When we think of a file storage system, many picture a large room full of file cabinets and stacks of papers in little manilla folders. And technically, this IS file storage. But a pretty useless system with little functionality and high risk. Document storage like these archives is a fire hazard, a management nightmare, and all around archaic.

There is more to storing files than simply a place to put them. When we talk about files today, most are digital and stored in the cloud. We refer to these digital file storage solutions as document management systems, and they are incredibly important.

There is a veritable filing cabinet of document management solutions out there, including OneDrive, Google Drive, DropBox, and many more you likely haven’t heard of. The ability for users to permanently store their important files and documents in a secure location, with the same ease with which we save to our local desktops, is valuable.

But what about business teams and their important documents? There are countless instances in a business setting in which files need to be stored and accessed by various parties, organized according to a specific folder structure, edited, signed, shared, and more.

Are these same solutions— OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.— best for business teams? Sometimes, sure. But in many cases, especially for Salesforce users, when teams need greater functionality, ease of use, systems integration, and more, there are better options.

Keep reading to learn about a better document management solution for Salesforce users.

File Storage inside your CRM

In Salesforce, the CRM will allow users to add files to the data structure using the Salesforce Files feature. There is a lot left to be desired regarding Salesforce Files, but as a cloud storage solution and file management tool, it has the basics.

Files can also be related to Salesforce records which are the lifeblood of the Salesforce platform. The amount of context we get from allowing a user to directly connect a file to a record is a huge reason to use Salesforce Files for content management, but what else can it do?

Using Salesforce provides users with various document management tools from out-of-box features, such as Salesforce global search to find documents with specific verbiage.

You can also reference Salesforce data and share files using Chatter, and users can leverage Files Connect to upload files from other cloud storage solutions.

Despite these standard platform features, there is still some missing functionality resulting in many users turning to AppExchange to find a more robust document management tool.

The AppExchange provides Salesforce users with access to dozens of tools, with a range of pricing tiers, that add value and features to their Salesforce document management experience without the need for a third-party tool Salesforce integration.

FirmWorks Files is one of the most feature-rich, easy-to-use tools to enhance document storage and file management on the Salesforce platform.

What’s missing in Salesforce Files?

Despite the out-of-box features in Salesforce files, there is still a great deal of functionality missing.

After uploading documents, users have no metadata making it difficult to understand or recall later why the document was uploaded in the first place.

There is no option (aside from inserting special code) to automate the action of uploading a file. Unlike most other Salesforce objects, you cannot run record-triggered flow automation on Salesforce Files.

Finally, sharing files with Salesforce users and external users is nearly impossible without spending time clicking deep into each file.

With FirmWorks Files, each of these problems is solved.

↠ Tagging:

Using Salesforce fields, we can create any number of tags on our files to further contextualize and organize them. FirmWorks Files can even do this automatically when a file is uploaded.

Furthermore, a module of the package introduces the ability to hook automation and workflow into the action of uploading files, updating tags, and creating record connections. This means we can get real-time tagging and sharing on any file we upload.

↠ Sharing:

FirmWorks Files exposes more of the inherent sharing that files are capable of. From creating external sharing links with password protection and expiration capabilities to sharing with both internal team members and Experience users, FirmWorks Files makes file access easy.

↠ Searchability:

While FirmWorks Files does not emulate the folder structure we are used to seeing in many cloud storage document management systems like Microsoft’s SharePoint or Google Docs, it offers something else, the ability to add meaningful context to each file via metadata and tagging to relate files to Salesforce records, and easily search and view files according to this data in Salesforce.

FirmWorks Files Walks the Walk

FirmWorks Files hangs its hat on a lot of great features. It is easy for an app or tool to promise to improve a broken or frustrating system, but how it does the job is just as important. Keep reading for a more technical deep dive into how FirmWorks Files works its magic.

↠ Metadata:

FirmWorks Files uses configurations (custom metadata built with a wizard) to integrate with your existing or newly created Content Version fields. Once the configuration has been established, it is used as a source for all the lightning components the FirmWorks Files package comes with.

