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How to standardise address values in Salesforce: make your data consistent for AI

by Ruth Cawdron in Data Management November 27, 2023

This blog post is an extension of the Salesforce Trailhead Trail: Prepare Your Data for AI, specifically the module Data Quality.

To follow along in an org, you will need to install a free trial of AddressTools Premium from the AppExchange. If you can’t do that right now, we invite you to read through the steps, check out the screenshots and watch the videos below!

If you’ve landed here from our previous article Why bad data is bad for AI – welcome! If you’ve arrived straight here, you’re welcome to jump right in and let’s learn how to standardise address data in Salesforce!

How to standardise your address data in Salesforce

Without further ado it’s time to dive into our step-by-step guide for making your address data consistent in preparation for AI. Helpfully, Salesforce has already laid out an address data inconsistency problem that we will work through below: 

Source: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/data_quality/data_quality_getting_started?trail_id=prepare-your-data-for-ai  

In this scenario, we see a chart of Accounts By State but when we scrutinise the bars, we can see that the data is very inconsistent. California is represented by a number of different values including “Surfin’, USA” “Calif” “California” and “Cali”.

Note: the following steps are completed using the 5* application AddressTools Premium from the Salesforce AppExchange.

So let’s get to work and standardise these inconsistent values!

Select a standardised state format 

There are two formats for us to choose from for this state standardisation task: 

  • Full name – California.
  • Sub-code value – CA.

For this scenario, we will standardise our inconsistent California values to the sub-code value i.e. CA.

  • Go to the Countries tab.
  • Choose All.
  • Select Edit next to the United States country record.
  • Check Use Sub Country Code in State field.
  • Select Save.

Now we have set up our United States state values to standardise to our desired format: the sub-code value.

Enable state standardisation for an address block 

It’s time to enable standardisation. Head to the address blocks section to enable the state standardisation for listed address blocks.

  • Navigate to App Launcher | AddressTools Administration. 
  • From the sidebar, navigate to Address Blocks. 
  • Select Edit next to the address block you want to modify.
  • Scroll to Global Settings. 
  • Check Standardize State. 
  • Select Save.

 

Turn on standardisation in the package

Yes, this is different to step #2! So far we’ve set our standardisation format and enabled our address blocks for state standardisation. Now, we need to enable the master setting for standardisation functionality within the AddressTools package. 

  • Go to App Launcher | AddressTools Administration. 
  • Select Settings from the sidebar.
  • Click the pencil next to Standardization Enabled.
  • Tick the Standardization Enabled box. 
  • Select Save. 

Add the alternative state names 

So far we’ve set up our solution so that state values in the US will be standardised to the sub country code e.g. CA, TX. But right now this will only work for recognised values I.e. “California” and “Texas”. 

What about these pesky state values like “Cali” and “Surfin’ USA” that we can see on our Accounts report? 

We need to add these values to our Alternative State Names object so that our solution will accept them and standardise them too. 

Video walkthrough: How to add alternative state values

This video walks through the steps below, showing how to add alternative state values
  • Go to the Countries Object. 
  • Select United States from the Countries List.
  • Select Related then select California. 
  • Select Related then add a New Alternative State Name. 
  • Add each value e.g. “Surfin’, USA”, “Calif”, “Cali”. 
  • Select Save.

Now when we enter any of these state values, they’ll all be accepted and standardised as CA. Hello consistent address data!

Video: The results of state standardisation

Add your alternative state values to the installed State object and see how these values are accepted and standardised to the preferred value – in this instance “CA”.

Enjoy consistent address data

And there you have it! In our previous blogpost, Why bad data is bad for AI, we learned about the impact of inaccurate, biased and inconsistent data on AI and then took a closer look at the particular pitfalls of poor address data. In this article, we walked through how to standardise address data with AddressTools, solving Salesforce’s own example of inconsistent “California” state values. 

As AI tools become more accessible, and Salesforce invests more resource in its own AI offerings, the importance of high quality data only grows. 

We hope this has inspired you to continue on your data journey and we’re always on hand to help you tackle your address data in Salesforce. 

Good luck!

Resources 

When it comes to AI, it all starts with the data. If you need a place to start your AI journey, we recommend the Salesforce Trailhead Trail this example was taken from: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/trails/prepare-your-data-for-ai  

If you’re looking to skill up, Salesforce offers a certification called AI Associate which is designed for individuals already familiar with Salesforce CRM. You can learn more about it here: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/credentials/associate  

If you like the look of how we easily standardised our address data in this article, you can check out AddressTools Premium on the Salesforce AppExchange and get started with a free 2-week trial: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N30000002zt9uEAA 

PS. This post was not written by AI 😉

Prepare your data for AI: why bad data is bad for AI

by Ruth Cawdron in Data Management November 20, 2023

This blog post is an extension of the Salesforce Trailhead Trail: Prepare Your Data for AI, specifically the module Data Quality.

In this article we’re going to take a look at data quality in relation to AI – why bad data affects AI and where to begin when it comes to preparing your data for using AI in the future.

Salesforce Trailhead’s module lays out the landscape clearly: “Data quality plays a major role in shaping the outcomes and reliability of AI systems.” An article in Forbes from February 2023 puts this even more seriously: “Getting highly accurate AI model outputs relies on one thing—good quality data as the input.” 

So, data quality is not simply beneficial for the successful use of AI, it’s fundamental.

Why does bad data affect AI?

