If you're tired of bouncing between Demodesk and Salesforce, entering the same details over and over, you're not alone. This guide is for sales reps, ops folks, or anyone who just wants meetings and CRM data to talk to each other—without babysitting a broken integration. We'll walk through connecting Demodesk with Salesforce, step by step, so your calls, notes, and contacts can finally sync up. No fluff, no vague promises—just a straight-up guide to getting it done right.
Before You Start: What to Know (and What to Skip)
Here's the deal: Demodesk and Salesforce both want your data, but they speak different languages. This integration connects them so you don't have to copy and paste every meeting outcome or contact. But before you dive in:
- Check your permissions. You’ll need admin rights in Salesforce and Demodesk. If you’re not an admin, get one involved early.
- Make a backup. Salesforce can be touchy. Export your key lists/objects before messing with integrations.
- Know your workflow. Decide what you actually want synced—leads, events, meeting notes, custom fields? More isn’t always better; syncing everything just creates clutter.
Skip: Fancy automation setups unless you have a real use case. Start simple; you can always scale up.
Step 1: Prep Demodesk and Salesforce for Integration
Don’t jump straight to “Connect.” Save yourself a headache by getting both systems ready first.
- Update Demodesk: Make sure you're on the latest version. Features change, and old versions can break integrations.
- Check your Salesforce edition: Demodesk only works with Salesforce editions that have API access (usually Enterprise, Unlimited, or higher). If you’re on Professional or lower, you might be out of luck unless you’ve bought API add-ons.
- List what you want to sync: Write down the objects/fields you care about (e.g., Meeting Notes → Salesforce Events, Contacts → Leads). This keeps things focused when mapping data.
Pro Tip: Make a test account in Salesforce for integration. Don’t use your main admin—if something goes sideways, you won’t lock everyone out.
Step 2: Connect Demodesk to Salesforce
This is where things get real. Here's how to make the initial connection:
- Log in to Demodesk as an admin.
- Go to Settings → Integrations.
- Find Salesforce and click “Connect”.
- A Salesforce login window will pop up. Log in with your admin credentials (ideally your test admin).
- Authorize the connection. Demodesk will ask for permissions. It needs to read and write to basic objects, so grant these unless you see something suspicious.
Heads up: If your company uses Salesforce SSO or extra security layers, you may need IT to whitelist Demodesk or approve the connection. If this stalls, don’t keep clicking—ask your IT or Salesforce admin for help.
Step 3: Set Up Data Mapping
Now you decide what actually syncs between Demodesk and Salesforce. This is where most integrations get messy—don’t just click “Sync All.”
The Basics
- Meetings → Events: Sync Demodesk meetings to Salesforce Events. Makes sense for most sales teams.
- Participants → Contacts/Leads: When someone joins a Demodesk call, you can push their info into Salesforce.
- Notes & Outcomes: Decide if you want meeting notes or outcomes logged in Salesforce, and where they should go.
How to Map Fields
- In Demodesk, go to Integrations → Salesforce → Field Mapping.
- For each Demodesk field (e.g., “Meeting Title”), pick the corresponding Salesforce field (e.g., “Event Subject”).
- Custom fields: If you have custom fields in Salesforce, make sure they exist in Demodesk—or vice versa—before mapping. Otherwise, nothing happens.
Don’t Overdo It: Only map fields you’ll actually use. More mappings = more things to break.
Step 4: Test the Connection—Don’t Trust, Verify
This is the part everyone skips. Don't.
- Create a test meeting in Demodesk.
- Add a fake participant (yourself or a teammate).
- End the meeting, add some notes, and mark an outcome.
- Open Salesforce. Check:
- Did the event appear?
- Are the participant details right?
- Did the notes land in the right place?
- Check for duplicates. If the same contact shows up twice, your mapping might be off.
If something’s missing: Go back to your field mapping and tweak. Sometimes it takes a few tries—don’t stress.
Step 5: Roll It Out to the Team
Once it works with your test account, you’re ready to get everyone on board.
- Train your team: Show them how meetings and notes flow into Salesforce. If they have to do anything differently, make it clear.
- Set expectations: The sync usually isn’t instant; expect a few minutes’ delay.
- Monitor for weirdness: For the first week, spot-check synced data. Look for missing meetings, wrong fields, or data that doesn’t make sense.
Pro Tip: Encourage your team to call out issues early. Quiet frustration kills adoption faster than bugs.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What Works: - Basic meeting, contact, and note syncing is reliable—once set up right. - Demodesk’s Salesforce integration is pretty hands-off after the initial setup.
What Doesn’t: - Real-time sync is “near real-time” at best. Don’t promise instant updates. - Complex custom objects and automations may not play nice without API work or extra setup. - Syncing too many fields just creates noise—keep it simple.
What to Ignore: - Overly complicated automations. Unless you really need two-way sync for every field, you’ll just slow things down and make troubleshooting a nightmare. - Fancy dashboards or reporting on day one. Get the basics working, then build up.
Troubleshooting: Common Issues (and How to Fix Them)
- Data not syncing? Double-check your field mapping and make sure both systems use exactly the same field names and types.
- Duplicates appearing? You might be syncing both contacts and leads, or your mapping is too broad.
- Permission errors? Make sure your integration user in Salesforce has the right API and object permissions.
- Sync delays? This is normal—Demodesk usually syncs every few minutes, not instantly.
If you’re stuck, Demodesk’s support is solid for common issues, but don’t expect miracles for edge-case customizations.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Integration is never “set and forget,” but you don’t need to make it more complicated than it is. Start with the basics: meetings and key fields. Test everything before you roll it out. Get your team to use it and flag anything that’s not working. Once the basics run smoothly, you can always add more bells and whistles—but don’t feel like you have to.
The best data sync is the one you barely notice. Keep things simple, fix what breaks, and move on to things that actually close deals.