Efficient document generation underpins the success of major business deals, sales proposals, quotes, and so much more! Integrating your document generation with Salesforce should be a no-brainer – it guarantees razor-accurate data entry, enhanced automation capabilities, and a 360-degree view of every customer and prospect.
In this article, we first explain why automated document generation is important, before providing an overview of Salesforce’s document generation capabilities. We also delve into some use cases that you can implement using document generation for Salesforce, as well as a tool that could help your processes.
Why Is Automated Documentation Generation Important?
Why is automated document generation so important in any case? Well, it can save you hours of manual work every week and ensure standardization across all your most important business documents such as contracts, invoices, and balance sheets.
Without consistency and automation across these documents, your business risks data entry mistakes and human error. Similarly, deals can be significantly slowed down. You can eliminate errors and speed up business by drawing on the gold standard of customer data: Salesforce!
What Is Automated Document Generation in Salesforce?
First up, it’s important to bear in mind that there is a crucial difference between document creation and generation:
- Document creation: The manual process of creating and formatting documents.
- Document generation: An automated process of creating docs via combining templates and a data source.
Using Salesforce’s native document generation capabilities, you can generate a quote in PDF format. You can also email this quote or attach it to a record in Salesforce.
However, Salesforce’s Doc Gen functions have the following limitations:
- You can only generate a document for a quote object and a quote line item. This capability is not available for other objects.
- The template gives you the ability to bring in fields from Salesforce related to the quote, but the documents are not fully dynamic as you cannot send data back to your CRM.
- Salesforce’s native document generation doesn’t automatically integrate with a signing solution. In addition, Salesforce does not have a native signing tool.
- These templates are not compatible with Right-to-Left Script.
Of course, you can get document generation for Salesforce via coding, but this will involve considerable time, energy, and funds being sunk into custom development. If your organization has the resources and bandwidth for this, then great! If not, it might make sense to look for alternatives on the AppExchange that empower you to integrate with Salesforce and generate documents with flexibility and speed.
Top Salesforce Doc Gen Use Cases
Whether you choose to invest in custom development or in a third-party tool on the AppExchange, thousands of use cases are unlocked when you implement Salesforce for document generation. Check out some of the top use cases below to find out what you can achieve with Document Generation for Salesforce.
Application Tracking
Many large organizations use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to streamline the recruitment and onboarding process. In this process, applicants are asked to fill in key demographic, legal, and insurance information to ensure they are correctly tracked in the system.
How can Doc Gen for Salesforce solve this use case?
- You can set up applicant forms and format them. Choosing a solution that enables you to integrate with tools like Microsoft Word makes things easier.
- In this case, you could simply insert fields into Word along with the Salesforce record you wish to pull information from. After this, test and preview your form.
- Once the form is published, you’ll want the ability to have it represented in Salesforce. Using a third-party tool or development, you can generate your doc by simply clicking a button next to your chosen object.
- With the right Doc Gen solution, you can host an application form on your portal, send applicants a URL via email, or send out your form via any other communication channel used by your org.
- You can also send one or multiple documents from Salesforce to an applicant’s email.
- This form comes pre-filled with applicant data from Salesforce. Applicants can enter all relevant details.
- Each time the applicant enters their details, they should be able to write to Salesforce in real time. The information syncs to Salesforce next to the relevant contact.
- Once the form is filled in, applicants can sign the documents. After this, documents are attached to the record in Salesforce along with a tracking log.
- To successfully implement this use case, you will need to integrate your document generation with a signing tool for Salesforce. Getting the two functions to work in synergy is a game changer for managing document generation processes.
Create Fillable PDFs for W-9 Forms
Working with W-9 tax forms can be challenging, particularly considering these forms contain multiple and complex fields.
How can Doc Gen for Salesforce solve this use case?
- Start off by downloading your W-9 Tax Form.
- A robust Doc Gen tool will allow you to set up a fillable PDF by simply dragging and dropping fields on your downloaded W-9 Tax Form.
- Next, this form can be triggered in Salesforce with a simple button and sent to an email for signing.
As soon as the document is opened via email, it says “viewed” in Salesforce. The admin is also able to view important information such as the date and time at which the document was opened.
- From the signer’s perspective, it is easily filled in with dynamic and interactive fields before being signed.
- Once the W-9 form is signed, it is sent back to Salesforce along with a tracking log, including relevant information such as IP address along with dates and times indicating when the document was opened and signed.
Gift Receipts
Many nonprofit and smaller organizations are looking for the ability to click a button and generate a PDF of a donation receipt in Salesforce. This can save manual time wasted on old-school printing and hand-signing of donation receipts.
How can Doc Gen for Salesforce solve this use case?
- Purchase or develop a tool that enables you to generate a PDF file from any object in Salesforce.
- Once implemented, this can be done at the touch of a button.
- Ideally, you also want an easy-to-use preview button where you can check all the crucial information such as “gift date”, “amount”, “item”, and much more.
- For example, you can visit a list of Opportunities in Salesforce, select one or multiple records, and generate one or multiple PDFs. Here, you should have options; you can either generate individual PDFs per donation receipt or include all donation receipts in a single PDF.
