How a Company in Austin Solved Spending 18+ Hours Weekly on Manual Event Registrations Using Microsoft Foundry

Managing event registrations is often a time-consuming, error-prone process that can drain resources from thriving companies. In Austin, Texas, a mid-sized tech consulting firm faced this exact challenge, spending over 18 hours every week manually handling event registrations with Microsoft Foundry, dramatically affecting operational efficiency and team productivity. 🚀

In this detailed case study, we will walk you through how this company analyzed, automated, and optimized their event registration workflow utilizing RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service. You will learn firsthand how we integrated key tools, built resilient workflows with Make, and transformed a cumbersome, manual task into a streamlined, error-resistant process that saved valuable time and elevated overall quality.

Whether you are a startup CTO, automation engineer, or operations expert looking for practical automation insights, this story offers technical guidance, hands-on instructions, and clear metrics demonstrating success.

The Problem: Inefficient Manual Event Registration Management

Our client is a growing mid-sized technology consulting company based in Austin, Texas, operating within the professional services sector. Their events and marketing team was responsible for managing registrations to webinars, workshops, and conferences. All event registrations were processed and managed manually via their Microsoft Foundry system — a legacy event management tool.

Here are the main pain points before automation:

• Excessive manual effort: Over 18 hours per week were spent manually entering, verifying, and updating event registrant data.
• Error-prone data entry: Manual copying and transcription led to frequent errors, such as duplicate registrations and incorrect contact info.
• Lack of real-time visibility: The marketing and operations teams found it difficult to track registration statuses across multiple events.
• Delayed communication: Follow-up emails, reminders, and confirmation messages were sent manually, causing inconsistent attendee engagement and slower response times.

Overall, this created operational bottlenecks that delayed event processing by up to 48 hours and reduced the team’s ability to focus on higher-value activities such as event strategy and engagement. Furthermore, error rates averaged around 15%, impacting customer experience and trust. [Source: internal client data]

Our Approach: Discovery and Proposal for Robust Automation

RestFlow began the engagement with an in-depth discovery phase:

• Process mapping: We documented the full lifecycle of an event registration, identifying manual handoffs and pain points.
• Stakeholder interviews: Talking with marketing, operations, and IT highlighted key data dependencies and approval workflows.
• Technology assessment: We analyzed their use of Microsoft Foundry, Gmail, Google Sheets, and internal CRMs to understand integration possibilities.

Given their needs for flexibility, ease of integration, and scalability, we proposed using Make (formerly Integromat) as the orchestration platform. Make’s visual workflow design, broad app ecosystem, and conditional logic capabilities made it ideal for handling complex event registration flows with minimal custom development.

At a high level, the architecture would involve:

• Triggering workflows on new registration submissions via a webhook from Microsoft Foundry.
• Enriching and validating data against Google Sheets and internal CRM records to ensure consistency.
• Automating confirmation emails through Gmail API and Slack notifications for the operations team.
• Logging all processed registrations in centralized Google Sheets for audit and reporting.

This approach promised to cut manual effort, minimize errors, and increase transparency. Explore the Automation Template Marketplace for similar event management automation templates that can jumpstart your journey.

Solution Architecture & Workflow

The architecture combined Microsoft Foundry as the event registration source with Make as the workflow orchestration platform coordinating integrations with Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, and the company’s CRM.

Global Architectural Components

• Triggers: HTTP webhook in Make receiving new registration data from Microsoft Foundry in real-time.
• Orchestration Platform: Make orchestrating data validation, enrichment, branching logic, email communications, and notifications.
• External Services: Google Sheets for registrant data validation and storage, Gmail API for automated email delivery, Slack for internal alerts/updates, CRM APIs for contact verification.
• Outputs: Confirmation emails to attendees, Slack alerts to operations team, entries in Google Sheets for reporting.

End-to-End Workflow Overview

1. Trigger: When Microsoft Foundry submits a new registration, it POSTs JSON data to a Make webhook.
2. Data Parsing & Validation: Make retrieves the payload, validates required fields (name, email, event ID), and checks for duplicates by querying Google Sheets and CRM.
3. Data Enrichment & Transformation: If the registrant’s email exists in CRM, enrich data with customer tags or subscription status.
4. Decision Branching: If the registration is valid and unique, proceed; if duplicate or invalid, generate alert and stop.
5. Communication: Send confirmation email via Gmail to the registrant with event details and calendar invite link.
6. Notification: Post a formatted message in the #event-ops Slack channel summarizing new registration.
7. Logging: Append registration data with timestamp in a centralized Google Sheet for audit and reporting.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🛠️

1. Webhook Trigger (Listening for Registrations)

This node receives HTTP POST requests from Microsoft Foundry upon new event registrations. Configure the webhook URL with:

• Header: Authorization token for securing the endpoint.
• Payload: JSON containing fields like name, email, event_id, registration_time.

The webhook outputs the raw payload to the next node for processing.

2. JSON Schema Validation and Field Mapping📋

Validate presence of mandatory fields using Make’s built-in JSON validation module. Map the fields to normalized names for downstream steps, e.g., mapping emailAddress to email. Invalid registrations trigger a Slack alert and halt further processing.

3. Duplicate Check Against Google Sheets and CRM🔍

Query Google Sheets with a filter matching the email and event_id combination to detect duplicates. If no match, perform an API search for the contact in the CRM by email using endpoint /contacts/search?email=xyz. Use Make’s Iterator and Filters to branch based on existence.

