Aircall

HubSpot

![casestudy aircall hubspot-01](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7361YMGHxhSVGZIRWf50kP/6dc5ca6ed65db59a02356d68fbfb1134/casestudy_aircall_hubspot-01.jpg)

Digital transformation in the last decade is remarkable. New technologies replace old ones at great speed and this makes it hard for business owners to keep track of it all.

[Maatwerk Online](https://www.maatwerkonline.nl/) steps in to help its customers to successfully implement and track different digital marketing efforts. This modern company is located in Rotterdam, South Holland is specialized in generating more customers through well-thought online marketing strategies.

Each one of their customers is different. They all have unique needs. That’s why Maatwerk Online requires different types and channels of communication. They are using Aircall as a VOIP, Mailchimp for email marketing, Outlook and HubSpot at the center of it all.  There’s an impressive software stack in place behind the digital agency. The challenge is to keep those tools in sync.

Last year, Nick Heurter, Online Marketer at Maatwerk Online, discovered PieSync.

![Pasted image at 2019-04-24 1 42 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7tg0MlLp1ypfwpbgfazaFr/18adcd47a0536a4fcc86426dc6ac7b14/Pasted_image_at_2019-04-24__1_42_PM.png)


## The scenario 

Where do their leads come from? Maatwerk online generates most of their leads through a web form on their website. When filling out this form, the information is automatically sent to HubSpot.  

On the other hand,  Nick receives a lot of phone calls, which he picks up through Aircall. This phone system allows you to add several team members that have their own application on their desktop device. It’s basically a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) where all of Nick’s team members can answer calls or forward them to other colleagues.

To reach out to their existing and potential customers, Maatwerk Online uses one of the most popular email marketing tools around, no other than Mailchimp. 

All these tools gather valuable customer information at various stages of the customers’ journey. The problem is that the data is scattered across the application. These tools aren’t communicating 2-way with each other. That’s where PieSync steps in.

<RelatedPost slug="propseller-case-study" />

## Where PieSync comes to the rescue

Though Aircall is working perfectly for them as a business phone, according to Nick, answering a phone call before using PieSync was an adventure. He didn’t know exactly who was calling them, if there was any information about the contact stored about them, or their history with them. This situation wasn’t contributing to the quality of the conversations, neither was it helpful to create personalized conversations.

Nowadays PieSync keeps subsets of contacts in sync between Aircall and HubSpot. This way whenever someone makes or modifies a piece of contact information in either app, it will be automatically updated in the other app according to your exact criteria. Meaning, always up-to-date caller IDs without making a simple import/export. 

![schema casestudy nick-01](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2xSrZkLwCOOssrkT16A75l/be3b22da5a8deae8cccf26354b756b7a/schema_casestudy_nick-01.jpg)

> “Thanks to the PieSync integration, when I receive a phone call I know exactly who is calling. With just one click, I have all the customer information in front of me,” says Nick. “If I had to manually insert and update all our customer information it would take me approximately 4 hours a week.” 

Wondering what happens with **deletions?** Let us explain:

<Embed src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=hrZl-HU5iZQ" />





This is how an online agency saves hours by keeping Aircall & HubSpot in sync.

Digital Marketing 

This Online Agency Saves Hours by Keeping  Aircall and HubSpot in Sync

Salesforce

ActiveCampaign

![acpiesync-s](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5v7eWpBzUZqTlDAuvZ5QZ5/324689b984551a0bde07dc7379dd7794/acpiesync-s.gif)

Everyone likes to work with the best of breed apps. For example, marketing wants to use ActiveCampaign and sales choose to work with Salesforce. Each app has their specific qualities that work well for those teams. Even though both platforms share CRM capabilities, ActiveCampaign provides complete marketing automation at a reasonable cost, while Salesforce’s overal CRM capabilities are undisputed. PieSync can integrate these apps so that together they form a killer lead gen stack.

If you haven’t done so already, [setting up a new PieSync account](http://app.piesync.com/sync/salesforce/activecampaign) is super easy. After you’ve authorized both Salesforce and ActiveCampaign, you’ll be greeted by sync rules.

## Rules & mappings for Salesforce & ActiveCampaign
Every sync in PieSync is a combination of a set of rules and a series of mappings. They both control the dynamic of the sync.