- You should also have the ability to choose multiple templates and merge them into one document or download them individually.
This document should be downloadable and printable, and can also be emailed to you. Store it in Salesforce or your desktop depending on your preference.
Grant Request Form PDF
Nonprofits can save time and resources by sending applicants a Grant Assistance Form by simply clicking a button. The Nonprofit organization and the applicant would need to sign this form containing the amount of the grant, the purpose of the request, the name of the organization, and contact information.
How can Doc Gen for Salesforce solve this use case?
- Click a button to generate a Grant Request Form.
- This can be generated off any Object in Salesforce.
- This is then sent for signature from Salesforce to the applicant’s email.
- The applicant can open the email, fill in the form, check boxes, sign the document, and send it back to Salesforce.
- You can either draw or pre-select a signature.
- Once you click Finish, this information will all be sent back to Salesforce and you will be able to view this document as an attachment on your record.
- You will also be able to view a tracking log attached with information on when the document was signed (and by who).
- The right Doc Gen tool will integrate seamlessly with signing processes. If you wish to collaborate on the document, you should be able to leverage the power of a CLM tool.
- Multiple and Dynamic Signers should be supported throughout the process.
Quote Line Item
A quote line item is when a particular item, such as a service or product, is listed on a quote. This helps to break down the quote to include specific details of price per item, description of included products and services, and the quantity of the item being purchased.
The good news is that when it comes to quotes, you can use Salesforce native functionality to generate PDFs.
How can Doc Gen for Salesforce solve this Use Case?
- Push a button to generate quotes containing quote line items.
- A document will be generated containing all of the most up-to-date information from Salesforce.
- The document can then be sent from Salesforce to the client’s email where they can view a detailed breakdown of the quote and make sure they are happy with the items included.
- This quote can be signed and sent back to Salesforce (where all information is logged and tracked transparently) via integration with a signing tool.
- The advantages of generating a quote from Salesforce are that you can automate the entire process, ensure razor-sharp data entry, and track the quotation process from start to finish.
Generating Badges
If you have ever attended an important event, you will know that badges are an important form of identification. Including scannable barcodes on these badges ensures officials can quickly check registration status, as well as find out key information about an attendee in seconds.
How can Salesforce Doc Gen solve this Use Case?
- With the power of Salesforce, you can pull the most up-to-date information on an attendee when designing your badge.
- Ideally, you should be able to bring attendee data into a pre-configured badge template.
- After this, it is possible to generate this doc by simply clicking a button in Salesforce.
Choose a tool that enables you to generate in bulk so you can print badges for multiple attendees. - It is also a good idea to use a solution that generates a barcode on the badge.
- When an attendee arrives at the event, all of their information is easily scannable.
Field Service Lightning: Masked Restoration Report
In FSL (Field Service Lightning), you might sometimes need a Masked Restoration Report to hide certain sensitive fields. This is a mass-generation report that repeats multiple records.
How does Salesforce Doc Gen solve this Use Case?
- Once you have determined which fields are sensitive, you can configure field security via the Salesforce Setup menu and navigate to Fields and Relationships.
- After this, it is up to you to set masking rules via conditional logic or formula fields.
- Once you are satisfied, you should be able to generate this document at the touch of a button.
You might want to set up automations for distribution such as scheduling times for when to send out this report.
Titan’s Dynamic Salesforce Doc Gen Tool
If you have been browsing the AppExchange looking for Salesforce automation tools for Doc Gen, then you have likely come across Titan. Using robust Salesforce automation, Titan Docs empowers you to dynamically generate any document you can dream of without writing a single line of code. So, what do you get with Titan’s automated document generation?
- Build templates and generate docs using only declarative tools.
- Fully dynamic documents – generated based on Salesforce data.
- Information entered in your document can be sent back to Salesforce in real time.
- Generate a document from any Object in Salesforce.
- Present tables and sections in your document that will be repeatable and dynamic.
- Trigger document generation from within a Salesforce automation (Flow or Apex).
- You can trigger all Titan templates with Titan automation. You can also use Flow or Apex, on-demand, on Push, or on schedule.
- Generate documents in bulk – for example, you can send quotes in bulk from a Flow or a List view.
- You can create multiple dynamic templates with Titan’s intuitive Word Add-In, Excel Add-In, and PDF mapping.
Another benefit of Titan Document Generation is that it seamlessly integrates with Titan Sign for smooth signing processes. Top features of Titan Sign include:
- Trigger signing from any Custom or Standard Object and from within a Flow
- Have the option for dynamic signers
- Identify signers in real time
- Secure documents using 2FA, SSO, and facial recognition
- Track signing process in Salesforce
- Make use of conditional logic
Summary
We hope you enjoyed this article on document generation in Salesforce and learned more about exciting potential use cases for this functionality. The CRM giant doesn’t offer robust native document generation, which leaves a gap in the market on the AppExchange. Ultimately it’s up to you to do the research, book demos, and choose the solution that meets the needs of your organization.
To see Titan Docs in action, book a demo!