We’re excited to have you here! This page gives you everything you need to know about how we work together, what to expect, and how to get started.
Meet the Team
Here are the people you might interact with:
- Olivia Look — Founder
- Scott Look — Sales
- Taylor Johnson — Lead Automator (Zapier, CRMs). Your main point of contact for client communication and developer collaboration.
- Michael Sharratt — Automation Developer (Make, Zapier)
- Colin Zimmermann — Automation Developer (MS Power Automate, Google Apps Script, custom code)
- Sean Grady — Automation Developer (Zapier, Make, custom code)
Our Process
Every automation goes through a structured lifecycle to make sure it works exactly as it should:
| Idea | Someone comes up with a new idea or we pull from your wishlist. |
| Technical Specification | We identify exactly what needs to happen. The TADA Framework comes in handy here. |
| Feasibility Assessment | Our team dives into what’s possible with Zapier and your apps’ APIs. |
| Build | Self-explanatory. Our favorite part! |
| Test | We test piecewise as we build and also recommend a full test run as soon as the automation is published. |
| Publish | We turn on the automation. This is when it becomes “live.” |
| Close Watch | Our team and yours keep a close eye out for errors or unexpected behavior. |
| Documentation & Maintenance | We document the automation (written or video), patch errors, and repair data as issues arise. |
Defining “Active Requests”
- 1 request usually = 1 automation.
- Broad initiatives (like “client onboarding”) may branch into several requests. We’ll review this with you, document it in email updates, and keep everything visible in your client ClickUp view.
The TADA Framework
We plan and discuss automations using our TADA Framework:
- Trigger — what starts the automation
- Actions — what happens next, in sequence
- Data — what information is used or passed along
- Apps — the tools that need to connect
This shared language keeps things simple and aligned.
Accounts & Login Sharing
Throughout our relationship building automations together, you maintain ownership of everything. All accounts, assets, templates, spreadsheets, and logins created for your business are yours.
To make collaboration smoother, we recommend creating a service account within your ecosystem (e.g. automations@yourdomain.com) and add them to your team’s apps where possible. This:
- Keeps credentials safe and separate from individual team members.
- Ensures your company retains ownership of all assets.
- Makes it easier to manage automation accounts like Zapier, Make, or Airtable.
Login Sharing
We use LastPass to securely store and manage logins. You can:
- Share credentials directly to accounts@theautomated.agency, or
- Use 1ty.me to create a one-time, encrypted, self-destructing note. We’ll safely add it to our system.
Communication
In the early phases of a build (idea, specification, feasibility, build, testing), we’ll be in touch often to make sure everything is right.
To avoid inbox overload:
- You’ll have client access to our project management system (ClickUp).
- We send weekly updates at our discretion, with more detailed reports available upon request.
Error & Zap Monitoring
At the start of every engagement, we set up basic monitoring Zaps in Zapier. These notify our team immediately if something breaks.
- Bug fixes are always prioritized and do not count as active requests.
- If we discover a larger issue behind an error, we’ll bring it to your attention right away.
Need Help?
If you have a question about your automations, what we’re working on, or if you have a new idea, you can reach out to your Lead Automator, Taylor (taylor@theautomated.agency).
If you have questions about your contract, billing, subscription, or service level, reach out to either Scott (scott@theautomated.agency) or Olivia (olivia@theautomated.agency).
We are so happy to have you here! We’re looking forward to building real, impactful automations for your business with you.
Olivia & The Automated Agency Team