Connecting NetSuite to Act-On

  • Updated

The connection between your NetSuite and Act-On accounts is the foundation for most of your marketing automation work. It's what allows you to bring contacts from NetSuite, send leads from Act-On, and keep all of it in sync.

To set up the connection you'll need to be logged in as an Administrator in both NetSuite and Act-On.

Start in NetSuite 

Get Your NetSuite Account ID & Enable Token-based Authentication

  1. Sign into your NetSuite account as a user with Administrator access.
  2. Make a note of your NetSuite account ID. Your NetSuite account ID is at the beginning of the NetSuite URL. For example, if the URL is https://1234567.app.netsuite.com/ your account ID is 1234567.
  3. Go to Setup > Company > Enable Features > SuiteCloud.
  4. Ensure that the following features are enabled:
    • SuiteScript:
      - Client SuiteScript
      - Server SuiteScript
    • SuiteTalk:
      - Web Services
    • Manage Authentication:
      - SuiteSignOn
      - Token-Based Authentication
  5. If you made changes to enable any of these features, click Save.

Create an Act-On Integration in NetSuite

Next, we'll create a new integration record in NetSuite that Act-On will use to connect.

  1. Under Setup, navigate to Integration > Manage Integrations > New.
  2. Enter "Act-On" as the integration Name.
  3. Ensure State is set to Enabled
  4. In the Authentication section, select both Token Based Authentication and User Credentials.
  5. Click Save
  6. A Consumer Key and Consumer Secret are displayed. Copy these to a separate file (such as Word or Google Doc); these appear only one time.

Create (or Locate) an Access Role in NetSuite

If your NetSuite environment already has an appropriate role then you can skip this step. If not then follow the steps below to create a new role. (If you're not sure then it's generally just easier to create a new one!)

  1. Under Setup, navigate to Users/Roles > Manage Roles > New.
  2. Enter "Act-On Integration" as the name of the new role.
  3. The minimum permissions required for a NetSuite role connecting to Act-On are:
    • Employee Restrictions: None
    • Subsidiary Restrictions: (enable) All
    • Permissions > Lists
      • Accounts: Full
      • Classes: Full
      • Companies: Full
      • Contact Roles: Full
      • Contacts: Full
      • Custom Record Entries: Full
      • Customer Profile: Full
      • Customers: Full
      • Employee Records: View
      • Employees: View
      • Marketing Campaigns: Full
      • Notes Tab: Full
      • Subsidiaries: Full (if applicable)
      • Track Messages: Full
    • Permissions > Setup
      • Accounting Lists: Full
      • CRM Lists: Full
      • Company Information: Full
      • Custom Entity Fields: Full
      • Custom Fields: Full
      • Custom Lists: Full
      • Custom Record Types: Full
      • Customer Status: Full
      • Deleted Records: Full
      • User Access Tokens
      • WebServices: Full
    • Forms > Entity
      • Ensure all form options for Type > Contact are enabled
      • Ensure all form options for Type > Customer/Lead/Prospect are enabled
    In NetSuite, permissions will vary based on department, subsidiary, role, and other settings that may have been customized for your account. If you are experiencing permissions errors with specific fields, records, or data types please contact your NetSuite Administrator for assistance.
  4. Click Save.

Create a NetSuite Integration User & Assign the Access Role

While any NetSuite user can be used, it is a best practice to create a new user in NetSuite that is only used by Act-On. This ensures that any records created or updated by Act-On are done as that user.

If you decide to use an existing user you can skip this step.

  1. Under Lists, navigate to Employees > Employees > New.
  2. In Primary Information, select a Custom Form from the list and enter a Name for the user.
  3. In Email, enter an email address for the user.
  4. In Classification, select a Subsidiary from the list.
  5. Under Access, select Give Access, and assign a password in line with your organization's password policy.
  6. In Roles, select the "Act-On Integration" role you created earlier and click Add.
  7. Click Save.

Create Access Tokens in NetSuite

Act-On connects to NetSuite using Token-Based Authentication.
  1. Under Setup, navigate to Users/Roles > Access Tokens > New.
  2. From the Application Name list, select the "Act-On" integration you created earlier.
  3. Select the User you created above.
  4. In Role, select the "Act-On Integration" role you created earlier.
  5. The Token Name field will auto-populate. You may edit this.
  6. Click Save.
  7. A Token ID and Token Secret are displayed. Copy these to a separate file.

Connect Act-On to NetSuite

With everything set up in NetSuite, we'll go to Act-On and complete the connection.

  1. Sign in to your Act-On account as an Administrator
  2. Go to Settings > Connectors > CRM > NetSuite.
  3. Click Connect.
  4. Enter the credentials you stored earlier:
    • NetSuite account ID
    • Token ID
    • Token Secret
    • Consumer Key
    • Consumer Secret
  5. Click Login.
  6. A successful connection shows as:

Connecting NetSuite to Act-On 01.png

  1. The Status for new companies menu appears showing the status list for your NetSuite account. (There are standard options, but this list is likely customized for your organization.)
  2. Select the status you want to use for new leads. If you are unsure, make a reasonable choice for now -- you can always update it at a later time.

Next Steps

Congratulations! NetSuite and Act-On are now connected. The next step is to synchronize your NetSuite CRM data with Act-On.

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