Week 6: No-code automation
Tuesday, April 1st at 9am PT | 12pm ET | 5pm UK
Overview
In this session, we learned how to use no code automation tools like Zapier, Make and MS Power Automate to automate your workflow and take your productivity to new heights.
Hosted by Cortney Hickey, no-code automation expert and EA to the CEO at Zapier
Session resources
Key points
No code automation = having a process done automatically for you, without knowing how to code
This is fantastic as it means you can set repetitive tasks to run in the background, and minimise data entry and app switching — maximizing your efficiency
Cortney gave an overview of how to use Zapier to automate pushing data between different work tools you’re using
She shared some specific ways to use Zapier that are most valuable for EAs:
Common initial blockers:
Time investment concerns
Uncertainty about where to begin
Fear of automations "going off the rails"
Recommended first steps:
Start with email/message triage automation
Focus on repetitive tasks that follow "when X happens, do Y" pattern
Use AI-powered "What would you like to automate?" box for guidance
Progress over perfection approach - start basic, enhance over time
Practical use cases for EAs:
Calendar management: cross-posting between work/personal calendars; automated meeting prep summaries; text message reminder for critical meetings
Email management: customer email summaries sent to Slack; draft reply generation using AI; priority message alerts
Team coordination: milestone tracking and gift automation; event signup automation via emoji reactions; automated meeting recording distribution
Progress over perfection approach - start basic, enhance over time
Further Resources:
For those of you with access to Microsoft Power Automate, check out this useful tutorial (37 mins). It’s a thorough walkthrough of how to set up no code automations in MS.
Links from Cortney:
Product pages for Zaps (Workflows), Agents, Interfaces, Tables, and Chatbots
Zapier learn: Level up your automation skills with self-paced courses, tutorials, and learning paths.
Zapier 101 is a great place to start
Recording of our recent AI showcase where you can see how real Zapier customers use automation and AI in their work.
Customer stories: See real use cases of automation in action (EA Hub in Zapier coming soon!)
App Integration pages are helpful for inspiration. You can enter in the most common apps your company uses and see the most popular Zap templates.
5 ways to automate your calendar and stay on top of your schedule
How to automatically create tasks from email or Slack messages