The Clozd Platform integration with Salesforce CRM automates the collection of win-loss feedback by enabling a direct feed of opportunities into the Clozd Platform.
The integration streamlines the feedback collection process for win-loss interviews and surveys by reducing the amount of time spent collecting and sharing contact information.
Once the integration begins importing the necessary data, the Automated Distributions feature enables you to collect win-loss feedback through interviews and surveys with very little to no ongoing effort.
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This page is broken down into three main sections with their respective subsections:
Related Articles:
- iFrame Competitors tab to Salesforce Instance
- Two-Way Salesforce Integration
- Automated Distributions
- API Imports
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Salesforce Integration
What is the Salesforce integration?
In order for Clozd Program Managers to perform win-loss interviews or send out buyer surveys, they require a list of contacts to reach out to. Without a Salesforce integration, organizations have to manually gather these lists of contacts and send them to Clozd. This workaround can be tedious and time-consuming.
To streamline this process, Clozd is able to securely integrate with Salesforce to import these contacts and opportunities to the Clozd Platform automatically. Every night, any newly closed deals will be imported into the Clozd Platform and you will be able to see the details of these daily syncs under the Imports tab.
Salesforce Integration Benefits
The main advantage of the Salesforce integration for you as an admin is that you no longer need to go through the manual and often lengthy process of downloading contact lists from your CRM and sending them to Clozd via email. Instead, the integration provides an automated, continuous, and secure way of sending contacts to Clozd which eliminates any risks of sending data through an email platform. The Clozd Platform does a daily pull of every new deal that has been marked as closed in Salesforce. This enables you to have more real-time, continuous win-loss feedback.
Another advantage of the Salesforce integration is the additional insight you will gain from the Win Rates tab. In short, the Win Rates tab is a one-stop dashboard displaying charts and widgets that quickly provide answers and insight into questions like:
- What is our organization’s overall win rate?
- In which quarter does our organization have the highest win rate?
- What industry is our organization most successful in?
This tab is most useful with the Salesforce integration because it is analyzing your entire pipeline. If you want to learn more, a full explanation of the Win Rates can be found on the Win Rates Tab support page.
| For a PDF displaying the benefits of integrating with Salesforce, download the "Salesforce Integration Benefits" PDF attached below. |
Salesforce Integration Setup
The Clozd Platform integration with Salesforce is a fairly simple integration that only takes about 1 minute to set up. To enable the integration, a Salesforce administrator will need to log in to Salesforce from Clozd.
| Tip: Make sure you log in to a Salesforce account that has read-only permissions to all objects you wish to import to the Clozd Platform. |
1. Navigate to the Configuration tab in the Clozd Platform.
2. Click on the Settings tab and navigate to the Integrations tab.
3. Locate the Salesforce integration section, then click Connect.
4. Click Sign in to Salesforce. You will then be navigated to the Salesforce login screen.
| To integrate with a Salesforce Sandbox environment, click on the "Signing into a Salesforce sandbox? click here" button |
5. Once you have logged in to your production instance, you will be redirected to the Clozd Platform and the integration will be complete.
Ongoing Maintenance
Permissions:
To prevent import errors, verify Clozd has read-only permission to your objects in Salesforce. A Salesforce Administrator will have the correct permission set, however, you may also complete the integration with an integration user.
For more information on how to configure object permissions in Salesforce, see this Salesforce Article.
Reauthenticating your Salesforce account:
Clozd Platform Administrators for your organization will be notified by email if the Salesforce authentication becomes invalid. This is can happen if the user who established the integration no longer works at your organization or lost access.
A new user must reauthenticate by following the Salesforce Integration Setup process above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a managed package that needs to be installed in Salesforce?
No.
How does the integration work? Is it secure?
To initiate the integration, we redirect the user to a standard Salesforce login page. The user will enter their username and password (Clozd will never get access to that information because it gets entered directly into a Salesforce login page), and Salesforce redirects the user back to the Clozd Platform.
Salesforce passes Clozd authentication tokens using a standard OAuth2.0 authentication flow. We then store those temporary-use authentication tokens in our database, enabling our system to make Salesforce REST API requests over HTTPS on behalf of the user. Salesforce uses a system where the authentication tokens need to be renewed periodically, so our system periodically communicates with Salesforce's authentication APIs to retrieve renewed authentication tokens when needed, after which the updated token information is stored in our database.
Privacy & Security - Policy and Documentation
SOC 2
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Automated Imports
What are automated imports?
Once the integration is complete, you will need to set up automated imports to determine which opportunities to import and which fields to map to the Clozd Platform.
Automated Imports Setup
To activate daily imports from Salesforce, complete the following steps:
1. Navigate to the Automations tab. Click + Add Import Source. Select Salesforce.
2. In the next window, you can set up import rules to filter which closed opportunities you want to import into the Clozd Platform. For more information, see the Import Rules section.
