Unlike traditional software, Salesforce is software-as-a-service (SaaS). You sign up for a subscription and log in through a browser, and the software is immediately available. You may need to make some adjustments to make all aspects apply to the details of your business. There’s no purchase, installation, or hardware setup required! With Salesforce, you have a full suite of services to manage the customer life cycle.
©By Artur Szczybylo/Shutterstock.com
©By Artur Szczybylo/Shutterstock.comNavigating the Salesforce home page
When you log in to Salesforce, you begin at the Home page, which looks similar to other users’ Home pages. However, the tasks and events are specific to you and your company:
- Tabs: Click the tabs at the top of the page to navigate Salesforce. When you click a tab, the tab’s list view page appears. If you click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of each tab, you see additional options, including creating a new record, or accessing a recent record.
- App Launcher: Use the Lightning Experience App Launcher (which looks like a square comprised of nine smaller squares at the very left of the navigation bar) to switch between sets of tabs most used by different types of Salesforce users.
- Today’s Events: This section tracks calendar appointments and helps you keep track of your schedule in Salesforce. You can choose to sync relevant meetings from your Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar into Salesforce.
- Today’s Tasks: Use this section to stay up to speed on your to-do items.
- Search: Find information fast in Salesforce by entering keywords and then clicking Search in the search bar above the navigation tabs. You can also filter by object to narrow down your results. A search results page appears with lists of records that match your search.
- Recent Records: Use Recent Records to open records that you recently visited.
- News: This section surfaces relevant business news related to industries or companies that you frequently view.
- Settings: Click the Settings link under the logo of your user, at the top right of any page. From there, you can modify your personal settings. If you’re an administrator, use Setup to customize, configure, and administer Salesforce.
- Salesforce Help: If you need help, click the question mark icon in the upper-right corner.
Getting Salesforce help fast page
You have so many ways to navigate Salesforce that you probably don’t need much help getting around the application. If you get stumped, though, get help fast with these techniques:
- Contact your system administrator.
- Click the Salesforce Help question mark icon on most Salesforce pages to access a variety of documentation specifically geared to the page you’re on.
- To seek opinions from others in the community, search or post a question in the Salesforce Trailblazer Community.
Using everyday Salesforce operations
Salesforce was built by salespeople for salespeople. Here’s how to use the day-to-day Salesforce operations in the most efficient way possible so that you can devote your time to selling:
- Track a prospect. Select the “+ New Lead” option from the Lead tab, fill in the record, and then click Save.
- Track a company. Select the “+ New Account” item from the Accounts tab, complete the record, and then click Save.
- Track a person. As a best practice, go to an Account record related to where the person is employed. From the Related section, find the Contacts section and select the New button to create a new Contact associated with the Account. Fill in the record and then click Save.
- Add a deal. As a similar best practice, go to an Account record for the related customer. From the Related section, find the Opportunities section and select the New button there to open a new Opportunity record. Complete the fields — including the Stage and Close Date fields — and then click Save.
- Set up a Task. Go to a related record detail page (such as a Contact or Account) and locate the Activity section. From there, you can choose to add a new Task, log a call, or log and send an email.
- Initiate a customer service inquiry. Go to a related record (such as an Account or Contact) and then from the Related section, find Cases and select the New button to create a new Case.
- Create a report. Click the Reports tab and click the New Report button. Follow the steps through the wizard and then click the Run Report button when ready.
- Export a report. Go to a report. Click the downward-facing arrow to the right of the Edit button and select the Export option. Follow the steps to export the report.
- Transfer a record. Assuming that you have transfer rights, go to a record detail page and click the Change icon next to the Owner field. Complete the fields and then click Save.
