Integration with Zapier

What is Zapier ?

Zapier is an online cloud service that moves information between HireTrack NX and over 1,300  third party applications. These systems include accounting software  such as Xero or Quickbooks, collaboration software such as Slack, or business applications like SalesForce, MailChimp or Constant Contact.

Once setup, information moves automatically so you can focus on your most important work.

What Zapier isn't

Zapier is not an export system nor a synchronisation system. Exporting is already built in to HireTrack NX via the Query Book or reporting functions in the Data Output tab of HireTrack NX. 

Zapier simply identifies new information entered in either HireTrack NX or any of the other applications it supports. Depending on how you have configured Zapier, it then acts on that information and then tells another application about the data.

What can Zapier be used for with HireTrack NX ?

The sky's the limit. Some examples of "zaps" could be:

• A HireTrack NX to Slack & Email Zap could inform a job owner when their job changes status;
• A HireTrack NX to Xero Zap could inform Xero when a new invoice is marked as "checked" in HireTrack NX;
• A Shopify to HireTrack NX Zap could create a new Notebook enquiry when a customer "checks out" their Shopify cart.
• An address entered in the Transport module could be used by Google Maps to update the mileage between your warehouse and the venue.

There are a couple of HireTrack NX processes that can't currently be automated by Zapier, such as:

• availability checking;
• sending equipment in or out;
• running reports. 

Do I need a Zapier paid account ?

You don't need a Zapier paid account to use Zapier with HireTrack NX, however a paid account is required if you want to create a Zap between HireTrack NX and a "Premium" application. The premium applications are listed here. Only one Zapier account is needed, not one per HireTrack NX user. One Zapier account can handle multiple HireTrack NX aliases.

Installation and Configuration

The HireTrack NX Integration Service needs to be downloaded and installed. This can be installed on any computer on your network, it doesn't need to be the same machine as your HireTrack NX server - in fact it's best if it's not. As Zapier needs to talk to the HireTrack NX Integration Service, this machine will need access to the outside world and the outside world will need access to it.

Integration Types

There are four ways of working with integrations:

1. Zapier can POLL HireTrack NX for changed data (once every 5 or 15 mins depending on your Zapier account). An example would be Zapier asking HireTrack NX "Give me a list of jobs where the status has changed, so I can tell Slack" or "Give me a list of new people entries in the address book so I can tell MailChimp". Polls tend not to be time critical - it doesn't really matter if MailChimp gets updated with the new data now or in 15 minutes.

2. Zapier can PUSH new data in to HireTrack NX depending on some external activity
e.g Create a New CRM Lead in HireTrack NX when someone completes a sign up form on an Unbounce Landing page. Here Unbounce starts off the process, tells Zapier it has a new lead and then Zapier tells HireTrack NX 

3. Zapier can SEARCH HireTrack NX for data. Searches are usually used with 1 or 2 above e.g before adding a new CRM Lead in 2. above, we might first want to search existing CRM leads in HireTrack NX to see if this is a duplicate request.

4. HireTrack NX can TRIGGER Zapier to do something now e.g When a HireTrack NX user creates a new transport request, HireTrack NX can trigger Zapier to talk to Google Maps to find the mileage between the warehouse and the delivery address and then Zapier can send this information back to HireTrack NX. Triggers are used when the data is time critical, the user adding a transport request probably doesn't want to wait the 15 minutes a Poll might take to see the mileage figure.

Cost

There is no charge for the HireTrack NX Integration service software, however it does use one or two of your HireTrack NX client licenses depending on the type of integrations you use.

• If you use any of POLL, PUSH or SEARCH then that will use one HireTrack NX client license, it doesn't matter how many Integrations you configure, it will just use the one license. 
• If you configure any TRIGGER integrations then those will use an additional license.

Further Information

If you're new to Zapier, we recommend that you read this introduction. Of course once you start using Zapier you'll find a 101 uses for it, linking together all sorts of applications. Here at Navigator Systems we have over 40 Zaps (a Zap is an integration between two or more applications) running thousands of times a month.