Search Airtable Records And Send Results via SendGrid Email

In today's fast-paced business environment, automation has become essential for companies looking to scale efficiently. A prime example of this is a mid-sized consultancy firm struggling with its client reporting process until it implemented a strategic automation solution.

The Challenge: Manual Filtering and List Building

The consultancy firm sends intelligence reports to clients on daily or weekly schedules based on industry, sector, and size. Initially, they built their system in Airtable, but as their client base grew, their manual process became increasingly unsustainable.

Their workflow involved:

• Manually filtering Airtable records based on specific criteria
• Copying filtered client lists
• Pasting these lists into SendGrid emails
• Sending out reports individually

With the constant onboarding of new clients and expansion into new sectors and industries, this manual process became a significant bottleneck. What worked for the two founders initially became unmanageable as the company scaled.

The Solution: Automated Filtering and Integration

The automation solution built-in Made created a seamless connection between Airtable and SendGrid. The workflow includes:

1. Automatic searching of Airtable records using pre-built search parameters
2. Retrieving relevant client information based on industry, sector, and size
3. Making custom API calls to SendGrid to update mailing lists
4. Scheduling these processes to run automatically daily or weekly

The company chose to maintain Airtable as its primary database because they were already using it for project management and client relations, allowing them to keep all information centralized.

The Implementation Process

The Make scenario created for this automation is relatively straightforward but powerful:

1. It begins with a search term to find specific records in Airtable

2. It retrieves single or multiple records based on search criteria

3. It performs additional searches for multi-reference requirements

4. It makes custom API calls to SendGrid to update the appropriate mailing lists

Impressive Time Savings

The impact of this automation has been substantial:

• Approximately 3 hours saved per day per team member
• With 5 team members handling accounts, that's 15 hours daily or 75 hours weekly
• Complete elimination of manual filtering and list-building tasks
• Ensured accuracy in client communications - no more missed clients due to human error

Beyond time savings, this automation allowed the consultancy to continue scaling its operations without the proportional increase in administrative overhead that would have been required with its manual process.

Why This Approach Works

This automation solution succeeds because it:

• Preserves existing workflows and systems (Airtable)
• Eliminates repetitive, time-consuming tasks
• Scales automatically as the client base expands
• Reduces the risk of human error in communications
• Frees up skilled employees to focus on higher-value activities

For businesses facing similar challenges with manual data filtering and communications, this case study demonstrates how even relatively simple automation can deliver significant operational improvements and ROI.

Key Takeaways for Implementation

If you're considering a similar automation:

1. Identify repetitive, rule-based processes that consume significant staff time
2. Look for integration opportunities between your existing systems
3. Start with simple automation scenarios that deliver immediate value
4. Calculate time savings to quantify the impact and ROI
5. Consider how automation can support scalability as your business grows

This consultancy's transformation from manual filtering to automated data flow represents the kind of operational efficiency that modern businesses need to remain competitive while expanding their service offerings.