Salesforce and Outlook – what are my options?

With so many options available, how do you make a decision on the right way to connect Outlook and Salesforce?  Here are some tips to help you in that process.

We’ll start with functionality that doesn’t require additional licensing:

• Email to Salesforce  allows any outbound email from any email client to send a copy to Salesforce:
  • Each SF user has their own unique address that they cc in the outbound email
  • Salesforce consumes the email and applies filters based on each SF user’s configuration setting
  • Email only, email technology agnostic
  • Provides a solution to tablet users, utilising a tablet email client as this is simply another email address they are copying on outbound emails
  • Often used in conjunction with one of the methods below

• Client side using Salesforce supplied desktop add-in, supports older releases of Outlook clients:
  • Salesforce for Outlook v4.1 – https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=000113374&language=en_US&type=3  & https://resources.docs.salesforce.com/208/20/en-us/sfdc/pdf/sfo_getting_started_guide.pdf
  • Requires each user to install the software on their client machine running Outlook
  • Client is downloaded from Salesforce
  • Configuration for what is sync’d is controlled in Salesforce.
    • Email sync is manual at the client.
    • Tasks and Events can be sync’d in the background
    • Passive sync – data is synchronised when that email client is fired up on each user’s computer
  • Client side using Microsoft supplied desktop add-in:
    • Lightning  for Outlook (+ Enhanced Email for Lightning for Outlook)
      • https://store.office.com/en-us/WA104379334.aspx
      • Outlook Clients must support add-ins (Outlook 2013/2016 and Outlook web app)
      • Email only, for Contacts and Events sync, see Lightning Sync
      • Enhanced setting allows for Emails to be stored in their own related list in Salesforce – if not enabled emails are added as Tasks
    • Server side:
      • Lightning  Sync:
        • https://resources.docs.salesforce.com/208/latest/en-us/sfdc/pdf/salesforce_exchange_sync_admin_implementation_guide.pdf
        • Works in conjunction with Lightning for Outlook
        • Connect via OAuth 2.0 or Service Accoun
        • Supported versions are Exchange  2013 (Service Pack 1), 2016 and Exchange online
        • Background, server based sync of Contacts and Events:
          • Contacts – both directions
          • Events from Exchange -> SF only
            • No support for recurring events
          • Sync preferences are configured inside Salesforce and users are assigned to the configuration(s)
        • Appexchange App:
          • A large list of Appexchange solutions are available, these existed prior to the Lightning functionality described above
          • If using any Terminal Server environment one of these can be used
          • Two such solutions are:
            • Linkpoint https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N30000001qTIuEAM
            • Riva https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N30000001srGuEAI

If you want to purchase additional licensing, consider Salesforce Inbox, we’ll cover that in a different blog.