How to Connect Thoughtly to Zapier for AI Voice Workflows

How to Connect Thoughtly to Zapier for AI Voice Workflows

If your lead conversion stack already runs through Zapier, Thoughtly slots in as both a trigger and an action — so voice, SMS, and email outreach become just another step in the Zap. This guide walks through authenticating the integration, building the two most common Zap patterns (triggering calls and routing call outcomes), and using Zapier's Filters and Paths to add conditional logic. No code required. If you have a Thoughtly account and a Zapier account, you can have your first Zap running in under fifteen minutes.

By the end, you will know how to fire an AI voiceAI voiceAn artificially generated, natural-sounding voice produced by a TTS model. Thoughtly supports a library of AI voices and brand-specific cloning.Read full definition → call from any of Zapier's 5,000+ apps, push Thoughtly call results into your CRMCRMThe system of record for leads, contacts, deals, and activity. Thoughtly reads from and writes to your CRM continuously.Read full definition → or project management tool, and pass per-call context so the agent greets each lead with the right information.

What you'll need

• A Thoughtly account with at least one voice agent built and tested in the Agent Builder. If you are starting from scratch, the Agent Builder overview covers everything you need.
• A Zapier account. The free tier works for testing; a paid plan is recommended for production volume because of higher task limits and access to multi-step Zaps.
• Your Thoughtly API key. Find it in Settings → Developer inside the Thoughtly dashboard.
• The downstream app or apps you want to connect — a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, a project tool like ClickUp or Notion, a notification channel like Slack, or anything else in Zapier's catalog.

Step 1 — Find and authenticate Thoughtly in Zapier

Thoughtly is published as a full app in the Zapier directory, not a webhook-only integration. That means you get structured triggers and actions with named fields — no raw JSON parsing needed on either side.

Connect the accounts

Open Zapier and click Create Zap. In the app search bar, type Thoughtly. Select the Thoughtly app. Zapier will prompt you to authenticate. Enter your Thoughtly API key (from Settings → Developer). Once authenticated, the connection persists across all future Zaps.

After authentication, Thoughtly appears in two places inside every Zap:

• As a trigger app — Zapier fires when something happens in Thoughtly (a call completes, a lead is tagged hot, a booking is confirmed).
• As an action app — Zapier tells Thoughtly to do something (place a call, send an SMS).

You can use both directions in the same multi-step Zap. For example: a new Google Sheets row triggers a Thoughtly call (action), and then a second Zap listens for the call completion (trigger) to route the outcome back to the sheet.

Step 2 — Build a Zap that triggers Thoughtly calls

This is the speed-to-lead pattern. A new record appears in an upstream system — a form fill, a CRM contact, a spreadsheet row — and Zapier immediately fires a Thoughtly voice call to that lead.

Choose a trigger app

Common trigger apps for inbound lead conversion:

Select the trigger app and event, then connect the account and test the trigger so Zapier has a sample record to work with.

Configure the Thoughtly action

Add a step and search for Thoughtly. Choose the Call a Lead action (or the equivalent action name in the Zapier catalog). Map the phone number field from the trigger into Thoughtly's phone field. Use E.164 format — for example, +18005551234. If your source data is not in E.164, add a Zapier Format step before the Thoughtly action to prepend the country code.

Pass metadata for personalized calls

Metadata is the per-call context that travels with the call and is available inside the agent as variables. When you configure the Thoughtly action step, you can pass a JSON object that the agent reads at runtime. This is the same metadata system used in Thoughtly's native automations.

For example, if the trigger is a Typeform submission for an insurance quote request, you might pass:

{
  "intent": "auto_insurance_quote",
  "source": "typeform",
  "zip_code": "90210",
  "coverage_type": "full"
}

Inside the agent prompt, reference these values with {{metadata.intent}}, {{metadata.zip_code}}, and so on. This lets the agent open the call with context: "Hi, I see you requested a full-coverage auto insurance quote for the 90210 area — let me walk you through your options."

Test the Zap in draft mode. Zapier sends a real test request to Thoughtly, and you should receive a test call on the mapped phone number within seconds.

Step 3 — Route call outcomes to downstream tools

The second core pattern uses Thoughtly as the trigger. After a call completes, Zapier receives the full call payload — transcriptTranscriptThe text record of a voice conversation, used for review, training, compliance audit, and search.Read full definition →, summary, outcome, captured variables, duration — and routes it to the next system.

Set up the Thoughtly trigger

Create a new Zap. Choose Thoughtly as the trigger app and select the Call Completed event. Authenticate (your existing connection works), then test the trigger. Zapier pulls a recent call record so you can see the available fields.

Available fields from the Call Completed trigger include:

• Transcript — the full conversation, speaker-labeled
• Summary — an AI-generated call summary
• Outcome — the disposition or result tag from the agent
• Captured variables — any fields the agent extracted during the call (email, appointment date, coverage type, etc.)
• Duration and timestamps
• Phone number and contact metadata

Common downstream actions

Map Thoughtly's output fields into the downstream app's input fields. For CRM updates, map the contact phone number as the lookup key and write the outcome, summary, and captured variables as properties.

Step 4 — Use Filters and Paths for conditional routing

Not every call outcome should trigger the same downstream action. Zapier's Paths feature lets you branch based on Thoughtly's output, and Filters let you suppress actions entirely when conditions are not met.

