My company collects most inbound lead data from our website via a webform. That information is passed to our phone answering service (PAS), who proactively calls the lead back. This company also answers the phone when you dial our number on the website.
If the lead fills out the entire form on our website, I currently catch that data via webhook in Zapier as the trigger. I save the information the lead filled out into Google Drive and create a folder based on the address they submit.
If PAS then gets in touch with the lead, PAS completes a Google Form and submits that. The Google Form completion is the trigger for a different Zap, which also creates a folder by address for the lead.
If PAS does not get in touch, they have a different path they follow in the Google Form, but the Zap still creates a folder and populates information.
The challenge I am running into is the process creates multiple folders, which can be confusing when trying to follow up with the lead.
My ideal solution would be the only folder is created when the lead reaches out through my website. Then, whether contact is made by PAS or not, all Google Form submission documents go into this folder. However, there are instances where a lead will call and reach PAS, bypassing the website form, and in that instance, I would need the folder created based on the info PAS submits through the Google Form.
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Hi @Cardinal
For us to have full context, we would need to see screenshots with how the Zap steps are outlined and configured, thanks.
Generally, the logic is to do a find/create in a single Zap step.
Many Zap app “find/search” steps have a checkbox option to create if not found.
@Troy Tessalone thank you for the quick response.
The zap below is the main lead intake from our phone answering service (PAS). The paths break out leads from a mail campaign, our two websites, and a fourth path for a catch-all “other”.
The zaps below should be identical but are broken out by website. The trigger for each step is a webhook. We have a step 1 form, and then a more detailed step 2 form. Some leads do not fill out step 2, but we still want to catch their first form info. We are able to link the results of the Step 1 and Step 2 form results because the address is always presented in the same format and very clean. It’s likely the web host (which provides the form) passes the user submitted address through a Google Maps API to ensure address accuracy.
Let me know if you’d like more detailed screenshots or there are other questions I can answer.
@Troy Tessalone for some reason I cannot attach screenshots of my zaps in the previous reply
@Cardinal
Try using a new/different browser/device to attach the screenshots.
@Cardinal
Perhaps try recording and sharing a Loom.com video link.
@Troy Tessalone, thanks for your patience. I was able to get some of the screenshots to post from my phone. I believe it might be related to a file size issue.
Link to the Loom is below. I can focus in a little deeper on certain aspects if that would be helpful. Thank you again for taking a look!
When configuring, check the box for Create if not found.
That results in find else create logic for the Zap step.
@Troy Tessalone, let’s say I had an addressed entered via my website that is 1234 Full Circle Drive. My zaps from the website would create a folder named 1234 Full Circle Drive.
Everything from the website passes to my call answering service, who will submit a Google Form based on their followup questions. Let’s say they submit the Google Form with the address as 1234 full circle dr.
How would I handle cases like this?
Does the match need to be perfect, including case sensitivity?
If case sensitivity is not an issue, would formatting to always trim the street suffix (st, dr, lane, ave, blvd, etc.) help?
There’s always going to be a corner case that I can’t think of, just trying to find ways to pick the low hanging fruit now.
@Cardinal
Addresses are tough to work with because there are so many variations. (as you noted)
BAD DATA IN = BAD DATA OUT
You may want to consider using an operational data hub app such as a CRM to centralize your data.
The concept being such that your data is centralized, normalized, and standardized. (see info below)
e.g. If you use Airtable, then a user submitting an Airtable Form could select from an existing linked Address record.
That way there is a single source of truth for the data to prevent duplicates.
Plus, the GDrive Folder would be created and the Folder ID/Link could be updated back on the Airtable Record.
When humans are involved, there is always room for error, but this should reduce redundancies.
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Centralizing, standardizing, and normalizing data are crucial processes in data management and analysis. These steps help ensure that data is consistent, accurate, and ready for analysis. Here's a brief explanation of each concept with examples:
Centralize Data:
Centralization involves gathering data from various sources and bringing it together into a single, unified repository or database.
Example: In a retail business, sales data may be collected from different stores, websites, and mobile apps and centralized into a single database to analyze overall performance.
Standardize Data:
Standardization is the process of formatting and structuring data in a consistent manner so that it follows a predefined set of rules or standards.
Example: Date formats can be standardized to YYYY-MM-DD to ensure uniformity across all records, making it easier to sort and compare dates.
Normalize Data:
Normalization is the process of organizing data to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity by breaking it into smaller, related tables.
Example: In a relational database, customer information like names and addresses can be normalized into separate tables, reducing data duplication and ensuring efficient storage.
Together, these processes help ensure that data is clean, reliable, and suitable for analysis. Centralized data is easier to manage, standardized data is consistent and easier to work with, and normalized data reduces redundancy and improves database efficiency.
@Troy Tessalone thanks so much for the help and recommendation for AirTable!
I definitely think AirTable could solve some of these issues if website zap I’ve created would populate a table in AirTable. Then if the call answering service can see that record, you’re right, the data becomes centralized.
