Cloudy's Favorite Apps: SyncApps by Cazoomi

So your Salesforce org is up and running, and you are starting to think about how to connect it to other systems.

If you are like many others, Email Integration is at the top of your list. Email integration can be a big slippery subject, as there are many possible requirements, and just as many possible solutions! 

Recently, Cloudy discovered a solution that is both robust AND user friendly: SyncApps by Cazoomi offers an "integration framework", capable of connecting Salesforce with many common Email platforms (among other things). 

Let's see how SyncApps by Cazoomi is able to connect Salesforce with one popular Email Marketing tool, MailChimp.*

To get started, sign up for a free trial SyncApps account and create a "Sync Profile" for your Salesforce-MailChimp connection. 

• The setup wizard walks you through the process, where you will enter your login credentials for both platforms, and select the sync options you prefer from a list of check boxes. 
• The wizard also allows you to specify which Salesforce object to sync your lists with: Campaigns, or a new custom object called "Marketing Lists". Cloudy likes the custom object; it's nice and simple, and keeps your Salesforce campaigns less confused.
• If you choose to sync MailChimp email responses as well as lists, these will sync to Salesforce Campaigns. Each MailChimp email you send to a synced list creates a new Salesforce Campaign, with the current list members as Campaign Members, logging opens, clicks, and bounces on the Campaign Member record. The Campaign will display summary totals of opens, clicks, and bounces for that email.
• When you look at a Contact record in Salesforce, you will see which MailChimp groups they belong to (in the "Marketing Lists" related list, if you use it) and the details of their interactions with each individual email in the Campaign History related list. 

Here are screen shots of an example setup, and a chart that explains how the sync will work:

Action:	Sync result
Salesforce side
NEW Contact is added to Salesforce with NO email address, and is not added to a Marketing List.	Nothing
NEW Contact is added to Salesforce WITH email address, but is not added to any Marketing List	Nothing
NEW Contact is added to Salesforce with NO email address and IS added to a Marketing List	Nothing
NEW Contact is added to Salesforce WITH email address, and IS added to a Marketing List	Contact will be added to MailChimp Master List and added to the matching SyncApps Groups
Existing Contact Name is updated in Salesforce	FN and LN will be updated in MailChimp Contact with matching email address
Existing Contact Email is updated in Salesforce (and this contact is on at least one Marketing List)	The email will be updated on the contact in MailChimp
Existing Contact has “Email Opt-Out” Checked in Salesforce	Contact will be opted out in MailChimp too.
Contact is DELETED	Email address is deleted in MailChimp (**If this option is selected in sync settings**)
MailChimp Side
Existing Contact Email is updated in MailChimp	The matching contact in Salesforce will be updated as well.
Existing Contact Name is updated in Mailchimp	If the “MailChimp Update Form” was used, the update will push to Salesforce. Otherwise, the change in MailChimp will be overwritten by data in Salesforce.
NEW Contact is added to MailChimp but is not added to a SyncApps Group	New Contact is created in Salesforce
NEW Contact is added to MailChimp and IS added to a SyncApps Group	New Contact is created in Salesforce and is added to a Marketing List
Existing Contact Unsubscribes from all lists thru MailChimp	Salesforce Contact will be removed from all Marketing Lists and "Email Opt-out" is checked "true" (**if this option is checked in sync settings**)
Existing Contact updates subscriptions thru MailChimp - ie. Unsubscribes from one group, and/or Subscribes to a different group	Salesforce Contact will be removed and/or added to Marketing Lists, accordingly
Subscriber is DELETED	Contact will be removed from synced Marketing Lists

If you would like Cloudy's help implementing SyncApps by Cazoomi for your org, or evaluating other tools for your integration Contact Us!

*If you use MailChimp, you may have noticed they offer a free Salesforce integration. Cloudy does not really recommend using this sync, as it has some serious downsides and limitations: it does not sync opt-outs, it can only sync new subscribers as leads (not contacts), it creates copious amounts of records which can get you into a bind with data storage, and customer support is limited.

