AI automation examples: 5 real things Zapier Sidekick has done

Zapier’s Sidekick team observed that an internal pilot generated mostly bug reports until a dedicated channel for positive outcomes was created. The team reviewed these wins alongside feedback and selected five representative examples where Sidekick delivered measurable results. Each case involved real users at Zapier or customers, with documented metrics where available. The examples illustrate how Sidekick transformed repetitive tasks into automated workflows that operate without manual intervention.

An Enterprise deal analysis workflow, previously a weekly manual task costing hours, now runs automatically via a Next Gen Zap. The process pulls deal data, performs analysis, and generates a report for about 55 cents per execution. The report is available the morning after a deal closes, providing insights into win factors, attendee roles, risk points, and expansion opportunities without requiring any manual input.

A business development rep built a Sidekick pipeline to process out-of-office email replies, which numbered in the thousands weekly. Using Next Gen Zaps and Tables, the rep automated the separation of bounces from human responses, extracted contact details via AI classification, and stored the data in structured tables with scheduled rollups. The result converted an unread pile of replies into a searchable contact record for follow-up actions.

Zapier’s executive team used Sidekick to schedule 10-minute meetings across global time zones, vacations, and busy schedules. A Sidekick Slack app handled most of the scheduling, accounting for time zones and working hours, while flagging unavailable participants. The tool eliminated the manual effort typically required for such coordination, delivering a complete schedule in a fraction of the usual time.