Introduction
The most frustrating CRM integration is the one that gives the illusion of working. The user submitted a form, the website displayed a “thank you” message, but the CRM didn’t receive anything. Without logs, it looks like a dispute between the website and the CRM: the website claims it sent the data, while the CRM claims it didn’t receive it.
Symptoms
The problem could be caused by an invalid phone number, an extra zero after the country code, an empty required field, an incorrect token, a changed API URL, a duplicate entry, a request limit, or anti-spam measures on the CRM side. If the website does not save the raw incoming request and the CRM’s response, it is difficult to recover a lost request.
What is being checked
- Which CRM endpoint receives the request, and is it currently active?
- What HTTP status code and response body does the CRM return?
- Which fields are required, and what are they called?
- Is the phone reset to its default settings before shipping?
- Does the CRM filter out duplicates or unusual values?
- Is there a retry/fallback mechanism in case of a temporary error?
- Where is the log of successful and unsuccessful shipments stored?
Correction Process
The correction process begins with a test submission and a review of the actual request. Next, the field mappings are checked: name, phone number, email, comment, source, UTM, and language. The phone number is converted to a uniform format before being sent. If the CRM returns an error, the website should not display a “success” message to the user as if everything had been accepted. The problematic request should be stored locally in a secure manner and sent for review.
Normal result
Once the process is complete, a clear sequence emerges: the form received the data, the website logged the event, the CRM system responded with a successful ID or returned an error, and the error was recorded and is available for manual processing.
Conclusion
Integration with CRM shouldn't be a "set it and forget it" process, but rather a trackable workflow. Otherwise, some leads will fall through the cracks between the attractive form and actual sales.