The ProCoders Guide for Contact Form 7 Integration with Salesforce

Capturing and managing leads efficiently can become the one missing step to total business success. Integrating Contact Form 7 with Salesforce offers a way to enhance lead management by ensuring that all form submissions on your WordPress site are directly funneled into your Salesforce CRM. This integration not only saves time but also reduces errors associated with manual data entry.

We’ve created this article to provide an informative step-by-step guide on how to integrate Contact Form 7 with Salesforce. By following this, you can streamline your lead capture process, improving your overall efficiency and CRM capabilities.

The Basics About Contact Form 7 and Salesforce

What is Contact Form 7?

Contact Form 7 is a highly popular WordPress plugin that allows users to create and manage multiple contact forms with ease. It offers a simple yet powerful interface for designing forms and handling submissions.

Our developers love this plugin for these features:

• Ease of Use: Contact Form 7 offers a straightforward interface that makes it easy to create and customize forms without any coding knowledge.
• Customizable Forms: Users can design forms with various fields such as text boxes, radio buttons, checkboxes, and more.
• Spam Protection: The plugin includes built-in CAPTCHA and Akismet support to protect against spam submissions.
• Flexible Email Configuration: Contact Form 7 allows users to set up multiple email recipients and customize the email content.
• Third-Party Integrations: The plugin supports integration with various third-party services and plugins, enhancing its functionality.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform that provides businesses with tools to manage sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and more.

Here are its most remarkable features:

• Comprehensive CRM Capabilities: Salesforce offers a wide range of tools for managing customer interactions, tracking sales, and handling customer service inquiries.
• Customizable Dashboards: Users can create custom dashboards to visualize key metrics and track performance in real-time.
• Automation and Workflows: Salesforce enables the automation of repetitive tasks and the creation of complex workflows to improve efficiency.
• Integration with Third-Party Applications: Salesforce supports integration with various third-party applications and services, allowing businesses to extend its functionality.
• Advanced Analytics and Reporting: The platform provides robust analytics and reporting tools to help businesses make data-driven decisions.

Preparation for the Integration

Before starting the integration process, here are the basics you need:

• WordPress Setup: Make sure you have an active WordPress site with the Contact Form 7 plugin installed. This plugin will be the foundation for creating and managing your forms.
• Salesforce Account: Ensure you have an active Salesforce account with the necessary permissions to create API connections and manage data integrations.
• Contact Form 7 Plugin: Verify that the Contact Form 7 plugin is installed and activated on your WordPress site. This plugin will handle form creation and management.
• Salesforce Integration Plugin: To connect Contact Form 7 with Salesforce, you will need a dedicated integration plugin. Recommended options include the “Contact Form 7 Salesforce Plugin” for direct integration or using a third-party automation tool like “Zapier.”

Integration Using Contact Form 7 Salesforce Plugin

To start the integration, you need to install the Contact Form 7 Salesforce plugin. Here’s how to do it easily:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for “Contact Form 7 Salesforce Plugin” in the search bar.
4. Locate the plugin in the search results and click “Install Now.”
5. Once installed, click “Activate” to enable the plugin on your site.

After installing the plugin, you need to configure it to connect with your Salesforce account. First, you need an API access:

1. Log in to your Salesforce account.
2. Navigate to Setup > Apps > App Manager.
3. Create a new connected app or modify an existing one to generate API credentials (Client ID and Client Secret).
4. Ensure that API (Enable OAuth Settings) is selected and necessary OAuth scopes are added.

Then, you have to sync Contact Form 7 with Salesforce account:

1. Go back to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Contact > Salesforce Integration.
3. Enter your Salesforce API credentials (Client ID, Client Secret, and Security Token).
4. Click “Save Settings” to establish the connection between Contact Form 7 and Salesforce.

Quick and not at all painful, right? But if you want to make it even easier, use our Salesforce Integration with Contact Form 7 Plugin!

Mapping Contact Form 7 Fields to Salesforce

To ensure data is correctly transferred, you need to map the form fields in Contact Form 7 to the corresponding fields in Salesforce:

1. Navigate to Contact > Salesforce Integration.
2. Select the Contact Form 7 form you want to integrate.
3. Map each form field to the appropriate Salesforce field by selecting from the dropdown menus.
4. Ensure all required fields are mapped correctly to avoid any data transfer issues.

Pro tip: If you have custom fields in your form, ensure they are created in Salesforce as well. Map these custom fields in the integration plugin to their corresponding fields in Salesforce.

Testing the Integration

To verify the integration, fill out a form on your WordPress site with sample data to simulate a real submission. Access the page on your WordPress site containing the Contact Form 7 form and complete all the form fields with test data and click submit.

