Zapier connects Cordovan to the other tools you use without anyone writing code. A connection is called a Zap. Each one has a trigger, something that happens in one app, and one or more actions that follow in others. For example:
- A client pays a deposit, and a message goes to your team's Slack channel.
- A new client is added to your book, and they join your Mailchimp list.
- Someone fills in your website's enquiry form, and Cordovan gets a new client with a trip at Inquiry.
Cordovan's side of the connection is an API key that you create under Settings, Integrations. Zapier has its own accounts and plans, which are separate from Cordovan.
Create a key
- Open Settings, Integrations.
- Under New key, type a name for the key. Name it after what will use it, such as "Zapier – Slack alerts", so you can tell your keys apart later.
- If your Zaps will add records to Cordovan, tick Allow it to add records. Leave it unticked for Zaps that only send Cordovan's news somewhere else. A key without it can only read.
- Agency administrators also see Whole agency. See What a key can see below.
- Click Create key.
- Click Copy, then I've saved it.
The key starts with cdv_ and is shown only once. Cordovan keeps a scrambled copy that can check a key but can't show it again. If you lose a key, revoke it and create another.
You can have up to 10 active keys. Using one key per Zap, or per tool, means you can switch one off without touching the rest.
Connect it in Zapier
- In Zapier, create a Zap and search for Cordovan as the trigger or action app. While Cordovan's Zapier app is in its invite-only beta, open the invite link you were sent first. Cordovan won't appear in the search until you have.
- When Zapier asks you to connect an account, paste your key into API Key.
- Zapier names the connection after you and your agency, for example "Jordan Advisor · Outdoor Travel Adventures".
What a key can see
A key sees what you see in Cordovan:
- Your own key: your clients and trips, and those of any advisor you cover.
- A Whole agency key: every advisor's clients and trips. Only agency administrators can create one. It's meant for agency-wide automations, such as keeping a CRM in step with every advisor's book.
Every Cordovan trigger has an optional Advisor box. Pick an advisor to run the Zap for their clients and trips only. Leave it blank for everything the key can see.
What reaches Zapier: the client's name, email, phone number and VIP flag; the trip's title, stage and deposit; the advisor's name and email; and the details of the event itself. Dates of birth, passport and membership numbers, and files are never sent. Client Updated Their Profile says which details changed, not their new values: for example "Changed their phone and address", or "Updated their passport (expires 2029-04-11)". New Trip Document gives the file's name and type, not the file.
Triggers
Each trigger fires within a few seconds of the event in Cordovan.
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New Client | A client is added to an advisor's book. |
| Client Updated Their Profile | A client changes their own details in the client portal or app. What Changed narrows it to contact details, passports, preferences, loyalty programs, Known Traveler numbers, finishing onboarding, or choosing an advisor. |
| New Client Intake | A client starts the travel profile questionnaire. |
| Client Accepted Terms | A client accepts your terms and conditions. |
| New Trip | A trip is created, in Cordovan or from your booking system. |
| Trip Stage Changed | A trip moves to a new stage. New Stage narrows it to one stage, for example only trips moving into Booking. |
| Traveler Added to Trip | A traveler is added to a trip. |
| Traveler Removed from Trip | A traveler is taken off a trip. |
| Trip Deposit Paid | A client pays a trip's deposit. |
| Payment Received | A client payment is recorded. Payments to suppliers are not included. |
| New Trip Document | A document is added to a trip. |
| New Activity | An appointment, note, task or promotion is logged against a client. Activity Type narrows it to one type. |
| Task Completed | A task is marked complete. |
| Task Due Today | An open task reaches its due date. |
A Zap starts with what happens after you turn it on. It doesn't replay what happened before. When you test a trigger, Zapier shows a few recent events, from the last 30 days, as samples.
Actions and searches
Actions need a key with Allow it to add records ticked.
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Client | Adds a client to an advisor's book. If a client with the same email is already there, it returns that client and doesn't make a second one. |
| Create Trip | Starts a new trip for a client at the Inquiry stage. |
| Add Traveler to Trip | Adds a client to a trip as a traveler. Adding someone who is already on the trip changes nothing. |
| Create Task | Adds a task to your task list, or to an advisor you cover with full access, optionally about a client or trip. That advisor is notified. |
| Add Note or Activity | Logs a note, appointment, task or promotion on a client's record. |
| Find Client | Finds a client by email or name. |
| Find or Create Client | Finds a client by email or name, and creates one if none is found. |
| Find Trip | Finds a client's trip, or a trip by title, newest first. |
An action runs as the key's owner unless you choose another advisor in its Advisor box. With a Whole agency key, a step about an existing client acts as that client's own advisor.
The Client and Trip boxes are dropdowns of recent records. You can also fill them from an earlier step, such as a trigger or a Find step.
See what a key has done
Under Active keys, each key shows whether it can add records, and when it was last used. Click Activity to list every client, trip, task and note the key has added, newest first.
Revoke a key
Click Revoke next to the key, then Click again to revoke. The key stops working at once, and every Zap using it stops. Their triggers are switched off on Cordovan's side, and their actions fail until you connect a new key in Zapier. Revoked keys move to the Revoked list for your records.
Revoke a key straight away if it might have been seen by someone else, then create a replacement.
If something isn't working
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "This API key is not valid" | The key was revoked, or not copied in full. Create a new key and reconnect. |
| "The account behind this API key can no longer use it" | The key's owner has left the agency or changed role, or the agency's account is no longer active. A Whole agency key also stops when its owner is no longer an administrator. Create a new key under an account that can use it. |
| "This API key does not have the 'write' permission" | The key can only read. Create a key with Allow it to add records ticked and reconnect the action. |
| A trigger stopped firing | Cordovan keeps retrying for about a day when Zapier can't be reached, then switches that trigger off. Turn the Zap off and on again in Zapier. |
| A client or trip is missing from a dropdown | The key can't see it. Check whose book it's in, or use a Whole agency key. |
| "Too many requests for this API key" | A key can make 120 requests a minute. Zapier waits and tries again by itself. |