Handbook on Best Practices for Implementing Salesforce

Chapter 3: Salesforce Customization Best Practices

Salesforce’s flexibility is one of its greatest strengths, allowing organizations to customize the platform to fit their specific business processes and needs. However, with that flexibility comes the responsibility of ensuring that customizations are strategic, efficient, and aligned with business goals. Customizing Salesforce involves configuring its features, creating custom objects and fields, and setting up workflows that automate tasks, all while keeping scalability, user adoption, and system performance in mind.

In this chapter, we’ll explore the best practices for customizing Salesforce and how to balance configuration and customization to maximize Salesforce's potential while minimizing complexity.

3.1 Understanding Customization vs. Configuration

Before diving into customization, it is important to distinguish between configuration and customization:

• Configuration refers to modifying Salesforce without writing code. This involves using built-in tools and settings such as creating custom fields, page layouts, automation workflows, and setting up user roles and permissions. Configuration is typically preferred because it’s easier to maintain and requires no technical knowledge of coding.
• Customization involves writing code to extend Salesforce beyond its out-of-the-box capabilities. This may include using Apex (Salesforce's proprietary programming language) to create complex business logic, Visualforce for custom user interfaces, or building custom Lightning components.

As a best practice, prioritize configuration over customization whenever possible. Relying too heavily on customization can lead to higher maintenance costs, potential compatibility issues with future Salesforce updates, and increased complexity. Only customize when configuration options cannot meet your requirements.

3.2 Customizing Salesforce Objects and Fields

Salesforce comes with standard objects such as Accounts, Leads, Opportunities, and Contacts, which are often sufficient for many businesses. However, organizations frequently require additional fields or entirely new objects to capture specific data related to their business processes.

3.2.1 Custom Fields

Custom fields allow you to capture additional data that isn't covered by standard Salesforce fields. When adding custom fields, it’s important to:

• Keep Field Naming Consistent: Use clear, descriptive, and consistent names for custom fields. Avoid abbreviations or overly technical terms that may confuse users. For example, instead of naming a field "CLTV," name it "Customer Lifetime Value."
• Use Appropriate Field Types: Salesforce offers a variety of field types such as text, picklists, numbers, currency, dates, and formula fields. Choose the field type that best matches the data you need to capture to ensure data integrity. For example, use a picklist field for a predefined set of values (e.g., customer statuses), rather than allowing users to enter freeform text.
• Establish Field-Level Security: When creating custom fields, ensure that they are secured based on user roles. Not all users may need access to sensitive information like revenue figures or confidential customer data.

3.2.2 Custom Objects

Custom objects allow you to create entirely new entities in Salesforce to capture business-specific data. Examples might include objects to track contracts, assets, or projects.

When creating custom objects:

• Evaluate If a Standard Object Suffices: Always check if a standard object can be repurposed or extended with custom fields before creating a custom object. Salesforce updates and integrations are generally more seamless with standard objects.
• Define Relationships Between Objects: When creating custom objects, clearly define their relationship to standard objects (e.g., many-to-one, many-to-many). Salesforce allows you to define relationships such as lookups or master-detail relationships that determine how data between objects is linked.

3.3 Customizing Page Layouts and User Interfaces

Salesforce allows you to customize how information is displayed to users through Page Layouts and Lightning App Builder. Customizing the user interface is a critical part of ensuring that users can easily navigate and interact with Salesforce.

3.3.1 Page Layouts

Page layouts control the organization and display of fields, sections, related lists, and buttons on an object’s record pages. Best practices include:

• Minimize Clutter: Avoid overloading page layouts with too much information. Only display fields and related lists that are necessary for the user’s role. This keeps the interface clean and easy to navigate.
• Use Sections for Organization: Break up information into sections such as "Contact Details," "Opportunity Information," and "Additional Notes." This helps users quickly find the information they need.
• Assign Page Layouts by Profile: Different roles within the organization may require different views of the same object. For example, a sales manager may need access to different fields on an Opportunity than a sales representative. Create and assign custom page layouts based on user profiles to meet these varying needs.

