Zapier is an integration platform that allows users to create workflows called Zaps that connect web applications together to automate specific tasks. 

A Zap is executed from a trigger where that trigger can be the result of an event occurring in an external system or on a periodic or scheduled interval. When the Zap is triggered, it calls one or more actions that are run in sequential order to perform the actual logic of the workflow. 

 

GrowthZone Configuration 

GrowthZone supports Webhooks which can be used to trigger a Zap execution and then from within the Zap itself, the Zap can utilize the GrowthZone API to access the users data. 

GZ Support staff will need to set up and configure the web hooks for the customer. 

GrowthZone Webhooks 

A Webhook is a method of sending automated messages to external systems based on updates to data from within GrowthZone.  

 

To configure a Webhook in GrowthZone:

1. Ensure that API Access is enabled by going to T1, searching for the tenant, then by clicking their Tenant ID, and ensuring that 'API Access' is checked. This step is normally completed by Engagement after the customer signing a contract/agreement and understanding that there is a ~$50 a month API fee. So if this first step isn't completed, be sure to check in with engagement and ensure that the customer performs this first step.
2. Navigate to the Setup area in GrowthZone for the tenant. Click on the Web Hooks which appears under the GrowthZone Staff Only Tools; 
   
3. This will load the Webhook Registrations that are active for the current tenant. 
   
4. Click on the Add button in the top right-hand corner of the screen.  
   This will launch the Webhook Registration dialog that will allow the configuration of a Webhook. The Webhook can be configured to trigger from one or more areas of updates within GrowthZone. The URL to provide to the Webhook is the URL to which GrowthZone should send the notification. This URL will be provided by the system that the Webhook is notifying, in the case of Zapier, the URL will be displayed when configuring the Zap. 
   

 

GrowthZone Access for Zapier 

Zapier can access the GrowthZone API by using the Webhooks by Zapier app from within a Zap.  

GZ Support staff will need to set up and provide API access to the customer. 

Configuration Permissions 

In order for this to work, permissions must be granted in GrowthZone to Zapier for the specific tenant that is being accessed. To configure the permissions, navigate to the Setup area in GrowthZone for the tenant. 

1. Click on the API Key Permissions which will appear under the Applications category; 
   

2. This will load the API Key Permissions list that shows all of the Applications that have been granted API Key access for the tenant. Click on the Add button in the top right hand corner of the screen;
   
3. Search for the Zapier application and then click on the Done button.  
   
4. This will then add the permission that enables Zapier to access the GrowthZone API for this tenant. 
   

 

The API Key will be required when configuring the Webhook by Zapier application and should be kept private. If for any reason that the API Key is compromized, it can be refresh to create a new one by clicking on the Refresh button on the far right hand side of the actions. 

 

Zapier Examples 

The examples described below will assume an entry-level understanding of Zapier and a familiarity with creating Zaps. Where the configuration of the Zap is standard or doesn’t pertain specifically to GrowthZone functionality, this will only be described briefly below. Where there is customization that requires GrowthZone information this will be described in more detail. 

 

Example 1 – Webhooks 

This example demonstrates how a Webhook can be used in GrowthZone to trigger a Zap to be executed. When the Zap is executed, an email will be sent notifying the recipient of the name of the contact that was modified. 

 

Configure the Webhook 

From within Zapier, create a new Zap. This Zap uses the Zapier Webhook to receive an incoming request. 

 

The next step allows the request to be customized. Expand the Customize Request section and take note of the Custom Webhook URL. This is the URL that needs to be configured when the GrowthZone Webhook is created as described earlier in this document.  

When configuring this URL within GrowthZone, it is important that the NoEcho=Yes parameter is added to the end of the URL such that it looks something like; 

https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/8352930/oabtsfa?NoEcho=Yes 

 

Configure the Webhook in GrowthZone to notify for all contact-related events; 

 

The default payload for the Webhook message that is sent to Zapier looks like this; 

 

For the purpose of this example, we are only interested in the section of data that occurs under the Notifications element in the JSON payload. From within the Customize Request section of the Zap, there is an option to specify this under the section with the heading Pick Off A Child Key. In this field, type the word Notifications. This will instruct the Zapier Webhook App to only pass on the section of data that exists under the Notifications element and ignore the rest. 

 

The next step is optional but will enable a better experience when configuring the rest of the Zap. In order for the Zapier Webhook App to understand the format of the data that it is going to be receiving, the Webhook needs to be triggered from within GrowthZone. This can be done by modifying something on a Contact and waiting for a few minutes for that webhook to be sent. Once the webhook has been sent, clicking on the Refresh Fields button will enable the Zapier Webhook App to update and understand the format of the data. 

 

Configure the Outbound Email

The next step is to configure the Zap to send an outbound email when the Webhook is received. For this, select the Email by Zapier App. The configuration of this App is straightforward and doesn’t require any specific GrowthZone information and further documentation is available online from Zapier.  

 

When customizing the contents of the Outbound Email, placeholder tags will be available for use within the Body or Subject line. These placeholder tags are derived from the contents of the Webhook payload that was refreshed from the steps above.  

 

Example 2 – API Access 

This example demonstrates the ability for Zapier to interact with the GrowthZone API. This example Zap takes an email with a Contact ID on the subject line and looks up that contacts information from within GrowthZone and replies to the originating email address with the name of the contact. 

 

Step 1 – Receive an Email 

The first step is to configure the Zap to receive an email. To do this, the first App should be the Email by Zapier App. This requires no specific GrowthZone information so further information on the configuration of this can be found online on the Zapier website.  

 

Step 2 – Perform the Lookup 

The next step is to perform the lookup on the GrowthZone API by using the Webhooks by Zapier App. 

 

 

Select the option to customize the request, and select the GET option and then continue the customization. 

 

 

Enter the URL of the GrowthZone API call, in this case the URL will be in the format of; 

https://<tenant>.growthzoneapp.com/api/contacts/person/<contactid> 

 

When entering the URL, a drop down list will appear which shows the available tokens that can be included int the URL. These tokens are taken from properties from the email that will be received. In this example, the subject line will be the ID of the contact and as such the Subject token can be used in the URL in place of a fixed Contact ID. 

 

Further customization of the request will depend upon the API call that is being made to GrowthZone, but for this API call we only need to configure the API Key. The API Key is obtained from GrowthZone when enabling the Zapier application as discussed previously in this document. 

 

To configure the API Key, this is done by adding a key and value to the Headers section. The key is called Authorization and the value is in the format of ApiKey <ApiKey> as per the screenshot below. 

 

To enable the Webhooks by Zapier App to understand the contents that the API will return, click on the Refresh Fields button.  

 

 

This will cause Zapier to perform a fetch on the API and attempt to discover the format of the payload such that it can create tokens that can be used in the email message that will be sent back. 

 

Step 3 – Configure the Outbound Email 

To send the outbound email, add the Email by Zapier App after the API call. 

 

 

When customizing the Outbound Email contents, Zapier will provide tokens that can be used within the Subject line or Body of the message. These tokens will be dynamically created based on the return contents of the API.  

 

For the Contacts API that is being used in this example, a FirstName and LastName token will be available.