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PaintScout Zapier integrationAutomate PaintScout with Zapier.

The PaintScout Zapier integration gives you 11 triggers, 5 actions and 3 searches. Quotes, invoices, tags and contacts can start a Zap, and a Zap can create or update contacts and quotes, or create invoices, in your PaintScout account.

See the 19 operations

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Overview

What the PaintScout Zapier integration does for a painting company

It connects PaintScout, the software painting companies use to estimate and sell jobs, with the rest of the business. Every change on a quote, an invoice or a contact can set off work in another app, and other apps can write contacts, quotes and invoices back into PaintScout.

Invoices that follow the quote. Quote Status Changed starts the Zap when a quote moves on, and Create Invoice prepares the invoice, so the office does not rebuild it from scratch.

Payments the bookkeeper hears about. Invoice Status Changed, set on the statuses you care about such as Paid, can log the payment in a spreadsheet or tell whoever handles the accounts.

Leads that arrive already filed. A website form followed by Find Contact and Create Quote turns each request into a contact and a draft quote, without retyping a name.

Tags work as switches too: Quote Tag Added and Invoice Tag Added let your team start a Zap just by tagging a record in PaintScout.

What Zapier does not do here: there is no instant trigger, so every one of the 11 waits for your plan's interval. There is no delete action, invoices cannot be updated from a Zap, and nothing sends a quote or an invoice for you. To compare other automation tools, see n8n vs Zapier and Make vs Zapier.

Vocabulary

Zapier words, in plain English

Eight terms come back on every line of this page. Here they are in one line each, before you open the editor.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it, here a quote, an invoice, a tag or a contact.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, like creating an invoice.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task is one action your Zap completes successfully, and your plan counts those.
Polling trigger
A trigger Zapier checks on a timer, keeping only new items. All PaintScout triggers work this way; an instant one would report itself.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in an app, a contact or a quote, so the steps after it can use what it found.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A second action, a filter or a search makes it one, and it then needs a paid plan.
Cost

What it really costs in tasks

Zapier bills tasks, and only actions that succeed count. None of the 11 PaintScout triggers costs anything, and the regular checks Zapier runs on them are free as well.

  • Any of the 11 triggers firing0 tasks
  • Each action that succeeds1 task
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • Search or filter in the ZapMulti-step Zap, paid plan

Each Create Invoice, Create Quote or Update Contact that goes through is one task; a failed one is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and Zaps of two steps only, one trigger and one action. Add a filter, a second action or one of the three searches and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. PaintScout itself works on the free plan. Since every trigger is polled, the grid below decides how long a change waits before your Zap sees it.

Connect

Connect your PaintScout account

  1. 01

    Open Apps in Zapier

    In your Zapier account, open the Apps page and click + Add connection. A connection is your PaintScout account linked once, then reused by every step that needs it.

  2. 02

    Pick PaintScout

    Type PaintScout in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. The one prerequisite is an existing PaintScout account you can sign in to.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to PaintScout in the tab that opens, then grant Zapier access to the account. If the Zap must touch quotes, invoices or contacts you do not own, that account also needs read or write access on them.

First Zap

Your first Zap: an invoice when a quote moves on

GoalCreate an invoice in PaintScout each time a quote reaches the status you pick.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Choose PaintScout as the app that starts the Zap, then Quote Status Changed as the event, and select the connection you added before.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent quotes whose status changed, so the next steps are mapped on a real one.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon, choose Filter, then fill the three boxes: the status to look at, a text rule, and the status value that should create an invoice.

  4. 04

    Add Create Invoice

    Add PaintScout again as the action app, pick Create Invoice, and fill each box Zapier shows with what the quote brought back.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test each step once and read what came back, then click Publish. The filter makes this a multi-step Zap, so it runs on a paid plan.

Triggers

PaintScout triggers

11 events start a Zap when something happens in PaintScout. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

Contact Created

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a contact is created.”

Picks up every new contact in PaintScout and hands it to the steps that follow, whether that means a welcome email, a CRM record or a line in a lead sheet.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
when a new homeowner or property manager should land in your mailing tool without anyone copying the details.
Watch out
never put Create Contact in the same Zap. Each contact it adds would be picked up again, and the loop eats your tasks.
2

Invoice Additional Work Accepted

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a invoice's additional work has been accepted.”

Reacts when a client accepts additional work on an invoice, the sign that a job grew after billing had already begun.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to warn the crew lead that the job just grew, or to flag the change for whoever reconciles invoices.
Watch out
it watches invoices only. Extra work accepted on a quote has its own trigger, Quote Additional Work Accepted.
3

Invoice Sent

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an Invoice has been sent, or re-sent.”

Fires on each invoice PaintScout sends to a client, and again when that invoice is sent a second time.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to copy the invoice into your accounting routine or start a payment reminder in your task list.
Watch out
a re-sent invoice starts the Zap again. If the next step adds a row or a task, a reminder sent twice can mean two rows, so plan a filter or a check downstream.
4

Invoice Status Changed

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a invoice's status has changed.”

