If you’re tired of copy-pasting data between Salesforce and your accounting system, you’re in the right place. This guide is for people who want Salesforce and Akountify talking to each other—without the headaches, the mystery errors, or the “just trust the magic” advice you get from sales reps. We’ll walk through everything step by step, highlight what actually matters, and call out things you can probably ignore (for now).
Whether you’re in finance, operations, or you just drew the short straw for “make our systems talk,” this is for you. Let’s get your Salesforce data into Akountify for smoother account management—without the drama.
Why bother integrating Salesforce and Akountify?
- No more duplicate data entry: Stop entering the same customer info twice.
- Fewer mistakes: Data sync means fewer fat-finger errors.
- Better visibility: See sales and financial data in one place (finally).
- Saves time: No more digging through spreadsheets.
Is it perfect? Nope. But you’ll save hours of grunt work and avoid a lot of headaches.
Step 1: Get your basics in order
Let’s not skip the boring but necessary stuff.
- You need:
- A Salesforce account (with admin permissions, or at least integration access).
- An Akountify account (admin-level is best for setup).
- Access to whatever API or integration plan your Salesforce license allows.
- Some time—this isn’t a five-minute job, but it’s not an all-nighter either.
Pro tip:
Before you start, make a list of which Salesforce objects you actually care about (Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, etc.). No point syncing everything “just in case.”
Step 2: Map out your data (seriously, do this)
Most integration headaches come from not knowing what you want to sync—or why.
- Decide what to sync:
- Do you need just Accounts? Or also Opportunities, Contacts, custom objects?
- Which fields do you really use in Akountify? Don’t clutter things with unused stuff.
- Think about direction:
- One-way (Salesforce → Akountify) or two-way sync?
- Who “owns” the data if there’s a conflict?
What works:
- Starting small. Sync Accounts first, then layer in more if you need it.
- Documenting your fields and their names. (Salesforce field names can be... creative.)
What to ignore:
- Don’t try to sync every possible field. You’ll just create a mess.
Step 3: Enable API access in Salesforce
Akountify pulls data from Salesforce via API. If you don’t have API access, nothing else matters.
- Check your Salesforce edition:
- Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions have API access by default.
- Professional edition? You might need to pay extra.
- Create an integration user:
- Don’t use your personal login. Make a dedicated user for integrations.
- Give it only the permissions it needs (minimize risk).
- Generate API credentials:
- In Salesforce, create a new Connected App.
- Enable OAuth settings (for token-based authentication).
- Note your Client ID, Client Secret, and relevant endpoints.
Pro tip:
Set login IP ranges and session timeouts for this user—keeps things secure.
Step 4: Prep Akountify for the connection
Akountify isn’t Salesforce. Its terminology and setup screens can be different.
- Log in to Akountify as an admin.
- Find the integrations section:
- Usually under Settings > Integrations.
- Look for “Salesforce” specifically.
- Start the connection setup:
- You’ll be prompted for your Salesforce credentials (usually the API user, not your personal login).
- Enter the Client ID and Client Secret you got from Salesforce.
- Paste in the relevant API endpoint (production or sandbox—match your Salesforce environment).
Honest take:
Akountify’s setup wizards are usually straightforward, but error messages aren’t always helpful. If something fails, double-check your credentials and permissions before blaming the software.
Step 5: Map Salesforce fields to Akountify
This is where most people get tripped up.
- Use Akountify’s field mapping tool:
- You’ll see a list of Salesforce fields on one side, Akountify fields on the other.
- Drag and drop or select matches.
- Match only what you need:
- Don’t try to map every field. Just the ones your team actually looks at, or that trigger workflows in Akountify.
- Handle custom fields:
- If you have custom fields in Salesforce, make sure Akountify can accept them (or create custom fields on the Akountify side).
What works:
- Document your mappings (a simple spreadsheet does the trick).
- Test mappings with a handful of records first.
What doesn’t:
- Over-mapping. If Akountify doesn’t use a field for anything, don’t sync it.
Step 6: Run a test sync (and expect weirdness)
Nobody gets the sync perfect on the first try. That’s normal.
- Start with a small batch:
- Limit your initial sync to a handful of records.
- Check for errors or weird formatting.
- Look for common issues:
- Missing required fields.
- Data type mismatches (dates, currencies, multi-select picklists).
- Permissions errors.
- Check in both systems:
- Did the data land in Akountify? Does it look right? Are any records missing or duplicated?
Pro tip:
Keep an eye on data that has weird characters or long text. These often break syncs and can be hard to spot.
Step 7: Set up automation (if you want it)
Once the sync works, you can automate it.
- Schedule regular syncs:
- Daily is common, but you can go hourly or weekly if that fits better.
- Real-time sync is nice in theory, but adds complexity and can be overkill.
- Set rules for updates:
- Decide what happens if a record changes in both systems at once.
- Most teams stick with “Salesforce is the source of truth” for sales data.
Don’t over-engineer:
Start with a simple daily sync. Real-time sounds cool, but it’s often more trouble than it’s worth—especially if your teams aren’t moving that fast.
Step 8: Train your team (just enough)
No integration is “set and forget.” People need to know how it works.
- Show them where data comes from.
- Make it clear: “If you want a customer’s info updated, do it in Salesforce. It’ll show up in Akountify tomorrow.”
- Explain what not to do.
- Don’t edit synced fields directly in Akountify if the sync will just overwrite them.
- Share a cheat sheet.
- One-pager with “where to edit what” goes a long way.
Step 9: Monitor, tweak, and keep it simple
- Check your sync logs:
- Akountify should have logs or reports on sync status. Review them weekly for errors.
- Iterate:
- Add more fields or objects if you start to need them. Don’t try to future-proof everything at once.
- Watch for duplicates:
- No system is perfect. If you see double records, fix your mappings or sync rules.
What to ignore:
- Don’t get sucked into endless customization. Start lean, solve the real problems, and build from there.
The bottom line
Integrating Salesforce and Akountify isn’t magic—it’s just a bunch of steps. Start by syncing only what you need, get the basics working, and keep an eye out for “over-customization creep.” You can always add more bells and whistles later, but it’s way easier to start simple and iterate. Focus on what your team actually uses, and you’ll save time, avoid double-data disasters, and finally get a clear view of your accounts.