Clean ALL the Data!!! Part II

When it comes to defeating dirty data in Salesforce.com, the best offense is a good defense: start by giving your records, layouts, and fields a major tune-up.  

1) Eliminate all the unneeded fields cluttering your records.  

2) When possible, use pick lists instead of free-entry fields to reduce the impact of typos.  

3) Establish naming conventions and standards for record-completeness and make sure your users understand them.

4) Go over your page layouts and check the tab-order on your records to ensure that the settings are optimized for efficient data-entry.

5) Make the most important fields “required” on the page layout to ensure complete data entry.

6) Implement some helpful validation rules on fields that tend to accumulate errors to help your users check themselves.  

Talk to your users to make sure that the new required fields and validation rules are helpful to them: a heavy-handed application of these rules can be annoying and hurt user adoption, but when used judiciously, they are good for all!  Make sure that users understand how to search for dupes BEFORE entering new information in the system.

Once you have established these standards for clean data entry, apply them to all your data sources, whether lists, syncs, imports, or web-to-lead sources.  If you have not already, consider installing DupeCatcher in your org.

Having taken these steps to prevent dirty data, you may now turn your attention to cleaning up an existing mess. Here are two of Cloudy's favorite clean-up tools:

DemandTools: This is the go-to app for administrators looking to clean up their org. According to the provider, "DemandTools contains modules for data deduplication, normalization, standardization, comparison, verification, import, export, mass delete to name a few." It offers a free trial, free subscriptions to non-profits, and significantly reduced rates for small to medium businesses.

Data Quality Analysis Dashboards: This FREE app provides a set of dashboards that give you a quick and easy view of data quality in your org, especially as it relates to record completeness. You can quickly see which types of records in your org are most in need of remedial attention, which fields are most often being ignored, and how individual users rank in terms of data entry performance. The app offers great out-of-the-box functionality, and can easily be customized to show you what you really need to see.

If you would like help with dirty data prevention, remediation, and user training, Contact Us!

Click Here to read Clean ALL the Data!!! Part I:  Cloudy's report on how dirty data hurts your business.

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Clean ALL the Data!!! Part I

What does it mean to have dirty data in your Salesforce.com org?

Here a few common kinds of dirty data:

Duplicate Data:  Various users in your org unknowingly create three entries for the same account.  Confusion reigns and time is wasted when users try to track down the account and its correct related records.

Missing Data: Busy users leave fields blank in their rush to move on to other tasks. Reports become inaccurate and automatic processes are derailed as critical information is missing in action.

Incorrect Data: Human error results in inevitable typos or data entered in the wrong field.  Poorly enforced data entry policies mean one rep might enter a country as "USA" and another enters it as "U.S."  As a result, filtered reports and list views are missing essential data.

As a result of dirty data, your business cannot make good decisions because your reports and forecasts are incorrect. Your customer service reps lose their edge because they can't find accurate or complete information on customers who call in. Your Salesforce.com user adoption goes from bad to worse as your employees feel that their Salesforce.com data is inaccurate and unhelpful.  The bottom line is wasted time and money.

The good news is this does not have to happen!  Tune in next week to learn Cloudy's favorite strategies to clean up, and better yet, PREVENT dirty data in your Salesforce.com org.

If you can't wait until next week and want help cleaning up your dirty data today, Contact Us.

Cloudy's Chalkboard: Grouped Bar Charts

Salesforce.com charts and dashboards create useful snapshot views of your data.  Bar charts are popular because you can easily add valuable detail to a basic bar chart by using groupings.

Look at Cloudy's examples below and then follow the step-by-step instructions to create a grouped bar chart for your report or dashboard:

Step 1: Create your report.

You need to include at least 3 fields:

-Record Name or ID (ie. Activity ID)

-Group Category 1 (ie. Activity Type)

-Group Category 2 (ie. Assigned to)

Check your filters:

-Set the date filters to the time frame you are interested in.

-Add any other filters needed to zoom in on the records you want to see.

Summarize:

-In the report Preview pane, select the Format drop-down and choose "Summary."

-Drag the Group Categories into the Summary drop zones in any order you wish.

Step 2: Create your chart.

You can create a chart on a dashboard or on the report itself. 

Chart Editor:  

(these instructions assume a horizontal bar chart.  Switch X and Y axis instructions in the case of a vertical bar chart)

-If you are on the report itself, the Chart Editor appears automatically when you add a chart.  If you are on a dashboard, click the wrench icon to open Chart Editor.

-Click the "Chart Data" tab

-For the X-Axis, choose the correct measurement metric (ie. Record Count, $ amount, etc.)

