by Henry Abenaim | Aug 15, 2014 | Salesforce Tips
Whether you’re managing 100 faxed applications a day, trying to follow items as they circulate on your shop floor, or you just need an easy way to track your inventory, you’ve likely run into a situation where you said, “wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could just scan a barcode?” Yes. Yes it would. There’s a reason barcodes are so popular. Just pull a trigger, listen to the satisfying bleep, and you’re in business. Most USB and Bluetooth barcode scanners work like a keyboard – when you scan a barcode, they type in the number and click Enter. This means that whether you’re using a standard search or a complex custom system, you don’t have to worry about crazy code. You can even use a barcode scanner with a mobile Salesforce1 app! But getting the barcodes themselves is another matter. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just automatically generate a barcode straight in Salesforce? Well, you can – and it’s free!
Adding barcodes to Salesforce is really simple. You’ll just need two new fields. Start off by creating the field that will hold the actual number – I’d recommend an autonumber field, but if you need more control, it can be plain text. Let’s call it Barcode #. Now, create a formula field and add the following code:
IMAGE("//www.barcodesinc.com/generator/image.php?code="&Barcode__c&"&style=325&type=C128B&width=200&height=50&xres=1&font=3",Barcode__c)
Using barcodesinc.com, a cool free service, a barcode will be instantly generated for you. And that’s it! Now you can add that field to Reports or List Views for printing, add them to your page layouts, include them in email templates, and the list goes on. With just two simple fields, you have a barcode for everything you might need. Now go get yourself a scanner and have fun!
-Jared and the Salesforce Guys
by Henry Abenaim | Aug 8, 2014 | Blog, Salesforce-Apps-AppExchange
You’ve done your due diligence, your client is excited about your product, and all you need is a signature to close the deal and take home your commission. You thought the hard part was over, but now you have to chase down the client to print, sign, scan, email, fax, and your done deal is taking way more of your day than is reasonable. And once it comes back in, you’re going to have to attach the signed contract in Salesforce and email all the right people before you can really close anything out. There HAS to be an easier way to manage getting contracts signed with less effort for you. And there is with DocuSign!
DocuSign is the exclusive electronic signature solution used by Salesforce’s 3,000+ sales reps to close more deals faster. Now, 90% of contracts are signed the same day; 70% within the hour. DocuSign is easy – sign anytime, anywhere, on any device either in person or online remotely.
DocuSign plays nice with Conga Composer, Workflow Rules, and the full gamut of Salesforce tools. Check it out today!
by Henry Abenaim | May 23, 2014 | Salesforce Tips
Your Salesforce system is live, and your team is working hard to diligently log everything. They’re following the rule of “if it isn’t in Salesforce, it doesn’t exist,” and you’ve never had better records! You’ve set up a bunch of useful Chatter Actions to help your team enter new data in record time. But when they’re on the go, they find it difficult to enter the records they need. You’re considering implementing Salesforce1 and you’re not sure where to start. We’ve got your back with some dos and don’ts to get you on the right track!
Once you’ve decided that Salesforce1 is the right fit for your business needs, you’ll need to identify who will be using your app. Do your top executives need a way to check in on the business while they’re on the go? Does your sales team need a way to quickly review call logs and enter new opportunities in the field? Don’t try to make a one-size-fits-all app. Entering records in Salesforce1 should be as easy as updating your Facebook status. Keep fields to a minimum and try to choose the most important information to gather in the field. Your team can go back and fill in the blanks when they’re back at their desks. Don’t try to give them every Opportunity field – you don’t want them resorting to Notepad when it takes too much time to log it in Salesforce. After setting up your Salesforce1 app, deploy it on a limited basis with a select group of users. Adjust the settings based on their feedback before deploying to all of your users. Don’t try to roll it out to all your users at one time, or you’ll miss out on the opportunity to make it awesome before your full team dives in.
-Jared and the Salesforce Guys
by Henry Abenaim | May 23, 2014 | Blog, Salesforce-Apps-AppExchange
Managers are busy people. You’ve got a team to keep track of, executive meetings to attend, clients to work with, and don’t forget all the paperwork! If your team uses Approval Processes in Salesforce, you on doubt have a lot of work to keep on top of all your pending approvals so that business can keep moving. But you only have time between meetings, and no chance to get back to your computer. Approval Central for Salesforce1 by Salesforce Labs was built just for you!
Great for managers on the go, Approval Central puts all your pending approvals in one place inside the Salesforce1 mobile app, making business decisions a snap. All of the relevant information you need to make an approval decision is now one tap away.
Check out Approval Central for Salesforce1 today and start tapping out your pending approvals!
by Henry Abenaim | May 2, 2014 | Salesforce Tips
Unless you’ve been hiding in a hole for the last few months, you know that Salesforce1 is here, and it promises to bring Salesforce to a whole new level with enhanced mobile functionality. Salesforce1 is an awesome app, but using it means pushing back from your keyboard and pulling out your smartphone. If you’re a developer, you know how challenging it can be to have to jump between devices to see the results of your hard work in action. You’re killing your cell phone battery while simultaneously opening up a world of distractions. If you’re an admin or user and trying to help someone on your team who is out in the field find something in their Salesforce1 app, you have the same problem. Or maybe you’ve got a touchscreen laptop and just want a more mobile environment to make a couple quick updates and post to Chatter. Wouldn’t it be great if you could see your Salesforce1 in action without ever leaving your computer? You can!
Viewing Salesforce1 from your computer is as easy as pie. All you need to do is navigate to the app by adding /one/one.app to the end of your Salesforce URL (it should look something like this: https://cs18.salesforce.com/one/one.app). If you’re having any troubles with this, or need more information on mimicking a mobile browser or tips on customizing this further, check out Jesse Altman’s Working with Salesforce1 on the Desktop. For more on Salesforce1, check out our previous post with some useful links, and don’t forget to submit your awesome mobile app on Twitter with the hashtag #salesforce1selfie to enter for a chance to win a trip to Dreamforce 2014!
-Jared and the Salesforce Guys
