Overview
Use Zapier to automatically send contact information from other apps and services to Swivel.
For example, you can connect a lead provider to Swivel so that every new lead is automatically added as a contact in Swivel.
You can also use Zapier to update contacts that already exist in Swivel.
How Zapier Works With Swivel
A typical Zap looks like this:
Lead provider or other app → Zapier → Swivel
For example:
A lead provider sends a new lead to Zapier.
Zapier sends the lead information to Swivel.
Swivel creates the lead as a new contact.
The app or service on the left provides the information. Swivel receives the information.
What You Can Do
The Swivel integration has two actions:
Create Contact — Adds a new contact to Swivel.
Update Contact — Changes information on an existing Swivel contact.
What You Can't Do
The Swivel integration only sends information to Swivel. It does not send information from Swivel to another app.
Before You Begin
You'll need:
A Swivel account.
A Zapier account.
The Swivel invitation link.
An app or service that provides the contact information you want to send to Swivel.
Accept the Swivel Invitation
Swivel is a private, invite-only integration. It does not appear in Zapier's public app directory until you accept the invitation.
You only need to accept the invitation once per Zapier account.
Sign in to the Zapier account where you want to build your Zaps.
Open the Swivel integration invite link.
Accept the invitation.
If someone else builds Zaps for your organization, send them the invitation link so they can accept it in their own Zapier account.
Connect Your Swivel Account
You don't need an API key. Zapier connects to Swivel when you sign in to your Swivel account.
Add a step to a Zap and choose Swivel as the app.
Click Connect a new account.
Sign in with your usual Swivel email and password.
If you have access to more than one Swivel account, choose the account you want to connect.
Approve access.
The sign-in window closes and you return to Zapier.
Zapier saves the connection so you can use it in future Zaps.
The connection is labeled with your Swivel account name. Check the label to make sure you've connected the correct Swivel account.
Send Leads to Swivel
The easiest way to get started is to create a Zap that sends new leads to Swivel.
Step 1: Set Up the Lead Provider
Create a new Zap in Zapier.
Choose the app or service that provides your leads.
Choose the event that should start the Zap, such as a New Lead.
Connect your account for that service.
Test the trigger.
The test should provide sample contact information, such as:
First name
Last name
Email address
Phone number
Other lead details
Step 2: Add Swivel
Add an action step.
Choose Swivel as the app.
Choose Create Contact.
Select your Swivel account connection.
Map the lead information to the appropriate Swivel fields.
Test the step.
Open Swivel and check the new contact.
Turn on the Zap.
Once the Zap is turned on, new leads that meet the trigger conditions are automatically sent to Swivel.
Create a Contact
Use Create Contact when you want to add a new lead or other person to Swivel.
Required Fields
First Name
Last Name
These fields must be provided when creating a contact.
🚧 Important: Create Contact always creates a new contact. Create Contact does not check whether a matching contact already exists. If the same lead is sent to Zapier twice, Create Contact can create two contacts in Swivel. For help with duplicate contacts, see I'm Getting Duplicate Contacts below.
Update a Contact
Use Update Contact when you want to change information on a contact that already exists in Swivel.
Required Field
Contact ID
The Contact ID tells Swivel which contact to update.
Zapier cannot find a Swivel contact by email address, phone number, or name.
The Contact ID normally comes from an earlier Create Contact step in the same Zap.
Set Up Update Contact
Set up and test the trigger for the app where your information comes from.
Add an action step and choose Swivel.
Choose Update Contact.
Select your Swivel account connection.
Provide the Contact ID.
Fill in the fields you want to change.
Test the step.
Open Swivel and check the contact.
Turn on the Zap.
Only the fields you provide are changed. Fields you leave blank keep their existing values.
Split a Full Name Into First and Last Name
Swivel requires First Name and Last Name as separate fields.
Some lead providers and other apps provide a person's entire name in one field instead.
If that happens, add a Formatter by Zapier → Split Name step before the Swivel step.
Then map:
First Name from the Split Name step to Swivel's First Name field.
Last Name from the Split Name step to Swivel's Last Name field.
Map Information to Swivel
When you build the Swivel step, Zapier shows the information provided by the previous step.
For example, your lead provider might provide:
First name
Last name
Email
Phone number
Address
Lead source
You can map each value to the corresponding Swivel field.
You can also type a fixed value instead of mapping information from the lead provider. This is useful when every lead from the same source should have the same value.
For example, you could type a fixed Lead Source value for all leads coming from a particular provider.
Leave a field blank if you don't have the information or don't want to change it.
Field Reference
The following tables explain every field available in the Swivel Zapier actions.
Most fields are available for both Create Contact and Update Contact. Contact ID is available only for Update Contact.
Name
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
Contact ID | The Swivel Contact ID | Update only | Identifies the contact to change. Usually comes from an earlier Create Contact step. |
First Name | The contact's first name | Create only | Required when creating a contact. |
Last Name | The contact's last name | Create only | Required when creating a contact. |
Middle Name | The contact's middle name | No |
|
Suffix | Jr., Sr., I, II, III, or IV | No | Include the period in Jr. or Sr. An unrecognized value is skipped. |
Salutation | For example, Mr., Mrs., or Dr. | No |
|
Nickname | The contact's nickname | No | Swivel displays the nickname instead of the first name at the top of the contact. |
Contact Details
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
The contact's email address | No | Becomes the primary email. Swivel does not verify that the email address is valid. | |
Phone Number | The contact's phone number | No | Becomes the primary mobile number. Numbers with fewer than 7 digits are dropped. |
Address Line 1 | Street address | No | See the address rule below. |
Address Line 2 | Suite, unit, or apartment | No | See the address rule below. |
City | City | No |
|
State | Two-letter state abbreviation, such as TX | No | Use the two-letter abbreviation. Full state names and lowercase codes will not match Swivel's state list. |
ZIP / Postal Code | ZIP or postal code | No |
|
Country | Country | No |
|
Updating an Address
When you use Update Contact, Swivel treats the address as one complete set of information.
