Generally speaking, documentation and geolocation are seemingly disparate data points. How often are we concerned with where a document comes from or where it is being sent? But there are benefits to knowing this information. Additionally, location data is key when it comes to audience targeting, locating opportunities, and better understanding your business’ demographics. In today’s digital world this type of data collectively can help shape and inform decisions that affect your business’ future.

Here at FirmWorks, our focus is to develop products to simplify, organize, and optimize your working world. The use cases of our products run the gamut so we are sharing some of the unique solutioning opportunities that we have encountered. In this post, we’re taking a look at a couple of instances where two of our products, FirmWorks Files and Geo, are used together to simplify, organize, and optimize business processes.

 

What’s the Scenario?

Geotagging is not a new concept. But, what if we were able to tag a document on upload with the location of that user to easily ascertain if it was fraudulent? What about if there was an automated internal process that could flag a document for review, because its origin didn’t match the record?

Let’s look at it from the other end of the process. What if you needed an internal document to be distributed to a particular geographic region? For instance, say you’re part of a marketing team that distributes a monthly newsletter to customers with region-specific information and you wanted to only select individuals within that geographic area thereby resulting in a more accurate grouping?

 

Not As Simple As It Sounds

If you are intrigued by the premise, that’s great! But there aren’t many ways to combine geocoding and document management in Salesforce. True story! Not only does it require a way to obtain geocoded information, but it also requires you to manage a cache of documents. Not necessarily an easy task, but one where Salesforce excels.

Salesforce has the tools that allow you to obtain the contextual geocoded information for standard Salesforce Objects while also maintaining a repository of your documents. But just because they CAN provide those two pieces does NOT mean you can make them to work together. That part requires a little help beyond standard Salesforce.

FirmWorks has two products that work together in this manner and can help your Salesforce shine— FirmWorks Files and FirmWorks Geo.

 

The FirmWorks Solution

FirmWorks Files is a package that allows you to regain comprehensive control of your Salesforce files. Have you ever wondered where a file went days, weeks, maybe months after loading it? What about making sure you have all the files you need for an upcoming presentation or audit? Those are just a couple of scenarios FirmWorks Files can help your company with. If you want to learn more about FirmWorks Files’ potential read THIS.

With respect to the topic at hand, FirmWorks Files can facilitate storing geocode information on files themselves to support the use cases we described above. The second piece needed to make this work, and the other half of this dynamic duo, is FirmWorks Geo.

FirmWorks Geo is a free app that allows you to easily geolocate information. In basic terms, FirmWorks Geo leverages out-of-the-box Salesforce data validation in combination with US census data and browser location to help you make the best choices when it comes to your Salesforce data. What are the 10 closest local accounts to the one I am visiting next week? Which accounts are in this region and should receive this newsletter?

Starting to see the through way? Good! Now let’s look at two really interesting ways we can enable geocoding documents and resolve these scenarios.

 

Files + Geo = Success

Option #1:

First, find a group of contacts based on their location to distribute a file or series of files to. Using FirmWorks Geo, FirmWorks Files and Salesforce Flow, a user can run a process that will allow them to obtain a list of contacts, which could initially be filtered by Record-based information, such as Title Buying Power and/or Previous Engagements.

Then, using FirmWorks Geo, that search can be further pared down using Geocoded information to achieve a highly specific geo-targeted list of contacts. The next step in the flow would be selecting the files you want to distribute to that list of contacts. Using FirmWorks Files’ flow components you can view the documents and filter them to a specific set or select a specific document you want to send.

Then, via custom Actions, a basic email can be created with generated public links of those documents for distribution.

 

Option #2:

Alternatively, you could automate the association of specific documents to a group based on their location. This method uses the same three pieces (FWF, FEW, and SF Flows), but with a slightly different approach.

In this instance, the starting point is the FirmWorks Files FileViewer component, which allows you to organize, search, and tag documents on page layout or in a flow. Using this, you can tag specific documents you want to send to a particular group of clients.

Then as you move through the flow there will be a geo component to use geolocation targeting to help select a group of clients in a particular area to distribute those documents to.

Lastly, using a FirmWorks Files’ custom action, a public link can be generated and sent to the aforementioned client audience via email. This ensures that there are no blockages for the client-side email due to file type or size restrictions or any potential access related issues.

 

Conclusion

As I mentioned, files and geolocation aren’t often a consideration, but when put in context the two can provide a powerful and effective solution. Now you can see the potential for a marketing team’s email campaigns, region-specific reminders and follow-ups, and countless other scenarios. If you want to a deeper dive into how FirmWorks Files and FirmWorks Geo can help your org grow, request a demo and let us show you how these products can help your use case.

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!