Setting Up Form Submissions to All Contacts

When you update a Form previously set up for Marketing Lists in Act-On to submit to All Contacts, it changes how new submissions are tracked. This article explains what that means and what to expect, especially around behavior segmentation and legacy Form data.

What Happens When You Switch a Form to "Send to All Contacts"?

When you update your Form to Send to Act-On Contacts (Learn more), all new Form submissions feed into your All Act-On Contacts database. A new Form submission list is created, which stores Form-specific data (like submission date, URL, referral, etc.) as well as any additional profile fields you wish to display under the Form Submission tab within the Audience Center > All Contacts section.

Behavior Segments

You can create behavior segments based on submission activity within All Contacts directly from the Form setup, thus creating a secondary segment you can reference to identify contacts that submitted that Form.

Why Your Behavior Segments & Form Lists Might Not Match

If you're seeing a discrepancy between your Behavior Segments and the Form Submission List/Report, here's what might be happening:

Behavior Segments

Behavior Segments under Audience Center > All Contacts may include all contacts in your Audience Center database who have ever submitted that Form, both before the upgrade (if you migrated the legacy Form list) and after it was configured to submit to All Contacts.

You may find that some contacts on your old submission list may not have been imported into the Audience Center. To bring them in, go to the Audience Center and follow the instructions noted in the Migrating Legacy Form Submissions (If Needed) section below.

Form Submission Lists

Meanwhile, the Form Submissions list found under Audience Center > All Contacts > Form Submissions only reflects new contacts who submitted the Form after the update to submit to the Audience Center.

So, if you've imported legacy data into All Contacts, your behavior segment will show both past and new submissions, while the Form Submissions list only shows new ones, meaning these two views will never align. For any new Forms/lists that you build, this mismatch should not occur. If it does, please contact Support for assistance.

Migrating Legacy Form Submissions (If Needed)

If your Form wasn’t originally set to push to your CRM or into a Master List you’ve already imported:

1. Go to Audience Center > All Contacts > (upper right corner) > Import Contacts.
2. Select import an existing list.
3. From the dropdown menu on the left, select Form Submissions.
4. Select your legacy Form list to import into the Audience Center & click Map Fields.
5. Map your profile fields only (You likely do not want to create new profile fields to store the Form-specific submission data that is on this list under All Contacts).
6. When you have finished, click Next & then Import Contacts.

This ensures your behavior segments in All Contacts include both past and new submissions.

Using Classic Forms? Additional Steps are Required

If you're still using Classic Forms, you’ll need to:

• Migrate the Form to the latest Forms Composer. Learn more
• Use the Forms Upgrade Assistant to change the Form to submit to All Contacts.
• In the Forms Composer, review settings on the Properties tab & mappings (Design tab > Settings > Field Mappings) to ensure everything is still aligned with your needs.
• Replace the old Form code or link on your website with the new version.

Using the Forms Upgrade Assistant Tool (Preferred Method)

To make upgrading your Forms easier, we offer a Forms Upgrade Assistant tool that lets you migrate multiple Forms at once, no need to do them one by one. If you decide to use this tool, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Field Mapping: Only fields that have already been set up as Standard or Custom will be available to map during the upgrade. If any of your Forms use profile fields you haven’t created yet, it’s best to add those before upgrading. Other fields can be set to “don’t map to a contact field.” These will be Form-specific fields that appear on the Form submission list only.
• Form List Names: You won’t be able to rename your Form lists using this tool. Once they’ve been created through the bulk upgrade, if you want to use a different name, you’ll need to create a new Form list name through the Form Properties tab and delete the one generated by the migration.
• Post-Migration Review: After using the tool, be sure to review the Properties and Design tabs of each Form. Check the Contact Update Settings, CRM Sync Settings, and Field Mappings to make sure everything is set up correctly.
• Legacy Form Lists: Upgrading your Forms with this tool does not automatically migrate the old lists to All Contacts. To ensure contacts from past submissions are included, you'll need to manually import any legacy Form lists into the Audience Center.

How to Update a Form to Submit to All Contacts Not Using the Upgrader Tool

1. Go to Content > Forms & open to edit the Form you want.
2. In the Properties tab, under Form Submission Data, choose the Send to Act-On Contacts option.
3. Type in your new Form Submission List Name.
4. Under Response, configure your Contact Record Updates in Act-On (excludes updates to CRM). Decide how Form data should be handled in Act-On for:
   • Existing Contacts (overwrite or not?)
   • Duplicate Emails (which record to update?)
   • Duplicate Form Submissions (view all or most recent?)
5. For CRM Users, review the CRM Settings.
   Confirm that your Field Push Settings are set up correctly under Settings > Data Management. Learn more
   Decide:
   • If New Submissions will be Pushed.
   • Overwrite existing data?
   • Use list push settings to push select fields (meaning only fields set up there will push during the scheduled sync)
   • Add Note?
   • Add to CRM Campaign?
   • Create new records as Lead or Contact
6. In the Design tab > Settings > Field Mappings, review/update mapping for each Form field to either:
   • A Contact Field if you want it in All Contacts and synced with your CRM.
   • Or a Form Data Field if it’s just intended to be used in Act-On/temporary Form info.