Automated Email Workflows with Zapier
Connect email → CRM → project management for hands-free lead handling. No coding required.
What You'll Build
A complete lead automation workflow that:
- • Captures leads from your website contact form
- • Automatically adds them to your CRM
- • Creates a task in your project management tool
- • Sends an auto-reply acknowledgment email
1Prerequisites
- Zapier account - Free tier works for this tutorial
- Email provider - Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP-compatible email
- CRM - HubSpot (free), Pipedrive, or similar
- Project tool - Asana, Trello, or Notion (all have free tiers)
2Create Your First Zap
1. Log in to Zapier and click "Create Zap"
2. For the Trigger, search for "Gmail" (or your email provider)
3. Select "New Email Matching Search"
4. Connect your Gmail account when prompted
5. Set the search query: subject:("Contact Form" OR "Website Inquiry")
Tip: Match the subject line to whatever your website form sends. Test by sending yourself a test email.
3Add to CRM
1. Click "+" to add an action
2. Search for "HubSpot" (or your CRM)
3. Select "Create Contact"
4. Map the fields:
- • Email → Use the sender's email from step 1
- • First Name → Parse from email body or use "Lead"
- • Lead Source → Set to "Website"
4Create Task
1. Add another action: "Asana - Create Task"
2. Set the task name: Follow up with [Email] - Website Lead
3. Assign to yourself or your sales team
4. Set due date to "1 day from now"
5. Include the email body in the task description
5Send Auto-Reply
1. Add final action: "Gmail - Send Email"
2. To: Use the original sender's email
3. Subject: "Thanks for reaching out - we'll be in touch soon!"
4. Body: Create a professional auto-reply template
Example template:
Hi there,
Thank you for contacting us! We've received your message and will get back to you within 24 hours.
In the meantime, feel free to browse our resources at useardelis.com/guides
Best regards,
The Team
6Test & Publish
1. Click "Test" on each step to verify it works
2. Send yourself a test email matching your trigger
3. Verify the contact appears in your CRM
4. Check that the task was created
5. Confirm you received the auto-reply
6. Turn on your Zap!
Next Steps
- • Add lead scoring based on email keywords
- • Create different workflows for different form types
- • Add Slack notifications for high-priority leads