Introduction

Constant Contact is an online email marketing tool. 

Using Constant Contact, you can:

• Create and manage business contacts
• Use it as a social posting platform to build online stores and websites. 
• Automate email campaigns and templates
• Manage and generate reports on your e-commerce ventures, emails, and contacts

Constant Contact for Vtiger CRM

Note: Constant Contact Integration is available only for the Contacts module in Vtiger CRM.

Vtiger CRM provides multidirectional data sync with Constant Contact. Integrating Constant Contact with Vtiger CRM syncs contacts available for the Contacts module with the Constant Contact portal and vice versa for every contact created, updated, and deleted. 

You can sync available contact records in the following ways:

• Sync from Vtiger to Constant Contact 
• Sync from Constant Contact to Vtiger 
• Sync both ways

 Benefits of integrating Constant Contact

• Access your Constant Contact business contacts in CRM.
• Prevent duplication and errors with a single source of data
• Save time by managing your contacts from a single app

Feature Availability

Click here for the availability of the Constant Contact Integration for different editions of Vtiger CRM.

 Integrating Constant Contact with Vtiger involves the following:

• Installing Constant Contact from the Extension Store
• Configuring or setting up the integration
• Enabling the sync between Vtiger and Constant Contact for data to flow

In this article, you will learn about all of the above. Shall we begin?

Key Terminology 

Prerequisites

To integrate Constant Contact with Vtiger CRM you must:

• Have an active business account with Constant Contact.
• Enable the Constant Contact extension in Vtiger CRM.

Installing Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a third-party app that you must install from Vtiger’s Extension Store. You can install extensions only if you are an Admin user in the CRM.

Follow these steps to install the Constant Contact extension:

1. Log into your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Click Add-ons on the bottom left corner of the screen.
4. Look for Constant Contact.

Or

3. Click Settings.
4. Look for Extensions.
5. Click Extension Store.
6. Look for Constant Contact.
7. Click Install.
8. Click Yes to confirm the installation.

Once you have installed it successfully, follow these steps to find the app:

1. Login to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Look for Lead & Contact Management.
4. Click Contacts.
5. Click the Sync button. This will take you to the Sync window.
6. Constant Contact is now available under User level Connectors.  

Integrating Constant Contact with Vtiger CRM

Let us learn how to integrate Constant Contact with the Contacts module in the CRM.

You can integrate and use Constant Contact with the CRM in these two phases: 

• Phase 1: Configure Constant Contact 
• Phase 2: Integrate Constant Contact with the CRM

Configuring Constant Contact

This phase is configured in the Constant Contact portal.

Constant Contact Configuration requires:

• Step 1: Creating an Application in Constant Contact Developer Portal
• Step 2: Retrieving the API Key and Client Secret and Input the Redirect URI
• Step 3: Retrieving the Auth URL and Token URL

Step 1: Creating an Application in the Constant Contact Developer Portal

Follow these steps to create an Application in the Constant Contact Developer Portal:

1. Log in to your Constant Contact Developer Portal account. You will be directed to the My Applications screen.
2. Click New Application.
3. Enter a name for your application In the New Application field.
4. Under Application OAuth2 Settings:

• For OAuth2 flows supported, choose Authorization Code Flow and Implicit Flow.
• For refresh token types, we recommend choosing Rotating Refresh Tokens. You can also choose Long Lived Refresh Tokens based on your preferences. 

5. Click Save. This will take you to your Application window.

Step 2: Retrieving the API Key and Client Secret and Input the Redirect URI

Follow these steps to retrieve the API Key and Client Secret and input the Redirect URI:

1. In your Application window, under App Details:

Step 3: Retrieving the Auth URL and Token URL

Follow these steps to retrieve the Auth URL and Token URL:

1. In your Application window, under OAuth2 Settings:

1. Copy the Auth URL (request to initiate authorization) to a Notepad or a document.
2. Copy the Token URL (request for bearer tokens) to a Notepad or a document.

2. Under Your App's Public Description, enter your App Logo URL and App Description if required.
3. Click Save. 

You have now completed Constant Contact Configuration.

Integrating Constant Contact with the CRM 

This phase is configured in Vtiger CRM’s Contacts module.

Integrating Constant Contact with CRM requires you to:

• Step 1: Integrate Constant Contact with Contacts
• Step 2: Authorize Constant Contact

Step 1: Integrating Constant Contact with the Contacts module

Follow these steps to integrate Constant Contact with the Contacts module:

1. Login to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Look for Lead & Contact Management.
4. Click Contacts.
5. Click the Sync button. This will take you to the Sync window.
6. Under User level Connectors, look for Constant Contact.

(If Constant Contact is not available under User level Connectors, click View 

 available connectors in the Sync window.)

7. Click the Sign In button beside Constant Contact. You will be directed to the OAuth Settings window.

Note: You will have to enter the copied API Key, Client Secret, etc.

8. Enter the following information:

1. Paste the copied API Key in the Client ID field.
2. Paste the copied Client Secret In the Client Secret field. 
3. Paste the copied Auth URL in the Auth URL field.
4. Paste the copied Token URL in the Token URL field.
5. In the Scopes field paste the following mandatory Vtiger CRM scope contact_data

9. Click Save.
10. If Constant Contact was integrated successfully, the Success notification is displayed. And you will be directed to the Sync window.

