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Automations to Increase Project Management Productivity
When it comes to project management, productivity tools can be a lifesaver for your sanity and your bottom line. Platforms like Zapier allow you to automate a wide range of tasks by connecting one application to another and indicating what operation must be accomplished. These automations are called "zaps," and are composed of a trigger and a corresponding action. In this article, we'll look at a few zaps that agencies or consultants can use to save time when managing client projects. To get started, you'll need accounts with both Zapier and Wrike. Both services allow you to create free accounts, so you have nothing to lose. Once you're set up, you can try the following zaps: 1. Create New Clients For those that bill prior to beginning work with a client, you will want to create a zap where whenever a new client is created in FreshBooks (or any invoicing software supported by Zapier), a new client folder is automatically created in your Wrike account. Once you've connected both FreshBooks and Wrike accounts, you will be able to filter customers based on specific criteria if needed, and then match fields from FreshBooks to your new folder in Wrike. You can use multiple fields from FreshBooks to add in the optional description field for your Wrike folder. After you've configured a zap, you get the option to test it and make sure it works. If everything is fine, click Continue, name the zap (make it unique), and activate it. 2. Review New Files Do your clients send you files using Dropbox, Google Drive, or other online filesharing apps? If so, create a zap that adds a new task to your client's folder as a reminder for you to review the new file. First, you select your client's directory in Dropbox (or folder if you are using Google Drive). Then, you match fields from the Dropbox or Google Drive file to the new task in Wrike. I like to include the "direct media link" to the file in the description, making it quicker to access. After you've configured your zap, test it. As usual, click Continue, name the zap, and activate it. This zap will ultimately help you manage files you receive from multiple clients using multiple file sharing applications. 3. Manage Client Communications If you're not using a CRM, you can mimic the feature of tracking conversations related to your projects inside Wrike with a zap. Start by creating a Communications folder under your client's main folder. Next, add a zap that creates a new task in the Communications folder whenever you receive a new email from your client. Here's how to set it up if you use Gmail: Once you connect your Gmail account, set a filter to specify emails from your client. You can do that by using your client's email address (from:[email protected]) or by using the label that your client's emails are organized under (label:your client). Next, turn your emails into Wrike tasks. You will need to match fields from your email to format the new task in Wrike. I like to match the title of the task to the subject line of the email, and the description of the task to the body of the email message. You can also add additional options for task type, importance, and assignees for those who should reply to the email. After you've configured the zap, test it. You will need an email from your client in your inbox — doesn't have to be new, but it does have to be in your inbox (unless you specified another location in the Mailbox or Tag Name field during setup). If everything works, click Continue, name the zap, and activate. You can even expand the process further by creating new tasks in your client's Communication folder whenever your client sends a Twitter update. The setup is similar, except you start with a new tweet instead of a new email. If you use Mention, you can also have any mentions of your client across social networks, forums, etc. added to your client's Communication folder. For those helping with reputation management, or who simply want to stay on top of the latest news about your client, the Mention zap will turn any new mention into a task that can be assigned to the appropriate member of your team for further action or review. 4. Simplify Task Management What if your client likes using another project management system, but you would prefer to keep everything in Wrike? That's not a problem. Let's say that your client uses Trello. You can create a zap that creates a new Wrike task in your client's project folder whenever you're assigned a new card in Trello. You can set this up using any board you have access to in your Trello account. Just connect your Trello account, specify the board, list, and a custom filter to separate your assignments from other member's assignments. To get only your assignments you will need to filter by ID Member — you'll also need this number when you test your zap - but for now, just use your name. From here, you will match the Trello card fields with those for your new task in your client's project folder. Then click Continue and test your zap. Click on the "See trigger sample link" to find a card that has been assigned to you and scroll through to find your ID Member number. Go back up to that filter in Zapier and replace your name with your ID Member number. If everything works, click Continue, name the zap, and activate. You can set up similar zaps for clients using several other project management applications as well so no matter what programs your clients use, you can still keep track of all your tasks in Wrike. But Don't Stop There... I hope the zaps above have given you some ideas on how to use Zapier's automation to optimize your work within Wrike. Be sure to explore the list of apps you can connect with Zapier to discover additional ways to streamline the tools and platforms you already use. About the Author: Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and professional blogger who develops high-quality blog content for businesses. You can follow her on Twitter at @kikolani.
Stressed Out Creative Teams Can Find Help from Automation
In order to remain competitive, creatives must either create more or more effective content. We surveyed more than 1,500 creative managers and individual contributors, both agency and in-house, to better understand the current state of creative teams and investigate their key challenges.
