If you’re tired of chasing down text message threads, copy-pasting notes, or missing follow-ups, this is probably for you. Integrating your business texting app with your CRM and calendar can save you from a lot of manual work and headaches. This guide is for anyone using Textus—recruiters, sales teams, support folks, or anyone else juggling contacts and conversations who wants to keep things in sync automatically.
Let’s cut through the fluff and get to what actually works.
Why Sync Textus with Your CRM and Calendar?
Let’s be honest: Most teams let a lot slip between the cracks. You might send a text to a candidate or lead, then forget to update your CRM or schedule a follow-up. Or maybe you’re stuck toggling between apps, trying to remember what you said and when. That’s how tasks fall through, deals stall, or candidates ghost you.
Syncing Textus with your CRM and calendar can help with:
- Automatic record-keeping: Text conversations get logged right in the contact’s profile.
- Real reminders: Schedule follow-ups or meetings from a text, without switching tabs.
- Context at your fingertips: When someone calls or texts, you see the history in your CRM.
- No more double entry: Type it once; it shows up everywhere it needs to.
But, not every integration is magic. Some are clunky, some break, and some just dump data everywhere. So, let’s do this the right way.
Step 1: Check Your CRM and Calendar Compatibility
Before you set anything up, find out what your CRM and calendar can actually connect to. Textus plays nicely with a handful of the big names, but not every system is covered out of the box.
Supported CRMs: - Salesforce - Bullhorn - HubSpot (with caveats—see below) - Others, sometimes via Zapier or API
Supported Calendars: - Google Calendar - Outlook/Office 365 Calendar
What to watch for: - Some integrations are native (built right into Textus), while others use third-party connectors like Zapier. - If your CRM isn’t listed, you might be able to use the API or webhooks, but that’s an extra lift—and often requires IT help.
Pro tip:
If you’re not sure, email your CRM admin or run a quick search for “Textus integration with [Your CRM/Calendar].” Saves a lot of wasted setup time.
Step 2: Connect Textus to Your CRM
Assuming your CRM is supported, here’s how most Textus integrations work. I’ll focus on the most common platforms (Salesforce, Bullhorn), but the basics apply elsewhere.
A. Native Integration (e.g., Salesforce, Bullhorn)
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Get the right permissions.
You’ll need admin access to both Textus and your CRM. If you don’t have it, nudge whoever does. -
Find the integration settings.
- In Textus, look for “Integrations” or “Connected Apps” in your account or admin panel.
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In your CRM, check the marketplace or app exchange for “Textus.”
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Install or enable the integration.
- Follow the prompts—usually, you’ll log in to both accounts, grant permissions, and decide what gets synced.
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You might need to map Textus “contacts” to your CRM “leads,” “candidates,” or “contacts.” Take your time here—bad mappings = messy data.
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Test with one record.
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Send a test text. Check your CRM: Does it show up in the right place? Is it attached to the correct contact? If not, tweak your mapping.
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Roll it out for real.
- Once it works, turn it on for the rest of your users or team.
What actually syncs? - Sent and received texts (often as “activities” or “notes” on the contact) - Sometimes, group texts or bulk messages (depends on your CRM) - Some integrations let you start a Textus conversation right from the CRM
What doesn’t: - MMS (pictures, files) often don’t sync cleanly. - Emojis and special formatting can get mangled, especially in older CRMs.
What to ignore: - Fancy “AI” features that promise to summarize or analyze texts—they’re rarely accurate and can waste your time.
B. Third-Party Integration (e.g., HubSpot, via Zapier)
If your CRM isn’t natively supported, Zapier or a similar tool can bridge the gap, but it’s not always perfect.
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Get a Zapier account.
The free tier works for basic setups, but you’ll probably outgrow it. -
Set up a “Zap” to watch for new Textus messages.
- Choose Textus as the trigger app.
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Pick “New Message” or similar as the trigger event.
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Set your action to create or update a record in your CRM.
- Map the phone number, message content, and timestamp fields.
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Be careful—Zapier can’t always match phone numbers to your CRM contacts if the formatting is off.
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Test it.
- Send a test text and see if it lands in the right place.
Limitations: - Zapier can be slow (5-15 minutes for free accounts). - Matching contacts by phone number can be flaky if your CRM uses different formats (parentheses, dashes, country codes). - Bulk texting or group messages often get skipped.
Pro tip:
Keep your Zap simple, at least at first. Complex Zaps break easily and are a pain to debug.
Step 3: Connect Textus to Your Calendar
Syncing your calendar is usually about scheduling follow-ups or meetings straight from a text thread. It’s less about syncing every message, and more about capturing intent (“Let’s chat Tuesday at 2?”).
A. Google Calendar
- In Textus, open a conversation.
- Look for the “Schedule” or calendar icon.
- Connect your Google account (if you haven’t already). Follow the prompts.
- Create the event—add time, details, and make sure it’s linked to the right contact.
- Send the invite. The recipient should get a calendar invite via email or SMS.
B. Outlook/Office 365
Pretty much the same process as Google. Just connect your Microsoft account when prompted.
What works: - Quick creation of calendar events from text conversations. - Automatic invites sent to both you and the recipient.
What doesn’t: - Recurring events are often clunky or unsupported. - Not every calendar integration can see “busy” times—sometimes you’ll double-book yourself.
Pro tip:
Try to keep calendar invites simple—just the basics. Overly detailed invites or attachments can get lost or confuse recipients, especially if they’re on mobile.
Step 4: Give Your Team a Process (or at Least a Heads Up)
Tech alone won’t fix communication chaos. If you’re syncing Textus with your CRM and calendar, make sure people know:
- Where to look for conversation history (Textus? CRM? Both?)
- How to log notes or next steps—does it go in the CRM, or just in Textus?
- When to schedule follow-ups—right after a text, or later?
A quick Loom video or a one-page doc works wonders here. Otherwise, people fall back into old habits.
Step 5: Troubleshooting and Gotchas
Nothing in software is ever “set and forget.” Here’s what actually trips teams up:
- Duplicate conversations: If you sync the same number to multiple CRM contacts, messages can get misfiled.
- Permissions: If someone’s account disconnects, texts might stop syncing. Double-check permissions if things go missing.
- Mismatched contact info: Numbers stored one way in Textus and another in your CRM? They won’t match up. Standardize formats—no dashes, consistent country codes.
- Data overload: Some integrations dump every single message into the CRM, cluttering up timelines. You might want to filter out auto-responses or bulk texts.
How to fix: - Audit your sync settings every few months. - Spot-check CRM records after big changes or updates. - Don’t be afraid to turn off noisy automations if they’re more trouble than they’re worth.
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Overengineer
Start simple:
- Sync only what you’ll actually use.
- Add fields or fancy automations later, once people are comfortable.
- If something’s not working, turn it off and ask for help—Textus support is usually responsive, and sometimes your CRM admin can fix things in a few clicks.
Final Thoughts
Syncing Textus with your CRM and calendar doesn’t have to be complicated. The real win is getting your conversations and follow-ups in one place, so you spend less time on busywork and more on actual work. Start small, keep your setup tight, and don’t get distracted by shiny features you don’t need. The best integrations are the ones you barely notice—because they just work.
If something isn’t clicking, simplify. Iterate. You’ll get more done, and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.