If you’re tired of manually filling out HR documents, such as contracts or onboarding files, you’re not alone. HR teams often lose hours updating employee information across multiple systems. It’s time-consuming, repetitive, and easy to make mistakes.
With tools like Zapier and ActiveMerge, you can auto-generate personalized documents in minutes. Whether you’re an HR manager, admin, or recruiter handling paperwork, this setup can save you hours of manual work and reduce errors across your HR documents.
What Is Zapier and Why Should You Start Using It?
Zapier is like a bridge between apps. It lets you connect two or more tools so they can work together automatically.
For example, if someone fills out a form, Zapier can send that info straight to ActiveMerge, which can then generate a custom PDF for you; no coding, no copy-pasting.
ActiveMerge works hand in hand with Zapier. It takes your templates (like certificates or letters), fills in the blanks with live data from other apps (like Google Sheets, Typeform, or Airtable), and generates polished documents instantly.
Step 1: Prepare Your Document Template in ActiveMerge
Before automating anything, you need a Word document template that ActiveMerge can fill out. To do this, open Microsoft Word and write your HR document as usual. Make sure to use placeholder tags, such as:
- {Company Name}
- {Name}
- {Start Date}
- {Salary}
You can also add more placeholders as long as you put “{“ and “}” at the start and end of every information.
Here’s an example:
Once you’re done with your Word template, it’s time to upload it to ActiveMerge. Go to app.activemerge.com dashboard and click Templates > Add New.
Upload your Word template in ActiveMerge and choose the format you prefer.
Then, click Detect Placeholders, and once the placeholders are detected, you will see the Save Template. Click it to save your template.
Step 2: Set Up a New Zap in Zapier
Log in to Zapier and click the “Zaps” tab. Then, click Create > New Folder > New Zap. It will lead you to an empty worksheet where you will soon set up your workflow.
Step 3: Choose Your Trigger App
This is where your data will come from. In this example, use Google Sheets as your trigger app. Select “New Spreadsheet Row” as the trigger event. Connect your Google account when prompted
Choose the spreadsheet and the exact sheet where your data lives. Zapier will ask you to test the trigger, pick one row to work with.
Step 4: Add an Action (ActiveMerge)
Now that you’ve got your data, it’s time to create your document. In the Action step, choose ActiveMerge as the app. For the event, pick “Generate Document.”
You’ll be asked to connect your ActiveMerge account. To do this, go to app.activemerge.com, log in, and click on the API Key tab. Copy the API key and paste it into the Zapier account connection box. Once connected, set up your document.
Choose your Word template from the dropdown. Select the output format (PDF, DOCX, or PPTX).
Click the “+” icons beside each field to match your merge tags with the columns in your spreadsheet.
Test the action. When the test runs, Zapier will show you a response. Copy the file URL from the test result, you’ll need it in the next step.
Step 5: Upload the PDF to Google Drive
Let’s save the document somewhere accessible. To do this, add a new action. Choose Google Drive as the app. Then, select “Upload File” as the action event. Again, connect your Google Drive account.
Pick the folder where the PDF should be saved. Paste the ActiveMerge PDF URL into the File field. You can rename the file using dynamic data.
Test the upload. You should see the new file in your Google Drive folder
Google Drive result:
Step 6: Send the File by Email
Now it’s time to deliver the document to the recipient. To do this, add another action. Choose your email service, in this case, I will use Gmail. Select “Send Email” as the event and connect your email account.
Fill out the following fields:
- To: Select the email address from your spreadsheet
- From Name: Your company or sender name
- Subject: Something simple like “Your Onboarding Letter”
- Body: Write a short message
- Attachment: In the Attachments field, use the ActiveMerge PDF link from the Google Drive step
Run the test to make sure everything works, the file should arrive in the recipient’s inbox
Step 7: Turn on Your Zap
Once everything looks good, turn on the Zap.
Now every time your trigger event happens, a new document will be automatically created and ready for download or emailing.
Final Thoughts
Automation doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s really just about setting things up once and letting tools do the boring stuff for you.
With Zapier and ActiveMerge working together, you get a powerful, hands-off system that helps you stay focused on your real work, like helping clients, teaching students, or growing your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of documents can ActiveMerge generate?
ActiveMerge can create PDFs and Word documents for things like certificates, letters, agreements, reports, and more.
Is ActiveMerge free to use?
ActiveMerge offers different pricing plans depending on how many documents you generate each month. There’s a free trial, so you can try it before upgrading.
Can I email the documents automatically after they are created?
Yes. Just add another step in Zapier after the ActiveMerge action. For example, use Gmail or Outlook to send the file as an email attachment.
