Meet Jack.
Jack manages operations for a busy contact center that is powered by Five9 and Salesforce. Each morning, his team relies on outbound calling lists that are pulled from Salesforce and synced to Five9.
This morning, Jack notices something odd.
The Salesforce dashboard shows 200 new leads came in overnight… yet, Five9 only shows 172 new leads. He is also hearing from the floor that some agents are calling leads that were already marked as “no sale”. He rubs his eyes and wonders why Five9 and his support team can’t seem to get this right.
Jack’s story isn’t unique. It’s what happens when Five9’s List Sync Plus (LSP) stops playing nicely with Salesforce.
This guide walks you through what causes sync drift, what to check, and how to fix it – so you can keep your campaigns running clean and compliant.
What is List Sync Plus (LSP) Actually Does (…and Why It Matters)
List Sync Plus (LSP) is the connector component that synchronizes data between Salesforce objects (Leads, Contacts, Campaign Members) and Five9 lists. It ensures that when new leads are created, status fields change, or records are removed in Salesforce, those updates flow instantly to Five9’s dialer lists.
LSP allows the dialer in Five9 to pull updated records from Salesforce automatically. But – it can also sync data bi-directionally.
It’s important to understand that LSP does not connect Five9 to other CRMs or databases (like HubSpot, Microsoft, Zoho, etc.). Those have their own Five9 adapters or rely on Five9’s REST APIs for custom integration. Additionally, you can’t purchase LSP standalone; it is part of the broader Five9 for Salesforce integration suite.
When LSP works correctly, agents see exactly who they should call without any duplicates, dead leads, or compliance risks. But when the sync slips, bad data spreads fast, leading to outdated lists, double dials, and missed opportunities.
The Common List Sync Plus Problems Jack (…and Many Others) Run Into
- Leads that get added into Salesforce never make it to Five9
- Contacts that should’ve been suppressed still get dialed
- Sync jobs slow down or stall with no clear alert
- Duplicate or outdated records clog lists and reports
Each of these issues costs time and trust for everyone across the board: your agents, your customers, and your campaign data.
So Why Do These Issues Happen? Root Causes of List Sync Failures
Under the hood, LSP relies on Salesforce jobs, field mappings, and API connections that must all stay in sync. When one of those links “break”, you get data drift.
Here are the usual suspects:
- Stalled background sync jobs: If a scheduled sync fails mid-process, all the records will continue to stay outdated.
- Field mapping or permission changes: A renamed Salesforce field or updated security rule can make the mapping not work the way it’s supposed to.
- Complex list setups: Multiple lists tied to one object, or having overly large datasets have a tendency to slow everything down.
- Backlogs and API limits: High-volume data pushes can queue up, causing delays that could last hours upon hours.
How Jack (…and You) Can Get Your List Sync Plus Back on Track. Step-by-Step List Sync Plus Fixes.
The good news is you don’t have to rebuild the integration. But, you do need to know where to look.
Step 1. Start with the basics
Check out the recent sync activity or logs to confirm whether the last jobs that were run, actually ran successfully. If you spot failed or incomplete runs, that’s your first clue that something’s up.
Step 2. Revisit your field mappings
Make sure the Salesforce fields you’re syncing from still exist and have the right permissions. Schema changes are easy to miss, so best keep that top-of-mind.
Step 3. Simplify your lists
Stick to one list per object when possible, and filter out unqualified or inactive records. And remember: try to keep your lists as lean as possible. They perform better.
Step 4. Watch for lag
If new Salesforce leads are taking too long to appear in your instance of Five9, then there may be a backlog or API throughput issue; both of which, are easy to solve.
Step 5. Add monitoring
Set up alerts for sync failures or high latency so you can catch problems before any of your campaigns even go live.
Step 6. Test small batches
Add a handful of new leads in Salesforce first, and confirm they appear in Five9 quickly. If they do, and you see this consistently, there’s a good chance your fixes have worked.
When to Bring in a Certified Five9 Partner
Jack and his IT team couldn’t quite figure out the root cause of his LSP issues and he had a few options to think about:
- Hire Five9 Professional Services to help trouble shoot and fix the issues.
- Hire a Five9 Partner with deep experience in both Five9 and Salesforce to help fix the issues and set them up for long-term success.
After deliberation, Jack went with option 2 – and this story has a happy ending.
Final Thoughts – List Sync Plus
List Sync Plus is a powerful bridge between Salesforce and Five9 but like any technology, it needs upkeep. Keep an eye on your goals and on the warning signs, and most importantly – do not hesitate to contact a certified Five9 Partner to help.
We invite you explore our Five9 implementation and support services, and contact us if you have any questions.