Changes and impact on how Account Engagement forms sync to Salesforce

Introduction.

Account Engagement (formerly Pardot), a product of Salesforce, is used by many companies as a marketing automation tool. In particular, the ability to synchronize prospect data collected through forms with Salesforce has played an important role in marketing and sales collaboration. However, since the Summer ’22 release, the specifications for this synchronization have changed significantly, affecting many users. This article details the previous synchronization method, the changes, and how we plan to address them.

Previous Synchronization Methods from Account Engagement Forms

How Salesforce data updates on form pass-through (previous)

Previously, Account Engagement (AE) allowed Salesforce data to be updated in near real-time upon form submission. The trigger for synchronization was the “Assign to User” setting, and by setting “Assign to User” at the end of a completion action, synchronization was performed in near real-time.

For example, a typical completion action setting sequence was as follows

1. Storing the form field values into the prospect’s custom fields
2. Add to Campaign
3. Assign to user (which initiates Salesforce sync)

By setting up the actions in this order, Salesforce synchronization was performed after actions 1-3 were executed, allowing for near real-time data integration.

Impact of Synchronization Specification Changes

Elimination of Ordering by Concurrent Processing of Completion Actions

With the Summer ’22 release, all completion actions are now processed asynchronously (in parallel), eliminating the concept of execution order. Therefore, it is no longer possible to predict which action will be executed first. ( https://trailhead.salesforce.com/ja/trailblazer-community/feed/0D54S00000HDMTz )

This has the following impact

• Salesforce sync triggers (assigned to users) may be unintentionally executed first.
• Data processing (adding campaigns, updating custom fields, etc.) may not have been completed prior to synchronization.
• Predefined completion actions based on the traditional synchronization order will no longer function properly.

Highly Impacted Use Cases

The following cases will be particularly impacted

• Ad parameter acquisition and campaign sorting
  • Before change: Obtain UTM parameters for ads, sort campaigns based on them, and add campaign members in Salesforce.
  • After change: If synchronization is performed before parameters are obtained, campaign members in Salesforce may not be added.
  • Workaround: Utilize Engagement Studio to perform the synchronization process.

• Creation of TODOs for lead and business partner managers
  • Before: TODOs are set up in the Completion Action to the Salesforce lead/vendor manager.
  • After change: TODOs were not created for the lead/vendor manager even though the TODO was set to be created in the completion action.
  • Solution: Utilize Engagement Studio to perform the synchronization process.

Future steps to be taken

Utilize Engagement Studio

If you want to maintain the order of completion actions, it is recommended to use Engagement Studio.

• Set up a list of completion actions to launch Engagement Studio:
  1. Add list (set up recipient list set up in Engagement Studio)
  2. Assign to user

Notes:

• There is a limit to the number of Engagement Studios that can be created that allow repetition (up to 10).
• Engagement Studio that is allowed to repeat will not work the second time it is sent twice in one day

Leveraging Salesforce Flows

Using Salesforce Flows to process data on the Salesforce side is another effective way.

• Example: Receive AE prospect data, perform necessary data checks in Flow, and execute appropriate actions (e.g., add campaign members)

Conclusion

The changes to the specification will require companies that have used many forms and utilized synchronization with Salesforce to rethink how they operate.

In particular, the following companies will be greatly affected

• Companies that use many forms and need to sync to Salesforce
• Companies that need to capture accurate data, such as advertising parameters
• Companies that value real-time data integration

These companies will need to adapt to the new synchronization specifications by using Engagement Studio or Salesforce Flow.

Since Salesforce specifications change frequently, it is important to check the latest information as needed to optimize operations.