Affordable Surveys in Salesforce using Google Forms and Zapier

Gathering survey data in Salesforce from leads, donors and customers is a common request that we encounter at Summit Technologies. With an integration from Google Forms via Zapier, data can be delivered directly into your Salesforce org for a price that non-profits and small businesses can afford.

The Google Forms Advantage By now everyone reading this blog over the world wide web should be familiar with Google’s Gmail (email), Google Docs (documents) and Google Sheets (spreadsheets). However, a lesser known application that you may not be utilizing is Google Forms, a tool that collects information and data using personalized forms, surveys or quizzes. Once you build your form, you can share it with the world, a private group or even embed it in your website. The responses are automatically populated into a Google Sheet for you to review and aggregates. Google Forms is the easiest and most cost-effective way we have found to collect data on the web.

Zapping the Gap between Google Forms and Salesforce Once you have collected your data, how do you get it to your Salesforce org? You will need a bridge between web applications or a middleware. Zapier is an industry leading web-based integration service that acts as a connector between web applications. The best aspects of Zapier are that it is relatively easy to use and cost effective for small entities.

Zapier integrates or “Zaps” data from one web application to another using a trigger and an action. A customer filling out a Google Form acts as a trigger for the Zap. Inputting data into Salesforce is the action that you want Zapier to take.

Google Forms organizes your data into a spreadsheet. Zapier reads the column headers and allow you to choose or map which Salesforce object and fields you want the information to sync to. Once accomplished, new form submissions will be automatically transferred into Salesforce without so much as a keystroke.

Setting Up Your Salesforce Org The data that you collect can be used to populate standard or custom objects. Before mapping your Zap, be careful to ensure that the data you collect from the Google Form can be received by the appropriate field in Salesforce. For example, if you allow for answers that are hundreds of characters long in your Google Form, be sure that the mapped field in Salesforce allows for the same. If your Google Form is a Picklist, the mapped field in Salesforce should match.

Extending Google Forms Functionality with Salesforce Once your data is inside your Salesforce Org, you have Salesforce’s powerful calculation and reporting tools at your disposal. You can use formulas to summarize and score your data on a per response basis. You can report across multiple respondents and create graphs and charts to display to your users or management team. Through a Google Forms integration with Salesforce, you have the opportunity to harness the calculation power and security of two industry leaders to gather, deliver and analyze the data that propels your company or organization.

Contact the Summit Technologies team today to learn how Google Forms and Zapier can quickly unlock the potential of Salesforce for your organization!

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