Setup Best Practices

Import Your Data and Keep It Synchronized

Working with customers is easier when you have all your data in one place where everyone can collaborate. With Salesforce Starter and Pro Suite, you can easily import your data by clicking the Import button on most pages.

Seamlessly bring your data into Salesforce from a CSV file or use the Data Import Wizard if you want to import custom objects. Use Einstein Activity Capture to import and automatically sync your contacts, email, calendar, and event data.

Einstein Activity Capture works with Google and Microsoft email and calendar. By automatically capturing contacts, email, calendar, and events, critical customer interactions are consistently updated and reflected in your Salesforce records—no manual logging required.

For example, Einstein Activity Capture analyzes your activities to create contacts. It matches email addresses between your connected email account and Salesforce. If there's no match, it creates a contact. It can also identify and suggest new contacts based on your email activity, such as detecting a new email with a domain name that matches an existing account.

In Starter and Pro Suite, Einstein Activity Capture comes automatically turned on and configured. Pro Suite users can update the settings using the Einstein Activity Capture Settings page.

Note Microsoft is retiring Exchange Web Services (EWS) for Microsoft Office 365 in October 2026. From the Einstein Activity Capture Settings page, follow the prompts to start the upgrade to Microsoft Graph. If you set up Einstein Activity Capture to use Microsoft Office 365 before Spring ’26, upgrade to Microsoft Graph by August 2026 to avoid service disruption. If you set up the connection in Spring ’26 or later, Microsoft Graph authenticates you automatically. Each user must reconnect to their account to complete the upgrade. See Start Microsoft Graph Upgrade

When you initially import your data with Einstein Activity Capture, your selection–Google or Microsoft–is applied for every user. Einstein Activity Capture adds email data from the past 30 days.

See Einstein Activity Capture

Note If you’re planning to send promotional emails, make sure you import consent data for each lead or contact. See Consent Management.

Integrate with Email

Connect your email accounts so that you can easily manage customer communications. On a contact record, select the Email tab and, if prompted when drafting an email, connect your Google or Microsoft account. If you’re not prompted to set up the connection, you’re connected.

Customize your sales funnel stages for leads and opportunities to fit your sales processes. Salesforce Starter and Pro Suite come with default status names, but you can rename, reorder, and delete ones you don’t need.

Free Suite automatically uses a Salesforce domain for outgoing emails, but Starter and Pro Suite offer the flexibility to use your own company domain instead. To enable this, verify domain ownership or configure a DKIM key.

To use a Salesforce domain to send emails in Starter and Pro, turn on domain substitution. To confirm domain substitution is turned on, go to the Deliverability page in Setup, and make sure Substitute unverified email sending domains is checked off.

In paid orgs, emails sent without verification or substitution will fail to deliver.

Integrate with Video Calls

Bring your sales conversations directly into your CRM by connecting your video call provider. By linking Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, you can centralize data from sales calls, automatically capture transcripts, and unlock AI-driven insights for every meeting. To get started, go to the Home App, select Connect video calls (tap See all suggestions if it’s hidden), and follow the prompts to link your account.