Resources · Zapier integration

novaTime Zapier integrationAutomate novaTime with Zapier.

The novaTime Zapier integration gives you 3 triggers, 10 actions and 2 searches to move work orders, customers and statuses between novaTime and your other tools. All three triggers are instant, and novaTime runs on the free plan.

See the 15 operations

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

Overview

What the novaTime Zapier integration actually does for you

novaTime is where an organization plans and follows its activities, broken down into works inside projects. The integration links it to Zapier, a tool that runs automations between apps without code. When something happens to a work in novaTime, Zapier can react elsewhere, and other apps can create or update works and customers in novaTime for you.

A checklist that writes itself. Pair New Work with Add Task and every fresh work arrives with its first to-do already attached. Nobody has to remember the routine steps of a standard intervention.

A customer file kept in step with your CRM. Create Customer and Edit Customer let another tool push its records into novaTime, while Find Customer checks first whether that customer already exists, by its external identifier.

A status that tells the rest of the team. Edit Work Status starts a Zap when a work reaches the status you pick. Use it to warn sales that a job is done, or to log the closing date somewhere else.

What Zapier does not do here: there is no delete operation on works or customers, no trigger for a new customer, and no trigger at all on the customer side. For those needs, the Zap has to start from another app, or the job belongs elsewhere.

Weighing other tools? Our n8n vs Zapier comparison covers the criteria that matter, and the Zapier review gives an overall opinion of the tool.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Seven words come back on every line of this page. Here they are, in plain English.

Zap
The automation you build: one starting event, then one or more steps that run each time that event happens.
Trigger
The event in novaTime (or another app) that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that creates, updates or sends something on your behalf.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task equals one action that completed successfully; your plan counts those.
Polling vs instant
Polling means Zapier checks the app on a timer. Instant means the app calls Zapier the moment the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data meets your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, so the steps after it can reuse what it found.
Cost

What a novaTime Zap really costs

Zapier bills tasks, not triggers. Waiting for a new work costs nothing; each action that succeeds counts once.

  • Free plan100 tasks a month
  • Steps on the free plan1 trigger + 1 action
  • novaTime premium appNo
  • novaTime instant triggers3 of 3

A Zap with three actions uses three tasks per run, and an action that fails is not counted. The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but only two steps per Zap: one trigger, one action. Add a second action, a filter or a search and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. novaTime is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. Its three triggers are instant, so the polling grid below never slows them down.

Connect

Connect your novaTime account in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open your connections

    In Zapier, go to the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. A connection is your novaTime account linked once, then reused by every Zap that touches novaTime.

  2. 02

    Pick novaTime

    Type novaTime in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. You need an existing novaTime account, plus access to any project you do not own but want the Zap to touch.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    A new tab opens on novaTime. Sign in with the account the Zaps should act as, then allow Zapier to access it. From then on, every novaTime step of every Zap reuses this one connection.

First Zap

Your first novaTime Zap

GoalEvery new work gets a starter task and a comment, without anyone opening it.

  1. 01

    Create the Zap and pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap in the editor, choose novaTime as the app and New Work as the event, then select the novaTime connection you just added.

  2. 02

    Set the Organism and Project

    Pick the Organism and the Project to watch. The Zap only reacts to works created inside that project, so a second project needs its own Zap.

  3. 03

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent works of that project, so you map the next steps on a real one instead of guessing.

  4. 04

    Add the two actions

    Add Add Task, map the Work from the trigger and type the task Label. Then add Add Comment for the note. Two actions make this a multi-step Zap, so it needs a paid plan.

  5. 05

    Test each step, then publish

    Test each action and check the result in novaTime before going further. When both look right, click Publish to switch the Zap on.

Triggers

novaTime triggers: what can start a Zap

3 events start a Zap when something happens in novaTime, and 3 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Edit Work

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a work is edited.”

