The Salesforce Admin s Guide to Document Generation

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Ruby Hardy
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1 The Salesforce Admin s Guide to Document Generation 1

2 Contents What is document generation? 1 When is document generation needed? 2 Document Generation Key Stakeholders 4 Document Generation Starting Strategy 6 Do Your Research 8 Making the Business Case for Document Generation 10 Conclusion 12 2

What is document generation? Document generation is the process of automatically producing a file. Information in the file is populated without any user interaction.

3 What is document generation? Document generation is the process of automatically producing a file. Information in the file is populated without any user interaction. Typically the document created has a mixture of static and dynamic information. Document generation is synonymous with document automation, document creation or document assembly. Document generation allows data from a customer relationship management system (CRM) to be put into a useable format. Printing a web screen or taking screen shots of a CRM record is not ideal. A CRM holds a wealth of information and document generation tools allow users to take that information and create documents with both visual appeal and function. The Aberdeen Group reports companies who automate proposal, quote and contract processes spend more than 2 hours less on each document and deliver more than double the number of proposals and/or quotes to customers/ prospects per sales rep, per month. aberdeen.com/research/8433/rb-sales-effectiveness-enablement/content.aspx 1

When is document generation needed? When effort is frequently spent dealing with the situations listed below, it likely makes sense to pursue a document generation solution.

4 When is document generation needed? When effort is frequently spent dealing with the situations listed below, it likely makes sense to pursue a document generation solution. 1 Copying and pasting to create document content wastes valuable employee time Any time an individual is manually creating a document there is a chance for error. Document formatting can be lost or altered, text/characters might be omitted or extraneous text might be missed. While copying and pasting takes less time than creating a document from scratch, it s still an inefficient process. With document generation programs, a template is utilized, eliminating the need to copy and paste, preventing errors and saving time. Consider the snowball effect of sending the wrong invoice document. The customer receives the invoice with the incorrect amount and pays this erroneous amount. Accounting now has to spend time resolving the payment issue by issuing a new invoice, processing a refund or tracking down the remaining balance. The customer has to spend time processing a new invoice and either wait for the refund or issue additional payment. Not an efficient use of time and resources for either party. 2

2 Inconsistent document formatting/branding creates poor company reputation Distributing documents with consistent formatting and branding conveys a sense of professionalism.

5 2 Inconsistent document formatting/branding creates poor company reputation Distributing documents with consistent formatting and branding conveys a sense of professionalism. Short of manually checking every document users circulate externally, it s virtually impossible to guarantee documents created by multiple users have the same look and feel and proper branding. Users may have an outdated template or forget to use the appropriate version for the situation. With a document generation solution template versions can be managed and often pre-defined, ensuring the correct and current version is distributed to customers. 3 Inability to track documents prevents visibility to sales cycle Was a proposal sent one week ago? Or was it two weeks? Did the proposal contain the new pricing structure? Trying to quickly answer these questions can prove challenging. Searching through sent s and local computer drives is time-consuming. Worse still, what if the individual who sent the document is out of the office and the customer has questions now? Many document generation products offer the ability to save a copy of the document directly in the CRM, enabling everyone to see the date and time the document was created and sent, as well as reference the document contents. According to Sterling Commerce, moving from manual, paper-based invoice processes to fully automated, electronic invoice processing reduces errors by 37%. ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/commerce/sc0848_e-invoicing_wp.pdf 3

Document generation key stakeholders Securing buy-in and input is important for any project, especially for document generation where multiple departments have a stake in the final solution.

6 Document generation key stakeholders Securing buy-in and input is important for any project, especially for document generation where multiple departments have a stake in the final solution. It s smart to involve certain individuals and business units when considering document generation solutions. CRM administrator This individual holds the permissions necessary for installing and configuring new CRM applications. At the same time, he/she also understands the data structure of the CRM what information exists and where the information lives in the system. The CRM administrator can determine if the document generation application can meet the needs of the organization, as well as whether he/she can manage the configuration of the application or if additional assistance from a consulting partner will be needed. End users Any individual utilizing the document generation solution on a daily basis will have a list of requirements. Gathering feedback and information from end users will ensure the solution created is comprehensive. Providing a solution that addresses the needs of end users should result in increased user adoption of document generation and often of the CRM as well. Definitely involve end users as well as the manager of the end users in discussions surrounding document generation solutions. 4

7 Marketing Having the ability to distribute documents with the proper format and branding is essential to marketing. Since this team will want to work on the look and feel of the documents being created, invite this group to conversations surrounding document generation products. It s important marketing has the opportunity to understand document customization capabilities. If marketing has a grand vision for the document design, but the document generation application can t support the layout it s important to manage the expectations of the marketing team. At the same time, the document generation application might provide functionality that the marketing team didn t even know was possible. Legal Accustomed to constant approvals, this team might be surprised to discover document generation tools allow for a reduced workload for legal. Legal only needs to approve the document generation templates once per initial creation or modification. Document generation eliminates the need for users to modify or edit the created documents since the data is populated automatically. The final output can be locked in a non-editable format, upon creation, providing peace of mind for the legal team. Security Invite security/compliance to take a look at the document generation application(s) under consideration. Many CRMs perform security reviews of compatible applications, but it s always a good idea to perform an internal review to ensure security/compliance can greenlight the product. Involve security/compliance early on so time isn t spent pursuing a document generation application that won t satisfy security/ compliance standards. 5

8 Document Generation Starting Strategy When taking a closer look at document generation products, formulate a strategy for deployment. Having a game plan that all stakeholders agree on will make the evaluation process go smoother. Identify all use cases Most document generation solutions offer the flexibility to create documents necessary for a variety of use cases. Popular use cases include: Invoices & Receipts Proposals Quotes Contracts Account Plans Reports & Charts Pick a starting use case Consider which use case has the potential for the greatest impact on business processes. Starting with the most impactful use case may provide an ROI that will justify the other use cases. Alternatively, start with a use case for a team of early adopters to build momentum behind the document generation initiative. 6

Requirements gathering Spend time thinking through must-haves for document generation solutions. What information will be included in documents and what will the documents look like?