-For the Y-Axis, choose the first Group Category you want to see.  These will be the bars on your chart.

-Next, click the "Group By" drop down and choose the OTHER Group Category.  

-Select the type of Grouped Bar Chart by clicking the icons below the Group By menu.  For stacked grouping like the example above, click the middle icon.

Click OK to view your Grouped Bar Chart!

Read more of Cloudy's Salesforce.com step-by-step instructions:

How-to install an App in your sandbox

If you would like help creating these or other dashboard components, CONTACT US

Learn more about our Salesforce.com services HERE

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FlipTop Social Profiles

If you are using Salesforce to track your contacts and leads, you already know what a great tool it is for getting a detailed view of the the people, records, and relationships that are important to you.  When you are preparing to call or meet one of your clients or potential customers, one look at their record in Salesforce provides the information you need to have a more personal and up-to-date interaction.  The only thing that is missing is an easy way to view the public social media presence of your contact.  Sure, Salesforce provides the social media links at the top of the page, but often they lead to dead ends, and you have no way to know where the useful information might lie until you click on all five links!

FlipTop Social Profiles, available in a free version on the AppExchange, provides a snapshot of your contact or lead's public social media presence right on their record.  It makes a match using the email on the record and displays a photo and links to Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.  Of course, the matching only works if the email in your records is the one that your leads or contact use for their social media accounts, and if they have made their photos and profiles publicly searchable.

If tracking the social media presence of your contacts and leads is part of your toolkit for nurturing business relationships, by all means give FlipTop a try!

Click hear to read about why FlipTop is Paul Selway's favorite free social media App!

If you would like help evaluating or installing FlipTop in your Salesforce org, Click Here.


Read Cloudy's reviews of other popular Apps:
Conga Composer
Form Assembly

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

In Depth with Cloudy: Paul Selway - Founder of Redpath Consulting Group

Paul, what exactly IS Salesforce.com?

Salesforce.com is like a "Swiss Army Knife in the Cloud". It has Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Collaboration Cloud, Data Cloud, and Service Cloud apps that provide a very good starting point for Customer Relationship Management or Call Centers. It also has a database.com piece that can be used on it's own and a force.com platform piece that can be used to customize existing apps or create new ones.

What feature of Salesforce.com do you use every day?

Mobile Chatter. I just love the way that you can follow People, Groups, Accounts, Leads, Contacts, and Opportunities. It saves me having to read emails.

What is one of the best parts of your job as a Salesforce.com Consultant?

Solving business problems. I get a real kick seeing our Salesforce customers taking their business to the next performance level.

What AppExchange App are you trying out these days?

FlipTop Social profiles - I always like to know what a prospect or customer looks like, and it allows me to do a bit of research prior to talking with or meeting them.

Paul, where can our readers go if they have more questions for you?

Well, they can read more about Redpath at www.redpathcg.com, look at our Team Bios, check out my blog, or drop me a line on the Contact Us page.

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FormAssembly

Do you collect information from clients via website forms, through surveys, or from emailed questionnaires?  What do you do with all that information?  Often, companies are manually uploading this collected data to Salesforce.com, or worse, just letting it sit in disparate spreadsheets and folders.

If you would like a way to automate the collection and integration of data from your clients into Salesforce.com, FormAssembly is the App that can do it for you.  When you install the App, you get a FormAssembly tab right in your org, so you can manage all your forms and surverys from within Salesforce.com.  The form-building interface is clean and intuitive and supports all the options you would expect, including conditional fields, calculated fields, and validation rules.  Your completed forms and surveys can be easily integrated into your website, sent via mass-email, connected to a payment gateway, or sent to targeted contacts from Salesforce.com records.

The FormAssembly Salesforce.com Connector can match existing records or create new ones, based on what you need.  For instance, when a customer fills out a form on your website, FormAssembly can check whether that contact is in your system already and then either update the existing record or create a new one.  Answers from their form will be added to the correct places in Salesforce.com, and you will be notified.

Take FormAssembly for a test drive by installing it in your Salesforce.com sandbox; Contact Us if you need help evaluating this App for your business.

For more information about the FormAssembly+ Salesforce integration, CLICK HERE
For an interesting article about why FormAssembly might work better than Salesforce Web-to-Lead, CLICK HERE

Read Cloudy's reviews of other popular Apps:
Conga Composer
FlipTop Social Profiles

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Test Drive an App in your Salesforce Sandbox: Ten Step Installation Instructions

If you have been using Salesforce.com for a while, you have probably heard about some of the great Salesforce.com AppExchange Apps that can add even more value and functionality to your Org.  If you are interested in trying an App, it is always advisable to take it for a test drive in your Salesforce.com Sandbox first!  If you are happy with the App after testing in your Sandbox, it only takes a few minuted to add it to your main Salesforce.com Org.