Let’s take a look at three factors contributing to poor data quality, and how these examples of bad data affect AI. At ProvenWorks, we’re experts in address data, so we’ll keep our case studies address related! Then we’ll spend the rest of this article diving into the third factor – inconsistent data.

Inaccurate data 

One obvious statement we’ll tackle first is that inaccurate data negatively affects the resulting accuracy of AI. AI models and machine learning models are dependent on high quality data if they are to perform well. If poor data is used to train AI, this will inevitably lead to inaccurate analysis and unreliable decisions. 

Case study: how inaccurate address data affects AI 

Let’s consider a practical example in the world of deliveries. For a package delivery company relying heavily on AI for optimising routes and delivery time estimates, the impact of inaccurate data is evident. Outdated or poor-quality address information within their database can lead to highly inefficient delivery routes, resulting in wasted time and fuel for drivers. Customers may experience delays or even non-delivery due to incorrect addresses, affecting the company’s reputation and potentially causing the loss of future business.

On top of this, inaccurate data also skews estimated delivery times, leading to customer dissatisfaction and damaging the delivery company’s own trust in AI technologies.

This case underscores the critical importance of prioritising data quality in AI projects, as it not only affects performance but also trust and adoption of these valuable technologies.

Biased data 

Consider the breadth of data from studies and research that is available for an AI system. What happens when this research used to train an AI system is not representative of the real world? If that sounds dramatic, consider recruitment firms that train AI with historical data that has an imbalanced ratio towards a particular sex, race, religion or sexual orientation. Data that is based off, or comes from, one majority group will inevitably affect machine learning.

Case study: how biased address data affects AI

Imagine an e-commerce company leveraging AI to make decisions on marketing strategies and product recommendations. If the company’s address data is collected predominantly from affluent neighborhoods, the AI system might recommend specific luxury products to all its customers, assuming that everyone has similar buying habits to those in affluent areas. This biased data leads to a biased representation of inaccurate and out-of-touch perceptions of customer preferences. 

Again, we see how poor data quality not only results in the business losing possible revenue but also how it damages trust in the company by alienating entire segments of its customer base.

Inconsistent data 

In general, consistency is crucial for data quality. With consistency comes patterns and with patterns come predictions. When an AI model is trained using inconsistent data, the model might be unable to identify patterns or generate precise predictions. O’Reilly’s The State of Data Quality in 2020 survey found that the most common reason AI and ML fail in the marketing sector is due to too many data sources and inconsistent data. The importance of creating greater consistency across data values, taxonomies, data structures and meta tags is clear if AI is to succeed. 

Case study: how inconsistent address data affects AI

Helpfully, Salesforce lays out its own example of inconsistent address data in the Trailhead Trail: Prepare Your Data for AI, specifically the module Data Quality.

 

In this scenario, we see a chart of Accounts By State but when we scrutinise the bars, we can see that the data is very inconsistent. California is represented by a number of different values including “Surfin’, USA”, “Calif”, “California” and “Cali”. 

How are humans, let alone AI, able to determine the true record count, and therefore business value, of California accounts when the data is so inconsistent?! 

Let’s dive deeper into this idea of data consistency. 

Consistency is key, but what actually is it?

Data consistency is a crucial attribute of data quality so it’s important we understand this dimension before we go about fixing it. 

Salesforce introduces the idea of consistent data in its Data Quality module: 

Source: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/data_quality/data_quality_assess_your_data  

As Salesforce implies above, consistency covers a range of ideas from formatting and spelling to language and taxonomy. For the rest of this article, we’re going to examine data consistency by focusing on the process of standardisation. Below we will look specifically at an example of standardisation – standardisation of address data.

What is standardisation?

Standardisation is the process of making something conform to a standard. Address standardisation therefore is the process of converting multiple known values to a single predetermined format. For example, “United States”, “USA”, “US”, and “United States of America” can each be standardised to “US”. As a result of standardisation, our data becomes consistent! 

So, standardisation is a crucial piece of functionality for organisations who want to use AI in relation to their country and state data. Afterall, we know by now that data consistency is key! 

But how do we standardise this data? 

Standardise your address data for AI 

 

How do we turn this report into something clean, consistent and useful for our business and for AI? 

There’s no doubt that consistent data is key for successfully leveraging AI. In our next article, we’ll take Salesforce’s own case study of inconsistent state data and walk through step-by-step how you can use AddressTools to solve the problem of these inconsistent California values.

Resources

When it comes to AI, it all starts with the data. If you need a place to start your AI journey, we recommend the Salesforce Trailhead Trail that the above example was taken from: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/trails/prepare-your-data-for-ai  

If you’re looking to skill up, Salesforce offers a certification called AI Associate which is designed for individuals already familiar with Salesforce CRM. You can learn more about it here: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/credentials/associate  

Now you know that bad data affects AI, it’s time to consider your own data. If you like the look of how we easily we might standardise our address data in this article, you can check out AddressTools Premium on the Salesforce AppExchange and get started with a free 2-week trial: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N30000002zt9uEAA 

PS. This post was not written by AI 😉

Navigating Dreamforce 2023: Top 10 Must–Attend Sessions

by Ravi Chudasama in News September 7, 2023

Source: https://x.com/salesforce/status/1682051282662752256?s=46&t=0kbkvwGkDZDyAPu_mz4aGQ

Get ready to mark your calendars because Dreamforce is back for 2023! It’s that time of year again where the global Salesforce community gathers for the world’s largest software conference from September 12th to 14th in San Francisco, California. With so much bustling excitement and a sea of knowledge and innovation, ProvenWorks has your back with a list of the top 10 sessions you must keep an eye out for.

