Build Your First Zapier Multi-Step Workflow in 15 Minutes

You've used Zapier for simple two-app connections: "When email arrives, save attachment to Dropbox." But real business processes are more complex. They require multiple steps, conditional logic, and data transformation between apps.

Multi-step Zaps unlock Zapier's true power. Today you'll build a complete workflow that connects three apps, manipulates data, and implements business logic—all without code.

What You'll Learn

• Multi-step Zap structure and design
• Connecting three or more apps in sequence
• Using filters and conditional paths
• Transforming data between steps
• Error handling and testing strategies
• Real-world workflow examples

Single-Step vs Multi-Step Zaps

Single-step (basic):

Trigger: New Gmail email
→ Action: Create Google Drive file

Multi-step (powerful):

Trigger: New form submission
→ Filter: Only if status = "Priority"
→ Format: Extract and clean data
→ Create: Add to Airtable database
→ Send: Notify via Slack
→ Create: Generate task in Asana

Multi-step Zaps handle real business complexity.

The Workflow We'll Build

Scenario: Automate new customer onboarding

Workflow:

1. Trigger: New row in Google Sheets (customer signup)
2. Filter: Only proceed if "Plan Type" = "Premium"
3. Create: Add contact to Mailchimp list
4. Format: Generate welcome message with customer name
5. Send: Post to Slack channel
6. Create: Add task to Asana project

This workflow demonstrates filtering, data manipulation, and coordinating multiple tools.

Step 1: Create the Trigger

Set Up Google Sheets Trigger

1. In Zapier, click "Create Zap"

2. Choose trigger app: Google Sheets

3. Select trigger event: "New or Updated Spreadsheet Row"

4. Connect your Google account (if not already connected)

5. Configure trigger:

   • Spreadsheet: Select your customer signup sheet
   • Worksheet: Choose the specific tab
   • Trigger Column: Select column that indicates new rows (e.g., "Timestamp")

6. Test trigger: Pull in a sample row to verify data

Expected sample data:

Name: Sarah Johnson
Email: sarah@example.com
Plan Type: Premium
Company: Acme Corp
Phone: 555-0123

Step 2: Add a Filter

Filters prevent the Zap from running for irrelevant data.

1. Click "+ Add Step" below the trigger

2. Choose "Filter"

3. Set condition:

   PromptCopy

   Field: Plan Type
   Condition: (Text) Exactly matches
   Value: Premium

4. Label it: "Only Premium Customers"

Now the Zap only continues for Premium signups, saving tasks and API calls.

Step 3: Add to Mailchimp

Create a contact in your email marketing platform.

1. Click "+ Add Step"

2. Choose action app: Mailchimp

3. Select action: "Add/Update Subscriber"

4. Connect Mailchimp account

5. Configure action:

   PromptCopy

   Audience: Select your newsletter list
   Email Address: [Map from Google Sheets: Email]
   Status: Subscribed
   
   Merge Fields:
   FNAME: [Map from Google Sheets: Name]
   COMPANY: [Map from Google Sheets: Company]
   PHONE: [Map from Google Sheets: Phone]
   
   Tags: Premium, New Customer

6. Test action: Verify contact appears in Mailchimp

Step 4: Format Welcome Message

Use Formatter to manipulate text before sending.

1. Click "+ Add Step"

2. Choose "Formatter by Zapier"

3. Select transform: "Text" → "Replace"

4. Configure:

   PromptCopy

   Input: "Welcome {{Name}}! Thank you for choosing our Premium plan."
   Find: {{Name}}
   Replace: [Map from Google Sheets: Name]

Or use the "Text" → "Default Value" transform to ensure fields aren't empty:

Input: [Map from Google Sheets: Company]
Default Value: [Map from Google Sheets: Name]'s Company

Pro tip: Formatter has many transforms:

• Split text
• Extract email domains
• Format dates
• Convert case (uppercase/lowercase)
• Calculate numbers

Step 5: Send Slack Notification

Alert your team about the new premium customer.

1. Click "+ Add Step"

2. Choose action app: Slack

3. Select action: "Send Channel Message"

4. Connect Slack account

5. Configure:

   PromptCopy

   Channel: #new-customers
   Message Text:
   🎉 New Premium Customer!
   
