Tips for getting started with Chatter

  1. Watch a quick video
    Learn everything you need to know about getting started with Chatter in this 4-minute video.
  2. Fill out your profile
    Get to know your colleagues and share your expertise through business profiles.
  3. Follow relevant people and data
    Stay in the loop by following people and Salesforce data, so you can easily collaborate and learn, all in real time.
  4. Join or create groups
    Groups help your teams get organized, share information, collaborate on documents, and work more productively to get things done.
  5. Post your first status update
    Use status updates to ask questions, share insights, keep everyone on the same page, prevent duplication of effort, and dramatically reduce unproductive email traffic.
  6. Read our helpful hints
    Become a Chatter expert with these tips and guidelines.

1. Watch a quick video

This video takes you through the basics of getting started with Chatter, like how to set up your profile, update your status, and join groups.

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 Step 1
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2. Fill out your profile

  • Upload a picture:  Help coworkers put a face to a name. After logging in to Salesforce, click your name to go to your profile page, then click "Upload Photo" to replace this with a photo that looks more like you. Remember, Chatter is a business tool, so choose a photo you don’t mind showing to everyone from your boss to the CEO.
  • Enter your contact information: Chatter makes it easy to look up phone numbers and email addresses for everyone in your company. Under your photo on your profile page, click the pencil icons to update your contact information and personal description.
  • Fill out "About me": This is your chance to introduce yourself to your company. You may want to include your department, your areas of expertise, an overview of your job, and other professional details.

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 Step 2
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3. Follow relevant people and data

  • Keep up with what your coworkers are doing by following everyone who is important to you. Start with your team, your manager, and key executives. Click the people tab to find colleagues you want to keep up with. Their updates will start appearing in your home page feed.
  • You can follow any records enabled by your Chatter administrator, like accounts, contacts, opportunities, cases, or custom objects. Every page has a "Follow" button, making it super easy to stay on top of the things you care about.

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 Step 3
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4. Join or create groups

  • In the groups tab, browse through the groups your colleagues have created and join the ones that match your interests.
  • Don't see a group that’s a match for you? You’re probably not alone: Start your own group by clicking the"New Group" button.

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 Step 4
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5. 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.

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 Step 5
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6. Helpful hints

  • If you create a public group, anyone can join, and posts can be seen by whoever views the group.
  • Posts made in a private group can only be seen by members who have been added by the group owner.
  • If you make a post on a record (e.g., account, opportunity) only users who have full or read access to that record can see your post.
  • Post “up the chain” to reach a broader audience.  For example, if you manage a product datasheet and want to let all your sales reps know about a new version, post the updated file to someone many sales reps follow on Chatter, like a director or VP of sales.

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Do Don’t
  • Do participate by asking and answering questions and sharing information
  • Do keep your posts relevant to work
  • Do keep it brief
  • Do use Chatter to address a wider audience and get feedback
  • Do use groups rather than email distribution lists for collaboration
  • Do post files instead of emailing attachmentsChatty do's
  • Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your HR team or executives to read
  • Don’t write long-winded posts
  • Don’t use Chatter to replace an in-person conversation
  • Don’t post confidential information on profiles or public groups
  • Don’t post personal messages that aren’t relevant to your business
  • Don’t post the same thing to multiple peopleChatty don'ts

Be sure to read your company’s conduct policy for more information.

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