Act-On’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics (MS Dynamics) allows you to share information and use your MS Dynamics database for intelligence gathering. The integration will also allow MS Dynamics users to see any marketing activities a lead or contact has participated in, so that when the individual is contact, the MS Dynamics user has insight into their interests.
A bi-directional relationship with Dynamics allows you as the marketer to push and then pull data between the two systems that will synchronize your two databases. When using the Dynamics Integration you may use not only the Dynamics Standard Fields for marketing and segmentation but custom fields associated with the Lead and Contact entities.
When importing from Dynamics you can pull your full list of Leads and/or Contacts, any Static Marketing List, and Dynamic Marketing Lists into Act-On. Importing any of these will create a list within Act-On that contains all of the individuals associated with that group so that you can send email campaigns to them, segment and manipulate the data or add newly qualified leads into your MS Dynamics account.
Read on to learn how to integrate Act-On with Microsoft Dynamics.
Supported Versions
As of January 1, 2023, Act-On no longer supports the following Microsoft Dynamics integrations:
- 2011 v5
- 2013 v6
- 2015 v7
- 2016 v8.0
- 2016 v8.1
If you use any of these versions and cannot upgrade to Dynamics 2016 v8.2 or 365, Act-On will no longer provide support for any issues with the integration and you will not be able to use Act-On’s contact data management features.
Connect to MS Dynamics
Set Up Your Connection
Prior to integrating, the accounts must be connected. Follow our guide for setting up your connection between Act-On and your version of MS Dynamics.
Understand Your Data Options
There are several data options available when setting up your connection. These options will impact your data flow between MS Dynamics and Act-On. Make sure you understand each of these options so that you are managing your CRM data in Act-On effectively.
Microsoft Dynamics Connector Options
Set Up the Act-On Package in MS Dynamics
Install the Package and Register Users
The Act-On package in MS Dynamics will allow your users to utilize Act-On features directly from MS Dynamics.
You will need to work in conjunction with your MS Dynamics System Administrator to install this tool.
Install Act-On for Microsoft Dynamics and Register Users
Act-On Marketing Platform for Microsoft Dynamics - Troubleshooting Guide
Uninstall or Upgrade Your Package
Follow these instructions to upgrade or remove the package from your MS Dynamics account.
Synchronize MS Dynamics Data with Act-On
Now that you are connected, there are several steps to complete so that you can synchronize data fields, import marketing lists, generate reports based on CRM data, and send personalized emails on behalf of your sales team.
Data Management
The Data Management panel is a management tool for pulling the schema from MS Dynamics, which details the MS Dynamics objects (such as Leads and Contacts) and associated data fields.
A recurring synchronization is required for the following features:
This setup may be completed by an Act-On administrator or marketing user:
Standard Field Names
Configuring Standard Field Names in Act-On to match your MS Dynamics fields will prevent data management issues.
Act-On marketing and administrative users can complete this step.
Import MS Dynamics Lead and Contact Lists
You can now import your Leads and Contacts from MS Dynamics. This will create new marketing lists of Act-On contacts which you can create segments and send emails to. This article also applies to importing MS Dynamics Marketing Lists and Reports.
Act-On marketing and administrative users can import lists.
Synchronize data fields
These data fields need specific setup to synchronize with MS Dynamics:
Reporting
Hot Prospects Setup
The Hot Prospects dashboard identifies the most active leads and contacts based on scoring rules defined in Act-On. Sales users will see their personal Top 20 Hot Prospects in the Act-On Tab in MS Dynamics.
Account Report Setup
You can also give your sales users access to the Account Report to easily view account-level data from Act-On from MS Dynamics. See the CRM Customization Toolkit Guide for setup instructions.
Additional Reports
Act-On has other reports available using CRM data. Follow these guides to set them up.