Question from user:
Hey, I want to be able to see m calendly events and stuff in SF but dont want to pay for the highest license level. Is it possible to bypass that by just linking calendly with outlook and then syncing from there to SF using outlook integration?
Any possible disadvantages I don’t see here? Thanks for the help!
Answer from Nabil:
The simple Outlook to Salesforce sync using the built-in integrations, like Einstein Activity Capture or the older Outlook Integration for Salesforce, could certainly work for getting the basic meeting details onto the correct records, which might be sufficient for a while.
The main disadvantage you might run into with the simple Outlook sync method is a lack of deep, direct integration and control.
You’ll likely get a new Event created in Salesforce, but you might miss out on crucial details like the invitee’s form responses from Calendly, the exact type of Calendly event booked, and the ability to automatically create a Lead or Contact if one doesn’t exist, which the official integration handles with its CalendlyAction object and flows.
The sync can sometimes be delayed or less reliable for custom data.
The more robust, low-cost solution you hint at – combining APIs and services – is a great way to replicate the functionality of the premium integration without the hefty price tag, though it requires more initial setup.
Using the Calendly API for event webhooks and the Outlook REST API (or a similar email API) can give you real-time data.
You could set up a process where a Calendly event triggers a webhook to a service layer built on Google Cloud Platform or an automation platform like Zapier or Make.com.
The custom code or automation logic would then take the Calendly data, including form responses, and use the Salesforce API to create the Lead or Contact and the associated Event in Salesforce with all the necessary details mapped to standard or custom fields.
This gives you granular control over data mapping and the creation of records.
Incorporating a DataLayer and Google Tag Manager (GTM) is an excellent enhancement for web-based tracking.
When a user completes the booking on the Calendly-embedded page or the booking confirmation page, you can push the event data – things like invitee email, event name, etc. into the DataLayer.
GTM can then pick up this data and send it to various destinations, including a custom endpoint.
By sending this GTM data to a server-side tagging environment, such as Stape (a commercial offering for server-side tagging) or a custom setup in Google Cloud Platform, you create a very reliable and fast data transmission method, bypassing potential browser limitations or ad-blockers that can interfere with client-side tracking.
This approach is highly resilient and allows you to capture the booking context before the API calls, providing a valuable secondary data stream and enabling advanced tracking beyond just the CRM sync.
Ultimately, a custom API solution provides the maximum flexibility and precision for ensuring all your necessary data from Calendly ends up exactly where you need it in Salesforce without paying for the highest license level.
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