AlpacaRelay + Zapier: Quality-Scored Emails, Connected

Visit alpacarelay.com and sign up for a free account—no credit card required. This account is your control center for all Zapier-connected email campaigns. Once you verify your email, you'll land in the AlpacaRelay dashboard where you can manage integrations, create campaigns, and monitor email quality scores. The onboarding flow takes less than 2 minutes. Keep this browser tab open; you'll need your account credentials in the next step when you authorize Zapier to connect.

Log into your Zapier account and create a new Zap. Search for 'AlpacaRelay' in the app marketplace. Select AlpacaRelay as your action app (the app that sends emails). Click 'Connect' and you'll be prompted to authorize—Zapier will ask for read and write permissions to your AlpacaRelay account. This is standard OAuth authentication. Approve the permissions, and Zapier will securely store your connection. You can now use AlpacaRelay actions in any Zap without re-authorizing. For restaurants, common Zapier triggers include new reservations (OpenTable, Resy), new customer signups (Typeform, Google Forms), or payment confirmations (Stripe, Square). Your Zap will look like: [Trigger] → [AlpacaRelay Send Email Action].

In your Zapier action step, you'll see fields for recipient email, campaign name, customer contact data, and optional metadata. Map incoming fields from your Zapier trigger to these AlpacaRelay fields. For example, if your trigger is 'new reservation,' map the restaurant's captured fields: guest email address → Recipient Email, guest first name → First Name, reservation date → Custom Field (Reservation Date), restaurant location → Custom Field (Location). AlpacaRelay accepts standard fields (email, first name, last name) and unlimited custom fields, so you can pass reservation details, order history, or guest preferences. This mapping is one-time setup per Zap. Test the mapping by running a sample trigger to ensure data flows correctly before going live.

Back in AlpacaRelay, navigate to Campaigns and create a new email template. For restaurants using Zapier, common first emails include post-reservation confirmations, welcome emails for new guests, or post-visit feedback requests. Use AlpacaRelay's editor to build your email or start with a restaurant-optimized template. Personalize using the data you mapped in Step 3—insert guest name, reservation time, or restaurant location as dynamic fields. AlpacaRelay will automatically score your email across the 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework (Deliverability, Mobile Render, CTA Clarity, Personalization Depth, Visual Hierarchy, Copy Effectiveness, Brand Consistency, and Structural Compliance). Your email will display its Email Quality Score (EQS) before you send—aim for 8+/10. If your score is lower, AlpacaRelay provides specific recommendations to improve it. Adjust and rescore until you're satisfied, then save as a template.

Link your saved email template to your Zapier Zap action. In Zapier, select your template and confirm the dynamic field mappings one final time. Turn on the Zap. From this moment forward, every trigger event (new reservation, signup, etc.) will automatically send an EQS-scored email to your guests. AlpacaRelay logs every send, bounce, and engagement in your dashboard—you'll see open rates, click rates, and replies broken down by campaign. Quality-scored emails from restaurant integrations typically achieve 25-35% open rates and 8-12% click rates (vs. industry averages of 18-22% and 5-7%, respectively). Monitor your first 50-100 sends to validate deliverability and engagement. Once live, you can create additional Zaps for different triggers (e.g., Zap 1: post-reservation, Zap 2: post-visit feedback, Zap 3: loyalty program signup) without additional setup—just repeat this process for each new Zap.