Set Up an API Nation Lead/Contact Sync with Command

Keller Williams has partnered with API Nation to provide a solution for syncing contacts between Command and other 3rd party systems like Google/iCloud Contacts, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, and more. The process begins with a user purchasing an API Nation sync subscription from the KW Marketplace. Once that is done the user can start creating custom syncs for that specific system and begin bringing over to contacts into Command and vice versa.

To set up an API Nation lead/contact sync with Command:

Access

1. Log in to https://agent.kw.com with your KW login credentials.

2. Click the Marketplace icon, , at the top of the page.

3. At the top right of the page, click My Apps.

4. You will see a list of your active Marketplace subscriptions, click the API Nation subscription you want to set up a sync for.

5. Choose the account you want to sync with Command. 

• If this is your first sync for this application with Command, you will then be prompted to enter your login credentials for that application. In some cases (like with Realtor.com, Real Geeks, etc.), there is a special workflow to connect the account with API Nation. In these cases, you will see links to instructions on how to connect.
• If you have already set up a sync for this application with Command, you have the option of using the account you previously connected (the login credentials are saved in the system), or you can choose to sync with a totally different account (you will then be prompted to enter the login credentials or follow the connection process).

Review Initial Settings

Before you start syncing, there are some initial options to be aware of. The settings will generally determine what you want to sync. You will be able to pivot on any of these settings, in the next section, before you actually start syncing contacts.

1. First, you will see a section for the KW Command account you are going to sync with the application. These settings have to do with the initial sync when pushing contacts from Command to the application in question. 

Sync All Contacts on First Run

• If you check this box -  all of your Command contacts will sync to the application in question. Once the initial sync is complete, API Nation will then look for new or updated contacts to sync going forward.
• If you leave this box unchecked - API Nation will only look for new or updated contacts going forward. It will not sync your entire Command database with the application in question.

Do not overwrite information in KW Command fields. Only add information into blank fields.

• If you check this box - if a contact already exists in both systems, but has different information in matching fields, API Nation will not replace any existing information in Command. API Nation will only look for blank fields, in Command, to populate with contact information.
• If you leave this box unchecked - if a contact already exists in both systems, but has different information in matching fields, the information in the third party application will replace the information in Command.

2. Next, you will see the third party account you are going to sync with Command. The following settings have to do with the initial sync when pushing contacts from that application to Command:

Sync All Contacts on First Run

• If you check this box -  all of the contacts, in the third party application, will sync to Command. Once the initial sync is complete, API Nation will then look for new or updated contacts to sync going forward.
• If you leave this box unchecked - API Nation will only look for new or updated contacts going forward. It will not sync your entire third party database with Command.

Do not overwrite information in [third party application] fields. Only add information into blank fields.

• If you check this box - if a contact already exists in both systems, but has different information in matching fields, API Nation will not replace any existing information in the third party application. API Nation will only look for blank fields, in the third party application, to populate with Command data.
• If you leave this box unchecked - if a contact already exists in both systems, but has different information in matching fields, the information in Command will replace the information in the third party application.

3. Next you will see options which determine which direction(s) you want contacts to sync. Check the box for the syncs you want to create:

• If you check both boxes - the system will create two separate syncs in API Nation, one in each direction.
• If you only check one box - the system will only create one sync, in the direction you indicate.

4. At the bottom of the page, check the box labeled "I am not using any other contact syncs (Piesync,  etc.)." Click Continue.

• We strongly recommend turning off any other integrations you have between these two applications to avoid duplicates and other unpredictable scenarios with integrations outside of API Nation.

Set Up and Initiate Syncs

Now we need to set up each sync that was created in the previous section. Ensure that you verify the settings and field mapping before activating the sync:

1. By default, you will land on the My Syncs page, in API Nation. Click Setup on the sync you want to configure.

2. In the sync header, Ignore the Activate Sync button, at the top of the page, for the time being. Click the title of the sync to make any edits. Keep in mind, you might create several syncs for the same app, so be purposeful with the sync title.

3. In this first section, you will see the initial settings (specific to the sync you are looking at) that we detailed in the previous section above. Here, you are able to make any changes you need, before actually starting the sync.

Filters

1. In the filters section, you can set rules around which contacts you want to sync or not sync. Select a field (these will vary depending on the app you are syncing), then select a qualifying statement, and select a value (if the qualifying statement needs a value). In the GIF below, we give two possible examples of this, though there are many strategies you can use with these filters:

• Primary Phone (field), is not empty (qualifying statement) - if a contact does not have a primary phone number, it will not sync.
• Tags (field), equals (qualifying statement), Austin Buyers (value) - only sync contacts that have the Austin Buyers tag applied.

2. Click Advanced Mode to add additional filters. Once clicked, you will see two options for adding additional filters:

Add Rule - this creates an "or" rule. Each filter creates a limit on what will actually sync. Adding an "or" rule opens up the criteria a little and creates a situation where more contacts will sync. In the screenshot below, the original filter limited the contacts to be synced to those that have a primary phone number. This additional "or" rule says the contact must have a primary phone number or a primary email address, in order to sync.

Add Filter - this creates an "and" filter. Adding an "and" filter tightens the criteria and creates a situation where contacts have to meet more than one criteria, in order to sync. In the screenshot below, the original filter limited the contacts to be synced to those that have a primary phone number. This additional "and" filter says the contact must have a primary phone number and a primary email address, in order to sync.

Combining Rules and Filters - if you are going to use both rules (or) and filters (and) in the same contact sync, it is very important to be purposeful about where you add rules.

• In the GIF below, if I add the rule before the filter it will read as: The contact must have (a primary phone OR address line 1) AND a primary email address, in order to sync.
• In the GIF below, if I add the rule after the filter it will read as: The contact must have a primary phone number AND (a primary email address OR address line 1), in order to sync.

3. Click Save when finished.

Mapping

In the mapping section, you will see the fields you have the ability to map to. Each has an editable box below it, where you will add the corresponding field, from the other system, that you want to map to it. For many of these fields, you will see the corresponding field already added and mapped.

• The example we use below shows the Google Contacts to Command sync, where you will see the Command fields listed, with the Google Contacts equivalent in the editable box below. 

 
1. For empty fields that you want to map, click the plus sign, at the right of the editable box, and choose the corresponding field from the system you want to pull contacts from.

2. You can also add multiple mapping fields in this way. Most fields will only accept one mapping field, but you can add multiple mapping fields, and set a priority order, to ensure there are no gaps. Add multiple mapping fields, then click the Fields Options icon, , to the right of the editable box, and choose Field Priority from the little drop-down that appears.. A new section will appear where you can drag and drop the mapping fields you have added, in the priority order you want the data to sync. In a field that only accepts one mapping field, if the first mapping field is empty, it will use the next on the list to populate the receiving field.

• In the example below, we add a secondary "home email" and "work email" mapping fields, and then set the priority order. If a contact in Google doesn't have a primary email address, the contact's "home email" and then "work email" will populate in Command instead.

3. Phone numbers have formatting options. Click the Fields Options icon, , to the right of the editable box, and choose Phone Format from the little drop-down that appears. You can then choose the format for how the phone numbers will sync over.

4. These fields give the ability to manually type a value that you want to apply to every contact that syncs. The best example for this is the Tags field, when mapping to Command, which in many cases doesn't have a corresponding field to map to and where you might want to sync multiple tags. You can add multiple tags, separated by commas, and each will sync over to Command as separate tags.

Activate Sync

Once you are ready to start syncing contacts, scroll to the top of the page and click the Activate Sync button.