Fires when someone changes a work, and lets you narrow that down to the one field you care about. You decide which change counts; the rest goes by unnoticed.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
notifying a coordinator in another tool the moment one specific field of a job changes.
Watch out
besides Organism and Project, the step requires both the Field to watch and the Action that should set it off, so plan one Zap per field that matters.
2

Edit Work Status

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a work status is edited.”

Reacts only when a work lands on a status you chose in advance. Other edits pass by unnoticed, which keeps the Zap quiet and your task count low.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
sending the closing details to invoicing the moment a job reaches its final status.
Watch out
the Status box is required and takes one final status, so two statuses you want to follow mean two separate Zaps.
3

New Work

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new work is created.”

Starts the Zap each time a work is created in the project you selected. It is the natural entry point for any routine that should run on every new job.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
attaching a standard task list or a welcome comment to every new intervention.
Watch out
the trigger is tied to one Organism and one Project; works created in another project never reach this Zap.
Actions

novaTime actions: what a Zap can do

novaTime gives you 10 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Address

Action

In Zapier“Add address to a work”

Writes a street address onto an existing work, so field staff see where to go without retyping it.

When to use it
a booking form collects the site address and you want it on the job.
Watch out
Street, Zip Code and City are all required; a form that leaves one empty makes the step fail.
2

Add Comment

Action

In Zapier“Add a comment to a work”

Posts a comment on a work, with a flag telling novaTime whether it is important.

When to use it
logging a customer reply or an outside update on the job it concerns.
Watch out
the Important box is mandatory, so set it explicitly rather than leaving it to chance.
3

Assign Customer

Action

In Zapier“Assign a customer to a work”

Links a customer record to a work that already exists, so the job and the client finally meet.

When to use it
right after a search found the customer that matches an incoming order.
Watch out
if the customer is missing from the dropdown, use the load more button; the list does not show everyone at once.
4

Add Tags

Action

In Zapier“Add tags to a work”

Stamps one or more tags on a work, which makes sorting and reporting in novaTime far easier.

When to use it
tagging every job that came from a specific channel or campaign.
Watch out
Tags is required; a run where the source sends nothing for it stops at this step.
5

Add Task

Action

In Zapier“Add a Task to a work”

Adds a to-do inside a work, with a label and an optional mandatory flag.

When to use it
giving every new job the same first checks without copying them by hand.
Watch out
one action adds one task; three standard tasks mean three actions, so three tasks billed per run.
6

Create Customer

Action

In Zapier“Create a Customer”

Opens a new customer file in novaTime from data coming out of another app.

When to use it
a deal is won in your CRM and the client must exist in novaTime before the first job.
Watch out
the External Identifier is required; reuse the ID from your source tool so Find Customer can match it later.
7

Create Work

Action

In Zapier“Create a Work”

Creates a brand new work inside a project, typed and labelled, ready for planning.

When to use it
turning a request received elsewhere into a job your team can schedule.
Watch out
Type Of Work is required; pick it from the types the project offers.
8

Edit Assignments

Action

In Zapier“Edit assignments of a work”

Changes who is assigned to a work, users or groups, from another tool.

When to use it
your dispatch sheet decides who goes where and novaTime should follow.
Watch out
the Allow De-assignment option can remove people who do not fit the new request, so check it before publishing.
9

Edit Customer

Action

In Zapier“Edit a Customer”

Updates an existing customer record, so a change made in your CRM reaches novaTime too.

When to use it
a client moves offices or changes its name and both tools should agree.
Watch out
the step needs the customer itself; pair it with Find Customer when your source only knows the external ID.
10

Edit Status

Action

In Zapier“Edit Status of a work”

Moves a work to a new status without anyone opening novaTime.

When to use it
a signed delivery note in another app should close the job automatically.
Watch out
if Edit Work Status watches the same project, this action can restart another Zap; check for loops.
Searches

novaTime searches: find before you write

2 search steps look for data that already exists in novaTime, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up a record that already exists and passes it to the next steps. In the action list, novaTime searches sit at the bottom under SEARCH. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not the one you expected.