- [Rules](https://help.piesync.com/features/multiple-rules) let you define how you want your two databases to talk to one another.
- [Mappings](https://help.piesync.com/features/new-customizable-field-mapping) show how the information flows across

In this article, we will illustrate a couple of ways to craft rules & mappings to let ActiveCampaign & Salesforce truly work in tandem.

![ezgif-com-resize](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2BYkMrXpZqyJ2b3rbJfDsN/7d05d04777ab34ce9c93ee641e3363e4/ezgif-com-resize.gif)

## Sending new ActiveCampaign subscribers into Salesforce

Contacts that are subscribed in ActiveCampaign will seamlessly sync with your Salesforce database. Not only will contacts be created, or kept in sync with existing data in SF, it will also update a critical attribute on those contacts inside Salesforce: the opt-in/opt-out switch. This registers whether or not your contact opted in for marketing.

If you don't want to create new contacts, but only want to update existing contacts, check out the help article [Sync without creating new contacts](https://help.piesync.com/want-to-learn-more/sync-without-creating-new-contacts).

Since you're using ActiveCampaign to register opt-in & opt-out's, you are probably not even using the "Email opt out" value in Salesforce. But through PieSync, you can easily have ActiveCampaign control that toggle. No more excuses. You cannot exclusively store marketing preferences in your ActiveCampaign silo. They need to sync to Salesforce too. Here's the rule you need:

![pasted image 0](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/kwzvmKu91pNlcFfl7FwcZ/c7178fbe331e24d61b3f860c8518263c/pasted_image_0.png)

This rule would also work if it's not the default Opt-out field you are using, but rather a custom field in your Salesforce.

[How is PieSync different](https://help.piesync.com/want-to-learn-more/salesforce-active-campaign) from Zapier in integrating Salesforce & ActiveCampaign?

## Sync more than just contact information
How the data will be exchanged between Salesforce & ActiveCampaign is not something to worry about: PieSync’s smart merge algorithms ensure no data gets lost in the sync. On the contrary, most of the default contact data is mutually enriched, leaving you in full control with [custom mappings](https://help.piesync.com/features/new-customizable-field-mapping).

Mapping Salesforce fields to ActiveCampaign fields will allow you to leverage live CRM data in your ActiveCampaign mailings. In the other way round, data you are capturing through ActiveCampaign landing pages can now be sent directly into existing or newly created custom fields in your CRM.

Consider the following example where not only the standard contact fields are being exchanged, but several proprietary AC fields are being mapped with SF fields.

![tvIJrURbIG](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1qfe9CTF647ED0PigKma7G/13a1e45da193f3b1e786589bf7fda8d9/tvIJrURbIG.gif)

Once the sync runs, it will keep up with changes on both sides [every 5 minutes](https://help.piesync.com/article/smfbbgl187-how-long-does-it-take-to-sync-contacts-or-updates).

__Did you know? You can [run a test sync](https://help.piesync.com/want-to-learn-more/running-a-test-sync) on a limited set of contacts.
__
## Leads converting into contacts
If you are using Salesforce to its fullest potential, your sales flow sees leads convert into opportunities & sales contacts.

This process is important to keep in mind while you are setting up your sync with ActiveCampaign. Salesforce has 2 separate databases: one for leads & one for contacts. In contrast, ActiveCampaign just has the one single contacts database, that would both store leads as well as contacts.

It's likely that you want to both Salesforce databases to stay in sync with ActiveCampaign. To do this you need to set up two syncs that stay out of each other way. Not setting up these rules correctly would cause already converted contacts to be recreated as leads in Salesforce.

How this will exactly play out is going to be different for each business, but the following two examples of a leads sync and a contact sync illustrate the logic. 

![screen-shot-2019-04-03-at-13-59-23 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6S8W29nAZtkLPrCHJc9pRJ/fb4e5ac18dfa8033434ebced5373bf38/screen-shot-2019-04-03-at-13-59-23__1_.png)

Leads sync only when they are tagged "Lead". This tag is e.g. applied automatically in an automation. When leads are added in Salesforce directly, they sync into ActiveCampaign but not without attaching the same tag "Lead".

The active undo-toggle will automatically take away the tag as soon as the leads get converted to a sales opportunity, preventing the leads from syncing back into Salesforce.

In short, ActiveCampaign now knows how to distinguish "Leads" from converted "Contacts".

