Zapier is the no-code side of Orbit's automation pair — where n8n is the developer-owned, self-hosted path, Zapier is a hosted canvas over your Orbit webhook events, with no code anywhere. You download a ready-to-publish Zapier app from Developers → Connectors, pre-wired to your tenant, publish it to your Zapier account, and wire Orbit triggers (your configured webhook events) to actions in any of the thousands of apps Zapier supports. This post picks the recipe support teams build first — inbound SMS to a Slack channel — and walks it end-to-end: the trigger, the enrichment step, the Slack message, and the exact zap definition you'd write it down as.
Recipe walkthrough — inbound SMS to Slack, enriched on the way
The recipe exists because an inbound SMS by itself is a raw event: a from-number, a to-number, and a body. A useful Slack alert answers three questions — who wrote, what they said, and whether that person is on record. Three steps, no code:
- Trigger — a new inbound message. The Orbit trigger fires on the inbound-message webhook event you configured on your tenant, carrying the message fields Zapier maps downstream.
- Enrich — look the sender up. A lookup step against the Orbit action surface resolves the from-number to a contact record when one exists, so the Slack card carries a name instead of a bare number.
- Action — post to Slack. Zapier's Slack step posts the composed message to the channel you pick — sender, body, and the contact link — formatted from the mapped fields.
Two things to keep in mind as you map it: the enrichment lookup returns empty on an unknown sender, so map a fallback (the raw from-number) rather than a required field; and keep the trigger scoped to the webhook events you actually configured — a trigger pointed at every event means every event hits the channel.
The dedicated recipe — support triage channel
The same three-step shape, pointed at a support-triage channel instead of the all-purpose one. Route only inbound SMS (filter on the channel field), enrich to a contact when one exists, and post a compact card with the message body, the sender's name-or-number, and a link into the Orbit inbox conversation. This is the pattern that replaces "someone watches the inbox page" for teams whose ops live in Slack — the filter keeps the channel quiet, and the enrichment makes the card actionable without opening the dashboard first.
Sample zap definition
Zap definitions are portable JSON — exportable from Zapier, versionable in your repo, and reviewable in a diff. This is the three-step recipe written down:
{
"title": "Inbound SMS → Slack",
"steps": [
{
"app": "Devotel Orbit",
"type": "trigger",
"event": "inbound_message",
"outputs": ["from", "to", "body", "conversationUrl"]
},
{
"app": "Devotel Orbit",
"type": "action",
"event": "lookup_contact_by_number",
"inputs": { "number": "{{1.from}}" },
"outputs": ["contactName", "contactId"]
},
{
"app": "Slack",
"type": "action",
"event": "post_message",
"inputs": {
"channel": "#support-triage",
"text": "SMS from {{2.contactName}} (fallback {{1.from}}): {{1.body}} — {{1.conversationUrl}}"
}
}
]
}The field mappings — not the JSON container — are what you edit in the Zapier canvas; the file is the review artifact.
How to set the recipe up
- Download your tenant's Zapier app. In Orbit, go to Developers → Connectors and download the ready-to-publish Zapier app, pre-wired to your tenant.
- Publish it to your Zapier account. Follow Zapier's app-import steps to add the app to your account.
- Pick the inbound-message trigger. Create a Zap, choose the Orbit trigger, and select the inbound-message webhook event you have configured on your tenant.
- Add the enrichment lookup. Add an Orbit lookup action that resolves the sender's number to a contact, with a fallback to the raw number.
- Post to Slack. Add Slack's post-message action, map the composed fields, and test the Zap against a sandbox message before turning it on.
Where the key lives
The Zapier app is pre-wired to your tenant at download time, and one tenant means one app — there is no shared catalog app that multiplexes tenants. Your Orbit API key stays on your side: the zap definition carries field mappings, not the key, and rotating the key in your dashboard keeps the published app working. That keeps the tenant-owned control with you — the same posture as the self-hosted path, just hosted.
Frequently asked questions
What can trigger a Zap?
Any Orbit webhook event you have configured on your tenant — for example a new inbound message, a new conversation, or a completed campaign.
Does the recipe need any code?
No. The trigger, the enrichment lookup, and the Slack post are all canvas steps. The sample zap definition above is a review artifact, not something you have to hand-write.
What happens when the sender is not a contact?
The enrichment lookup returns empty, so map a fallback field — the raw from-number — into the Slack message rather than the contact name.
Is the Zapier app shared across tenants?
No. The app you download from Developers → Connectors is pre-wired to your specific tenant. A second tenant downloads a second app.
How is this different from the n8n integration?
Zapier is the no-code hosted path — canvas over webhook events, no instance to run. n8n is the developer-owned path — a node pack in your own workflow instance with first-class nodes. The n8n announcement post covers that side.
What does it cost?
The Zapier app is included in your Orbit plan; it consumes your existing API rate and messaging usage. Zapier's own plan pricing applies on their side. Check pricing for the message-cost side.
Resources
- Zapier integration page — the registry entry this recipe runs on
- n8n integration announcement — the developer-owned automation path
- Slack buyer guide — what the Slack side of the pipe carries
- Pricing — usage costs for the messages the trigger fires on
Published 6 September 2026.