Salesforce Integration

This integration connects Salesforce with SparrowDesk, so agents can see CRM context without leaving a conversation, and contact and conversation data can stay in sync between both tools.

Once connected, agents see a contact's Salesforce details right inside the SparrowDesk inbox. If a contact doesn't exist in Salesforce yet, agents can create one without switching tools. From the same settings screen, you can also turn on contact sync and conversation sync to keep both tools updated automatically.

What this integration is used for

After connecting Salesforce to SparrowDesk, your team can:

• View a contact's Salesforce details inline- name, account, title, and owner, shown in the conversation and on the contact profile
• Create a Salesforce contact directly from SparrowDesk if no match exists yet
• Sync new and updated SparrowDesk contacts to Salesforce automatically
• Sync closed conversations to Salesforce as notes so sales and CS teams see support history on the contact record

SparrowDesk continues to manage support conversations. Salesforce continues to manage the contact record and CRM data.

Before you start

Make sure you have the following before connecting Salesforce:

• Admin access in SparrowDesk
• A Salesforce account with permission to authorise external apps
• API access enabled on your Salesforce edition (Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions include it; Professional needs the API add-on)
• Access to the contacts you want synced in Salesforce

Install the SparrowDesk package in Salesforce

The SparrowDesk managed package adds a connected app to your Salesforce org, so Salesforce recognises SparrowDesk during setup- you don't create a connected app or copy a client ID and secret yourself.

Install the package as a Salesforce admin, in the same org (production or sandbox) you plan to connect.

1. Sign in to Salesforce as an administrator
2. Open the SparrowDesk package installation link from the Salesforce page in the SparrowDesk App store
3. On the installation page, select Install for All Users
4. If prompted, approve access for the SparrowDesk connected app to communicate outside Salesforce
5. Click Install
6. Wait for the install to finish larger packages install in the background, and Salesforce emails you when it's done
7. Confirm SparrowDesk appears under Setup → Installed Packages

Connecting Salesforce to SparrowDesk

The integration setup begins inside SparrowDesk Settings.

From your SparrowDesk account:

1. Open Settings
2. Click Apps
3. Find Salesforce in the list of integrations
4. Click Connect Salesforce
5. Sign in with your Salesforce account when prompted
6. Click Allow to authorise SparrowDesk to access your Salesforce account

Syncing contacts to Salesforce

Turn on Sync Contacts to Salesforce on the Setup tab to automatically push new and updated SparrowDesk contacts to your Salesforce CRM.

Turning on the toggle opens the Salesforce Contact Sync-up modal. Map each SparrowDesk field to its corresponding Salesforce field, then click Configure to save.

1. Click Select a SparrowDesk field and choose the field you want to sync
2. Click Select a Salesforce field and choose its matching field
3. Click Add field to map additional fields
4. Click Configure once all fields are mapped

At minimum, map Email, since SparrowDesk uses it to match contacts with Salesforce records elsewhere in the integration. Most teams also map Full Name and Phone for basic contact details.

If your team tracks where leads come from, map SparrowDesk's utm_campaign, utm_content, and utm_medium fields to their matching Salesforce fields. This gives your sales team lead source context on the Salesforce contact record without anyone manually copying it over.

Once saved, contact sync is active. You can return to this mapping anytime by clicking Edit configuration on the Setup tab.

Syncing conversations to Salesforce

Turn on Sync conversations to Salesforce on the same Setup tab so closed conversations are added to the matching Salesforce contact as a note.

Once enabled, only conversations started after this point are synced. Earlier conversations are not synced retroactively, even if a contact replies after sync is turned on.

Conversations from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram sync to the contact as notes, the same way email and chat conversations do.

How conversation sync works

• When a conversation is closed, SparrowDesk creates a completed Task on the matching Salesforce contact with the full transcript and a link back to the conversation in SparrowDesk
• Each conversation gets one Task in Salesforce
• If the conversation is reopened and closed again, SparrowDesk updates the same Task with the full, updated transcript
• If a conversation has no matching Salesforce contact when it closes, no Task is created, and it isn't synced later even if a match is added afterward

Note: Turning off conversation sync only stops syncing from that point forward. Tasks already synced are not removed from Salesforce.

Viewing Salesforce details in a conversation

The Salesforce sidebar panel works independently of contact sync and conversation sync- agents see CRM context in conversations whether or not either toggle is turned on.

1. Open a conversation in your Inbox
2. SparrowDesk looks up the contact in Salesforce using the Salesforce contact ID, or the contact's email if no ID is available
3. The sidebar shows the contact's name, account, title, and owner
4. Click View in Salesforce to open the full contact record in a new tab.

The same panel appears on the contact's profile page and in the contact side panel, so agents see the same Salesforce details no matter where they're viewing the contact.

Creating a Salesforce contact from SparrowDesk

If no matching Salesforce record is found, the sidebar shows an empty state instead.

1. Open the conversation or contact profile
2. In the Salesforce panel, click Create contact in Salesforce

The contact is created in Salesforce immediately using the contact's name and email, and the sidebar refreshes automatically to show the new record.

What syncs

• Salesforce contact details shown in the SparrowDesk sidebar (name, account, title, owner)
• Contacts created in Salesforce from SparrowDesk
• New and updated SparrowDesk contacts, when contact sync is turned on
• Closed conversation transcripts, when conversation sync is turned on

What doesn't sync

• Conversations started before Salesforce was connected or before conversation sync was turned on
• Real-time updates to a Salesforce note after it's created, outside of a reopen-and-reclose
• Conversations with no matching Salesforce contact at the time they're closed

SparrowDesk remains the source of truth for support conversations. Salesforce remains the source of truth for contact and CRM data.

Disconnecting Salesforce

If you no longer want to use the integration, you can disconnect it from SparrowDesk Settings at any time.

1. Go to Settings
2. Open Apps
3. Select Salesforce
4. Click the dropdown next to Connected and select Disconnect

Once disconnected, SparrowDesk stops looking up Salesforce contact details and stops syncing contacts and conversations. Notes and contacts already created in Salesforce are not removed.

Summary

The Salesforce–SparrowDesk integration keeps support and CRM context connected:

• Connect Salesforce from SparrowDesk → Settings → App store
• Map contact fields and turn on contact sync and conversation sync from the Setup tab
• View contact details inline in conversations and contact profiles
• Create missing contacts in Salesforce without leaving SparrowDesk

Once connected, agents get CRM context without switching tools, and sales and CS teams see support history on the contact record.

FAQ

1. Does the Salesforce panel show up for every agent, or only admins?
   The Salesforce panel is only visible to members with App store access. The Agent role doesn't have this by default, so regular agents won't see it.
2. What's the difference between contact sync and conversation sync?
   Contact sync pushes new and updated SparrowDesk contacts into Salesforce. Conversation sync adds closed conversations to Salesforce contacts as notes. You can turn either one on independently.
3. Does this sync to Salesforce Leads or Contacts?
   The integration works with Salesforce Contacts. Lookups, created records, and synced notes all use the Contact object, not the Lead object.
4. Can I connect a Salesforce sandbox instead of my production org?
   Yes. Choose the sandbox login option on the Salesforce sign-in screen before you authorise. Each connection points to one org, so disconnect and reconnect if you need to switch between sandbox and production.
5. Does disconnecting Salesforce remove contacts or notes already created there? Disconnecting stops new lookups and syncing, but contacts and notes already added to Salesforce stay in Salesforce.