Automate your support workflows across multiple applications without needing any code by connecting BusinessChat to Zapier . When an event happens to a work item (Ticket, task, incident) in BusinessChat, Zapier can trigger actions in other apps . Conversely, when an event occurs in another application, Zapier can automatically create or update work items inside BusinessChat.
What You Can Automate
Capability | Count | Available Options |
Instant Triggers | 11 | New Work Item, Work Item Status Changed, Work Item Resolved, Work Item Reopened, Work Item Assigned, New Work Item Comment, Work Item Custom Field Changed, New CSAT Rating, Work Item SLA Warning, Work Item SLA Breached, and Work Item Due Date Passed. |
Actions | 12 | Create Work Item, Update Work Item, Change Work Item Status, Reopen Work Item, Assign Work Item, Set Work Item Tag, Remove Work Item Tag, Clear Work Item Due Date, Add Work Item Comment, Link Contact, Unlink Contact, and Promote Ticket to Incident. |
Searches | 2 | Find Work Item (by reference, contact, category, stage, status, or assignee) and Find Contact (by phone, email, or customer ID). |
Note: Every trigger and action outputs the complete work item, displaying its ID as well as readable names for the type, status, stage, assignee, team, tags, and primary contact.
Popular Workflows
While you can customize the workflows to your business needs, here are some use cases that might showcase the potential of this integration.
When this happens... | Zapier does this... |
A work item breaches its SLA | Post an alert in a Slack channel |
A form is submitted in Typeform/Jotform | Create a ticket in BusinessChat with the answers |
A new CSAT rating comes in | Log it to a Google Sheet for reporting |
A work item is resolved | Update the deal or contact in your CRM |
A new incident is created | Create a task in Asana/Trello and assign the on-call team |
Step-by-Step Guide: Setup Connection
In BusinessChat, navigate to Settings, open the Integration section, select API keys, and click Create API key .
Name the key (e.g., “Zapier”) and select all seven required scopes: work-items:read, work-items:write, users:read, teams:read, contacts:read, webhook-subscriptions:read, webhook-subscriptions:write.
In the Expiration field, pick the duration you need (default is 30 days). Finally Click Create key.
Immediately copy the key (it is only shown once).
In Zapier, add a BusinessChat step to a Zap.
Under Account, click Sign in and paste the copied key in the popup window and click Connect. Your connection will appear as Business #‹your business id›.
Choose a trigger from the dropdown
Follow the Zapier prompts to test the trigger and set up the next action step.
Note: We recommend setting the API key expiration to match the specific duration of your workflow. To minimize security risks, avoid selecting a "No Expiration" option.
Building Zaps: Contacts, Fields, Statuses, and Tags
When configuring your Zaps, certain fields have specific requirements depending on the type of work item you are creating or updating. This section explains how to correctly map data for contacts, utilize custom fields, set valid statuses, and manage tags so your automated workflows run smoothly without errors.
Zapier Component | How it Works & Important Rules |
Contacts | How to find them: Use the searchable dropdown in the "Create Work Item" action, or use a "Find Contact" step earlier in your Zap to map the result dynamically. Rules by type:
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Custom Fields | How it works: When you use a "Create" or "Update" action, BusinessChat automatically loads the custom fields for that specific work item type directly into Zapier. Note: File attachments are currently not supported through Zapier. |
Statuses | How it works: Status fields define the current phase of a work item. Rules:
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Tags & Promoting | How it works:
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Managing Webhooks & Instant Triggers
Turning on a Zap with a BusinessChat trigger creates a webhook subscription (marked Managed by API key) .
Action / Issue | Result / Management |
Editing/Deleting via BusinessChat | Locked. You must manage the Zap entirely within Zapier. |
Deliveries fail for a long time | Subscription pauses automatically. Admins can click Re-enable. |
Reaching the 50-subscription limit | Zaps will fail to turn on. Delete unused webhooks in Settings › Integration › Webhooks. |
Attention: A business can have at most 50 webhook subscriptions across all owners. If a Zap won't turn on, delete unused subscriptions in Settings › Integration › Webhooks and try again.
How to Rotate Your API Key Safely
Create the new key first with the same seven scopes .
In Zapier, reconnect the BusinessChat connection using the new key .
Turn each trigger Zap off and on again so it re-subscribes under the new key .
Revoke the old key directly in BusinessChat .
How to revoke an API key
To revoke an API key, go to Settings > Integrations > API Keys > locate the key and click the Revoke icon.
Troubleshooting Common Errors
What you see | What it means | What to do |
“This API key is missing: …” at connect | The key lacks one of the seven scopes | Create a key with all seven scopes and reconnect |
“Your BusinessChat API key is invalid, expired or revoked” | The key was revoked or expired | Reconnect with a new key, then turn trigger Zaps off and on |
A 400 error naming a field | The step's input is invalid | The message names the field — fix that input in the step |
“Work item not found” | The reference doesn't exist or isn't visible | Check the reference; map it from an earlier step instead of typing it |
A 429 / rate limit error | Your business's shared API limit was hit | Nothing — Zapier retries automatically |
Names (assignee, type…) empty on an event | A lookup was rate-limited; ids are always present | Use ids in Filters and Paths for routing, names for display |
A Zap won't turn on | The 50-subscription limit is reached | Remove unused subscriptions in Settings › Integration › Webhooks |
The Test button is disabled on a subscription in BusinessChat | It's managed by Zapier | Test from Zapier's editor instead |