The CRM Administration Panel controls how data is synchronized between your CRM account and your Act-On account.  Here you can configure the frequency of object synchronization and the object fields you choose to import into your account for use in segmentation, personalization, and reporting.

Features enabled by the CRM Administration sync:*

• CRM data preview
• Sales Personalization
• Import sales users from your CRM
• CRM Segmentation
• Email Personalization with CRM data
• Opt-Out Synchronization
• Revenue Attribution Report
• Marketing Funnel Report
• Account Based Marketing (Note: this is an add-on feature)

 *Available features vary by CRM and account contract - see CRM Integration Basics for details.

Prerequisites

• A supported CRM with an active connection to Act-On:
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • SugarCRM
  • Netsuite

Instructions

Set Up CRM Administration

Follow the steps below to set up your CRM Administration sync.

1. Log in to Act-On as a Marketing or Admin user
2. Navigate to Settings > CRM Administration
3. Select the fields you want to sync from each of the Objects (represented as tabs in Field Selection).
   • Note: Some fields are required for out-of-the-box reporting and other standard functionality in Act-On. These fields are pre-selected in the Field Selection section of the CRM Administration page and cannot be removed.
4. Select a Recurring Synchronization period. (Read the next section of this article for more information on syncing CRM data.)
5. If you choose to utilize Act-On's built in Opt-In/Out Synchronization, that can also be configured here. 
6. Select Update to save your changes.

Schedule and Run a CRM sync

Schedule the Recurring Synchronization so that it runs prior to your individual list syncs.

• Why? This will allow any list segments that are relying on relational data (eg Opportunities) to update.

Use the Synchronize Now button to synchronize all selected fields on-demand.

• Why? You can use this to sync new fields rather than waiting for your regularly scheduled sync.

Review your CRM Data

Once you have successfully synced with your CRM, you will see this information on the CRM Administration panel:

• Data Objects available for syncing. (See FAQs below for more information.)
• Number of records for each Object
• Fields available for syncing 

For each Object, you will see a link to View records. This reveals all of the records available to Act-On. This preview can be helpful to review when creating CRM segments.

Field Selection

Review the fields for each object and check the ones that you will use for marketing. This will impact the fields available when creating Funnel Reports, Email personalization, list segmentation, Account Based Marketing (eg creating groups).

When you are finished reviewing data and selecting fields, click Update at the top right. You will be prompted to re-sync with the new settings.

Some fields are selected by default and cannot be unchecked. These fields are required.

FAQs

How is the CRM Administration sync different from a List sync?

CRM Administration Sync:

The CRM Administration page allows Act-On to sync metadata with your CRM. It is a required pre-requisite for many Act-On features. Act-On uses this data to fill reports such as Revenue Impact, Revenue Attribution, and Marketing Funnels. It allows Act-On to see your CRM schema and associate fields within Standard Field Names.

The data also allows clients who have Account-Based Marketing to pull in Accounts as well as create segments based off of the marketing lists.

CRM Administration data is not data that marketers have direct access to use. It will not change data in your marketing lists nor will it change data in your CRM. It will, however, update members in CRM segment logic and information contained in reports.

Marketing List Sync:

A marketing list sync will directly update field values for all columns selected in the CRM-connected marketing list. This directly impacts the data associated with a particular contact/lead. Depending on how the sync is configured, it can impact record data in Act-On as well as the data in your CRM.

Comparison

See this chart below for a breakdown of what each feature accomplishes within Act-On:

*Opt-Out syncing via the CRM Administration panel is currently not available for SugarCRM. 

**These fields are available after running a sync in CRM Administration.

Which CRMs are available with this feature?

At this time, the CRM Administration panel can sync with:

• Microsoft Dynamics
• Salesforce
• SugarCRM*
• Netsuite

 *Opt-In/Opt-Out syncing via the CRM Administration panel is currently not available for SugarCRM. For a custom setup, see our guide here: Syncing Opt-outs with a SugarCRM Account

What field does Act-On use to push and pull Opt-Outs?

This varies by CRM.

Which CRM objects are supported?

The CRM Administration panel currently supports importing data from these CRM entities:

• Leads
• Contacts
  • For Netsuite, this includes Customers, Prospects, Leads, and Unaffiliated records.
• Opportunities
• Accounts
• Campaigns
• Campaigns (associated with Opportunities)
• Owners
• Groups

This varies by CRM.

What if I need to import more objects from my CRM?

This is a customization that Act-On may be able to assist you with. Contact our Professional Services Team for more information.