Finding the best app for your business purposes is one of the most challenging jobs Salesforce administrators may face. Here in this article, we are discussing some tips for those who are confused with it, which will help you choose the right apps from Salesforce AppExchange.
To start with the AppExchange app search, you need to understand the challenges you are trying to solve in the business. Doing this effectively will help you create a custom list of the most necessary and good features on your desired apps. In order to search for a particular app, you may spend some time aligning internally with the team members and try to answer these questions:
- What is your budget for an AppExchange solution?
- What is the timeframe you have in deploying the app?
- What business processes are impacted by the usage of this new app?
- Does this app need to compatible with your specific Salesforce edition and features?
Most importantly, if you have not explored Salesforce Trailhead yet, you may be missing some of the most useful Salesforce resources. The trailhead features various interactive “trails” that will guide you to use the Salesforce functions correctly.
You can also find a useful trail about the basics of AppExchange usage. With this, you can learn about the fundamentals of AppExchange to see what kinds of solutions are available out there and the pricing. Next, the train can teach you how to navigate the best through the AppExchange platform and tips on incorporating the AppExchange into your Salesforce strategy.
Expert tips for using Salesforce AppExchange the best way
Logging into the platform with your Salesforce credentials itself will bring you some personalized experience with app recommendations based on your installation history, profile preferences, previous searches, priorities, and so on. You can find the most relevant apps listed under the tab “Recommended for You.” This will make things easier for you, but all those which are listed at the recommendation tab may not always be apt for you. Here are some more things to look for.
Search AppExchange like a Pro
As we have seen in the above para, Salesforce AppExchange works based on machine learning algorithms to give you the most relevant suggestions. However, if you want to do a custom pro search, then you may simply proceed to the search bar. You may try out the search with different relevant keywords, which will return a listing of the most relevant apps for the purpose you are searching for. With search, you will get a custom list of the first ten apps based on the search criteria. You may further click on the ‘View All’ tab too to explore more best-matching apps for your purpose. If you are not sure which keywords to start with, you can also check out the collection of apps using types.
Remember that AppExchange search also puts some of the sponsored apps on top, as like how Google does on the search engine results. This prioritization also considers the popularity of the app based on the previous app activities and user rankings. Even though this makes the search more convenient, you need not always consider the app rankings as a criterion to choose the best one for your purpose.
While you come across apps which you think will be the right choices for you, then mark it with the favorite option immediately so that later you can compare your favorites and choose the best. When you find an app that you think is the most appropriate choice, then you may save it as your favorite and try to find it later.
Use a Checklist to Evaluate and Compare the App
You may start with the summary section to quickly see the short description of apps, where you can check for some key details as suggested by Flosum.com as:
- Pricing along with the pricing model.
- Average rating of the app by the users.
- Date of app launching and last updated.
- Images, screenshots, and demo videos of the app.
Based on these essential evaluations, you can decide whether it is worth spending time exploring the particular app in detail or moving ahead to find the next best option. If you like the summary section’s information by evaluating it with your checklist, you can next take a look at the requirements, highlights, support, and other information to go in-depth.
Review the app’s Compatibility
Once you like an app, check if it is compatible with your edition of Salesforce edition. There are various Salesforce editions as Enterprise, Professional, Unlimited, Force.com, Performance, Developer, etc. If not compatible, then the app may not simply work on your org, and the entire time you spent exploring and installing the app may go in vain.
Check if your App is Lightning Ready
As experts rightly point out, your future user experience on Salesforce is simply a lightning experience. More and more customers are switching from the Classic to Lightning Experience now for many good reasons. Every Salesforce release tends to deliver many lightning-exclusive features, which the customer tends to use more and more. So, you also need third-party apps to be compatible with the Lightening features. A reassuring factor is that Salesforce makes it mandatory for the new apps posted on AppExchange to be Lightning Ready. However, some older apps maybe not rightly supported this feature, and choosing those will create problems for you on the go.
Check for the Release Dates
Another crucial piece of information you have to explore is the latest release of the considering apps. A recent release, maybe within the last six months or so, could indicate how well the app is being updated and supported by the vendors.
To finalize your best choice of apps, you may also look at the customer reviews, app overview section, customization guidelines and also talk to your Salesforce admins for recommendations. Also, test drives your app in Sandbox before going ahead with the final implementation.