If your CRM is full of spotty, half-baked contact info, you’re not alone. Most sales and marketing teams have to deal with missing job titles, outdated emails, and contacts who seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. You know what would help? Reliable, up-to-date LinkedIn profiles—right inside your CRM. That’s where Surfe comes in.
This guide is for anyone who's tired of digging through tabs and spreadsheets just to figure out who they’re emailing. I’ll walk you through exactly how to use Surfe to connect your CRM with LinkedIn, what to expect, and what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).
Why bother enriching CRM data with LinkedIn profiles?
Let’s be honest: most CRM data is a mess. People change jobs, companies rebrand, and not everyone fills out every field. LinkedIn, for all its flaws, is still the most up-to-date source of professional info for most people. Pulling that data into your CRM means:
- Fewer awkward “Are you still at Acme Corp?” emails.
- Context on who you’re talking to, without 10 open tabs.
- Cleaner, more useful CRM reports.
But this process can be tedious and error-prone if you do it by hand. Surfe’s pitch is that it automates the grunt work—so you can actually use your CRM instead of babysitting it.
What is Surfe, and does it work?
Surfe is a browser extension that connects LinkedIn and your CRM (think HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Copper). It lets you add or update CRM contacts with LinkedIn data from right inside LinkedIn itself—no copy-pasting, no CSV imports.
What Surfe can actually do:
- Find and match LinkedIn profiles with CRM contacts.
- Pull in info like current job, company, email (if available), and phone.
- Add new contacts to your CRM from LinkedIn with a click.
- Update stale CRM records with new LinkedIn info.
What it can’t do:
- Magically find email addresses for every LinkedIn contact—if it’s not public or in your CRM, you’re out of luck.
- Fill in every data field perfectly. Some info (like direct dials) may be missing.
- Work outside supported CRMs or browsers. It’s Chrome-first, and some CRM integrations are better than others.
Bottom line: Surfe saves time, but don’t expect perfection. You’ll still need to review and clean up some data.
Step 1: Set up Surfe and connect your CRM
First things first, you need to install Surfe and hook it up to your CRM.
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Install the Surfe browser extension.
Head to the Chrome Web Store, search for Surfe, and add it to Chrome. (No Firefox or Safari support for now.) -
Create a Surfe account.
You’ll need to sign up with your work email. The free trial is fine for testing the basics. -
Connect your CRM.
Surfe supports HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Copper. When you log in, it’ll prompt you to connect. - You’ll need admin or at least integration permissions in your CRM.
- If you hit a wall here, double-check your CRM’s API settings or talk to your admin.
Pro tip: If you’re just testing, use a sandbox or test CRM account so you don’t clutter real data.
Step 2: Match LinkedIn profiles to CRM contacts
This is where Surfe starts to pay off. With the extension running and your CRM connected, head to LinkedIn.
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Browse to a LinkedIn profile.
You’ll see Surfe’s widget pop up on the page. -
Look for the CRM match.
- If the person is already in your CRM, Surfe usually detects it and shows their CRM record.
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If not, you’ll get an option to add them.
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Review the match.
- Double-check that Surfe’s match isn’t grabbing the wrong John Smith.
- If it’s wrong, you can manually search for the right record or create a new one.
What works:
Matching is usually solid if your CRM has decent names and companies. If your CRM is full of typos or missing last names, expect to do more manual matching.
What to ignore:
Don’t just blindly hit “add” or “update” for every profile. If the person hasn’t been active in years, or if the info looks fishy, skip it.
Step 3: Enrich or update the CRM record
Now you can pull in LinkedIn info to fill in the gaps.
- Choose what to sync.
Surfe shows you which fields it can update—job title, company, email (if available), phone, etc. - You can pick which fields to overwrite or leave alone.
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If you’re updating lots of records, slow down and review. Bad data is worse than no data.
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Add notes or custom fields.
Got extra context from LinkedIn (like a shared connection or recent post)? You can add notes right from the widget, and they’ll sync to your CRM. -
Save the changes.
Hit save, and Surfe pushes the new data to your CRM. It’s usually instant, but sometimes there’s a lag if your CRM is slow.
What works:
Job titles and company names are almost always up to date. Profile photos can help with prospecting, but don’t obsess over them.
What doesn’t:
Emails are hit-or-miss. If you don’t already have the person’s email in your CRM, and it’s not public on LinkedIn, Surfe won’t invent one. Some integrations (like Salesforce) may have field mapping quirks—check your CRM after syncing.
Step 4: Bulk enrichment (If you’re feeling brave)
Surfe has some features for updating multiple contacts at once, usually from LinkedIn search or Sales Navigator lists.
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Navigate to a list or search page on LinkedIn.
Surfe will show which people are already in your CRM and which aren’t. -
Select multiple profiles.
You can choose a handful or all visible results. -
Bulk add or update.
Surfe lets you add/update in batches, but you’ll still want to review matches to avoid garbage-in, garbage-out.
Warning:
Bulk updating is powerful, but risky. If your CRM is messy, you could end up overwriting good data with bad or duplicating contacts. Test on a small list first.
Step 5: Keep it clean and useful
No tool is set-and-forget. Here’s how to make the most of enriched CRM data:
- Schedule regular reviews. Set aside time every month or quarter to spot-check key accounts for accuracy.
- Don’t hoard data. More fields aren’t always better—focus on info you’ll actually use.
- Train your team. Make sure everyone knows how Surfe works, so you don’t end up with duplicate contacts or overwritten notes.
Pro tip:
If you rely on certain CRM reports (like pipeline by industry or by job title), check those fields after syncing. Small inconsistencies can add up fast.
Honest takes: Is Surfe worth it?
If you’re manually copying LinkedIn info into your CRM, Surfe saves you hours. It’s not “set and forget,” and it can’t fix a CRM that’s already a dumpster fire. But for most sales teams, it’s a genuine time-saver—especially if you’re regularly prospecting on LinkedIn.
What’s good: - Fast, easy enrichment from LinkedIn to CRM. - Clean browser interface, no separate dashboards to juggle. - Works with the most common CRMs.
What’s so-so: - Bulk updates can get messy fast. - Some data (like emails or direct phone numbers) is still hard to get. - Limited to Chrome and specific CRMs.
If you’re expecting magic, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to spend less time copy-pasting and more time actually talking to prospects, it does the job.
Keep it simple (and iterate)
Don’t overcomplicate data enrichment. Start by syncing LinkedIn profiles for your active leads or target accounts. Review the results, adjust your workflow, and go from there. The best CRM is the one you actually use, not the one that’s “fully enriched” but full of useless noise.
Try it, tweak it, and keep what works. Ignore the hype. The goal is less busywork, not more.
Happy syncing.