Channeltivity's integration with Salesforce allows you to automatically pull Salesforce Opportunities into your PRM as Deal Registrations. This feature can be used to import existing Deals into Channeltivity from Salesforce that were originally created by a different PRM, or to generate Deal Registrations based on automatic renewal Opportunities created in Salesforce. This article provides an overview of how the Deal Import integration works, setup instructions, and the necessary prep work for importing Salesforce Opportunities into Channeltivity as Deal Registrations and assigning them to the correct Partner.
How does the Salesforce Deal Registration Import work?
Successfully importing Salesforce Opportunities into Channeltivity as Deal Registrations requires flagging the Opportunities for import and specifying which Channeltivity User will be the Deal's owner. More specifically, you'll need to do the following:
- Confirm Account & Contact associations - The integration uses the Salesforce Account and Primary Contact details in order to create a Deal in Channeltivity, so you'll need to make sure they're associated with the Salesforce Opportunity. If any of these are missing, the import will fail.
- Set the Sync Flag - In general, and this is true for all of Channeltivity's integrations with Salesforce, the integration will only sync Salesforce records that have the Sync Flag set. (In all the help documentation the sync flag is usually represented by a "Sync with Channeltivity" checkbox field on the Salesforce record, but you have complete flexibility in naming the field something else). The Sync Flag on the Opportunity is also used by the Lead Distribution and Referral integrations if you have them enabled.
- Set the Import Flag - In order to import Deal Registrations from Salesforce, a second flag is required. This second Import Flag indicates to the Integration that this Opportunity should be imported as a Deal Registration. (In all the help documentation, the Import Flag is represented by an "Export to Channeltivity Deal" checkbox field on the Salesforce Opportunity record, but again you can name the field something else.)
- Set the Partner User email address - Deals in Channeltivity always have an owner. You'll need to enter the email address of the Partner User in Channeltivity who will own the Deal Registration into this field.
- Set the Distributor User email address - If you have the Distributor module enabled and need to import Deals owned by Distributors, you'll need to enter the email address of the Distributor User in Channeltivity who will own the Deal Registration into this field. See the "Preparing a Salesforce Opportunity for Deal Registration Import" section below for more detailed instructions on setting Distributor Users as Deal Owners.
During the automatic full sync that runs once every hour, Channeltivity will do the following:
- Match the Deal Owner's email address to a User in Channeltivity.
- Check whether the associated Salesforce Account and Contact already exist for the Deal Owner in Channeltivity.
- Create the Channeltivity Deal Account and/or Contact if they don't already exist.
- Create the Deal Registration based on the information from the Salesforce Opportunity.
- Send an email notification to the Deal Owner. (The configuration of your portal's Deal Email Notifications will determine the other recipients that are notified about the Deal's creation).
Note: You can trigger a full sync manually at any time using the Sync Manager.
Configuring the Salesforce Deal Import Integration
Step 1: Configure the Deal Registration integration with Salesforce
Before configuring the Deal Import Integration, you must first configure Channeltivity's Deal Registration integration with Salesforce.
Step 2: Create Salesforce Opportunity Fields to be used by the Deal Import Integration
After configuring Channeltivity's Deal Registration integration with Salesforce, which included the creation of a checkbox field on the Salesforce Opportunity called, "Sync with Channeltivity," you'll create the below fields on the Opportunity object in Salesforce:
- Checkbox field called "Export to Channeltivity Deal."
- Email or Text field called "Channeltivity Partner Email."
- The below fields are only applicable to customers using the Distributor modulewith Deal Registration:
- Email or Text field called "Channeltivity Distributor Email."
- (Optional) Picklist field called "Deal Owner Type" that includes the two values below:
- Partner-owned
- Distributor-owned
Note: By default, imported Deals are owned by the Partner. The Deal Owner Type picklist field on the Opportunity in Salesforce can be used to specify whether the Deal is owned by the Partner or Distributor.
Step 3: Configure the Deal Import Integration
In Channeltivity, go to Settings > Salesforce Integration > Deal Registration to update the settings in the below screenshot:
- Sync with Channeltivity – this setting should default to the "Sync with Channeltivity" checkbox that you created when configuring the Deal Registration integration with Salesforce in Step 1 listed above.