4. Data Enrichment and Conditional Logic✨

If CRM contact exists, enrich registration data with customer type, subscription status, or past event attendance fetched from CRM attributes. Conditional branching in Make determines if special handling or personalized messaging is needed.

5. Automated Confirmation Email via Gmail 📧

Populate a Gmail send email node with tailored templates including event details, calendar attachments, and personalized greetings. Use dynamic expressions such as Dear {{$json[“name”]}} to personalize.

6. Internal Notification via Slack 🔔

Post a formatted message in the #event-ops Slack channel summarizing registrant name, event, timestamp, and status. Use Slack’s Block Kit formatting for rich text and actionable buttons. Failures here trigger alternative SMS or email alerts for urgent ops awareness.

7. Logging and Reporting via Google Sheets 📊

Append detailed registration data and processing status as new rows in a central Google Sheet. This sheet acts as a live dashboard for reporting and historical audits.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling & Retries

Each critical node integrates retries with exponential backoff (starting at 1 minute, max 1 hour). If a step fails persistently, errors are logged both in Google Sheets and sent as Slack alerts with contextual info to expedite troubleshooting.

Idempotency & Deduplication

Deduplication relies on key (email + event_id) lookups prior to processing. The workflow is designed to discard duplicate webhook triggers gracefully without repeating confirmation emails or database writes.

Secure API & Data Protection

• All API keys and tokens are stored securely within Make’s credential vault, with least privilege access and token rotation policies.
• Payloads are transmitted over HTTPS and encrypted at rest.
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as emails and names are handled only within trusted environments and never exposed in logs or alerts.
• Access controls restrict workflow editing to select RestFlow engineers and client admins with audit trails.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

Designed for scalability, the workflow leverages webhooks instead of polling to reduce latency and system load as event volume grows. Queues within Make manage bursts of concurrent registrations by batching data operations for sheets and CRM.

It’s modular and version-controlled, allowing new event types, teams, or geographies to be added rapidly with parallel workflows. For example, new branches easily integrate WhatsApp notifications or alternative email providers.

RestFlow’s managed hosting ensures stability during peak usage with staged deployments and automated rollback capabilities.

Comparison Tables

Tool	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free self-hosted & paid cloud	Open-source, flexible, workflow code access	Requires hosting & technical setup
Make	Starts at $9/mo, scalable plans	Visual builder, extensive integrations, good error handling	Pricing grows with operations, complex workflows can be costly
Zapier	Starts at $20/mo	Highly user-friendly, large app ecosystem	Less suited for complex branching logic, limited concurrency

Integration Method	Latency	Resource Usage	Suitability for Event Registrations
Webhook	Near real-time	Efficient (only on event)	Highly suitable for immediate registration processing
Polling	Delayed (interval dependent)	Higher continuous load	Less efficient, risk of duplicate fetches

Storage Option	Scalability	Complex Queries	Cost	Use in This Workflow
Google Sheets	Moderate, good for small to medium data	Limited	Low (free-tier)	Audit log and deduplication checks
SQL Database (e.g., PostgreSQL)	High	Advanced query capabilities	Higher setup & maintenance cost	Recommended for large scale, complex workflows

Results & Business Impact

Following automation implementation, the client experienced remarkable improvements:

• Time Saved: Manual event registration processing reduced from 18+ hours weekly to under 2 hours. This freed up 16+ hours/week for strategic tasks. [Source: internal client reporting]
• Error Reduction: Data entry errors dropped from 15% to under 1%, thanks to validation, enrichment, and deduplication.
• Faster SLA: Registration confirmations are now sent within 5 minutes instead of 24–48 hours.
• Better Visibility: Real-time dashboards from Google Sheets and Slack notifications keep marketing and operations aligned.

The marketing team now focuses on content and engagement, while operations enjoys predictable workflows with near-zero manual intervention. This optimized process contributed to higher event attendance rates and improved customer satisfaction.

Pilot Phase & Ongoing Maintenance Disclaimer

It is important to note that a structured pilot phase was run initially to test the automated workflows with controlled registration data. During this period, minor bugs such as edge-case validation failures and API timeouts were identified and promptly fixed.

Following successful pilot validation, RestFlow assumed responsibility for managed hosting, continuous monitoring, updates, and audits, ensuring workflow robustness and timely adaptations to changing business needs. Automation is thus refined continuously with RestFlow as a dedicated long-term partner.

Conclusion: Transforming Event Registration with End-to-End Automation

This Austin-based technology consulting firm’s journey from manual, time-intensive event registration management consuming 18+ hours weekly to a streamlined, automated process illustrates the transformative power of well-designed automation workflows. By leveraging Microsoft Foundry integration, Make orchestrations, and core business tools like Gmail, Slack, and Google Sheets, RestFlow delivered a solution that improved data accuracy, accelerated communication, and enhanced operational visibility.

Most importantly, this project underscores the value of partnering with an expert Automation-as-a-Service provider. RestFlow not only designed and implemented the workflow but continues to host, monitor, and maintain it ensuring long-term reliability and scalability.

Whether you manage events, sales pipelines, or back-office tasks, automation can unlock significant time savings and elevate your operational excellence. Create Your Free RestFlow Account today and explore how ready-to-use automation templates can jumpstart your transformation.