1

Find Customer

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Find Customer by external identifier”

Looks up a customer by the external identifier your other tool uses, inside one Organism.

When to use it
before Assign Customer or Edit Customer, when the source only carries its own ID.
Watch out
the editor also shows Find or Create Customer; it is this same search with the create box ticked, not an extra operation.
2

Find Work

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Find Work by external identifier”

Retrieves a work from its external identifier, within a given Organism and Project.

When to use it
an order update arrives and you need the matching job before commenting or changing its status.
Watch out
Find or Create Work in the list is this search with creation switched on; it opens a work when none matches.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there. Switch it on and the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this turns the search into a find-or-create: it asks for the fields needed to create the missing record.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or hand all matches on at once.
When it breaks

When a novaTime Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to novaTime and lists no specific rate limit for it. What breaks is what breaks on any Zap.

These four cases cover most of the surprises you will meet in the first weeks. Our Zapier troubleshooting page goes deeper when a run fails without a clear reason.

  • Old works are never picked up

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Works created before stay untouched, and moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • The Zap feeds itself

    Edit Status on a project that Edit Work Status watches can set the Zap off again and again, burning tasks fast. Use different projects or a filter.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    When a migration creates many works at once, Zapier's flood protection can hold the batch back instead of running everything.

  • A required field arrives empty

    Most novaTime steps need an Organism, a Project and a Work. If the earlier step sends nothing for one of them, the action stops.
Need help

Need help automating novaTime with Zapier?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

novaTime Zapier integration: questions people ask

01Is the novaTime Zapier integration free?
Yes, for simple Zaps. novaTime is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan, which gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. The limit is the shape of the Zap: the free plan allows one trigger and one action. As soon as you add a second action, a filter or a search, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. Most useful novaTime routines, like finding a customer before assigning it, fall into that second group.
02How many tasks does a novaTime Zap use?
One per action that succeeds, per run. The trigger itself never costs a task, and an action that fails is not counted either. A Zap that adds a task and then a comment to every new work uses two tasks each time a work is created. Adding a search makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan. Multiply the actions in your Zap by the number of works you expect each month and compare it with your plan.
03Does novaTime trigger Zaps in real time?
Yes. All three novaTime triggers are instant: novaTime tells Zapier as soon as a work is created, edited or changes status, and the Zap starts at once. The polling interval of your plan, which can reach 15 minutes on the free plan, does not apply to them. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt, which is a quick way to confirm it. No setting is needed on your side.
04What do you need to connect novaTime to Zapier?
An existing novaTime account, and access to every project you want the Zap to read or write. The connection itself takes three gestures: open the Apps page in Zapier, add a connection and pick novaTime, then sign in and grant access in the tab that opens. Once done, every Zap reuses that connection. Connect with an account that can see the right Organism and Projects, or the dropdowns in each step will stay empty.
05Why can't a novaTime step find the project or work?
Usually because the connected account cannot see it, or because the list is paged. Almost every novaTime step asks for an Organism, then a Project, then often a Work. If the account behind the connection has no access to that project, it never appears. For works and customers, the dropdown loads a first batch only, and novaTime adds a load more button to fetch the rest. Click it before concluding the record is missing.
06What if the novaTime operation you need does not exist?
Then the Zap cannot do it directly. The integration offers 10 actions and 2 searches, with no delete and no trigger for new customers. Two workarounds often help: chain a search with an edit action to reach a record your source only knows by ID, or start the Zap from the other app instead of novaTime. If neither fits, the job may belong in a script or another automation tool that talks to novaTime differently.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for novaTime?
It depends on what you value. Zapier gives you a ready novaTime connection with instant triggers and a guided editor, at the price of tasks billed per action. Make and n8n bill differently and give you more control over branching and data handling, but you have to check whether they offer a novaTime connection at all. Compare the number of actions per run, your team's comfort with technical setups and whether ready-made operations cover your process.
Same platform

Other docs you might need on this stack.

Browse all integrations