Previously on the FirmWorks blog, we discussed The Synergy of Geography and Data, outlining the five points below—

01.  Geographical context is crucial for businesses: Geography significantly impacts various aspects of business operations, including personalization, targeted marketing, logistics, and customer insights.

02.  Geolocation as a strategic asset: Geolocation data is like a digital treasure map, offering businesses valuable insights and opportunities for optimization.

03.  Challenges of accessing geolocation data: While geolocation data is valuable, accessing it can be complicated and costly, requiring specific tools and investments.

04.  Integration of geolocation with Salesforce: Salesforce provides tools like Data Integration Rules (DIR) to help organize and connect geolocation data effectively within its platform.

05.  Customization may be necessary: While Salesforce offers some standard geocoding capabilities, businesses may need to engage in custom development and utilize geocoding APIs for more specific or custom data objects or fields.

So let’s discuss FirmWorks Geo, our FREE mapping solution for Salesforce, in greater detail.

If you were to scroll through the AppExchange for mapping applications, you’d find quite a few of them, but not many, if any, that are budget friendly or free. Recognizing that not everyone needs a complete mapping or route generating service, and that sometimes people simply need a basic map for what’s in the area, we found a need for a simple solution and developed FirmWorks Geo.

Oh, and did I mention it’s FREE?

Here’s how it works—

The Nuts and Bolts of FirmWorks Geo

In a previous post, we covered the basics of Salesforce and geocoding. So where does FirmWorks Geo fit in the mix? Rather that operating off Google Maps or Mapquest API calls (a cost-inefficient solution), Geo uses US Census Data.

If you wanted to Google or Mapquest rather than US Census Data with FirmWorks Geo, could you? Of course. That choice is yours and the application is completely flexible.

In addition to the Census Data, you’ll need to have one of the four basic Data Integration Rules [Account Billing Address, Account Shipping Address, Contact Address, and Lead Address] active on an object. Does this sound overly technical and complicated? I assure you it isn’t.

Follow these three simple steps—

✓   Download the application and turn on the DIR during setup. (This has the addresses you are using for data analysis and want to show within the FirmWorks Geo tool).

✓   Patiently wait for Salesforce to get that data imported …

✓   Then simply decide whether you’d like to operate on the Global or Object level, add the components where needed, and DONE.

Excluding the Salesforce import, the whole process takes less time than it takes to make a hard-boiled egg.

What Can You Do With FirmWorks Geo?

You have your relevant data geocoded, FirmWorks Geo is all loaded up, now it’s time to get that data on a map and see what can be done with it. Let’s look at what FirmWorks Geo can help your company effectively do with its geocoded data.

Sales Route Planning

The most 1:1 use case for FirmWorks Geo is for planning sales routes. Whether for new lead generation or account reviews, location is a nodal data point for planning an efficient sales route, especially with how sales teams tend to operate via regions and territories.

By using FirmWorks Geo, an administrator can set up filters based on your orgs data, then the sales team can plot the best possible routes within a particular market.

Cool, right?

First, connect with your sales team and identify key factors on accounts or contacts that will help identify the best areas/regions/territories to focus their efforts.

For example, your team may only want to physically travel for accounts worth more than $500k, or maybe they just want a list of decision makers to take out to lunch, so they can close deals faster. Whatever the parameters may be, you can build a filter using FirmWorks Geo that will provide them with the best possible route for any sales use case!

Service Visits Made Easy

Sometimes sales teams aren’t the only folks that need to travel. If your org provides any services where individuals need to do site visits, FirmWorks Geo is a free alternative to purchasing a secondary mapping system on top of your existing Salesforce org.

So, let’s talk about Service visit planning.

While the configuration for these use cases is similar, for Service it may require looking at account addresses that have purchased a particular type of service. If you create a way to represent this on the Account, you have your geocoding, then you can create a list of accounts related to each type of product or service contract and design routes for Service team members based on their skill set or expertise!

Not for Profit, not a Problem!

The best use case we’ve encountered is helping those companies that help others. Not-for-Profit clients tend to be very interested in knowing more about their data’s location.

FirmWorks Geo provides a great way to map visits with top tier donors, as well as the most efficient route when visiting individuals to campaign for funds.

By setting up a few FirmWorks Geo filters on contact records, users can efficiently assess where to coordinate and focus volunteers in the field.