The enlightening sessions aren’t all that Dreamforce 2023 offers. On the evening of Wednesday September 13th, prepare for the atmosphere to be electrified as Foo Fighters take the stage for a spectacular live performance.

And if you can’t make it to the in-person event? No worries! Salesforce has got you covered. With Salesforce+ you can experience all the magic of Dreamforce from home absolutely free. By registering through here: Salesforce+ Original Series and Events, you will unlock three full days of Dreamforce content. With 120+ on demand episodes, live sessions, keynotes, exclusive digital content and so much more, you don’t want to miss out!

Who’s Speaking at Dreamforce 2023?

Some of the brightest minds shaping our future will be at the largest and most magical AI event ever. From visionaries and AI experts to global leaders, you get the chance to hear them speak at this incredible Salesforce event.

Look forward to insights from Marc Benioff (Chair, CEO & Co-Founder of Salesforce), AI innovator Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) and even San Francisco’s very own Mayor, London Breed.

But that’s not all, joining them are award-winning celebrities such as will.i.am and Rainn Wilson adding an extra layer of glamour. Want to know more about the impressive line-up of speakers at Dreamforce 2023?

Check out the full list here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

Key Sessions to look out for at Dreamforce 2023

1. Dreamforce Main Keynote

Tuesday 12th September

10:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT

6:00pm – 8:00pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

No Salesforce event can start without the main keynote and Dreamforce is no exception. Hosted by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and a special guest, the keynote is set to kickstart the event with some inspiring words and insight into Salesforce’s latest product, Einstein GPT.

2. Automate the Customer Journey with Bots, AI & Real–Time Data

Tuesday 12th September

12:30pm – 12:50pm PDT

8:30pm – 8:50pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

Want to boost productivity within your business and reduce costs? Well, this session’s just for you! Learn how to bring intelligent automation across every channel and every part of your business from sales and marketing to service, all within a perfectly productive 20-minute session.  

3. Lightning Web Components: What’s New and What’s Coming

Tuesday 12th September

3:00pm – 3:40pm PDT

11:00pm – 11:40pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

Join the Salesforce Product Management team as they show you how you can use Lightning Web Components to make developing on Salesforce easier and more efficient. Also get a taste of what’s coming up in the roadmap and the latest features in the LWC world.  

4. Beyond the Hype: How AI can actually make our Lives Better

Wednesday 13th September

9:00am – 9:45am PDT

5:00pm – 5:45pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

So, you’ve already had a glimpse into AI with Salesforce’s Einstein GPT and Open AI’s Chat GPT, but how can these tools make our personal lives better? Don’t worry you won’t be having to battle it out with I, Robot! Instead, David Luan (CEO & CO founder, Adept AI Labs), DR. Fei Fei Li (Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University), Richard Socher (Founder & CEO, You.com) and Sam Jacobs (Editor in Chief, TIME) take us back to reality in this session to discuss the exciting opportunities available to us through AI.  

5. Study Smarter, Not Harder for Cert Prep without Burnout

Wednesday 13th September

10:30am – 10:50am PDT

6:30pm – 6:50pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

We know many of you trailblazers are probably looking to complete another certification or maybe even your first. To assist you on your journey, take onboard these key lessons for managing your work-life balance to avoid burn out. With Kate Lessard (Delivery Team Manager, Arkus Inc).  

6. Drive Business Value with Sales Metrics that Matter

Wednesday 13th September

3:00pm – 3:40pm PDT

11:00pm – 11:40pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

In this limited spaced session, become part of the circle of success with David Carnes (Chairman, OpFocus Inc) and gain the unique opportunity to network in small groups and learn how to create reliable dashboards using metrics to fit your needs.  

7. CEO Talks: Forging a Brighter Future of Work with Honest AI

Thursday 14th September

9:00am – 9:30am PDT

5:00pm – 5:30pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

Build on your AI knowledge with Dario Amodei (Co-Founder and CEO, Anthropic) and Lidiane Jones (CEO, Slack) as they discuss how to simplify, enhance and elevate productivity and business outcomes with AI.  

8. Integrate APIs Faster and Effectively with External Services

Thursday 14th September

10:00am – 10:20am PDT

6:00 – 6:20pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

CEO Saurabha Gupta (Manras) and Sixuan Chen (Software Engineer, Salesforce) invite you to join them to investigate how to integrate faster with External Services. Take a look how the feature transforms OpenAPI end points into invocable actions you can call from low code tools.  

9. How To Avoid 6 Digital Transformation Pitfalls

Thursday 14th September

2:00pm – 2:20pm PDT

10:00pm – 10:20pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

Digital transformation is essential to your business growth, however typically transformation fails due to 6 common issues. Join this short 20-minute blast on how to avoid these issues and take actionable steps for navigating these challenges.  

10. 5 ways to Ensure Trust and Security on Your E- Commerce Site

Thursday 14th September

3:30pm – 3:50pm PDT

11:30pm – 11:50pm BST

Add it to your agenda here: Dreamforce – Session Catalog (salesforce.com)

As we grow ever more digital, digital security is one of our most important tools for establishing trust. In this session join Eric Lessard (Director, Product Marketing, Salesforce) and Sid Gupta (Sr Director, Product Management, Salesforce) on best practices to ensure your e commerce site delivers trust and performance at scale.  

