• by Ray Schultz , September 21, 2021

Marketing automation platform Act-On has formed a two-way integration with Zendesk Sell that will, among other things, help Zendesk’s B2B clients automate their emails and turn behavioral insights into sales leads. 

In addition, the arrangement will “help bring marketing and salespeople together in a seamless way by providing both teams critical access to the data and activities that inform engagement and accelerate opportunities,” says Antek Piechnik, director of product for Zendesk.

Piechnik adds, “We're excited about Act-On's robust marketing automation capabilities and the bi-directional lead and contact sync, which provides users with flexibility and up-to-date data in both Act-On and Zendesk Sell.”

The integration will also provide sales with “more visibility into marketing's email campaigns including the ability to view email engagement in Zendesk Sell directly, track and score activities, and more,” Piechnik says.

Moreover, the partnership will enable Zendesk clients to move beyond the rudimentary level and automate their email marketing,” says David Greenberg, CMO of Act-On Software. “They can set up their own campaigns and sequence them,” he says.

In addition to fueling email marketing campaigns, Act-On tools can help salespeople utilize email, Greenberg continues.  The Act-On tool provides “out-of-the-box templates,” and the ability to drag and drop content blocks, depending on the level of marketing support,” Greenberg adds.

Act-On can help B2B firms facing challenges in understanding customers, Greenberg notes, by tracking all their digital behavior and "how long they’re on the page, how often they come back, what emails they’re clicking on -- it’s a simple, easy-to-see gauge.”

Greenberg says Zendesk Sell has built a “world-class support tool, and part of its growth strategy was Zendesk CRM. The next natural step has been around marketing.”

The integration combined with Zendesk’s customer engagement tools will strengthen users' ability to generate leads and drive conversions to provide an "enhanced customer experience,” states Kate Johnson, CEO of Act-On Software.

The news follows Act-On’s raising of $20 million in growth financing in March. 

Act-On focuses mostly on B2B except for considered consumer purchases like insurance and wealth management. The company has in the range of 170-80 employees.