online booking system, if you work by appointment.
Zapier or Make?
Two tools doing the same job with different philosophies.
| Zapier | Make | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Simpler | Takes some getting used to |
| Logic | Linear, step by step | Visual canvas with branching |
| Available apps | The most | Slightly fewer |
| Cost at volume | More expensive | Cheaper |
| Complex workflows | Awkward | Its strong point |
The practical rule: for 2–5 simple workflows, Zapier. For many workflows with conditions, or high volume, Make.
There is a third option: n8n, which you can run on your own server. More technical, but the data stays with you and cost does not climb with volume.
What does it cost?
Both charge on the number of operations per month.
| Tier | Zapier | Make | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ~100 operations | ~1,000 operations | Trialling |
| Basic | €20 – €30 | €9 – €16 | 2–5 workflows |
| Professional | €50 – €90 | €30 – €50 | An e-shop with volume |
Watch how counting works: a four-step workflow consumes four operations every time it runs. At 500 orders a month, that is 2,000 operations from that one workflow alone.
Which is why you filter as early as possible: if the workflow only concerns orders above €100, the filter belongs at step two, not step four.
How to build your first workflow
- Pick something you do every day and find irritating. Not the most complex thing.
- Write it in one sentence: “When X happens, I want Y to happen.”
- Connect the accounts for both tools.
- Test with a real example, not the tool’s sample data.
- Let it run for a week and check the history for errors.
Everyone skips step five. Workflows break quietly — when something changes in either tool, nobody tells you.
Set up an error notification to your inbox from day one.
Where these tools stop
Worth knowing the limits before you rest a critical process on them.
- They are not real time. On cheaper plans, checks run every 5–15 minutes.
- They are not economical at high volume. Above a few thousand operations a month, development works out cheaper.
- They cannot handle complex logic without becoming impossible to follow.
- You depend on a third party. If it goes down, your workflow goes down.
- They do not replace a proper integration between an ERP and an e-shop, where volume and accuracy matter.
Their right role: a bridge for whatever is not worth building. For the rest, see what AI automation can do.
Want to know which workflows are worth it for you?
Tell us what you do by hand every day and we will propose the three with the highest return.
A word on data
These tools pass your customers’ data through their own servers. Data protection rules apply.
Three things to check:
- Which data passes through. Do not send fields the workflow does not need.
- Where the run history is stored. And for how long.
- A data processing agreement. Both providers offer one — you need it signed.
The framework is in our guide to GDPR and your website.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need technical knowledge?
Not for simple workflows. For ones with many conditions, you need patience or help.
What happens if a workflow breaks?
The tool keeps a history and you can replay the failed steps. Which is why error notifications are essential.
Do they work with Greek software?
With the major international tools, yes. With Greek accounting packages or ERPs, it depends on whether they expose an API. Ask your provider.
Can they connect to my CRM?
Almost always. It is among the most common uses — see what a CRM does.
Is it worth it if I only use two tools?
If moving data between them takes you more than an hour a month, yes.
The first step
Open a notepad and, for three days, write down every time you copy something from one application into another.
The first line that appears three times is your first automation.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute call with the team at The Dev Alley. We will map your workflows and show you what can be set up in a day.