Break out the popsicles and sunscreen, because Salesforce Summer ’13 is coming! The release notes were just recently disclosed, and we at Eustace Consulting could not be more excited about the new features! The thing is–there are a LOT of them. These release notes are some of the largest ever, at 258 pages. We bit the bullet and went through the update for you, picking out the best bits. Here’s the quick-and-dirty about the newest edition to the SFDC family:
- Chatter
Communities are available to all and out of beta! That means no more Customer/Partner Portal, as Communities brings an unprecedented level of interaction (no logging in!). Additionally, even more features are available through Chatter email replies–now users can Bookmark, Follow, Unfollow, Like, Unlike, etc. Perhaps the most exciting update is Chatter Actions, which allows users to create records directly in the feed. All in all, the updates to Chatter subtly further Benioff’s vision of the interface becoming the primary one for SFDC.
- Opportunities
The new Opportunity Splits feature allows users to “split credit”–either as revenue splits or overlay splits. Revenue splits provide credit to team members who are directly responsible for revenue that an opportunity generates, while overlay provides credit to those indirectly responsible. Both increase the usability and flexibility of SFDC, as any opportunity can be split (as long as it adds to 100%).
- Reports/Dashboards
With Summer 13, Reports and Dashboards can be set to Viewer, Editor, or Manager access. It’s not revolutionary, but certainly needed to be done!
- Touch
SFDC Touch has received many updates–there’s a new activity pane to show all open tasks one one screen, and a generally easier interface. Visualforce Tabs are also supported in the new Touch, allowing users to better organize their mobile interface.
- Service Cloud
Last year’s Service Cloud addition, Live Chat, is further upgraded–including more advanced session reports, an “Over the Shoulder” feature for managers, and formatting features like a multi-line input box. Additionally, the Service Cloud Ideas platform is being improved in Summer 13. Just like Communities, Ideas now has a Reputation feature, giving posters incentive to interact and influence.
These are just some of the great updates available in Salesforce Summer 13. For a more comprehensive list, check out this blog post from Gears CRM, or read the official release notes from Salesforce. The update will be released in June 2013, but be sure to sign up for the pre-release here.
Do you have unanswered questions about Salesforce Summer 13? Are you not sure whether or not you want to update? Give us a call, we’re ready to listen.
