6 ways to automate lead management with Paperform and Zapier

Anxiety about automation isn't new. Since Henry Ford introduced the assembly line, workers have feared "robots" will steal their jobs. There's only one job from the 1950 census that has become obsolete: elevator operator. And let's be honest, that one didn't have a particularly strong case for sticking around.

Still, these worries have understandably intensified in a post-COVID-19 world, where jobs are hard to come by, the cost of living is sky-high, and the costs of running a business are even higher. But automation isn't coming for human jobs. Automation is coming for mundane, repetitive tasks that take up too much of our time.

Managing lead data is one such task. According to Zapier's Marketing Automation Benchmark Report, data entry, tracking, and lead management, are the top tasks marketers would rather automate. And now you can. By doing so, you'll help your human workers be more efficient, and give them time back to do things people are best at.

6 ways to automate data and lead management with Paperform and Zapier

Below we've curated a list of ways you can use Zapier and Paperform to automate common business tasks related to lead management. It's a broad term that covers a range of activities, from data entry and file storage to team communication, and we've tried to curate a list that reflects the broad range of tasks. A lot of these may seem simple, but these are the exact types of tasks—boring, tedious ones—that automation is perfect for. It's a great place to start your automation journey before moving on to bigger projects. And, you'll be surprised at the time you save.

Automate customer relationship management

Manually collecting and entering customer details into your customer relationship management tool is one step removed from storing them in your Rolodex. Connect Paperform to your CRM of choice, and any data you collect through lead gen forms will automatically be filed away for safekeeping.

Add contacts to your mailing list

Forms are an inescapable part of building an email list, and gathering marketing consent. Once Paperform is connected to your email marketing tool, leads will be sent to your existing lists every time someone submits a form. You'll be able to concentrate on growing your email list, rather than copying and pasting data between tools.

Track results and gather feedback

Maybe you use Google Sheets as your CRM. Or you just want a reliable place to track, monitor and analyse responses to your forms. These templates will send Paperform submissions to your data management app without manual input. You can map what information you want to send, and use conditional logic so it's only sent in certain circumstances. Our team uses these every day for a range of tasks, from managing freelance writers to tracking blog posts and videos we publish—it's a real time saver.

Provide better follow-up

According to Harvard Business Review, businesses are seven times more likely to qualify leads when reaching out within an hour as opposed to just one hour later. Response time matters. And you don't need a huge support or sales team to respond quickly. Embed a Paperform form on your website to collect feedback and lead data, then share it with your support platform to generate support tickets with context attached. You'll be able to identify the issues, assign resources and provide assistance (or sales follow-ups) in record time. With Paperform logic and answer piping, you can provide personalised answers to common inquiries, too, so you can speed up your response time and save your resources.

Assign tasks and stay on schedule

Whether you're booking sales calls, or sending follow-up emails, form submissions always necessitate action of some kind. By connecting to a task or project management tool, you can update your to-do list without lifting a finger. This is another automation we rely heavily on. We have a content request form for internal use, and any time this is submitted, a task is populated in Trello, ready to be assigned to the relevant writer. Once assigned, the writer gets a notification in Slack. Not too shabby, right?

Manage files and keep them organized

Sending file uploads directly to your file management tool is a huge time-saver. These Zapier templates don't just dump files in a folder and call it a day, either— they can be named, and sorted into folders, based on whatever conditions you set (name, date, submission ID etc). It's an absolute must if you deal with document uploads in your lead process. With Dropbox, you can save submissions as text files, which is great for record-keeping.

Achieve more through automation

With Paperform and Zapier you can easily build end-to-end solutions that save you time and money, while eliminating the manual processes that clog up your already limited time. The list above will be enough to dip your toes in, and, speaking from experience, once you do you'll kick yourself that you didn't start sooner.

So, when thinking about scaling your business in 2023, don't go straight to hiring, or increasing your budget. Automation is the best way to scale while keeping costs down. Priority number one should be auditing your workflows and assessing what you can automate. You'll get more work done, faster, while freeing up time to work on other parts of your business, or passion projects, or I dunno, just take your kids down to the local park. It's a no-brainer.

Related reading

• How to use Zapier integrations to make work easier
• The best workflow apps to maximize your team's efficiency
• 30 Paperform integrations for better marketing
• 7 starter templates for small business owners
• 9 task automation tools to speed up your workflows