Dreamforce Here We Come!

As you embark on Dreamforce 2023, it’s important to remember that it’s more than just an event. Dreamforce, along with all Salesforce events, encourages attendees to share their stories and celebrate their successes within this powerful ecosystem.

The event has a key focus on learning, connecting, having fun and most importantly giving back to help local communities, becoming more sustainable and making your business a platform for change.

We hope that this ProvenWorks guide has helped set the stage for you to engage with remarkable individuals and share in the Dreamforce experience that Salesforce is renowned for!

 

About ProvenWorks

We mean it when we say we’re Salesforce experts. We work exclusively in the Salesforce ecosystem and our products are built 100% for Salesforce.

About Us

Create a public prospectus request form with address verification using Salesforce Education Cloud

by Jai Mansford in Data Management September 1, 2023

This blog will take you through the key aspects of Education Cloud to provide you with more knowledge on what you can do with Salesforce Education Cloud, Digital Experiences and our Address Verification Flow Component. The second half of this article will walk you through a use case step-by-step that brings together all of this knowledge: creating a screen flow on a digital experience for prospective students to request a prospectus to be sent to their address.

What is Salesforce Education Cloud?

Education Cloud is a platform built on Salesforce CRM aimed at the education sector, from schools through to higher education institutions like universities and colleges. This cloud is aimed at keeping students, alumni and staff connected. According to Salesforce, Education Cloud is intended to “deliver the personalised engagements, proactive advice, and connected experiences students expect”. Education Cloud has a tonne of benefits, specific to the education industry it serves. This purpose-built platform enables educational organisations to better connect students, staff, schools, districts and universities, as well as providing a 360-degree holistic view of the education journey. 💡 Check out our blogpost: ‘What is Salesforce Education Cloud and what can you do with it?’ to learn more about the benefits and use cases of Education Cloud!

Education Cloud meets Digital Experiences

A Digital Experience, also known as a DX, is a digital interaction between the organisation offering the digital experience and other users (students, families, employees, or partners). Salesforce offers Digital Experiences through Experience Cloud, which enables you to build beautifully-branded external-facing sites that are connected to your CRM. Digital Experiences can provide educational institutions with better digital interactions for students and their families:

  • Improving the student experience and retention
  • Nurturing academic health with student-centric digital experiences,
  • Increasing prospective student engagement rates at the top of funnel.

Digital Experiences can really drive success for everyone involved!

Capturing accurate data for your Education Cloud

At ProvenWorks, we believe good data is the basis of success. Data is at the heart of all institutes and it’s critical that data is accurate at point of entry. With this goal in mind, we’ve developed solutions like AddressTools. Whether you’re sending out a prospectus or tracking term-time accommodation, capturing an accurate address is critical for your operations. When addresses are inaccurate or incomplete, 41% of deliveries are delayed, and 39% simply fail. For students, receiving critical post in good time can be the difference between smoothly enrolling into education or anxiously losing grip of future plans. For colleges and universities, tracking student addresses is important for sending mail to the correct address – whether a student is at their home or term-time address. Capturing accurate addresses is essential for education institutions, and what better way than by capturing addresses at point of entry with typeahead address?

Implementing typeahead address entry into an Education Cloud’s Digital Experience

We’ve established the need for capturing accurate data when utilising Education Cloud, so how can we improve this experience for capturing addresses? Using the Address Verification Flow Component by ProvenWorks, you can:

  • reduce data entry abandonment,
  • mitigate undelivered and returned mail,
  • minimise missed opportunities,
  • and improve staff productivity by allowing them to focus on what’s important.

So, let’s explore the use case of prospective students requesting a physical prospectus. We want to make this process as easy as possible and ensure that the data we collect is verified.

The use case: a prospective student requesting a prospectus

Let’s explore how we can build a form using a screen flow for prospective students to request a prospectus which will be made public on a Digital Experience. in the following steps, we will:

  • Create a Salesforce Flow to create a new Lead and upcoming Activity to send a prospectus.
  • Utilise the Address Verification Flow Component by ProvenWorks to provide typeahead address entry to the Flow Screen.
  • Deploy the Flow to a Digital Experience.

*Note, this guide will not cover the creation of a Digital Experience but will show how to place your Flow into the DX builder. Salesforce has extensive documentation on how to configure a Digital Experience available here: Experience Cloud (salesforce.com)

Before continuing

The following steps demonstrate the value of having both AddressTools Premium and the Address Verification Flow Component installed in your Education Cloud org. To follow along with the guide you will be required to install and complete the initial installation steps for both packages, including obtaining address verification credits from the ProvenWorks team. If you don’t yet have these packages installed, don’t fret! You can still read below to understand how to quickly implement typeahead address verification into your Flow Screen and then come back to explorw the managed packages after!

Steps: Flow Creation

  1. Salesforce Setup | navigate to your Salesforce Flow
  2. New Flow | Select Screen Flow | Click Create
  3. Add New Resource | Variable
  4. API Name we used ProspectiveLead
  5. Data Type | Record
  6. Object | Lead
  7. Select Save

 

Add element

  1. Click the Add element | Screen
  2. Drag the following fields onto the Screen:
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • Optionally add any additional fields that you need to capture i.e. Mobile Number, but leave out the Address fields for now.
  1. Navigate back to Components in the panel on the right of the Screen editor.
  2. Add Address Verification by ProvenWorks into the Screen.
  3. Click on the Address Verification by ProvenWorks component to open the component parameters on the right of the interface.
  4. Scroll down the parameters and tick Manually assign variables
  5. Assign the following Values:
  6. City Value > {!ProspectiveLead.City}
  7. Country Value > {!ProspectiveLead.Country}
  8. Postal Code Value > {!ProspectiveLead.PostalCode}
  9. State/Province Value > {!ProspectiveLead.MailingState}
  10. Status Value > {!ProspectiveLead.pw_ccpro__AddressStatus__c}
  11. Street Value > {!ProspectiveLead.Street}
  12. Click Done

 

Create the Lead Record

Now that we’ve created a Flow Screen to capture the Lead’s information, we need to insert it to a new Lead record in Salesforce.