![screen-shot-2019-04-03-at-14-02-40 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4H60sRm6dUnRzLzg2tguZ1/cf4e29882d3bca4fa195c63715fb1056/screen-shot-2019-04-03-at-14-02-40__1_.png)

Contacts sync from Salesforce with ActiveCampaign, but with a rule to ensure that contacts are tagged accordingly in ActiveCampaign. This also prevents contacts from leaking back into Salesforce as leads.

A contact in Salesforce should no longer be labeled as a Lead in ActiveCampaign so this rule makes sure that this never is the case.

These two examples build off contacts carrying "Lead" and "Contact" tags in ActiveCampaign though you may just as well work on the basis of lists or even custom fields that you set up in ActiveCampaign.

## Clever filters to keep the contact count down
Filters can keep your contact count down. If your underlying idea of a sync is to get leads to be called in Salesforce, maybe you don't need to sync all contacts, but only those that have an actual phone number filled out in ActiveCampaign? This example rule shows how you only sync the contacts which phone number is filled in.

![image](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/HoSUI925s1W4nM71yEdW1/8ef0e92847d41997e9f53046bd2c0dbb/image.png)

If you want to be careful not to inadvertently create leads or contacts in Salesforce, make sure to include a filter that blocks contacts from being created altogether. In the following rule, the opt out toggle will only be changed for contacts that already existed.

![image (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5XgUiqZPBrxt5lyhxw1oIr/cd9d65edb6d86a3a6d646a429742592e/image__1_.png)

## Personalized mailings by including sales contacts
In Salesforce, each contact would come with its respective owner. From a customer's perspective, that could be their trusty sales contact. In ActiveCampaign, there is no such notion of an owner. With Piesync, it is a piece of cake to send the owner across to ActiveCampaign. The field "contact owner" in the example below is a custom text field that was created to store exactly this piece of information.

![image (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3gL76x2J424JHV321LuORD/f10c443216c232c24865ed0cb2a8a22a/image__2_.png)

## Enriched UTM tracking
Attribution is an ActiveCampaign feature that allows you to measure *conversions* and the *touchpoints* leading up to a conversion. If you have this option activated, you unlock some extra fields in your contacts database. Using the field mapping inside PieSync, you can easily have this synced across to Salesforce.

You can add field mappings to your own needs. The only thing you need to do in advance is to make custom fields in your Salesforce account to store these respective UTM's. This is a perfect use case for a 2-way sync, since it may well be possible to now directly populate the UTM values within Salesforce too, for those leads that aren't necessarily active in ActiveCampaign's tracking. Two-way enrichment of these values is a solution to this.

![image (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4DPOsQIjBtMZQMimxVzANH/c7877fc9c41943047da930758fd8b47d/image__3_.png)

## GDPR compliance
The general data protection regulation, GDPR, makes a lot of sense, but it's hard to stay compliant if your customer data is all over the place. [Using PieSync](https://help.piesync.com/faq/piesync-and-gdpr) is actually perfectly in line with what GDPR dictates:

- Through PieSync, you treat your customer's contact data with respect. You are keeping the customer's details consistent regardless of the app it is in. When a customer says he wants to receive the X & Y newsletter, but not the Z? PieSync will make sure every app knows.
- Under GDPR, your customers have the right to change their own contact information at any time. And they actually can! On an ActiveCampaign landing page you can include a form to allow customers to change their contact information. Through PieSync, those changes will immediately propagate to the rest of Salesforce.
- When customers want to get out, let them get out. Storing marketing opt-in preferences makes sense on the CRM level. Here's one rule which creates an easy way to immediately unsubscribe any contact from any future correspondence.

![image (4)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2buGFS4RzOWYc61BybBrbC/a1bdc95982349299e09d544b04aa8347/image__4_.png)

<RelatedPost slug="/salesforce-active-campaign/" />

__Learn more about syncing [Salesforce](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/salesforce), or about [ActiveCampaign](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/activecampaign), in their respective support articles.__

Everyone likes to work with the best of breed apps. Each app has their specific qualities that work well for those teams. PieSync can integrate these apps so that together they form a killer lead gen stack.

Marketing 

Salesforce - ActiveCampaign

Marketing automation

OnePageCRM

![sales tips tricks](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4gvNQtLwRIZt8WN2Bz8AD9/a30117f666864718b9d2379ee77171b2/clau_2.jpg)

*“Is there an after-sales service?”* *“Do you provide 24/7 support?”* *“What if I have a problem after I purchase?”* These are just some of the common questions potential customers ask before they buy. And they are right to do so. 