Additionally, users can also determine great locations for fundraising events centrally located to their donors, volunteers, and/or other important constituents’ locations. This can even be taken a step further by filtering information from the NPSP package, like Gift Amount or other Contact roll ups, to make these filters more powerful and poignant.

Data + Geo = Success

Geocoding data in a database can be a lot more complicated than simply using Google Maps. Data doesn’t automatically come with geolocation information attached to it; it must be provided by a geocoding service. At this point, everything starts coming together and you can use your data to improve your processes. For many business types, a complex geolocation service is not needed. That is why we offer FirmWorks Geo for FREE, so your org can take advantage of geography. Want to give it a try? Get in touch here, info@getfirmworks.com, or simply download FirmWorks Geo today and we’ll get the power of geography in your hands!

Why Do We Care Where?

In the world of interrogatory words, ‘where’ falls somewhere in the middle with respect to the order of importance. Not nearly on the level of ‘why’, but certainly well above ‘which’. But, when it comes to your data, ‘where’ leaps right up near the top of the list.

Why? … told you it was important … Geographical context informs so much of a business’s processes and operations without anyone really realizing it.

• Personalization: Companies tailor their products and/or services based specifically on the location of their client/customer base
• Targeted Marketing: This type of data helps inform marketing efforts more effectively
• Logistics & Operations: It is crucial to logistical and operational planning by helping businesses optimize delivery and sales routes, as well as providing insight on customer density for store locations and managing inventory.
• Customer Insights: It illustrates customer behavior and preferences, which can in turn help to expand into new markets or adjust current sales operations.

When it comes to YOUR business, geolocation is so much more than a client or customer’s latitude and longitude. It is like a digital treasure map that can lead you to untold riches. That may be a slight exaggeration, but it isn’t far off from the truth, which is why accessing this data can be complicated and costly.

In Salesforce, geocoding information typically isn’t displayed directly on a record in the user interface. Instead, geocoding is used behind the scenes to associate geographical coordinates with addresses stored in specific fields on records. When you input an address into certain address fields on a Salesforce record (such as Account, Contact, or Lead records), Salesforce can automatically geocode that address, meaning it calculates the corresponding coordinates for that address. These coordinates are then stored in hidden fields within the record.

While you won’t see the geocoding information directly on the record page, it’s used in various features and functionalities within Salesforce, such as mapping integrations, like Google Maps or MapQuest. Both are free … to a point. Both Google Maps and MapQuest offer free tiers of API calls, but once you breach that threshold it will cost you and, depending on your business model and usage, it can be quite a bit.

 

Salesforce + Geocode

Salesforce provides a nifty way to geocode your data, using Data Integration Rules (DIR). DIR is a tool that helps organize and connect data in a simple and efficient way. Here’s a simple explanation:

Imagine you have a big box of puzzle pieces, each representing a different part of your data, like customer information or sales records. These puzzle pieces have special rules attached to them, saying where they should fit in your overall picture.

Data Integration Rules act like a guide that helps you put these puzzle pieces together correctly. It tells Salesforce how to match up pieces of data based on specific criteria, like addresses or names. Once these rules are set up, Salesforce automatically organizes your data according to these guidelines, making it easier for you to find and use the information you need.

In short, DIR helps Salesforce users make sense of their data by setting up rules for how different pieces of information should be connected and organized. Got it?

Now, while it is great that Salesforce provides a way for some standard objects to be geocoded, it does require some custom development and a geocoding API to geocode any custom objects or fields.

So what’s the next step?

Well, now that we understand that the integration of geography and data is not merely a matter of pinpointing coordinates; it’s a strategic imperative for businesses seeking to thrive in today’s data-driven landscape. Understanding the significance of “where” unlocks a myriad of opportunities across personalization, targeted marketing, logistics, and customer insights. Geolocation can operate as a digital treasure map, which guides businesses to valuable insights and operational efficiencies.

While platforms like Salesforce offer tools for geocoding data, unlocking its full potential may require additional customization and investment…or does it? What if I told you that we’ve developed a FREE application that can help you continue to explore the synergy between geography and data and an opportunity for continued innovation and growth?

Stay tuned for our next post where we will show you just how we can that is possible with FirmWorks Geo.

Want to give it a try? Let us know at info@getfirmworks.com and we’ll get the power of geography in your hands today!