A bidirectional relationship between Act-On and NetSuite allows marketing users to push and pull data between the two systems, keeping Act-On lists synchronized with the NetSuite database. Typically, this means pulling contact information such as name, email address, and other contact details from NetSuite and pushing the Act-On lead score back to NetSuite to allow the sales team to see their most engaged contacts from within NetSuite.

Importing NetSuite Marketing Lists

After you've connected your NetSuite CRM with Act-On, you can begin to import your NetSuite lists. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Create lead-level and contact-level fields in NetSuite that will accommodate the Act-On behavior score. You can call it 'Act-On Lead Score' or 'Behavior Score', for example.
• In Act-On, click Contacts, and choose Marketing Lists.
• Click Import, and choose from the following available lists:
  • Affiliated with Customers – This is a contact whose affiliated company's stage is set to Customer
  • Affiliated with Prospects – This is a contact whose affiliated company's stage is set to Prospect
  • Affiliated with Leads – This is a contact whose affiliated company's stage is set to Lead
  • Unaffiliated – Any contact who is not affiliated with a company
• Change the name of the list being imported to Act-On, if necessary.
• Click Next, and select any fields you want to import from NetSuite to Act-On.
  • The imported data can be used to make segments in Act-On, as well as personalized messages. Fields can be added and removed after the initial import.
  • There are a couple of special fields:
    • Email – Act-on uses email addresses to track behavior, so this is important to include
    • Act-On Score – This custom field created in NetSuite via the Act-On connector (see step 1 above) is meant to contain the Act-On lead score. If you would like to see the Act-On lead score in NetSuite, then select this field.
• Click Finish.
• Repeat steps 2 to 6 to import other lists (prospects, leads, customers, and unaffiliated).

Once your marketing lists are imported from NetSuite, it is important to make sure your NetSuite and Act-On lists are synchronized. The initial import is only a one-time event. If you wish to keep the list synchronized with NetSuite, automated sync can be enabled. 

Synchronizing NetSuite Marketing Lists to Act-On

• Click the NetSuite marketing list you wish to sync, and click the drop-down arrow.
• Choose Import/Export > NetSuite CRM Sync Setup.
• Enable the option to push to and/or pull from NetSuite.
  • Typically, Act-On users will push the Act-On lead score to NetSuite and pull all of the other values. To do this:
    • Click the Push to NetSuite CRM checkbox
    • Click the update checkbox under Push
    • Click the Select Push-Update Fields link and select Score
    • After saving, click on Pull from NetSuite CRM
  • You can then choose to click the Add checkbox if you would like new contacts to be added to Act-On. Most users select this. Check to Remove if you would like to remove contacts from Act-On that were removed in the NetSuite CRM. Check the Update box under Pull and click on the Select Pull-Update Fields link and unselect Score.
• Click Schedule to set when you would like the sync to occur.
• Click Save.
• Repeat these steps for the other NetSuite marketing lists you would like to keep in sync.

How does Act-On create a new lead?

NetSuite needs to associate new records with a company in order to set the status of a new contact as a lead. Here's how Act-On handles this:

• We check the value in the system usage mapped field for “Contact’s Company” to see if the company already exists
• If so, we add the new record to that company
• If not, we create a new company with the status “Lead –NEW” based upon the name in the system usage mapped field for “Contact’s Company”, then add the new record affiliated with the new company record we created.

Updating the Behavior Score for Your Leads Using List Maintenance Programs

If you wish to push the Act-On lead score back to NetSuite, you will need to update the Score column prior to doing the sync. This can be done with the help of a list maintenance program. 

1. Choose the list to be updated and click the drop-down arrow.
2. Choose Maintenance, and Setup Maintenance Program.
3. Enter a name for the program, and click Add a Step.
4. Choose Change Field Value.
5. Enter a step name, choose the Act-On behavior score field as the update field, and then choose to set the value to the Behavioral Score.
6. Click Done and then click on the Only when clicking the Now button link to set up the schedule.
7. Set the schedule to be earlier than the sync you set up. For example, if the sync is to be set to happen at midnight, make sure the behavior score update is finished prior to the sync (e.g. 11:00 pm.).
8. Click Save, and then the Listing button to finish.
9. Repeat these steps for any other lists that include the lead score.

The list is now fully set up to sync. Its listing will show the NetSuite icon on the left and the gear icon for the maintenance program and calendar for the scheduled sync on the right.

Pull Your NetSuite Lead Source into Act-On

NetSuite CRM users can now pull the Lead Source field from NetSuite into Act-On. Once the date from this field is in Act-On, it can be used for segmentation and more. To set the field to be pulled, navigate to your NetSuite connector and check the Lead Source box.