Updating fields in gainsight instead of salesforce

Hi Ky,
How is the record recorded in Salesforce? A Task? A field on the Account? Somethin' else?

It is logged on the Account page under its own object. The same way activities are logged in their own section of the account page.

Gotcha, makes sense. It sounds like you'll want to use the "Load to SFDC" Rule Action, using an "Insert" action into that custom object.

Gainsight's documentation on it is here: 
https://support.gainsight.com/Product_Documentation/Rules_Engine/Admin_Configuration/Use_Rules_to_Lo...

The trick will just be identifying exactly what data to query from Gainsight's data to know when it's time to create that record. Maybe it's when a CTA is closed? What do they do in Gainsight right now when they "receive a response"?

When they receive a response, they would mark the task complete and then go log it in salesforce. the tricky thing is, is there are additional things they fill out when they log this information. It not like an update of one field. They have about 4 pieces of info that they have to log for this one piece. 

Gotcha. I bet that there's a way to whittle things down to just the right info. Gainsight Support's probably your best bet to help you work through those details, since you have give them access to your Gainsight and Salesforce instances. But the technology to do what it sounds like you want to do definitely exists 🙂

Thanks so much Seth!

That's a great use-case, Ky. Thanks for sharing.

There are a couple of solutions I can think of:

1. You could create a dedicated CTA Type for such endeavors and customize the CTA form to have all the fields needed to log an advocacy event. Rules Engine can then take this information (multiple fields) and write back to your Customer Advocacy object in Salesforce.
2. You could continue using the CTA Type you use today, but 'link' the Customer Advocacy object to it. This would let you create a new advocacy record in Salesforce from within a CTA. You'd essentially be able to link the Gainsight and Salesforce processes together in the same UI. Note: This option shows up as a new tab in the CTA detail view. We have the ability to customize the form so you can directly expose all Salesforce fields CSMs have to fill out (vs. replicating them in Gainsight first).
3. Not sure if you've tried out our new Timeline feature where you can easily log different types of Activities with full rich-text capabilities. We are soon bringing this feature to CTAs, which would let you log calls, meetings, advocacy activities, etc. directly from inside a CTA. Once this is available, CSMs would have to simply log the advocacy activity in Gainsight from the CTA they are working on. We could then sync it back to Salesforce.

Thanks!

Thank you Manu! Do you possibly have any articles on how I would go about configuring any of these possible steps?

Hi Ky,

You can find some details here on creating layouts for different CTA Types (#1) and also linking other Salesforce records to a CTA (#2). General information on Timeline and logging Activities is available here and here, but this feature will only be available for CTAs starting May.

Thanks!

Just following up on this.  Ky, have you decided which path to take?  Materials making sense?

Hi Karl, 
Steps 2 and 3 sound like they will be the best fit. Though I read some of the articles provided but it as far as logging the activities on the C360 page, I see I can add a new activity, but there are certain fields that need to get filled in in Salesforce that are not in this generic list so I am not sure how these would ever map back to eachother. 

I think the 2nd option also sounds like it would be a good fit as well. But it sounds like for this case I would need to create a new CTA Type. For example, when logging an advocacy, that is under a opportunity type and not an advocacy type. I wouldn't want this to change all of my opportunity type cta's so it sounds like I would need to create a Advocacy CTA type if I want to go this route. 

Hi Ky,

Option #2 seems the most straightforward, and it won't require you to create a new CTA type. You can simply link 'Customer Advocacy' to the Opportunity type CTA. How option #3 might work, once we get there of course, is that you'd log an advocacy activity from within a CTA. This activity would then sync to SF Activities with the relevant fields mapped over. Won't work, though, if you wish to create a record in your custom object and not SF Activities, in which case we'd have to leverage the Rules Engine to create those records.