If your go-to-market (GTM) team lives in Salesforce and runs account plans in Kapta, you know the pain: double entry, messy data, and endless questions about what’s up to date. Integrating the two doesn’t have to be a science project. This guide is for GTM leaders, ops folks, and admins who want a Salesforce–Kapta setup that’s useful—not just technically “integrated.”
Whether you’re mapping out your first sync, or your current integration is more trouble than it’s worth, the advice below is for people who value clarity over buzzwords.
1. Get Clear on Why You're Syncing
Before you touch any settings, nail down your goals. Most teams rush into connecting systems, then end up with a tangle nobody trusts.
Ask yourself: - Which teams need which data, and what for? - Is the point to automate reporting, keep account plans aligned, or something else? - How often does the data really need to update?
Pro tip:
If you can’t draw your ideal workflow on a napkin, you’re not ready to integrate. Overcomplicated syncs break, and nobody wants another dashboard they ignore.
2. Decide What to Sync—And What to Ignore
Not all Salesforce data belongs in Kapta. The Kapta platform is built for account management and strategic planning, not as a dumping ground for every field in Salesforce.
Stick to the essentials: - Account details: Name, owner, industry, status. - Contacts: Name, title, email, phone. - Opportunity basics: Stage, close date, value (if you use Kapta for pipeline visibility).
Skip: - Every single custom field (unless your process depends on it). - Raw activity logs or chatter posts (they’ll clog Kapta and nobody will read them). - Data you can’t keep up to date—outdated info is worse than missing info.
Pro tip:
Start small. You can always add more fields later. Most teams regret syncing too much, not too little.
3. Map Fields Thoughtfully
Field mapping is where most integrations go sideways. Salesforce and Kapta don’t use the same names, formats, or picklists.
How to avoid a mess: - Build a field mapping doc—literally a spreadsheet. List Salesforce fields in one column, Kapta fields in another, and note any differences. - Watch out for mismatches: Picklist values in Salesforce might not match Kapta options. - Decide what happens when there’s a conflict: Which system “wins” if data differs?
Don’t:
Assume out-of-the-box mappings will capture your process. They won’t.
Do:
Involve someone who actually uses Kapta day-to-day. They’ll spot issues you won’t.
4. Choose the Right Sync Direction
Not all integrations should be two-way. Sometimes, read-only is the way to go.
Your options: - One-way (Salesforce → Kapta): Best if Salesforce is your single source of truth. - Two-way: Riskier—now you have to manage conflicts, and users in both systems can overwrite each other. - Manual push: Sometimes the “automated” solution is just a button that pushes data when you want it.
Honest take:
Most GTM teams are better off with one-way sync. Two-way sync sounds nice, but it’s rare that both tools should update each other all the time.
5. Nail Down Data Hygiene (Before You Sync)
If Salesforce is full of junk, so will Kapta be. Garbage in, garbage out.
Checklist before syncing: - Clean up duplicates in Salesforce. Kapta won’t magically merge them. - Standardize picklists and key fields (like industry, region, status). - Archive or close out dead accounts and contacts.
Pro tip:
Run a pilot with just a handful of accounts before rolling out to everyone. It’ll surface weird data issues you didn’t know you had.
6. Set Up the Integration (The Right Way)
Whether you’re using Kapta’s built-in Salesforce connector, a third-party tool, or a custom integration, don’t just click “sync” and hope for the best.
Steps to follow: 1. Test in a sandbox (not your live data). Always. 2. Map fields carefully—use your doc from Step 3. 3. Limit permissions: Only allow the integration user to access what’s actually needed. 4. Set a sync schedule: Real-time sounds good, but hourly or daily is usually fine (and safer). 5. Log errors and mismatches somewhere people will actually check.
Avoid: - Giving blanket admin access to integration users. - Turning on “sync all” settings without knowing what’s about to happen.
7. Communicate with Your Team
Nothing kills adoption faster than surprising people with new data, fields, or processes.
How to do it right: - Let users know what’s changing and when. - Make it clear where they should enter or update data going forward. - Provide a feedback loop. If something’s wrong, people need to know who to tell.
Don’t:
Send a 20-slide deck nobody will read. A quick Loom video or one-pager works better.
8. Monitor, Audit, and Iterate
Integration isn’t fire-and-forget. You’ll uncover edge cases, data oddities, and user complaints.
Best practices: - Schedule a monthly review: Are the right fields syncing? Any duplicates? Are people actually using the new process? - Track sync errors and address them—don’t let your integration rot. - Add fields or tweak mappings as your GTM process evolves.
Warning:
Don’t chase perfect. Aim for “good enough” and improve over time.
What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
Focus on: - Data your team actually uses. - Making workflows simpler, not more complicated. - Keeping integration maintainable (so you’re not fixing it every month).
Ignore: - Fancy dashboards nobody checks. - Syncing “just in case” data. - Over-engineering. If you need three pages of flowcharts, your setup’s too complex.
Wrapping Up: Start Simple, Improve as You Go
The best Salesforce–Kapta integrations aren’t the most automated—they’re the most useful. Start with what your team needs now. Test with real users, not just admin eyes. Don’t be afraid to trim back if something’s not working.
Remember, simple beats perfect. Keep your integration light, review it regularly, and your GTM team will thank you.