   Name: [Map: Name]
   Email: [Map: Email]
   Company: [Map: Company]
   Plan: Premium
   
   Welcome message sent via Mailchimp ✅

6. Customize:

   • Add emoji reactions
   • Mention users: @sales-team
   • Format with markdown: bold, italic

7. Test: Verify message appears in Slack

Step 6: Create Asana Task

Generate an onboarding task for your team.

1. Click "+ Add Step"

2. Choose action app: Asana

3. Select action: "Create Task"

4. Connect Asana account

5. Configure:

   PromptCopy

   Project: Customer Onboarding
   Task Name: Onboard [Map: Name] - [Map: Company]
   Assignee: Select team member
   Due Date: [Use Formatter to add 3 days to today]
   
   Notes:
   New premium customer needs onboarding:
   
   - Name: [Map: Name]
   - Email: [Map: Email]
   - Company: [Map: Company]
   - Signup Date: [Map: Timestamp]
   
   Complete welcome call and send setup guide.

6. Test: Verify task appears in Asana project

Step 7: Review and Activate

1. Name your Zap: "Premium Customer Onboarding"

2. Review each step:

   • Trigger pulls correct data
   • Filter conditions are accurate
   • All actions mapped correctly
   • Test data flows through entire workflow

3. Turn on Zap: Toggle switch to "On"

4. Monitor: Check "Zap History" to verify runs

Advanced Techniques

Paths: Conditional Branching

Create different workflows based on conditions:

Structure:

Trigger: New form submission
→ Paths:
   Path A (Premium Plan):
   → Add to Mailchimp Premium list
   → Create Asana high-priority task
   → Send Slack message to sales
   
   Path B (Standard Plan):
   → Add to Mailchimp Standard list
   → Create Asana normal task
   → Send Slack message to support

How to add Paths:

1. Add step: "Paths by Zapier"
2. Define Path A with rule: "Plan Type = Premium"
3. Define Path B with rule: "Plan Type = Standard"
4. Add actions under each path

Delay: Timing Control

Add delays between steps:

Use cases:

• Wait 1 hour before sending follow-up email
• Delay until specific time of day
• Queue actions to avoid rate limits

How to add Delay:

1. Add step: "Delay by Zapier"
2. Choose delay type:
   • Delay For: Wait X minutes/hours
   • Delay Until: Wait until specific time
   • Delay After Queue: Stagger multiple actions

Example:

Trigger: New customer signup
→ Create: Add to CRM
→ Delay: 1 hour
→ Send: Welcome email
→ Delay: 24 hours
→ Send: Follow-up email with tips

Webhooks: Connect Any API

Use webhooks to connect apps not officially supported:

1. Add step: "Webhooks by Zapier"
2. Action: "POST" or "GET"
3. Configure:
   PromptCopy

   URL: https://api.example.com/users
   Method: POST
   Data: 
   {
     "name": "[Map: Name]",
     "email": "[Map: Email]"
   }
   Headers:
   Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

Lookup Tables: Data Transformation

Map values between systems:

Example: Convert product codes to names

1. Add step: "Formatter by Zapier"
2. Transform: "Utilities" → "Lookup Table"
3. Configure:
   PromptCopy

   Input: [Map: Product Code]
   
   Lookup Table:
   PRD001 → Premium Package
   PRD002 → Standard Package
   PRD003 → Basic Package
   
   Default Value: Unknown Product

Real-World Multi-Step Zaps

E-commerce Order Processing

Trigger: New WooCommerce order
→ Filter: Order total > $500
→ Create: Add to Google Sheets (big orders tracking)
→ Get: Look up customer in Salesforce
   If found → Update deal stage
   If not found → Create new lead
→ Send: Email to fulfillment team with details
→ Create: High-priority task in Monday.com
→ Send: SMS to sales manager via Twilio

Lead Qualification Workflow

Trigger: New Typeform submission (lead form)
→ Format: Extract company domain from email
→ Enrich: Look up company in Clearbit
→ Score: Calculate lead score based on:
   - Company size
   - Industry
   - Budget
→ Paths:
   Path A (High Score ≥80):
   → Create Salesforce lead (hot)
   → Assign to senior sales rep
   → Send instant Slack notification
   → Create calendar event for follow-up call
   
