Boost Productivity and Unlock New Efficiency with Asana and Zapier

In today’s fast-paced work environment, finding enough hours in the day to complete all your tasks can feel impossible. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, productivity for American workers has increased nearly 62% since 1979. However, longer work hours don’t always translate to higher productivity. The key is working smarter, not harder. This article will explore how to leverage Asana’s automation and integration capabilities to streamline workflows, eliminate busywork, and unlock new levels of productivity.

If you constantly feel buried under your workload and struggle to stay on top of competing priorities, you’re not alone. But what if there were simple yet powerful ways to get more done in less time? By setting up automated workflows between Asana and your other favorite work apps with Zapier, you can transform the way you work and boost productivity.

Read on to discover the automation secrets that will help you achieve more each day. You’ll be able to focus your efforts on the high-value activities that drive results for your team and organization.

Automate Task Creation

One of the most powerful automation capabilities with Zapier is setting up triggers to automatically create Asana tasks whenever certain events occur in other apps. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures tasks don’t fall through the cracks.

For example, you can create a Zap that generates a new Asana task every time you receive an important email in Gmail by filtering on keywords or sender. Simply set up the trigger in Zapier using your Gmail account, then configure the action to create tasks in Asana with predefined settings like project, assignee, tags, etc. Now whenever a key email comes in, a task will automatically populate in your Asana workspace (Zapier).

The same concept applies for capturing form submissions as Asana tasks. With tools like Typeform, Google Forms, or SurveyMonkey, you can sync your lead gen forms to automatically generate tasks for follow up. As soon as someone fills out your questionnaire online, Zapier will create the task in Asana so your sales team can immediately take action (Asana).

By automating task creation from your everyday tools, you ensure critical to-dos don’t fall through the cracks. This helps boost productivity by reducing manual work for your team.

Sync Asana with Other Tools

One of the most powerful features of integrating Asana with Zapier is the ability to seamlessly sync tasks and information between Asana and your other software tools. This bi-directional flow of data ensures everything stays up-to-date across all your systems without tedious manual updating.

For example, you can set up automations to sync your Asana tasks with your Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook Calendar. This will automatically create calendar events for any task deadlines or meetings in Asana. Whenever a due date changes in Asana, the connected calendar event will also update. And if you move a calendar event, the linked Asana task will shift dates too. This keeps everything perfectly in sync.

Another great use case is syncing Asana with your CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot. You can automatically populate custom fields in Asana with data from your CRM contacts, deals, and other records. Whenever that CRM data changes, your Asana tasks will update too. This gives you valuable context without switching between apps.

Or you could sync Asana with project management tools like Jira or Trello to automatically mirror info between systems. The possibilities are endless.

With Zapier handling all the heavy lifting, you can focus on your work instead of manually moving data. Syncing Asana with your other apps is a game-changer for productivity.

Automate Workflows with Multi-Step Zaps

One of the most powerful features of Zapier is the ability to automate multi-step workflows by chaining together actions across different apps. With Zapier, you can create customized automations to match your team’s unique processes and business rules.

For example, you could create a workflow that notifies a Slack channel and assigns a task in Asana whenever a high priority ticket is created in Jira (https://zapier.com/blog/automate-asana/). The possibilities are endless!

Some other examples of multi-step workflow automations include:

• Adding a new Asana task to update sales collateral whenever a new product feature is launched in your project management software
• Generating an invoice in Quickbooks and updating a project status in Asana when a client completes an onboarding step in your CRM
• Creating a help desk ticket in Zendesk and assigning it to the right agent based on keywords when a customer submits a form on your website

Take some time to map out your team’s most frequent workflows. Then use Zapier to build multi-step automations that simplify these processes from start to finish. Streamlining repetitive tasks allows your team to focus on high-impact work.

Notification Zaps

One powerful automation you can set up is notifications that alert your team when key events occur in other apps. For example, you can create a Zap that posts a message in Slack anytime a high priority task is added in Asana. This keeps everyone on the same page without having to constantly check for updates.

Here’s an example workflow:

1. Set up a trigger in Zapier that watches for new Asana tasks
2. Filter for only tasks tagged as “High Priority”
3. Send a notification to a Slack channel with the task details and link

Now anytime an urgent task is created, the right people will be notified immediately to take action. You can customize the message as needed, and choose to notify via Slack, email, SMS or other channels.

