10 Ways to Automate Dropbox with Zapier to Improve Your Business Operations, Fast

Dropbox is a tool that a lot of businesses are familiar with, if they’ve got any use for remote file sharing. This cloud-based storage and collaboration platform is uniquely designed for the modern world of work, reducing busywork and taking care of the tedious details so that your team can focus on what matters most. With Dropbox, you can centralize files, sync across multiple devices, and never waste time trying to track down work again. 

There are free and paid versions of this platform, although the powerful features in the Professional version make it well-worth the investment for those who want to maximize their tech stack. Plus, Dropbox can even integrate with Zapier to create automated workflows and help streamline all of the repetitive, tedious, and routine tasks that don’t really need dedicated human attention. 

Want to send a team notification when a new file is shared? There’s an automation for that. Perhaps you want to create new Trello cards for every file share on Dropbox. Zapier can automate that, too. Even if you just want Zapier to download all Dropbox shares to your local storage for you, that’s an option too. With more than 3,000 compatible apps and thousands of pre-built workflows and triggers, Zapier can do everything that you’re tired of doing, and then some. 

Dropbox also supports tons of languages, including:

1. Chinese (Simplified)
2. Danish
3. Dutch
4. German
5. English
6. French
7. Indonesian
8. Italian
9. Japanese
10. Korean
11. Malay
12. Norwegian
13. Polish
14. Portuguese
15. Russian
16. Spanish
17. Swedish
18. Thai
19. Ukrainian
    

The Top Features of Dropbox

In addition to having several language versions available, Dropbox also offers some impressive features. After all, it wouldn’t be a leading file sharing tool if it were mediocre. Although you’ll find tons of different features to appreciate, here are the best of the best:

• Version History: This platform makes it easy for you to see versions of your files over time, giving you the chance to restore old files that accidentally get deleted or locate files you thought you no longer had access to. 

• File Trees: There’s a recent update that allows users to now see their files in a tree format, offering a much more visually appealing design and an organized dashboard. 

• Cloud Storage: Dropbox provides users with access to cloud storage. How much you get depends on which plan you choose, but users can get up to 2TB of cloud storage for sharing and syncing documents. 

• Document and Access Permissions: Another more recent addition is the option of setting permissions for documents or access to files. If you have files you only want accessible to management, you can flag them appropriately to keep prying eyes out, for one example. 

• Mobile Apps: Dropbox offers easy access to files on the go from any mobile device, thanks to the mobile-friendly browser, along with dedicated apps for iOS and Android. No more waiting until you get back to the office to take care of business because you can take your business everywhere. 

So now that you’re a little more familiar with what Dropbox offers on its own, let’s take a look at what it can offer when you add it to your tech stack with Zapier and embrace automation. 

Below, we’ll take a look at 10 of the hundreds of different automated workflows that are available for Dropbox and the many other tools that you use by integrating with Zapier. Then, we’ll talk a little more about why you need automation in the first place, and how our virtual receptionists can help automate the tasks that still require a human connection, but don’t necessarily require your team’s involvement. 

1. Automatically save Gmail attachments to Dropbox    

This automation makes it easy for you to keep tabs on your files even when you’re not doing the work. When you integrate with Zapier and Gmail, you can setup a trigger so that any attachments are automatically sent to your Dropbox storage. You can even choose the exact destination and specify which types of attachments to save, making it exactly what you need and then some. 

2. Save new Typeform entries in Dropbox    

If you’re one of the many businesses using Typeform to collect leads or other information, you’ll love all the ways you can work with it in Zapier. In this workflow, you’ll be able to save all of your Typeform entries to Dropbox so that they’re available to everyone. Whether you’re using the forms for lead generation or any other purpose, this is a great way to keep everyone on the same page and keep things moving without having to do the work yourself. 

3. Add Google Drive files to Dropbox (and vice versa!)    

This two-fer integration is ideal for businesses that thrive on using Google Drive. You can easily set it up so that your Drive files are sent to Dropbox, or vice versa, whenever they are created or modified. This will save you a step, again, helping you get more out of your automations and do less of the tedious work yourself. For remote teams, tools and workflows like this are offering so much productivity and efficiency. You can pick different files and folders to share, or just share them all. Either way, you’ll free up a lot of time and resources when you’re automating this process. 

4. Save Instagram photos to your Dropbox files    

If you are looking for an easy way to store and share Instagram photos, Dropbox has what you need. This trigger is easy to setup. Simply choose which parameters to use so that when you create a new post or share a photo on Instagram, it’s also sent to your Dropbox so that everyone else knows what’s up. Social media is an integral part of business these days and having it automated will make it all the better. You can even take this automation further and create a notification to let you know when a new Instagram photo is added, and more. 

