Let’s be honest: integrating any third-party tool with Salesforce can feel like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. If you’ve chosen Textus for texting with leads and customers, you’re probably looking for a way to actually make it work with your CRM and not against you. This guide is for admins, ops folks, or anyone stuck wrangling both tools who just wants a straight answer on how to set up the integration—and what to watch out for.
Why Bother Integrating Textus and Salesforce?
If you’re here, you know the pain: toggling between two platforms, manually logging messages, and praying that your team remembers to track every conversation. Integrating Textus with Salesforce means:
- Text conversations show up where you can actually find them (in Salesforce)
- Less manual data entry
- Fewer “did you see my text?” moments with your team
But, let’s not kid ourselves—integrations can break, features don’t always work as advertised, and setup isn’t always plug-and-play. I’ll walk you through what’s worth your time, what’s just marketing fluff, and how to actually get it done.
Step 1: Pre-Integration Checklist
Before you start clicking around, make sure you’ve got:
- Admin access to Salesforce. You’ll need this for installing apps and messing with settings.
- A Textus admin account. You can’t connect what you can’t control.
- A backup of your Salesforce data. Just in case something goes sideways.
- A short coffee break. Not strictly necessary, but you might need one.
Pro Tip: If your Salesforce org is heavily customized or you’ve got other SMS apps running, double-check that Textus won’t stomp on existing workflows.
Step 2: Understand What the Integration Actually Does
Don’t believe every bullet point on the sales page. Here’s what you actually get from the standard Textus-Salesforce integration (as of early 2024):
- Send and receive texts directly from Salesforce.
- Text conversations logged as activities (like tasks or events) on contacts, leads, or accounts.
- Click-to-text from Salesforce records.
- Some reporting on SMS activity (but don’t expect magic dashboards out of the box).
What you don’t get (unless you pay extra or build it yourself):
- Deep automation (like advanced triggers or flows based on SMS content)
- Full-blown campaign management
- Native support for every custom Salesforce object
So, set your expectations accordingly.
Step 3: Install the Textus Salesforce App
3.1 Get the Package
- Go to the Salesforce AppExchange and search for “Textus.”
- Click Get It Now and choose whether you’re installing in production or sandbox.
- You’ll be prompted to log in and give permissions.
3.2 Grant Permissions
- Install for Admins Only first. You can always expand access later.
- Approve any third-party access requests (Textus needs to talk to Salesforce).
- After install, go to Setup → Installed Packages and make sure Textus shows up.
Heads up: If your org has strict security settings, you might hit roadblocks here. Don’t panic—just rope in your Salesforce admin or IT security folks.
Step 4: Connect Your Textus Account
- Log in to your Textus admin panel.
- Look for the “Integrations” section (naming can change, but it’s usually pretty obvious).
- Find the Salesforce option and click Connect or Authorize.
You’ll need to log in with your Salesforce admin credentials and approve access for Textus. This lets Textus push and pull data. If you see any odd error messages, check whether you have pop-up blockers or strict browser settings—these can sometimes break the OAuth connection.
Pro Tip: Some organizations require admin approval for third-party apps. If you get blocked, it’s probably not your fault—ping whoever manages your Salesforce org.
Step 5: Map Your Salesforce Fields
By default, the integration usually links Textus messages to standard Salesforce objects like Leads, Contacts, and Accounts.
- Review the default field mapping. Make sure texts aren’t getting logged to the wrong place.
- If you use custom objects or fields (and who doesn’t?), you may need to do some manual mapping.
- Double-check how phone numbers are formatted in Salesforce. If you have a mess of formats (
(555) 123-4567,5551234567,+1-555-123-4567), Textus might not always match them up correctly.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time on mapping every single custom field at first. Start with the basics—name, phone number, and record type. You can always get fancy later.
Step 6: Test the Integration (Don’t Skip This!)
Seriously, test with a sandbox or a fake record first. Here’s how:
- Open a Contact or Lead in Salesforce.
- You should see a Textus widget or Lightning component (depends on your setup).
- Try sending a test text to your own phone.
- Verify the message shows up in Textus and that the activity logs back to the Salesforce record.
- Reply to the text from your phone. Does the reply show up in Salesforce?
If it doesn’t work: - Double-check permissions (both Salesforce and Textus sides). - Make sure the integration user has access to the right records. - Check phone number formatting issues. - Sometimes, you’ll need to clear browser cache or re-authenticate the connection.
Step 7: Roll Out to Your Team
- Once you’ve tested, grant permissions to your sales or support users.
- Add the Textus widget to the relevant page layouts in Salesforce (Leads, Contacts, etc.).
- Share a short how-to doc or video—Textus is pretty simple, but not everyone will “just get it” on day one.
- Encourage users to report issues early. The sooner you catch weird edge cases, the better.
Don’t: Force the integration on everyone without a pilot group—let a few users kick the tires first.
Step 8: Set Up Basic Reporting (But Don’t Expect Miracles)
You’ll probably want to track basic things like:
- Number of texts sent per user
- Response rates
- Message logs by lead or account
Salesforce reports and dashboards can do this, but only if messages are logged correctly. Don’t expect out-of-the-box magic—be ready to customize reports to fit your team’s actual workflow.
Pro Tip: Build a simple report first. If you find yourself going down a rabbit hole for “advanced analytics,” step back and ask if you actually need it.
Step 9: Monitor, Maintain, and Iterate
Integration is not “set it and forget it.” Keep an eye out for:
- Sync errors or missed messages
- Changes to Salesforce layouts or permissions that break the integration
- Textus updates that might require reconnecting the app
Check in with your users every month or so. Are texts showing up where they need to? Any duplicate records? Be ready to adjust field mapping or permissions if things get weird.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works well: - Logging 1:1 texts to Salesforce records - Letting your team text without leaving Salesforce
What doesn’t work so well: - Deep automation (unless you build it yourself) - Handling edge cases (like custom objects or weird phone formats) - Advanced analytics out of the box
What to ignore for now: - Over-customizing field mapping before you see what your team actually uses - Fancy automations until the basics are reliable
Keep It Simple — and Iterate
Integrating Textus with Salesforce isn’t rocket science, but it’s not magic either. Start small, get the basics working, and don’t overthink it. You can always tweak and improve as your team starts texting from Salesforce for real. Focus on what actually helps your workflow, not what looks good in a demo. And remember: the best integrations are boring because they just work.