Salesforce integrations with the rest of the business
Your systems should exchange data on their own. The Salesforce partner does not know WordPress and the web agency does not know Salesforce. Here one person knows both.
What I connect
Outlook and Microsoft 365
Emails, meetings and contacts visible in Salesforce, the Salesforce panel in Outlook, calendar sync both ways. Sign-in with a Microsoft account.
Google services
Gmail and Google Calendar connected to the CRM, data in Sheets, files on Drive attached to records.
Website and forms
Enquiries from your site, WordPress included, land in Salesforce as leads or cases. Assigned to a sales rep, with a notification.
Online shop
WooCommerce customers and orders in the CRM. Purchase history on the contact, segments for campaigns.
Invoicing and accounting
A closed opportunity creates an invoice or an order in the finance system. Payment status comes back to the CRM.
Project and HR systems
An example from my work: closing an opportunity in Salesforce sets up the project in Kantata and Workday through Workato.
Other company systems
Warehouse, in-house tools, databases. Through the API or an integration platform.
Repair and care
Diagnosing an integration that stopped working after an update. Monitoring and alerts, so you find out before the customer does.
How it goes
Analysis
Which data, in which direction, how often, what happens on error. An hour’s call and access to both systems.
Quote
A fixed price for the integration after the analysis. You know up front what is in scope.
Build on a copy
A Salesforce sandbox and a copy of the other system where possible. Tests on real cases.
Go-live
First one way or for a subset of data, then in full. Instructions for users.
Care
Monitoring, fixes after updates, changes of scope as the business changes.
What I connect with
Built-in connectors from Salesforce for Outlook and Gmail, when they are enough. They are the cheapest to maintain.
An integration platform (Workato or similar), when there are several systems and the logic keeps changing. Changes can be made without a developer.
Custom code against the API (Apex, REST, webhooks), when running cost matters or no connector exists. With an error log and retries.
I choose for the task and for what you already have. Experience: Workato, REST and SOAP APIs, Kantata, Workday, NetSuite, Snowflake, WordPress and WooCommerce.
Questions about integrations
What does an integration cost?
A fixed price after a short analysis. A simple website form integration is a few hours. Two-way order exchange is a project of several days.
What if the integration stops working?
Every integration has a log and an alert. With ongoing support I fix it from the pool of hours; without, as a single job.
Do we have to pay for an integration platform?
Not always. For a single connection a Salesforce connector or custom code is usually enough. I suggest a platform when there are several connections.
Do you have experience with our invoicing system?
If it has an API or a file export, it can be connected. Put the system’s name in the form and I will check before we talk.
Have Salesforce and a list of things that are waiting? Tell me what needs doing.
I reply within one business day. The first call is free of obligation.
Tell me what needs doing
Describe the problem or the list of things that are waiting. I reply within one business day with questions or straight away with a proposal.