Yes. Since you can export data from Excel® as a CSV (comma-separated values) file, you can then import it into your Salesforce CRM.

With the Data Import Wizard, you can import data from Outlook®, ACT!®, Excel®, GoldMine®, or any program that can export data in the CSV format. You can import up to 50,000 of your business’s existing contacts and business accounts using our wizard, which is available to administrators and users with the “Modify All Data” permission setting.

Detailed instructions for using the Data Import Wizard are here: Import Your Organization’s Accounts and Contacts.

Some data and fields can’t be imported into your Salesforce CRM with the Data Import Wizard. Our Data Loader Guide will help you. You can also read this Trailblazer Community post about the Data Loader. If you still have questions about importing certain data, please get in touch with your Salesforce representative.

The Salesforce Trailhead unit on how to export contacts takes about 10 minutes to complete, and once you finish, you’ll know how to:

• Manually export data with the Data Export Wizard
• Schedule an automatic export of data on a weekly or monthly basis

The Data Export Wizard is available in the Setup menu. Your data will be exported as a CSV (comma-separated values) file.

Why would you want to export your Salesforce CRM data? Some companies do so to keep a backup of their data on premise. The majority, however, export contacts or other data from their CRM platform in order to import it into another system, such as a data management platform (DMP).

 

No.

We offer a variety of pricing options for our customers because we believe that in order to provide you with the best products and services, we need to invest in our people and innovation. You get what you pay for; that’s true with companies paying their employees or for research and development, as well as for customers buying a product or service.

Our Salesforce Pricing and Packaging Guide can walk you through your options for investing in a Salesforce platform. We offer two primary options for investing in our Cloud platforms and CRM system.

 

• Editions: When you select an edition, you get a bundle of some of our most popular features in one package.
• Add-ons: Each add-on you select helps you customize your CRM solution in order to get exactly what your organization needs. We offer add-ons with different tiers of functionality, which is similar to how our editions have varying levels of functionality for most products.

 

To view our product pricing page, please visit the appropriately named Salesforce Product Pricing page.

If you’re in the nonprofit, education, or philanthropy space, we have a special version of our Salesforce products available. Please see our salesforce.org website for more details.

You can also discuss your budget and business needs with one of our representatives, who would be happy to help you find the services and packages that fit your current needs — and can grow with you as your company expands.

Because free only gets you so far.

If you are a small business with few customers and no desire to expand, a free CRM platform may be all you need. In fact, if you can manage all your customer relationship management from a spreadsheet without getting overwhelmed, we encourage you to keep using what works.

However, once your customer base has grown and your spreadsheet is unwieldy, it’s necessary to take the next step to ensure your relationships with customers continue to be personalized, beneficial for both your company and the customer, and profitable.

Here are eight reasons why the Salesforce CRM is better than a free CRM platform.

1. It’s based in the cloud. This means automatic backups, data security, and unparalleled accessibility.
2. It’s made to integrate with other systems.
3. It’s intuitive and easy to use. However, if you do have questions, Salesforce has a number of ways to find the answer, from working with one of our representatives to learning on Trailhead to reading community posts in our knowledge base.
4. Improvements and updates happen often and automatically.
5. It’s full of features that are built with our customers’ needs in mind.
6. The Salesforce CRM is highly customizable, and thus a great option for just about every organization out there.
7. Salesforce customers’ successes speak for themselves with data showing growth, increased sales, improved efficiency, and more.
8. The Salesforce CRM platform is award-winning. Multiple years, many different awards, and we’re proud of it.

If these eight reasons don’t appeal to you, your business probably isn’t ready for everything Salesforce offers. That’s okay. We’ll be here for you when you’re ready.

 

Check out our Salesforce Pricing and Packaging Guide, which will walk you through your options for investing in a Salesforce platform.

Salesforce customers have two options for investing in our platforms and CRM system.

• Editions: When a customer buys an edition, they’re getting a single package that bundles some of our most popular features.
• Add-ons: Customize your CRM solution with add-ons in order to get exactly what your business needs. Add-ons have different tiers of functionality, similar to how our editions have varying levels of functionality for most products.

To learn more about our products and their costs, please visit the Salesforce Product Pricing page.

For organizations in the nonprofit, education, or philanthropy sectors, Salesforce offers a special version of our CRM platform and other solutions. The salesforce.org website gives more insight into how to qualify for reduced- or no-cost solutions for your organization.

As always, our representatives are available for a no-pressure consultation to help you figure out the best CRM solution for your budget and business needs. We can find the services and packages that will serve your current needs, with plenty of options for growth in the future.

The Salesforce CRM platform is built to work with other applications to provide a seamless back-end experience that allows you to run your organization smoothly. One way we offer integration with other programs is through our AppExchange. Each app can be installed quickly so you and your team can start using it in your Salesforce product today.

Yes. Our Mailchimp for Salesforce app in AppExchange keeps your data between Mailchimp and your Salesforce platform in sync. Native integrations, APIs, and third-party applications are additional options: Please visit our Mailchimp Integration Guide for details.

Yes. In fact, at Dreamforce we had an entire presentation from Pearson about their integration project: “CRM, ERP, And MDM: An Enterprise Integration Strategy (A).”

You have a few options when it comes to Salesforce CRM and ERP integration.

• AppExchange has options for some integrations, but these are for smaller processes.
• If you have an ERP from Oracle or SAP, Salesforce has native integrations available.
• Some software vendors developed ERP systems built around Salesforce using the Force.com platform.
• Your company can invest in a custom integration.

Talk with your IT team and Salesforce representative to find out which option would work best for your business. Integrating your Salesforce CRM platform with an ERP is a process that takes time to do right, as the Dreamforce presentation from Pearson shows. But when it’s done right, CRM and ERP integration helps your organization run more effectively and competitively.

Yes. For Outlook, please check out these resources to find exactly what you need.

• Our Trailhead Outlook Integration Module, where you can learn everything you need to know about integrating your Salesforce CRM with Outlook
• Getting Microsoft® Outlook® and Salesforce in Sync, our PDF guide
• This Quick Start guide in our Trailblazer Community
• AppExchange, where you can find a number of apps that will help you integrate Outlook (and other email providers)

For Office 365, these resources should help.

• Find out more about the benefits of integrating Office 365 and your Salesforce CRM in this presentation, “Office 365 And Salesforce: A Better Productivity Experience.”
• Learn some of our Sales Cloud Productivity Best Practices in our Automate Everything Module, which includes integrating Office 365 and other mail clients.
• AppExchange, where you can find a number of apps that will help you integrate Office 365

You can read our Adding a Form to the Page post in our Trailblazer Community.

No. Currently, you can only have one MyDomain name per organization. However, “multiple custom domains are possible by CNAME'ing a Force.com Site to each specific custom domain.” You can find more information in the Trailblazer Community post, “Registering a Custom Salesforce Sites Domain.”

A CRM platform can help increase sales because it simplifies and smooths the interactions between a company and its customers. By serving as the organized, complete customer relationship management platform — full of data, analytics, reports, notes, and more — a CRM platform can help companies make objective decisions that best serve their current customers and allow them to reach new customers more effectively.

Learn more:

• The End of Spreadsheets: Why Your Sales Team Should be Excited about a CRM Solution
• 7 Signs You Need a CRM System (Customer Relationship Management)
• Is Your CRM Program Living up to its Potential? 8 Surprising CRM System Benefits
• Three Reasons Why CRM and Cloud Computing are Critical to Your Business Growth