Want Trello on steroids?
If you’re a Trello fan but are lookin’ for something with a bit more oomf, you should try Butler -the bot made to automate common Trello tasks.
While bots aren’t new to Trello, Butler is one of the first fully developed and warmly received Trello bots available. Developed by Ludible, the bot is getting props for making Trello board maintenance quicker and easier.
Here’s how it works
Invite Butler as a member to your Trello board of choice and the bot will automatically generate a new list.
Populate that list with commands you want automated and the bot-ler will take over the rest.
Commands can be written in plain English as card titles.
These commands are the bread and butter.
They’re composed of an action and a corresponding trigger. For instance, if you need Butler to move a card to “done” once all its to-do items are checked, simply type : “When I complete the ‘Things to do’ checklist, move the card to the ‘Done’ list.”
Maybe you need Butler to recognize if an item is due and shoot it to the top of your To-Do list.
The command “On the card’s due date, move it to the top of the To-Do list” will give your new favorite bot all of the logic it needs to prioritize your To-Do list.
Create, copy, move or archive a card are all common actions Butler understands.
As far as triggers, they tell Butler when to take a specified action.
Some common trigger keywords are when, every, and on due date. If that’s too much to keep track of, there is a command builder. All you have to do is select from a handy list of actions and triggers.
Recent reviews
So far the bot has gotten praise for being a true time saver. Board owners no longer have to keep up with moving cards, archiving cards, or changing labels.
Plus, like with a real life butler you can choose a service level.
The levels range from a free White Glove service which allows for 500 operations per week to the Royal Treatment which allows for 10,000 operations a week.
Not all rainbows
On the flip side, Butler and other bots do require access to our personal data. The demo page claims “Butler Bot doesn’t store, send or do anything with the content of the cards that is not required for the strict purpose of providing the service to you.”
As the rise of bots continue, we’re going to have to ask ourselves how much do we trust these privacy guarantees? Like a real life butler, bots can offer personalized assistance, but the trade off is giving it access to almost every room in our home.
