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Category: News
Our managed import lightning component allows you to drag and drop an importing widget into any Salesforce Lightning App Page, as well as a Salesforce Partner Community.
PhoneTools now supports Salesforce Lightning, check it out here to see all the features!
Is your sales team in danger of making illegal calls? Check out this article to see how we can help you in your Salesforce Org.
Applications are continuously improved with new functionality, bug fixes, and enhancements, but most packages do not automatically push these updates to your organization. It’s important to upgrade your applications to ensure you’re making the most out of your solution! Here are our top tips for upgrading a package from the Salesforce AppExchange.
The Salesforce ecosystem is full of quality applications available on the AppExchange. They can be a great addition to your organization.
Why are applications useful?
- They can offer desirable functionality that isn’t provided by out-of-the-box Salesforce.
- They are often more cost-effective than custom development.
- They are managed by the vendor. It’s their job to support you so you can focus on your goals.
Many of these applications are continuously improved with new functionality, bug fixes, and enhancements, but most packages do not automatically push these updates to your organization. So it’s important to stay up to date with the package provider to ensure you’re making the most out of your solution!
To make this process as smooth as possible, here are our four easy steps to upgrade a package from the Salesforce AppExchange.
1. Check if your AppExchange app has an update available
Check the package version
The first thing to do is work out what version you have installed in your environment. To do this, log into your organization and go to Salesforce Setup. Using the quick find, type “Installed Packages” and click through.
You will see a row in the table for the installed product and a column that contains the Version Number (see below). Now navigate to the AppExchange listing or contact the package provider and find out what the latest version is.
Check the release notes
Most packages will have release notes available. You can usually find these via the company’s website. Release notes are helpful to understand what has changed in the latest versions of the product and they can also identify whether there is a required upgrade path. In some cases, they may also specify whether any changes are needed to the configuration after upgrading.
2. Upgrade your AppExchange package into a Sandbox
We’ve said it to our customers a thousand times: always upgrade in your Sandbox first! We recommend using a Full or Partial Sandbox so that it is as similar to Production as possible. If you’re not sure what a Sandbox is, check out this helpful post by KeyNode Solutions.
Why upgrade in a Sandbox? It’s because a package cannot be downgraded after an upgrade. Yes you read that correctly. So a Sandbox gives you a chance to review the upgrade before it is deployed into your production environment.
To get started, you’ll need to be logged into the AppExchange and go onto the listing that you would like to upgrade. Make sure you have logged into your Sandbox in another tab already, as that will be the Sandbox the AppExchange will install into. After clicking Get it now on the listing, it will then show you the window below. Click Install in a Sandbox and follow the instructions’
It will look as though you are installing a new trial. However, in a Sandbox you are given access for all internal users to use the application and the license doesn’t expire. Once you have agreed to the terms and conditions, you can click Confirm and Install.
Note: if you have been given a direct install link for an application, the URL should look like this: test.salesforce.com/.
3. Test! Test! Test!
Now the package has been upgraded in your Sandbox, you should test all your business cases to ensure the upgrade doesn’t have any undesirable impact.
- If you have any automated tests, run them and check they all pass.
- If you’re a small business with limited to no automated tests, kindly ask one of your power users if they can give it a once over in the Sandbox.
- Remember, once it’s in production you cannot downgrade the package!
Package providers will have their own tests built into the package, but some packages can span thousands of different use cases, so whilst their tests can cover the vast majority of functionality, some organizations may encounter issues.
Have an issue?
If you do have problems with a package, do not deploy the changes to your Production yet. Contact the package provider’s support for assistance. When you have a working version and your tests have passed in Sandbox, you’re ready to move on!
4. Upgrade your AppExchange app into Production
After a successful testing cycle in your Sandbox, you are ready to upgrade into Production!
Go back to the AppExchange listing and use the Get it now button. If you’re in direct communication with the package provider, they may provide you with a direct link for the installation. For a production environment, it will begin with login.salesforce.com/.
Follow the same steps as before and confirm the Username is the correct one for the organization that you’re installing into. This is helpful if you manage multiple environments.
What if I’ve paid for the application?
Don’t worry! If the product is paid for, your licenses will automatically carry over after the upgrade has completed so there will be no additional requirements to re-assign licenses.
What if the application upgrade required configuration changes?
If there were any configuration changes, ensure that they are either deployed to the organization after the package upgrade or manually change them once the upgrade is complete.
And that’s it! You’re ready to rumble with your new upgrade!
We eat our own dog food. Here’s a customer success story with a twist… because it’s our own story!
We eat our own dog food. Here’s a customer success story with a twist… because it’s our own story!
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many industries hard. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, some of the worst affected industries such as accommodation, retail and food services shrank by as much as 90% in the opening months of the financial year 2021 (FY21).
Although the technology sector was less acutely impacted by the pandemic than many other industries, at ProvenWorks we have clients across the most adversely impacted sectors. It was important that we tailored our approach in FY21 in order to meet our customers’ needs. By using IndustryComplete for Salesforce, we were able to do just that!
In fact, we made FY21 our most successful year to date.
So what happened? And how did IndustryComplete help our business not just survive but thrive during COVID-19?