According to Zapier, you can also build Zaps to notify your team when a form is submitted, a sale happens, or a calendar event is added. The possibilities are endless!

Lead Capture Zaps

One of the most valuable ways to leverage Zapier for Asana is to automatically create tasks from lead capture forms on your website. This allows you to instantly turn web leads into actionable tasks for your sales and marketing teams.

For example, you can build a Zap that watches for new submissions from your lead gen forms in Typeform, Google Forms, or any other form builder app. As soon as someone fills out the form, Zapier will automatically create a new task in Asana with the lead’s contact info and any other details from the form.

You can assign these new lead tasks to your sales reps or SDRs so they can immediately follow up while leads are hot. The automation eliminates manual data entry and ensures no leads slip through the cracks.

According to Zapier’s blog, this type of automation helps teams “capture leads instantly so your sales team can follow up while their interest is piqued.”

Source: https://zapier.com/blog/automatically-create-tasks-from-tickets-and-forms/

Product Launch Zaps

One powerful use case for Zapier is to automate updates across your organization whenever a new product or feature launches. For example, you can build a Zap that automatically kicks off key tasks to update collateral, notify stakeholders, and assign work items in Asana whenever a product is launched.

To get started, connect Zapier to your product launch or release management platform. Set up a trigger so that every time a new release is published, it will activate your Zap. Next, add steps to immediately update any digital assets, sales enablement materials, support documentation etc. that reference the launched features. By automating this, you ensure all customer-facing content stays up-to-date without having to manually comb through materials after each launch.

You can also include steps to add tasks in Asana to any team members that need to take action, like updating training programs for customer success. Automated notifications via email or Slack can also rally stakeholders whenever something new ships. With a product launch Zap, you take the busywork out of cross-functional communication and content updates.

According to Zapier’s blog, automating post-launch collateral updates is a best practice to “avoid data overload and ensure important information doesn’t slip through the cracks.” By taking advantage of automation for each product launch, you can scale your processes as your offerings grow.

Onboarding Zaps

One of the most powerful ways to leverage Zapier for automation is to streamline your new client onboarding process. According to How we onboard clients in 5 minutes using Zapier, automating onboarding can help you deliver a personalized experience while eliminating tedious manual work.

You can build Zaps to automatically initiate your onboarding checklist items as soon as a new client signs up. For example, you could:

• Send a personalized welcome email from your email marketing platform
• Create a new Asana project for the client with task templates pre-populated
• Add the new client to your CRM system and sync key details to Asana
• Notify the account manager to schedule a kickoff call

Chaining these steps together ensures each new client gets up and running smoothly without you having to manually trigger each task. Customize your Zaps to match your unique onboarding process for a seamless client experience.

Invoicing Zaps

One powerful automation is creating invoices and updating records when a project reaches a milestone or client payment. According to Zapier, you can build Zaps to generate an invoice in Quickbooks or Xero and then automatically update a project status in Asana when the invoice is created. This saves time on manual data entry and ensures your Asana projects reflect the latest invoicing status.

For example, you could create a Zap with the following steps:

1. When a task in Asana is marked complete, generate an invoice in Quickbooks for that project
2. When the Quickbooks invoice is created, update the Asana project status to “Invoiced”

With this automated workflow, generating invoices and updating project statuses happens seamlessly without any copying and pasting. Your Asana dashboard will always show real-time invoicing status for better visibility. According to Zapier, automating these mundane steps helps teams stay on top of accounts receivable and speed up the invoicing process.

Calendar Syncing

One of the most useful Asana integrations is syncing with Google Calendar. This allows you to keep your calendar and Asana tasks perfectly in sync, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

With the Google Calendar integration, you can set up automatic syncing between Asana tasks and Google Calendar events. Whenever you create or update a task in Asana with a due date, it will automatically create a corresponding calendar event. And when you add, edit or delete events in Google Calendar, it will sync back to update your Asana tasks.

This two-way sync is tremendously helpful for keeping your schedule up-to-date across both tools. As soon as a deadline changes or a new meeting is added, it will be reflected everywhere. You’ll never show up late again because you didn’t update tasks and calendar in multiple places!

