WORK[etc] Web App Blog

After successful beta-testing, we’re pleased to announce our latest integration: automated two-way sync of your contacts between WORK[etc] and Google Contacts.

What is Google Contacts Sync for WORK[etc]?

The Google Contacts Sync feature keeps person-type contacts synchronized between your Google Apps Mail account and WORK[etc].  In other words, contacts created or updated in your Google Apps Mail account will also update in WORK[etc] and vice versa.  In addition, Google Contacts Sync synchronizes data across users in your organization so that any newly added contacts or updates are shared, ensuring that everyone has access to the most up-to-date contact information. Google Contacts Sync uses the tagging feature from WORK[etc] and Google Contact groups to let you specify exactly which contacts you wish to synchronize.

What will it do for me?

Let’s imagine one of your customers gets a new email address and provides it to a member of your support team.  If the support team member updates the contact inside WORK[etc], the new email address will be pushed directly to your Google Apps Contacts.  Without the automated sync, you may go unaware of the change and send a message to an invalid email address.  Time would inevitably be wasted contacting people for the correct email address.

Another powerful use for Contact Sync is creating People contacts in WORK[etc] directly from your Google Apps CRM.  Let's say you receive an email from a potential supplier.  If you add the supplier to a Google Contact Group for Suppliers, Contacts Sync will create the supplier in WORK[etc].  No need to create the contact twice.

For a final example of what Google Contact Sync can do for you: Say you get a great lead at a conference.  If you're typing the lead's contact details into your phone using the WORK[etc] mobile app, with Sync set up, you can rest assured that the contact will show up in your Google Apps Mail account so you can send a quick follow-up email later without having to fat finger in the email address a second time.

For safety reasons, we designed the Google Contact Sync so that it can’t delete contacts, giving you piece of mind that your contacts will remain safe.  Inconsistent records (mismatches, deleted contacts, etc) show up in the Contacts Conflict Resolution tool so these conflicts can be easily managed.

This sounds great, how do I set up Google Contacts Sync?

To set up Google Contacts Sync inside WORK[etc], you’ll need to have a Google Apps Account enabled in WORK[etc].  Once this is completed, you can access the Google Contacts Groups Auto Sync Settings from the Settings, Apps and Integrations menu.

You can set up automatic sync in three simple steps:

1 - Basic Settings

Choose what do to in the event of a conflict, for example, two contacts with the same name but different telephone number. You can choose to manually approve all changes or to accept the latest change (recommended).  Next select if you want to only sync updated (recommended) or all contacts each sync.

2 - WORK[etc] to Google Sync

Set up the WORK[etc] to Google sync options.  You need to select which contact groups you wish to sync from WORK[etc] using selected tags.  You can also specify which group(s) to place the contacts in.  For example, you may have multiple WORK[etc] tags for contacts you want to sync, but you only want these contacts to be saved inside a ‘Work Contacts’ Google Group for simplicity sake.

3 - Google to WORK[etc] Sync

Set up the Google to WORK[etc] sync options. Similar to WORK[etc] to Google, you select the Google Contact Groups you wish to sync and the WORK[etc] tags (if any) you wish to apply to synchronized contacts.

For more detailed information on setup, check out the Google Apps Contact Sync User Guide or watch the short video below.

We’re listening!

We’re excited to release Google Contact Sync from beta.  This is a feature eagerly anticipated by the WORK[etc] community and we’re glad to be able to provide this integration.  We’d like to thank all of our beta testers for their feedback and encourage you to continue engaging with us and other customers on our forums.  Now that this feature is done, we’re looking forward to working on other enhancements to our small business software that directly benefit your growing business.

Have you been waiting for Google Contacts Sync?  Excited that you now have two way contact sync for your organization?  Be sure to Like, Tweet, or +1 this article to share this great new addition to WORK[etc].