Follows invoices as they move from one status to the next, so a Zap can act at the stage that matters to you rather than at every change.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to log paid invoices for the bookkeeper, or to chase invoices that were viewed but are still unpaid.
Watch out
you must pick at least one status. Picking several, such as Sent, Viewed and Paid, catches invoices that have gone past a given step.
5

Invoice Tag Added

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a specific tag has been added to an invoice.”

Watches for one tag you choose landing on an invoice. Tagging becomes a button your office team presses inside PaintScout to start a Zap.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
when someone should decide case by case which invoices go to collections, to a partner or to a shared folder.
Watch out
the trigger follows that single tag. Another tag on the same invoice does nothing, so name your tags with care.
6

Invoice Tag Removed

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a specific tag has been removed from an invoice.”

The mirror of the previous trigger: it notices when the tag you choose is taken off an invoice, which often marks the end of a step.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to close the follow-up task that a tag opened, or to remove the invoice from a list kept in another tool.
Watch out
on the free plan the removal is only seen at the next check, up to 15 minutes later. Do not rely on it for anything urgent.
7

Quote Additional Work Accepted

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a quote's additional work has been accepted.”

Starts a Zap when a client says yes to extra work proposed on a quote, before any invoice exists.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to update the job schedule, order more material, or tell the estimator that the scope moved.
Watch out
it covers quotes only. Extra work accepted on an invoice goes through Invoice Additional Work Accepted, so build both Zaps if both cases happen in your business.
8

Quote Sent

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a quote has been sent, or re-sent.”

Catches every quote that leaves PaintScout for a client, including quotes sent once more after a change.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to start a follow-up sequence in your email tool, or to move the deal one column forward in a sales board.
Watch out
a re-sent quote fires again. A follow-up email Zap would then start a second sequence for the same client unless a filter stops it.
9

Quote Status Changed

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a quote's status has changed.”

Tracks quotes moving through their statuses and passes each change to your actions, a natural starting point for PaintScout workflows.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to prepare an invoice, book the job or update a pipeline report when a quote reaches a stage you care about.
Watch out
it fires on every change. Add a filter on the status so only the step you want goes further, which makes the Zap multi-step.
10

Quote Tag Added

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a specific tag has been added to a quote.”

Fires when the tag you name is put on a quote, letting an estimator send a quote down a path with one click inside PaintScout.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
for exceptions that no status captures, such as a quote that needs a manager's review or a subcontractor's input.
Watch out
no filter is needed to pick the tag, since the trigger already follows only the one you named.
11

Quote Tag Removed

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a specific tag has been removed from a quote.”

Notices that the tag you picked has come off a quote, a handy signal that a review or a waiting period is over.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
to let the team know a quote is cleared, or to tidy a list in another tool that the tag had filled.
Watch out
like every PaintScout trigger, it ignores what happened before the Zap was published, so earlier removals are lost to it.
Actions

PaintScout actions

PaintScout gives you 5 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Contact

Action

In Zapier“Creates a Contact”

Adds a new contact in PaintScout from what an earlier step carried, a form answer or a CRM record.

When to use it
when leads come from your website or ads and should be ready to quote.
Watch out
run Find Contact first, or use its find-or-create box, so a returning client is not created twice.
2

Create Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Creates an Invoice”

Opens an invoice in PaintScout, usually from a quote that has reached the right status, so billing starts without rebuilding the job.

When to use it
after Quote Status Changed and a filter, as in the first Zap above.
Watch out
invoices cannot be updated from a Zap, so check the mapping during the test before you publish.
3

Create Quote

Action

In Zapier“Creates a Quote”

Starts a new quote in PaintScout from a request received elsewhere, giving the estimator a draft instead of a blank page.

When to use it
behind a quote request form, once Find Contact has located or created the client.
Watch out
creating a quote does not send it. Sending stays a manual step in PaintScout.
4

Update Contact

Action

In Zapier“Updates specific Contact”

Changes a contact that already exists in PaintScout, so details corrected in another tool reach your estimates.

When to use it
when your CRM or booking tool is where clients edit their own details.
Watch out
the Zap needs to know which contact to change, so put Find Contact just before it.
5

Update Quote

Action

In Zapier“Updates specific Quote”

Edits a quote already in PaintScout, keeping it in line with what happened in another app after it was drafted.

When to use it
when a project tool or a CRM holds information the quote should reflect.
Watch out
do not use it in a Zap started by Quote Status Changed if the update can change the status, or the Zap can set itself off again.
Searches

PaintScout searches

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

A search step finds a contact, an invoice or a quote that already exists, so the steps after it can update or reuse it. Searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH, and some action fields offer + Add search step to insert one for you. Whether a search wants the exact value or something close is up to PaintScout. Three settings decide what happens next.

