If you’re drowning in leads and your sales team is getting twitchy about tracking, you probably know that syncing your tools is the way to go. You want every call, email, and deal note in one place—no double entry, no missed follow-ups. That’s what this guide is for: getting Convin and Salesforce talking to each other so you can actually trust your lead pipeline.
This isn’t magic, and it’s not always smooth. But if you want less chaos and more closed deals, here’s how to do it.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Let’s not waste time. Here’s what you actually need on hand before you dive in:
- Salesforce admin access. You can’t do much without this.
- A Convin account with integration permissions (ask your admin if you’re not sure).
- A clear reason for the integration. Are you tracking calls? Syncing notes? Figure out what matters to your team. Don’t integrate every field just because you can.
- A test Salesforce lead or account. Never run first-time integrations on live customer data.
If you’re missing any of these, go get them now. Shortcuts here will bite you later.
Step 1: Map Out What You Actually Need to Sync
Before you touch a single setting, grab a coffee and sketch what you want out of this connection. Here’s why: Most integration headaches come from over-complicating things or syncing way too much data.
Ask yourself: - Do you want Convin to push call recordings or transcripts into Salesforce? - Should every conversation become a Salesforce activity, or just key ones? - Are you tracking custom fields, or just the basics?
Pro Tip:
Start small. Get the basics working, then add more fields or automations later. Trying to sync everything on day one is how people end up hating integrations.
Step 2: Connect Convin to Salesforce
Now for the part that actually wires things up.
- Log into Convin.
-
Make sure you have a role with integration access.
-
Navigate to the Integrations section.
-
Usually, you’ll find this under “Settings” or “Admin.”
-
Select Salesforce from the list of available integrations.
-
If you don’t see it, your account might not support it. Time to check your Convin plan or talk to their support.
-
Click “Connect” or “Authorize.”
-
This will open a Salesforce login window. You’ll need to log in as a Salesforce admin.
-
Grant permissions.
-
Convin will ask for access to read and write data. Don’t just blindly click “Allow”—make sure you’re comfortable with what it’s asking for. (Yes, this is a good time to read the fine print.)
-
Confirm the connection.
- Once done, you should see Salesforce listed as a connected app in Convin.
What Could Go Wrong:
- Using a Salesforce user without the right permissions (you’ll get cryptic errors).
- Company firewalls or SSO settings blocking the connection.
- Not having your Convin account set up for integrations (the option might just not show up).
If you hit a wall, check Convin’s documentation, or honestly, just ping their support. Sometimes, it’s a backend setting only they can flip.
Step 3: Set Up Field Mapping
Here’s where most people trip up. Just because you can sync every field doesn’t mean you should.
How to map fields:
- Go to the Field Mapping or Data Sync section in Convin’s Salesforce integration settings.
- Choose which Convin data you want to send to Salesforce.
- Calls, transcripts, notes, etc.
- Decide which Salesforce object each data type should land on.
- Leads, Contacts, Opportunities, or custom objects.
- Map each Convin field to a Salesforce field.
- If you’re not sure, check with your Salesforce admin or look at how your team uses existing fields.
Things to watch out for: - Mapping to the wrong object (e.g., putting call notes on Opportunities when your reps live in Leads). - Overwriting important data by accident (double-check “write” permissions). - Salesforce field limits—if you try to jam too much data into small fields, things will break.
Pro Tip:
Start by syncing just one or two fields (say, call outcome and call notes). Make sure they show up correctly in Salesforce before adding more.
Step 4: Set Up Automation Rules (Optional, but Powerful)
If you want Convin to do more than just dump data into Salesforce, here’s where you can get fancy.
Typical automations: - Automatically create a Salesforce Task when a new call is logged in Convin. - Update the lead status in Salesforce if a certain call outcome is detected (e.g., “Interested”). - Sync call recordings as attachments or links on records.
How to do it:
- Within the Convin integration settings, find “Automation” or “Workflow” options.
- Define your triggers and actions.
- For example: “When a call is marked as Qualified in Convin, update the Salesforce lead status to Working.”
- Test with dummy data.
- Seriously, run a few test calls and make sure Salesforce updates the way you expect.
Honest Take:
These automations are nice, but can get out of hand fast. Every time you add a rule, ask yourself: Will someone notice (and fix it) if this breaks? If not, keep it simple.
Step 5: Test the Integration
You don’t want surprises here. Before you roll this out to your whole team:
- Run a test call or meeting in Convin.
- Check Salesforce to see if the data shows up where you expect.
- Look for formatting issues or missing info.
- Ask a teammate to try it, too. Sometimes, permissions or settings work differently for others.
Checklist: - Did the call/transcript/notes sync to the right Salesforce record? - Did it create duplicate records? (Common issue if matching rules aren’t set up right.) - Are any fields missing or in the wrong place? - Are automations firing as expected?
If you spot issues, go back to your field mapping and automation rules. Nine times out of ten, it’s a mismatch there.
Step 6: Train Your Team (But Keep It Brief)
Don’t drop this on your team without warning—nobody likes a surprise integration. But also, don’t put everyone through a two-hour training.
- Show them what’s new. Screenshots help.
- Explain where to find synced data in Salesforce.
- Tell them who to call if something seems off.
What to skip:
Don’t make everyone experts on the integration. Most folks just need to know, “Where do I see my calls?” and “What do I do if it’s broken?”
Step 7: Monitor and Iterate
Even the best integrations need tweaks. For the first couple of weeks:
- Check for missing or duplicate data.
- Ask your team for feedback. (You’ll hear about it if it’s broken.)
- Keep an eye on Salesforce reports. Are call activities showing up? Are leads progressing as expected?
If you need to adjust field mappings or automation rules, do it early. Don’t let small problems fester—fix them before the team loses trust in the system.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Syncing key call info and notes directly into Salesforce saves a ton of manual work. - Having a single source of truth for follow-ups and lead status.
What doesn’t: - Overcomplicating field mapping. More isn’t better—more is just more broken. - Setting and forgetting. Integrations drift over time as your process changes.
What to ignore: - Marketing hype about “instant” integration. There’s always some setup, and it pays to be fussy. - Unnecessary bells and whistles—focus on what actually helps your sales process.
Keep It Simple, Fix What Matters
You don’t need a 50-field, fully-automated monster integration to track your leads well. Start with the basics, get your team on board, and tweak as you go. The best setups are the ones people actually use—and trust.
If you keep things simple and fix issues early, you’ll spend way less time babysitting your CRM and way more time closing deals. Good luck—and remember, you can always unplug it and try again if you need to.