Automate Leave Notifications on Slack Using Pabbly Connect and Google Forms

Learn how to automate leave notifications on Slack when Google Forms are submitted using Pabbly Connect. Step-by-step tutorial included. Follow this definitive guide to creating powerful automated workflows with straightforward, efficiency-focused solutions that save valuable time.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Setting Up Pabbly Connect for Leave Notifications

To automate leave notifications on Slack when Google Forms are submitted, you need to access Pabbly Connect. Start by creating a free account on Pabbly Connect if you haven’t already. Once logged in, navigate to your dashboard and click on the ‘Create Workflow’ button. Here, you will name your workflow, for example, ‘Automatic Leave Notification on Slack from Google Forms.’ This step is crucial as it establishes the automation process.

After naming your workflow, click on the ‘Create’ button. You will see two boxes labeled ‘Trigger’ and ‘Action.’ The Trigger is the event that starts the automation, and the Action is what happens as a result. In this case, the Trigger will be Google Forms submission, and the Action will be sending a message to Slack. Select Google Forms as your Trigger application and Slack as your Action application.

2. Connecting Google Forms to Pabbly Connect

The next step is connecting Google Forms to Pabbly Connect. Choose the Trigger event as ‘New Response Received’. This means that every time a new response is submitted through your Google Form, it will trigger the automation. To set this up, you will need to copy the webhook URL provided by Pabbly Connect.

• Copy the webhook URL from Pabbly Connect.
• Open your Google Sheets associated with the Google Form.
• Install the Pabbly Connect Webhooks add-on from the Extensions menu.
• Paste the webhook URL into the add-on settings.
• Set the trigger column to the final data column (Column I in this case).

After setting up the trigger, you need to ensure that the add-on is correctly configured to send data to Pabbly Connect. Now, whenever a new response is submitted, the data will be captured by Pabbly Connect, allowing the automation to work seamlessly.

3. Sending Leave Notifications to Slack

Once the Google Forms integration is set up, the next step is to send notifications to Slack using Pabbly Connect. Select Slack as your Action application and choose the action event ‘Send Channel Message.’ This action will send a message to your chosen Slack channel whenever a new leave application is submitted.

To connect Slack with Pabbly Connect, click on ‘Connect with Slack’ and authorize the connection. You will need to choose the channel where notifications should be sent. For example, you might select the ‘team-updates’ channel. Once connected, you will see options to customize the message that will be sent.

• Compose a message like ‘Hello team members, [Name] has applied for a [Type of Leave] from [Start Date] to [End Date].’
• Map the fields from the Google Forms submission to personalize the message.
• Test the notification to ensure it appears correctly in Slack.

Once you have mapped all the necessary fields and tested the notification, you can save your workflow. Now, every time a leave application is submitted through Google Forms, a notification will be sent to your Slack channel automatically.

4. Enabling Automation in Pabbly Connect

After successfully setting up the integration between Google Forms and Slack using Pabbly Connect, it’s essential to enable the automation. Ensure that the ‘Send on Event’ option is activated in your Pabbly Connect workflow settings. This feature allows every new submission to trigger the Slack notification automatically.

Additionally, check that your Google Sheets is configured correctly to prevent any interruptions in the automation process. It is recommended to use only one Google account in your browser to avoid authorization issues. If you have multiple accounts, consider using an incognito window for this setup.

Once everything is set up, you can relax knowing that Pabbly Connect will handle the notifications automatically. Whenever a team member submits a leave application, a notification will be sent to your designated Slack channel without any manual intervention.

5. Final Steps and Testing Your Automation

To finalize your setup, perform a test by submitting a dummy leave application through your Google Form. This will allow you to verify that the entire automation process works as intended. Check your Slack channel to see if the notification appears correctly, including all the mapped details from the form submission.

If the test is successful, you can confidently enable the automation and start using it in your daily operations. Remember, Pabbly Connect makes it easy to automate tedious tasks like sending leave notifications, allowing you to focus on more important work.

In case you encounter any issues, revisit each step to ensure that all configurations are correct. You can also access support through Pabbly’s forums or help documentation for further assistance.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to automate leave notifications on Slack using Pabbly Connect and Google Forms. By following these steps, you can streamline your team’s leave management process and ensure timely notifications. Automating tasks not only saves time but also enhances communication within your team.