If you run customer success or ops, you know Salesforce has plenty of data you need, and Totango promises to turn it into actionable reporting. But getting these two to play nice isn’t always as seamless as the sales decks claim. This guide is for folks who want to actually do the integration—no fluff, just what works, what’s a pain, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Let’s cut through the noise and get your Salesforce data flowing into Totango, so you can spend less time wrestling with sync errors and more time actually helping customers.
Why integrate Salesforce with Totango at all?
Before you start, it’s worth asking: do you need this? If you want to:
- See account and contact info in Totango, without double entry
- Combine usage data from other sources with sales pipeline details
- Automate health scores and tasks based on what’s in Salesforce
...then yes, this integration is worth your time. If you just want a bird’s-eye view, though, sometimes a simple export/import does the trick. The full integration is best if you need up-to-date, always-on data.
Step 1: Get your prerequisites in order
Don’t skip this step. It’ll save you headaches later.
- Salesforce admin access: You’ll need this to set up the connection and create any new fields or permissions.
- Totango admin access: Same deal—otherwise, you’ll get blocked partway through.
- A clear sense of what data you need: List out what objects (Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, etc.), fields, and update frequency you actually care about. Don’t just sync everything “just in case.”
- Time: Block off at least a few hours, especially if this is your first time.
Pro tip: Ask your Salesforce admin for a sandbox environment if you want to test safely before messing with real data.
Step 2: Decide on your integration approach
There are a couple ways to get Salesforce data into Totango:
- Native Totango Salesforce Connector: Best for most people. It’s built into Totango, no code required, and works for standard use cases.
- Manual Imports (CSV): Old-school, but sometimes the easiest if you only need to update data occasionally.
- Custom integrations (API, middleware): Only go here if you have unique needs or lots of custom logic. You’ll be writing code or paying someone who does.
Honest take: Unless you have a genuinely weird setup, use the native connector. It’s not perfect, but it covers 90% of what customer success teams need.
Step 3: Connect Totango to Salesforce
Here’s how you do it with the native connector:
1. Set up a Salesforce Integration User
- Create a dedicated user in Salesforce just for Totango. Don’t use your own or a shared admin account.
- Give it read access (and write, if you want updates to sync back).
- Limit its permissions to only the objects and fields you want to sync—this is both good practice and safer.
2. In Totango, Go to Integration Hub
- Log in as an admin.
- Navigate to Settings → Integration Hub → Salesforce CRM.
- Click “Connect.” You’ll be prompted to log in to Salesforce with your integration user.
- Approve the OAuth permissions it requests.
Heads up: If your org uses IP whitelisting or multi-factor authentication, you may need to tweak settings in Salesforce to allow Totango to connect.
Step 4: Map your Salesforce data to Totango
This is where things get real. Totango will prompt you to choose:
- Which Salesforce objects to sync: Usually Accounts, Contacts, maybe Opportunities or custom objects.
- Which fields to pull in: Be picky. More fields = more complexity and more things to break.
- How to match records: You’ll need to decide how Totango identifies accounts—typically by Salesforce Account ID.
Common pitfalls:
- Pulling in way too many fields. Stick to what’s actually used for reporting or workflows.
- Not thinking through custom fields. Custom Salesforce fields might not map cleanly to Totango; sometimes you’ll need to create custom attributes in Totango first.
- Forgetting about picklist/lookup fields. These can behave oddly if not mapped carefully.
Pro tip: Document your mappings somewhere outside Totango, like in a Google Sheet. It’ll save you confusion when things inevitably change.
Step 5: Set your sync schedule and run a test
- Choose your sync frequency: Totango supports daily, hourly, or manual syncs. Hourly is usually fine unless you have high volume or need near real-time updates.
- Run a test sync: Always do this before turning on full sync. Check for errors, missing data, or weird field mappings.
- Review sample records in Totango: Make sure data looks right—names, IDs, custom attributes, etc.
If something looks off: Don’t panic. Double-check your field mappings, permissions, and sync logs. Totango’s logs aren’t the most helpful, but they’ll usually point you in the right direction.
Step 6: Build or update your Totango SuccessBLOCs and reports
Now that your data’s flowing, make it useful:
- Update your SuccessBLOCs to include Salesforce fields.
- Create or tweak segments for reporting—e.g., filter by Salesforce Opportunity Stage.
- Test any automated workflows that trigger off new Salesforce data (task creation, health score updates, etc.).
What works: Totango does a good job letting you use Salesforce fields in filters, segments, and tasks.
What’s clunky: If you rely heavily on custom objects, you may hit limits—Totango mostly wants to work with Accounts and Contacts. Advanced logic (like if/then branching on Salesforce fields) can get awkward fast.
Step 7: Keep an eye out for sync failures (and fix them fast)
Even a “seamless” integration will break sometimes, especially when someone changes a field or permission in Salesforce.
- Set up alerts in Totango: So you know if a sync fails.
- Check the sync logs regularly: The sooner you catch a problem, the easier it is to fix.
- Coordinate changes: If your Salesforce admin adds or changes fields, update your mappings in Totango right away.
Ignore: Any promise that the integration is “set it and forget it.” You’ll need to babysit this thing, especially after big Salesforce updates.
Step 8: Keep it simple, and iterate
Don’t try to sync everything at once. Start with the fields and objects you know you need, make sure it works, then expand if necessary. Overcomplicated integrations fall apart fastest.
A few questions to ask yourself before adding more data:
- Does this field actually help us do our jobs?
- Would I notice if this field stopped syncing?
- Is anyone using this for reporting or automation?
If the answer’s “no,” leave it out.
Wrapping up
Integrating Salesforce with Totango isn’t magic, but it’s not rocket science either. Be clear about what you need, don’t trust the defaults, and keep things as simple as possible. Document your setup, check in on it regularly, and don’t be afraid to ask your admin for help when you hit a wall.
Remember: Start small, get it working, then build from there. That’s how you end up with reporting you can actually trust—and fewer headaches all around.