The sales cycle today doesn’t end with the signed deal. The next, and often the most important, step is building a relationship with your customers. 

According to [NewVoiceMedia](https://www.newvoicemedia.com/blog/the-multibillion-dollar-cost-of-poor-customer-service-infographic) research, “Fifty percent of customers increase their purchasing with a brand after a positive customer service experience. In fact, [86% of customers](https://www.slideshare.net/RightNow/2011-customer-experience-impact-report) would[ pay up to 25% more ](https://www.slideshare.net/RightNow/2011-customer-experience-impact-report)in order to get a better one”. If you’re not already focused on your Customer Experience, it’s time that you did. Here are 5 proven ways how it can rocket your sales. 

## Repeat business - It’s easier to retain a customer than to find a new one

According to a research from [Marketing Metrics](https://www.bullhorn.com/blog/2016/09/selling-to-existing-customers/), *“the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60% - 70% compared to a new customer which is 5-20%”*. That is why, it’s paramount to retain your customers through strong customer experience. Get to know them. In the early stages it’s critical __to ask questions and listen__. This will not only give you a better understanding of the potential needs of your customers, but will also help build the relationship as a whole.

## Referrals - (Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising)

According to the [Engagement Labs study](https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/social_conversations_and_wom_drive_sales/39664), *“10% of consumer sales are attributed to word-of-mouth.”* The fact is, in our everyday lives, we sometimes recommend a business without realizing it. You might ask a friend “where’s the best restaurant in town?” rather than spending hours trawling through online reviews. One quick message can save you oodles of time and you get honest feedback from the person you trust. 

Remember, happy customers are your best brand advocates as they will naturally recommend your product or service because they love it, not because they have been asked to…

<RelatedPost slug="20-examples-of-bad-customer-service-that-actually-happened" />

## Online reviews -  A review from a customer is worth 10x of self-promotion

If you don’t ask you don’t get right!? If you provide an amazing customer experience and your customer recognizes it, whether it’s over the phone, email, or on live chat, don’t be afraid to ask for a review on a public forum, like LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot or GetApp to name a few. Or better yet, ask them to take part in a [case study](https://www.onepagecrm.com/blog/category/case-study) and share their experience on how your product or service helped them in their business. This can significantly improve the reputation of your company and will do wonders for your SEO. The more 5 star reviews you have from your current customers, the more likely you will get noticed by the potential new ones. Plus, the smallest praise coming from your customers always carries more weight than the biggest shout coming from you.

## Stand out from the crowd  - Customers remember. Be exceptional, not notorious 

Have you ever called a company with an inquiry only to have a customer service rep try to upsell to you halfway through the call? Or even worse, you email a company with an issue and have to repeat the same information over and over! You wouldn’t want this kind of experience to be associated with your company, would you?

Get your Customer Support in order and deliver an outstanding experience. Better yet, do it [Zappos style](https://www.zappos.com/about/customer-service-things-to-know). When an issue arises, it’s all about how you handle it. Always __listen to the customer, acknowledge the problem and show empathy__. Assure them that you’ve taken all their details (repeat back to them if necessary) and give them confidence that you’re in control of the situation and will be back in touch. Where possible, follow up before the set time. CRM’s are great for setting reminders and ensuring you don’t drop the ball. In cases where there is an occured inconvenience, offer a goodwill gesture like a small discount or a token gift. And remember, resolving issues in a timely and efficient manner builds trust and confidence.

<RelatedPost slug="the-best-crms-for-small-businesses-pros-cons-and-what-you-need-to-know" />

## Hiring the right people is key - Prevent issues by hiring the right people from the start

Hiring the people who genuinely care will do wonders for your Customer Experience. When interviewing a new hire remember to ask [competency based questions](https://www.jobs.ie/job-talk/its-time-to-love-competency-based-interviews/) to find out if they are really right for your team. Pay particular attention to their answers to communication, problem-solving and organizational type questions as these are critical in a support-driven role. Friendly and enthusiastic personalities are usually innate and should be imminent within the first few minutes of your meeting. The right people are key to setting you apart from your competitors and providing outstanding customer experience.

You can’t expect to up your sales game without having strong customer relationships. And you can’t build those relationships without providing an exceptional customer experience. Invest in the right people and training, ask and listen, go the extra mile to resolve your customer’s issues, reach out for recommendations, tell your customers story and you will see the impact it has on your brand loyalty, sales and overall business. 


