Thursday, July 13, 2017

Automatically Populate Applications from MySQL Databases

Saving information in a MySQL database is a great way to keep track of a lot of data, but it’s not a very user-friendly way to view the data.  With a tool like WebMerge you can instantly populate templates with data from your database and send off to customers or internal departments.

In this example, we’re going to show you how to automatically populate an application form with data from our MySQL database.  We’ll then automatically email the application to our review team.

To get started, we’re going to setup the template for our application using a Fillable PDF.  This is a PDF with fields that can be filled in with information (like many government forms).  We’re going to use a PDF editor like Nitro to edit the PDF and add the fields we’re going to populate from the database.

Here’s what our application template looks like:
 

Once you have the template finished, we need to upload it to WebMerge.  From the Documents page in WebMerge, click the New Document button and enter a name.  On the next step, pick Fillable PDF as the document type and then pick the file from your computer.
 

After you have uploaded your template to WebMerge, you’ll be taken to the Settings tab where you can modify various settings like the type of file that is generated and the name of the file.  For this example, we’re going to output a PDF and include the name of our applicant in the file name.
 

Next, we’re going to setup the delivery of our document so that it is automatically emailed directly to our review team.  Under the Deliver tab, we’re going to Edit the default email delivery.  For the To address, we’re going to enter our review team’s email address, then customize any of the other email settings.
 

Once we have our email delivery updated, we’re done with the setup process in WebMerge and we’re ready to integrate with our MySQL database.  To help with the integration, we’re going to use our friends over at Zapier.

Inside Zapier, we’re going to setup a New Zap.  For the Trigger, we’re going to choose MySQL as the app then New Row as the trigger.
 

Once you authenticate your MySQL database, you’ll have to select the table that you want to monitor.  Follow those steps and continue.

Next, we’re going to setup the Action of our Zap.  For the app, choose WebMerge and then Create Document Merge as the action.
 

Once you authenticate your WebMerge account, Zapier is going to load a list of all the documents you have setup in your account.  Go ahead and pick the Application that you just setup and Zapier will load a list of the merge fields in your template.

For each merge field, you need to pick the corresponding field from your MySQL database.  This tells Zapier how to send the database information over to WebMerge so that it is populated in the correct spot on your template.
 

Once you have matched up all of your merge fields, go ahead and save you Zap and turn it on.  We’re ready for a test!  Open up your database and add a new row to your table.  Zapier will detect this new row and automatically send the data over to WebMerge and your application will be generated.

Here’s what our merged application looked like:
 

Congrats, you’re all done!  You can now automatically generate all kinds of documents from your MySQL data.  Can you think of any other ways you could use WebMerge to simplify your paperwork process?

