Salesforce will be sunsetting the Marketing Cloud Connect V2 (MCCv2) on March 31, 2021. If your organization hasn’t upgraded to the V5 Connector by that date, you’ll lose the ability to send emails through Marketing Cloud straight from your Salesforce CRM.
Without the Connector, your users won’t be able to conveniently send out branded emails from the CRM interface. Salesforce isn’t leaving its customers hanging — it’s simply replacing the V2 Connector with the V5 Connector, which is more secure and brings a host of benefits over its V2 counterpart.
If your org is using the V2 Connector, you’ll need to take action before March 31st to download and upgrade to the latest version: Marketing Cloud Connect V5 (MCCv5).
How to Tell If Your Org Uses V2 Connector
Not sure which version of the Marketing Cloud Connector your org is currently using? You can check by clicking on “Setup” in your menu, and then selecting “Installed Packages.”
If you see a package called “Exact Target for AppExchange – 2007,” that is the Marketing Cloud V2 Connector. If you see a packaged titled “Marketing Cloud” instead, that means you’re already on the V5 Connector and you don’t need to worry about the V2 retirement.
If your org still has the V2 Connector, here’s what you need to know to get ready for the upgrade.
Understand the Prerequisites Before Moving to MCCv5
There is no additional charge for the V5 Connector, but there are some prerequisites that your org must meet before downloading it. Salesforce has posted a webinar that walks customers through the requirements for transitioning to the V5 Connector.
The most important prerequisites to be aware of are the level of your Salesforce edition and the use of Subscriber Key.
You Must Have Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited Edition
The first prerequisite to accessing MCCv5 is that you’ll need to have Salesforce Enterprise Edition or Unlimited Edition. If you are currently using Professional Edition, you can upgrade either your Sales Cloud or Service Cloud instance to the Enterprise or Unlimited tier. This will allow you to access the latest V5 of the Marketing Cloud Connector.
You Must Enable Subscriber Key
The V5 Connector requires Subscriber Key to be enabled. If Subscriber Key is not already enabled in your Marketing Cloud instance, you will need to complete a Subscriber Key Migration and then turn on the Subscriber Key option before upgrading to the V5 Connector.
Using Marketing Cloud Without the Connector
If you aren’t able to upgrade to the V5 Connector, your org will lose the ability to send emails through Marketing Cloud from your CRM. Instead, users will have to log into Marketing Cloud directly (with their Marketing Cloud credentials) to perform any email sends. This means that either you’ll need a Marketing Cloud license for each user who wants to send branded emails; or (more likely) your sales and other teams will need to go through your marketing team each time they want to send a nice-looking, branded email within Marketing Cloud.
While it’s certainly possible to work without the Connector, having the latest V5 version will make your workflows more efficient and give your sales team the ability to send their own emails straight from their CRM view, with the branding and aesthetic approved by your marketing team.
Need Help Upgrading to Marketing Cloud V5 Connector?
If you need assistance upgrading to MCCv5, performing a Subscriber Key Migration, or simply understanding what your org will need in order to prepare for the retirement of the V2 Connector, reach out to our team at AllCloud. We know Marketing Cloud inside and out, and we are here to help.