We have set up our Sales Cloud – Marketing Cloud integration where Contact ID is used as the subscriber key. What we've noticed is when we have contact ID as the subscriber relationship on our sendable data extension, Marketing Cloud will reference contact ID on All Subscribers list and if data matches, it will send to the email address listed on All Subscribers and not to the one on the data extension. This has caused us headaches for a number of reasons:
- Email addresses always change so the one on All Subscribers is out-of-date.
- Whilst preference center can update a recipients address and write this back to All Subscribers that not how most addresses are updated by the user
- Email address is typically updated in Sales Cloud instance and migrated to Marketing Cloud either through imports or via synchronized data extensions. It does not map directly to All Subscribers.
- Marketing Cloud users assume (and quite rightly) the address listed on the data extension is what will be used in the send. Not the one on All subscribers.
Anyone else experienced this? Any solution to resolve this issue?
Best Answer
Yes this is frustrating but "expected behavior".
It's not unique to importing Salesforce records either. If you have a Sendable Data Extension and complete a Guided Send Email, then repeat this again at a later date with updated email addresses in the in the Sendable DE, the emails will be sent to the previous Subscriber. The email address in the Sendable DE is only used when the Subscriber Record is initially created.
Salesforce assume all subscribers are using the built-in profile centre to update their email address. But this is often not the case.
The solution isn't great, but its really the only way around this. You will need to create a Scheduled Automation in Automation Studio that runs at a regular interval (e.g. daily) and performs the following tasks: