5 Ways to Increase Productivity with List Views

When was the last time you looked at a list view on any object? Probably today – and probably multiple times a day every day! A list view is simply a list of records meeting specific criteria, and customizing list views is a simple thing for you as a System Administrator to do that will make your users super productive in no time at all!

Each object in Salesforce has some standard list views like, “Recently Viewed”, “My {Object_Name}, “All {Object Name}”, and others. With the latest release, you can resize columns, wrap or clip column names, and sort by column headers.

Let me give you 5 things to do to help you and your users be more productive with list views.

1. Review your list of List Views ?:

Make sure only critical list views are made visible to everyone. If you have a long list of list views (see what I did there?) that folks have to sift through, then people won’t use them, or won’t be able to quickly find the right ones. And don’t be afraid to purge!

Make sure to share list views that everyone needs to see, and hide the rest.

2. Jump Right to a Specific List View

One great feature of Lightning is the ability to jump to a specific list view right from the Object Name – and it’s easy to miss! Just click on the “carat” / symbol and it will show you your recent list views that you can jump directly to. And don’t forget, you can bookmark list views too!

3. Trim Down Unneeded Columns

Once you’ve identified those critical list views, make sure the columns displayed are actually useful to your users. You’ll often find there are extra columns that are not needed. For example, if you’re looking at a “My Contacts” list view, you probably don’t need the “Contact Owner Alias” field displayed.

4. Check Those Filters!

Make sure to add the appropriate filters on your list views – such as just showing your Accounts in a specific state, or whatever else makes sense for you and your users. Also, don’t forget about the “My…” filter to just show you the objects where you are the owner. This is a great way to create a list view that works for everyone at your org to see just their own records.

5. In-line Editing is the Best!

Another awesome feature is the ability to do in-line editing within a list view! Don’t forget this only works when you are using a single Record Type – so if you have Objects with multiple Record types (like Accounts or Opportunities, if you’re using the Nonprofit Success Pack), make sure to add a Record type filter to your list view first.

What else do you find useful about list views? What do you share with your users to help them with list views? Let us know by posting in the Admin Trailblazers group in the Trailblazer community!