A personalized note at the right time can push along prospects, engage existing clients and encourage ongoing loyalty. But it’s not always easy to remember to write & drop a note in the mail! That’s why we’re excited to share our new integration with Zapier. You can now set simple triggers from your everyday workflows to automate tangible, handwritten cards, without lifting a pen.
PenPals x Zapier
Zapier is a platform that readily connects with thousands of apps, including most popular CRM and donor management systems (and now PenPals). Connect your favorite app with PenPals, and set triggers so that a personalized handwritten card is automatically sent the moment an action happens in your existing workflows.
This unlocks powerful use cases across your client & donor relationships:
- Include a tactile touch into your email drip. Trigger a handwritten card to land on your decision maker’s desk when a sequence task is completed in Outreach.io, cadence step fires in Salesloft, or your email is marked open in Reply.io. Dramatically increase response rates by pairing your digital outreach with a physical touch at just the right moment.
- Roll out the red carpet for each new client. Mail a personalized thank you note the instant a deal hits “Closed Won” in Salesforce or Hubspot. Set the right tone for the relationship and foundations for stronger loyalty.
- Nurture your sphere with handwritten cards. Keep in touch with prior clients and industry relationships, by pairing a PenPals handwritten note with your CINC AutoTracks or Follow Up Boss Action Plans.
- Put birthday cards on autopilot. Send every client a personal handwritten PenPals card with birthday workflows in Wealthbox or Redtail CRM. Ensure your clients feel the love without the last second post office runs.
- Delight donors right after they give. Connect Bloomerang or DonorBox to PenPals, trigger on New Donation, and use merge tags to include the donor’s name and gift amount. A timely, heartfelt note boosts redonation rates and frees staff from manual tasks.
- Follow up after conferences and trade shows with a tangible note. Add new contacts in Zoho CRM and let PenPals fire a handwritten “great to meet you” card that invites a next step call. The physical note bypasses the crowded post-event inbox and moves hot leads into your pipeline faster.
Customize Your Send
The setup is also endlessly flexible with what gets sent. Within PenPals & Zapier, you can tailor your send accordingly, including:
- Card design: choose from our card library, or design your own fully-branded cards.
- Message: write a template message, or have our handy AI assistant find the right words for the occasion.
- Timing: Send a card immediately, or schedule for the future. No more missed or belated sends.
How to Get Started with PenPals and Zapier
Here's how to create a seamless system using PenPals and Zapier:
- Set up your PenPals & Zapier accounts. If you’re new to either, we’d suggest taking a spin around to get familiar.
- Click here to accept our private invitation to use PenPals x Zapier.
- Optional: set your default payment method in PenPals by navigating to Account > Payment Methods. This will be required to send cards through the integration, but you can always set this later once you've completed setup.
- Identify your trigger app & events. For most folks, this is the app you manage your customer / client / donor relationships (i.e., your CRM). You’ll want to figure out which interactions or milestones should automatically trigger a note. As with the examples above, common triggers include:
- Key pipeline stage hit or meeting is logged
- New client or customer
- Upcoming birthday or anniversary
- Donation receipts
- Customer service resolution
- Create a “Zap” and connect PenPals with your app. Here’s where the magic happens! Then click Create Zap.
- Select a trigger: Choose which app your data will come from, like your CRM. From there, you can choose the event to trigger a card (e.g., New Closed Won), and then use the dynamic fields to ensure each card is personalized.
- Add the PenPals action: Once you've selected the trigger, you'll add "PenPals" as the Action. Most commonly, you'll select 'Send a Handwritten Card'.
- Configure your card: Zapier will show fields for you to customize your PenPals card. You can select your card from PenPals' library, enter the message you wish to send each time the card is triggered, and enter recipient & return address details dynamically from your CRM. For now, set your Payment Method to ‘Test’.
- Test & Turn On Your Zap Flow
- Run test: Zapier will run a test, pulling sample data from your trigger app and sending it to PenPals. Check your PenPals cart to confirm everything is as expected.
- Double check setup: If you wish to send cards, make sure you have your payment method set in PenPals and update the Payment Method field in your Zap to 'Default'.
- Turn on your Zap: Hit publish on your Zap!
What Does ‘Private Beta’ Mean?
The integration is a new one, so we’d love your feedback. Want to see more examples or assistance setting things up? We’re here to help and are always happy to brainstorm solutions. Drop us a line at hello@penpalsapp.com.
About PenPals
PenPals automates handwritten cards, helping relationship-focused businesses deliver consistent, efficient, and scalable personal outreach.
