Linking contacts with external CRM records

When users register or sign in using your customer-facing application, it’s vital to sync or link those identity records with your existing CRM to track customer interactions, manage relationships, and maintain unified data across systems. This process is often used in customer identity access management (CIAM) solutions like Azure AD B2C in tandem with CRM platforms.

This guide will walk you through how to:

• Capture user details during registration or sign-in,
• Validate and link them with a CRM contact record,
• Create or update the CRM record dynamically if needed.

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Why Link Identity with CRM?

• Personalized communication: Access up-to-date data about your customers.
• Streamlined support: Service agents see unified profiles and history.
• Accurate analytics: Track user behavior and engagement across platforms.
• Marketing automation: Trigger campaigns based on user behavior or lifecycle.
• Secure and compliant: Manage consent and preferences centrally.

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Step 1: Define the Data Mapping Strategy

Before linking, map the key identity fields from your sign-in system (e.g., Azure AD B2C) to your CRM system. Common mappings include:

Identity System	CRM System
Email	Contact Email
Given Name	First Name
Surname	Last Name
Object ID	External User ID
Country/Region	Location
Phone Number	Phone

Make sure the CRM has a unique identifier (like email or user ID) to match incoming users.

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Step 2: Collect Extended Attributes in the Identity System

If using Azure AD B2C:

• Customize the user flows or custom policies to collect additional fields (phone, location, company, etc.)
• Use custom attributes to temporarily store data like CRM Contact ID or consent status.

Example:

1. Go to Azure AD B2C > User Flows
2. Create or edit a Sign-up or Sign-in flow
3. Enable collection of custom claims (e.g., email, givenName, company)
4. Output those claims to be used by your integration logic

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Step 3: Create Middleware or API Gateway for Integration

Use an API endpoint or Azure Function that will act as a bridge between the identity system and your CRM.

Function Responsibilities:

• Receive identity claim data post-login
• Query the CRM (e.g., Salesforce or Dynamics) using email/userID
• If found:
  • Link the Azure AD B2C user to the CRM Contact ID
• If not found:
  • Create a new contact in CRM
  • Store the CRM ID in Azure AD B2C custom attributes

Sample Azure Function Flow (Pseudo-code):

[FunctionName("LinkToCRM")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Run(
    [HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Function, "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req)
{
    var userInfo = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<UserProfile>(await req.ReadAsStringAsync());

    var crmContact = await crmService.FindContactByEmail(userInfo.Email);

    if (crmContact == null)
    {
        crmContact = await crmService.CreateContact(userInfo);
    }

    await azureAdService.UpdateUserWithCrmId(userInfo.ObjectId, crmContact.Id);

    return new OkObjectResult("Contact Linked Successfully");
}

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Step 4: Integrate Middleware in the User Flow

Use RESTful technical profiles in Azure AD B2C (for custom policies) to call your API during the login/registration flow.

Steps:

1. Go to your B2C custom policy XML
2. Define a ClaimsExchange to call your REST API
3. Pass required claims like email, object ID
4. Capture CRM Contact ID as an output claim

This will automatically link and store the CRM record in the user’s profile during the onboarding/sign-in journey.

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Step 5: Sync and Monitor CRM Linkage

Once the contact is linked:

• Periodically update CRM with new user behavior (logins, activity)
• Sync subscription preferences, consents, or updates back to B2C
• Optionally, allow users to manage CRM-linked data via self-service portals

Use Power Automate or Azure Logic Apps for:

• CRM to B2C sync
• Trigger email campaigns on new registrations
• Send notification to internal teams

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Step 6: Use CRM Data in Application Workflows

Once the contact is linked, you can personalize your application based on CRM data like:

• Purchase history
• Support ticket status
• Lead score
• Marketing segmentation

This allows advanced role-based content delivery, custom dashboards, or triggered workflows in your app ecosystem.

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Best Practices

• Use OAuth-secured APIs to integrate B2C with CRM securely.
• Store only essential CRM identifiers in Azure AD to prevent data redundancy.
• Avoid overloading B2C flows with too many external calls – optimize API latency.
• Audit and monitor sync status to identify broken links or API failures.
• Use Azure AD B2C’s Identity Protection for security of linked data.

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Common Use Cases

• SaaS platform linking customer identities with CRM for support tracking
• Retail portals associating loyalty profiles with CRM contact records
• B2B applications aligning partner logins with CRM account hierarchies
• Educational platforms linking student login with CRM enrollment records