Salesforce integration requires an integration user, managed package, and suitable permissions.
Existing Salesforce validation rules, triggers, and API limits may require administrator work or troubleshooting.
Evidence source ↗
People.ai
People.ai, now Backstory, captures customer-facing activity and connects it with CRM records to provide deal, account, and pipeline insights for revenue teams.
6 key claims verifiedOur editorial team checked this profile against company information, pricing information, product documentation. Supported by 6 documented sources.
Editorial overview
Aggregated Overview
Official materials document automatic activity capture, CRM synchronization, revenue insights, APIs, and MCP access. Pricing is quote-based, and public review evidence available here confirms an aggregate G2 rating but not review themes.
This profile combines documented product information and independent evidence where available. It is not a hands-on test unless TechZella explicitly identifies one.
Overview
People.ai is now Backstory, a revenue intelligence product for B2B sales and revenue teams. It captures customer-facing activity, connects it to CRM records, and provides account, opportunity, and pipeline context.
The product is designed to reduce manual activity entry and help teams examine deal engagement and risk. Its current identity and pricing pages use the Backstory name.
People.ai Decision Snapshot
A quick way to understand who this product may suit, where its limits matter, and which facts are most relevant before you compare alternatives.
Best suited to
B2B revenue organizations seeking automated capture of email and meeting activity, CRM enrichment, and deal or pipeline insights.
Look elsewhere if
Teams seeking a self-serve, publicly priced product or a standalone forecasting tool without CRM and activity-data integrations should assess alternatives, and should evaluate alternatives such as Gong or Clari Forecast instead.
Platforms
MCP, Microsoft Teams, SaaS, Salesforce, Web
TechZella assessment
7.8/10
People.ai — What Sets It Apart?
These are the product-specific differences that may matter when deciding whether the software fits your workflow. They are based on documented evidence rather than a universal ranking.
- Connects activity signals from customer communications with structured CRM records for account and opportunity context.
- Its current pricing model says viewers do not require paid seats, while fees are based on connected customer-facing users and answer consumption.
- MCP access can make Backstory revenue data available to supported AI clients and workflows.
People.ai Pros & Cons
Pros
- Automates capture and CRM association of customer activity, reducing dependence on manual activity logging.
- Combines captured activity with CRM account and opportunity context.
- Offers documented API and MCP pathways for integrations and AI workflows.
- Published pricing model does not charge a separate seat for every viewer.
Cons
- Public list pricing is unavailable, so buyers need a quote to estimate costs.
- CRM integration setup can require administrator permissions, a managed package, and troubleshooting of org-specific Salesforce rules.
- Email and meeting body content has a documented 15-day retention window.
- Call data is not captured unless calls are logged in Salesforce or Backstory Sheets.
People.ai Gotchas & Operational Limits
These are documented constraints or practical friction points that may matter before you adopt the product.
Email, meeting-description, and transcript body content is deleted after 15 days; metadata persists for the contract duration.
Buyers needing long-term access to message content should confirm the retention model against their records and compliance requirements.
Evidence source ↗Personal calls and text messages are not captured as call data unless calls are logged in Salesforce or Backstory Sheets.
Organizations relying on telephony or messaging records must verify that their systems log relevant activity into a supported source.
Evidence source ↗People.ai Pricing & Plans
Custom quote
Request pricing
Custom
Quote-based. The official pricing page describes charges for connected customer-facing people and answer consumption, while viewers do not require paid seats. No public free trial terms were verified.
Check current pricing →Pricing may change. Verify current plans on the vendor's website.
People.ai Competitors & Alternatives
Compare similar products directly, then see which alternatives may make more sense when your requirements differ.
At a glance
CRM Software| Decision factor | People.ai | Gong | Clari Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core scope | Automatically captures customer activity, maps it to CRM records, and surfaces account, opportunity, and pipeline answers. | Combines interaction capture and analysis with forecasting, sales engagement, and coaching applications. Source ↗ | Centers on forecasting, pipeline inspection, and revenue modeling across revenue streams. Source ↗ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote based on connected customer-facing people and answer consumption; viewers are not separately charged per seat, according to its pricing page. | Gong describes a consultative, customized proposal based on user count, modules, and integration needs. Source ↗ | The product page directs prospective buyers to book a demo; no list price was verified. Source ↗ |
| Customer activity and deal insights | Uses captured activity with CRM context to produce account and opportunity summaries, risks, and engagement views. | Analyzes customer interactions for deal risks, coaching, forecasting, and engagement workflows. Source ↗ | Not documented |
| Forecasting and pipeline workflow | Provides revenue answers and deal context informed by activity capture and CRM data. | Not documented | Provides forecasting tools, scenario modeling, forecast rollups, and pipeline visibility. Source ↗ |
Only factors supported by the available research are shown. The comparison is descriptive, not a ranking.
Direct competitors
These products address broadly similar requirements. The descriptions focus on documented reasons a buyer might compare them with People.ai.
Clari ForecastCenters on forecasting, pipeline inspection, and revenue modeling across revenue streams.
