What happens when I change an email?
Changing an email address, whether in Salesforce or Mailchimp, can have a ripple effect across both systems. Understanding the direction of the change, and how your field mappings are set up, makes all the difference in keeping your data consistent.
The Solution
Salesforce to Mailchimp
If an email address is updated in Salesforce on a Contact or Lead, we will attempt to update the corresponding record in Mailchimp, as long as that person is active on one or more audiences. This works with the standard Salesforce email field by default.
If you're using a custom email field, it must be mapped in the field mapping section under Salesforce to Mailchimp direction for the update to carry through.
Important: The Mailchimp API only accepts email updates one record at a time. Bulk email updates are not supported. This limitation applies to email address changes only, other field updates can be processed in bulk.
If an email field is cleared entirely rather than changed, the related Mailchimp member stays linked to the Contact unless you run a full sync with re-matching enabled. Clearing the email does not automatically unsubscribe the member. If you want that to happen, we provide an Invocable Action that can trigger an unsubscribe from a Salesforce Flow when an email is erased, including any additional logic you need, such as duplicate checking. See Invocable Actions for details.
Mailchimp to Salesforce
If an email is changed directly in Mailchimp, the update will be reflected in Salesforce on the next hourly sync. For this to work, field mappings must be configured between the two systems, with the email field mapped. If you're using a custom email field, it must also be mapped toward Mailchimp to ensure changes flow in both directions.
