Table of Contents

How to Connect Salesforce to Your WordPress Forms: A Comprehensive Guide

As a seasoned WordPress and CRM integration expert with over 15 years of experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of connecting Salesforce to WordPress forms. This powerful combination streamlines your lead generation and customer management processes, transforming your website into a robust sales engine.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of seamlessly connecting Salesforce to your WordPress forms. We’ll cover everything from setting up the integration to customizing your forms and leveraging the data to boost your conversions and sales.

Get ready to unlock the full potential of your WordPress website and streamline your CRM processes. Let’s dive in!

Why Connect Salesforce to Your WordPress Forms?

Before we jump into the technical details, let’s understand why connecting Salesforce to your WordPress forms is such a game-changer for businesses. Here’s why:

Effortless Lead Capture: Stop manually entering leads from your website into Salesforce. With this integration, every form submission is automatically added to your CRM, saving you time and effort.
Centralized Customer Data: All your customer information, from website interactions to sales history, is stored in one place. This unified view helps you understand your customers better and tailor your interactions to their specific needs.
Automated Workflows: Build automated processes to nurture leads, follow up with customers, and manage sales opportunities. This frees up your team to focus on higher-value tasks.
Data-Driven Insights: Analyze the data captured from your WordPress forms to gain valuable insights into customer behavior, website performance, and marketing campaigns. This data empowers you to make informed decisions to optimize your strategies.
Improved Conversion Rates: By streamlining your processes and providing personalized customer experiences, you can significantly increase your conversion rates and drive more sales.

Setting Up WPForms to Connect With Salesforce

For this tutorial, we’ll be using WPForms, a user-friendly and powerful WordPress contact form plugin trusted by over 6 million website owners. WPForms makes creating and managing forms a breeze, and its Salesforce integration simplifies the entire process.

Here’s what you need to get started:

Install and Activate WPForms: First, install and activate the WPForms plugin on your WordPress website. You can find detailed instructions on how to install a WordPress plugin in our comprehensive guide: How to Install a WordPress Plugin.
Choose the Right Plan: To use the Salesforce addon, you’ll need WPForms’ Elite plan. However, there’s also a free WPForms Lite version available if you’re just starting out.
Enter Your License Key: Once activated, go to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key, which you can find in your WPForms account on their website.

Setting Up the Connection Between WPForms and Salesforce

Now, let’s establish the bridge between your WordPress forms and your Salesforce account.

Install the Salesforce Addon: Navigate to WPForms » Addons and locate the Salesforce addon. Click the ‘Install’ button to install and activate it. This addon makes the integration process seamless.
Access Salesforce Integration Settings: From your WordPress dashboard, go to WPForms » Settings » Integrations. Click on the Salesforce integration to open its settings.
Generate a Callback URL: Click the ‘Add New Account’ button. WPForms will display Salesforce settings, including a Callback URL. Keep this tab open or copy the URL to a safe place; you’ll need it later.

Creating a Salesforce App for Your WordPress Integration

To connect your WordPress forms to Salesforce, you need to create a dedicated app within your Salesforce account. Here’s how to do it:

Important Note: You need to have an Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, or Developer edition of Salesforce to connect your WordPress forms. However, you can always start with a free trial to test the integration.
Sign Up for a Free Trial (if needed): If you don’t have a Salesforce account, visit the Salesforce website and click the ‘Start My Free Trial’ button to create one.
Switch to Salesforce Classic Dashboard: Log in to your Salesforce account. Click your profile icon at the top and select ‘Switch to Salesforce Classic’ to access the classic dashboard.
Access Salesforce Setup: In the Salesforce Classic dashboard, click the ‘Setup’ link at the top to access the settings.
Create a New App: In the left-hand column, navigate to Build » Create and click ‘Apps’. Then, click the ‘New’ button under the Connected Apps section.
Fill in App Details: In the ‘New Connected App’ section, enter the following information:

Connected App Name: Choose a descriptive name for your app.
API Name: This will default to the ‘Connected App Name’. You don’t need to change it.
Contact Email: Enter your email address.
Logo Image, Icon, Info URL, Description: These fields are optional and mainly used when publishing your app.