Here are 5 proven ways how it can rocket your sales with customer experience.

Sales

5 Ways to Rocket Your Sales with a Powerful Customer Experience

Elastic Email

![elastic email](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4nucFZ3Zv0q8wOitXtxwOQ/87ba2b19cc62840ca2b749f5d0e30850/elastic-email-launch-blog.png)

[Elastic Email](https://elasticemail.com/) is an all-in-one email delivery platform. They offer robust HTTP API, an SMTP Relay, and a user interface that comes with a complete suite of tools for managing templates, contacts, campaigns, and reports. This scalable platform specializes in delivering marketing and transactional email.

## Automatic management of your Elastic Email subscriptions and segmentation

Elastic Email already offered several integration options. But most of them, one-way pushes like Zapier and its alternatives, don't take historical data into consideration and they are likely to overwrite data. Also, they only allow to share updates in one direction.  

What makes PieSync unique is its ability to intelligently interpret data and sync it 2-Way. PieSync makes sure to match contacts based on their email address and it takes "the best" information of each app. Which means it will enrich them instead of duplicate them.

<RelatedPost slug="piesync-vs-zapier" />

PieSync offer a complete 2-Way synchronization between Elastic Email and 170+ business applications. 

<Widget type="piesync-widget" left="elasticemail" size="compact" />

__The app you need is not here yet? We are adding new ones every Wednesday! [ Vote for your favorite one](https://www.piesync.com/connections/) and we'll make sure to let you know when it's available. __

In the first direction of the sync (from Elastic Email to your other app), you can easily manage subscriptions. __Every time a new contact subscribes to your mailing list, it will be automatically up-to-date in your connected app, for instance your CRM.__ 

![pipedrive elastic email](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6Pxvib30Q9lN6HwUZ4pOIv/3596045485d30a9a18c01b8a5e07a28e/pipedrive_elastic_email.png)

In the other direction of the sync, __whenever the information of a contact or subscriber changes in the connected app, your email list will be up-to-date.__ 

![elastic email pipedrive](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3oYzJE8ns2s12Dy7BoidFh/c0527ad9c0634c2424a50d454a80f959/elastic_email_pipedrive.png)

PieSync is constantly checking both applications for changes to make sure you have up-to-date and high quality data at all times.

PieSync's "Intelligent Sync" feature based on ["if-this-then-that" rules](https://www.piesync.com/blog/introducing-intelligent-syncing/), allow you to filter the sync according to what your team needs. You can also automatically segment your email lists based on the information gathered by your other tools. 

## Configure your sync, your way 

You are in full control of your sync! Choose which information fields to sync and how. You'll find your standard fields mapped by default.  

![google contacts elastic email](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7K6tWpP6Jnvy0bvlpimHaX/e5c6c07a00cba07d4f4f9bb2244762ed/google_contacts_elastic_email.png)

Additionally, you can [map as many other customized fields](https://www.piesync.com/blog/announcing-our-biggest-update-to-date-custom-fields-and-customizable-field/) as you wish.

![elastic email integration](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/KZJDKuYuf1EaF0NsX7SQM/e464021569e26ae92d993792651c6442/elastic_email_integration_.png)

Afterwards, you can just let it work in the background. __Set it and forget it! __

<Button text="Start Syncing!" href="https://www.piesync.com/elasticemail/"/>

### Quick list of immediate benefits: 

- Save time spent on data entry
- Increase ROI
- No coding required
- 5-minute setup 
- Share contact information with your teams
- Access a unique and up-to-date database from any device
- No more import/export of your contacts
- One database across all your cloud apps
- Sync changes, including deletions and unsubscribes.
- Share accurate customer information across your marketing, sales, and customer service platforms.


### Learn how to set up a sync between Elastic Email and other business apps:

<Embed src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eEtFpUy3IQ" />

__Need help to configure your connection? You can always visit our[ Support Center](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/elastic-email) to get extra information about this connection.__

<RelatedPost slug="how-email-marketing-campaigns-can-boost-your-real-estate-business" />



PieSync's 2-Way Contact Sync solution is now available for Elastic Email users. Keep your email lists always in sync with your CRM and other business apps. Manage subscriptions automatically and make sure your data is always up-to-date. 

Email Marketing

Now you can sync your Elastic Email contacts with 170+ other business apps!