  1. Add Element | Create records
  2. Label | Create Prospective Lead
  3. API Name will auto populate
  4. Create a Record from These Values | Record | ProspectiveLead
  5. Click Done

 

Create an Associated Task

Now that we’ve created a record for the Prospective Lead, we need to create an activity to send the prospectus to the lead.

  1. Add Element | Create records
  2. Object | Task
  3. Label | Create Associated Task
  4. API Name will autopolulate
  5. New Resource | Formula | API Name TomorrowsDate
  6. Data Type | Date/Time | Formula {!$Flow.CurrentDateTime+1} Done
  7. Set Field Values for the Task: • ActivityDate < TomorrowsDate • Description < Send a prospectus • Status < Not Started • Subject < Send a prospectus • Type < Action Item • WhoId < ProspectiveLead>LeadID

 

Add a screen to notify the Prospect

It’s good practice to show a completion message after the flow has completed its processes. We’ll do this by adding another screen element at the end of the Flow. Add element

  1. Click the Add element | Screen
  2. Label | Lead Created Message
  3. API Name will autopolulate
  4. Drag display Text and display the message you desire.
  5. Click Done

 

Save the Flow

The Flow now captures Lead information, saves it to a new Lead record, then creates a related task for your internal team to follow up on. Let’s save this Flow so we can use it in our Digital Experience.

  1. Select Save
  2. Provide a Flow Label to help you identify the Flow in the future, i.e. “Prospectus Request”
  3. The Flow API Name will be auto populated, change this if required.
  4. Click Save
  5. Activate the Flow.

 

How to expose the Flow in a digital experience

  1. Salesforce Setup | Open the Digital Experience where you want prospective students to request a prospectus from in the Experience Builder, then navigate to the page that you want to add the Flow to.
  2. From the Components panel, drag the Flow component onto the page.
  3. In the property editor, select the relevant Flow.
  4. When you’re happy with the Digital Experience, press Publish.

 

Summary

We have now created a way for prospective students to easily request a prospectus via a Digital Experience, and most importantly to gather accurate address data in a fast an efficient manner.

 

AddressTools

AddressTools is our award-winning package for Salesforce to help you standardise, validate and verify your address data.

Find out more

 

Working in Tech whilst studying at University

by Ravi Chudasama in News August 30, 2023

Working part time in tech and studying at university

Thriving in both worlds: University study and part-time work in tech

Like many students, I found myself working in industries unrelated to my studies, like hospitality and retail, for financial reasons. For me, the fixed working schedules and travel costs, in addition to the challenge of balancing study with work, made it less practical to work in these industries alongside pursuing my degree.  

However, it all changed when I found a part-time job through my university careers page working for ProvenWorks, a software company and partner of Salesforce. The possibilities were limitless – working remotely, being part of the global Salesforce ecosystem, and gaining access to the most cutting-edge cloud-based technologies!  

Join me as we delve into the challenges and benefits I’ve faced along the way, sharing top tips from other part-time members of ProvenWorks on how to manage your productivity whilst studying at university in this unique industry.   

Decisions and priorities: Navigating university work commitments

As a university student, managing academic commitments is critical, often requiring tough decisions between university and work. To navigate these decisions, you must prioritise. For me, this looks like organising tasks and situations based on their urgency and importance, allowing me to focus on what truly matters.  

Let me illustrate this approach with an example. I find myself torn between a group meeting for an accounting report due at the end of the week and a weekly team meeting at ProvenWorks. 

Recognising that the accounting report takes priority given the deadline and potential repercussions, I make the decision to focus on this rather than attending the team meeting, knowing I can catch up on the meeting later as it can be recorded. This way, I’m able to prioritise my studies without neglecting my work.  

This flexibility within the tech industry clearly contrasts to the rigidness of hospitality and retail. In these sectors, students are often faced with a choice that boils down to working or not. Due to the nature of these workplaces, rearranging shifts and the need for constant staffing makes it difficult to adapt and the final decision is often left in the hands of management.  

Safeguarding your well being: Balancing work and battling burn out

Working in tech part-time has been a fantastic experience for me. As I pursue a degree in Business Management and Marketing, the Marketing Assistant role complements my studies perfectly. I get to apply my academic knowledge of marketing strategies and branding theory to practical scenarios, such as social campaigns. However, it can also be mentally draining, especially after long days of lectures and staring at my laptop.  

To ensure I stay productive and maintain a work–life balance, I set aside time for personal activities during the working week and weekend, whether it’s hitting the gym, enjoying a refreshing swim, or spending time with friends on a night out. I guarantee my world doesn’t solely revolve around the demands of part-time work, despite the significant benefits that come with the job.  

For more insights on how to achieve a balanced and productive lifestyle, check out my colleague Beth’s post: How to increase your productivity.  