Enable OAuth Settings: Check the box to ‘Enable OAuth Settings’. This will display the OAuth settings.
Enter the Callback URL: Paste the Callback URL you copied earlier from WPForms into the ‘Callback URL’ field.
Select OAuth Scopes: In the ‘Available OAuth Scopes’ section, enable two permissions:

Manage user data via APIS (api): This gives your app access to user data.
Perform requests at any time (refresh_token, offline_access): This enables the app to make requests even when the user isn’t actively logged in.

Save the App: Click the ‘Add’ button to add the permissions and then click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page.
Wait for Changes to Take Effect: A message will appear indicating that it may take up to 10 minutes for your changes to take effect. Click ‘Continue’.
Copy API Credentials: On the next screen, you’ll see your app’s API information. Wait 10 minutes before proceeding to ensure everything is set up correctly. Then, click ‘Manage Consumer Details’ to copy your ‘Consumer Key’ and ‘Consumer Secret’.
Verify Your App: Salesforce will ask you to enter a verification code. You’ll receive this code in your email. Enter the code and click ‘Verify’.
Copy Consumer Key and Consumer Secret: You will now see the ‘Consumer Key’ and ‘Consumer Secret’. Copy these credentials to your clipboard.

Connecting WPForms to Your Salesforce Account

Now, we’re ready to link WPForms to your Salesforce account using the API credentials you just copied. Here’s how:

Switch Back to WPForms Settings: Open the tab where you left the WPForms Salesforce settings or navigate back to WPForms » Settings » Integrations.
Paste API Credentials: Paste the ‘Consumer Key’ and ‘Consumer Secret’ into the corresponding fields in the WPForms Salesforce settings.
Connect to Salesforce: Click the ‘Connect to Salesforce’ button.
Log In to Salesforce: You’ll be prompted to log in to your Salesforce account using your username and password.
Authorize WPForms Access: Click the ‘Allow’ button to grant WPForms access to your Salesforce account.
Verify Successful Connection: A confirmation message will appear at the top of the Integrations page indicating a successful connection.

Creating a WordPress Form with Salesforce Integration

With the connection established, let’s create a WordPress form that seamlessly integrates with Salesforce.

Create a New Form: Go to WPForms » Add New to launch the WPForms drag-and-drop form builder.
Choose a Template (Optional): Enter a name for your form at the top. You can start with a template, such as the ‘Simply Contact Form’, or build from scratch.
Add Form Fields: Drag and drop various form fields (like name, email, phone number) from the left menu to your chosen template. You can easily rearrange the order and customize each field to fit your needs.
Connect to Salesforce: Once your form is designed, go to the Marketing » Salesforce tab. Click the ‘Add New Connection’ button.
Name Your Connection: A popup will appear, asking you to name the connection. This is for your reference and won’t be visible to website visitors. Enter a descriptive name and click ‘OK’.
Select Salesforce Account and Object: Choose your Salesforce account from the dropdown list. Then, select the Salesforce Object, which represents the type of data you’re sending (e.g., Contact, Lead).
Map Form Fields to Salesforce Fields: Once you’ve chosen the object, you’ll see new dropdowns. The ‘Custom Field Name’ column lists the fields in your Salesforce account, while ‘Form Field Value’ represents the fields on your form.
Select Form Field Values: For each custom field you want to use, select a corresponding ‘Form Field Value’. This ensures that data from your form is entered into the correct fields in Salesforce. For example, for the ‘Full Name’ field in Salesforce, select ‘Name’ as the Form Field Value.
Map Additional Fields: Select additional fields from the dropdown lists and map them to the appropriate WPForms fields. You can add more fields by clicking the blue + button.
Save Your Connection: After mapping all the fields you need, click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen to save your Salesforce connection.

