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tech-for-better-bot

🤖 Automation for the Tech for Better process.

Author: @arrested-developer

What does it do?

When I started the CF role, around half of my time was dedicated to coordinating the Tech for Better programme - communicating with applicants, scheduling workshops, updating information in tech-for-better-leads, organising user research, updating tech-for-better-leads some more, sending some more emails... etc. etc.

First, I tried Airtable integrations in Zapier, but it didn't really solve my problems. I spotted an opportunity to write some code, and speed up a very time-consuming part of my job!

This project is an Express server which integrates with an Airtable base, Github and Email.

It can:

  • Notify you when a new Tech for Better application is received
  • Notify the client that we have received their application
  • Send an invitation to attend a workshop, with a link to our Airtable signup form
  • Send a reminder invitation if a client has not yet booked themselves in
  • Create a new issue in tech-for-better-leads, add the application info and initial labels
  • Send individual emails to Tech for Better clients with user research survey links, as well as a reminder email if needed
  • Send feedback forms once a project has been completed
  • Look for user research surveys in the airtable base, add them to the relevant issue in tech-for-better-leads and update the labels

It could potentially do even more!

Setup

  • Clone or download this repo

  • Run npm install

  • The server is set up to check the Tech for better applications base on Airtable. If you don't have access to this base and you think you should, @sofer, @arrested-developer or @charlielafosse can share it with you.

  • The server will create issues, add comments and labels in tech-for-better-leads as @techforbetterbot. This account is linked to the coursefacilitator email, should you need to get access or a new Github authentication token.

  • The server sends emails using nodemailer, using the coursefacilitator G-Suite account. The CF should have the password for this account.

App Configuration

Configuration is set through environment variables. The following must be set in a .env file in the root of the project to run locally, or set directly in the deployment environment (e.g. Heroku)

  • AIRTABLE_API_KEY=YOURSECRET
  • AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=YOURSECRET
  • EMAIL_ACCOUNT=coursefacilitator@foundersandcoders.com // account that nodemailer sends from
  • EMAIL_PASSWORD=YOURSECRET // corresponding password
  • EMAIL_NAME=Charlie La Fosse // name that emails are sent from
  • GITHUB_TOKEN=YOURSECRET
  • GITHUB_OWNER=foundersandcoders
  • GITHUB_REPO=tech-for-better-leads // repo to create new issues in
  • GITHUB_ASSIGNEE=charlielafosse // who to assign new issues to
  • LINKS_DISCOVERY_WORKSHOP= // URL to Discovery Workshop signup form
  • LINKS_PO_AGREEMENT=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PA6i2VILi4kJOF7QuJxHMwTX2dILNI2BxCBfmZ0ARHs/edit?usp=sharing
  • LINKS_RESEARCH_SURVEY_URL=YOURSURVEYLINK // URL to the follow up survey
  • LINKS_EXIT_FEEDBACK_FORM_URL=YOURFEEDBACKFORMLINK // URL to the exit feedback form
  • USER_RESEARCH_DEADLINE=YOURDATE // The current deadline for POs to return their user research results. Make sure it's formatted like so: 22nd-April

Airtable Setup

The fields in Airtable should be configured as per this example. Ask @charlielafosse if there are problems with access.

Running locally

  • Run the server locally by running npm start and trigger the application to run once by visiting localhost:5000 in your browser. You should see a status message of 200 or OK

Deploying

  • This is intended to be deployed to a service such as Heroku. To allow Heroku apps their beauty sleep, this app can be called using a cron job. Every time the cron job calls the app with a GET request, it will be triggered to check the Airtable for new responses. I used cron-job.org to send a GET request to the deployed Heroku app every 30 minutes.

  • The app is currently deployed using the coursefacilitator@foundersandcoders.com Heroku account. Pushes or merges to master on this repo will initiate a new build. If you need access, @arrested-developer or @charlielafosse might be able to help.

How to use

  • The server will automatically send an email to coursefacilitator, and a notification email to the applicant, whenever a new Tech for Better application is received.
  • Once the CF has looked over the application, and wishes to invite the applicant to a workshop, they should tick the send_invitation checkbox in Airtable. This will trigger the server to create a new issue in tech-for-better-leads with the initial labels added and send an invitation to the applicant with a link to a signup form and a link to the PO agreement (note: the server is currently configured to run once every 30 minutes, so there may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before the new issues appear)
  • If the client has not booked into a workshop, the CF can send a reminder by checking the send_invitation_reminder checkbox in Airtable.
  • Once the client fills out the signup form, the CF will be notified of their availability. Once a workshop date is filled up, the CF should edit out that date option from the Airtable signup form.
  • After the client has attended workshop 1, you can tick the attended_workshop_1 checkbox, which will send out an email with an individualised link for the follow-up user research survey and update the labels on Github.
  • If the client hasn't yet returned their user survey results, then follow_up_survey_received will be unchecked. In order to nudge the client, check send_survey_reminder in Airtable. This will send out a reminder email, and sent_survey_reminder will be checked once that email is actually sent (could take up to 30 mins).
  • When the user research survey is received back, follow_up_survey_received will be checked in Airtable, the contents of the survey will be automatically added to the existing issue, and the labels will be updated.
  • If project_completed is checked in Airtable, then feel free to check send_exit_feedback. This will send out the participant feedback form to the client, and sent_exit_feedback will also be ticked when that email is actually sent (it may take up to 30 mins).

Contributing

This is intended to be maintained by the current course facilitator. The CF should feel free to adapt this to their needs. @arrested-developer will be happy to merge or review PRs, but anyone in our community can be asked to merge or review a PR. Additionally, anyone from our community is welcome to contribute to issues labelled help-wanted.