People.ai Features
Activity capture and CRM
- Automatically captures external email and meeting activities
- Associates captured activity with CRM accounts, contacts, and opportunities
- Provides Account 360 and Opportunity 360 views
- Includes configurable activity filters for sensitive content
Analytics and revenue workflows
- Engagement dashboards with configurable boards and tables
- Account and opportunity engagement metrics
- Deal and pipeline risk context
- CRM activity data export and REST API documentation
AI connectivity
- MCP connection for external AI clients
- Documented workflows connecting Backstory to n8n
- Permission-aware access to Backstory data through integrations
Demo & Screenshots
People.ai Specifications
| Product name | Backstory, formerly People.ai |
|---|---|
| Deployment | Hosted SaaS web application |
| Pricing model | Quote-based; connected people and answer consumption |
| CRM integration | Salesforce; official materials also list Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics |
| Communication integrations | Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams are listed by the vendor |
| API | REST API and MCP access documented |
| Email and calendar body retention | 15 days for processing; specified metadata retained for contract duration |
| Implementation estimate | Vendor says most teams are live in 2–4 weeks |
Deployment & System Footprint
Verified installation, hosting, administration, or environment details that can affect implementation.
| Hosting | Vendor-hosted web application; no customer self-hosted deployment option was verified. Source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Salesforce integration | Uses an integration user and Backstory managed package; the package adds fields and embedded UI components. Source ↗ |
Migration & Lock-In
Documented portability, standards, export, or switching considerations. No switching-cost score is shown unless the evidence supports one.
Data export
Backstory documentation identifies activity-data export through an API and data export requests through Support; confirm supported object scope and format during procurement.
Evidence source ↗Our evidence-based assessment
TechZella Score
A proprietary editorial score based on product capabilities, usability, value, performance, support and user sentiment evidence.
7.8/10Moderate confidence
Official materials document automatic activity capture, CRM synchronization, revenue insights, APIs, and MCP access. Pricing is quote-based, and public review evidence available here confirms an aggregate G2 rating but not review themes.
Methodology v1.0. The assessment weighs feature coverage (25%), ease of use (15%), value for money (20%), performance (15%), support (10%) and user sentiment (15%), using researched product evidence and verified review evidence where available. It is a TechZella editorial assessment, not a direct user-review average.
Editorial transparency
Our Review Methodology
Key claims are linked to the sources used to verify them. This evidence record is separate from third-party user ratings.
TechZella evaluates software using documented product capabilities, pricing information, usability and value considerations, independent user evidence where available, and competitive context. The assessment is an editorial review, not a hands-on test unless one is explicitly identified. Our editorial assessment is based on 6 documented sources.
What TechZella adds
- Connects activity signals from customer communications with structured CRM records for account and opportunity context.
- Its current pricing model says viewers do not require paid seats, while fees are based on connected customer-facing users and answer consumption.
- MCP access can make Backstory revenue data available to supported AI clients and workflows.
Important limitations
- Public pricing is quote-based, so buyers cannot calculate subscription cost from a published rate card.
- Salesforce setup depends on appropriate integration-user permissions and the vendor-managed package; Salesforce API limits or validation rules can affect syncing.
- Email and calendar message bodies and meeting transcripts are retained for processing for 15 days, while specified metadata is retained for the contract duration.
Evidence-backed claimsPeople.ai is now named Backstory, with the company describing the product and team as continuing under the new name. The platform automatically captures email and meeting activity and synchronizes it with CRM records. Backstory pricing is quote-based and distinguishes connected customer-facing people from viewers who ask questions. Backstory supports MCP access to revenue intelligence from external AI clients. The product's email and calendar integration can use Microsoft Graph with OAuth 2.0 and application-based access. Email and calendar body content is retained for processing for 15 days, after which specified content is permanently deleted.
The official About page states that the company used to be People.ai and describes the same product and team.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02The product documentation describes automatic capture of external emails and meetings and CRM synchronization.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02The official pricing page says customers pay for activity-providing people and answer consumption, not every viewer, and provides a quote-request flow.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02The official announcement describes connecting Claude, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and custom agents through MCP.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02The official Microsoft 365 integration guide describes the access model and required administrator consent.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02The activity-capture documentation states body-content retention and distinguishes longer-lived metadata.
View source ↗Verified 2026-11-02People.ai FAQs
Answers begin with the clearest available response, followed by the context that helps you act on it.
Is People.ai still available under that name?
Yes. The company says People.ai is now Backstory and describes the product as continuing under the new name.
Does Backstory offer public pricing?
No list price is shown on its pricing page; prospective customers can request a tailored quote.
Does Backstory integrate with Salesforce?
Yes. Its documentation covers a Salesforce integration user and managed package that associates activities with CRM accounts, contacts, and opportunities.
Does Backstory provide an API?
Yes. Documentation describes activity-data APIs, and the product supports MCP access for AI clients and workflows.
How long does implementation take?
The company says most teams are live in 2–4 weeks, though actual implementation depends on the customer's setup.
How long does Backstory retain email and meeting content?
Its documentation says email bodies, meeting descriptions, and transcripts are stored for processing for 15 days; specified metadata remains for the contract duration.
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