ProvenWorks before COVID-19
Before the pandemic, we based our renewals targets and forecasts on gut feel rather than data. We managed with this heuristic approach, despite our forecasts not always being as accurate as they potentially could be.
When notifying our customers about their upcoming renewals, we gave all of our clients the same notice before their licenses were due to expire, regardless of the industry in which the client operated.
The pandemic creates global business uncertainty
When the business world was shaken up by COVID-19 in early Spring 2020, many of our clients, particularly in sectors such as hospitality and retail, were understandably struggling with cash flow.
Suddenly, gut feel predictions based on clients’ previous purchasing behaviour were no longer sufficient to accurately forecast renewals revenue. Also, our blanket notice period before a customer’s license expiry date may have become inadequate for clients to gain purchasing approval due to procurement constraints.
As a consequence, we experienced fresh challenges in managing our own cash flow, quantifying the necessary investment in lead generation in order to hit sales targets, and assessing the time that renewal opportunities would take to close.
An industry data-enabled solution
We realized that the solution to overcoming these obstacles was right there — Salesforce industry data!
1. Our existing industry data was ready to work with
By ‘eating our own dog food’ and harnessing the power of IndustryComplete in our Salesforce org, we have always ensured that we have accurate and standardized industry values across our accounts.
Thanks to IndustryComplete, adding industry data to our accounts has been quick and painless. We have customised our org using the IndustryComplete component so that only those industries that contain specific keywords appear on the industry search. This way, when a member of our ProvenWorks sales team identifies a hot new lead and creates an account in our Salesforce org, they can be certain that they’ve selected the right industry value in no time at all.
2. We could quickly adjust and add additional industry values
What’s more, we have capitalized on IndustryComplete’s new feature of allocating a primary industry value to those accounts which operate in multiple sectors. This feature has been so useful during the pandemic as businesses are forced to diversify to survive. For example, we were able to re-prioritize the industry value for a firm that used to earn the majority of its revenue in the Retail industry, but now earns the bulk of its revenue in the Electronics industry. This account now appears with an industry value of ‘Electronics’ on our renewals reports.
3. We could predict renewals income based on exact industry distribution
We used our account industry data to more accurately forecast our customers’ likelihood of renewal and therefore our own guaranteed renewal income. Our greater understanding of our cash inflow meant that we could fine tune our budget across the business, including budgeting for acquiring new customers.
4. We could better support clients in struggling industries
We were able to alter our renewals approach for our clients in struggling industries, understanding that their purchasing processes may have been impacted by the pandemic. By giving these customers longer notice before their licenses expired, we were able to keep our renewal rate high and maintain our commitment to customer success.
Moving forward with IndustryComplete
As optimism starts to emerge in the business world once again, we plan to further utilize industry values in our reporting and analysis. Whether it be through investigating retention rates by industry, analysing sectors with opportunities for sales growth or identifying industries in which to launch targeted marketing campaigns, IndustryComplete has enabled us to shape our business strategy more concretely around industry data.
I’ve got a question about IndustryComplete?
Get in touch with us via email here! Our team is more than happy to answer any queries: info@provenworks.com
A little bonus…
If you made it this far… congratulations! Why not stick around for one more minute, enjoy your coffee and find out a little bit more about IndustryComplete? Watch our video.
We’ve given SimpleImport’s Managed Import Lightning component a new look with a redesigned user interface.
We’ve given SimpleImport’s Managed Import Lightning component a new look with a redesigned user interface
We’ve given SimpleImport’s Managed Import Lightning component a new look with a redesigned user interface. The new Managed Import component is easier to use than ever before with the ability to import your records in just two clicks via any configured Lightning Page or Community Cloud Digital Experience.
Let’s take a look at the new Managed Import component in action.
1. Designed for quick user adoption
Built on the Salesforce Lightning Design System, the new interface results in quicker user adoption as the solution is presented with hand-picked elements, carefully placed to feel natural to the end user.
2. Track your import progress
Introducing automated Path Progression! The live path updates so that import progress bars and dynamic results present exact information as the import is taking place. Say goodbye to the endless looping loading wheel and remove the guesswork of how long your import job has left
3. No more hyperlinks!
We’ve added dedicated actions for downloading result files and reverting an import. Import mistakes can now be reverted through the press of a button. No more hyperlinks – goodbye 2000s!
4. Responsive sizing
Whether you’re big or small, we’ve got your back (for clarity, we’re talking about your screen size). The responsive design now means the component looks great in any shape and size!
5. Perfect for Salesforce Digital Experiences
Did you know our Managed Import component supports Digital Experiences (formerly known as Communities)? The new user interface is streamlined, sleek and succinct which means this user-friendly interface is ideal for all of your partner-facing import needs!
How do I update my Managed Import component?
All you have to do to enjoy our new Managed Import interface is update SimpleImport to the latest version. Install the latest version of SimpleImport or try it for yourself here.
I want to try out Managed Import for myself!
Great news! Managed Import is a feature of SimpleImport Premium. Try it today for free on the AppExchange.
I’ve got a question about Managed Import?
Feel free to contact us via email, our team is more than happy to answer any queries: info@provenworks.com.