Ever get a promising lead from a survey, only to watch it disappear into an email inbox or spreadsheet? If you’re juggling both Survey Sparrow and Salesforce, you’re probably hoping to connect the dots—so every lead from a survey lands right where your sales team needs it. This guide is for folks who actually want to use their data, not just collect it.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to set up a real integration between Survey Sparrow and Salesforce, what works well, what to watch out for, and how to avoid the common traps. You don’t need a computer science degree, but you do need admin access to both tools. Let’s get to it.
Why bother integrating Survey Sparrow with Salesforce?
Before you roll up your sleeves, here’s the simple reason to do this: Less copy-paste, more qualified leads showing up in Salesforce automatically. You’ll save hours and avoid the “Where’d that lead go?” headache.
But here’s the catch: Out-of-the-box integrations are rarely as “seamless” as the marketing says. You’ll need to map fields carefully, test things, and probably tweak settings as you go.
What you need before you start
Don’t skip this—missing any of these means you’ll hit a wall halfway through.
- Admin access to both Survey Sparrow and Salesforce.
- A paid Survey Sparrow plan (integrations aren’t available on the free tier).
- API access in Salesforce (Enterprise plan or higher, or see if your org has API enabled).
- A clear idea of which survey responses you want to send to Salesforce, and what you want to do with them (create leads, update contacts, etc.).
Pro tip: If your Salesforce org is heavily customized, get a CRM admin on standby. Custom fields and validation rules can trip you up.
Step 1: Build (or pick) your Survey Sparrow form
Start simple. If you’re creating a new survey for lead capture, keep it short. Ask only for what you’ll use—no one likes filling out a 20-question form.
- Key fields: Name, email, company, phone, anything your sales team actually acts on.
- Test it: Run through the survey yourself. Check that responses are being collected properly.
If you already have a survey, double-check that the questions map to fields in Salesforce. If not, you’ll end up with blank or mismatched data.
Step 2: Set up the Salesforce integration in Survey Sparrow
Survey Sparrow has a built-in Salesforce integration, but “plug and play” is a stretch. Here’s how to get it working:
- Log in to Survey Sparrow.
- Go to Integrations and find Salesforce.
- Click Connect. You’ll be prompted to log in to Salesforce and authorize access. (You might need to approve this in your Salesforce org if you’ve got strict security settings.)
- Once connected, you’ll see options to map survey responses to Salesforce objects—Leads, Contacts, Accounts, etc.
Field mapping:
This is where most people mess up. You need to match each survey question to the right Salesforce field.
- E.g., Survey question “What’s your email?” → Salesforce field “Email”
- If you have picklists or custom fields in Salesforce, make sure your survey options match those exactly. Otherwise, the integration can fail silently.
Decide what to do with duplicates: - Most setups just create new leads. But if you want to update existing records, you’ll need to set up matching rules (usually based on email). - Be careful: Blindly creating new leads for every submission can make a mess in Salesforce.
Step 3: Choose when to send data
You have a few options here:
- On every response: Pushes every survey answer to Salesforce right away.
- Conditional logic: Only send if certain answers are given (e.g., “Are you interested in a demo?”).
- Manual review: Not really automation, but you can export and import responses if you’re nervous about junk data.
For most use cases, automatic is fine if you trust your survey and mapping. If not, err on the side of caution—bad data is worse than no data.
Step 4: Test your integration
Seriously—test it. Don’t just assume it works because you saw a “Connected!” message.
- Fill out the survey yourself (with a real-looking test lead).
- Check Salesforce. Did the lead get created? Are the fields correct?
- Try edge cases: missing info, weird characters, duplicate emails.
If something doesn’t show up, check:
- Field mapping: Did you map everything? Are field types compatible (e.g., text vs. picklist)?
- Salesforce validation rules: Salesforce can reject records if required fields aren’t filled, or if data doesn’t match picklist values.
- API limits: On lower-tier Salesforce plans, you might hit API request limits if you get lots of survey responses.
Pro tip: Create a test “sandbox” lead in Salesforce to avoid cluttering your real pipeline.
Step 5: Set up notifications and monitoring
Here’s what most guides skip: integrations break. APIs change, someone edits a survey, or Salesforce updates a field.
- Set up notifications: In Survey Sparrow, you can usually enable email alerts for failed integrations.
- Monitor new leads in Salesforce: Create a report or dashboard showing survey-sourced leads. If the number drops suddenly, something’s broken.
- Re-authenticate periodically: OAuth tokens can expire. If you start getting errors, try re-connecting the integration.
Step 6: Clean up and iterate
Once you’ve run live for a week or two, check in:
- Is junk data getting through? Tighten your survey questions or add required fields.
- Too many duplicates? Adjust your matching rules in the integration.
- Not enough info for sales? Add a question or two—but don’t overdo it.
Remember, integrations aren’t “set and forget.” Keep an eye on quality, and tweak as you learn what works.
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
Overcomplicating the survey:
Every extra question means fewer completions and more chances for mapping headaches.
Ignoring field types:
Salesforce is picky. Text fields, picklists, and numbers all need to line up. If you mismatch, data can disappear or cause errors.
No process for duplicates:
If you don’t set up matching rules, your sales team will drown in duplicate leads.
Assuming it’s “seamless”:
Vendors love that word, but in reality, you’ll need to check field mappings regularly and keep an eye out for errors—especially after updates or changes.
Not involving the right people:
If your Salesforce has lots of customizations, get a CRM admin involved early. It’ll save you hours of frustration.
Quick alternatives if the built-in integration isn’t enough
Sometimes the built-in connector is too basic—especially if you need fancy logic, error handling, or want to update custom objects.
- Third-party automation tools: Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or Workato can give you more control. Downside: More complexity and another thing to pay for.
- Custom integration: If your org has dev resources, a custom middleware or a simple script using Survey Sparrow’s and Salesforce’s APIs is an option—but only if you really need it.
For 95% of lead capture needs, the built-in integration does the job. Don’t reinvent the wheel unless you have to.
Wrapping up
Connecting Survey Sparrow to Salesforce isn’t magic, but it’s a huge time saver once it’s running smoothly. Start simple, test everything, and don’t be shy about adjusting as you learn what works. Don’t get hung up chasing “perfect”—get the basics working, then iterate. Keep your forms short, your field mapping tight, and your eyes open for errors. You’ll spend less time on busywork and more time closing leads.