Step 2: Authorizing Constant Contact 

Follow these steps to authorize Constant Contact: 

1. In the Sync window, click the Sign In button beside Constant Contact. You will be directed to the Constant Contact login screens for authorization.
2. Log in to your Constant Contact account. Once you have successfully logged in, you will be directed to the Constant Contact access screen. 
3. Click Allow Access. You will be directed to the Sync window.

You have now completed Integrating Constant Contact with Vtiger Contacts.

With this, you have now successfully integrated Constant Contact with CRM.

Next Step - Setting up Sync settings for Constant Contact in CRM.

Constant Contact Sync Settings in CRM

After you have successfully integrated Constant Contact with CRM, you must configure the Sync settings to connect Constant Contact with the Contacts module.

Note: Only Admin users in the CRM will have access to Constant Contact Sync Settings.

Follow these steps to configure Sync settings::

1. Login to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Look for Lead & Contact Management.
4. Click Contacts.
5. Click the Sync button. This will take you to the Sync window.
6. Under User level Connectors, look for Constant Contact.
7. Click the Settings button beside Constant Contact. You will be directed to the Constant Contact Sync Settings screen.

Or

7. Click the Sync Log button beside Constant Contact. You will be directed to the Constant Contact Sync Log screen.

  8. Click the Sync Settings button on the top right corner of the screen. You will be directed
  to the Constant Contact Sync Settings screen.

You have now successfully configured the Sync settings for Constant Contact with the Contacts module in CRM.

Next Step - Syncing data between Constant Contact and CRM.

Syncing Constant Contact Data

If you have successfully configured Constant Contact Sync Settings, you can start syncing contacts between Constant Contact and the CRM.  

Follow these steps to start syncing: 

1. Login to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Look for Lead & Contact Management.
4. Click Contacts.
5. Click the Sync button in the List View. This will take you to the Sync window.
6. Under User level Connectors, look for Constant Contact.
7. Click the Sync Log button beside Constant Contact. You will be directed to the Constant Contact Sync Log screen. 

 
8. Click the Sync Now button to sync contacts.

 

9. The Constant Contact Sync Log page displays. It displays sync date and time, and the

  contacts that were successfully synced: 

1. Created - Contact records that are created and saved in Constant Contact or CRM.
2. Updated - Contact records that are updated and saved in Constant Contact or CRM.
3. Skipped - Contact records that have errors during their creation updation and deletion or contact records with few mandatory fields in Constant Contact or CRM empty.
4. Deleted - Contact records that are deleted in Constant Contact or CRM.

10. Clicking on the numbers will open the Records Created in Vtiger window that displays 
  the Source Module and Record Name. Clicking the Record name will direct you to the
  respective Contact record. Clicking the Download As CSV tab will download the
  source modules and record names to a CSV file.
 

Constant Contact Sync Pattern

Let us now understand the pattern in which contacts are synced between Constant Contact and CRM.

Based on the chosen sync direction, the pattern in which contacts are synced between Constant Contact and CRM in the Constant Contact Sync Log screen is as follows:

• Contact records created, updated, skipped, and deleted:
  • In CRM's Contacts module will reflect as sync results in the Constant Contact table. 
  • In the Constant Contact portal will reflect as sync results in the Vtiger CRM table. 

 

• For instnace, consider the above screenshot:
  • 7 contacts created in Vtiger CRM will reflect as 7 Created  in the Constant Contact table. 
  • 42 records created in Constant Contact will reflect as 42 Created in the Vtiger CRM table.

Constant Contact Sync Log Screen

The Constant Contact Sync Log screen displays the following information:

1. Constant Contact and Vtiger CRM tables - Display synced contact records with the statuses - created, updated, skipped, and deleted from both Vtiger CRM and Constant Contact. As per the chosen sync direction. They also display the following for the synced contact records:
   1. Date - The day contact records are synced.
   2. Time - The time contact records are synced.
   3. Module - The module contact records are synced for.

2. Debug Log - Clicking the Debug Log button displays the data sync (both ways) information in the form of logs.
3. Revoke Access - Clicking the Revoke Access button stops the sync between Constant Contact and CRM for the Contacts module.
4. Syn Now - Clicking the Sync Now button syncs data between Constant Contact and CRM for the Contacts module.
5. Sync Log - Clicking the Sync Log button will take you to the Constant Contact Sync Log screen.

Let us now understand the Field Mapping for Constant Contact and CRM

Field Mapping

For data to sync properly between Vtiger CRM and Constant Contact, the fields in the CRM need to map with the fields in Constant Contact. 

Field mapping enables this process to occur smoothly. Improper or incomplete mapping is the reason why the sync process 'skips' a few records and these records won’t be updated. For example, a mandatory field in Constant Contact might have data, and the mapped non-mandatory field in Vtiger might be empty. In this case, the sync process will not be successful.

The following tables display the fields in CRM’s Contacts module that are mapped to the Contact’s fields in Constant Contact portal.

Synchronization for the Contacts module