Sunday, July 9, 2017

15 Remarkable Integrations to Automate Documentation with Zapier

As consumer demands become more unique and varied, in order to keep up with big businesses, small businesses must change their back-end operations. With the accessibility and affordability of automated software solutions, this demand is not only possible, but it also saves time and money for small business owners.
Where do you start? That’s easy! Zapier and WebMerge.
Zapier provides businesses with the ability to sync any application they want. Based on the uniqueness of your operations, you could use Zapier to share new Tweets on Slack, send RSS feeds to Buffer, and more. With Zapier and WebMerge’s powers combined, you can automate your documentation process and eventually… rule the world!
Here are 20 ways you can use Zapier and WebMerge to automate your business:
  1. Create and Sign Real Estate Contracts with CudaSign
    Real Estate agents are always on the go.  From meeting with new clients, running around town showing homes, to closings, real estate agents are rarely in the office. Here’s how you can create quick contracts and save some energy.
  2. Create Contracts and Agreements from Nutshell CRM
    Managing your contacts, leads, and opportunities can be a daunting task, but with choosing the right CRM can be a life saver.  Nutshell is a great CRM and in combination with WebMerge you can save your sales team countless hours.  In this example we’re going to show you how you can create a contract from a lead in Nutshell and automatically send it to your customer.
  3. Generate Contracts from Opportunities in TrackVia
    Managing your workflow can be a daunting task, but with tools like TrackVia, you can keep track of everything from start to finish – all within a single platform.  From managing a projects to collecting data in the field, TrackVia is a great solution.
  4. Send a Letter of Engagement from Clio
    Document generation in the legal world is a must-have.  By auto-populating letters, contracts, and other types of legal documents, attorneys and paralegals can save countless hours.  Another way lawyers can save time (and their sanity) is by using a practice management system like Clio.
  5. Populate a PDF Receipt from a Formidable Order Form
    Formidable is a popular Wordpress form plugin for creating contact forms, order forms, registration forms and many more types of web forms.  But what if you want to take that information collected on the form and populate a Word document or PDF?  Your options are very limited.  Unless you haveWebMerge, of course! 
  6. Send an Order Invoice from Smartsheet
    Smartsheet is a pretty cool tool that allows you to easily collect data from customers and team members, plus offering an easy platform to manage that information.  It’s like Excel, but on steroids.  In this example, we’re going to show you how to send an invoice created with WebMerge directly from Smartsheet as a new order is entered into our sheet.
  7. Create and Send an NDA from Zoho CRM
    Keeping track of all your customer information can be difficult, but getting data out of your CRM can be an even bigger hassle.  Most often you end up re-typing information into other systems, documents, etc.  With Zoho CRM you can easily capture your leads, plus manage your customers, partners, and opportunities.
  8. Send Customized Invoices for Magento Orders
    Let’s face it – e-commerce is here to stay and is an important part of any business.  Today there are many services out there that can help you build and maintain an online store front without the need of expensive coding or customization.  One of the most popular services is called Magento and they offer a product that can fit your every need.
  9. Send Welcome Letters to Hubspot Form Leads
    You’ve jumped into the world of HubSpot marketing and sales tools, collecting all of this data on your website visitors, leads, and customers.  But, you don’t have an easy way to populate documents (letters, contracts, offers, etc) from that customer data.  Until now!  With the help of WebMerge (via Zapier) you can take your HubSpot data and populate documents on the fly.
  10. Create PDFs and Reports from Knack
    If you’re looking for an easy way to build an online database application without the need for programming, you need to check out Knack.  With Knack you can get rid of those clunky spreadsheets and build easy to use web applications such as a custom CRM, proposal tracker, order management, and more.  Knack allows you to build some pretty powerful apps and we’re going to show you how you can easily generate documents directly from Knack using WebMerge.
  11. Create Service Contracts from Batchbook
    If you’re looking for a great CRM to help you with organization and productivity, then we suggest you take a close look at Batchbook.  With Batchbook you can track your contacts, manage your deals, maintain your communication with customers, and more.  Let's take it one step further and generate documents from Batchbook using WebMerge.
  12. Create and Send Contracts from Solve CRM
    In today’s competitive landscape for the CRM space, it’s tough for services to stick out from the rest.  You have to fit the needs of specific verticals or use-cases and do that really well.  In the case of Solve CRM, they have wisely picked a deep integration with Google for Work and all the apps that come along with it.  From Calendar syncing, to Gmail integration, to managing Google Drive files, Solve integrates seamlessly.
  13. Create and Manage HR Documents from ZOHO Creator
    Managing your HR processes can be a daunting task.  From collecting new employee information, tracking time off, and handling payroll, there is a lot to keep track of and a lot of documentation to go along with it.  No sweat!  There’s a great tool called ZOHO Creator and you can build a customized HR app that allows you to manage all of your HR data across your entire business.  Then, combined with WebMerge you can generate employee contracts, insurance applications, state forms, and more.
  14. Create Custom Invoices and Letters from Harvest
    Managing projects, finances, timesheets, and deliverables can be a job in itself, but with Harvest you can make life a whole lot easier.  Harvest can track all your expenses throughout a project and make it easy to bill your customers when the project is complete.  Sounds great, right?  Well, we agree, but what if you want to customize the invoices or send letters to your new customers?  Your options are limited.
  15. Upload a TypeForm Medical Patient Intake Form to Box
    Have you ever thought filling out forms is a pain in the neck? TypeForm makes the experience of filling out forms fluid and fun. At the doctor’s office, filling out an intake form is often the first experience the patient has upon arriving for his or her appointment. If you have a medical practice, then you might be interested in improving your intake process. With TypeForm, in conjunction with WebMerge, you can merge the form submissions with a template document and automatically file them in your digital document storage system and/or as easily print them out as hard copies.