Need help installing your new integration from the market place? Check out this article!
Are you often on the road and need quick access to phone numbers and contact details? By synchronising your Tribe CRM contacts with Microsoft 365, your address book in Outlook is always up to date. Any relevant changes made in Tribe or Outlook are automatically reflected in the other system—no double work required.
Table of Contents
How does the synchronisation work?
What data is synchronised?
How does Outlook handle existing contacts?
How do I activate the link?
Where can I find the relationship manager and owner fields?
How does the synchronisation work?
The synchronisation focuses on people in Tribe CRM (contacts, employees, and individuals). It works both ways, but only when specific conditions are met.
Synchronisation from Tribe to Microsoft 365
A contact is synchronised from Tribe to Outlook when it is created or updated and all of the following apply:
You are the relationship manager or owner
The relationship is not marked as former
Good to know:
Contacts are never deleted automatically from Tribe or Outlook
After the first sync, a hidden connector ID is created to link the Tribe contact to the Outlook contact
Synchronisation from Microsoft 365 to Tribe
Changes made in Outlook are synchronised back to Tribe only if the contact was originally created in Tribe and already has a connector ID.
If you delete a contact in Outlook:
The person remains in Tribe
The connector ID is removed
If you are still owner or relationship manager in Tribe, the contact will reappear in Outlook after the next change
What data is synchronised?
From Tribe to Outlook
Changes in the following fields trigger synchronisation:
Person fields
Initials
First name
Insertions
Surname
Date of birth
Private email address
Private phone number
Private mobile number
Relationship manager
Owner
Contact fields
Email address
Phone number
Mobile number
Function
From Outlook to Tribe
Only the first value is synchronised if Outlook contains multiple entries.
General fields
Initials
First name
Insertions
Surname
Date of birth
Work details
Email address
Function
Work phone
Mobile
Private details (if marked private in Tribe)
Private email address
Private phone number
Private mobile number
Note: Outlook has more contact fields than Tribe. If multiple values exist in Outlook, only the first one is synced to Tribe.
If contact in Tribe | Outlook |
E-mail address | If multiple mail addresses are filled in Outlook, only the first value will be synchronised. |
Function |
|
Work phone | If multiple phone numbers are filled in Outlook, only the first value is synchronised. |
Mobile |
|
If private in Tribe | Outlook |
Private email address | If multiple mail addresses are filled in Outlook, only the first value is synchronised. |
Private mobile |
|
Private phone number | If multiple phone numbers are filled in Outlook, only the first value is synchronised. |
How does Outlook handle existing contacts?
Outlook automatically checks whether an email address already exists in the address book when a new contact is saved. If it does, Outlook may copy existing details to the new contact.
What this means for Tribe:
If two contacts share the same email address, Outlook may merge details. Outlook treats this as a change and synchronises the updated data back to Tribe. This behaviour is standard Outlook functionality and can affect synced contacts.
How do I activate the link?
You activate contact synchronisation per user.
Open the Marketplace in Tribe
Go to Calendar & Contacts
Select Microsoft Office 365
Enable Contacts (and Calendar if required)
Click Grant permissions and log in to Microsoft
Click Save and start initial synchronisation
Once activated, all eligible Tribe contacts will be synchronised to your Outlook address book.
Where can I find the relationship manager and owner fields?
Only contacts where you are relationship manager or owner are synchronised.
Relationship manager
One employee per contact
Visible by default
Owner(s)
Multiple employees possible
Hidden by default
Administrators can manage visibility:
Go to Configuration > Relationships
Click the cog icon under person types
Open the Fields tab
Enable or disable visibility using the slider
Quick summary
Synchronising contacts with Microsoft 365 ensures you always have the latest contact details in Outlook and Tribe. The link works both ways, respects ownership rules, and never deletes data automatically—giving you convenience without losing control.