Running a business is no easy task. You’ll often find yourself tied up with multiple things at the same time just to meet the company’s day to day demands. This is why you need all the help you can get! However, it is not always cost-efficient to hire more employees. When you’re faced with the same scenario, it can be difficult to grow your business to where you want it to be.

The good news is there are ways for you to free up time and boost your company’s productivity without breaking your budget. You can do this by securing smart service solutions that are proven to be efficient yet very affordable, even for business start-ups. Not only will these services help you save on time, but you can also [save money without compromising quality.](http://www.bizpenguin.com/frugal-business-ways-to-save-money-without-compromising-quality-7056/)

## Accounting Software

One of the most important things that a business owner should prioritize when running a business is to always make sure that the financials are in order. If you cannot effectively track your sales and profits, you’re in trouble. But while nobody wants to be delinquent on their accounting reports, this can be a time-consuming process. Even if you have a dedicated accountant, manually tracking transactions and creating reports can drain a lot of time and energy for you and your staff.

Utilizing an accounting software can make this process much more convenient. Instead of digging back through printed invoices and receipts or sorting several spreadsheets, an accounting software can help you streamline all your financial activities, keep a record of every transaction, and also save up on accountant fees. You can also automate your invoicing, payments, and track expenses with just a few clicks.

When choosing an accounting software, select a reliable provider that comes with security and reliability safeguards. Preferably, cloud-based. You have to secure your financial information as data breach is one of the top [laptop security risks](http://www.cosrental.com/2018/7-shocking-statistics-that-prove-just-how-important-laptop-security-is/) faced by many businesses.

Another feature to look for in an accounting software is one that has integration features with other apps. Most times, using different platforms and software can be confusing and you even end up wasting more time switching from one program to another. If you use an accounting software which can seamlessly connect to other applications, this allows you to work more efficiently.

For example, the [Freshbooks](https://www.freshbooks.com/integrations) accounting software natively integrates with a lot of apps that you may already be using. If you need to integrate with more apps and/or need a 2-way sync integration, you can always use [PieSync's sync solution](https://www.piesync.com/). This can ensure that you always have an updated and accurate contact list across all the platforms you are using and lessening the risk of human error.

<RelatedPost slug="accounting-app" />

## CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

In the very early days, local shopkeepers build relationships with their customers and business partners by personally talking to them one by one when they visit their stores. They would know everything about their customers’ preferences, purchase history, and even the personal details of their lives.

Of course, during those times, customers are only limited to the specific area the store is located or the occasional tourists. However, this is now physically impossible especially if you’re running a growing online business or selling our products on Shopify that caters to a global market. While you can still attempt to manually contact and record all of your client interactions, this would require too many man-hours that your business cannot afford to lose.

Customer Relationship Management systems or CRMs were designed to fill in this gap. Its goal is to help businesses create better relationships with customers and partners. Many business owners still do not realize the usefulness of CRMs. 

CRMs like [Pipedrive](https://www.piesync.com/pipedrive/), [Salesforce](https://www.piesync.com/salesforce/), and [Capsule CRM](https://www.piesync.com/capsule/) record, report, and analyze customer interactions with the company. This data can be used to better understand consumers, give them a more enhanced product experience, and be a step ahead in responding to what they want to buy at a certain period. 

When your business has easy access to these types of customer data, your sales projections will be more accurate and you can better address what areas you need to improve on. 

<RelatedPost slug="the-best-crms-for-small-businesses-pros-cons-and-what-you-need-to-know" />

## Email Automation

If you are not yet using email automation, you should definitely consider doing so ASAP. Gone are the days when you need to have someone write up hundreds of personalized marketing emails one by one in the hopes of getting a sales lead. By using an email automation provider, you can cut down this task to the bare minimum.

You might think that you’ll save more money by getting one of your staff manually send emails, or worse, you might even use your own time in doing this repetitive task. But if you really think about it, are you really saving money when you’re using your own valuable time which you can devote to other more important tasks?

Email automation services are surprisingly very affordable. [ActiveCampaign](https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing/), a premium email automation service, allows customers to sign up for as low as $9 US Dollars per month. This paid service already comes with an email marketing feature that allows you to send targeted, personalized emails using beautiful drag and drop templates. You can segment, schedule, and choose what emails to send customers based on their purchasing behavior. It is also possible to send automatic emails and follow-ups.