Finally, check your Salesforce account to ensure the test form submission data appears correctly in the appropriate records:

1. Log in to your Salesforce account.
2. Navigate to the object (e.g., Leads, Contacts) where the form data should be stored.
3. Locate the newly created record and verify that all fields, including any custom fields, have been populated correctly.

Troubleshooting Contact Form 7 Salesforce Integration

If the data does not appear correctly in Salesforce, revisit the field mapping settings in the integration plugin. Ensure all fields are correctly mapped between Contact Form 7 and Salesforce. Adjust the mappings if necessary and save the changes.

Also, verify that the API credentials used to connect Salesforce and Contact Form 7 are correct and have the necessary permissions. Navigate to the integration plugin settings and confirm the API credentials. Re-enter them if needed.

Pro tip: Refer to the plugin’s documentation for guidance on resolving specific issues. Many common problems and their solutions are documented. Check the FAQs, troubleshooting sections, and user forums for additional help.

Of course, if issues persist, contact the plugin’s support team for assistance. Provide detailed information about the problem, including any error messages and steps taken so far.

Make sure to gather screenshots or logs that might help diagnose the issue and share them with the support team.

Contact Form 7 Salesforce Tutorial Using Zapier

Another answer to “How to connect Contact form 7 with salesforce?” is through a tool called Zapier.

If you don’t have a Zapier account, follow these steps to create one:

1. Visit the Zapier website
2. Click on the “Sign Up” button and provide the necessary details such as your email address and password.
3. Check your inbox for a verification email from Zapier and click on the verification link.
4. Choose the right plan based on your integration needs. Zapier offers several plans, ranging from free to enterprise-level, each with varying features and task limits. For basic integrations, the free plan may suffice, but for more complex needs, consider a paid plan that offers more tasks and advanced features.

The next step is creating a new Zap:

1. Go to Zapier’s website and log in to your account.
2. Click on the “Make a Zap” button in the top right corner.
3. Set Contact Form 7 form submission as the trigger.
4. Search for and select “Webhooks by Zapier” as the trigger app.
5. Choose “Catch Hook” as the trigger event.
6. Copy the unique webhook URL provided by Zapier.
7. Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Contact Form 7, and paste the webhook URL in the form settings to enable data submission to Zapier.

Next, we’re connecting all of this to your Salesforce account, setting it up as the action to perform after the trigger:

1. Search for and select “Salesforce” as the action app.
2. Choose the specific action you want to perform, such as “Create Record” or “Update Record.”
3. Log in to your Salesforce account when prompted to authorize Zapier to access your Salesforce data.
4. Select the Salesforce object (e.g., Lead, Contact) you want to update.
5. Map each field from Contact Form 7 to the corresponding field in Salesforce. Use the dropdown menus to select the correct form fields.
6. Click “Test & Continue” to ensure that the data is correctly mapped and transferred.

Finally, we test and activate the new Zap by running a test to ensure data flows correctly from Contact Form 7 to Salesforce:

1. Submit a test form on your WordPress site to trigger the Zap.
2. Check Zapier’s task history to confirm that the data was captured correctly and sent to Salesforce.
3. Log in to Salesforce and verify that the test data appears as expected.
4. Once testing is successful, click “Turn on Zap” to activate it.
5. Monitor the integration and make any necessary adjustments to field mappings or automation rules as needed.

ProCoders’ Advanced Contact Form 7 Salesforce Settings and Best Practices

Here, we present some pro tips and best practices for Contact Form 7 Salesforce.

Data Validation and Error Handling

Create validation rules in Salesforce to enforce data quality standards and implement form validation in Contact Form 7 to ensure users provide the correct data format before submission.

To take care of errors, use Zapier’s built-in error handling to set up notifications for failed tasks. You can also Configure email alerts in Salesforce to notify you of data transfer errors or validation rule violations.

Automating Tasks with Contact Form 7 and Salesforce

Another great tip is to set up automation rules in Salesforce to trigger follow-up tasks or notifications based on form submissions.

You can also use Salesforce Workflow or Process Builder to create complex automations that streamline your business processes or define triggers and actions to automate tasks like sending follow-up emails, updating records, or creating new opportunities.

Security Considerations

• Store API credentials securely and avoid sharing them publicly.
• Ensure all data transfer between Contact Form 7, Zapier, and Salesforce uses secure (HTTPS) connections.

• Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest.
• Implement consent management practices to comply with regulations like GDPR, ensuring that users consent to data collection and processing.

By following these advanced tips and best practices, you can enhance the reliability, security, and efficiency of your Contact Form 7 and Salesforce integration.

Step-by-step Guide for Contact Form 7 Salesforce Integration: Conclusion

Integrating Contact Form 7 with Salesforce is a powerful way to streamline your lead management and enhance your CRM capabilities. By following the steps outlined in this guide for Contact Form 7 Salesforce setup, from setting up necessary plugins to configuring automation rules and ensuring data security, you can ensure a seamless and efficient integration.