Workspace Studio Adds Webhooks and Links to QuickBooks and HubSpot

Google is making Workspace Studio, its tool for building automated workflows, reach beyond Google's own apps. An update announced September 17 adds four new pieces.

Background: what to check on your site each month and how to get email at your own domain.

What Is New

• Custom starters. A workflow can now start in real time when something happens in another app.
• Custom steps. You can add your own logic, for example with Apps Script.
• Outside apps, in beta. Studio can now connect to Asana, Confluence, HubSpot, Jira, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Salesforce and Slack.
• Webhooks. In Google's words, these "send HTTP requests to external endpoints and trigger actions in them." In plain terms, Studio can now poke almost any other system that accepts a web request.

An earlier recap on September 4 added smaller steps, like moving or copying a Drive file and replying to an email.

When You Get It

Google is rolling this out in stages. Admin settings started September 17. Rapid Release domains started September 21. Scheduled Release domains start September 30, and that rollout can take up to 15 days.

It is available on Business Starter, Standard and Plus, and on several Enterprise and Education plans. Limiting webhooks to an approved list of addresses needs Business Plus or higher.

Why It Matters

Small teams often pay for a separate tool to pass data between apps. If you already pay for Workspace, Studio may now cover simple jobs. One example is adding a new form lead to HubSpot, or posting a Slack note when an invoice is paid in QuickBooks.

Start small. Automate one boring task, check it for a week, then add the next. And keep a list of what you automate, so the next person knows why an email sends itself.