Take any form submission and you probably want something to happen next. You want to send an email, create a CRM contact, log the data in a spreadsheet, update an inventory system. But your form tool might not have a built-in integration for every system you use. That is where webhooks come in.
This article covers how webhooks work, what you can automate with them, and how to set them up even if you are not technical.
What a webhook is and how it works
A webhook is a way for your form tool to automatically send data to another system. Instead of you copying and pasting data between systems, the form tool does it for you automatically.
Here is the flow: Someone submits your form. Your form tool receives the submission. Instead of stopping there, the form tool sends that data to a webhook URL you provide. That webhook URL is connected to another system (could be your own custom application, a third-party service, a spreadsheet, etc.). The webhook delivers the data to that system. The system receives it and does something with it (creates a record, sends an email, updates an inventory, etc.).
All of this happens in seconds. No manual work required.
Webhooks vs. native integrations
Many form tools have native integrations with popular CRMs and email platforms. Click a button, authenticate, and you are done. Those are easier because they are pre-built.
Webhooks are different. They are flexible but require more setup. You are essentially telling the form tool "send this data to this URL" instead of "send this data to my CRM" (which is pre-built).
When do you use webhooks instead of native integrations?
When your service is not on the native integration list: Your form tool integrates with a popular CRM but not your custom CRM. Use a webhook.
When you need custom logic: You do not just want to send data as-is. You want to transform it, filter it, or combine it with other data. Webhooks let you do that.
When you want to connect to internal systems: Your company has a custom application or internal database that is not a public service. A webhook can send form data to it.
Common webhook use cases
Sending data to a custom application
You built your own form handling system or have a custom internal tool. A webhook sends form submissions to your application so it can process them your way.
Creating Slack notifications
When someone submits a form, send a message to your Slack channel automatically. Your team gets instant notification without having to check the form tool.
Updating a Google Sheet or Excel spreadsheet
Every form submission automatically adds a row to a spreadsheet. You have a real-time log of all submissions without manually adding them.
Logging data to a custom database
Send form data to a database you control. You keep full copies of everything for your records or custom analysis.
Triggering SMS or text messages
When someone submits a form, automatically send them a text message confirmation. Or send a text to your team.
Creating tasks or tickets
When someone requests support through a form, automatically create a support ticket in your ticketing system. When someone requests a demo, create a task for your sales team.
Uploading files to cloud storage
When someone uploads a file through your form, automatically save it to Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3.
How to set up a webhook (without being technical)
If you are not a developer, you do not need to build a webhook from scratch. Use a no-code automation service that handles webhooks for you.
Using an automation tool (the easy way)
An automation tool is a no-code service. You do not write any code. You just click buttons and configure rules.
Step 1: In the automation tool, create a new automation. Choose your form tool as the trigger ("when a form is submitted").
Step 2: Authorize your form tool. Log in with your form tool credentials.
Step 3: Choose your form and which submissions should trigger the automation (all submissions, or only certain ones based on conditions).
Step 4: Choose the action. What should happen when a form is submitted? "Add a row to Google Sheets"? "Send a Slack message"? "Create a CRM lead"? Most automation tools support hundreds of actions.
Step 5: Map your fields. Connect form fields to action fields (form email = Slack email, form message = Slack message, etc.).
Step 6: Test it. Submit a test form and verify the action happened.
Understanding webhook data format
When a webhook sends data, it uses a standard format called JSON. You do not need to understand JSON to use webhooks through an automation tool, but if you are building a custom webhook, you will see it.
JSON just means the data is organized as pairs: field name = value. For example: "email" = "jane@example.com", "name" = "Jane Smith", "message" = "I'm interested in pricing".
Most webhook services automatically parse this for you. You just see the data in a readable format.
Webhook reliability and error handling
What happens if your webhook fails? If the receiving system is down when the form tool tries to send data?
Good webhook systems retry. They will try again if the first attempt fails. Usually they retry a few times over several minutes or hours. If all retries fail, they log the failure so you can see what happened and retry manually.
This is why testing is important. Test your webhook setup with a test form submission. Make sure the data actually arrives at the destination before enabling it for real submissions.
How WEMASY handles webhooks
WEMASY supports webhooks on all forms. You can provide a custom webhook URL and WEMASY will send submission data to it automatically. WEMASY also integrates with automation tools directly, so you can set up automations without needing to write webhook code. Configure webhooks in your WEMASY form settings or check the pricing page to see which integrations are included in your plan.