Users can also set default values for fields referenced in the configuration. You end up with bespoke solutions like a file upload button that auto-tags file upon upload based on where the file is used or create document tabs to view full previews of your documents pre-filtered with specific tags or according to the appropriate business process.

↠ Automation:

The File Events module provides a set of Salesforce objects that allows Salesforce users to set up flows that can be triggered when a file is uploaded, or a new content document link is created.

This means you can track what a document is uploaded against, set tags, and automate other business processes.

For example, let’s say your legal team only works with accounts and contacts, but your sales team needs to see all the files that legal uploads on all account active opportunities. File Events gives you the tools to automatically link the account’s legal files to the sales team’s opportunities in real-time.

↠ Sharing Files:

Sharing files in Salesforce has never been easier than with FirmWorks Files.

Our lightning components are set up to allow users to share a file with any other Salesforce record or Salesforce user with minimal clicks. It can even suggest good candidates for sharing based on related records, making it easier for users to include whoever needs context to which files.

To share files externally, FirmWorks Files exposes a few public link features unavailable from the Content Version page layout.

Users can name links and set link passwords and expiration dates when creating a link. These links are visible from the FirmWorks Files UI and can be easily deleted anytime for easy management. You can even automate deletion if a static expiration date is inappropriate with File Events.

Since this is happening natively in Salesforce, and FirmWorks Files is a native app, the thoroughly configured Salesforce security is honored.

The FirmWorks Files sharing is not an additional sharing feature set added to Salesforce; it simply uses the existing sharing architecture and brings it to the top level, making it easier for users to interact.

Managing Documents with a CRM

There are many options to choose from regarding document management tools, and it can be difficult to discern what is best for your business.

Is it more important for your team to use your existing technology instead of braving the new and unknown for enhanced business processes? Is a folder-structured system important for your users to be able to navigate files, or is context and tagging a better long-term solution?

And what about your tech stack? Would it be better for your team to reduce as much technology down to the Salesforce App instead of constantly importing, exporting, and saving various versions inside multiple platforms, databases, and tools?

It is hard to say if one solution is best for every business. Still, we can say with certainty if you use, or want to use, Salesforce as your single source of truth to manage, access, store, and share files, FirmWorks Files is the best tool on the market to get your document management under control.

FirmWorks Files takes the existing Salesforce Files Features and elevates them to new heights by exposing hidden functions and leveraging Salesforce’s features to contextualize and organize your files.

Once you have a file management system that makes, there is no end to the possibilities of improved business processes and efficiency.

Whether you are hearing about FirmWorks Files for the first time or you have considering making the jump for some time, we encourage you to go to the Salesforce AppExchange and try FirmWorks Files for free today.

We are here to answer questions, do a live product demo, or discuss your use case!

Compliance requirements are crucial in most industries to ensure our business doesn’t fall flat. From GDPR to HIPAA, every company has industry standards they need to adhere to, especially when stakeholders are involved.

In many cases, not complying with a regulatory agency can result in hefty penalties. These regulatory requirements often come in the form of data collection and files that compliance officers validate during compliance audits.

Salesforce is a great tool to store data for regulatory compliance, but how can it help you keep your files for compliance efforts and risk management?

Reporting on Files in a Meaningful Way

Any standard Salesforce org allows you to upload and store files. Out of the box, you can give the file a bit of context by uploading it against an existing record and using the org’s data security standards.

However, no other features of Salesforce files help understand what documents and files your org is storing once uploaded. You can create fields on each Salesforce file to tag them with essential information like the document type, expiration dates, key stakeholders, and more, to give your files business context. But unfortunately, Salesforce does not allow us to report on files in a meaningful way.

This is why we created FirmWorks Files.

Once you have all your files tagged, FirmWorks Files can search, organize, and report on the valuable information you have spent time collecting.

Using our flagship component, you can quickly filter by important tags to find necessary files.

Using the visualization component, you can organize documents to show up in specific sections of your org, making them impossible to miss.

Finally, FirmWorks Files allows you to run reports on files to see if you meet or do not meet your company’s reporting requirements.

