You can easily keep your important Outlook and Salesforce contacts in sync using Salesforce for Outlook. When contacts initially sync, Salesforce for Outlook checks to see whether a contact with the same email address exists in both Outlook and Salesforce. If a matching email address exists, the two contacts are synced. If it doesn't exist, Salesforce for Outlook checks to see whether a contact with the same first name, last name, and company name exists. If it doesn't exist, a new contact is created and the two are synced.
Your Outlook configuration defines which items are set to sync, which direction the data flows between Outlook and Salesforce, and what happens when data conflicts. The supported sync directions are Salesforce.com to Outlook and Sync both ways. You can't currently sync contacts from Outlook to Salesforce. Salesforce for Outlook isn't case sensitive when matching contacts.
This Diagram Shows How Contacts Sync
Syncing Contacts from Salesforce.com to Outlook
Syncing Contacts Both Ways
If person accounts have been implemented in your organization. Salesforce for Outlook can sync person accounts between your Accounts tab in Salesforce and your contacts folder in Outlook. You can create new person accounts in Salesforce and view, edit, and delete synced person accounts in Outlook or Salesforce. Contacts synced from Outlook to Salesforce may be matched to person accounts.
A deleted person account will be recreated as a contact in Salesforce if:
- You update the related outlook contact before the next sync, and
- Your configuration is set to sync both ways with Outlook winning.
For additional Information SEE Force.com's documentation:
- TRIAL user link: Syncing Contacts with Salesforce for Outlook
- Active Customer Link: Syncing Contacts with Salesforce for Outlook