Flexibility and focus: Scheduling for triumph in tech

As I’m sure many newbies to the Salesforce ecosystem will agree, there’s a huge learning curve! The demanding nature of balancing tasks and training in the tech industry, particularly within the Salesforce ecosystem, is one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a newcomer.  

To address this, ProvenWorks Marketing Assistant Sean suggests having a to-do list every day to know exactly what needs to be completed. Following a similar strategy, I use my calendar app to schedule and set deadlines for when exactly I’m going to tackle tasks and training around my university commitments. For example, I’ll schedule in time to complete a Trailhead module on data imports to prepare for an upcoming task around uploading accounts to Salesforce.  

Whilst the extent of training in tech, especially the Salesforce ecosystem, is far more demanding than hospitality and retail jobs, I’ve experienced less pressure and stress in comparison to those industries. With hospitality and retail, it’s common to receive on-the-job training, requiring you to shadow and then immediately replicate in real-time. This can be intimidating and challenging with potential for mistakes and constant pressure not to keep customers waiting.    

In comparison, training in tech offers greater flexibility, allowing you to have a better balance between work and training as you can schedule it when you want. With Trailhead, you work in demo orgs which simulate real Salesforce CRM instances. You can break down complex topics into bitesize modules, with clear step-by-step guides to tackle in your own time all for free!   

Ultimately the flexibility offered in a part-time job in tech gives me the time and resources to better understand the platform, get hands-on with the solutions, and balance work with training better.   

Strategies for success: Time management in the tech industry

Working for a Salesforce ISV partner gives me an invaluable opportunity that extends beyond the usual part-time job experience. The industry’s incredible networking opportunities with events like Salesforce World Tour London can open doors for future placements or graduate jobs, giving me a competitive advantage over many students who may not have access to such opportunities until much later.   

However, the challenge lies in ensuring there is no lack of focus on the here and now: with so much flexibility about when I complete my work and so many opportunities for networking, setting boundaries is crucial. As I’ve already said, my academics and maintaining a healthy balance between work and studying must stay a priority. An effective way of setting boundaries, prioritising my university studies and maintaining a work-life balance is to practise good time management.   

To gain insight into productive time management I asked Jai Mansford, our Support & Solution Engineer who’s also a university student, for his advice:  

“I find that communicating working hours with whoever assigns tasks to me works best. I found I was consistently free in the evenings, outside of working hours and allocated time to work on tasks that are not time constricted such as blog posts. I also do bits and pieces during the day to handle tasks that require attention during working hours when other people are online.”  

This level of flexibility and time management available in the tech industry aids students as they are still able to focus on their studies without having fixed working schedules, something that’s just not available in “regular” student jobs. By establishing boundaries between working hours and studying, Jai can dedicate sufficient time to work, university and the rest of his life.  

Thriving academically and professionally in tech

My experiences in the tech industry have proven to be an invaluable opportunity that lets me apply academic knowledge to practical scenarios within a thriving industry.   

Despite the challenges of task completion, burn out and risk of losing focus on my university degree, I and my part-time ProvenWorks colleagues can thrive both academically and professionally through dedication, effective time management and prioritisation. Our journey so far in the Salesforce ecosystem is paving the way for a promising future within the tech industry, opening doors to exciting possibilities in this dynamic space.   

To explore how you can be part of the ProvenWorks team and embark on a rewarding tech career, visit our careers page. Join us in the world of Salesforce and cloud-based technologies!  

Learn more about working at a Salesforce ISV partner

Why work for a Salesforce ISV? – ProvenWorks  

How to get a job at a Salesforce ISV – ProvenWorks  

 

Build vs. Buy: make the right decision

by Ravi Chudasama in Data Management News August 14, 2023

 

What is Build versus Buy?

The ‘build vs. buy’ debate has long been at the forefront of decision-making when it comes to implementing a software solution. Should your company invest in developing a custom solution, or purchase an existing commercial product? This discussion is particularly pertinent when considering Salesforce solutions. Salesforce, known for its flexible platform and extensive ‘AppExchange’ marketplace, offers both paths, adding unique dimensions to this decision. 

Build: developing a custom solution from scratch 

Buy: purchasing an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution from a third party 

It’s a complex decision, with numerous factors at play. This classic dilemma requires careful thought and consideration of several key factors. In this article, we’ll examine a framework of factors—implementation complexity, business requirements, budget, and solution scope—to help you understand, after weighing both sides, which approach suits your business the best. 

1. Implementation complexity 

The complexity of the project is an important consideration when deciding between building or buying a solution. Custom-built solutions are appealing because of the high level of tailoring they offer from the start, especially when non-standard processes need to be accommodated. In short, you can build a custom Salesforce solution for your unique needs. However, this comes with its own set of challenges. Creating a custom solution from scratch involves a certain level of complexity itself. Building a solution requires not only expertise in Salesforce, but also a clear understanding of your unique business processes and how any new solution can impact your wider Salesforce implementation. As you start developing your application, the complexity can easily multiply. Scope creep, unforeseen obstacles, additional testing requirements – these are all part of the building journey. And that only covers the additional build, let alone the ongoing maintenance of a solution, managing feature requests and Salesforce’s own upgrades! 

Conversely, the complexity of an implementation can be greatly reduced when you buy an existing solution. The application has already been refined over time, tested, and proven successful in real business environments, providing you with a tried-and-true solution that’s ready to deploy anytime. By buying, you can benefit from the pooled knowledge of others – the solution’s team and other customers – and reduce the risks involved with a challenging build. 

