Mastering Conditional Workflows: How to Build Smart Keap Contact Updates Based on External Triggers with Make.com
In today’s interconnected business world, automating your CRM updates based on real-time external events is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. This guide will walk you through leveraging Make.com (formerly Integromat) to create intelligent, conditional workflows that dynamically update your Keap contacts. Whether it’s based on activity in another system, form submissions, or specific data points, you’ll learn to set up a robust integration that ensures your Keap data is always accurate and actionable, without manual intervention. Get ready to elevate your automation game and build workflows that truly respond to your business’s dynamic needs.
Step 1: Define Your Workflow Goal and External Trigger
Before diving into Make.com, clearly outline what specific external event should trigger an update in Keap and what data you expect to receive. For instance, do you want to update a Keap contact’s status when they complete a course in your LMS, change their subscription level in a billing system, or submit a specific form on a third-party platform? Identify the source system that will send the trigger (e.g., a payment gateway, a survey tool, a separate CRM). Understanding the purpose and the incoming data structure (what fields will be sent) is crucial for mapping information correctly and ensuring your conditional logic functions as intended. This foundational clarity prevents common pitfalls later in the process.
Step 2: Set Up the Make.com Webhook Module to Listen
Your journey begins in Make.com by creating a new scenario and adding a “Webhooks” module. Choose the “Custom webhook” option. This module acts as the listening post for your external system. Make.com will generate a unique URL, which is where your external trigger system will send its data. Copy this URL immediately, as it’s the bridge between your external application and your Make.com workflow. It’s essential to understand that this webhook URL is designed to receive HTTP POST requests, meaning the external system will “push” data to it when an event occurs. This setup is the cornerstone of your real-time data flow.
Step 3: Configure the External System to Send Data
Now, take the webhook URL you obtained from Make.com and configure your external system to send data to it. This step varies widely depending on your external platform. Common methods include setting up a “webhook notification” in your external application’s settings, configuring a custom integration, or using a “post-submission” action in a form builder. Ensure that the external system is set up to send the necessary data fields (e.g., contact email, name, and any specific fields you wish to update in Keap) as part of its payload, preferably in JSON format. Once configured, send a test payload from the external system to allow Make.com to automatically determine the data structure.
Step 4: Implement Conditional Logic with Routers and Filters
After the Make.com webhook receives the data, introduce a “Router” module. Routers allow you to create multiple paths for your data based on specific conditions. From the Router, create branches leading to “Filter” modules. Each filter will define a condition that must be met for the data to proceed down that specific path. For example, if you’re updating a Keap contact based on their “membership_level,” one filter might check if `membership_level` equals “Premium,” while another checks for “Standard.” This conditional branching is where the “smart” aspect of your workflow truly comes alive, enabling targeted Keap updates.
Step 5: Add and Configure the Keap “Update a Contact” Module
On each conditional path emanating from your Router/Filter setup, add a “Keap” module and select the “Update a Contact” action. In this module, you’ll first need to specify how Make.com should find the existing contact in Keap—typically by email address, which should be part of your incoming webhook data. Then, map the relevant data fields from your webhook payload to the corresponding Keap contact fields. For instance, if your external system sends `new_status`, map this to your Keap “Status” custom field. Ensure that each path only updates the fields relevant to its specific condition, ensuring precise and accurate data synchronization.
Step 6: Test, Refine, and Activate Your Scenario
Thorough testing is paramount for conditional workflows. Run your Make.com scenario with various test cases that represent each of your defined conditions. Send payloads from your external system that trigger each filter path to verify that the correct Keap contact is found and updated precisely as expected. Monitor the execution history in Make.com for any errors or unexpected behaviors. Make necessary adjustments to your filters, field mappings, or Keap module configurations until every path performs flawlessly. Once confident, activate your Make.com scenario, and your intelligent, real-time Keap contact updates will begin flowing automatically.
Step 7: Advanced Considerations: Error Handling and Custom Fields
To make your workflow truly robust, consider implementing error handling within Make.com. You can add “Error Handlers” to branches that, for example, notify you via email or Slack if a contact isn’t found or an update fails. Additionally, ensure that all necessary custom fields in Keap are pre-configured to receive the specific data points you’re sending from your external system. Properly formatted custom fields in Keap will make data mapping smoother and ensure data integrity. Thinking about these advanced elements upfront will save significant troubleshooting time and provide a more resilient automation solution for your Keap database.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: The Automated Recruiter’s Ultimate Guide to Supercharging Keap with Make.com
