Your team copies NextCrew details into other apps by hand: a spreadsheet, a calendar, a team chat. Zapier can do that copying for you, without a developer or code.
Summary
Zapier connects NextCrew to whatever other apps your agency uses. It works with five kinds of NextCrew records: Crew, clients, jobs, timesheets and invoices. A new, updated or deleted record in NextCrew can start a Zap, and a Zap can create, update, delete or search for a record in NextCrew. Zapier is an add-on, so ask NextCrew to turn it on first. What goes wrong most is a Zap that works on the wrong records, or one that someone expects to sync both ways when it only runs one way.
How to do it
- Ask NextCrew to turn on Zapier for your agency.
- Write down what you want to happen, as "when this happens in one app, do that in another."
- In Zapier, create a Zap and pick NextCrew or the other app as the trigger.
- Connect your NextCrew account to Zapier, ideally with a dedicated integration user.
- Choose the action in the other app, or in NextCrew.
- Test the Zap on one record, check the result, then turn it on.
That's your first Zap running. Everything below is for when you want ideas, the full list of what Zapier can do with NextCrew, or a Zap that isn't doing what you expected.
On this page
Why it matters
- Clients trust you when what they see in other places, such as a shared calendar, matches what's in NextCrew.
- Crew stay loyal when the details about them are right everywhere, because nobody retyped them.
- Your team builds relationships instead of copying the same details from one app to another.
Where it usually breaks
- A Zap is built before Zapier is turned on for the agency.
- A Zap is meant to sync both ways, but it only runs one way.
- A Zap that creates or deletes NextCrew records is turned on without a test, and it changes more than expected.
- Nobody knows which Zaps are running, or who built them.
- The person who connected NextCrew to Zapier leaves, and nobody owns the Zaps.
What Zapier can do with NextCrew
The records it works with: Crew, clients, jobs, timesheets and invoices.
| What it means | Options | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggers (what starts a Zap) | Something happens in NextCrew | New Record, Updated Record, Deleted Record |
| Actions (what a Zap does in NextCrew) | Something happens in NextCrew because of another app | Create (creates the record, or updates it if it's already there), Delete, Search Record |
A Zap can start in NextCrew and act in another app, or start in another app and act in NextCrew.
Ideas to start with
| When this happens | Do this | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| A new Crew Member is added in NextCrew | Add them to a Google Sheet or an email list | NextCrew to the other app |
| A timesheet is updated in NextCrew | Post a note to your team chat, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams | NextCrew to the other app |
| A client fills in a form on your website | Create the client in NextCrew | The other app to NextCrew |
| A job is created in NextCrew | Add it to an Outlook calendar | NextCrew to Outlook only |
| An invoice is created in NextCrew | Send it to QuickBooks | NextCrew to QuickBooks |
The Outlook calendar runs one way. Jobs go from NextCrew to Outlook. A change made in Outlook doesn't come back to NextCrew, so make job changes in NextCrew.
QuickBooks has two routes. You can also run the QuickBooks export from Reports and import the file. See Export Invoices to QuickBooks.
Set it up, step by step
1. Get Zapier turned on. Zapier isn't included by default. It's an add-on that NextCrew turns on for your agency. Ask your account manager. There may be a cost; check with your account manager.
2. Plan the Zap before you build it. Write it as one sentence: "When a job is created in NextCrew, add it to our Outlook calendar." Decide which records it should run on, and who owns it.
3. Build the Zap in Zapier. Create a Zap in your Zapier account. For the trigger, pick the app where the event happens and the event, such as NextCrew and New Record on jobs.
4. Connect NextCrew. The first time you use NextCrew in a Zap, Zapier asks you to connect your NextCrew account. Any NextCrew user can connect it, but we recommend a dedicated integration user.
5. Choose the action. Pick the app and the action, such as adding a calendar event in Outlook, or Create in NextCrew. Match the fields from the trigger to the fields in the action.
6. Test, then turn it on. Test the Zap on one record. Open that record in the other app, or in NextCrew, and check it's right. Then turn the Zap on.
Take care with Delete. A Zap that deletes NextCrew records does it every time it runs. Test it on a record you don't need, and keep the trigger as narrow as you can.
Who owns what
| Task | Usually owned by | What has to be true |
|---|---|---|
| Asking NextCrew to turn on Zapier | The agency owner or admin | They've agreed any cost with the account manager |
| Planning each Zap | The person who wants the result | It's written down as one sentence |
| Building and testing the Zap | Whoever runs your Zapier account | They test on one record before turning it on |
| Keeping track of Zaps | The agency admin | There's a list of every Zap, what it does and who owns it |
You're set up when…
- ☐ NextCrew has turned on Zapier for your agency.
- ☐ Each Zap is written down as "when this, do that," with an owner.
- ☐ Every Zap was tested on one record before it was turned on.
- ☐ Your team knows the Outlook calendar is one way, from NextCrew.
- ☐ Zaps that create or delete NextCrew records run only on the records you meant.
- ☐ Someone other than the builder knows how to turn each Zap off.
If something isn't working
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| NextCrew won't connect in Zapier | Zapier isn't turned on for your agency yet | Ask your account manager to turn it on |
| The Zap ran, but nothing changed in the other app | The fields weren't matched, or the test used a different record | Open the Zap, check the field matching and test again |
| A change in Outlook didn't reach NextCrew | The calendar runs one way, from NextCrew to Outlook | Make the change in NextCrew |
| The same thing happens twice | Two Zaps do the same job | Turn one of them off |
| A Zap stopped working after someone left | It was connected with their account | Connect NextCrew again with a dedicated integration user and check each Zap |
| The app you want isn't in Zapier | That app isn't on Zapier | Ask your developer about the NextCrew Open API. See Connect Other Software with the NextCrew API |
Questions people ask
Is Zapier included with NextCrew? No. It's an add-on. Ask NextCrew to turn it on. There may be a cost; check with your account manager.
Do I need a developer? No. You build Zaps in Zapier without code. For your own software, or apps that aren't on Zapier, a developer can use the NextCrew Open API.
What can Zapier work with in NextCrew? Crew, clients, jobs, timesheets and invoices.
Can a Zap change records in NextCrew? Yes. It can create a record (or update it if it's already there), delete a record, or search for one. Test it before you turn it on.
Can jobs show up in our Outlook calendar? Yes, one way, from NextCrew to Outlook.
Can invoices go to QuickBooks through Zapier? Yes. You can also use the QuickBooks export from Reports.
Is Zapier the same as the App Marketplace? No. The App Marketplace holds partner apps you add inside NextCrew. Zapier is a separate service that connects NextCrew to other apps. See App Marketplace: Start Here.
Is this AI? No. A Zap does a set thing when a set event happens. That's workflow automation. CrewPilot is the AI part of NextCrew.
Other ways people ask this
- Does NextCrew work with Zapier?
- How do I sync NextCrew jobs to Outlook?
- Can NextCrew send data to Google Sheets?
- Can a website form create a client in NextCrew?
- How do I connect NextCrew to QuickBooks without exporting?
- How do I connect NextCrew to an app that isn't in the Marketplace?
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