If you’re drowning in half-baked company records and manual data entry, this is for you. You want Salesforce to work for you—not the other way around. Integrating a data enrichment tool like CompanyEnrich can help automate the grunt work, but only if you set it up the right way. Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide to connecting CompanyEnrich with Salesforce so your data flows smoothly (and you don’t end up with a bigger mess than you started with).
Who This Guide Is For
- Salesforce admins who want to automate company data enrichment
- RevOps folks tired of stale or missing account info
- Anyone who’d rather spend less time fixing bad data
If you’re looking for a no-code, one-click magic solution… sorry, that doesn’t exist. But with a little elbow grease, you can get close.
Step 1: Understand What Problem You’re Actually Solving
Before you touch any settings, get clear on what you’re hoping to fix. CompanyEnrich pulls in company data—think firmographics, contact details, maybe social profiles—and pushes it into Salesforce. That’s handy, but ask yourself:
- Do you want to enrich just new records, or update existing ones too?
- What fields do you care about (industry, revenue, headcount, etc.)?
- How often should enrichment run?
- Are you okay with CompanyEnrich overwriting existing Salesforce data?
Pro tip: Talk to your sales and marketing teams. What fields do they actually use? No sense in enriching 30 fields if only 5 matter.
Step 2: Prep Your Salesforce Org
Connecting anything to Salesforce means dealing with permissions, API limits, and all that fun stuff. Here’s what you need to check first:
- Salesforce API Access: You need a Salesforce edition that allows API usage (Enterprise, Unlimited, or higher).
- User Permissions: Make sure you have a user with “Modify All Data” and “API Enabled” permissions. Don’t use your personal admin account—create a dedicated integration user.
- Field Mapping: Audit your Account and Lead fields. Create any custom fields you want to enrich before connecting CompanyEnrich.
- Backups: Take a backup of your Salesforce data. If the integration goes sideways, undoing changes is way easier with a backup.
Watch out: If you have validation rules or required fields in Salesforce, these can break enrichment or cause sync errors. Test with a few records first.
Step 3: Get Your CompanyEnrich Credentials
Sign in to CompanyEnrich and locate your API key or Salesforce integration module. You’ll usually find this under “Integrations” or “API” in their app. If your plan doesn’t include API or Salesforce access, you’ll need to upgrade.
Heads up: Some enrichment tools get cagey about how much data you can enrich per month. Check your plan’s limits before you go wild.
Step 4: Connect CompanyEnrich to Salesforce
This is where the rubber meets the road. The exact steps might shift a bit depending on whether CompanyEnrich offers a native Salesforce app, a third-party connector like Zapier, or a direct API integration. Here’s the rundown for the most common setups:
If There’s a Native Salesforce App
- Install the CompanyEnrich package from Salesforce AppExchange.
- Authorize access using OAuth—log in with your integration user.
- Configure field mapping in the CompanyEnrich panel. Decide which Salesforce fields get filled by which CompanyEnrich data points.
- Set enrichment triggers: Do you want to enrich on record creation, on a schedule, or manually?
If You’re Using Direct API Integration
- In CompanyEnrich, enter your Salesforce instance URL and integration user credentials.
- Map CompanyEnrich fields to Salesforce fields. Double-check this. Bad mapping = bad data.
- Set up rules for when and how data should sync (e.g. new Accounts only, or all Accounts missing certain fields).
- Test the integration on a small batch of records.
If You’re Using a Third-Party Tool (like Zapier or Workato)
- Set up triggers in the third-party tool (e.g. “When a new Account is created in Salesforce”).
- Add an action to send company info to CompanyEnrich via their API.
- Map the returned data back into Salesforce fields.
- Test the whole flow with sample data.
Don’t skip the mapping step. It’s boring, but if you let CompanyEnrich write to fields you don’t want overwritten, you’ll end up with angry sales reps and weird data.
Step 5: Test With a Sandbox—Not Production
This is non-negotiable. Run your first sync in a Salesforce sandbox environment. Here’s what to look for:
- Are the right fields getting filled in?
- Is any existing data being unexpectedly overwritten?
- Are you hitting validation rule errors?
- Does it work with custom objects or only standard ones?
Fix any issues now, before you let it loose on your real data.
Step 6: Roll Out Gradually
Don’t flip the switch on your entire Salesforce org all at once. Instead:
- Start with a small segment (e.g. new Accounts only, or a test region).
- Monitor for errors daily—misspelled company names, weird symbols, empty fields.
- Talk to actual users (sales, marketing) to see if the enriched data is making their lives better or just getting in the way.
If everything looks good, expand the integration to more records over time.
Step 7: Maintain and Monitor
Data enrichment isn’t “set it and forget it.” Here’s how to keep things smooth:
- Check sync logs weekly. Look for failed records or API errors.
- Monitor data quality. Spot-check enriched records to make sure data makes sense.
- Review usage limits. If you’re nearing your API or enrichment quota, plan accordingly.
- Adjust mappings as your business changes. New fields get added; priorities shift. Don’t let your integration go stale.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What works: - Automating enrichment for new records saves a ton of manual work. - Keeping field mappings tight avoids polluting your Salesforce org with junk. - Having a dedicated integration user makes troubleshooting easier.
What doesn’t: - Blindly overwriting existing data—this can cause more headaches than it solves. - Ignoring API limits or usage caps. Nothing breaks trust like an integration that just stops working. - Assuming the data will always be accurate. Even the best enrichment tools make mistakes.
What to ignore: - Fancy dashboards and “AI insights” if your team just wants clean, basic company info. - Enriching every possible field. Start with what people actually need.
Wrapping Up
Don’t overcomplicate it. Start simple—enrich the handful of fields your team cares about, test like crazy, and roll out in phases. Integrating CompanyEnrich with Salesforce can save you a lot of headaches, but only if you keep an eye on what’s actually being changed. Iterate as you go, and don’t fall for shiny features you’ll never use. Clean, useful data beats “fully automated everything” any day.