Zapier integration with Pendo

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This article explains how to integrate Zapier with Pendo so that you can use Pendo data from visitor reports and account reports to take action in over 2000 Zapier-supported apps. 

This is different from the Zapier integration with Pendo Feedback, which is a public app in Zapier and has its own instructions. For more information, see the Zapier Integration Setup with Feedback article.

Prerequisites

To use this integration you must have:

  • Admin User permission for your Pendo subscription. If you don't have Admin access, contact to your Pendo Admin to adjust your permissions.
  • Integration key access enabled so that you can generate an integration key. If you don't have integration key access, contact your Pendo Representative.
Note: The integration key needed for Zapier setup is different from the key that appears in your Pendo Install script and from the Pendo Feedback API key needed for the Zapier integration with Feedback.

Overview

A "Zap" is Zapier’s name for a workflow. When you make a Zap, you link a Pendo report and the visitors that appear in it to Zapier. Zapier uses this as the foundation for automating actions. Use your Pendo report data to activate any of Zapier's other integrated apps and events. See the Use cases section in this article.

For every action you want to automate with Zapier, you must tell Zapier which accounts or visitors the automation should apply to. This is done using segments. Segment rules define which visitors to include in the report, and the report determines the visitors and associated data that are sent to Zapier. For more information on segments, see the Segments article.

Depending on your Zapier plan level, Zapier checks the report every 5-15 minutes to search for new visitors. If it finds a new visitor, it triggers the next step of the Zap. If it doesn't find new visitors, it does nothing until the next check in 5-15 minutes. This process repeats according to your Zapier plan limits.

Zapier is designed to automate future activity so that you don't have to do it each time. Zapier isn't intended for one-time bulk actions. If you want to bulk email users, download the visitor report as a .csv file in Pendo and upload it to your email client. 

Use cases

Step 1. Create a Pendo integration key

The first step is to create an integration key in Pendo. For more information, see the Pendo integration key article.

  1. In Pendo, navigate to Settings > Integrations from the bottom of the left-side menu.
  2. Open the Integration Keys tab at the top of the page.
  3. Select + Add Integration Key.
  4. Enter a meaningful name for the key in the Description field.
  5. Select Create in the bottom-right corner.
  6. Copy the integration key to use in Step 2, below.

Step 2. Link Pendo to Zapier

After generating an integration key, go to Zapier and either create a free account or sign in to an existing account.

  1. In Zapier, select + Create Zap.
  2. Search for Pendo and choose the option labelled Latest.
  3. Choose a Trigger Event
    • Choose Account in Report if you want to start a Zap when an account matches a segment specified in the report.
    • Choose Visitor in Report if you want to start a Zap when a visitor matches a segment specified in the report.
  4. Select Continue to link your Pendo and Zapier accounts.
  5. Choose your Pendo account from the dropdown menu. Choose an existing account if you've used Zapier with Pendo before, or select + Connect a new account.
  6. Select the Pendo Subscription Region. This is where the data server for your subscription is located: US is app.pendo.io; and EU is app.eu.pendo.io.
  7. Enter the integration key generated in Step 1 and then select Yes, Continue.

Your Zapier account and Pendo are connected, which means that Pendo is now available as a trigger app when you create Zaps.

Step 3. Pull Pendo data into Zapier

After connecting Zapier and Pendo, you're prompted to select a Pendo account. 

  1. Select the appropriate Pendo account and then Continue.
  2. Chose the report ID for your Visitor Report or Account Report (depending on the Trigger Event you chose in Step 3). This is used to trigger the Zap.
  3. Select Continue. The dropdown menu populates with the reports from Pendo.
  4. Select the report you'd like to use from the dropdown menu.
  5. Select Test trigger to check that Zapier can connect with Pendo by finding the correct account or visitor in the report.
  6. Validate the visitor or account data that Zapier found by querying your visitor or account report.
  7. Follow the Zapier instructions to build your Zap. This involves setting up an action that uses the Pendo report data. This varies depending on which action you choose.

You're now pulling Pendo report data in Zapier to trigger your Zap, activating any of Zapier's other integrated apps and events. For ideas, see Use cases.

Troubleshooting

This section provides some guidance and recommendations for if you receive errors with the Zapier integration.

Invalid integration key (403)

If you receive the following error while trying to authenticate your Pendo account with Zapier, it means the integration key isn't valid. 

zap-integrationkeyerror.png

Check that the integration key matches the one you generated in Pendo. If it's not an exact match, it won't authenticate. For more information on integration keys, see the Pendo integration key article.

Read timed out

The following message is due to a 30-second timeout that's set in Zapier:

Your Zap titled ‘Zap Name’ has been turned off because we’re getting repeated errors nearly every time we try to run it.

Try shortening your report’s date range in Pendo. If you continue to encounter issues, reach out to Pendo Technical Support by submitting a ticket.

Invite-only app throttling

You might receive the following message from Zapier when the integration isn't public and is subject to throttling:

"When using an invite-only app, you may encounter an error like Dev app App12345API (AppNameHere) throttled (100 script executions per 30 seconds), contact support. This is due to a built-in limit for preventing spam for non-public apps."

This slows down the speed at which Zaps are being executed but doesn't stop them from firing. Change the Pendo report or details of the Zap and reduce the volume of Zap triggers to stop receiving this error message and prevent throttling if necessary.

Zapier flood protection and held items

You might receive the following message from Zapier when you have a large number of items (100+) that trigger in a Zap at once:

If you have a large number of items (100+) that trigger in a Zap at once, Zapier holds them for you and sends you an email requesting your confirmation. This helps prevent a significant number of tasks being performed by mistake, which helps keep your task usage down and prevents tedious work correcting any unintended results in the action service.

When released, these tasks will be processed the rate of 1 per second. So 1,000 tasks would take a little over 15 minutes to clear out after releasing.

If you have a large number of items that trigger in a Zap at once, Zapier holds them for you and sends you an email requesting your confirmation. This error can be resolved by confirming the tasks in the automatic email sent by Zapier. If you have issues with Flood Protection, contact Zapier support to troubleshoot.

This measure helps prevent a significant number of tasks being performed by mistake, which helps keep your task usage down and prevents corrective work on any unintended results in the action service. When released, these tasks are processed the rate of one per second. This means that 1,000 tasks take a little over 15 minutes to clear out after releasing.

 

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