In the Winter '17 release, Salesforce has kicked it up a notch for both for Lightning and Classic interface users, and there is much for the nonprofit world to rejoice over. With over 400 pages to the release notes, it can be a bit daunting to try to figure out what you need to prepare for and what to celebrate about. It can also be hard to determine whether Lightning has become a complete enough product for your organization to adopt. To break it down a bit and give you some guidance on where best to devote your time, we’re highlighting a few key focus areas:
Improved Searching
One of the best features of Salesforce (almost from day 1) has been the ease with which you can search for a record. Sitting up at the top of the screen is a fantastic global search bar that lets you quickly pull up information on that donor who just gave $10,000 (don’t we all wish), or that company that's interested in volunteering with 60 employees. And now, Salesforce improved the functionality even more.
Gone are the days of getting no results because of a spelling error. Salesforce has updated the global search feature to offer results based on fuzzy matches rather than the correct spelling. Thank goodness! Forget that second "h" when typing "oto-ophthalmoscopes" into search? You won't have to go crazy looking at a page of zero results. And best of all, this update is for everyone.
Salesforce has gone one step further for Lightning users and have introduced quick search functions. As you start typing, you’ll get a list of possible search terms across all objects. Put in "Robert", and you’ll see Robert Smith’s lead record as an option, Robertson Boating’s account record as another, as well as options to target your search to a specific object. This seems especially helpful for searching for tricky last names. No longer are you stuck thinking "Was it really a "v" after that "q" in Patrick Hornqvist’s last name?" when pulling together a list of the Pittsburgh Penguins for your annual gala. Start typing, and let Salesforce's auto-populate feature guide you in the right direction.
Updated User Interface
This one is mostly for the folks using Lightning, or trying to decide if the time is right to make the switch. Salesforce has taken a number of the features we’ve all come to know and love in Classic and brought them to Lightning. One that's particularly useful is help text bubbles. As you lead your team into the new frontier of Lightning, these bubbles provide guidance along the way. Plus, if folks read the bubbles, you have a greater chance of having clean data.
Connecting—Finding New Ways to Feel the Love
What non-profit hasn’t struggled with keeping up to date with social media, finding the latest news on a company, or locating the right address for a contact? Don't fret! Salesforce has upgraded many of the features associated with staying connected.
For those using Classic, you can now reply to a Facebook post from Salesforce without having to import the original post. Another time saving victory!
For those using Lightning, there are a number of new features to help you stay in touch. Having the News component added to your page layouts lets you stay up-to-date on the latest happenings from US news sources for accounts, contacts, leads and opportunities. You can even add it on the home page.
Here's an added bonus: On accounts, Salesforce will automatically fill in the logo on the record for US-based accounts, when available. Also, when you start typing on the account name field, you'll be given some autofill options to help you get that account added quicker.
Compliance, Security and Other Fun Technical Stuff
Last but not least, we have to mention the host of new features available help nonprofits—particularly those in the government or healthcare sectors. Not to get into too many details, but the search index is now encrypted, meaning that you no longer have to worry about masked fields being displayed as text. For those with government security requirements, Salesforce is now FEDRamp compliant. And for those of you using Salesforce Connect, you can now review reports regardless of where the data is kept!
Overall, it’s a great release with lots of new features that are worth taking advantage of. If you're using Classic and considering Lightning, this release adds a few more ticks to the "pros" column for switching. Only you can decide when Lightning hits the tipping point for your organization, but each release adds another feature or two that would help your non-profit work faster and easier.
Want more details from the Salesforce Winter '17 Release? Check out more highlights, then read up on how our Salesforce consultants can help you get the most out of your investment!