To update an address, provide all six address fields:
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
City
State
ZIP / Postal Code
Country
If you provide only part of the address, the existing address is not changed.
Filing and Assignment
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
Contact Category | Category name | No | Swivel matches the name without regard to capitalization. If the category does not exist, Swivel creates it. If blank, the contact goes to Unspecified. |
Contact Status | Status name | No | Swivel matches the name or creates it. A status belongs to a category, so provide Contact Category too. If blank, the status is New. |
Contact Type | Type name | No | Swivel matches the name or creates it. If blank, the type is Individual. |
Lead Source | Lead source name | No | Swivel matches the name or creates it. |
Office | Office name | No | Swivel matches the name or creates it. |
Assigned To (Agent) | An existing agent's full name | No | The name must exactly match an existing agent, including capitalization. If it does not match, the contact remains unassigned. |
Referred By | An existing contact's full name | No | The name must exactly match an existing contact. If it does not match, Swivel ignores the value. |
Tags | One or more tags | No | Enter one tag per line or use a comma-separated list. Existing tags are never removed. |
🚧 Important: Contact Status requires Contact Category. If you provide Contact Status, also provide Contact Category. Otherwise, the Zap can fail.
Personal Details
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
Birthdate | Date, such as 04/15/1980 | No | Enter as MM/DD/YYYY or map a date from another app. |
Gender | Male or Female | No | An unrecognized value is skipped. |
Marital Status | Single, Married, Divorced, Separated, Domestic Partnership, or Widowed | No | An unrecognized value is skipped. |
Marital Status Effective Date | Date | No | Enter as MM/DD/YYYY or map a date from another app. |
Job Title | Job title | No |
|
Client Since | Date | No | Enter as MM/DD/YYYY or map a date from another app. |
Deceased | Yes or No | No | Only map this from a field that is genuinely Yes or No. |
Date of Death | Date | No | Enter as MM/DD/YYYY or map a date from another app. |
Do Not Contact | Yes or No | No | Marks the contact as not to be contacted. |
County | County name | No |
|
Personal Note | Free-text note | No | Saves a note on the contact. |
Swivel converts dates when you enter them as MM/DD/YYYY or map them from another app.
If Swivel cannot read a date, it drops the value without showing an error.
Add Contacts to Marketing Events and Campaigns
You can use the marketing event and campaign fields when leads come from a marketing event, such as a seminar, webinar, or other campaign.
For the most reliable setup:
Create the marketing event in Swivel first.
Add the event's date and venue in Swivel.
Give the event a Marketing Event Source Key.
Use the same source key in every Zap that sends contacts to that event.
If a Zap creates a new marketing event, the event will not have a date or venue until someone adds them in Swivel.
Marketing Event Fields
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
Marketing Event Source Key | Your own unique ID for the event | No | Swivel uses this key to identify the event. If the key has not been used before, Swivel creates a new event. This is the most reliable way to attach a contact to an event. |
Marketing Event Name | Event name | No | Used to find or create an event when no source key is provided. If a source key creates a new event, this becomes the event's name. |
Marketing Event Type | Event type | No | Used only when a new event is created. If blank, the type is Unspecified. |
Campaign Fields
Field | What to Enter | Required | Notes |
Campaign Source Key | Your own unique ID for the campaign | No | Swivel matches the campaign using this key. It must be paired with a Marketing Event Name or Marketing Event Source Key. |
Campaign Name | Campaign name | No | Used when a new campaign is created and no Campaign Source Key is provided. Must be paired with a marketing event. |
Campaign Type | Campaign type | No | Used when matching or creating a campaign. If blank, the type is Unspecified. |
Campaigns Require a Marketing Event
If you fill in a campaign field, you must also provide either:
Marketing Event Name, or
Marketing Event Source Key
If you don't provide an event, the Zap stops with an error.
This prevents Swivel from creating a new event for every contact.
Troubleshooting
Swivel Doesn't Appear When I Search for an App
Swivel is a private integration and does not appear in Zapier's public app directory.
Make sure you:
Are signed in to the correct Zapier account.
Have accepted the Swivel invitation.
Search for Swivel again in the Zap editor.
A Step Fails With an Authentication or Authorization Error
Your Swivel connection may need to be approved again.
In Zapier:
Go to My Apps.
Find Swivel.
Reconnect the account.
Sign in to Swivel again.
Retry the failed task.
Contacts Are Going Into the Wrong Swivel Account
Check the Swivel connection selected in your Zap.
The connection is labeled with your Swivel account name. Open the Swivel step and make sure the correct account is selected.
If it is not, connect the correct Swivel account and select that connection.
The Step Fails and Mentions a Contact Status
A contact status belongs to a contact category.
If you fill in Contact Status, also fill in Contact Category.
The Step Fails and Mentions a Campaign
A campaign must be associated with a marketing event.
Add either Marketing Event Name or Marketing Event Source Key to the Swivel step.
I'm Getting Duplicate Contacts
Create Contact creates a new contact every time the Zap runs. It does not check whether the contact already exists.
If the same lead can be sent to Zapier more than once, consider:
Adding a Filter by Zapier step.
Using Zapier's deduplication options on the trigger.
Update Contact Asks for a Contact ID I Don't Have
Update Contact requires a Contact ID.
The Contact ID comes from Swivel and is usually passed from a Create Contact step earlier in the same Zap.
Zapier cannot search Swivel for a contact by email address, phone number, or name.