One of the key things that every sales rep knows is that time = money and time spent on small tasks can have a major impact on sales pipeline. Automatically syncing Outlook Calendar events to Salesforce can help reps get time spent logging events back so they can generate more revenue without compromising data in Salesforce. Gone are the days of having to manually sync each and every meeting to Salesforce to better understand how reps are interacting with accounts and spending time trying to see which meetings are moving the needle.
Many modern sales engagement platforms include the ability to sync Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar activity back to Salesforce or another CRM. When implemented, this functionality scans each rep's calendar and syncs all of their meetings where an attendee is a contact or a lead back to Salesforce.
Key features of an Outlook Calendar sync solution for Salesforce
A sales engagement platform with comprehensive Outlook Calendar sync functionality will even be able to log and track events that are rescheduled (which happens all too often in sales). The right solution should be able to detect these changes and automatically update to the new time in Salesforce so reps can focus on handling the follow-ups from the meeting. Having this data in Salesforce allows managers and reps to easily see where reps are spending their time so they can understand how many meetings they are typically having in a sales process or when managing key accounts.
Any tool that you choose to sync your Outlook calendar to Salesforce should be flexible and easy to use. For example, getting started with Groove's calendar sync to Outlook is as easy as opening up an event and clicking a button at the top of the toolbar.
This will show reps if the event is syncing based on the attendees email address and also show them if it is related to any opportunities based on their team's configuration.
Also look for a solution with background calendar sync functionality. With background calendar sync, reps do not need to worry about even pressing save to ensure that events are making their way to Salesforce.
Another powerful feature is the ability to accommodate contacts who are not yet in Salesforce. The ideal solution will allow reps to easily search for the related contact, lead, or account to sync that meeting without having to go into Salesforce to manually log the event.
Manage sales meetings more effectively with Outlook Calendar sync
Reps can also see which types of meetings they are having each week and the outcomes of those meetings at a high level by leveraging additional fields in their calendar sync tool. These fields should be fully customizable based on what their team leverages in Salesforce so they don't have to worry about having to go back into Salesforce at the end of each day to update these.
By clicking into an event in their calendar, reps should be able to easily see the list of Salesforce fields their team has added into this view and update any relevant fields and have that data sync back to Salesforce in real time without ever needing to navigate out of their calendar to a new page. This functionality is only possible with a Salesforce-native sales engagement platform.
Syncing standard and custom Salesforce fields to Outlook Calendar
Syncing additional fields allows reps to see which types of meetings anyone on their team are having and the impact they can have in sales cycles or managing customer relationships. For example, if a rep is having 10 demos a week but only one demo progresses to the next stage, it is a clear indicator that the rep or manager may want to revisit that demo script or structure.
This level of insight enables sales teams to remove the guessing element of what is working in the sales process and rely on accurate data to make impactful changes. It is hard enough to get meetings, and easy steps like syncing additional fields to the meetings reps are having allows them to refine and iterate their process to make those meetings even more effective.
Increasing accountability with automated Outlook Calendar sync to Salesforce
Leveraging calendar sync for Outlook and Google removes the risk of a rep having a difficult 1:1 with their manager that is focused on why data isn't in Salesforce. It also eliminates wasted time trying to put together the pieces of missing data. Instead, reps and managers can spend that time dissecting different sales processes and identifying small changes that can make a dramatic difference in different workflows.
Syncing calendar data to Salesforce lets managers discuss the types of meetings that reps are having and see where in the workflow reps are seeing the most traction. This level of detail lets reps iterate on what's working and adjust what is not working. Not only will this save time so reps can focus on what really matters, it also frees up blocks of time that were previously assigned to manual tasks.
If you're interested in learning more about syncing Outlook or Google calendar events to Salesforce, please drop us a line. We'd love to help.
Check out our Definitive Guide to Sales Engagement Platforms for more information on activity logging, sales workflow automation, and other complementary sales tools typically found in an enterprise platform.