Accelo + Zapier Integration: Three Common Use Cases (Part 1 of 3)

In this blog series, we are going to discuss three of the most common use cases of Accelo’s Zapier integration and how to set them up. Most people rely on several platforms to help make them more efficient and productive in the workplace. But having to constantly navigate through different tools for specific tasks causes distraction, frustration, and ultimately wastes time for the employee and revenue for the company. Accelo prides itself on the ability to simplify a company’s tech stack by replacing multiple different tools that don’t speak to each other with a single source of truth—one central platform. However, there are a few tools that Accelo isn’t going to replace.

That's why we offer several integrations to connect Accelo with the core tools you rely on to run your business. However, there are a few niche applications that don't yet integrate with Accelo. In these cases, Zapier—a workflow automation platform that helps connect more than 700 different applications together—works with Accelo to create these integrations with ease. 

You can leverage this feature to decrease the amount of work you need to complete manually. Setting up these notifications ensures that you're getting information that matters—allowing you to prioritize the most important Tasks. There are several ways to take advantage of these notifications. Once you're done reading this blog post, be sure to check out Part 2 here. A few include: 

• Notifying team members who aren't huge Accelo users that they have received a Task

• Inform staff when another team member is working on a Task that is relevant to them 

• Flag important or ad-hoc Tasks

• Task notifications from the avalanche of emails received on any given day 

A common use case we see is using Zapier to connect Accelo with Slack, so you can receive updates in real-time. This integration makes it easier by automating the process by posting updates in a designated Slack channel. For example, when you assign a job to a team member, such as updating a report, the message will be sent to Slack, ensuring that the update is seen by the individual and the team as a whole. 

Want to try it out for yourself? Below, we’ve outlined the the step-by-step process on how to connect your Slack and Accelo accounts: 

1) Create a Zap with an Accelo Trigger in Slack

Log into Zapier, and click on the “Make a Zap” option on the top right hand side. Once that’s complete, you’ll need to find Accelo in the “Search” tab. Once completed, you’ll be able to choose “New Request.”

Afterwards, Zapier will prompt you to insert a Request from Accelo. We recommend creating one before moving forward, as Zapier will use your most recent Request as an example when completing your field mapping in the next step. 

2) Send a Slack Channel Message

For this next step, you’ll need to choose your “Action”—which is an event that your Zap performs after it is triggered. Slack offers several Actions to choose from, but in this case you'll be selecting "Send Channel Message".  In order for this to be successful, you’ll need to ensure that Zapier is connected to your Slack account—this only needs to be done once. Afterwards, you’ll be able to choose where and how the message is posted to Slack. We provide an example to break down each prompt, and their purpose: 

Pro Tip: Use the following URL for your Bot Icon URL for a clean Slack notification look: https://www.accelo.com/assets/square-icon.png

3) Filter Zaps by Field Values in Slack

You have the option of including an intermediate "Filter" step as part of your Zap.  We highly recommend using filters to sift through all of the Task notifications that you would otherwise receive, so that you only send Slack notifications for the important ones.A couple of examples includes sending notification only when certain team members are assigned, or excluding routine Tasks that aren't productive. 

Once you have completed all of the steps, you can rest assured that you will be notified of the most relevant information you need to do your job efficiently. 

Taking the time to set up these Zaps saves you time later and decreases the amount of manual Tasks you need to complete. Accelo’s Zapier integration lets you control what tools you integrate with and in a way that’s easiest for you. Don’t forget to check out the second part of our blog series to learn how you can post project status updates in your Slack channel of choice.