Steps to get started.

Once system admin enables invitations, you can collaborate across departments, sync with your team, and keep up on business from any mobile device.

Get up and running in no time at all.

 
 

Turn it on!

Once your system admin turns on Chatter, go to the “Chatter” tab on the main Salesforce page. Navigate to the “People” tab to start inviting people to Chatter. 

Find peers.

Use email addresses or names to find the colleagues you’d like to invite and hit send. Note: You can only enter email addresses for your company’s supported domains.

 

View, share, and post!

Chatter Free users can view profiles, share files, join groups, and post updates, but can’t see your Salesforce data or records.

Connect with colleagues.

You can connect with people on your verified company email list. However, public email domains such as hotmail.com, yahoo.com, or gmail.com are not accepted for the free trial.

Hints to make Chatter even easier.

 

Fill out your profile.

Upload a photo and put a face to a name. Click the pencil icons to update your contact information and “About Me". Include your department, areas of expertise, and other professional details.

Follow relevant people and data.

Click the “People” tab to find colleagues. You can follow records like accounts, contacts, opportunities, cases, or custom objects. The “Follow” button makes it easy.

 

Join or create groups.

In the “Groups” tab, browse through the groups your colleagues have created and join the ones that match your interests. Start your own group by clicking the “New Group” button.

Post your first status update.

In the text box at the top of the home or profile page, type a short sentence or two about what you’re working on. You can even attach a relevant link, document, or photo.

 

Upload and share files.

Uploaded files are accessible through any browser. Privately share and collaborate with certain people or share something publicly to your network. Post large files to get all the feedback in one place.

Helpful hints:

Groups can be public, private, or unlisted. Post “up the chain" to someone many people follow on Chatter to reach a broader audience.

 

Helpful do's and don'ts

 

Do

  • Participate — ask and answer questions and share information.
  • Keep your posts relevant to work.
  • Post rather than send a “low-priority” email.
  • Think about your posts (anyone following a person or record can see its Chatter posts).
  • Use Chatter to address a wider audience and get feedback.
  • Use groups rather than email distribution lists for collaboration.
  • Post files instead of emailing attachments.
  • Keep it brief.

Don't

  • Post anything you wouldn’t want your HR team or executives to read.
  • Write long-winded posts.
  • Use Chatter to replace an in-person conversation.
  • Post confidential information on profiles or public groups.
  • Post personal messages that aren’t relevant to your business.
  • Post the same thing to multiple people.

Good things to keep in mind

 

Understand who sees what.

Anyone can see what you post on the “Chatter” tab, your profile page, and in a public group. However, posts you make on a private group or records are only visible to those who have access to that record. 

Control your email notifications.

To change Chatter email notifications, navigate to Setup > Personal Setup > My Chatter Settings > Chatter Email Settings. Control the frequency of notifications for your private and public groups on that page.

 

Know what you’re following.

Every so often, review the people and records you’re following, and which groups you’re part of to make sure everything is still relevant.

Take advantage of Chatter recommendations.

Use the “Recommendations” on the right-hand side of the Chatter tab to discover things you didn’t know about, such as projects, marketing campaigns, big deals, or interesting discussions.

 

Use @mentions.

Use @mentions to loop people into conversations. Maybe you want to notify a co-worker about a deal or a project, or simply give someone some kudos for a job well done.

 

It’s always good to share. And it's easy to do.

 

Post an update.

Using status updates, you can quickly post a file, link, or update that all of your followers will see in their Chatter feeds. Other people in your company can then comment on your post and engage in a conversation right in the feed.

Post a file.

Post files using the file icon near where you write posts. Chatter automatically renames newer versions and saves old ones. Anyone who shares the file can download, edit, and upload a revised version.

 

Groups are a great way to keep it simple.

Collaborate and share information in one central location.

Chatter groups reduce email, make collaboration and project management easier, and are a great way to keep up with your team. Here are some groups that have been successful at other companies. 

Public

All company

Add all employees to this group to discuss companywide topics and make announcements.

Product feedback

R&D and engineering teams can get feedback from sales and customer service on what clients are saying about their products.

Sales

Sales employees can share stories, best practices, and tips for winning, and get feedback on deals.

Private

My team

Add team members to this group to discuss projects you’re working on, give feedback, and share presentations, spreadsheets, and documents.

Human Resources

Discuss employee issues, compensation, benefits, bonuses, and morale in a private, confidential group so sensitive emails aren’t forwarded on.

See what Chatter can do for you.

Learn more about the leading social network that gets real work done.