Be an Effective Salesforce User with These 7 Free Apps

Salesforce.com, the leading CRM in the marketplace, has been a godsend for sales people, marketers and entrepreneurs thanks to its many features, including its customer relationship management products. It also offers plenty of free apps through its Appexchange marketplace that can be installed directly into your Salesforce.com org. With over 2,000 apps in the AppExchange you will have no problem finding solutions that will improve efficiencies and usability.

[tweet_quote]But here are 7 free apps that you can install today to be a better and more efficient Salesforce user.[/tweet_quote]

1. S-Docs

S-Docs from Me2 Systems LLC is a document generation app that allows users to create and deliver quotes, contracts, invoices, statements and other important documents in minutes. All of this can be done entirely on-platform with no necessary client downloads, making it very secure as well as easy to use. It also supports full automation and can be used in both standard and custom Salesforce objects. It can now also be integrated with Google Docs so that you can easily merge and share any information you may need.

2. Map Plotter

Map Plotter from Extentia Information Technology is a fairly new (as of 2014) app on the AppExchange that allows users to plot accounts and contacts on a map. Map Plotter lets users plot their accounts, contacts and leads using Google Maps so that they can locate them when necessary. It’s all very useful when it comes to scheduling appointments or when trying to locate other accounts and contacts nearby your location.

3. Lead Scoring

Lead Scoring allows users to create up to 200 active Lead Rules to find leads based on certain criteria. Users can focus on the most promising leads first so they aren’t chasing leads that don’t amount to anything, something that is certainly a frustrating prospect for all salespeople. Lead Scoring comes to you from Salesforce Labs.

4. Mass Edit + Mass Update + Mass Delete

As its lengthy name suggests, Mass Edit + Mass Update + Mass Delete from VersatileCapitalist, Inc. lets users update or delete several of their records at once. It’s a simple concept, but it is one that will no doubt come in handy for Salesforce users who keep their contacts in neat categories yet have too many records to go through and update manually. This is one of my favorite apps to use when I need to do some general “house cleaning” within my Salesforce org.

5. Enabler for Google Spreadsheets

Anybody who regularly uses Google Spreadsheets or is familiar with Enabler for Excel will love this app from Taralex LLC. Enabler unlocks the ability to pull data onto a Google spreadsheet using SOQL or a Salesforce.com report, making it an ideal way to save time and better manage several records at once. If you use Excel spreadsheets and find yourself constantly exporting data from Salesforce and into Excel then this is a tool for you.

6. Free LinkedIn Integration for Salesforce

LinkedIn is an endlessly effective networking tool and social website, and this handy app from Ebsta Ltd allows users to view LinkedIn profiles for their clients alongside their Salesforce information. As great as LinkedIn can be, it can be cumbersome for those trying to view client information within the context of Salesforce data records. This app streamlines the process and makes it easier.

7. 1 Click Stage Update

This handy app from Techila Solutions allows users to update Opportunity Stage with just one click. It also improves the look of the current Stage so that it is easier to read. Its color-coded interface is incredibly simple, but it also makes perfect sense and makes organizing and editing one’s records and appointments that much easier.