Branching with Paths

Add a Paths step after the Thoughtly Call Completed trigger. Define a path for each outcome that matters:

• Path A — Booked: Outcome equals "booked" → create Google Calendar event + update HubSpot deal stage to "Meeting Scheduled" + send Slack notification to the assigned rep.
• Path B — Qualified but not booked: Outcome equals "qualified" → create ClickUp follow-up task + send summary email to the rep.
• Path C — Voicemail: Outcome equals "voicemail" → schedule a retry call via a delay step or update the CRM with "voicemail left" disposition.
• Path D — Not interested: Outcome equals "not_interested" → update the contact disposition in your CRM and suppress from the next outreach batch.

This keeps downstream systems clean. Your CRM gets the right status, your reps get notified only when it matters, and no-action outcomes do not clutter the pipeline.

Filtering by variable

Use a Filter step when you want a simple gate. For example: only fire the downstream action if the captured variableVariableA named value the voice agent stores during a conversation — caller name, intent, qualifying answers — and uses to drive routing and post-call actions.Read full definition → "lead_score" is greater than 70, or only notify Slack if the call lasted longer than 60 seconds. Filters are lighter than Paths when you have a single condition.

Step 5 — When to use Zapier vs. native integrations

Thoughtly ships native integrations for HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Calendly, Cal.com, Slack, Gmail, and others. These are tighter, faster, and support deeper functionality — bidirectional CRM sync, mid-call actions, real-time calendar availability lookups.

Use Zapier when:

• The app you need does not have a native Thoughtly integration yet.
• You want to fan out one call event to multiple downstream systems in a single workflow.
• You are building a proof-of-concept before committing to a deeper native integration build.
• Your team already manages workflows in Zapier and wants Thoughtly to plug into the existing stack without switching tools.

For CRM-specific integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce, start with the native path. Guides for those are available: How to Sync AI Conversations Back to HubSpot and How to Sync AI Conversations Back to Salesforce.

Common mistakes

• Using polling triggers for speed-to-lead Zaps. Zapier's polling triggers check every 1–15 minutes depending on your plan. For speed-to-lead use cases, that delay can cost you the lead. Make sure the trigger app supports instant (webhook-based) triggers. If it does not, consider using Thoughtly's native Incoming Webhook trigger instead of routing through Zapier.
• Phone numbers not in E.164 format. Thoughtly expects phone numbers in E.164 format (e.g., +18005551234). If your trigger app outputs "(800) 555-1234" or "800-555-1234," the call will fail. Add a Zapier Format step to strip non-numeric characters and prepend the country code.
• Skipping metadata. When a Zap triggers a Thoughtly call with no metadata, the agent has zero context about why this person is being called. Always pass at least the lead source, intent, and any key details the agent needs to personalize the conversation.
• Building one massive Zap instead of modular chains. A 15-step Zap is harder to debug and maintain than two or three focused Zaps. Use one Zap to trigger the call and a second Zap to route the outcome. This also makes it easier to swap out individual steps without breaking the whole workflow.
• Not testing in draft mode. Zapier's draft mode lets you run test data through the Zap without going live. Always test end to end — confirm the call fires, the metadata arrives in the agent, and the downstream action writes correctly — before activating.
• Forgetting about Zapier task limits. Every Zap run consumes Zapier tasks. If you are triggering hundreds of calls per day, check your Zapier plan's task allocation. For high-volume campaigns, Thoughtly's native Automations with a Recurring Schedule or Incoming Webhook trigger may be more cost-effective than running everything through Zapier.

Measuring success

Track these metrics to know if your Zapier-Thoughtly integration is performing:

If you are using Thoughtly's analytics dashboard, you can filter by phone number or metadata values to see how Zapier-sourced calls perform relative to other channels. For a deeper look at measurement, see How to Measure Conversion Lift from AI Follow-Up.

Frequently asked questions

Is Thoughtly listed in the Zapier app directory?

Yes. Search "Thoughtly" in the Zapier app catalog. The app is publicly available, supported, and includes both trigger and action modules.

Does Zapier add latency to calls?

Instant triggers (webhook-based) fire within seconds. Polling triggers check on a schedule — every 1 minute on Zapier's highest-tier plans, up to every 15 minutes on the free plan. For speed-to-lead workflows, use apps and events that support instant triggers or consider Thoughtly's native Incoming Webhook trigger for the tightest latency.

Does using Zapier cost extra on my Thoughtly plan?

No. Calls triggered through Zapier are billed at standard Thoughtly per-minute rates. There is no surcharge for using Zapier as the trigger mechanism. Zapier charges separately based on your Zapier plan's task limits.

Can I filter which leads Thoughtly calls?

Yes. Use Zapier's Filter or Paths steps to control when the Thoughtly action fires. Common filters: only call if lead score is above a threshold, only call during business hours, only call if a phone number is present, or only call leads from a specific geography or campaign.

When should I use Zapier instead of a native Thoughtly integration?

Use native integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Calendly, etc.) when they exist — they are faster and support deeper functionality like mid-call CRM lookups and real-time calendar availability. Use Zapier when the app you need does not have a native Thoughtly integration, when you want to fan out one event to multiple systems, or when your team's existing workflowWorkflowAn automated, multi-step process — usually triggered by an event (form fill, new lead) and orchestrating one or more voice / SMS / email actions.Read full definition → stack is Zapier-based. See the full integrations directory for what is available natively.

Sources and further reading

• Thoughtly Zapier integration page
• Thoughtly Zapier integration docs
• Thoughtly Automations — Getting Started
• Thoughtly Automation Triggers
• Attributes vs Metadata in Automations
• How to Connect Thoughtly to GoHighLevel — companion integration guide
• How to Automate Form-Fill Follow-Up Calls with Thoughtly — related workflow guide
• How to Sync AI Conversations Back to HubSpot — CRM sync companion guide
• Thoughtly integrations directory