How Popl scales digital networking with Zapier and AI

Think about the last time you were at an event and someone gave you a business card—where did you put it? For most people, they end up taking a picture of it and either throwing the card away or placing it in a desk drawer never to be seen again. 

And yet, paper business cards have inexplicably stuck around despite their limitations in a digital-first world. 

Popl, a leader in in-person lead capture and digital business cards, is on a mission to modernize how people exchange information and make networking more effective and easier.

”At Popl, we’re all about connecting companies with their future customers,” says Jason Alvarez-Cohen, CEO and co-founder. ”Paper business cards just don’t cut it anymore in a digital-first world.”

But as Popl grew, they needed to ensure their innovative solutions could scale while maintaining the seamless experience their customers had come to expect. They needed a way to bridge disjointed systems, streamline processes, and keep up with growing demand—all without overloading their team. They turned to automation and AI to make it happen.

​​About Popl:

• Company size: 51-200 employees

• Industry: Technology

• Location: New York, New York

Streamlining operations for scale

Popl’s journey with Zapier began with a simple Shopify automation to send email notifications for customers. ”What started as a simple integration has gone beyond that. We now have over 100 Zapier automations, handling everything from lead routing to customer engagement,” he shares. 

But it wasn’t just about automating for efficiency—Popl needed to scale operations without adding complexity.

Take their sales process, for example. Popl’s sales team manages hundreds of leads daily through HubSpot and Salesforce. Automating these workflows with Zapier removed bottlenecks and ensured every lead received timely attention.

”Zapier has been a game-changer for us,” Jason explains. ”Whether it’s routing demo bookings or managing billing contacts, we rely on Zapier to keep our operations smooth and scalable.”

Unlocking advanced workflows

Popl uses Zapier to connect multiple apps and automate complex workflows that save time and reduce errors. One standout example is their HubSpot demo booking system:

• Trigger: A HubSpot form submission starts the process.

• Google Sheets: Zapier checks a mini-database for lead details.

• Slack notification: Zapier sends an alert to the sales team.

• Round-robin routing: Routes leads to team members based on pre-defined logic, such as company size.

This workflow eliminates manual work while ensuring prospects are quickly and accurately assigned to the right sales rep.

”It’s not just about doing more,” Jason says. ”It’s about doing it better, faster, and with fewer resources.”

Scaling with AI-powered insights

Popl has also integrated OpenAI into their Zapier workflows, unlocking new possibilities for email filtering and data enrichment. One key innovation: an AI-driven tool that categorizes inbound emails, saving team members hours of manual sorting every week.

Popl’s AI-driven workflows include:

• Email classification: Uses OpenAI to identify spam, sales inquiries, and cold outreach, automatically sorting them into Gmail folders.

• Lead data enrichment: Combines Zapier and OpenAI to extract company details from email domains, streamlining the lead qualification process.

”With AI, we’ve eliminated repetitive tasks,” Jason explains. ”Zapier makes it simple to integrate these capabilities without needing a separate tech stack.”

The impact: Scaling without limits

By automating its operations with Zapier, Popl has achieved scalable growth while keeping costs in check. For instance, they replaced a costly HubSpot-to-Salesforce integration with a Zapier workflow, saving over $20,000 annually.

Popl’s results with Zapier include:

• 100+ automated workflows

• ~$20,000 annual savings on custom integration fees

• Scalable systems that support team growth without operational bottlenecks

”Zapier is our go-to tool for solving system gaps,” Jason says. ”We’ve automated everything from demo bookings to lead ownership, which lets us focus on scaling our business instead of maintaining processes.” 

Building the future of networking

With Zapier as the fuel, Popl can use its best resource—its people—to find clever solutions to some of its toughest challenges. By automating and optimizing their workflows, Popl’s team is empowered to innovate, iterate, and grow with confidence.