If you are an Admin in your org but have not installed an App in your Sandbox before, here are the steps to follow:

1- log in to your Org (not your sandbox!).

2-  Click the Apps tab in the far upper right corner of the screen and select “Add Appexchange Apps”.

3- Browse/search to find the app, and click it to open its detail pages.  It’s a good idea to read all the information on these pages.  Make sure the App is compatible with your edition of Salesforce.com, check the pricing and trial period details, and read a few customer reviews!

4-Click “Get it Now” on the App’s detail page.

5- If prompted, click “Log in to the AppExchange.”  On the login page, enter your login and password for your regular production org (not your sandbox!).

7- You will be given 2 choices: Install in production/ Install in Sandbox.  If you are Test Driving the App, Choose the Sandbox option.

8- Check the box next to “Terms and Conditions” and click “Confirm and Install”.

9- On the next login page that appears, use the login and password for your sandbox (If you are installing in the sandbox).

10- click the orange Install button.  Review the security details that appear on the next pages and click “Next” on each page until the “Install” button appears.  Click “Install.”

Once the app is installed, you can click your app tab in the upper right corner, and the new app will appear in that list.  By clicking on the app in this menu, you can easily view and explore the new objects (tabs) that are part of your new app.

Read more about the AppExchange or check out Cloudy's reviews of his favorite Apps:
Conga Composer
FormAssembly
FlipTop Social Profiles

Contact Us if you would like help evaluating which AppExchange apps will help you achieve your business objectives.

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Conga Composer

Conga Composer from AppExtremes is one of the most popular apps on the Salesforce.com AppExchange, and with good reason.  Conga allows you to produce formatted reports, emails, mailings and presentation documents with the click of a button.  Many users find tasks that used to take many hours can be reduced to a single step!  Conga Composer also extends the merging capabilities of Salesforce.com by allowing you to easily pull data from multiple objects into one final document.

If you have any business processes that involve lengthy sessions of copying and pasting data from one place to another, or if you wish you had better mail merge options, give Conga a try.  They offer a free 30 day trial and excellent ongoing customer support.

We would love to talk to you about your business, and help you to evaluate whether Conga might help your business.  If you think you might be interested in talking to a Salesforce.com consultant but are not sure what to expect, click here for more information.


Read Cloudy's reviews of other popular Apps:
Form Assembly
FlipTop Social Profiles


Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

Guaranteed Salesforce Success with this 1 Weird Old Tip

Cloud-based computing, social connectivity, and 360 degree views of your data are the keys to business success at a new level. 

If you have moved your business to the cloud with Salesforce.com CRM, you are no doubt looking forward to these benefits.  But what if you have found that instead of embracing this powerful tool, your teammates are keeping secret stashes of Excel files, tracking email the same old way, and only leaving crumbs of data in your new CRM system?

These complaints are all too common, but it does not have to be this way!  The number one key to success with Salesforce.com CRM is training!  

Trying to launch a new CRM system without good training is like trying to run your new car without gas.  It simply won’t work, and you’ll end up using the old way to get around.

The Redpath Team of certified Salesforce.com consultants has experience delivering training presentations, worksheets, webinars, recorded tutorials and 1 on 1 consultations to teach admin and data management skills. 

Contact us for a free hour of consultation to get started.

Cloudy Cumulus is part of Redpath Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN (c) 2012

The Salesforce AppExchange: What does it have to offer your business?

The Salesforce.com AppExchange is a marketplace for business apps built just for the Salesforce.com community.  These apps can extend the functionality of your Salesforce.com org to fit even more of your business needs. 

If you have never visited the AppExchange, go to http://appexchange.salesforce.com/ and have a look around!  Try entering search terms relating to your business processes, and you might be amazed to find an app that is made just for you.

When you are looking at an App, click through all the info tabs to find pricing, functionality details, and customer reviews.  Some apps are free or have special pricing for Non Profits.  Many apps have free trials if you want to take a test drive.  If you want to try an app, it is advisable to install it in your sandbox first, as sometimes new apps may not play nicely with other apps.  Just click the “Get It Now” button on the app and you will be given the option to choose whether you are installing in your sandbox or main production org.

If you would like help finding the apps that can boost your business and extend your Salesforce.com, please contact us!

Read Cloudy's reviews of these popular Apps:
Form Assembly
Conga Composer
FlipTop Social Profiles