3. The following page asks you to map your Salesforce fields to corresponding fields in the Clozd Platform. You can map as many or as few fields as you want, but keep in mind that the more fields you map, the more filtering you can do on the data we collect. At a minimum, make sure you map all required fields and participant fields such as Participant First Name, Last Name, and Email. You can always come back to this later to remap existing fields or map additional ones. For more information, see the Field Mapping section.
4. When you click Next, you will get an “Import Preview” that allows you to preview the data you are bringing in before you actually do so. This can help you know that everything is coming through correctly. The preview won’t show all of the fields you have mapped, but it will show you some basic information Clozd will be bringing in. If the Preview looks good, go ahead and click Confirm.
5. The initial import will start running in the background. The first time you connect to Salesforce, Clozd will import up to 10,000 of the most recently closed opportunities from Salesforce. Going forward, the nightly sync will only bring in deals closed that day that meet the Import Rules as well as any updates made in Salesforce to existing deals in Clozd Platform.
When completed, the import will display on the Imports tab and you can click on individual deals to make sure everything is coming through correctly by looking at the metadata at the top of the Deal Page.
Automated Imports Tabs
Import Rules
All closed opportunities in Salesforce that match the criteria set under "Import Rules" will be imported into Clozd. The initial import will bring in up to 10,000 historical deals. Going forward, the import will run daily, so Clozd will be up-to-date with changes made in Salesforce.
Best practice is to bring as much data into the Clozd Platform as possible, so we wouldn’t recommend more than one or two rules on this page. Keep in mind that you can set up separate filters to determine who you actually want to reach out to later on in the process when creating email distributions. This page is just to determine which closed deals to bring into the Platform.
One of the most common filters on this page is to set a historical date cut-off so you only bring in more recent deals or filter out certain opportunity types that may not be a good fit for win-loss analysis such as opportunities with potential partners or resellers.
Field Mapping
On the left-hand side of the Field Mapping module, you will see the name of the field on the Clozd Platform. On the right-hand side, you will select the corresponding field in your Salesforce instance. Select the field in Salesforce that aligns with the Clozd field by typing in the text box to search or scrolling through the options listed. The fields are organized by object, so it is usually easiest to first find the object the field lives on and then scroll through the fields within that object to find the field you are attempting to map.
At a minimum, make sure you map the following fields:
- Organization Name (typically “Account: Account Name” in Salesforce)
- Amount (typically “Opportunity: TCV”, “Amount”, “ARR”, etc. in Salesforce)
- Closed Date (typically “Opportunity: Close Date” in Salesforce)
- Participant Email (typically “Contact: Email” in Salesforce)
- Participant First Name (typically "Contact: First Name" in Salesforce)
- Participant Last Name (typically "Contact: Last Name" in Salesforce)
If you would like to bring in a field that does not have a corresponding field in Clozd Platform, simply scroll to the bottom of the Field Mapping page and click Add Field. A module will pop-up asking you to quickly configure the field and then map it to the comparable field in Salesforce.
You can come back to adjust field mappings anytime. When you save your changes, a pop-up will give you the option to update all existing deals with your changes as well so your metadata is consistent for all current and future deals in the Clozd Platform.
Import Errors
Please note that errors will display for 30 days and then will be automatically deleted.
Ongoing Maintenance
If you ever need to change any of the import rules or field mappings after you have finished the Salesforce integration, go back to the Automations tab, and click Settings under Automated Imports for Salesforce. Make your changes and save.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will individuals on opportunities be contacted upon activating the automation?
No. Automatic scheduling of interviews and surveys is configured independently of the Salesforce integration. If you need help configuring automated feedback requests, please contact support@clozd.com.
Can we map to Salesforce relationship fields?
As long as a field is on the Account, Opportunity, Product, Contact, or User object, the field can be mapped in Clozd - regardless of field type.
What if there are multiple contacts on one opportunity?
Clozd will import all contacts associated with each opportunity. We import contact roles and whether a contact is marked as “isPrimary” on the contact role object. If applicable, you can specify which contact role should be invited from relevant opportunities to participate in win-loss interviews or surveys.
What objects can Clozd Platform access from Salesforce?
Clozd ingests any Salesforce field from the following Salesforce objects:
- Account
- Opportunity
- Product
- Contact
- User
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Automated Distributions
Introduction to Automated Distributions
Once the Salesforce or other CRM integration is completed, the Clozd Platform will automatically receive data from closed opportunities including the corresponding contacts. The next step to collecting win-loss feedback is to determine which contacts to reach out to and send them an email inviting them to schedule an interview or fill out a survey. Ideally, this process is automated since it can be very tedious and time-consuming if done manually.
The process of establishing automated feedback requests in Clozd Platform is completely customizable to meet your needs. You can automate outreach for each feedback channel and set unique rules for each one to determine which deals to request feedback on. For example, you can automate Sales Rep Surveys so that every single time a deal closes, the associated sales rep is sent a survey to complete. You can choose to automatically send Buyer Surveys to all deals under $30,000 in EMEA but send Buyer Interview invitations to all lost deals over $75,000 against a specific competitor. The possibilities are really endless!