5. Notify users via Slack when new Dropbox files are added    

Slack is one of the best collaborative communication tools for remote teams. Being able to keep everyone notified when your Dropbox changes is going to help streamline things and make sure no one misses a beat. You can set this up so it notifies specific people, posts to a channel, or even creates its own new feed whenever something is added so that everyone is ready for the next project without having to track it down and do all the work or sit around and watch for files to come in. 

6. Save email attachments to Dropbox   

Saving attachments is a breeze when you use Email by Zapier with Dropbox. Zapier’s own email tool makes automation simple, no matter what you need. This particular workflow will allow you to save all new email attachments to your Dropbox account, or specific attachments based on parameters that you set. That way, you’ll know that your attachments are secure until you can get to them and you won’t lose them if an email wanders off. 

7. Turn Google Docs into text files in Dropbox    

File sharing and syncing is all about making things accessible. If you use this automation, Zapier will turn any of your Google Docs files into a text file that’s available in Dropbox for anyone with the link to access. This ensures that people can access the information regardless of which word processors or platforms they’re using, since text files are accessible to anyone. You will never have to worry about compatibility again, thanks to triggered workflows like this. 

8. Send Dropbox files to Evernote     

If you’re a fan of Evernote, this workflow is great to keep things streamlined. Instead of having to transfer notes manually, you can easily automate the process. Pick and choose the files you want to share automatically or just send them all, but make sure that you never have to do the work yourself. This will import your files to Evernote so that you have them on hand whenever you’re on the go and you don’t have to go searching for them. 

9. Add rows on Google Sheets when Dropbox files are added    

Google Sheets is a popular tool, so having integrations is going to make your business much more efficient. With this automation, you’ll find that it’s easy to update your Google Sheets whenever files are added to Dropbox. This makes it easy to keep track of work, marketing campaigns, projects, or anything else that you want to keep tabs on, and you don’t have to do any of the work once the automation is in place. 

10. Copy OneDrive files to Dropbox    

This workflow makes it easy to automate your file sharing, no matter how many different places you store things. Need to share files from OneDrive regularly? Simply setup this workflow and set the trigger on the files you want copied. Then, anytime they’re created or modified, they will be copied to Dropbox automatically, saving you a step. You can even take it further by setting up a notification trigger that then notifies the right people that the files are available. Either way, it’s going to make your job a lot less tedious. 

The perks of automation

There’s plenty to be said for automation in the business world. It can save a lot of time and hassle by taking care of the tedious busywork and streamlining things that are eating up valuable hours and dollars every single day. These days, however, automation is far more of a necessity than a perk, per se, so the bottom line is that if you’re not on board yet, you need to be. 

Of course, we’re happy to offer some of the biggest benefits for those who need a little more convincing:

• Cost Savings
• Time Savings
• Reduced Labor
• Improved Quality
• Standardization and Compliance
• Less Busywork
• More Efficient Processes
• Increased Revenues

When you’re spending less time, money, and effort running your business, you’ll be able to spend more of your own time enjoying the life that you’ve built. You will also ensure that your team is focusing on the customers and the other parts of the business that need their dedicated attention. 

Automation exists for a reason. It's not about whether you can use it. It's about how much you can automate to improve your business operations and your bottom line. With tools like Zapier, you can automate and integrate all of the apps and tools that you use, making it easy for you to get more out of your day-to-day. 

Find operations improvements aplenty with our virtual receptionists

At Smith.ai, we love automation and helping make businesses run smarter and better. You can hire our virtual receptionists to be the face of your brand and take care of everything that you need, from live chat to after-hours answering and so much more. We’ll also work with you to create the ideal strategy for handling all those needs, no matter what they might be. 

Zapier is a favorite of ours because it allows literally anyone to create smart workflows and integrate their business software programs. It’s also thanks to Zapier that our team can integrate with over 3,000 apps so all your calls, texts, and chats are logged in the right software, from CRMs to marketing platforms, and more. 

Check out our apps to explore how we connect to Zapier! Learn more about Smith.ai’s Answering Service app on Zapier, and explore Smith.ai’s Website Chat app on Zapier.

Schedule a consultation to find out how a partnership with Smith.ai can provide all kinds of receptionist services,  including after-hours call answering, 24/7 live website chat, new client intake and scheduling, and more. You can also send questions to hello@smith.ai or call to discuss your needs at (650) 727-6484.