One of the best ways to enhance your Salesforce implementation is to become a custom formula field master. Much like Excel, formula fields allow business users to add simple application logic without programming. Custom formula fields can be placed on any object just as you would create a custom field. There are all kinds of possibilities. For example; 

• Create Groupings Using Formula Fields
• Calculate the Day of the Week
• Develop Your Own Lead Scoring
• Calculate Year-over-Year Comparisons
• Create a Custom Formula to Calculate Age

If you have a question about how to create a custom formula or want to share a formula you came up with, visit the custom formula field discussion board.

Downloads

• 100 Sample Formula Fields
• Getting Started with Formula Fields
• Custom Formula Field Blog Posts

With AppExchange Builder it’s easy to create custom tabs and custom objects that extend beyond the core CRM product. For example, many companies manage projects in an ad hock fashion emailing spreadsheets and project updates to one another. By moving this information inside Salesforce you can collaborate more effectively, assigning tasks, and running reports to see which projects need attention. You can also link those projects to existing information in Salesforce such as contacts, accounts, or opportunities.

Companies are also eliminating homegrown databases and proprietary applications in an effort to reduce IT overhead. By pairing back the number of vendors and simplifying the administration, IT has more time to focus on high value projects.

To make the most of your salesforce.com implementation, take the time to browse through the AppExchange and see the full breath of what’s available. There are hundreds of Apps which you can test drive, read reviews, and install into your salesforce.com account. To get started, here are a couple of recommendations.

Components
This category of application includes things like web integration links, scontrols, formula fields, and dashboards. Here are some popular examples;

• Pre-Built Adoption Dashboards
• Sample Image Fields
• Mass Update Utilities
• Service and Support Dashboard
• Lead and Opportunity Management Dashboards
  

Free Apps
There are lots of free native apps on the AppExchange. Built by salesforce.com product managers and customers just like you, these apps range from simple starting points which you can further customize, to amazingly feature rich apps built using s-controls. Some popular apps include;

• Call Scripting
• Line Item Sales Quoting
• Vacation requests

Partner Apps
AppExchange makes it easy to browse, test drive, and install pre-integrated partner applications. Use the AppExchange to compare vendors and see what other customers have to say. Some popular application categories include;

• Mass Email
• Project Management
• Data Cleansing
  
• Sales Tools

Many customers want to integrate back office information into salesforce.com, including data from standard ERP or accounting packages or legacy, home grown systems.

The most common Salesforce integration scenarios include:

1. Customer Account Master Integration: For example, when a new account is added in Salesforce, you may want to either update the Customer Account master record in another system, or vise versa. If Salesforce is the master database, you may want to move the data from other systems into Salesforce.com. This ensures a high level of data integrity.
2. Invoice and Order History: For example, when an opportunity closes you might want to set up the account in your accounting package and kick off an invoice. The revers might be true as well. You might want to make your sales rep aware of the fact that a customer has an overdue balance without having them log into your accounting application. In addition, you may want to store order history data in Salesforce so that the Sales Rep has a single view into all the customer information.

Salesforce.com has a number of partners on the AppExchange who have built connectors for the major accounting packages, as well as provide solutions of integration to back office legacy systems. Here are a few:

QuickBooks
If you have QuickBooks try IntraWeave. If you have QuickBooks Online AccountDynamics has a great solution.

Microsoft Dynamic, Formerly Known as GreatPlains
If you use GreatPlains, Scribe Software has an AppExchange application to integrate with Salesforce.

Peachtree, Mass90
If you have a mid-tier accounting package such as Peachtree or Mass90, Pervasive has a great solutions.

Oracle Financial, SAP
For integration with Oracle Financial, SAP, or other enterprise products, Above All Software, Castiron, Informatica, and Pervasive all have solutions. For more information on these solutions, as well as 30 other solutions by additional partners, visit the Integration Category on the AppExchange. 

In addition, some customers have also expressed interest in on-demand account packages. Intacct, an AppExchange Partner offers a hosted Financial, Order, and Expense Management that is fully integrated to Salesforce.com.

For Professional and Enterprise Edition customers, Salesforce provides out of the box website integration. For example you can capture leads from your website and automatically route them into salesforce.com. It’s incredibly easy to set up. Simply pick the fields and Salesforce will generate the HTML which you can copy and paste into your website. By setting up this pipe you’ll have a constant flow of data which will allow you to service customers more effectively and it also provides an extra incentive for your reps to log in. Below are the various forms are website integration that Salesforce has to offer.   

Product Features

• Web-to-Lead: registration forms or contact me request
• Web-to-Case: capture support or billing inquires
• Public Knowledgebase: create a FAQ section on your website
• Customer Self-Service: check on the status of cases 24/7

Also See

• Best Practice Presentations from Dreamforce '05
• Related Salesforce Product Features

For Mobile Users salesforce.com offers two solutions for accessing Salesforce on the road.

Offline Edition
Offline Edition allows you to take a briefcase of your sales opportunities and customer information on the road, so that you can access it on a laptop while disconnected. This is ideal for sales people in the field or traveling on airplanes. When you reconnect to the Internet your changes can be synched back up to your salesforce.com account.

• Feature Detail Page
  
• Offline Edition Training (AMD 130)

AppExchange Mobile
With AppExchange Mobile, field professionals have full access to information in Salesforce.com CRM or AppExchange apps using any wireless device. Salesforce synchs with your Palm, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian device.

• Feature Detail Page
• Setting Up AppExchange Mobile (Training Demo)
• AppExchange Mobile End User Training (Training Demo)