   Path B (Medium Score 50-79):
   → Create Salesforce lead (warm)
   → Add to nurture email sequence
   → Create task for junior sales rep
   
   Path C (Low Score <50):
   → Add to general mailing list
   → Log in Google Sheets for future reference

Content Publishing Workflow

Trigger: New Airtable record (content calendar)
→ Filter: Status = "Ready to Publish"
→ Get: Fetch content from Google Docs
→ Format: Convert to HTML or markdown
→ Create: WordPress post as draft
→ Upload: Featured image to WordPress media library
→ Update: Set featured image on post
→ Publish: Change post status to "Published"
→ Share: Post to Twitter with link
→ Share: Post to LinkedIn with link
→ Send: Slack notification to marketing team
→ Update: Mark Airtable record as "Published"

Event Registration System

Trigger: New Eventbrite registration
→ Create: Add attendee to Google Sheets
→ Send: Welcome email via SendGrid
→ Create: Slack direct message with event details
→ Check: If "Dietary Requirements" field is not empty
   → Send: Email to catering team
   → Add: Label in Google Sheets
→ Delay: Until 2 days before event
→ Send: Reminder email with logistics
→ Delay: Until 1 day after event
→ Send: Thank you email with feedback survey

Error Handling and Monitoring

Set Up Error Notifications

1. Zap Settings → Error Handling

2. Configure:

   • Email on error
   • Slack notification on error
   • Auto-replay failed runs

Monitor Zap Performance

Check Zap History:

• Go to Zap → "Zap History"
• Review successful and failed runs
• Click any run to see detailed logs

Common errors:

• Missing required field: Add field or default value
• Authentication expired: Reconnect app
• Rate limit exceeded: Add delay between actions
• Invalid data format: Use Formatter to clean data

Testing Best Practices

✅ Test each step individually:

• Don't build entire Zap then test
• Verify each step before adding next

✅ Use test data:

• Create test records with various scenarios
• Test with missing data, special characters, edge cases

✅ Check all paths:

• If using Paths, test each branch
• Ensure filters work as expected

✅ Monitor first runs:

• Watch closely after activation
• Check outputs in connected apps

Zapier Alternatives Comparison

When to use which:

• Zapier: Easiest to use, most integrations, great for non-technical users
• Make: Better visual workflow builder, more complex logic, lower cost
• n8n: Self-hosted, full control, technical users, unlimited usage
• Power Automate: Microsoft ecosystem, enterprise features, desktop automation

Cost Optimization Tips

Zapier charges per "task" (each action that runs):

Reduce task usage:

1. Use filters early: Stop workflows that won't complete
2. Combine Zaps: One multi-step Zap vs. multiple single-step Zaps
3. Schedule triggers: Use "Schedule by Zapier" instead of "every new X" when real-time isn't needed
4. Deduplicate: Filter out duplicate triggers
5. Batch webhooks: Use webhook catching to process multiple items in one run

Example savings:

• Bad: 100 emails → 100 tasks to Sheets + 100 tasks to Slack = 200 tasks
• Good: 100 emails → filter for important (30) → 30 tasks to Sheets + 30 tasks to Slack = 60 tasks
• Savings: 70% reduction

Key Takeaways

• Multi-step Zaps connect multiple apps in sequence for complex automation
• Filters prevent unnecessary action executions
• Formatter transforms data between incompatible systems
• Paths enable conditional branching for different scenarios
• Testing each step individually prevents debugging nightmares
• Error monitoring catches issues before they impact business

Conclusion

Multi-step Zaps transform Zapier from a simple connector into a complete automation platform. The workflow we built—from Google Sheets through Mailchimp, Slack, and Asana—demonstrates how to orchestrate multiple tools without writing code.

Start with simple 2-3 step Zaps and gradually add complexity. Soon you'll be automating entire business processes that used to require manual coordination across teams and tools. Your time back, your processes consistent, your team more productive.

Related articles: Zapier vs Power Automate vs Make Comparison, Save Gmail Attachments to Google Drive with Zapier