What are they?
- Make.com and Zapier are great off-the-shelf software tools for simple automations. They offer an interface where you can connect different software products without needing to write any code.
- Automation 4HR is an agency that goes further by providing custom-built solutions using code that we craft for you so that we can create more sophisticated automations for you. i.e. we create code for your automations.
Fundamentally, they are 2 different things. Make.com and Zapier are software products for creating automations. Automation4HR is a consultancy and agency that writes automation code.
Key Benefits of Zapier & Make.com
- Zapier is designed for users who want to connect different apps and automate repetitive tasks without writing any code.
- They are 2 different software products. Make.com allows for more complex workflows compared to Zapier.
- Both have a drag-and-drop interface to create connections between software products (called apps) that you might use.
- They are compatible with a huge number of apps, including Gmail, Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot.
- Pricing is based on usage. If you have lots of data or lots of automations, then you’ll have higher usage of these tools.
- There are tools to modify, transform, and conditionally run workflows based on roles.
- Zapier and Make are suitable for non-technical and technical users.
- If you’re having problems, you can use their support to try and help you, subject to their support business hours.
Key Benefits of Automation4HR
- We’ll talk to you to work out what tasks and processes need automation in your business, and then write the code that automations those processes. This removes the need for you to write any code or do anything technical.
- As we work with many HR businesses, we understand the problems and pitfalls that you’ll encounter, and how to solve them. This saves you time and effort having to work out technical problems.
- We can recommend software tools that match your needs and requirements.
- We handle any errors or problems that you encounter, so that you don’t need to do anything technical
- We’ll use tools such as Make or Zapier when they’re the right tool for you.
- When we create an automation, we’ll fit the automation to match how you want to work, and ensuring it fits within your processes.
- Our automations can handle large volumes of data (e.g. from a spreadsheet), or very fiddly data (details from a CRM system for a person).
Key Disadvantages of Zapier & Make.com
- Whilst they’re advertised as being non-technical, we’ve discovered that you need intermediate technical knowledge to use them.
- Many of our clients find Make.com and Zapier doesn’t make any sense, and they’re very confused by the errors they encounter. When an automation breaks, the error messages are often cryptic.
- If you have lots of data moving between apps each month, the cost increases rapidly. For Zapier this is about 1000 items of data upwards, and for Make.com this is about 10,000 items of data upwards. (the apps price themselves slightly differently, hence the difference in numbers).
- The ‘fit’ of the automation into your business is limited to what the tools can do, which means you might need to adjust your processes to fit what the software tools can do for you.
Key Disadvantages of Automation4HR
- The cost of developing automations is front-loaded, i.e. most of the cost is at the start of the project. Although the ROI of investing in your automations is usually within 12 to 18 months, the cost is upfront. The cost of Make/Zapier is monthly, so you have less upfront cost.
- Whilst we take care of creating automations, they take a bit longer to create than creating yourself with Make/Zapier.
When to choose Zapier & Make.com
- You’ve got lots of spare time to learn the software tools, including the technical elements and handling errors.
- You want to create your automations yourself.
When to choose Automation4HR
- When you don’t have the time or interest to learn anything technical for your automations.
- When you want it handled for you.
- When you want the best fit within your business to make your life easier.
Think of it as buying a house. Make/Zapier would be the equivalent of buying a house that’s a few years old. You’re going to need to do the DIY to make it your home.
Working with Automation4HR would be like purchasing a house off-plan, where you get customisations on your carpets, decorating and kitchen to match your taste. It takes a little longer, but it’s done to your specifications.