If you're worried about losing visibility into the participants being contacted, you can also turn on the Distribution List Preview. This feature alerts you 48 hours before an Automated Distribution is sent, allowing you to see a list of all the people that are about to be emailed so you can look it over and remove any contacts as needed before the first email is sent.
Setup Process
| Note: Before setting up a distribution, make sure to create a sequence. For assistance with creating sequences, refer to the Sequences page. |
1. Navigate to the Configuration tab and select Automations.
2. Click + Add Feedback Channel and select which feedback source you would like to create an automation for. For this example, we'll use Buyer Interviews but you can also automate Buyer Surveys, Sales Rep Interviews, and Sales Rep Surveys.
3. Name the automation and hit Next.
4. On the modal that appears, begin to filter to the specific criteria for which you want to collect feedback on by clicking + Add Rule. You can set criteria around any field in Clozd Platform, including custom fields.
| Tip: The rules for Automated Distributions use and logic. If you want to use or logic instead, you can do so by creating a separate automation. |
When you are satisfied with your criteria, click Next.
5. Select the sequence, interval, and quota.
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Sequence:
Select which email sequence you would like to send to these contacts. As a reminder, a sequence determines how many emails will be sent out to the contact, the content of each email, and when the emails are sent out (for more information, refer to Sequences).
Follow-Up Sequence
If you're creating a Buyer Interview automated distribution, you may also choose to initiate a follow-up sequence asking the participants that didn't respond to the buyer interview outreach to fill out a buyer survey. Individuals may not have the time to provide interview feedback but can provide valuable feedback from a survey. You can set how many days after the buyer interview distribution finishes before initializing the buyer survey sequence. We recommend waiting approximately 7 days.
- Interval:
Once a contact/deal is imported and matches the criteria for an automated distribution, the email won't go out instantly. Instead, these deals are batched and then sent out all at once as part of a Distribution. You can choose to either send those out daily or weekly at a specified time. For example, if a weekly cadence is selected for Monday at 9 AM America/Denver time, a new distribution will start at 9 AM every Monday and include deals that were imported within the last week that meet the specified criteria.
| Note: Automated Distributions only send to deals imported as far back as the interval is set. For example, if you set the interval to weekly, emails will only be sent to deals imported in the last week that meet the automation rules. If you want to send to deals imported earlier, you will have to send to them manually. |
Send Distribution Preview Email
To ensure Clozd is reaching out to the appropriate deals, you may turn on the ability to receive an email showing the deals and contacts that will be reached out to before the emails are sent.
When you click "Review scheduled distribution", you will be navigated to the Clozd Platform where you will see all of the deals that are about to emailed. You can then look through the list and remove the deals you don't want Clozd to reach out to.
Turning on the "Require approval to send distribution" toggle will make it so the automated distribution will only send if approved by a user given the appropriate role (see Managing User Roles).
- Interview Quota: Setting a quota will automatically disable the automated distribution when a previously set number of interviews is published or a specified date is reached.
Monthly Limit
If you choose to add a quota, you can also set a monthly scheduling limit. This can help throttle the feedback you receive so it's more spread out over time.
Once an automated distribution is created, you can go back to edit it by navigating to the Automations tab, locating the specific automation, and hitting the View/Edit button.
Frequently Asked Questions
After the automated distribution is set up, can I still review the list of contacts the system will reach out to and remove contacts?
Yes. To activate this setting, go to the Configurations tab and select Automations. Find the automation you want to enable this setting for and click View/Edit. Under the Distribution List Editor section, check off the box next to "Enable distribution list preview".
All admins will be notified by email 48 hours before we reach out to the identified contacts. This will give you time to review and remove any contacts from the distribution before it sends.
For research best practices and to reduce cognitive bias, we recommend manually curating lists as little as possible.
Are there instances where a participant would not be enrolled in an automated distribution despite meeting the automation criteria?
Yes, a participant will not be included in a distribution if:
- The participant has opted out or has been opted out in a previous distribution
- The participant is missing required information such as first name, email, or any other required metadata fields that is included in the sequence used for the distribution
- The participant has already provided feedback for the deal selected
- The participant has been included in a previous distribution in the last 30 days regardless of feedback channel
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Two-Way Salesforce Integration
This feature will allow Clozd to push a link to your Salesforce field of choice when a deal gets published with feedback.
For example, if you created a new Salesforce field named "Clozd Interview", you could have that field populate with a link to the deal whenever the deal gets published feedback.
To Setup:
1. Navigate to the Configuration tab in the Clozd Platform.
2. Click on the Integrations tab.
3. Locate the Salesforce section, then click Settings.
4. Toggle on the Push Link to Salesforce pill.
5. Select the Salesforce field to which we will push a link. This should be a field on the Opportunity object with a URL data type. If needed, create a new field in Salesforce and click “Refresh”.
6. Click Save.
Questions?
For questions about the fit of the Salesforce Integration for your Clozd Win-Loss Program, please contact your Clozd Consultant.
For questions about the integration or troubleshooting, please contact support@clozd.com.
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