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In this article, we will learn how to create a row in a shift in the Connecteam schedule each time a row in created on a Google sheet.
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Prerequisites
Google account
Connecteam account with the Operations Hub Advanced Plan or higher
Steps to Set Up Your Google Sheet
For the automation to work, your Google sheet fields must have the following information:
Title
Job
Start Date
Start Time
End Date
End Time
Notes
Location
Assigned User
In the example below, you can see how your Google sheet should look before you create the Zap.
⚠️ Important: Shifts must start and end on the same date, as Connecteam doesn't support shifts longer than 24 hours.
Step by Step: Setting up the Automation on Zapier
Before we begin, it's important to note that each connection/automation made through Zapier is known as a Zap. Every Zap consists of a trigger and one or more actions. A trigger is an event that starts a Zap, and an action is an event a Zap performs.
In our example, the Google Sheet row serves as the trigger, with the action being a shift automatically created in Connecteam.
Note: The Zapier setup process follows three main steps: the Set Up tab, the Configure tab, and testing your Zap
Step 1: Connect to your Zapier account and create a new Zap
Step 2: Create your trigger.
First, click on the trigger rectangle and select Google Sheets.
Next, in the the Set up tab, select 'New or updated spreadsheet row' under 'Trigger event. ' Then, make sure to connect your Google account and click 'Continue. '
In the configure tab, select your spreadsheet name (in this example, "Weekly Shifts") > choose the worksheet containing your data (Sheet 1) and leave the trigger column empty, and then select " continue. Now, in the test tab, select the row you want to create a shift (spreadsheet row C in my case).
Step 3: Create the Actions.
First, click on the Action rectangle and select Connecteam for your action. In this integration, we'll create several actions (multi-step), so follow the steps below carefully:
⚠️ Important: If this is your first time connecting to Zapier, you will be asked to enter your Zapier API key, which can be acquired by clicking on your avatar at the top right > Settings > API & Integrations and then generating your Zapier API Key to copy into Zapier. Then, return to Zapier, and in the configure step, proceed with the rest.
Find a Job
When setting up your event action, first select 'Find a Job' and click 'Continue. ' In the configure tab, go to the 'Job name' field and select the Google Sheet column that contains your job name (for example, 'Floor Cleaner'). Then continue to the test; it will 'pull' out your job ID from Connecteam.
To move on to the next event action, click on the plus button of the diagram.
Find a User
For the next action event, select 'Find a user' in the setup tab and click 'Continue. ' In the configure tab, fill out only the 'Full name' field, select the Google Sheet column containing the assigned user's name (David) >Click continue, and test the step to ensure it pulled out the User ID information from Connecteam.
Create Shift
For the final action event, select Create Shift.
In the configure tab, make sure to insert the following mandatory information by clicking on the + icon next to each field
Scheduler - Make sure to select your Connecteam schedule; in our example, "Industrial"
Shift title - Connect to your Google Sheet title column
Color- Leave this field empty. This way, the shift will be in the color the job is in your Connecteam account.
Shift Start - Select the start date and time columns, making sure to add a space between them (to avoid errors), then manually add GMT.
Shift End -Select the end date and end time columns from your Google Sheet, then manually add GMT.
Time zone - Select the appropriate time zone of your Connecteam Job Scheduler.
Is this an open shift? - Select 'false'
Does this shift require admins' approval? - Leave this field empty.
Do you want to create a shift as published? - Select 'True', unless you want it as a draft.
Associated job - First, click on the three dots and select 'Custom' (not 'Static'), then select the Job ID from Connecteam associated with the job on your sheet ('Floor cleaner').
Assigned user - First, click on the three dots and select 'Custom' (not 'Static'), then select the employee ID from Connecteam, in our example, 'David.'
Location address - Connect to your Google Sheet location column
Notes - Connect to your Google Sheet notes column
Step 4: Test and Publish the Zap
The next and final step is to test the zap and publish it. Here you will see a summary of the action you just created. If everything looks correct, click on 'Test step.'
If everything works and no errors are returned, you will see a checkmark in the action section, You'll also see that a shift was sent to Connecteam, verifying that things did work. Now, you can proceed to publish this automation by clicking on 'Publish.'
Please Note: Publishing on Zapier means the Zap is live, so every time a new row is added to Google Sheets, a published shift will be created for the relevant user.
How the Scheduled Shift Appears on the Schedule in Connecteam
The scheduled shift created with Zap using your Google sheet
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