9 Requirements gathering Spend time thinking through must-haves for document generation solutions. What information will be included in documents and what will the documents look like? Determine if additional CRM applications might be necessary, and if so, do the document generation solutions under consideration offer integration with those additional applications. Maybe an e-signature application would be beneficial for a contract or quote generation solution. In other situations, integration with a document management/ storage application might prove useful. 7

Do your research A variety of document generation providers exist. While the key functionality offered among different providers may be similar, it s important to take other factors into account.

10 Do your research A variety of document generation providers exist. While the key functionality offered among different providers may be similar, it s important to take other factors into account. How does pricing compare? What sort of customer support is available and what is the average response time? How userfriendly/intuitive is the product? With key criteria and questions in mind, you re ready to start evaluating vendors. There are several sources of information to consider. Read reviews CRMs typically offer an online app store listing compatible applications. Visit the listing for the applications under consideration and check out reviews and overall ratings. Online communities Most CRMs provide online forums for users to discuss functionality and features of the system as well as compatible applications. Search the community for a relevant conversation. Be sure to reference the date of the question posted in addition to the responses. Application functionality typically increases over time so an older posting may no longer contain accurate information. If no recent threads are found searching the community, post a new topic with questions. Keep the post succinct, but include specific details to obtain a relevant answer and save unnecessary back-and-forth communication. 8

User groups Find a local CRM user group by researching online. Many user groups hold quarterly or monthly events and often feature guest presentations from CRM applications.

11 User groups Find a local CRM user group by researching online. Many user groups hold quarterly or monthly events and often feature guest presentations from CRM applications. User groups offer yet another outlet for learning about document generation applications from peers. There s a good chance members of the user group have heard about the document generation application(s) under consideration or may even currently use a document generation application. LinkedIn A wealth of information exists on LinkedIn. With so many different groups to join on LinkedIn, it s worth taking a look to find out what options are available. Consider a group with members who use an applicable CRM or just peruse the company pages for relevant document generation solutions. Watch/request a demo Most document generation applications will have an on-demand demo video on the company s website, YouTube or on the application s listing in the CRM app store. For a more personalized demo, contact the company directly. Test drive Find out if the document generation application offers a free trial and determine if the trial version offers full functionality. If IT/the system administrator is hesitant to install the application in the company s CRM, consider signing up for a free version of the CRM. Test the document generation application in the free version of the CRM, building out a full proof of concept if necessary. 9

Making the business case for document generation When making the case for implementing document generation, present not only the application, but also the business impact.

12 Making the business case for document generation When making the case for implementing document generation, present not only the application, but also the business impact. It s a good idea to quantify the potential as well as show the impact others have realized. Present relevant case studies to demonstrate the value of the document generation application under review. Many document generation companies provide a variety of case studies on the corporate website. Choose case studies from companies in a similar industry with a comparable use case. When possible, try to locate case studies for companies of a similar size as well. Selecting case studies with the greatest number of parallels ensures relatability. Show the improvement the document generation solution provides. Measure the number of steps involved in the prior way of creating documents as compared to the steps involved in the document generation solution. Or set up a quick demo race for a side-by-side comparison. Have one individual go through the process of creating documents using the old method while at the same time another individual creates documents using the document generation application. Let people see the value of the document generation application with their own eyes. 10

Consider time savings achieved by the document generation product. Not only can individuals save minutes or hours in his/ her day, but what else can these people achieve with that new found time?

13 Consider time savings achieved by the document generation product. Not only can individuals save minutes or hours in his/ her day, but what else can these people achieve with that new found time? Would the sales team spend Monday mornings preparing proposals for the upcoming week before introducing the document generation solution? Can the sales team now spend that time following up on new opportunities? Here are two common calculations to demonstrate business impact. TIME SAVINGS # of times document generated x (manual time time with document generation) = time savings for use case COST SAVINGS hour savings employee hourly rate cost savings x = for use case Make things simple for the end user. Automate as much as possible and provide user training. People can be resistant to something new and different, but win support by taking time to convey the value and ease of use. Be sure to follow up after the initial launch of the document generation solution. End users may have discovered additional use cases or options for further automation. It s important to make sure users are still happy and that adoption of the new solution is successful and long term. Go Energy saves $150,000 annually by automating its proposal process with Conga Composer. 11

Conclusion Document generation applications save companies time, mistakes and money. Involve key players in the evaluation process from the start and formulate a plan.

14 Conclusion Document generation applications save companies time, mistakes and money. Involve key players in the evaluation process from the start and formulate a plan. Be sure to identify objectives early on, including use cases and additional integration necessary. With a variety of applications to choose from, spend time researching which application is the best fit. Harness the power of document automation and be a hero! 12

Document generation solutions to scale your business You bought Salesforce to be more efficient why are you still manually creating proposals, contracts, invoices, account plans?

15 Document generation solutions to scale your business You bought Salesforce to be more efficient why are you still manually creating proposals, contracts, invoices, account plans? Conga Composer can automate virtually any documents, presentation or report from Salesforce so you can get back to closing deals. TRY IT NOW Conga Americas Global Headquarters 390 Interlocken Crescent Suite 500 Broomfield, Colorado Copyright 2016 Conga 13

Solving your document problem

1 Solving your document problem Contents The new face of sales 1 What sales reps are really doing with their time 2 Sales documents and the problems they cause 3 Solution: Document generation 5 How document