Salesforce Spring ’22 Release: What’s New and What Stands Out

Salesforce’s latest platform updates for Spring ’22 are underway. The release is loaded with new features and timesavers. In fact, there is so much good stuff that we couldn’t detail everything. So, we picked some of our favorite enhancements that bring with them new possibilities for Salesforce users. From streamlining reports to building better flows and keeping things organized, these are a few of the features that caught our attention. 

#1 Impacts on Everyone
A few updates with the Spring ’22 release impact all Salesforce users. The biggest updates center on security.

• Multi-Factor Authentication
  As of February 1, 2022, customers are contractually required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) when accessing Salesforce products. With this change, users must provide a second authentication method each time they log in. Salesforce recommends its free Authenticator mobile app. Each time a user logs into Salesforce, the platform sends a notification to the associated mobile device. Inside the app, the user reviews the details and approves or denies the request. In addition to its Authenticator app, Salesforce also supports other verification methods including third-party time-based one-time password apps, physical security keys, and built-in authenticators such as biometric systems. The new MFA requirement does not allow email, SMS text messages, phone calls, or security questions as verification methods because they are easy to compromise or intercept.

• URL Query String Parameter Login
  As MFA comes in, login credentials using URL query strings are out. The latest release disables the ability to log in using usernames and passwords as HTTP URL query string parameters. The move is another Salesforce enhancement for better security and data protection.

#2 Big Things in Beta
Salesforce introduced some new enhancements currently just in beta. These “in test” elements offer some great efficiencies that we predict users will like.

• Choose Report Type
  If you are someone who builds a lot of reports, this feature is for you. When setting up a report, the first step is selecting the report type. Historically, limited information was available. Users needed to create the report to see if it met the project’s needs. It wasted time and frustrated admins. Salesforce is fixing that. Now users can see details like who created the report type and what objects and fields it uses—all without going through the process of generating the report to find those details.

• Edit Multiple Fields Inline on a Report
  Rather than updating one object at a time, users now can edit multiple records inline on the report run page. Updating statuses or cleaning up data no longer requires rerunning reports after each change. Users can make inline updates in multiple rows or columns and save all changes together with one click. This is a huge timesaver when working with multi-object lines.

#3 All Things Admin
The Spring ’22 release offers some special enhancements geared toward users working in sales and marketing. Salesforce admins supporting these teams will want to take advantage of all the new updates. Following are a few that jumped out as particularly powerful.

• Salesforce Maps
  The new release improves Salesforce Maps Territory Planning. Added capabilities include live layers, borders, and overlayed metrics. Maps now supports native mobile phone features like location as well. For example, let’s say a territory sales manager is out making visits to potential customers. The map can still include pins of where the visits will occur but also indicate the real-time location of the salesperson. For users who previously saw limited value in Maps, the new updates make it worth revisiting.

• Collaborative Forecasts
  Collaborative Forecasts manage sales expectations by predicting and planning the sales cycle. The tool is great for companies selling a product and working with quotas. Salesforce improved the user interface and guided experience for building forecasts easier. The better setup allows for KPI calculations like “gap to quota” and “pipeline coverage” automatically. The new update also lets sales leaders see week-over-week changes for all forecast categories to make proactive sales strategy adjustments. New custom filters help the sales team determine what details to include in their forecasts. Visual indicators on reports reflect what’s changed over the last seven days making spotting issues easier than ever.

• Sending Emails from a List View
  Operating without an automated email system but sending communication in bulk? Salesforce now offers reporting on users sending templated emails from the list view. Updates to Activity Metric fields will help sales managers understand a team’s email use better. New fields track last dates for emails sent and received. Activity can be tied to key metrics like quotas or sales efficiencies.

• Scoping Rules
  New Scoping Rules zero in on the things users want to view most. Based on criteria selected by the admin, Salesforce narrows the scope of records users see. A scoping rule works in conjunction with permissions but does not restrict record access. Users still can get to all their records as defined in the org’s sharing settings. The scoping rule simply narrows the view to the most relevant information. Think of this like Salesforce’s version of white noise—it helps users concentrate on the data that matters most.

#4 Going Further with Flows
Salesforce continues making major Flows enhancements in the Spring ’22 release. Flows are the no-code solution for automation and guided visual experiences. Flows take another big leap forward with better functionality and productivity in this release.

• Flow Trigger Explorer
  Understanding an unfamiliar flow previously was tricky due to limited information in the Flows list view. Admins had to guess which objects a flow related to based on a name or description. Flow Trigger Explorer is a new tool that’s more visual and interactive. The feature shows all flows attached to a specific object and in the order they will run. The enhancement will save Admins time in figuring out what a flow does before modifying it.

• Collection Filter and Sort Elements
  Spring ’22 offers many improvements to keep flows organized. That includes filtering and sorting elements from collections in Flow Builder. Admins can use the Collection Filter or Sort elements to select a collection and define conditions. When the flow runs, only the items meeting the conditions show while still leaving the original collection intact. Sorts previously were done in Apex with support of a developer. That sometimes limited the functionality of the flow. Now most admins can use this feature. Those working with big volumes of data and collections will find it useful.

• Connect to and Terminate in Loops
  Prior to this release, admins needed to navigate through each item in a loop and decide on how it should operate. This was a time-consuming process when working with many records and caused Apex timeout issues. With this update, Admins now can connect directly to an element from the loop without needing to go through every variable. You also can end the flow directly from an element. The enhancement particularly is handy when you need to operate on a few pieces of a collection.

• Directly Open Subflows
  Want to examine or tweak a referenced flow? In auto-layout, you now can quickly access subflows right from the canvas. Before the update, the only information provided for a subflow element had to come from its name. Now the subflow provides information on its referenced flow and you can open it directly, which is great for productivity.

• Order of Execution Management
  Let’s say you want to send an email regarding a case when a user updates a contact. For the flow to work properly, you need the information updated, the email created, and then the information sent. This update makes it possible to go into a flow’s settings in the advanced section and designate each step with a numerical order. This is helpful in debugging issues with data. We really like this enhancement but must admit that it isn’t perfect just yet. Updating trigger order this way does not reflect the change in the visual of Flow Explorer (hopefully that is coming soon).

Learn More
The updates we touched on represent just a few of the hundreds that Spring ’22 offers. If you want to learn more, check out these helpful resources: 

• Visit salesforce.com/releases
• Take the Release Highlights Trail
• Dive into the detailed Release notes
• Join the Release Readiness Trailblazers Community Group

Talk to Galvin – we can walk you through the new features and discuss how to make the most of them for your business.

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