Wrike Integrates with Zapier for a World of Automation
Wrike always strives to keep all your work information connected. Which is why there is an ongoing effort to integrate it with all your favorite apps and project management automation tools. Meet our latest great integration: Zapier. Zapier is an action automation cloud tool that makes it easy and effortless to pass data between two separate apps. So effortless that once you set up your account you won't have to lift a finger! You create customizable actions that send information of your choosing from one app to another, freeing you from tedious housekeeping tasks. When paired with the productivity power of Wrike, it means one thing: you get your work done faster. Say you want every new reminder logged in Evernote to create a task in Wrike. You create a "Zap" in Zapier connecting the two. Zaps are automated processes made of two parts: a trigger and a resulting action. In this case, creating an Evernote reminder is the trigger, and creating a new task in Wrike is the action that occurs once the trigger is sensed by the system. Every new reminder automatically becomes a Wrike task, and you didn't even have to think about it. Or you could create a Zap wherein every new Google Calendar event automatically creates a task in Wrike, bypassing the need to go into Wrike and do it manually. It's all about convenience and saving time — which gets our thumbs up. Wrike's integration with Zapier even allows you to fine tune the details of the resulting action, for example: • Choose task type (planned, backlogged, or milestone) in order to differentiate urgent to-do items and goals from reference material. • Set the start and due date for tasks using expressions like "tomorrow" and "next week". If you create a Zap to transfer your support tickets or other date-sensitive tasks to Wrike, they'll be tackled in no time! • Add rich text task descriptions — say a new email is turned into a Wrike task, the text formatting will remain the same. • Select a subfolder so your automated tasks are housed by email sender, originating source, month created, and more. Watch our video to learn more helpful Zaps you can create for your team: Using Zapier with Wrike To create your own Zaps from scratch, simply designate Wrike as either the trigger or the action. But if you're starting out, it may be more convenient to make use of one of the many Zaps that other users have created, and use one as a template for creating your own custom Zap. Step-by-Step Instructions for Using Zapier with Wrike: 1. Sign up or log into your Zapier account. 2. Click the "Make a New Zap" button. 3. Choose Wrike as the trigger or action. 4. The first time you create a Zap with Wrike, you will be asked to log into your Wrike account. 5. Make a Zap or explore pre-made Zaps. Have you already tried our Zapier integration? Tell us about your useful Zaps in the comments! Image Credits: Photo by Chris Isherwood. Some rights reserved.
How Automation, Mobile, and BYOA are Changing the Way We Work
CIO.com recently interviewed Wrike Founder and CEO, Andrew Filev, on the nine forces shaping the future of IT. The article identifies automation, collaboration, and agility as three of those forces -- and they're the very forces that inform and power our work here at Wrike. But what exactly is changing in the current landscape -- not just in information technology, but across every industry? And what factors are already at play today that will influence how business gets done in the future? Current Trends Affecting Work The Growth of Cloud Services and SaaS The growth of cloud services is one trend that's impossible to ignore. Gartner says the cloud services market will grow by 18% in 2017 to almost $250 billion, and SaaS (Software as a Service) applications make up a sizable part of that. SaaS makes IT lives a little easier in some ways, but also presents new challenges. On one hand, it's easier and costs less to deploy than on-premise solutions, and it's also much easier for a business to scale the deployment as the organization grows. But IT has to find a balance with SaaS and determine how to empower employees without losing control of intellectual property and other data. The Boom in Remote and Mobile Work Another benefit of SaaS is the ease with which it accommodates remote work and mobile work, saving employees from working out from home without equipment. These two huge factors are leading many IT leaders to think not only in terms of cost and security, but also in terms of mobility when procuring and deploying new solutions for workers. The Widespread Use of BYOA BYOA (AKA Bring Your Own App /Bring Your Own Access) is another trend that IT has been facing since the rise and ubiquity of smart mobile devices. In essence, BYOA is about workers moving away from typical corporate IT stacks and instead choosing their own array of apps, based on more efficient user experiences, functionalities, and the promise of synchronization across devices. And this all occurs without the consent of IT. BYOA is now the norm for most functions within a business, and this is actually essential for a few competitive reasons: in MarTech alone, there are now 5,381 solutions, and BYOA lets teams field-test new technology on a small scale and deploy further only when it drives adoption and results. Like anything, it has its good points. One being: mobile devices increase worker productivity and enable quick collaboration in ways that were once considered science fiction. On the other hand though, the ways that workers collaborate are not always optimized for speed or security. A keen IT professional is someone who can recognize the opportunity to scale these solutions across a larger business so that these apps can increase worker productivity while complying with every security measure in place for the enterprise. The Popularity of Automation And finally, the big trend that has us all talking chatbots and self-driving cars. Automation has a huge opportunity to improve