You can use Zapier to connect Anchor with Google Forms in a few different ways. From creating contacts automatically to drafting and sending proposals based on a client's form responses. We currently offer two Zap templates for Google Forms, described below.
📣 Note: These integrations are in beta. If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to us at [email protected].
Template 1: Create a new contact in Anchor from a Google Forms entry
Template 1: Create a new contact in Anchor from a Google Forms entry
What this Zap does
Whenever a client submits a response to a Google Form you choose, this Zap automatically creates a matching contact in Anchor using the information they provided. No manual data entry needed.
First, open the Zap template here and follow the steps along. You can refer to this article for guidance.
Before you start
Your Google Form needs to collect the information Anchor uses to create a contact:
First name
Last name
Business name
Email address
Phone number is optional.
You can add or rename any other fields on your form, as long as these are included.
Setting up the Zap
1. Getting started
Name your Zap and select which folder to save it on. Once ready, click "Next" at the bottom to start setting up your Zap.
2. Connect your apps
Google Forms: connect your account, or select an existing connection if you already have one.
Anchor: click Select and select your account if you've connected Anchor to Zapier already. If you haven't, click Connect a new account. You'll be asked for:
API Key: generate this from Integrations > API keys in your Anchor account.
Email: the email address of an Anchor team member with admin or owner permissions.
3. Fields
Under New Form Response, select the form your clients will fill out.
Under Create Contact in Anchor, you'll see the First Name, Last Name, and Email fields already filled in with placeholder text. Leave these as they are for now.
Important note: The template can't show your form's real fields until it has an actual submission to work with. You'll map the placeholders after publishing.
4. Review and publish
Once Zapier confirms all steps are set up correctly, click Publish.
Once published, the Zap runs automatically the next time your form gets a submission.
5. Map your form fields
Now that the Zap is live, fill out and submit a test entry on your form. Open the Zap and click "Edit".
Click the New Form Response trigger and select "Test trigger/Find new records". This loads the real fields from your form, along with the test entry you just submitted.
Click the new record and select "Continue with selected record".
Second, click the Create Contact step. Replace the placeholder text in each field with the matching field from your form:
First Name → the field on your form where clients enter their first name
Last Name → the field on your form where clients enter their last name
Email → the field on your form where clients enter their email
Company Name → the field on your form where clients enter their business name
Test the step. A contact should be created matching the information from the form. You can then publish the Zap and, from here on, every new form submission will automatically create a matching contact in Anchor.
Important note: Anchor won't create a duplicate contact. If a contact with the same information already exists, the Zap will fail instead of creating a second copy.
Template 2: Create and send a proposal from new Google Forms responses
Template 2: Create and send a proposal from new Google Forms responses
What this Zap does
This Zap finds or creates a client contact from a Google Forms response, then automatically drafts and sends a proposal based on the service package the client selected in the form. You can include all of your service packages as options for the client to choose from, and the Zap will draft the proposal from the matching Anchor template depending on their selection. If you'd rather review proposals before they go out, you can remove the final "Publish Proposal" step so the Zap only creates drafts, leaving them ready for you to send manually. You can embed the form on your website or in an introduction email to automatically turn intake into onboarding.
First, open the Zap template here and follow the steps along. You can refer to this article for guidance.
Before you start
In Google Forms: Create your intake form with the following fields, matching Anchor's contact structure:
Client first name
Last name
Business name
Email address
Phone number is optional
The form should also include a single dropdown field listing your service packages. Add one option per package and name them clearly, since this is what tells the Zap which proposal template to use.
In Anchor: Create a proposal template for each service package you offer. Draft a proposal matching each package offering, then select Save as template. These templates are what the Zap will use as a base when drafting proposals for your clients. You can learn more about templates in this article.
Setting up the Zap
1. Getting started
Name your Zap and choose which folder you wish to save it in. Click Next to move through the guided setup.
2. Connect your apps
Google Forms: connect your account, or select an existing connection.
Anchor: click Select, then Connect.
You'll be asked for:
API Key: generate this from Integrations > API keys in your Anchor account.
Email: the email of an Anchor team member with admin access.
3. Fields
This template is built as a series of paths (branches) that route the Zap depending on whether the client is new or already exists in Anchor, and which package they chose. Here's how it's structured:
Step 1: New Form Response: select the form you created.
Step 2: List Contacts in Anchor: this searches your existing Anchor contacts.
Step 3: Split into paths: the Zap branches into two paths depending on whether a matching contact is found:
Path A (no match found) → creates a new contact, then branches again by package to draft and publish a proposal.
Path B (match found) → uses the existing contact, then branches again by package to draft and publish a proposal.
Follow the instructions shown within each step of the template. Map the form you created where prompted, and keep every other placeholder exactly as it is for now. The rest of the mapping can only be done after publishing, once the Zap has real form data to work with.
4. Review and publish
Once Zapier confirms all steps are set up, click Publish.
5. Map your form fields
Now that the Zap is live, fill out and submit a test entry on your form, then open the Zap to edit it.
Click the New Form Response trigger and select "Test trigger/Find new records". This loads the real fields from your form, along with the test entry you just submitted. Click the new record and select "Continue with selected record".
Click into Path A's path conditions (step 4) and map the first item to the business name field on your form. This tells the Zap to search for an existing contact using that value.
If the form fields aren't showing, click "Test run" at the top and select the record for your test form. The workflow will run. Refresh the page and it will show the fields.
Click into Path B's path conditions (step 13) and map the same business name field there as well, since this path uses the same matching logic in reverse.
Click the Run Javascript in Code by Zapier step (under Path B) and map
targetNameto the business name field on your form. Keep everything else as-is. This will output the ID of the existing contact to use for sending the proposal.
For each package path (the branches under both Path A and Path B), click into its Path conditions step:
Map the first item to the package/service dropdown field on your form.
In the second item, type the name of the package exactly as it appears as an option in your form, a different name for each path.
6. Still within each package branch, click into the Create Proposal Draft From Template in Anchor step and select the Anchor template that matches that package. For example, if the path condition checks for "Bookkeeping monthly," map that step to your Anchor "Bookkeeping" template.
Test each step. If everything is mapped correctly, a new or existing contact will get a proposal drafted and sent from the matching template.
Important note: If a client selects a package from the dropdown that isn't mapped to one of your path conditions, the Zap won't create a proposal for that entry (nothing will happen on that branch).
Adding more packages
If you offer more than two service packages, duplicate the path structure for each additional package under both Path A and Path B, so new and existing contacts can both get proposals for every package you offer. Copy the existing path's structure into the new one, then update the package name and proposal template to match the new package.
Still have questions? Email us at [email protected].