by Zoe Fisher 
Prior to the Spring’23 Release, admins would have the option to set whether Salesforce or Account Engagement (Pardot) is the source of truth (the winner) for prospect opt out status. However, based on valued feedback from the community, the third sync option for the Opt Out field ‘Use the most recently updated field value’ will be made available again on 13 June 2023. This means you no longer need to select one system to be the master and ‘win’ if there is a data discrepancy but the system with the most recently updated value will take ownership. It is essential to make sure field history tracking is enabled on the Opted Out field for Lead and Contact records if you choose this option. Read on to learn more about the considerations before choosing which option is best for you.
In 2019, Account Engagement released a setting called Overwrite Prospect Opt Out. This meant that Salesforce could overwrite the opt out status of an Account Engagement prospect. For example, let’s say a Prospect (Lead) was in regular contact with a salesperson. If this Prospect communicates to the salesperson that they don’t want to receive emails anymore, this setting allows a Salesforce user to opt the Lead out. This would then update the opt out status of the prospect in Account Engagement.
Watch out! The new deadline for the Opted Out sync behaviour selection is now 18 October 2023.
Use Account Engagement’s value
Selecting this sync behaviour will mean that Account Engagement will own this field and always overwrite any changes from Salesforce.
If a prospect opts out via the email preference or unsubscribe pages, Account Engagement will populate the opt out field with a value of ‘true’.
If your Sales team regularly updates your data’s opt-out status, consider setting up a one-to-one email template containing a nice big unsubscribe button. This way, Sales users can let the customer know that they need to opt themselves out.
Zoe Fisher
Principal Marketing Automation Consultant
Looking for help with Account Engagement?
Use Salesforce’s value
If you decide to choose this sync behaviour, Salesforce will own this field and always overwrite any changes that come from Account Engagement.
You may be thinking “But what if a Prospect unsubscribes via an Account Engagement email link?”. This is a great question, as it is really important to be aware that Salesforce will overwrite a new value sent from Account Engagement.
Use the most recently updated field value
The latest field value between the prospect Opted Out field in Account Engagement and the Lead and Contact Opted Out field in Salesforce is synced over to the other record. If the value differs between the two systems, then the most recently updated value in one of the systems will overwrite the older value in the other system.
This option is favoured if you have more custom business processes such as having multiple email platforms or other systems recording a prospect’s Opt Out value. By selecting this option, regardless if data is entering Account Engagement or Salesforce, the Opted Out field will always be populated with the most recent value based on the prospect’s action.
Action Required
As noted, you have until October 2023 to decide on and update the sync behaviour for the opt-out field with the ‘recently updated value’ available from June 2023.
If you’d like a Marketing Automation expert to review your setup and requirements and support you with this upcoming change, let us know.