- Check the "Pull Opportunities from the Salesforce" box.
- Export to Channeltivity Deal – select the "Export to Channeltivity Deal" checkbox that you created in Step 2 listed above.
- Channeltivity Partner Email – select the "Channeltivity Partner Email" email field that you created in Step 2 listed above.
- Channeltivity Distributor Email – select the "Channeltivity Distributor" email field that you created in Step 2 listed above. (Only available if you have the Distributor module enabled)
Step 4: Configure Field Mappings
You'll then scroll down the page to the Field Mappings section and click the "Deal to Opportunity" tab to configure the below Deal Registration to Opportunity field mappings. If this is the first time you're configuring the Salesforce integration in your Channeltivity instance, many of these mappings will already be in place. Although you will probably want more information to be pulled from Salesforce when creating Deals, by default only the required fields need to be mapped:
- Amount
- Close Date
- Deal Name
- Stage
- Contact First and Last Name - These field mappings are used to create the Deal's End User (Customer) Contact. They are only used when a new Deal is created and not on subsequent syncs.
- Deal Owner Type (Optional - Distributor module only) – By default, imported Deals are owned by the Partner. However, if you have the Distributor module enabled and need to import Deals owned by Distributors, create a new mapping for the "Deal Owner Type" picklist in Channeltivity to a picklist field on the Opportunity that includes two values: Partner-Owned and Distributor-Owned. The integration will use this picklist to know whether the imported Deal is owned by the Partner or Distributor.
When you're done, click "Save" to save your changes.
Preparing a Salesforce Opportunity for Deal Registration Import
After completing steps 1-4 listed above, you can begin importing Salesforce Opportunities into Channeltivity as Deals. Here are the requirements:
- Make sure the Salesforce Opportunity has an associated Account.
- Make sure the Salesforce Opportunity has an associated Contact that's set as the Primary Contact. (Only the Primary Contact is created during the import.)
- Select the Sync Flag checkbox (ex. Sync with Channeltivity)
- Select the Deal Import checkbox (ex. Export to Channeltivity Deal).
- Enter the Partner User email (ex. Channeltivity Partner Email). The email address must be associated with an Active Partner User in Channeltivity with permissions to the Deal Registration module.
- Depending on your configuration of the Distributor Module Settings, this field may be optional for Opportunities that have the Deal Owner Type field set to Distributor-Owned.
- (Optional - Distributor module only) Enter the Distributor User email (ex. Channeltivity Distributor Email): The email address must be associated with an Active Distributor User in Channeltivity with permissions to the Deal Registration module.
- (Optional - Distributor module only) Set the Deal Owner Type picklist to Distributor-Owned or Partner-Owned. By default, imported Deals are owned by the Partner.
Running the Deal Registration Import
Once the Opportunity or multiple Opportunities have been properly prepped in Salesforce, you can wait for the import process to run (this happens approximately every hour) or launch it manually from within Channeltivity using the Sync Manager (Settings > Salesforce Integration > Sync Manager). Simply select the checkbox next to the "Deal Registration" integration> Actions > Run Full Sync Now to manually trigger a full sync.
Please note that depending on your integration, it may take several minutes to complete a full import.
Viewing Imported Deals and Troubleshooting Deal Registration Import Errors
Once the integration sync has completed, head over to the Deal Registration module to view the results. You can click the "Created Date" column header on the Deals lister page to sort by the Created Date descending to view the latest Deals at the top.
If your Salesforce Opportunities didn't all import, use the Integration Log to find out why. The helpful error messages will explain why an Opportunity was not imported and suggest solutions for resolving common import issues.
Related Documentation:
- Advanced Salesforce Opportunity Export Configuration: Ensure the Partner I'm sending the Salesforce Opportunity to as a Deal in Channeltivity is an Active or Pending User
- Preparing a Salesforce Opportunity for Deal Registration Import
- What is the Deal Registration Module and how does it work?
- What Is the Distributor Module and How Does It Work with Deal Registrations?
- Salesforce Integration: Deal Registration - Overview
- Salesforce Integration: Deal Registration - Setup Walkthrough