3.3.2 Lightning App Builder

The Lightning App Builder allows you to create custom page layouts for the Lightning Experience using a drag-and-drop interface. Best practices for building Lightning pages include:

• Leverage Pre-Built Components: Salesforce offers a library of pre-built components such as lists, reports, charts, and navigation menus. Use these components to build a functional, visually appealing interface without custom coding.
• Focus on User Experience (UX): Ensure that the user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. Reduce the number of clicks and scrolling required to complete common tasks. A well-designed UX leads to higher user adoption.
• Keep It Modular: Use components that are modular and reusable across different pages or objects. This reduces redundancy and simplifies future updates.

3.4 Automating Business Processes with Workflow, Process Builder, and Flow

Automation is one of the most powerful features of Salesforce, allowing you to streamline routine tasks, improve efficiency, and ensure consistency in processes. Salesforce offers several tools for automation, including Workflow Rules, Process Builder, and Flow Builder.

3.4.1 Workflow Rules

Workflow Rules are simple if/then statements that automate basic tasks such as sending email alerts, updating fields, or creating tasks. Use Workflow Rules when:

• You need to automate straightforward, singular actions based on record updates (e.g., automatically sending an email to the account owner when an Opportunity is closed).

3.4.2 Process Builder

Process Builder is more powerful than Workflow Rules and allows for multi-step automation and greater flexibility in defining criteria. It is ideal for use cases where:

• You need to automate multiple related actions (e.g., update a field, create a record, and send an email, all based on a condition).
• You need to include branching logic to handle different outcomes.

3.4.3 Flow Builder

Flow Builder is Salesforce’s most advanced automation tool, allowing you to build complex workflows and processes. It is used for automating tasks such as:

• Screen Flows: Interactive flows that guide users through multiple steps on a screen, such as completing a form or survey.
• Record-Triggered Flows: Automations that perform actions when a record is created or updated.
• Scheduled Flows: Automations that run at specific intervals, such as generating reports or sending reminders.

Best practices for automation include:

• Start Simple: Begin with basic automation using Workflow Rules or Process Builder before progressing to more complex automations with Flow Builder.
• Avoid Over-Automation: Too many automated processes can slow down system performance and lead to unintended consequences. Carefully evaluate each automation’s necessity.
• Document Automations: Always document what each automation does and the conditions under which it runs. This helps maintain clarity for future updates and troubleshooting.

3.5 Best Practices for Salesforce Customization

To ensure that customizations are efficient, scalable, and maintainable, follow these best practices:

3.5.1 Keep It Simple

Whenever possible, use Salesforce’s declarative (clicks-not-code) tools instead of building custom code. Simple solutions are easier to maintain and less likely to break with future Salesforce updates.

3.5.2 Future-Proof Your Customizations

Design your customizations with future scalability in mind. Consider how the system will evolve as the organization grows or as new features are introduced.

3.5.3 Use Custom Metadata and Settings

If your customizations require storing configuration data, such as thresholds for automation or user preferences, use Custom Metadata Types or Custom Settings. This makes your customizations more dynamic and easier to modify without altering the underlying code.

3.5.4 Limit the Use of Hard-Coded Values

Avoid hard-coding values into automations, triggers, or workflows. Instead, use custom settings or environment variables to ensure flexibility and scalability.

3.5.5 Test Thoroughly

Before rolling out customizations to all users, thoroughly test them in a sandbox environment. This helps catch issues early and reduces the risk of disrupting business operations in the production environment.

Conclusion

Customizing Salesforce is a powerful way to ensure that the platform meets your business's unique needs, but it requires careful planning and execution. By prioritizing configuration over customization, simplifying user interfaces, and automating processes effectively, you can create a scalable and efficient Salesforce environment that supports your business goals. In the next chapter, we will explore automation in greater detail, focusing on best practices for implementing workflows, Process Builder, and Flows in Salesforce.

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