Five Most Common Challenges in Salesforce Document Generation
When used correctly and thoroughly, Salesforce can in time serve as a comprehensive repository of your business information. Regardless of the field, chances are sooner or later you will need to generate documents from your Salesforce data. And when that moment comes, it is worth knowing the challenges you might face in the process, and what to focus on when selecting your document generation tool.
1. Data integration and consistency
Even before the document generation process can begin, a key factor of the entire process has to be considered. You might be using your Salesforce org as the only source of data. In this case the issue of data integration and consistency will be of minimal concern to you, but it is still worth remembering that in order for Salesforce to reflect the factual state of information you have on your customers and processes, your organization has to be committed to timely entry of data that is not automatically fed into Salesforce. Information missed is the information that might at some point cost you money.
But for those using Salesforce in conjunction with other external data sources, the issue of continuous integration and real-time data updates is of utmost importance. Having certainty that all information is there before the documents are generated is invaluable.
This is not so much a consideration for selecting the best doc gen tool for your business, but rather a necessary prerequisite for creating a successful and useful document generation process regardless of the chosen tool.
While the majority of data is supplied to Salesforce even before the document is generated, some tools will also offer capabilities of real-time data integration, fetching external information directly to the new document. It is worth knowing if the tools you are considering are equipped with this functionality before making a choice.
2. Template creation and management
A good template is half the battle. Sometimes even more. Whether it’s a simple one-pager with basic customer information, or a complex document with multiple field formulas and data dependencies, it is important that your users are able to use them without any issues. Make sure to choose a tool to match your user capabilities. Different products offer different experiences – application interfaces can be more or less suited to the technological proficiency your employees possess. You might have designated technical users to create and maintain all your templates (in which case the complexity of the solution will not be an issue), but sometimes selecting a simpler tool for a smaller, non tech-savvy team will be a better choice. Make sure users in your organization understand the tool they are using. This way they will be able to utilize it to their advantage, and will be confident when doing so.
Once you have your template creation sorted, the next step is to ensure the existing templates are maintained in a consistent and compliant manner. Deciding who in the organization can manage the templates, making sure they are updated regularly to reflect any changes; but also that they are safeguarded against unauthorized edits (e.g. by employees who are not trained, or at a time where changes would alter a business process already in progress) – this should not be treated lightly. A single wrong edit at a wrong time can cost your organization money, or even trust of your customers. Make sure your chosen tool allows version control – accountability in situations where mistakes can be made is often what makes people stop and think before they make a significant change; and being able to revert to a previous configuration helps in case a mistake has already been made and has to be remedied quickly.
3. Customization and personalization
Different tools available on the market will allow different levels of customization. Some will offer predefined templates, or sections to reuse, others will let you customize with very little restrictions. Depending on the complexity of your internal processes, your organization might require varying levels of personalization when it comes to the generated documents. Make sure to take that into account when selecting a document generator.
Not every doc gen tool will be able to translate your specific needs into their configuration capabilities, some of them might even require additional custom approach. It is a good idea to do a test run using your actual templates before you decide on one specific product for your organization, to make sure you know beforehand what to expect, and if license cost will be the only expense to anticipate for a fully functional implementation. Customization might sound like a perfect solution, but not all products offer it, and sometimes a slight adjustment in your document flow might solve the issue without additional cost and inconvenience for your users.
Before you decide on a specific product, you should analyze your process and define your needs. Categorizing them into “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” is useful in determining which functionalities are actually necessary for your document flow to function correctly, and which are additives that can be replaced or bypassed without any damage to the end result. Sometimes organizations are set in their ways because that is how they have always done it, not necessarily because it is the best way for them. Switching to a new tool is a good time to review the existing flows and consider changes and optimizations, when beneficial.
4. Performance and scalability
Depending on your organization, you might be creating 10 or 10000 documents each month. Your selected tool should be able to perform seamlessly regardless of the traffic you generate. You might start small, but expand over time, and your tool should accommodate your growing needs. It is true that you only realize the true capacities of any tool once you start using it, but there might be some indicators available before you make that decision. Some tools present their performance reviews against their competitors, or provide their own metrics.
It is worth discussing your needs when negotiating the purchase. The performance might be dependent on additional factors other than the number of generated documents, such as complexity of processed templates or amount of dynamic data fetched during the generation process. If possible, test the tool’s capabilities with both standard and unusual use cases to make sure it can serve your organization in all manner of situations.
5. Error handling and troubleshooting
No application is immune to errors. Even the best tool cannot be tested for 100% of possible scenarios, sometimes the unexpected can happen and you should be prepared for it.
It is important to know how your provider handles such disruptions. Do they provide comprehensive and easily accessible product documentation? Do they offer support services as part of their package? Are the support channels and protocols clearly defined? What are your rights as a customer, and their obligations, when it comes to response and resolution time?
This might not be something you will think of or need that often, but it is still good to know how your issues will be handled in case something does not go as expected.
Conclusion
Document generation tools for Salesforce are a vast topic, and making the decision about which product to choose can be overwhelming. We hope this brief introduction to important factors to consider will help guide you through the process.
Still have some questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out, our Team at Aveneer is here to help you decide if our solution is the one for you.
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