2. Business requirements 

Every business has its own special requirements. Reading the previous paragraph, you might be thinking that buying an existing solution could never meet your specific, complex needs. In other words, if your business requirements are unique or intricate, building your own solution provides the flexibility to create precisely what you want. It enables you to manage and develop a solution that grows and evolves alongside your company. However, it’s crucial to differentiate between “unique” and “commonly unique.” Many businesses believe their processes are unique when, in reality, they share many similarities with other organisations in the industry. 

Pre-built solutions are created based on industry best practices and common requirements. They cater to a wide range of needs and are continuously improved based on user feedback, ensuring their relevance and effectiveness. Although building allows you to create a solution tailored to your exact specifications, it might not necessarily be the best approach. There’s a reason that ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions have been built the way they have been! Consider your requirement – perhaps buying could be a better option. 

3. Budget

Budget is one of the most crucial factors in any business decision, and the ‘build vs buy’ debate is no exception. While ‘building’ might seem attractive since it offers financial control over a customised solution, it can easily turn into a money trap. Building a solution can end up being more costly due to the need for experienced developers, longer development cycles, and potential trial and error. Additionally, consider the long-term costs of maintaining, updating, and improving your custom solution, not to mention the time cost of writing and maintaining any onboarding and support documentation! If there’s one thing you remember, we hope you take home that the cost of building a solution always has an element of unpredictability. 

On the other hand, buying a solution can offer more financial predictability. Licensing, support, and updates are all built into the price. In addition, the speed of deployment is significantly faster with a ready-made solution, allowing you to start realising return on investment much sooner. In essence, buying offers financial predictability and reduces financial risk. 

4. Solution scope

Lastly, building a software offers a high level of customisation, but it comes with its fair share of risks. When the solution is live, it may solve short-term needs. However, what if the long-term needs for your business change over time and you are building a solution with the short–term in mind? The time and resources used to develop the software could have been wasted! 

Buying a solution eliminates this uncertainty. Since purchasing an existing solution typically offers a quicker and simpler path to user satisfaction, time to value is significantly shortened with buying. You’re investing in a solution that’s been proven effective in real-world applications. You benefit from the learnings of the companies that used the solution before you and their feedback has driven continuous improvement of the product. You also benefit from ongoing updates and enhancements made based on feedback from a community of users, ensuring the solution remains effective, relevant and futureproof. 

Conclusion

While the ‘build vs buy’ decision ultimately depends on your organisation’s unique circumstances, considering these four factors presents a compelling case for buying. In the Salesforce ecosystem, buying a solution offers reduced implementation complexity, a solution tailored to common industry needs, predictable costs, and the long-term confidence of a proven solution. 

In many cases, purchasing a Salesforce solution isn’t just the easier path, it’s the smarter one.  

Check out more from our Build versus Buy series

When does a developer recommend a managed package?

5 tips for choosing a solution on the Salesforce AppExchange

How to succeed with a Salesforce ISV partner

Cencal Dreamin’ 2022 | Build Versus Buy: Deciding What’s Right For You 

Everything you need to know about the Address Verification Flow Component (Summer ’23 Release)

by Jai Mansford in AddressTools News July 13, 2023

Please note: To leverage this component, your org must have AddressTools Premium installed from the AppExchange with Address Verification credits.

We always look to improve our products and the Address Verification Flow Component is no different! We have been hard at work enhancing the component with additional functionality to improve your user experience and up your address data game. 

Here is the list of updates we will cover in this article: 

  • Custom CSS is now available via a Salesforce Flow Screen 
  • Users no longer need “View All Custom Settings” permission enabled on their profile 
  • Additional accessibility tags have been implemented 
  • Improved search results by filtering and prioritising countries 
  • Street Line 2 parameter 
  • Release notes 
  • How to upgrade 

Custom CSS is now available via a Salesforce Flow Screen

Ensuring a Salesforce Org matches your company’s branding is important, and even more so in digital experiences. We want to ensure that you don’t need to compromise your visuals when using our flow component. We’ve made changes to simplify adding a CSS file to the component so that you no longer need to wrap it in an Aura component first.

Learn how to apply custom CSS using Additional Styles. 

Users no longer need “View All Custom Settings” permission enabled on their profile 

Previously, users required the “View All Custom Settings” permission on their profile to utilise the Address Verification Flow Component. This is now no longer a requirement; all you need to do is update the package and then the permission can be revoked. 

Additional accessibility tags have been implemented 

We believe our tools should be able to be used by everyone, and that’s why we’ve improved the accessibility tags within the flow component to make them more descriptive. 

Improved search results by filtering and prioritising countries 

We understand how important it is to provide the most relevant results first when looking up an address. That’s why we’ve implemented ‘Top Priority Country’ to help promote the best results, saving the user time and reducing keystrokes.

Here is how to implement this feature. 

Street Line 2 parameter

Adding Street Line 2 provides the flow component with the ability to split the street responses across 2 fields. This feature means it is easier to comply with strict character limits you might face. Street Line 2 is now available in the Address Verification Flow Component.

Here is our guide on how to enable 2 Street Line Address. 

Release Notes

To see the full list of enhancements and improvements, please refer to the Release Notes. 

How to Upgrade

To access the new features, you will need to upgrade the Address Verification Flow Component package. You can upgrade your version of the AddressTools Verification Flow Component by installing the latest package from the AppExchange. 

