1. First you'll need to create a Google Sheet.  You can do so by signing up for a free account here.  Create a Google Sheet with a name you remember, in our example we're creating one called "Zapier Employee List."  Then create a WorkSheet in your sheet.  In our example we're creating one called "Punches Testing."  Then create the following headings in your Google Sheet (first row):

User ID, Punch Date-Time, Location, Department, Note, Latitude, Longitude

2. Sign into your Zapier account.  If you don't have one, you can sign up here.

3. Once you have your Zapier account you'll need to add Buddy Punch to it.  You can do so by accepting this invite.

Creating the Connection:
Create a new Zap in Zapier by clicking on the "Make a Zap!" button:

Then select Google Sheets for your first step:

You'll then choose a trigger.  It is up to you on how you'd like your sheet to work.  In this example we can choose any option, but I will choose the "New Spreadsheet Row" to trigger a Buddy Punch action.  Select the 2nd option:

You then need to connect to a Google Sheet.  To do so you'll need to connect your Google Account to Zapier.  Click on the "Connect an Account" button if you do not have your account yet connected.  If you do already have your account connected then select your account and continue:

You'll then be connecting directly to your available Google Sheets.  You'll want to use the sheet you prepared in the Pre-Work.  You'll specify the Spreadsheet as well as the Worksheet:

You're then going to be asked to Fetch an existing row on your sheet and then test it.  You can click on the "Fetch & Continue" button however there isn't any data in your spreadsheet yet, and that's OK.  Once Zapier can't find data in the spreadsheet row click on "Skip Test & Continue."

You'll then continue and setup your 2nd Step.  This step connects Zapier to Buddy Punch.  Search for Buddy Punch and select the "Buddy Punch" option:

Then select an action you'd like to take.  This can be any of the actions listed, however in this example we'll do the "Punch In."

You'll now connect your Buddy Punch Account to Zapier.  Click on the "Connect an Account" Option, add your account, and then once added select the account and continue:

You'll then need to match Buddy Punch fields to the fields you created in your spreadsheet.  This is an area where you have some flexibility.  Under the User ID field you can either choose to make this one Zap for a single employee, or make it for all employees and you can specify the employee to punch in.  If you'd like to use it for all employees, select the "Use a Custom Value (advanced)."

You'll then get a new field called "Custom Value for User ID"  Open the drop down and you'll get the headings from your Google Sheet.  Select the "User ID" option.

You can match the rest of the fields accordingly.  For Punch Date-Time you can reference the heading.  For Location and Department you can also use the Custom Value option.  Once completed they should match the following:

You can then Skip the test and continue, and then click on the Finish button.  This will then allow you to name and turn your zap on.  I named my Zap and turned it on, screen shot below:

To use this Zap you can then add information to your Google Sheet to punch employees in and out.  One important thing to note is the User ID.  You saw them referenced when setting up your Zap in the User ID field.  However this User ID is also referenced in Buddy Punch.  Go to Buddy Punch and view an Employee.  Notice in the URL that their Unique ID is referenced.  An example is below:

You can then go to your Google Sheet and enter in that User ID and any other applicable information.  This zap will run every 15 minutes, or you can go to Zapier and manually run it.

If you go to Zapier and manually run your Zap (Click on the drop down and select "Run") you will then get this message:

If you go to your time card you can see that your employee is now punched in.  Note that punches will show which user is punching them in, even from Zapier.  If an admin punches an employee in, the punch will shows as "Changed by Manager" and the User in the history of the punch will show the admin.

That's it!  Now you can experiment with other zaps and integrations!

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