Integrating Google Maps with Salesforce.com
Feb 11, 2005
From:
For those of you who haven't seen google maps yet, it's really amazing.
Here's a WIL that works on contacts:
Here's one from Matt Browning
that gives directions from the user’s address to the contact’s address.
Doing a search on a custom homepage might also be useful.
How about using maps to do data cleansing? If you don't have the zip, it figures it out, then somehow we write it back? They have an XML interface where maybe we could consume that info with an scontrol?
I'm sure you could also build a web link that would take the user's home address, and immediately route the directions from the user's address to the contact address.
Other ideas for how this could be used? -B
Bookmark
I am interested in doing "lead mapping" as demonstrated by Salesforce during the Success on Demand Tour in Minneapolis on May 17, 2006.
I tried this as a custom link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q={!Lead_Company}%20{!Lead_FullAddress}%20{!Lead_City}%20{!Lead_State}%20{!Lead_PostalCode}
The problem with that, however, is that it pulls up only a single lead which is accessed from a custom link deep in the data for an individual lead.
What I saw in the tour did these things:
1) all US leads viewed together on a single map of the US
2) all leads marked with color coded push pins ("hot prospect" "warm prospect" etc...)
3) ability to zoom into a region
4) text bubbles giving detailed lead name and address
5) ability to click on a lead on the map and pull up the detailed data in Salesforce.com
What I have noticed in various "screen captures" of Google/salesforce mashups is that Map tabs have been created -- "tabs" being on the same hierarchical level as "leads."
I think what would be the most helpful would be a Google Maps tab that would pull up all of my leads. Then I can see what kind of geographic distribution I have, and can have a visual picture of the lead locations and distribution that is more helpful than an alphabetized list.
How do I get that functionality?
Posted by: Andrew Comfort | August 03, 2006 at 03:39 PM
Great question(s), as I saw the same lead set-up at the San Francisco show. How about taking it a step further and seeing if there's a way to locate adjacent cities (leads) next to existing customers (accounts). Now that would be a valuable tool and worth a drink or two.
Posted by: Ryan | August 04, 2006 at 04:06 PM
Great stuff, only issue was with multi-line email addresses. It would be great if the address line 1 field was available for web links as it is for the API.
Posted by: Mike | February 08, 2007 at 04:43 PM
Sometimes error message says that "Bad Link Definition".
Posted by: Outsource Back Office | May 29, 2007 at 01:29 AM
does this work for international maps, cities and countries ? thanks
Posted by: nick turner | July 23, 2007 at 08:56 AM
How to show multiple addresses on a single map ?
Posted by: Chirag Mehta | May 21, 2009 at 02:21 PM
If this post is still watched, has anyone used the Maps API to create a map of multiple accounts on a single map?
This would be very useful for a sales rep, to be able to do the following:
- map my accounts
- map my opportunities
If you could see on a single map all your accounts or opportunities, you could easily plan trips visiting multiple customers in similar areas.
This would require however, for a result set to be iterated over and the URL to be built of all the results and I don't know how SF could do this, if anyone has any ideas about how to get started I would be intereted.
Posted by: David D | September 28, 2009 at 08:33 AM