According to Asana’s integration guide, setting up Google Calendar syncing only takes a few minutes. You’ll be prompted to connect your Google account when enabling the integration in Asana. Then you can configure sync settings like which Asana projects to sync, calendar visibility, and more. Once connected, everything stays perfectly coordinated.

Keeping your Asana task list and Google Calendar in sync is a productivity superpower. Meetings, deadlines, and appointments flow seamlessly between the tools. Take advantage of this integration to stay effortlessly organized.

Learn more about connecting Asana and Google Calendar here: https://asana.com/apps/google-calendar

Sync Asana with CRM Data

One of the most powerful automations you can set up is syncing your Asana tasks and projects with your CRM records. This allows you to have a bi-directional flow of information between the two systems.

For example, you can automatically create an Asana task whenever a new lead is added in your CRM. The task will be populated with key details like the lead’s name, company, and any custom field data you select. This saves you from manually creating a task each time.

You can also sync data from Asana back to the CRM. When a task status changes or a custom field is updated in Asana, that information can flow back to the matching CRM record. This keeps customer data in sync without duplicating work.

According to Asana, some examples of workflows you can automate between Asana and your CRM include:

• Creating an Asana task to follow up when a new lead is added
• Assigning tasks to sales reps based on new leads
• Updating deal stages in the CRM when project statuses change in Asana
• Syncing custom field data like deal size or contract dates

With a CRM sync in place, your team can reduce redundant data entry and always have up-to-date information on customer activities.

Automation Benefits

Automating workflows with Asana and Zapier provides numerous benefits for productivity, efficiency, and focusing on priorities:

With Zapier automations handling repetitive administrative tasks, you free up more time to concentrate on high-impact strategic work. Automation eliminates the need to constantly switch between apps or manually copy and paste data, allowing you to get more done in less time.

Automations standardize processes and ensure information flows seamlessly between tools. This reduces errors caused by manual work. With real-time syncing and notifications, you always have the latest data which improves decision making.

By setting up rules and triggers, you can automatically prioritize important tasks and projects in Asana. Lead captures, sales inquiries, support tickets, and other urgent items can be flagged and assigned immediately, keeping your team focused on top priorities.

In summary, Asana automation boosts productivity by saving time on repetitive work, increases efficiency through seamless workflows, and helps prioritize the initiatives that matter most to business success.

Getting Started With Asana and Zapier Integration

Connecting your Asana account with Zapier is quick and easy. Here are the steps to get started:

1. Sign up for a Zapier account at zapier.com if you don’t already have one.
2. In Zapier, click “Make a Zap” and select Asana from the list of apps.
3. You’ll be prompted to connect your Asana account. Click the button to authorize Zapier.
4. Once connected, Zapier will show you a list of available triggers and actions for Asana.
5. Choose a trigger that will kick off your automation, like “New Task Created.”
6. Then choose an action, like creating a task in another app.
7. Customize your Zap with filters and settings to fit your needs.
8. Turn on your Zap and it will start automating between Asana and your other apps!

It only takes a few minutes to create your first automation with Zapier. Their easy-to-use interface makes it simple for anyone to connect Asana with their other essential work tools.

Developing Workflows

One of the most powerful features of Zapier is the ability to map out and automate multi-step workflows between apps. According to Zapier, workflow automation involves stringing together a sequence of triggers, actions, and filters from various software tools to mimic an organization’s unique processes.

For example, you could build a workflow in Zapier that automatically pulls data from a Google Form, logs the information in a Google Sheet, then creates a task in Asana and sends a Slack notification. The key is mapping out the steps of your workflow before constructing the multi-step Zap.

Zapier provides a visual workflow builder and library of over 2,000 pre-made app integrations to make it easy to automate complex workflows. You simply choose your apps, define the triggers and actions, set up filters, and customize the data formatting at each step. With some planning, you can build Zaps that completely automate routine processes from start to finish.

Leveraging Zapier’s workflow automation capabilities allows you to save huge amounts of time on manual work. Workflows reduce human error, ensure consistency, and let you focus on high-value tasks. Start by identifying your team’s most frequent workflows and explore automating them through Asana and Zapier.

