Overview
GReminders provides a direct, native integration with Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management platform widely used across industries, including financial services. This integration automates scheduling, sends personalized reminders, and syncs data bi-directionally, helping users save time, reduce no-shows, and enhance client relationships. As a new hire at GReminders, mastering the Salesforce integration settings is essential for assisting users in configuring and optimizing their system. This guide covers the setup process, key features, and best practices for supporting users.
Why GReminders Integrates with Salesforce
The GReminders-Salesforce integration enhances productivity by:
- Automating scheduling and reminders via SMS, email, or voice calls.
- Syncing Salesforce calendar events and contact data bi-directionally via Google or Outlook calendars.
- Mapping custom form responses to Salesforce fields for personalized data tracking.
- Logging reminders as activities in Salesforce for compliance and record-keeping.
- Supporting Salesforce Financial Services Cloud (FSC) with specific handling of Person Accounts and Interaction Records.
GReminders offers a seamless integration with Salesforce, eliminating the need for third-party tools like Zapier, unlike competitors such as Calendly.
Setting Up the Salesforce Integration
The setup process is quick and user-friendly, typically taking under a minute. Here’s how to guide a client through the integration setup:
Step 1: Ensure Calendar Sync
- Before integrating with GReminders, users must sync their Salesforce calendar with Google Calendar or Outlook/Office 365 for bi-directional event syncing.
- In Salesforce, navigate to Setup > Apps > App Manager, locate the calendar integration (e.g., Salesforce for Outlook or Google Calendar integration), and enable two-way sync. Ensure users have appropriate permissions under Connected Apps or Connected Services.
Step 2: Access Integration Settings
- In the GReminders app, go to Set Up > Integrations from the left-hand toolbar.
- Scroll to Salesforce (or Salesforce Financial Services Cloud for FSC users) and click Setup.
- Click Setup Now and enter Salesforce credentials to authenticate. Invited users can connect their Salesforce account during initial setup or later under Connected Services.
Step 3: Configure Integration Options
After authentication, users can customize the integration settings. Key options include:
- Pull Mobile Number from Contacts/Leads: Enabled by default, this imports the contact’s or lead’s first name, last name, and mobile number from Salesforce based on the email address when an event is created. This ensures reminders are personalized.
- Map Custom Questions to Salesforce Fields: Responses to custom questions in GReminders booking forms can be mapped to Salesforce fields (e.g., Description, custom fields) for Contacts, Leads, Events, or Tasks. Configure updates under Salesforce Update with options: “Yes, only if the current value is blank,” “Yes, overwrite existing value,” or “No.”
- Log Reminders as Activities: Reminders sent by GReminders are logged as activities in the Salesforce Contact or Lead record, ensuring compliance and tracking.
- Create Leads for New Contacts: If a new contact schedules through GReminders and no matching Contact exists, a new Lead is created in Salesforce.
- FSC-Specific Options: For Salesforce Financial Services Cloud, configure creation of Interaction and Interaction Summary Records for meetings, linked to Person Accounts or other Account types based on Record Types.
Step 4: Verify Integration
Confirm the integration status shows Connected in Set Up > Integrations. If issues occur, verify Salesforce credentials, ensure calendar sync is active, and check Salesforce’s documentation for additional requirements.
Key Features of the Integration
Understanding these features will help you assist users in leveraging the integration effectively:
- Automated Scheduling and Reminders:
- Events scheduled via GReminders are added to the Salesforce calendar as Events, with reminders sent via SMS, email, or voice based on user-defined templates.
- Variables like {{invitee.firstname}} from Salesforce personalize reminders.
- Client confirmations (e.g., replying “Yes”) are logged in Salesforce as activities and marked on the event.
- New contacts scheduling through GReminders are created as Leads in Salesforce, or existing Contacts/Leads are matched by email.
- Bi-Directional Syncing:
- Events created in Salesforce (manually or via the “Related To” field) are imported into GReminders, triggering reminders without additional setup.
- GReminders writes back reminder activities to Salesforce Contact or Lead records for compliance.
- Custom Field Mapping:
- Map GReminders booking form questions to Salesforce fields (e.g., custom fields on Contacts or Leads) for tailored data collection. Configure under Set Up > Integrations > Salesforce > Map Fields.
- Automate updates to Contact or Lead records (e.g., new phone numbers) based on user preferences.
- AI Notetaker Integration:
- GReminders’ AI Notetaker transcribes and summarizes meetings, pushing summaries to Salesforce as Interaction Summary Records (for FSC) or notes on Events/Tasks.
- FSC-Specific Features:
- Supports Salesforce Financial Services Cloud with Person Accounts and Record Types, creating Interaction and Interaction Summary Records for meetings.
- Routes prospects or customers to specific event types based on Salesforce record ownership.
- Meeting App Integration:
- Automatically include Virtual links in reminders for GReminders-scheduled events.
- Reporting:
- Use GReminders’ Usage Reports under Set Up to track events by Meeting Category, synced with Salesforce data.
Salesforce Overlays
Salesforce overlays are specialized solutions built on top of Salesforce’s core platform to tailor it for specific industries or needs, enhancing its functionality for targeted use cases. Examples include:
- Salesforce Financial Services Cloud (FSC): A CRM designed for financial services, offering features like household data models, financial goal tracking, and Interaction Records for wealth management, banking, and insurance. It supports compliance and personalized client experiences.
- XLR8: A Salesforce overlay for financial advisors, available on the Salesforce AppExchange, that improves client relationship management with enhanced efficiency and communication tools, streamlining processes like client onboarding and data management.
- Practifi: A Salesforce overlay for registered investment advisors (RIAs), providing tools to manage client data, automate workflows, and integrate with platforms like Flourish for accessing held-away assets, all within Salesforce.
These overlays extend Salesforce’s capabilities, making it more effective for financial professionals by adding industry-specific features and integrations.