Understanding the Challenge

The challenge lies in the fact that Salesforce CRM is connected to the Parent Business Unit in Marketing Cloud, but the unsubscribe setting is set to ‘Subscribers will be unsubscribed from this business unit only’. This means that an opt-out in CRM should be reflected in a child Business Unit and not on the parent level.

The root cause of this issue is the lack of a direct connection between Salesforce CRM and child Business Units in Marketing Cloud, making it difficult to sync email opt outs.

Possible Solutions

A community member asked about the best approach to bring unsubscribes from CRM directly to the child BU subscriber status. One possible solution involves using automation in the parent Business Unit to share the unsubscribe data to a shared Data Extension (DE) and then another automation in the child Business Unit to import or update the All Subscribers status.

Automation Script

/* Example automation script to share unsubscribe data */
var de = DataExtension.Init('SharedUnsubscribes');
var query = 'SELECT EmailAddress FROM Lead WHERE EmailOptOut = True';
var results = queryExecute(query, false);
results.forEach(function(result) {
  de.upsert('EmailAddress', result.EmailAddress);
});

Another approach is to use the shared DE to import updates on All Subscribers directly in the child Business Units.

Implementation Steps

Checklist for Implementing the Solution

• Create a shared Data Extension to store unsubscribe data
• Set up automation in the parent Business Unit to share unsubscribe data to the shared DE
• Set up automation in the child Business Unit to import or update the All Subscribers status
• Test the solution to ensure email opt outs are being reflected in the child Business Unit
• Monitor the solution for any issues or errors
• Document the solution for future reference

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to handle unsubscribes in a multi-BU setup?

The best way to handle unsubscribes in a multi-BU setup is to use automation to share unsubscribe data between Business Units.

Can I use a single Data Extension to store unsubscribe data for all Business Units?

Yes, you can use a single Data Extension to store unsubscribe data for all Business Units, but you will need to set up automation to share the data between Business Units.

How do I test the solution to ensure email opt outs are being reflected in the child Business Unit?

You can test the solution by setting a Lead or Contact to ‘Email Opt Out = True’ in Salesforce CRM and then checking the Subscriber Status in the child Business Unit.

What are some common issues that may arise when implementing this solution?

Some common issues that may arise when implementing this solution include data synchronization issues, automation errors, and permission issues.

How do I troubleshoot issues with the solution?

You can troubleshoot issues with the solution by checking the automation logs, data extension data, and subscriber status in the child Business Unit.