Nonprofits Using Salesforce: Tips to Improve User Experience

Obviously we’re big fans of Salesforce as a tool for nonprofits! We’ve seen how it can help organizations get a handle on their data and simplify day to day tasks. Most organizations we work with tend to focus on the basic requirements, making sure everyone has access and knows how to do tasks necessary for their roles. While giving users ample time and resources to learn the system is critical for adoption, there are other things you can do to make Salesforce super user friendly, help adoption along, and maximize efficiency.

Eliminate Spreadsheets

If you’re spending a lot of time in Excel (or Google Sheets), that’s one sign you could be using Salesforce more effectively. Creating lists outside of the system and then uploading that information takes time and runs the risk of creating duplicates or missing information. Or if you’re exporting tons of reports just to reformat and analyze data, that’s a hint that you’re missing some critical processes that might be better handled in a different way. In short: If you are using Salesforce and still have a ton of spreadsheets, it’s time to take a fresh look at your processes.

Connect or Eliminate Other Systems

Did you know that your team can assign tasks, schedule meetings, and send emails from within Salesforce itself? These activities make up so much of the work we do every day, and encouraging staff to “live” inside the system can dramatically increase adoption. The more your users can view Salesforce as their primary tool, for everything from reporting to calendars to contact management, the more likely they are to actually capture all the information you’re trying to store. Above all, making sure that all emails and other interactions get logged in Salesforce means you’re creating a one-stop shop for your organization’s whole history. If you hire a new employee, or if someone goes on vacation, maternity leave, etc, there’s no hunting around for missing information – it’s all in one place.

• Emailing with Salesforce – Sometimes, it’s simplest to send an email directly from a Contact record in Salesforce. You can also easily connect your email program (Gmail, Outlook etc…) directly to Salesforce, so whole conversation threads are automatically logged to Contacts and other objects – no copy/paste required! This makes it easy for the whole team to review what happened in the conversation. Just go to the contact record and all the historical information is there for you.
• Calendars in Salesforce – Connecting your calendar to Salesforce makes scheduling easier. You will be able to use a scheduling link that’s shareable with donors, volunteers, or other staff members. Planning meetings by using calendar events dramatically reduces email back and forth. If you have a team with a few people, being able to pull from multiple calendars is useful. You can block off time so no one can schedule in.
• Tasks in Salesforce – Salesforce has a built in task manager – and we’ve found that nonprofits can really benefit from the engagement plans feature, which lets you automate tasks for repeatable processes. It’s all right there in Salesforce, no need to hop over to Google, Todoist, etc… There’s even the option of a Kanban view, which can act as a dashboard for your team’s tasks.

Create Role-Specific Home Pages

You can design Salesforce Home Pages that are specific to different roles in your organization. This gives the user an easy way to get only the most important information for them. You can set up a Dashboard for the Executive Director to show important fundraising and project data, and progress towards a goal. The Development Director might see a snapshot view of all current campaigns. A Program Manager would see upcoming tasks or events relating to their programs. Having the information they need at their fingertips without having to sift through everyone else’s data keeps people coming back and trusting the information the system can provide.

Encourage Mobile App Usage

Nonprofit staff members are often away from their desks, moving around communities and doing work on the go. We’ve noticed that the Salesforce mobile app is an oft-overlooked and undervalued feature! You can take meeting notes, log issues you notice in the field, or just look up information about a contact before a meeting. Having Salesforce in the palm of your hand encourages more documentation and will increase data entry overall. It saves time when you can enter information in the moment, instead of waiting to get back to a desk.

Cleaner Data, More Complete Historical Data, and More Usage

Connect Salesforce, use the features, and create an easy user experience so your staff wants to use it. The information is available with a few clicks of the mouse (or touches of a screen) and your data stays clean. Need help setting up any of the suggestions above? Get in touch with us for more information about our Ongoing Support services.