# Run automations Zapier cannot: the first Make scenario Source: https://getstartedwithai.net/tutorials/first-make-scenario-visual Site: Get Started With AI Tagline: Build AI automations that actually run your business. Audience: solo professionals, freelancers, consultants and AI implementers in training Contact: hello@getstartedwithai.co.uk This Markdown companion is generated from the prerendered page for AI crawlers. # Run automations Zapier cannot: the first Make scenario A live Make scenario with a Router that sends existing clients to the client-action Slack channel and prospects to the leads channel plus a calendar follow-up, with an error handler watching the Sheet write and the operations log forecasting next month bill. Sixty minutes of build time gets you there. The lever Make gives you over Zapier is the canvas: every step is a circle, every connection is a line, and when something breaks the bubble that broke is highlighted. Branching, loops and visual debugging are the three reasons most operators reach for Make when a flow gets past linear. ## When to choose Make over Zapier - Branching and routing: Make handles "if-this-then-that" trees more cleanly with the Router module. - Loops and arrays: Make has native iterators. Zapier handles loops via Looping but the experience is rougher. - Visual debugging: Make shows data flowing through each module. When something is wrong, the bubble that broke is highlighted. - Cost on heavy workflows: Make charges by operations, not tasks. A 10-step scenario that runs 100 times a month is 1,000 operations. The Core plan at £8 a month annual covers 10,000 operations. ## What you need - A Make account. Free covers 1,000 operations a month, enough to build and test. Core at £8 a month annual covers most solo workflows. - A Tally form (the same one from the Zapier tutorial works fine). - A Google Sheet, a Slack workspace and a Google Calendar. - 60 minutes uninterrupted. ## Step 1: Create the scenario shell (5 minutes) 1. In Make, click Create a new scenario. The empty canvas opens with a starting circle. 2. Click the circle. Search for Tally and choose the Watch Submissions trigger. 3. Connect your Tally account, then choose the form. Run Once Now to pull in your most recent submission as test data. 4. You should see the test data attached to the trigger circle, ready to be referenced by the next module. ## Step 2: Add the Sheet write (10 minutes) 1. Click the circle to add the next module. Search Google Sheets. Choose Add a Row. 2. Connect Google. Choose the sheet and the tab. 3. For each column, drag the matching field from the Tally trigger into the column. The visual canvas makes mismapping obvious because you see the connection on screen. 4. Click Run Once. The row appears in the sheet. The bubble lights up with a tick. ## Step 3: Split the flow with a router (15 minutes) The Router is what makes Make worth learning. It splits the flow based on conditions. 1. Click the connector after the Sheet write. Choose Router. 2. Add Route 1: condition is Tally email contains "@yourcompany.com" (existing client). Route 2: condition is anything else (new prospect). 3. On Route 1, add a Slack module: Send Message to a "client-action" channel. 4. On Route 2, add a Slack module: Send Message to a "leads" channel, plus a Google Calendar module: Create Event for a follow-up tomorrow at 09:00. 5. Run Once. The router should pick the right path based on the test data. ## Step 4: Add error handling (10 minutes) Make has the cleanest error handling in the visual builders. Use it from the start. 1. Right-click any module. Choose Add error handler. 2. A new branch appears for failure cases. Add a Slack module on the error branch: Send Message to your personal channel with the error text. 3. Now if the Sheet write fails (locked sheet, permission revoked, quota), you get a Slack ping instead of silent failure. ## Step 5: Schedule and turn on (5 minutes) 1. Click the Scheduling button at the bottom of the canvas. 2. Set to Immediately as data arrives (the default for webhook-style triggers). 3. Click Save, then toggle the scenario On. 4. Submit one real test entry from your Tally form. Watch the canvas in real time. Each bubble lights up green as data passes through. ## Step 6: Forecast the monthly operations cost (10 minutes) Operations are how Make charges you. Reading the log saves you from a surprise bill. - Open History. Each scenario run shows the operations consumed. - A 5-module scenario costs 5 operations per run on the path that fired. Routes that did not fire still cost the Router decision (1 operation). - Forecast monthly cost: average operations per run multiplied by runs per month. Stay under your plan by adding filters that stop bad data early. ## What you ship A live five-module scenario with a Router and an error handler, an operations forecast for next month, and a working visual demo for any client whose work needs branching paths. Build cost: 60 minutes. Run cost: about £8 a month. ## What to build next Pair this with the Zapier first automation tutorial and the Zapier vs Make vs n8n comparison so you can pick the right tool for each piece of client work. ## Related builds More tutorials in Automation. Each one runs in 60 to 90 minutes and ships a finished asset. ### Capture every lead automatically: a 30-minute Zapier build 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/first-zapier-automation-30-min) ### Decide between native AI Steps and a Custom GPT in 10 minutes 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/zapier-ai-features-vs-custom-gpt) ### Self-host the automation stack: when n8n is worth the effort 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro / Implementer. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/n8n-self-hosted-when-worth-it) ### Pick the right automation tool in 5 minutes: Zapier vs Make vs n8n 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro / Implementer. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/zapier-vs-make-vs-n8n) ## Questions people ask before they start ### Free or Core? Free is fine while you learn at 1,000 operations a month. Most solo workflows want Core at £8 a month annual for 10,000 operations and unlimited scenarios. Upgrade once a real scenario is running and the operations log shows you are above 800 a month. ### What is a credit? In August 2025 Make renamed operations to credits for some workloads but the standard 1 module = 1 credit rule still holds for normal scenarios. The number on your dashboard is the same regardless of label. ### Can I move a scenario from Zapier to Make? Not automatically. Rebuild the trigger and modules in Make. The good news is that the visual canvas makes the rebuild faster than the Zapier original took. ### Does Make have AI built in? Yes, with native modules for OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. Use them inside any scenario the same way Zapier AI Steps work. The same model API costs apply on top of the platform fee. ### How do I sell a Make build to a client? £700 to £1,800 for a Make scenario with three or more routes, plus a 30-day check-in. The visual canvas makes a strong demo because the data flow is legible to a non-technical client.