FirmWorks Files’ Reporting Feature

So what does the File Reporting feature do, exactly?

Is it a standard Salesforce report or a document that is output when you click a button? Well, it is neither.

File Reporting is a reporting system that allows you to locate files across your org from specified records.

Let’s say you work in healthcare or at a Life Insurance company, and as part of your new policy process, you are required to get a HIPAA consent form from every potential client to review their personal health information. Before you can engage with your client, your internal team needs to confirm that the document has been signed.

Using File Reporting, you can search for clients with a signed HIPAA form in seconds instead of looking through each client record in the system. Your Chief Compliance Officer can also search specifically for clients without a signed HIPAA form to ensure your team follows up with them as soon as possible.

Advanced Filtering for File Reporting

Filtering for File Reporting can be incredibly complex as well. When applying for a grant, businesses must provide multiple files, including IRS forms, sales and forecasting documents, and organizational and legal information. These documents are not only necessary for internal controls but also for your legal department and compliance officers to make sure the company is operating legally and safely!

Using File Reporting, you can set up a series of filters to look for bundles of documents to make sure a grant application is ready to be reviewed by various teams and move to the next step quickly and efficiently.

Reducing Compliance Risk

Great! We can find files, but what do we do now? How do we use this information to reduce compliance risk and improve the mitigation of compliance audit finds?

FirmWorks Files provides numerous ways to utilize File Report outputs to create effective compliance reporting.

Let’s say you work on your company’s HR team, and every employee needs to have up-to-date sexual harassment and cybersecurity risk mitigation documentation. Using File Reporting, we can automate a weekly report, post a task or a chatter message to your HR co-workers, and ensure employees complete these trainings before expiration.

This automated compliance allows real-time risk mitigation and streamlines HR’s day-to-day responsibilities.

Alternatively, imagine you work on the HR department’s hiring team. Using an authenticated Salesforce Experience, folks can apply for open positions in your company by uploading their resume and other relevant documents directly to a job posting.

Using FirmWorks Files, potential new team members can apply for their desired position by clicking the upload resume button, uploading a resume, and automatically tagging it, storing their vital information for future reference.

FirmWorks Files uses File Reporting to show the HR personnel viewing the candidate’s record in Salesforce that they have already uploaded a resume without even needing to look at files. In addition, if the Experience had an additional button for proof of residence and a candidate didn’t upload that file, we could tell the HR user that those documents were missing.

Save Time and Mitigate Risk with FirmWorks Files for Compliance Reporting

Providing real-time metrics on critical processes is a huge value to any compliance reporting process and helps provide peace of mind.

Since so many regulatory bodies need concrete evidence that processes are happening as they should, it behooves any company to take time to review compliance processes regularly.

Are your employees ensuring data is entered correctly and at the correct time during the business lifecycle? Are they following the legal department’s and compliance officers’ rules that keep your company from unnecessary audits and time-consuming remediation?

FirmWorks Files can help ensure your compliance measures stay on track with automation that seamlessly integrates into any workflow or compliance initiatives. You can use File Reporting to find files that support your compliance program or identify records that have slipped through the compliance cracks. You can use scheduled reports to streamline automated compliance and show users that a project is out of compliance without needing to click into a tab on a page layout.

FirmWorks Files trials are free to install from the Salesforce AppExchange if you want to see how File Reporting can be integrated into your compliance reporting processes today!

Have questions? Want a live demo? Contact sales@getfirmworks.com

Losing countless hours to a monotonous hunt for missing NDAs, MSAs, and various other contracts and documents is a frustration that many sales users understand all too well.

Picture this; your manager sends a 4 pm email asking for an updated report of the unsigned client document types, another report showing exactly which client has which type of contract, and a third report for pending proposals.

If that scenario has you sweating, we’ve been there too.

Quickly finding documents is easy with FirmWorks Files.

For many business types, your org stores NDAs, MSA’s, various other documents and contracts, proposals, invoices, receipts, and the list goes on— and in many cases, becomes a management migraine.

Finding the correct document shouldn’t require devoting your day to exploring your org, but without the right tool, it does.