Read about more of Cloudy's Favorite Apps:
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Apsona 
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: More from Apsona!
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: DupeCatcher
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Rollup Helper
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FormAssembly
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Conga Composer
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FlipTop Social Profiles
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Mass Edit + Mass Update + Mass Delete

Cloudy's Favorite Apps: MORE from Apsona!

One of Cloudy's Favorite Apps just keeps getting better!

Apsona has long been one of Cloudy's top picks for enabling all kinds of easy data management tasks in salesforce.com. 
Now there is an add-on that allows easy merges to documents, spreadsheets, or email. Read on to see how easy it is to set up a merge for Thank You letters - in batches or one at a time!

(**note: this demo uses Salesforce + Non Profit Starter Pack with 1:1 model. Other data models and merge processes will vary in the details**)

First create a Word document with merge fields for the data you wish to pull in to your Thank You - this probably includes data from both the Donation record and the Contact record of the Donor. Upload this doc to the "Documents" tab in salesforce.com.

The merge fields needn't conform to any rules or format conventions - just call them whatever makes sense to you.

Next, create a report on the Donation Contact Roles tab in Apsona. Pull all of your merge field data into the report. Add any filter terms as needed, for example:

-Filter so that Donation "Stage=Posted/Closed Won"

-Consider creating a custom checkbox on donations that marks "Thank You Sent"; filter so that the report only shows un-thanked donations. 

If you don't see this tab, you must first create a custom tab "Configuration" under "Settings", then "Clear Cache" under settings to make it visible.

Run the report to preview the data. The list you see should be a complete list of un-thanked Donations. If everything looks good, you are ready to create your merge; click "Merge/Mail" at the top of your report.

Pro-Tip! If you want your Merge to *AUTOMATICALLY* update a field on a record, such as a "Thank You Sent" checkbox, you must include the ID field for that record in the report (ie. Donation ID).

The Merge Wizard that appears will walk you through the merge setup: Your uploaded Word template will be available to select, and you will be able to match your Word merge fields to the data columns in your report. Finally, note the options available in Step 4 of the merge: 

You can log a Task on each donation record, showing that a Thank You was generated. Even better, you can update a field on the record with a given value. 
For this process, check the custom "Thank You Sent" checkbox on the Donation record. You filtered the Merge report so that it only pulls donations where "Thank You Sent=False"; now you can run the Merge and it always creates a perfect set of the latest Thank Yous!

When it's time to create the next batch of Thank Yous, there is no need to go back to the report on Donation Contact Roles. Your new Merge can now be found and run under Settings>Merge Actions. 

One more amazing feature of Apsona Merge is the ability to very easily create a Merge Button on a record. For this example, a button right on the donation record can generate quick, one-off Thank Yous as needed. To create it, simply go to Settings>VF pages & buttons, look up your Merge, and click the "Generate code" button.

Copy this code into a new "Button" on Donations and add it to the Donation page layout. Now you can create a one-off Thank You on a Donation with a single click.

These Thank You letters look great, Cloudy!

If you would like some help evaluating this tool for your salesforce.com, please Contact Us!

Read about more of Cloudy's Favorite Apps:
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Apsona (Part 1!)
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: DupeCatcher
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Rollup Helper
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FormAssembly
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Conga Composer
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: FlipTop Social Profiles
Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Mass Edit + Mass Update + Mass Delete

Cloudy's Chalkboard: How to Create an Email Letterhead

Creating an email letterhead is the first step toward fully harnessing the power of email from within salesforce.com.
If you are not already using email within (or integrated with) your salesforce.com, let's briefly consider a few benefits of doing so:

• 360 degree view of all communication with a Contact:  As you and your teammates communicate with your contacts, all emails are tracked on the contact record so that everyone can see the full story of those interactions (alongside logged calls and other activities).

• Automation: If you are using the Enterprise or Unlimited edition of salesforce.com, email messages can be automatically sent and logged, based on criteria you set.

• Consistent messaging: By utilizing Letterheads and Templates, you can standardize your messaging, reduce the time spent composing emails, and give all your emails a consistent brand identity, using a Letterhead with your colors and logos.

