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- 🎮 The Next Input — Issue #001
🎮 The Next Input — Issue #001
Playbooks for a smarter work‐day.
Aaron Bost
July 02, 2025
⚡ The Briefing · 60 sec
Zapier launches Canvas, an AI‑powered flow‑chart builder — sketch a process once, click Build, and Zapier converts it into live automations. Early users slash build time by a third.
Notion Mail debuts — a minimalist client that turns labels into Notion‑style “Views” and syncs straight back to Gmail.
Dropbox snaps up Reclaim.ai — smart scheduling will soon permeate every Dropbox doc; grab Reclaim’s standalone tier while pricing’s still friendly.
🛠️ The Playbook — Automated Inbox Triage
Mission: Kill manual email sorting; route every message in real‑time.
Difficulty: Easy | Build time: 20 min | ROI: ≈ 3 hrs saved per week (team of 3).
The Loadout
Gmail (or any major email provider)
Zapier account with AI Action enabled
Destinations: Xero · HubSpot · Help Scout · Slack
The Walk‑through
Set Your Trigger
In a new Zap, choose Gmail as the app and “New Email” as the event. This fires the workflow every time a fresh message lands in your inbox.Add an AI Action
Insert Zapier’s “AI Action” step. In the prompt field, paste:
Based on the sender and full body of this email, categorise it as “Finance”, “Sales”, “Support”, or “Spam.”
Zapier’s GPT‑4 brain returns the chosen label in output.category.Branch the Paths
Click the ➕ Path icon and build four branches:Finance → Forward Email to your company’s unique Xero inbox so invoices auto‑appear in accounts.
Sales → Create/Update Deal in HubSpot, then Send Message to #sales‑alerts in Slack so reps jump quickly.
Support → Create Ticket in Help Scout with the email body, giving customers an instant case ID.
Spam → Move Email to Gmail Spam to keep the main inbox pristine.
Add a Fail‑Safe
Under each path, append “If step fails → Send Slack DM to #ops‑alerts.” Now no message dies quietly in the void.Test & Activate
Fire off four dummy mails (invoice, prospect, support query, spammy promo). Confirm each lands in the right spot. When everything checks out, flip the Zap to On.
The Score
Time saved: ~45 min/day.
Response speed: Critical messages reach the right owner in seconds.
Error rate: Forwarding mistakes drop to 0.
🎯 The Arsenal
Asset | What it does |
|---|---|
Auto‑builds a searchable FAQ from Slack history—surface tribal knowledge in minutes. | |
Squeezes hour‑long Zooms into slick 60‑second highlight reels. | |
Captures meeting transcripts and pushes next‑steps straight into Asana. | |
Prompt · Client‑Onboarding Email | Copy this into any chat model → instant 120‑word welcome email with checklist & links. |
Act as my Client Success Manager. Draft a warm onboarding email for {client_name}.
Include: next‑step checklist, Calendly link, FAQ link. Keep it ≤120 words, upbeat, professional.
📈 Strategy Call
Last week we sliced a retailer’s support tickets by 73 % with three Zaps and one AI Action.
Want similar numbers? Book a free 30‑min consult and let’s map your fastest win.
🕹️ Game Over
Ship one automation tonight—future‑you will high‑five present‑you.
Got a win? Hit reply and I’ll feature you.
— Aaron
Automating the boring. Amplifying the brilliant.