Connect Salesforce
Match visitors to your Salesforce Contacts and Leads, with their Accounts, and log hot leads as Tasks.
Connect Salesforce and your agent knows who a visitor is, which Account they belong to, who owns them and which opportunities are open. When a matched visitor turns into a hot lead, ShowPilot logs a Task in Salesforce so your reps see it where they already work.
ShowPilot writes only standard objects. There is nothing to install in your Salesforce org.
This article covers what the connection reads and writes, how to connect it, and how to check it's working.
What does Salesforce sync?
| What ShowPilot reads | What ShowPilot writes |
|---|---|
| The matching Contact, or Lead when there's no Contact | A completed Task per hot lead, if Log a Task per hot lead is on |
| The Account, its owner and open opportunities | A new Lead per form submission, if Create a Lead per form submission is on |
What ShowPilot reads from Salesforce
When a visitor shares an email, ShowPilot matches them to a Contact, or to a Lead when there's no Contact. It pulls in their Account and owner, plus open opportunities. These show up in the conversation inbox and in hot-lead alerts. Visitors who haven't shared an email are matched to an Account by their company domain where possible.
Opportunities are read only. ShowPilot never creates or edits them.
What ShowPilot writes to Salesforce
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Log a Task per hot lead | When a matched visitor first crosses your hot-lead threshold, ShowPilot logs a completed Task on their Contact or Lead. For a Contact, the Task also appears on the Account. It carries the score, recent intent signals, qualifying answers and a link to the conversation in ShowPilot. |
| Create a Lead per form submission | When a visitor submits a form and their email matches no Contact or Lead, ShowPilot creates a Lead with the captured fields. Existing records are never modified. |
Before you start
- An admin role in ShowPilot. Only admins can connect or disconnect integrations.
- A Salesforce user with the right access. Salesforce limits what ShowPilot can read and write to the permissions of the user who connects. Use a user who can read Contacts, Leads, Accounts and Opportunities and create Tasks.
How do you connect Salesforce?
Open the Salesforce page
Go to Settings → CRM & Sales tools and select the Salesforce card.
Pick your environment
Under Connect to, pick Production for your live org or Sandbox for a test org.
Approve the connection in Salesforce
Select Connect Salesforce → and sign in to Salesforce as the user you chose. Approve the access request. You land back on the Salesforce page with Salesforce connected. at the top.
Choose what ShowPilot writes back
Open the Writeback tab and turn each option on or off:
- Log a Task per hot lead is on by default.
- Create a Lead per form submission is off until you turn it on.
Changes save as you flip them.
How do you disconnect Salesforce?
Select Disconnect at the top of the Salesforce page and confirm. Matching and writeback stop right away. Tasks and Leads already created stay in Salesforce. If you also use Pardot, disconnecting Salesforce stops Pardot too, because Pardot runs on this connection.
Test it
Salesforce is working when a known record is matched in a real conversation:
- Open your website in a private window and chat with your agent.
- Give the agent the email address of a Contact or Lead in Salesforce.
- Back on the Salesforce page, the Identified visitors count on the Overview tab goes up.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Nothing matches | Check that the connected Salesforce user can see the record. Records that user can't read are invisible to ShowPilot. |
| No Tasks appear | Tasks are logged only for visitors who were matched in Salesforce and crossed the hot-lead threshold. Check that Log a Task per hot lead is on. |
| You connected the wrong environment | Disconnect, then connect again and pick the other option under Connect to. |
Frequently asked questions
Does ShowPilot change my existing Salesforce records?
No. It creates Tasks, and Leads when you turn that option on. Existing records are never modified, and opportunities are read only.
Do I need to install a package in Salesforce?
No. ShowPilot writes only standard objects, so there is nothing to install in your org.
Can I test against a sandbox first?
Yes. Pick Sandbox under Connect to. To switch to your live org later, disconnect and connect again with Production.
What happens to Pardot if I disconnect Salesforce?
Pardot stops too, because it runs on the Salesforce connection.