Customer onboarding doesn’t have to be a mess of emails, spreadsheets, and missed steps. If you’re running a small business, agency, or SaaS and want to automate the busywork without hiring a developer or getting lost in “digital transformation” nonsense, this guide’s for you.
I’ll show you how to use Tally.so (a dead-simple online form builder) and Zapier (the glue for connecting apps without code) to build a solid, automated onboarding flow. No fairy dust — just straightforward steps, some honest warnings, and the fastest path to getting real work off your plate.
What You’ll Need (and What You Don’t)
Must-haves: - A Tally.so account (free or paid, depending on features) - A Zapier account (free plan is fine to start) - The app(s) where you want new customer data to land — could be Gmail, Slack, Trello, Google Sheets, your CRM, whatever
Nice-to-haves: - A clear idea of what “onboarding” actually means for your business. If your process is a hand-wavy mess, spend 10 minutes mapping it out first. - Some time. The first setup takes a little fiddling, but you’ll only have to do it once.
What you don’t need: - Coding skills - Fancy CRM integrations (unless you want them) - A huge budget
Step 1: Map Your Onboarding Process (Don’t Skip This)
Before you touch any software, sketch out what “onboarding” means for you. Seriously, grab a pen and write down:
- What info do you need from every new customer?
- Who on your team should get notified?
- What has to happen next — send a welcome email, assign a task, create a folder, etc.?
Example:
1. Customer fills out a form with their name, email, and project details
2. You get a notification
3. Customer gets a welcome email
4. Their info goes into your CRM or Google Sheet
5. You (or a team member) follow up
Pro tip:
If your onboarding process involves more than 5 steps, cut it down. Automation works best when things are lean.
Step 2: Build Your Onboarding Form in Tally.so
Tally.so is the easiest part of this whole thing. If you’ve used Google Forms, you’ll be fine. Here’s how to do it:
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Sign up and create a new form.
Go to Tally.so and hit “Create new form.” Give it a clear name. -
Add the right fields.
No need to overthink it. Stick to the essentials (name, email, company, maybe a project description). - Use required fields for must-have info.
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Use dropdowns or checkboxes to cut down on typos.
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Set up notifications (optional).
Tally.so can send you an email every time someone submits the form. This is fine for now, but Zapier will handle more complex stuff. -
Make it look decent.
Add your logo, tweak colors if you want. Don’t spend hours on this unless you’re a designer. -
Publish and test.
Share the form with yourself, fill it out, and make sure it works. If you find a glitch now, your customers will thank you later.
What to ignore:
- Overcomplicating the form with too many questions
- Custom code or advanced logic unless you have a real reason
Step 3: Set Up Your First Zap in Zapier
Now the fun part: connecting Tally.so to Zapier so your onboarding happens on autopilot.
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Log in to Zapier and create a new Zap.
Click “Create Zap” from your dashboard. -
Choose Tally.so as the trigger.
- Search for “Tally.so.” If it’s your first time, you’ll have to connect your account.
- Set the trigger event to “New Submission.”
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Pick your onboarding form from the dropdown.
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Test the trigger.
Zapier will pull in a recent form submission. If nothing comes up, go fill out the form yourself. -
Add your action step(s).
Here’s where you decide what happens when someone completes your form. Popular options: - Send a welcome email: Use Gmail, Outlook, or Mailchimp.
- Add to a spreadsheet: Google Sheets is easy for small teams.
- Create a contact in your CRM: Works with HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.
- Post to Slack or Teams: Great for team notifications.
- Assign a task: Use Trello, Asana, or ClickUp.
You can add more than one action if needed.
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Map your form fields.
Zapier will ask you to match fields from Tally.so to the fields in your chosen app (e.g., “Email Address” to “Customer Email”). Double-check these; mistakes here make a mess. -
Test your Zap.
Run a test to make sure data flows through correctly. If it doesn’t, fix it before moving on. -
Turn on your Zap.
Don’t forget this step — otherwise, nothing happens!
Pro tip:
Start with just one action. Get that working, then add more. Chaining too many steps up front is asking for headaches.
Step 4: Add Automation Extras (But Only If You Need Them)
Once the basics work, you can get fancy — but only if it actually saves you time.
Ideas that actually help: - Conditional logic: Only send a Slack alert if they pick a certain plan. - Multi-step Zaps: After adding to a Google Sheet, automatically create a shared folder in Google Drive. - Follow-up reminders: Send yourself (or the customer) an automated follow-up a few days later.
Stuff you can probably skip: - Complicated branching workflows. If you need a developer to understand it, you’ve gone too far. - Anything that your team will just ignore (e.g., Slack alerts no one reads).
Gotchas to watch for: - Zapier free plan limits: You get 100 tasks/month. If you’re onboarding more than a handful of customers, you’ll need a paid plan. - Tally.so form limits: The free plan is generous, but advanced features (like hidden fields, logic, or branding removal) are paid. - Data privacy: Make sure you’re not piping sensitive info into tools that aren’t secure.
Step 5: Test Like a Skeptic
Don’t assume it works. Run through your own onboarding process a few times and look for:
- Missing or misplaced data (wrong email, blank fields, etc.)
- Welcome emails going to spam
- Tasks not showing up where they should
- Team members not getting notified
Pro tip:
Have a friend or colleague try the process. They’ll catch stuff you gloss over.
If something breaks, check Zapier’s task history and Tally.so’s submissions — they both have decent logs.
Step 6: Roll It Out to Real Customers
Once testing is solid:
- Replace your old onboarding link with your new Tally.so form.
- Let your team know what’s changed (and where to find info).
- Keep an eye on the first few onboardings. Expect to tweak things.
What to ignore:
- Fancy onboarding portals unless you’re dealing with enterprise clients. A clean form and timely follow-up are 90% of what people care about.
Troubleshooting Tips (Real-World Stuff)
- Zapier isn’t seeing form submissions: Check that your Tally.so form is published and accepting responses. Sometimes you need to re-authenticate the integration.
- Data isn’t mapping right: Go back to the Zap’s field mapping step and make sure you’ve matched everything up. It’s easy to miss a field.
- Emails not sending: Make sure your email provider is connected properly in Zapier, and double-check spam folders.
- Things feel slow: Zapier Zaps aren’t always instant, especially on the free plan. If you need truly immediate actions, look elsewhere.
Keep It Simple (and Don’t Overthink Automation)
Automating customer onboarding with Tally.so and Zapier isn’t magic, but it’s a huge time-saver if you keep things simple. Start with the basics, make sure your process is tight, and only add bells and whistles if they save you real effort. The goal isn’t to look fancy — it’s to stop missing steps and free up your team’s time.
Tweak as you go. If something feels clunky or people aren’t using it, change it. Automation is supposed to help, not become another tangled mess.
Now go ship it — and enjoy never having to copy-paste new customer info again.