Aside from the time efficiency provided by an email automation service, another advantage is that most of these platforms come with an analytics feature which is not typically something available in your regular inbox. This means that you will be able to see reports on how many of your customers are engaging with your marketing emails, which ones are the most responsive, and which campaigns are the most effective. This can help you tailor more targeted email campaigns so you won’t waste your time and resources with promotions your customers are not interested in.

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### Working Smarter With Tech

There are many technological innovations designed to make business tasks more efficient and help people become more productive. By taking advantage of these services, you are not only helping your business grow, but you will also have more time to focus on things that really matter to you. The less time you spend on tedious tasks, the more time you have to enjoy the results of your hard work. 

Here are 3 Services That Can Help Your Business Boost Productivity And Save On Costs

Accounting & Finance

3 Services That Can Help Your Business Boost Productivity And Save On Costs

iContact

![GREEN-01](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2ePW0HTtGOPQGHfdac5Xpn/adbc4daf5655e4445420a8dc5dec6d6a/GREEN-01.jpg)

## The reason behind the sync

[iContact](https://www.icontact.com/) is a Marketing tool backed by a strong and approachable customer support team that allows you to create, send, segment, and track emails. iContact makes it easy for SMEs to choose from their collection of results-orientated features to suit any budget. 

Where do you get your email subscribers from? Next to iContact, you are probably using several cloud applications that gather valuable customer contact data. The problem is that most apps don’t really communicate with each other. As a result, you have [isolated islands of data](https://www.piesync.com/blog/top-5-problems-with-big-data-and-how-to-solve-them/) in each area of your business.

## PieSync's solution

Many businesses use the time-wasting import/export or [one-way zaps](https://www.piesync.com/blog/piesync-vs-zapier/), but your apps are never really up-to-date. These methods are one of the most common causes of duplicate contact data, while historical data is rarely pushed.

PieSync’s sync engine helps you create an intelligent 2-way connection between iContact and more than 170 cloud-based apps in real time. During the initial sync, the service matches the existing, historical data between the two systems and merges your duplicate contacts.
 
Later on, PieSync continually checks and understands the data in both apps, so whenever changes happen on a subscriber, or on a contact in the CRM, or in either connected tool, updates are synced both ways according to your exact criteria.

__ This means no more worrying about manually import/export, duplicates or outdated data!__
 
From now on, you can connect iContact to business platforms such as Google Contacts, Microsoft Dynamics, Outlook, Pipedrive, Quickbooks, FullContact, Netsuite, Intercom, HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.
 
Take a look at all the options you currently have available:
 
<Widget left="icontact" size="compact" />

__The app you need is not listed? No worries, we are adding new apps every Wednesday! Vote for your favorite app here.__
 
## If-this-then-that for iContact

Thanks to PieSync’s Intelligent engine, you can create more nuance by using [“If–*this*–then–*that*” rules or conditions](https://www.piesync.com/blog/introducing-intelligent-syncing/) on top of the 2-way sync. By configuring your sync depending on tags or categories in each app, you can sync only a subset of contacts and accomplish complex automatic workflows across your apps.

![icontact](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/UWVmBv9Vx2mj5PzeTx4JD/995e374f85410025c3b4ab763314ca0e/icontact.png)

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## Custom mapping 

PieSync will map typical information fields of each app by default: 

![icontact salesforce](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4DctQDG0f8Fko1LqUFko1U/1fa0b74932345c6a0bd1cb8237e91e89/icontact_salesforce.png)

Additionally, you can choose to map your custom-made information fields: 

![icontact sync](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5ot01Klx0rcn5jVANY53Sw/23f643fba47bd6bed5a58b3a093bb759/icontact_sync.png)
 
## Some of the many benefits:

- Save time spent on data entry to increase ROI: No more import/export of your contacts and more effective communication
- No more data silos: Share accurate customer information across your marketing, sales and customer service platforms.
- A safe way to merge iContact subscribers into existing CRM contacts, without overwriting data.
- Sync CRM fields to iContact for personalized communication. 
- Align iContact audiences with your CRM by syncing entire segments through PieSync.
- Consistently sync customer data across systems to aid in GDPR compliance
 
Learn all about the sync with iContact in our [Support Center](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/i-contact)!

## So what are you waiting for?

<Button text="Try PieSync for free" href="https://www.piesync.com/icontact/" />






Sync your iContact contacts with other business apps: It's a 2-Way Contact Sync!

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Now you can sync your Elastic Email contacts with 170+ other business apps!

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A 2-Way Contact Sync is now available for iContact and 170+ other business tools!