Get started down this path by following along with Cloudy to create a salesforce.com letterhead like this simple example:

With just a logo and a few color choices,
 Redpath now has a letterhead that will ensure a consistent,
branded look for all of their outgoing email.

Step 1: Upload your logo (or other image) to the Documents tab in your salesforce.com. 

•  If you cannot see this tab, find it by clicking the "+" to the right of your tabs.  

• If you don't have any document folders set up, you can create one by clicking the "Create New Folder" link.  For instance, create a folder called "Logos."

• Before uploading, make sure the logo is the exact size you want for the Letterhead.  Unlike other familiar document and image interfaces, such as Word or Google Docs, you will not be able to adjust the size of the image after loading it. (If you make a mistake on the size of the image, simply replace your original image or load it as a separate document.

• Be sure to select the "Externally Available Image" checkbox!

Step 2: Create the Letterhead Go to Your Name> Setup> Communication Templates> Letterheads> New Letterhead.

• Give your letterhead a descriptive name and be sure to check the "Available for Use" checkbox. Click "Next".

• On the Letterhead edit page which appears, add your Logo by clicking the "Select Logo" button and finding the logo you uploaded in the correct folder.  If you do not see your logo in the correct folder, you probably forgot to select the "Externally Available Image" checkbox!  You can fix it by going back to the Documents tab, find the logo, click "edit" and select the checkbox.

• Click through the other "Edit" boxes on the Letterhead editor to choose colors and styles for the rest of the letterhead.

• Click the "Preview" button above the editor to see how it looks!

• Click "Save".  (You can always come back and edit it more later)

Your Letterhead is ready to use. Try it out by navigating to a contact record and clicking "Send an Email." on the Activity History related list.  At the top of the email interface that appears, you will see a "Select Template" button.  (If you do not see your template in the pop-up dialogue, you probably forgot to select the "Available for Use" checkbox!  You can fix it by going back to the Letterheads page, clicking "edit" next to your letterhead, and marking the checkbox on the edit page.) With just this set up, you can send free form emails from salesforce.com that will have a consistent company brand, and the emails will be automatically attached to the correct contact records.

Next week, Cloudy will help you reach the next level of emailing in salesforce.com by creating Email Templates!

Read more Cloudy's Chalkboard tutorials:
Cloudy's Dashboard - Create Roll-up Summaries
Cloudy's Dashboard - Creating Dashboards

Cloudy's Dashboard - Grouped Bar Charts

Cloudy's Favorite Apps: Apsona

Have you ever wished you could import and export all of your salesforce.com data without firing up an external application or digging out your security token?

Have you ever encountered the limits of Salesforce.com reporting, wished that you could create more sophisticated reporting filters, or gotten frustrated while managing a list of custom report types?

How much time would you save if you could perform inline-editing on a whole list of records, without clicking into each one individually?

What if you could realize all of these functions and more with a single inexpensive app?

Apsona is one of Cloudy's favorite AppExchange apps, with such varied and powerful functionality that it can benefit any organization. What's more, nonprofits have access to 10 free licenses! 

Cloudy recently created an awesome report for a nonprofit client, allowing them to see which of their donors contributed to last year's matching grant Campaign, but did not contribute to the same Campaign this year. This insight will enable them to do a targeted and informed "ask" of those invested donors for this year's matching grant challenge!  The information on how to create this report using nested filters was right on the Apsona website:

The Apsona Website has lots of eye-opening use-cases and tutorials like this one!

Surely you are already considering the possibilities, but here are even more exciting ideas to ponder:

-Create Exception Reports: ie. Show all Accounts WITHOUT Opportunities
-Quickly change record ownership en mass.
-Import into multiple objects.
-Cleanse and import data in a single, integrated process.

Visit this page for some short, informative demos to see how powerful yet simple Apsona can be: Apsona Demos on the AppExchange 

If you would like help evaluating this App for your salesforce.com, installing it, or creating your first custom reports, CONTACT US!


Read Cloudy's reviews of other popular Apps:
Form Assembly
Conga Composer
Flip Top Social Profiles
Dupe Catcher
Rollup Helper

Cloudy's Top Ten: About Salesforce.com User Groups

"None of us is as smart as all of us" - Ken Blanchard

10 - Salesforce.com helps organize User Groups all over the world.  Search for a meeting near you.