Adding Your Form to a WordPress Page or Post

WPForms makes it effortless to embed forms anywhere on your WordPress website. Here’s how to do it:

Edit or Create a Page or Post: Edit an existing page or post where you want to add the form, or create a new one.
Add a WPForms Block: In the content editor, click the (+) add new block button and choose ‘WPForms’.
Select Your Form: From the dropdown list, choose the contact form you just created.
Publish Your Page or Post: Publish your page or post to make the form live on your website.

For a detailed guide on creating contact forms with WPForms, check out our comprehensive tutorial: How to Create a Contact Form in WPForms.

Testing Your Salesforce Integration

It’s crucial to test your form to ensure the Salesforce integration is working correctly.

Submit a Test Entry: Fill out your form with test data and click ‘Submit’.
Check Salesforce Dashboard: Switch to your Salesforce account dashboard. You should see a new item listed on your homepage. Click on the name to view the contact information.

If the contact details are correctly displayed in your Salesforce account, you’ve successfully connected Salesforce to WPForms. Now, every new form submission will be automatically added to your CRM, streamlining your lead management process.

Additional Resources for Creating WordPress Forms

Want to explore more advanced WordPress form creation techniques? Check out these additional resources:

Conclusion

Connecting Salesforce to your WordPress forms is a powerful strategy for any business looking to streamline its lead capture, customer management, and sales processes. This integration empowers you to automate tasks, gain valuable insights, and ultimately boost your conversions and sales.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily set up the integration, create forms that automatically send data to Salesforce, and start benefiting from the powerful combination of these two platforms.

If you’re interested in learning more about tech news and digital marketing strategies, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About Connecting Salesforce to WordPress Forms

Q1: Is Salesforce free?

Salesforce offers a free trial, but it’s not a free service. You’ll need to choose a paid plan to continue using it after the trial period.

Q2: Can I connect other types of forms to Salesforce, like registration forms or surveys?

Yes, you can connect any type of form created with WPForms to your Salesforce account.

Q3: What happens if a user submits a form with incomplete information?

If a user submits a form with missing required fields, the information may not be fully transferred to Salesforce. The Salesforce addon in WPForms has an option to handle these cases by either skipping the incomplete entry or sending it with empty fields.

Q4: How do I update my Salesforce connection information if it changes?

You can update the ‘Consumer Key’ and ‘Consumer Secret’ in the WPForms Salesforce settings by following the same steps outlined in the “Connecting WPForms to Your Salesforce Account” section.

Q5: Can I map multiple WPForms fields to a single Salesforce field?

Yes, you can map multiple WPForms fields to a single Salesforce field. For example, you could map the ‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’ fields from your form to the ‘Full Name’ field in Salesforce.

Q6: Can I use other form plugins besides WPForms?

While WPForms is a popular choice with robust Salesforce integration, there are other WordPress form plugins that also offer Salesforce connectivity. You can explore options like Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, and Formidable Forms.

Q7: Does the Salesforce integration work with all Salesforce editions?

The integration works with Salesforce Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, and Developer editions. It’s not compatible with Salesforce Essentials, Professional, or Contact Manager editions.

Q8: Can I customize the Salesforce Object to which form data is sent?

Yes, you can customize the Salesforce Object to which form data is sent. This allows you to direct leads and customer data to different Salesforce objects, depending on your business needs.

Q9: Is the Salesforce integration secure?

Yes, the Salesforce integration uses OAuth, a secure authorization protocol, to ensure that your data is protected.

Q10: What are the benefits of connecting Salesforce to my WordPress forms?

Connecting Salesforce to your WordPress forms offers numerous benefits, including:

Automated lead capture
Centralized customer data
Streamlined workflows
Data-driven insights
Improved conversion rates

Posted in All by admin

how to connect salesforce to your wordpress forms