IT and business in general. Its power lies in the ability to improve the repeatability and just as importantly, the predictability of work. When considering how AI will impact professional services market, there's no underestimating the importance of readying your business for automation. McKinsey estimates that for 60% of occupations, 30% of the tasks are "automatable" and 45% of those tasks can be automated using technologies already available today. Automating these tasks will allow workers to shift their efforts towards work that is more strategic, more cognitively engaging, and drives a higher ROI. As our CEO said in the CIO article: Automation can produce more visibility, and faster communications. Together with automation, AI and work management are opening doors for improved processes within companies. Read More on Automation: Why Automation is an Opportunity Not a Threat for Creatives 9 Forces Shaping the Future of IT (CIO.com)
Why Smart CMOs Are Making Workflow Automation Their Top Priority
Imagine this: You’re sitting in a meeting, discussing progress on a new campaign. The creative director, Julie, says she’s still waiting on final approval for the design budget. "Oh, finance approved that last week," you say. "Didn’t you see the email?" Then Mark, the Head of Product Marketing, announces, "I’ve just heard from Sales that they want all new collateral, including an updated PDF. Who has the time to work on that, and how will it affect our schedule?" Crickets. You head back to your desk, only to find three emails asking you to approve new campaign assets. But you have no idea who on the team has already looked at it or what edits have already been requested. And should you be reviewing the attachment or the slightly different version provided in the body of the email? Scrolling through the message thread doesn’t help either— it’s just a mess of edits and revisions. Wish things could be simpler? Workflow automation isn’t just for boring business processes. Automating your creative workflows is a smart way to make creative collaboration run smoother, and finding the best professional services automation software for you can boost your processes for maximum productivity. Top reasons to automate your marketing team's workflow Less busywork How much of your team’s day is spent updating spreadsheets, generating reports, and adjusting campaign schedules? Automating these routine tasks can be a significant time-saver, freeing hours in the day for them to focus on CMO responsibilities that are value-adding creative work. Automation also ensures reports and updates are based on accurate, up-to-date information, so you have all the details you need to make smart, timely decisions. Fewer errors and inconsistencies You know that sinking feeling when your website redesign tanks your SEO rankings? Or the headache of launching a campaign with outdated pricing information? As CMO, your job is to make sure your marketing initiatives go off without a hitch. But it’s all too easy for important details to get missed, with costly results. With automation, creative briefs are standardized, contain all the details needed to get the job done, and are automatically assigned to the appropriate party. No important details are miscommunicated, left out, or overlooked. Processes and policies are consistent, fewer tasks fall through the cracks, and everyone is clear on responsibilities and deadlines. Automation also makes it easier to provide a consistent customer experience across all your channels. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer, for example, automate your social media publishing schedule so that prospects and customers always see an active page and your brand identity stays true across your networks. Wrike Requests Faster reviews and approvals Has everyone signed off on the final version? How long should you wait for someone to leave comments before moving on? If two people leave conflicting feedback, whose edits are implemented? Automating the review and approvals process can eliminate all the last-minute scrambling and second-guessing. Reminders, alerts, and notifications keep reviews moving forward since everyone can see the status of each asset. It's easy to stay up to date, a clear process is followed, and nothing gets mistakenly published without the proper approvals. Try Wrike's Proofing & Approvals for Free Fewer process headaches You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. Automating your workflows makes it easier to see where tasks get stuck, which tasks eat up the most time and resources, and where you can make some simple changes to help work run more efficiently. And automatic notifications that alert colleagues when they can begin work on a task make handoffs faster and easier, so work keeps flowing. Higher revenue All of these benefits add up to one thing: a boost for your bottom line. By automating your creative workflow, your team is able to spend more time on high-value creative work instead of routine administrative tasks. Collaboration is more efficient, with fast hand-offs and requests that contain all the context necessary for work to begin. Teams avoid the frustrating cycle of rework and revisions due to miscommunications. Costly errors are caught in an efficient and thorough reviews and approvals process. If you're in the market for a new collaboration tool, download our free collaboration software buyer's guide. It includes questions and features you should think about carefully before you purchase. Start automating your marketing team's workflow Give Wrike for Marketers a try to see how it can help relieve your biggest work headaches — all you need is an email address.
How Automation Leads to Creative Confidence
Automation can alleviate your workload so you can focus more on creative aspects of your work. It eliminates mundane tasks while establishing structure and consistency in your processes. Let's take a look at how automation frees you up to focus more on the more impactful, fun stuff.