9 - If there is no User Group near you, Salesforce.com will help you start one by providing resources and training to help you get started.  Check out this ButtonClick Admin post and podcast for great additional information about leading a Salesforce.com User Group.

8 - User Groups are an excellent free way to develop your Salesforce.com knowledge and skills in an engaging, structured, and social environment.

7 - They are a great place to meet smart and enthusiastic Salesforce.com users.  The next time you want to brainstorm, you might have a new friend to call.

6 - User Groups are an excellent resource to find out about job openings and career opportunities in other organizations that are using Salesforce.com.  

5 - Speaking of other organizations, there is tremendous value to be found in building your professional network among other businesses that are using similar technology tools.  You will learn how other businesses are leveraging the cloud to enhance all their business processes, from Marketing, to Sales, to Customer Support.

4 - If you have trouble keeping up with the seasonal releases and new features of Salesforce, User Groups can be a place to get these updates in an easy format.

3 - While most User Groups attendees are regular users and admins, Salesforce.com Partner Consultants are often in attendance as well.  There are rules that make sure they don't use the opportunity to try to sell you anything, so it can be a great opportunity to get novel ideas and best practices advice from the experts.

2 - Salesforce.com AppExchange vendors are enthusiastic to demonstrate their products at User Groups, whether via a virtual presentation or by sending a representative to your group.  This is a great way to learn about powerful and interesting apps, and to learn how other businesses are using them.

1 - User Groups are run by other users on a volunteer basis, so they are likely to be very responsive if you would like to help or add your own ideas to the mix.  If you are interested in leadership opportunity to enhance your resume and grow your own Salesforce.com knowledge and skills, consider offering to do a presentation at your user group, or joining the leadership team.


Cloudy and the team at Redpath Consulting Group are involved in several Salesforce User Groups in the Twin Cities, MN area, including the general area user group, as well as smaller groups for nonprofit users and for Salesforce.com developers.  Contact us if you would like to find out when the next meetings of these groups will be held, or if you would like to get in touch with Twin Cities area group leaders.

Salesforce.com for Nonprofits - The sky is the limit!

Last week Cloudy explained a little bit about the Salesforce.com Foundation and how it supports Nonprofit and Higher Education organizations by providing ten free Salesforce.com user licenses.  

What could your organization do with those ten free licenses?

-Build deeper relationships with your partners, donors, clients, and volunteers.  Salesforce allows you to see all your related information and interactions in one place, including donation history, emails sent, phone calls logged, events attended, relationships and affiliations recorded, and any custom information you collect.  This 360 degree view of your relationships is invaluable as your team works to partner with donors and volunteers, and to better serve your clients!

-Manage your donation and grant cycle, tracking your “asks,” pledged money, and received donations, with a full view of your data relating to each donor.  Standardize the donation process, see which campaigns and events are most effective, and analyze your donation pipeline with custom reports and graphs.  Automate some of your most common tasks, such as Thank You emails and receipts.

-Integrate your email, Quickbooks, event management, or other systems, and eliminate double-data-entry once and for all!

-Use Chatter to tap into the knowledge of your entire organization.  See what your teammates are working on as they add comments to records you are following.  Get a real-time feed of updates on the items you care about send right to your phone, using the Chatter Mobile app.

-Create reports and charts that give everyone at your organization the information they need to make educated decisions.  Your charts and reports will update automatically as data flows into place; you don’t have to keep creating them!  Executives, board members, program staff, and even volunteers can each see just the information they need.

-Check out the Salesforce AppExchange and click “Nonprofits” under “Industry Solutions” to see some of the Apps that have been designed specially for you.  A Salesforce App is simply a way of adding features and functions to your Salesforce.com; many great Apps are free, and many more offer significant discounts to Non Profits.


Read Cloudy's previous post for a little more about Salesforce.com and how it relates to nonprofits.

Here are Cloudy's reviews of a some salesforce apps that are being used by a few nonprofits he knows:
Conga Composer
FormAssemby

For an hour of free consulting for your nonprofit, contact us!

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