The complete guide to syncing Salesforce notes with Scratchpad for sales teams

If your sales team lives in Salesforce but actually takes notes everywhere but Salesforce, you’re not alone. Reps scribble in notebooks, Google Docs, or sticky notes. All of this makes updating Salesforce a pain—and your pipeline data a mess. That’s where syncing your notes with Scratchpad comes in. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, and hands-on reps who want a reliable way to make Salesforce note-taking suck less, and keep your CRM from turning into a graveyard of half-finished deals.

No fluff—here’s exactly how to sync Salesforce notes with Scratchpad, what works, what’s annoying, and how to avoid the usual headaches.


Why bother syncing Salesforce notes with Scratchpad?

Before you jump in, let’s get real about the problem. Salesforce is great for managing deals, but lousy for taking notes quickly. Typing call notes directly in Salesforce? Painful. Copy-pasting from somewhere else? Tedious. That’s why so many teams use something like Scratchpad, which sits on top of Salesforce and makes updating notes and fields actually tolerable.

Here’s what you get out of syncing:

  • Less double-entry: Type your notes once, and they show up in Salesforce.
  • More accurate data: Reps are more likely to update notes in real time if the process doesn’t suck.
  • Cleaner handoffs: Managers and teammates see the full context without chasing down people or docs.
  • Time back: Less admin work, more selling.

But don’t expect magic. There are a few snags—formatting can get weird, and you’ll still hit some Salesforce quirks. Still, it’s miles better than the old copy-paste routine.


Step 1: Know what Scratchpad actually syncs (and what it doesn’t)

Before you even sign up, you should know: Scratchpad doesn’t just “sync everything” magically. It’s designed to update Salesforce objects—like Opportunities, Accounts, Contacts, and Tasks—and lets you take notes that sync back to specific fields in Salesforce.

  • What syncs: Notes taken inside Scratchpad (linked to a Salesforce object) can be pushed into a Salesforce “Notes” field, or another custom field you specify.
  • What doesn’t: Attachments, rich formatting (like images or tables), and notes not linked to a Salesforce record usually won’t sync back cleanly.
  • Real talk: If your team expects Evernote-level features, temper those expectations. This is about getting call notes and deal details into Salesforce, not building a personal wiki.

Pro tip: Decide as a team which Salesforce fields you’ll use for notes. “Activity Notes,” “Call Notes,” or a custom long-text field all work—just make it clear and consistent.


Step 2: Connect Scratchpad to Salesforce

Okay, ready to set it up? Here’s how to get started:

  1. Sign up for Scratchpad
  2. Head to Scratchpad’s signup page and use your Salesforce credentials to create an account. It uses OAuth, so you don’t need to mess with passwords or API keys.
  3. Authorize Salesforce access
  4. You’ll be prompted to give Scratchpad permission to access your Salesforce data. This is required for syncing. If you’re an admin, you can approve it for your whole org. If not, you may need to bug your admin for permission.
  5. Pick your Salesforce environment
  6. If you’re testing, start with a Salesforce Sandbox. For production, connect your live Salesforce instance.
  7. Map your fields
  8. In Scratchpad, decide which Salesforce objects and fields you want to sync notes with (Opportunities, Accounts, etc.). Usually, you’ll map a Scratchpad note to a long-text field in Salesforce. This is crucial—if you skip this, your notes will vanish into the ether.

Heads up: Not all Salesforce orgs are configured the same. If you’ve customized your Salesforce objects heavily, you might hit snags. Sometimes field names or permissions get in the way. Double-check with your Salesforce admin if you hit odd errors.


Step 3: Set up your workflow and train your team

The tech is the easy part. The hard part is getting everyone to actually use it the same way. Here’s what you need to decide:

  • Where do notes live? Pick one default field for notes (e.g., “Call Notes” on Opportunities). Don’t scatter notes across five fields.
  • When should reps update? Best practice: update notes immediately after a call, while it’s fresh.
  • Who owns the process? Make sure someone (usually your sales ops or a team lead) is responsible for spot-checking that notes are making it into Salesforce.
  • How will you handle private notes? Scratchpad lets you keep some notes private. Decide if that’s okay, or if all notes need to be in Salesforce for compliance.

Pro tip: Run a short training session. Show the workflow step by step—don’t assume people will figure it out. Make a quick cheat sheet, or record a 3-minute Loom video. It saves headaches later.


Step 4: Syncing notes in practice—what works, what’s annoying

Here’s what you’ll actually experience, the good and the bad:

What works well

  • Speed: Scratchpad is way faster than opening Salesforce and hunting for the right record.
  • Search: Notes are easier to find, since they’re tied to the right Salesforce object.
  • Consistency: When everyone uses the same note field, you finally get a single source of truth.

What’s annoying

  • Formatting: Don’t expect rich text or images to sync perfectly. Salesforce note fields are pretty basic. Stick to bullets, short paragraphs, and plain text.
  • Sync timing: Sometimes there’s a slight delay (a minute or two) before your notes show up in Salesforce. Not a big deal, but don’t panic if you don’t see them instantly.
  • Permissions: If a rep doesn’t have edit access to a Salesforce field, their notes won’t sync—and the error messages aren’t always crystal clear.
  • Duplicate notes: If people take notes in both Salesforce and Scratchpad, you’ll end up with conflicting versions. Pick one system and stick to it.

Ignore the hype

You’ll see claims that Scratchpad “revolutionizes” Salesforce note-taking. Ignore the buzzwords. It’s a solid tool that makes a clunky process less miserable. That’s it—and honestly, that’s enough.


Step 5: Troubleshooting common issues

Even with a good setup, things can get weird. Here’s how to fix common problems:

  • Notes not syncing: Double-check that Scratchpad is connected to the right Salesforce instance, and that the target field exists and is editable.
  • Missing fields: If your custom “Call Notes” field isn’t showing up, you might need to refresh your field mapping in Scratchpad or check field-level security in Salesforce.
  • Weird formatting: If your notes look mangled in Salesforce, try stripping out special formatting—bold, italics, weird bullet points.
  • User permissions: If a specific rep can’t sync notes, confirm they have “Edit” access to the relevant Salesforce object and field.
  • Duplicates or overwrites: If two people edit the same note at once, the last save wins. Make it clear who owns which accounts or opportunities.

Pro tip: Set up a recurring reminder to check for syncing errors once a week. Nothing fancy—just a quick review to catch issues before they snowball.


Step 6: Audit and tweak your process

Don’t “set it and forget it.” Check every month or so:

  • Are reps actually using Scratchpad for notes, or are they sneaking back to Google Docs?
  • Are managers finding the notes useful during deal reviews?
  • Do you need to adjust which fields you sync, or change permissions?

If things aren’t working, don’t be afraid to change your process. The goal isn’t to use Scratchpad for its own sake—it’s to make Salesforce less painful and keep your sales data usable.


Keep it simple, keep it real

Syncing Salesforce notes with Scratchpad isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of setup and some team alignment. Don’t overcomplicate it. Start with one field, one workflow, and get everyone on board. Watch for friction, fix what’s broken, and skip the shiny features you don’t need.

Sales teams that keep things simple actually get value out of their tools. The rest get stuck in another mess of half-baked “solutions.” Stick to the basics, and iterate as you go. That’s how you’ll actually get your notes—and your deals—across the finish line.