Upgrade now

Address Verification Flow Component: Display Company Name in Address

by Jai Mansford in AddressTools June 20, 2023

Prerequisites

  • The AddressTools Flow Component is installed in your organisation, find it here on the AppExchange.
  • The AddressTools Flow Component will need to be in a Screen-Flow before starting the configuration. If you need to add the component to a Screen-Flow, the steps of how to achieve this can be found here.

Display Company Name in Address

  • Navigate to your Salesforce Flow in Salesforce Setup
  • Click the Address Verification by ProvenWorks component that you previously setup.
  • Ensure that Return Company in Street is set to {!$GlobalConstant.True}.

Back to the Address Verification Flow Component installation walkthrough

Join ProvenWorks at World Tour London

by Ruth Cawdron in News June 16, 2023

We’re excited to share that ProvenWorks is attending World Tour London on Thursday 29th June! Whatever your role in the Salesforce ecosystem, we know there will be something here for everyone.

What is World Tour London?

Salesforce describes World Tour London:

“World Tours are flagship Salesforce events around the world that help people connect, learn and be inspired. Expect to hear not only about technology, but also what is possible for your company and your career.

At the full day in-person event there’ll be over 70 sessions of content geared towards helping everyone succeed, you’ll have the chance to explore demo booths, industry specific content, and hear from Trailblazers from across the UK and Ireland. Friends for life have been made at World Tours!

There’s always a surprise element to World Tours, and this year will be no different, with special guests and entertainment.”

As usual, this year’s World Tour London will be taking place at the ExCeL, London all day on Thursday 29th June.

Join ProvenWorks at World Tour London

We’re always excited to meet up with other trailblazers in the Salesforce ecosystem. Whether you want to learn more about the role ISV Partners like us play in the ecosystem, learn more about how our solutions empower users to become data heroes, or chat about Salesforce more generally, we’d love to see you at World Tour London!

Why not schedule in some time in advance using our contact form? Just reference “World Tour” in your message and one of us will get in touch to schedule some time!

Let’s chat at World Tour 🚀
 

About ProvenWorks

We mean it when we say we’re Salesforce experts. We work exclusively in the Salesforce ecosystem and our products are built 100% for Salesforce.

About Us

Unleash your productivity potential: ProvenWorks takes on London’s Calling and empowers Salesforce professionals with game-changing hacks

by Ravi Chudasama in News June 14, 2023

Held annually in London, London’s Calling is a prestigious event that connects Salesforce professionals from around the world. The conference serves as a platform for thought leaders and pioneers to share their knowledge and innovative solutions in the Salesforce ecosystem. The highly anticipated event gathers attendees for a vibrant day of learning, networking and getting up to date with the latest trends and advancements across the Salesforce community. The event saw speakers, sponsors as well as the much-anticipated Demo Jam competition where eight Salesforce ISVs battle it out to be crowned champion.

💡 Watch Ruth and Damian’s demo jam from London’s Calling 2022 showing off SimpleImport by ProvenWorks!

Again, ProvenWorks took to the stage at London’s Calling on Friday, releasing a whirlwind of Salesforce productivity superpowers. Led by our very own Beth Clements, a Salesforce maestro and co-leader of the Manchester Salesforce User Group, Beth’s session shared game-changing insights to transform your working day and conquer the productivity game.

Preparation is the key to unlocking your productivity potential

Did you know employees spend five hours a week waiting to hear back from other people? At ProvenWorks we understand the value of time, so we shared invaluable insights to help you reclaim those precious hours. During interviews with industry experts Beth uncovered powerful methods:

  • Elisa Edmondson, Business Systems analyst at AMAROK found making detailed notes on each project is great preparation as you can jump back in without reinventing the wheel.

Master the productivity game

Beth revealed an eye-opening truth: it takes an average of 23 minutes to regain focus after a distraction. Her approach to combat this involves establishing a general focus for the month and then breaking it down into weekly and daily objectives. Drawing on insights from accomplished professionals we heard one of their strategies:

  • Mike Davis, Chief Revenue Officer at Invisory, emphasised the importance of following your own productivity timeline.

Achieve peak performance with prioritisation

Prioritisation is key to peak performance. Beth as an Operations Director knows the value of efficient scheduling. Here is an example of a strategy shared by our experts that high performing individuals use: 

  • JP Legget the CEO of Squivr, stressed the power of prioritising tasks by leveraging his calendar.

Self care and vulnerability: a winning combination

At ProvenWorks, we understand that productivity extends beyond work. Happy employees exhibit higher job performance, increased efficiency, and enhanced effectiveness. Our experts shared this insight:

  • Ben McCarthy, Managing Director of Salesforce Ben, kickstarts his brain and body with a refreshing morning walk, emphasising the importance of self-care.

Elevate your workspace for maximum productivity

Recognising the impact your workspace, 60% of remote workers stressed the importance of a dedicated space for optimal productivity. ProvenWorks encourages you to mix it up and find new ways to liven up your workspace, boosting your productivity.

 

Read the full session

You can read Beth’s full speech, capturing every detail of the enlightening session here.

Learn more

 

Join us at Salesforce World Tour London

Events season is only just beginning! We’re excited to announce our presence at Salesforce World Tour London on 29th June in the ExCeL Centre. Join us and the rest of the Salesforce community for a day of learning from industry leaders and discovering solutions that can help you unlock your true productivity potential. Together, lets embark on an adventure towards exceptional productivity.