Top Apps to Connect

One of the best parts about Zapier is the enormous range of apps it integrates with – over 2,000 and counting! Here are some of the most useful integrations for supercharging your productivity with Asana:

Email – Connect Asana with your email provider like Gmail or Outlook to automatically create tasks from incoming emails. This saves you from manually entering emails into Asana.

Calendar – Sync your calendar with Asana tasks and due dates to keep everything in one place. Apps like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and iCalendar are supported.

Slack – Get notifications in Slack when tasks are assigned, completed, or changed. You can also create Asana tasks directly from Slack messages.

Jira – Connect your Jira tickets to Asana tasks to centralize work. You can create tasks from Jira issues or sync data between the two tools.

Salesforce – Sync Asana projects and tasks bi-directionally with Salesforce records. This gives you greater context in each system.

Zoho CRM – Automate data flows between Zoho CRM and Asana. Create tasks from Zoho records or sync custom field data.

Typeform – Generate Asana tasks automatically when forms are submitted on your Typeform. Great for capturing leads and requests.

Trello – Migrate Trello boards and cards to Asana or build bridges between the two tools.

With so many options, the possibilities are endless for connecting Asana with your other business apps via Zapier. Identify your team’s most-used software and workflows to get started automating.

Limitations of Asana Automation

While Asana automation can streamline many repetitive tasks, there are some limitations to be aware of. Automation works best for structured, rules-based workflows but may fall short for more complex or creative work. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

Strategic thinking and decision making – Automation can help execute tasks efficiently, but humans are still needed for high-level planning and prioritization. Software cannot replace human judgment.

Subjective work like design – Automated workflows have difficulty handling subjective or ambiguous tasks like graphic design that require a human eye.

Unexpected changes or exceptions – When new requirements come up or exceptions occur, automated workflows may need adjustments. Humans handle changes more seamlessly.

Relationship building and collaboration – Automation focuses on task completion but cannot replicate the nuance of human interactions and relationships needed for teamwork.

Creative problem solving – While automation follows rules, people are better at thinking outside the box and developing innovative solutions.

By understanding these limitations, you can focus automation on repetitive tasks while preserving the human touch where it adds the most value. Balance automation with human oversight and involvement for the best results.

Expert Help

Asana automation can provide immense productivity gains, but complex workflows require specialized expertise. If you need help designing and implementing advanced automations, I can provide customized solutions as an experienced integration specialist.

With over 5 years in the field, I have worked on hundreds of automation projects across various industries. My services include:

• Consulting to map your unique workflows and processes
• Designing Zaps and integrations tailored to your business needs
• Troubleshooting and optimizing existing automations
• Training your team on using and managing automations

I am highly familiar with Asana, Zapier, and leading business apps. No integration is too complex – I can handle any workflow you throw my way.

Get in touch to discuss your automation goals. I’ll provide an assessment of how we can optimize your workflows using Asana, Zapier, and other tools. My expertise can help you work smarter, boost productivity, and set your team up for success.

You can learn more about my experience and services at my Upwork profile.

Conclusion

In conclusion, automating workflows in Asana using Zapier integration can provide tremendous productivity benefits. By setting up automated task creation, data syncing between apps, and multi-step zaps, you can streamline repetitive tasks and focus on high-impact work.

Some of the key benefits include:

• Capturing tasks and to-dos from multiple sources in one central Asana project
• Keeping Asana task data synced with your calendar, CRM, and other tools
• Automating processes like lead capture, product launches, onboarding, and invoicing
• Reducing manual busywork and eliminating double data entry
• Customizing workflows that match your team’s unique needs

By leveraging Asana and Zapier, you can work smarter, not harder. Reach new levels of productivity and unlock the automation secrets of these powerful platforms.

Contact

If you’re ready to take your Asana productivity to the next level with automation, I can help. As an automation integration expert, I have extensive experience setting up effective Asana + Zapier workflows tailored to your unique needs.

Contact me today to discuss how automation can transform the way you work. I’ll provide a free consultation to assess your current processes, identify areas for automation, and recommend the right solutions. With custom workflows and ongoing support, I’ll ensure you get the most value out of Asana, Zapier, and the rest of your software stack.

You can reach me directly at https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/justinadamski or by email at justin@adamski.com. Let’s chat!