Build Real-Time Contact Flows with Complete CRM Data

Use Nexla to set up real-time, configurable, scalable flows of prospect or deal data between any CRM systems, ERP systems, and more.

In the past few years, CRM systems have made managing and using customer data easier than ever. CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, describes products and platforms that turn data into actionable insights and analytics about customers. This includes tracking, organizing, and storing different touchpoints and profiles about customers to make sales and marketing more powerful.

The Problem

While the amazing value of these insights has propelled companies such as Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), Hubspot, Oracle NetSuite, Zoho, and more to massive adoption, the insights are only as valuable as the data they are based upon. Synchronizing and integrating data into CRM systems is an increasingly difficult challenge as customer data comes from many more touch points across their lives, including advertising, web traffic, purchase intent data, and more. On top of this, as businesses continue to move faster and faster, being able to have this data fresh and ready in real-time can seem like a nigh-impossible task.

The Solution

In Nexla, setting up these flows between any and all CRM systems, ERP systems, and more is simple. These flows can be set to real-time, and configured precisely for any necessary transformations, lead scoring, and more. The result? A complete, rich, and populated CRM database that has perfectly accurate, up-to-the-minute data that can be trusted and monitored. The ability to create such flows on the fly enables trustworthy and informed decisions from CRM systems rather than guesswork in the dark based on stale data.

Let’s get an idea of how it’s done with a simple example taking ERP data from Oracle Netsuite and enriching contacts in my Hubspot CRM system – but the same simple steps also apply to the reverse, or any combination of Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, or your CRM system of choice.

1. Connect your Source System

First we’ll select our source system. Here the source can be any CRM system of your choice, or in fact any data system out there including databases, warehouses, webhooks, SaaS apps, and more. Simply select and input credentials.

For this example, let’s take Oracle Netsuite and fill in my credentials.

 Nexla will now scan my Netsuite instance and automatically generate a raw data product called a Nexset. We can now transform this data product to work with the destination CRM system – in this case, Hubspot.

2. Transform the Data Product as Needed

Even though we now have our ERP system data from Netsuite, we need it in the right format with proper attribute names to work with our Hubspot system. Each CRM system requires a specific schema and naming structure to work. Luckily, Nexla’s transform builder and schema templates make it easy.

A schema template needs to be set up once for each CRM system, but then they can be used endlessly to drag and drop transformations to fit into that system. In this case, I have a Hubspot template based on a few sample records from Hubspot that will intelligently rename and reorganize my data to work with Hubspot.

After applying the new schema, I can also apply any transformations to any attribute in this screen. That includes mathematical, text, even hashing transformations and IP address to location. These transformation rules will apply to any new data in the flow once set up.

3. Set the Destination System

Transforming will create a new Nexset data product that is ready to have a destination configured. In this example we’ll be using Hubspot.

All I need to do is select Hubspot and sign on in the pop-up window. Then, I can select whether my data is for Contacts or Deals, and finish the flow by clicking Save.

4. Monitor and Relax!

Once the flow is set up, records will immediately begin flowing in and updating or creating new contacts in the CRM system of your choice. In this example we used Netsuite to Hubspot, but the reverse is easily done by just selecting those systems and the right schema template:

Or, in fact, any combination of CRM systems and ERP systems needed. For example, here’s a flow showing collecting leads from Hubspot via Webhook, transforming into the Salesforce lead schema, then loading into Salesforce via API. This flow will ensure contacts are always synced, in real-time, between Hubspot and Salesforce.

Conclusion

In this tutorial we showed how easy it is in Nexla to set up real-time, scalable, configurable flows between any and all CRM systems, ERP systems, or anywhere else your customer data might be. The ability to set up these flows ensures complete data in the CRM system and real-time freshness as soon as the data is updated. Using Nexla for these flows frees teams from waiting on the CRM system themselves to create connectors or the time-consuming process of coding them in-house.

Want to see for yourself how Nexla can enable real-time, complete data in your CRM system? Get a demo and your free trial today. For more on data and data solutions, check out the other articles on Nexla’s blog.

Further reading: Blog: Integrate Data from Anywhere to Hubspot