Connecting your CRM tells Kenso which companies are customers, which deals are open and who owns each account, so it does not cold-email the wrong people. Once you turn sync on, Kenso also writes its email and LinkedIn activity back to your CRM. Setup takes five steps, and nothing is written to your CRM until the last one.
Before you start
- You need to be a workspace admin. Only workspace admins can change sync settings. Everyone else can read the page.
- Your workspace needs a paid plan. CRM sync works on Starter, Growth, DFY, Core, Premium and Platform. The Free plan reads nothing and writes nothing.
- Check that your CRM is in the catalog. Only the CRMs Kenso can connect show up under CRM in All integrations: Close and Twenty in every workspace, and Attio, HighLevel and Pipedrive if your workspace has them.
- One CRM per workspace. If another CRM is connected, disconnect it before you connect a new one.
- Know how your CRM connects. Close and Twenty connect with an API key: create it as a CRM user who can read and write companies, contacts, deals and activity. Attio, HighLevel and Pipedrive connect when you sign in to them and approve Kenso's access, so sign in as a user with those rights. Kenso also creates its own Kenso fields, which it does only when you turn sync on.
What flows where
Kenso reads your CRM's companies, contacts, open deals and owners, every hour and within minutes of a change. From Close it also reads activity and opt-outs, and from Attio and Pipedrive it also reads activity and lists. Kenso's page for each CRM uses that CRM's own names:
| CRM | Companies | Contacts | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Leads | Contacts | Opportunities |
| Twenty | Companies | People | Opportunities |
| Attio | Companies | People | Deals |
| HighLevel | Companies | Contacts | Opportunities |
| Pipedrive | Organizations | People | Deals |
Kenso writes, once you turn sync on:
- Its email and LinkedIn activity on the contact, the company and the open deal
- Kenso status and stage fields
- Opt-outs
- Deals in the pipeline you map
- A follow-up task for each reply marked Interested
Kenso never deletes a record in your CRM, moves a deal backward, or converts an amount into another currency.
Kenso moves a deal forward through three stages only: Interested, Meeting booked and Meeting held. After your CRM moves the deal further, your CRM owns the stage.
Find your CRM
- Press G then , to open Settings, then click All integrations under Integrations.
- Click CRM, or type the name of your CRM in Search integrations.
- Click your CRM's card to open its page.
If there is no CRM pill, your CRM is not in it, or its card says Coming soon, Kenso cannot connect it in your workspace yet. Write to [email protected] and we will tell you when it can.
Set up two-way sync
The CRM's page shows Set up two-way sync with five numbered steps. Each step opens in place, and you can start the next one when you finish it. Kenso only reads during the first four steps.
- Connect your CRM. Click the button with your CRM's name, such as Connect Close. For Close or Twenty, paste your API key and click Connect: in Close, create the key under Settings, Developer, API keys; in Twenty, create it under Settings, APIs & Webhooks. For a self-hosted Twenty, also enter its Base URL; leave it empty for Twenty Cloud. Kenso checks the key with your CRM before it saves it. For Attio, HighLevel or Pipedrive, Kenso opens your CRM's sign-in: sign in, approve Kenso's access, and you come back to this page. Either way you then see Connected Close. Kenso is importing your records. with your CRM's name. Kenso writes nothing during the import.
- Review what Kenso found. Kenso shows how many companies and contacts matched, how many contacts and companies it would create, and the field updates it would write, with examples. Click Looks right, continue.
- Choose when Kenso creates records. Under When Kenso creates records, pick Never, On first send, On first reply or When a lead is Interested. Records that already exist in your CRM always get Kenso's activity and status, whatever you pick. Under Email logging, pick Subject and body or Subject only. Click Continue.
- Map your pipeline. Pick the pipeline Kenso writes deals to, and match your stages to Kenso's stages. Only deals in this pipeline sync. Open deals in other pipelines still keep Kenso from emailing those accounts. A deal in another currency syncs with no amount in Kenso, and Kenso never writes an amount to it. Click Continue.
- Turn on sync. Turn on one switch per object: companies, contacts, deals, activity and opt-outs, plus lists for Attio and Pipedrive. The switches unlock when the first import finishes. Each object reads and writes on its own. Use Review field mapping to check which Kenso field goes to which CRM field, and Other settings for the rules below.
Once an object syncs, the page shows Sync health, the Sync switches, and Fields, deals and settings, where Field mapping, Deals and Settings each open on the side. To pull fresh data at any time, click Import now.
What to set up first
Start with "When a lead is Interested" or "On first reply". These keep your CRM to people who engaged. "On first send" creates a contact for every person Kenso emails, which can flood a CRM your sales team uses every day.
Map only the stages Kenso moves. Kenso moves deals through Interested, Meeting booked and Meeting held. Map those three and leave the rest to your team. If no stage in your CRM matches one of them, Kenso skips that step.
Check the field updates before you turn sync on. Step 2 shows examples of the values Kenso would change. If a field looks wrong, fix it in Review field mapping first.
Turn on activity before deals. Activity is the least risky write and gives your reps the most context. Add deals once you trust the pipeline mapping.
Under Other settings, check these before you start sending:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Skip contacts with an open deal | An open deal in any pipeline keeps Kenso from emailing that account |
| Add customers to the blocklist | Companies marked customer in your CRM never get cold outreach |
| Pause outreach when a rep worked the contact | Days since the last rep activity. 0 turns it off |
| Import new accounts every day | Companies and contacts that appear in your CRM show up in Kenso the next morning |
Keep the first two on. They protect deals your team is already working and customers who should never get a cold email. To see what your CRM adds to the blocklist, see Keep companies and people off your lists.
Other apps in the catalog
All integrations groups the rest of your tools, such as email and calendar, data enrichment, intent and signals, meetings, messaging, automation and AI agents. Cards under Coming soon at the end are not available in your workspace yet. For calendars, see Connect your calendar and share booking links. For AI tools, see Use Kenso from Claude or ChatGPT.
If something goes wrong
My CRM is not under CRM, its card says Coming soon, or there is no CRM pill. Kenso cannot connect that CRM in your workspace yet. Write to [email protected] to ask for it.
The page says "Sync is not available for this workspace yet." CRM sync is not on for your workspace. Write to [email protected] to ask for it.
The page says "CRM sync is on paid plans". Your workspace is on the Free plan. Upgrade to connect. If you downgrade later, sync pauses and every record stays.
Kenso did not accept the API key. For Close or Twenty, check that you copied the whole key from your CRM, and paste it again. For a self-hosted Twenty, check the Base URL too.
The sign-in did not finish. For Attio, HighLevel or Pipedrive, a message such as "The connection link expired" means the sign-in was not completed. Click Connect again, sign in to your CRM and approve Kenso's access.
The switches are locked. You can use them once the first import finishes. If the page says Pick a pipeline first, finish step 4.
Kenso says another CRM is connected. Only one CRM can be connected per workspace. Disconnect the other one first.
Kenso says it is connected to a different account. Disconnect first, then connect the CRM account you want.
A banner says your CRM disconnected Kenso. Sync stops until you reconnect, and nothing in Kenso or your CRM is lost. Click the button with your CRM's name, such as Reconnect Close. For Close or Twenty, paste a new API key. For Attio, HighLevel or Pipedrive, sign in again.
I can't change anything on the page. Only workspace admins can change sync settings. Ask an admin.
Next: Connect your calendar and share booking links, Keep companies and people off your lists or Hand off an account.