What is Make.com?
Make.com (formerly Integromat) is a visual automation platform that connects apps and automates workflows without coding. Think of it as a more powerful alternative to Zapier, with a visual workflow builder that lets you see exactly how data flows between apps.
Make.com is particularly useful for accounting workflows because it can:
- Watch for new files in Google Drive folders
- Parse data from forms and documents
- Update spreadsheets and databases automatically
- Send customized emails based on triggers
- Route data between QuickBooks, Xero, and other accounting tools
Free tier availability
Make.com offers a free plan with 1,000 operations per month—enough to automate a basic document intake workflow for a small practice.
The workflow we're building
Here's the complete automation we'll create:
Google Form
New submission
Router
Create folder
Move files
Log to sheet
Send confirmation
Notify team
What happens when a client submits documents:
- Trigger: Client submits a Google Form with files attached
- Create folder: Make.com creates a client-specific folder in Google Drive (if it doesn't exist)
- Move files: Uploaded files are moved to the client's folder
- Log to sheet: Submission details are added to a tracking spreadsheet
- Send confirmation: Client receives an email confirming receipt
- Notify team: Your team gets notified of the new submission
Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure you have:
Step-by-step setup
Part 1: Create a new scenario
Log in to Make.com
- Go to make.com and sign in
- Click Create a new scenario (or the + button)
- You'll see an empty canvas with a single circle
Add the Google Forms trigger
- Click the empty circle and search for Google Forms
- Select Watch Responses
- Connect your Google account when prompted
- Select your document intake form from the dropdown
- Click OK to save
Part 2: Add the Router
A Router lets you run multiple actions in parallel from a single trigger.
Add a Router
- Hover over the Google Forms module and click the + that appears
- Search for Router and select it
- The Router will create multiple branches for parallel actions
Part 3: Set up file organization (Branch 1)
Create a client folder
- Click the first Router branch and add Google Drive → Create a Folder
- Connect your Google Drive account
- For New Folder Name, map the client name from the form response (e.g., "{{Client Name}} - {{Tax Year}}")
- Set the Parent Folder to your main "Client Documents" folder
- Enable Use existing folder if exists to avoid duplicates
Move uploaded files
- After the folder creation, add Google Drive → Move a File
- For File ID, map the file upload response from the form
- For New Parent Folder, map the folder ID from the previous step
- If your form has multiple file upload questions, add a Move module for each
Handling multiple files
If a single form question allows multiple file uploads, use an Iterator to loop through each file and move them individually.
Part 4: Log to tracking sheet (Branch 2)
Add a row to Google Sheets
- Click the second Router branch and add Google Sheets → Add a Row
- Connect your Google account and select your tracking spreadsheet
- Map the columns:
- Client Name: Form field
- Email: Form field
- Submitted Date: {{now}}
- Documents Received: List of file names
- Status: "Received"
Part 5: Send emails (Branch 3)
Send confirmation to client
- Click the third Router branch and add Gmail → Send an Email
- Connect your Gmail account
- Set up the email:
- To: Map the client's email from the form
- Subject: "We've received your tax documents"
- Content: Personalized confirmation message
Sample confirmation email:
Thank you for submitting your tax documents. We've received the following files:
• [List of files]
We'll review everything and reach out if we need anything else.
Best regards,
[Your Firm Name]
Notify your team
- After the client email, add another Gmail → Send an Email
- Set up the internal notification:
- To: Your team's email (or a distribution list)
- Subject: "New document submission: {{Client Name}}"
- Content: Include client details and link to folder
Testing your automation
Before activating the scenario, test it thoroughly:
-
1
Submit a test form
Fill out your Google Form with test data and files.
-
2
Run the scenario manually
In Make.com, click Run once to process the submission.
-
3
Check each step
Verify: folder created, files moved, sheet updated, emails sent.
-
4
Activate the scenario
Toggle the scenario to ON and set the schedule (e.g., every 15 minutes).
Check execution logs
Make.com recommends running your scenario manually several times before activating it. Check the execution logs to ensure everything happens as expected.
Optional enhancements
Once your basic workflow is running, consider these additions:
Add Slack notifications
Replace or supplement email notifications with Slack messages for faster team alerts.
Parse document contents
Use Make.com's PDF or OCR modules to extract text from uploaded documents and populate additional spreadsheet fields.
Connect to practice management software
If you use Karbon, TaxDome, or similar tools, Make.com may have integrations to create tasks or update client records automatically.
Add conditional routing
Route documents differently based on document type (T1 vs T2) or client tier (premium vs standard).
Want more automation?
Resolved by TideSpark goes beyond document intake—it automatically extracts data from receipts, categorizes expenses, and maps to GIFI codes. Book a demo to see the full workflow.