Getting started

Leadfwd is an AI-powered Sales Engagement Platform with multi-channel outreach capabilities that lets you automate highly personalized sales outreach using email, SMS, voicemail drops, LinkedIn and manual sales tasks -- at scale, for all of your targets, leads and contacts in SugarCRM.

Bi-Directional Syncing (Scheduled and Realtime)

Leadfwd utilizes a bi-directional syncing method to transfer information to and from SugarCRM ensuring new and updated information can be created and synced to either Leadfwd or the CRM. 

• Leadfwd syncs enrollment requests for targets, leads and contacts in realtime by default.
• Leadfwd will also poll the CRM hourly for changes to modules and records that are in-sync with Leadfwd to ensure the records and their related fields are always up to date with your CRM.
• Leadfwd utilizes an OAuth connection to sync data between both platforms. When setting up our Sugar Connector for the first time, all configuration will be done within Leadfwd before our module package is installed and configured within Sugar.

One source of truth: SugarCRM

• Leadfwd considers SugarCRM the database of record for the purposes of our data integration. Our approach is to mirror data from the CRM and to maintain the same record IDs within Leadfwd as are used by the CRM. This enables Leadfwd to ensure data integrity by all but eliminating the potential for data errors such as duplicate records. 
• Field updates must originate from the CRM and only Automation actions in Leadfwd can modify a CRM custom data field.
• All API requests are logged for auditing and potential troubleshooting in our platform log.

Supported modules, Field mapping, Calls, Tasks

• Leadfwd currently supports and syncs with the Lead, Contact, Account, Targets, Calls, Tasks Opportunity, Target Lists and the User module objects for our Engage, Discover and Prospect products. Additionally, Leadfwd syncs to the Campaign object using Automation for Engage and Prospect.
• Our SugarCRM connector can sync both native and custom fields created in the CRM and related to any of the modules supported by our integration. Account owners can specify which fields sync to Leadfwd and which do not. Any field enabled for sync can be used as personalization tags for merging custom text attributes into emails sent by Engage Sequences.
• When Contacts, Accounts, Leads or Targets are enabled for sync, Leadfwd creates a local data object (list) for each individual module. Records from the CRM are replicated to the local data object (list) for use within Leadfwd.
• Note on Calls and Tasks: Leadfwd is designed as a Sales Engagement and Acceleration platform, our Task and Call sync is designed to create and schedule these objects in your CRM, but the tasks and calls will need to be fulfilled and updated from the CRM view. Task and Call records originating from Leadfwd will sync back to Leadfwd whenever they're updated in the CRM, for the purposes of tracking and reporting on execution in Sequence views and Sales Inbox.
• Tasks or Calls created independently in the CRM will sync into Leadfwd and they can be leveraged for Automation logic (example: End all Sequences for a contact if ANY Call is held).
• Leadfwd can sync Opportunity records for the purposes of relating opportunities and revenue generated to specific Sequences and outbound engagement.

Statuses and Data Hygiene

• Records flagged as 'invalid' will not sync with Leadfwd.
• Records flagged as 'opted-out' will not sync with Leadfwd.
• Records missing an email address will not sync with Leadfwd.
• Records with a duplicate email address, that already exists in Leadfwd, will not sync as new records.
• If a record opts-out in Leadfwd, that opt-out request can optional sync to the CRM.
• If a records email fails to deliver (hard bounce), that invalid status can sync to the CRM.

Relationships, User permissions and Record permissions

• Opportunities will be related to Sequences by following relationship breadcrumbs from Opportunity to Account to Contacts (enrolled into the Sequence).
• Leadfwd will automatically list Contacts related to an Account is selected for an Engage Sequence. 
• Leadfwd will automatically list Contacts related to an Account that's assigned to an Opportunity, when the Opportunity is selected for an Engage Sequence.
• Leadfwd enables relationship data that originates from the Accounts module (as custom fields) to be stored at the Contact level (as custom fields), for the purposes of allowing seamless email personalization for Contacts using data that would otherwise be in the Accounts module. An example would be creating a segment based on Industry for a Sequence, where the target audience are Contacts of Accounts that belong to a specific Industry (industry designation existing in Accounts).
• Individual CRM user access to the module is controlled within Leadfwd. Access to specific views and tools of our module are entirely customizable by user.
• Data access within Leadfwd can be limited to only records that a CRM user owns (assigned to). This includes restricted access to not enroll records into Sequences, without ownership of the record.
• Users can be denied access entirely to Leadfwd or restricted to access to the Timeline history view inside individual records within the CRM.

Logging and auditing

Leadfwd provides Account owners with a detailed audit log to track both errors and notices related to data transactions between Leadfwd and SugarCRM. The platform log provides historical tracking (up to 90 days) for API transactions for all enabled modules in addition to user access.

The platform log is very helpful for troubleshooting and validating data exchanges. The logs include detailed entries for:

• Write errors or request errors.
• Full API transcripts with requests and responses.
• Module access logging by specific user.
• Scheduled sync logging and time to complete.
• Inbound data updates originating from logic hooks.
• Filter logs by event type or search logs by keyword or phrase.

Requirements

• SugarCRM 11.x or greater
• Inbound host access for API requests
• System Administrator credentials