Without a third-party application (or several), reporting on files is impossible; the search feature will look through documents but not related accounts. You will be doomed to manually search through the files in your org until the end of time—or at least the end of the day.

And that’s why savvy sales leaders leverage FirmWorks Files. FirmWorks Files’ tagging technology allows users to label and locate necessary contracts and documents in seconds, using a straightforward tagging convention similar to how you filter for a tag on social media.

Once you’ve found your documents, the bulk download function allows you to export hundreds of NDAs, MSAs, or other contract types for your manager in seconds! 

FirmWorks Files offers unique ways to review your most relevant documents. Do you want to see contractual files that have been tagged as such? The carousel view allows users to easily navigate through with a quick click.

To see all proposals for a given client, the tabbed view lets users see the file name before clicking to open. You can also remove redundant documents from here if you find a duplicate or a document that is no longer relevant. 

But remember what Ben Parker said, “With great power over documents comes great responsibility to your legal team!”

FirmWorks Files easily integrates into workflows and automates added steps.

If dedicating time to adding document tags feels burdensome, we have great news! 

FirmWorks Files’ user-friendly interface is straightforward to use by anyone on the team. Your Salesforce Admin can set up bespoke buttons to integrate into your sales process that auto-tag and set security for new documents without any added steps in your workflow.

No need for concerns about automation robots taking over— you can still modify uploaded documents using post-upload actions because the human touch is good for business!

Diverse document interfaces create a customized user experience. 

Missed a tag or need to modify a document post upload? Users may choose between a variety of interfaces to interact with their files. 

The tile view shows users small thumbnails for reference, while the editable list view includes a fill-down functionality and keyboard navigation. 

What makes FirmWorks Files truly unique is its customizability allowing users to select the interface and settings that best fit their work style. 

FirmWorks Files will save your settings preferences, so you don’t need to rebuild your perfect file experience each time. 

In addition, other users on your team cannot break, change or update your experience. It is yours and yours alone! Each user receives a custom set-up.

Safely share files with non-Salesforce users via public link sharing.

FirmWorks Files allows users to share files with almost any other record in Salesforce using our entity-sharing interface AND outside the Salesforce ecosystem via Public Link Sharing. It also will enable you to mass-generate public links with ease— an exclusive FirmWorks Files feature! 

With FirmWorks Files’ Public Link generation, users can create shareable links for necessary parties outside of Salesforce and do so without security risks using password protection for top-secret documents. Users can later mass-delete public links they no longer want to be accessed.

FirmWorks Files is a unique tool that allows you to use Salesforce files the same way you would use any other record in Salesforce. Searching, creating, editing, and reporting on your files has never been easier. 

If you think FirmWorks Files may be useful for your organization, please contact us at sales@getfirmworks.com. We would love to hear from you and help you maximize the functionality of your Salesforce Files.

Business owners everywhere aim to understand their business inside and out and make the cost of doing business as efficient as possible. This should be simple— use the right software, establish repeatable processes, focus on the end results, and cut out unnecessary fluff.

But the reality is, running a business is not as intuitive as one might hope. Establishing SOPs and workflows is hard work, and maximizing efficiency takes time. For many business owners (new and tenured!), operating their business feels like trekking through the jungle without a guide.

For Salesforce users, many features like Einstein and Reporting help business owners streamline, automate, and understand their business. But for all the bells and whistles that Salesforce offers, there is an area in your org that likely isn’t serving you or your business well.

Salesforce Files are the most widely used yet least understood data source for improving business processes and efficiency. Currently, there isn’t a great way to excavate, report on, or share data from Salesforce Files out of the box, so we’ve created a solution— FirmWorks Files.

Discovering the Map to Your Business with Files

To understand how to best use the data hidden in your files, you need first to understand what your org uses files for and why you upload them in the first place.

Ask yourself some of the following questions, and then keep digging:

• What departments or segments of our company upload files?
• What are the common objects and records that files are uploaded against?
• What aspects of these files are essential to your business (dates, verbiage, etc.)
• Are there files required to operate parts of your business or meet industry compliance?
• Are there files that expire, such as contracts and sales agreements? If yes, is it difficult to find, report on, and track expiring docs?

