How do I use the Create Record node in Orchestrator?

In this article, we will learn more about the Create Record node in Orchestrator and how to set it up, ensuring your Flows create the CRM records your team needs, automatically and every time.

Table of Contents

• What Is the Create Record Node?
• Why It Matters
• How to Set It Up
• Setting Values
• Create vs. Update
• Good to Know

What Is the Create Record Node?

The Create Record node creates a new record in your CRM directly from the Flow. In the product it is labeled Create Record, and the CRM is implied by the object picked. It works for Salesforce and HubSpot.

For example, a meeting gets booked on a specific Concierge Flow; the Create Record node then creates an Opportunity in Salesforce or a Deal in HubSpot.

Why It Matters?

This is the no-code version of the thing reps forget to do. The signal happens, and the record gets written, every time.

How to Set It Up

• Object: pick what is being created.
  • In Salesforce: any object can be created, even custom objects, writing to custom fields;
  • In HubSpot: a predefined list of objects is available to create a record: Contact, Company, Deal, and Ticket.
• Fields and values: map each field to a value. Each value is either typed in as static text or pulled from a previous node, such as the guest email, the meeting time, or the account name.

Required fields must be filled before the Flow can run, so the node flags any row that is still incomplete.

Setting Values

For now, a field value is either fully static or fully variable; the two cannot be mixed. A text field like "Re-engaged on {{Meeting Date}}" will not work — it is either the whole variable or plain text.

Writing to a User Field in CRM: Owner fields expect the CRM's own ID. The Host, Booker, and Assignee objects each carry a CRM ID that can be mapped straight into the owner field, so the Salesforce ID is passed, not the Chili Piper one. 

Or else, you can use the result of CRM Owner from Matching Node:

Dates are finicky: Date fields, such as an Opportunity Close Date, can fail on a format mismatch. Double-check the format when mapping them.

Dates do not support formulas yet: some fields, such as Close Date on an Opportunity, require a formula for a date (for example, 90 days after the meeting is booked). This is not supported yet; only fixed dates are allowed, which can still be useful for companies that use end-of-quarter dates.

Create vs. Update

Create makes a brand-new record. 

Update changes one that already exists. If the record might already be there, use Update Record, or check for it first with a Condition (for example, does this record exist?), to avoid creating duplicates.

Good to Know

• Create Record is editable on tenants connected to that CRM; on a Salesforce tenant, the Salesforce version is configured, and on HubSpot, the HubSpot one. On other tenants, it shows as read-only;
• When a Create Record node fails, the previous node can show as failed instead; read the Logs carefully to find the real failure.