1

Find Contact

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a Contact in PaintScout”

Looks up a contact already in PaintScout and hands it to the next steps, which is how Update Contact or Create Quote know who they are working on.

When to use it
before any action on a client who may already exist.
Watch out
Find or Create Contact in the editor is this same search with the create box ticked, not a separate operation.
2

Find Invoice

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds an Invoice in PaintScout”

Retrieves an existing invoice so later steps can read its details, for a payment record or a report kept in another tool.

When to use it
when the Zap starts outside PaintScout and needs the matching invoice.
Watch out
the editor also lists Find or Create invoice. It is this search with the create box ticked, and it counts as nothing extra.
3

Find Quote

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a Quote in PaintScout”

Locates a quote already in PaintScout so Update Quote, or an action in another app, can work on the right one.

When to use it
when a CRM or project tool holds news that belongs on an existing quote.
Watch out
Find or Create Quote is the same search with the create box ticked. A search step makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.

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 and skips the steps that depended on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this box turns the search into a find-or-create. The setting above disappears, and the step asks for what it needs to create the missing record.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several records match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass all of them on together.
When it breaks

When a PaintScout Zap breaks

Zapier's help center lists no error specific to PaintScout. The trouble comes from how every Zap behaves, and six cases are worth knowing before you switch one on.

Each card names the symptom and what to do. If a Zap still misbehaves after that, the Zapier troubleshooting page is the next stop.

  • Old quotes and invoices are ignored

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Quotes, invoices and contacts already in PaintScout never start it, so moving that history is a separate job.

  • Changes arrive late on Free

    Every PaintScout trigger is polled, every 15 minutes on the free plan. A change can wait that long before the Zap sees it; paid plans check more often.

  • Create Contact under Contact Created loops

    A Zap that writes where its own trigger watches sets itself off again and again. Each contact it adds is picked up as new, and the task count drains fast.

  • Re-sent quotes start the Zap again

    Quote Sent and Invoice Sent also fire on a re-send. Without a filter or a check, a follow-up can go out twice to the same client.

  • An empty search stops the Zap

    When Find Contact, Find Invoice or Find Quote finds nothing, the Zap stops at that step by default. Switch the setting on, or tick the create box, if it should carry on.

  • A bulk import can be held back

    After a mass import or a migration, a trigger can suddenly return a huge batch. Zapier's flood protection may hold it back rather than run every item.
Need help

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FAQ

PaintScout and Zapier: common questions

01Is the PaintScout Zapier integration free?
Yes, it works on the free plan. PaintScout is not reserved for paid plans, so you can connect it and switch a Zap on without paying Zapier. The free plan sets two limits. You get 100 tasks a month, and each Zap holds two steps only: one trigger and one action. Quote Status Changed followed by Create Invoice fits. Add a filter, a second action or one of the three searches and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. Plan prices change often, so none are quoted here.
02How many tasks does a PaintScout Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds. None of the 11 triggers costs a task, and the regular checks Zapier runs on them are free however often they happen. A Zap that creates an invoice uses one task each time the invoice is created; if the step fails, it is not counted. With several actions, each successful one counts on its own, so a Zap that updates a contact and then creates a quote uses two tasks per run.
03Does the PaintScout integration work in real time?
No. All 11 PaintScout triggers are polling triggers, which means Zapier asks PaintScout for new items at a fixed interval and only then starts the Zap. How long? 15 minutes on Free, 2 minutes on Professional, 1 minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans the interval can be changed, and a check can also be run by hand from the editor when you are testing. The trigger type is set by the app itself. No setting turns these into instant triggers.
04What does connecting the account require?
A PaintScout account and a Zapier account. You open Apps in Zapier, click + Add connection, search for PaintScout and pick it, then sign in to the app in the tab that opens and grant access. If the Zap must read or write quotes, invoices or contacts someone else owns, the connected account needs read or write access on them. The connection is then reused by every PaintScout step, so you set it up once.
05Why does Invoice Status Changed ask for a status?
Because it only watches the statuses you pick, and at least one is required. That is useful: a Zap can wait for paid invoices only, instead of firing on every change. The app suggests picking several statuses, such as Sent, Viewed and Paid, to catch invoices that have moved past a certain point. If an invoice never shows up in your test, check that its current status is among the ones selected.
06What if the operation you need is not there?
Then this integration cannot do it. PaintScout offers 11 triggers, 5 actions and 3 searches on Zapier, with no delete action, no invoice update and nothing that sends a quote or an invoice. You can often get close by chaining a search and an action, Find Quote then Update Quote for instance, or by letting another app of the same Zap do the rest. Anything else stays a manual step inside PaintScout.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for PaintScout?
It depends on your needs, not on a winner. Zapier fits if the 19 operations listed here cover your workflow and a polling delay is acceptable. Zaps that change a record often put a search before the action, which makes them multi-step, so a paid plan is likely and count the tasks your monthly volume of quotes and invoices will use. If you need an operation missing here, check what other tools offer for PaintScout before choosing.
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