After this exercise, you should be left with a few things:

First, you should better understand who in your org uses files and which files are important to them.

Second, you should understand what aspects of these files are most important to the various parts of your business. For example, is it vital to track expiration dates or report on missing critical files?

Finally, if you’ve concluded that files are an important piece of your business, and improved reporting, sharing, tagging and general functionality are things your org could benefit from, you have everything you need to let FirmWorks Files be your expedition leader into the world of Salesforce Files.

FirmWorks Files, the Indiana Jones of your Salesforce Processes

With the insight you gleaned from our earlier exercise, you’re ready to set up FirmWorks Files and establish workflows that simplify your business’ file processes!

From the get-go, users can create useful tags to categorize files as they upload them and later find the data they’re searching for.

What’s a tag? We’re glad you asked! A tag can be anything from an important date, a document type (like tax documents, personnel files, etc.), a customer category, or anything in between.

But in FirmWorks Files, we take it one layer deeper by allowing tags to also serve as notes where users can notate significant differences or reminders on a particular file. For example, a user might want to note a contract deviation in which a specific customer needed a change to their contract terms.

Tags are a powerful feature in document management. They help users understand where their org processes are effective and what areas need workflow restructuring.

For example, if you notice many expired NDAs and missed contact opportunities, you know it’s time to reevaluate this workflow and implement automation that minimizes missed opportunities.

If you see salespeople not uploading product specs for a specific unit you sell, it is time to look into why that unit is not selling well.

File Tagging provides direct insight into how your business is currently running.

Analyzing the parts of your business that require files allows business owners and team members to identify inefficiencies and opportunities to take action and improve internal processes, customer experience, and retention.

Identifying Peril Before it Strikes with File Reporting

Not all maps show you the traps and pitfalls to success. While tagging is critical in managing, locating, and extracting files, reporting on files is equally important.

In many businesses, missing documents can be dangerous— think safety and compliance, business contracts, and more.

One of FirmWorks Files’ most compelling features is the ability to identify and report on these perils through automation before an adverse business impact occurs. File reporting can take the tags you created to organize your files and monitor your processes to ensure no one is caught in quicksand without a way out.

For example, you could create a report to show you which accounts are missing important process documents like an NDA or which projects are missing engineering documents. Once that report is set up, you can schedule it daily to automate action!

Perhaps when an NDA is missing, you need to send an email with an updated NDA to your customer, integrating compliance monitoring and document generation into one step.

Additionally, if employees tend to keep files locally and forget to upload them, use File Reporting and flows to automate emails to your team to remind them to put their engineering files on the project before the end of the day to allow others to work smoothly!

Once FirmWorks Files has unveiled any pitfalls or quagmires bogging down your business processes, you can quickly improve broken workflows and confidently rely on new processes within FirmWorks Files.

Automated reminders and actions can take the burden off team members trying to remember everything and ensure the business is running efficiently and nothing is slipping through the cracks.

Excavating the Hidden Gems in Your Salesforce Files

At this point, we’ve identified who in your org uses files and how. We’ve discussed file tagging and how categorizing documents can make data accessible and processes manageable.

And we’ve pinpointed some of the many pitfalls and danger zones that businesses can find themselves in when file transparency is lacking, workflows are inefficient, and document management is not prioritized.

And most excitingly, we’ve learned about a handful of FirmWorks Files’ features that make file reporting, tagging, and workflow automation simple, streamlined, and efficient, helping businesses run smoothly and identifying issues before there is real danger..

At the end of the path, we find that now files are way more accessible and valuable than before. We are not just uploading Files to get lost in the dark caverns of our org. We have surfaced all those pieces to allow us to understand our business and customers better than ever before.

To see FirmWorks Files in action and learn how FirmWorks Files can make files valuable and accessible in your industry or business type, please contact us at sales@getfirmworks.com. We would love to hear from you and help you maximize the functionality of your Salesforce Files.