robo

IFTTTs can help you automate a few key tasks | Source: Shutterstock

Automate everything around you with IFTTT

IF This Then That (IFTTT) is one of the most underestimated automation tools out there. Individuals are going all out experimenting with the platform and the services it offers but enterprises seem to have restricted themselves.

So far, according to IFTTT’s website, there are 11 million users on the platform and offers more than 550 integration services.

It even boasts of having created 54 million applets and running 1 billion applets per month. The website proudly carries Evernote CEO, Chris O’Neill’s testimonial: “Your product is like a form of superpower.”

There’s definitely something to it. So many people can’t be wrong – especially when the service doesn’t require any explanation beyond this: IFTTT lets you use link products and services in the digital-age in order to create solutions that automate, simplify, and improve your life.

Services, applets, and collections

According to the website, services are the apps and devices you can use everyday. Pinterest, Skype, Evernote, and Alexa are examples of services.

Applets, formerly known as recipes, are what help run conditional IF statements on those services. For example, it’s an applet that lets you configure alerts if there’s disease outbreak news from the World Health Organization or if you want a notification when the international space station passes over your house.

Collections, such as Applets for Android and Applets for Google are simply sets of applets compatible with portfolio of a popular, frequently-used service provider.

So, how does it help you?

From the smallest of tasks to the biggest of jobs, IFTTT has a solution that can help you a great deal.

For business users, IFTTT can have several apps such as: Get notified on Skype when your stock price risessync new notes in a notebook to Google Drive, or selectively post your Instagrams to a Facebook Page when you include a specific #hashtag.

You can also set it up to get alerts if your name or company name is mentioned in the New York Times, automatically share your MailChimp campaign performance summary to a Slack channel, or even automatically generate a new task to follow-up when you add a new lead to Salesforce.

The reason IFTTT is becoming even hotter these days is because of the integration with smart assistants such as Alexa which can help it connect to smart home devices as well.

The potential for the platform is huge. The question is who’s going to get everyone to see it to as they should – the go to automation platform for every household and small business out there that can benefit from one manhour of time saved every day.