A Salesforce Admin’s Pre-Holiday Checklist

It’s getting to the end of the calendar year, and the holiday season here in the US gets into full swing this week. Which means that many of your Salesforce users will be taking time off for various celebrations. As a Salesforce Admin this can be a good thing. We can get caught up on new features, testing, and that one Trailhead module you have been putting off for so long. But it can also be a rough time for you users—emails go unanswered, passwords forgotten, and let’s not forget you are probably taking time off as well!

So let’s get everyone prepared for their time off by going through this short checklist for you, the Salesforce Admin.

1. Mass communicate with your users

The first step for any successful time off period is communication. As part of our Salesforce Admin Essential Habits you want to communicate changes and information to your users regularly. So be sure to send an email to your users like the one below to let them know you will be out of the office. To do this, I created a sample email template for you:

Greetings {!User.FirstName}!
With the holiday season upon us I wanted to remind you when I will be out of the office and where you can go for support.

I will be out of the office from [START DATE] to [END DATE]. During this time I will not be checking email. However, if you need Salesforce Assistance- please send me an email which will be answered when I return OR contact: [CONTACT PERSON].

I hope you have a wonderful day!

But there is so much more for us to do than just email them. I use the Rule of Three when communicating with users. Three methods to make sure that each communication goes through. So first, email them to let them know when you will be out of the office. Next, be sure to post to Chatter the same message. And finally, include it in any newsletter or updates to your users. That way they will for sure have an opportunity to see it.

2. Update Chatter 

Before you leave the office for the holidays be sure to do a couple of things. First, I like to change my Chatter profile picture to be a visual reminder that I am out of office. There are plenty of choices if you just search for it. I like this idea because it’s a good visual reminder that you are unavailable.

In addition to changing your profile picture, don’t forget to set your Out of Office Message in Chatter. I love this feature and encourage everyone on my team to use it. That way when you get mentioned in Chatter they see your status and it helps because everyone sees a message appearing just about everywhere your name appears in Chatter.

By the way- this tip is great for Admins to encourage their users to do as well!

3. Set your out of office email message

This is probably the one you do most often. But, do you make your out of office email message actionable? Think about that user who is trying enter their end of month sale, but got locked out. So they email you only to get an out of office that says only when you will return (insert sad trombone sound here).

Make your out of office message actionable so that when someone gets it, they know who and where to turn for help. Which means your out of office message should include the following:

• Specific dates when you will be out of the office
• Will you or will you not be checking email?
• Where can they turn to for help- Chatter group? Other delegated Administrators?
• If it’s an emergency and they need to contact you- what is the best way to do that?

Let me give you an example I use:

I’m out fo the office all week (11/19 – 11/23).
If you need assistance during this time, please post your question to the Salesforce Support Chatter Group.
I’ll be checking email periodically but not available on Google IM. Texting is the best way to reach me (+1-555-555-5555).

4. Install SalesforceA

If you have not installed the new Salesforce Admin app, stop reading and do that. Here is the link. If you have already installed it, have you logged in? Do all that. Because I promise you there will be a few users who missed your email, and are completely oblivious to your Chatter picture. They will- mark my words- forget their password, lock themselves out, or both.

That’s it. Ok, so what do you do before you leave the office? Share with us in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #AwesomeAdmin. Happy holidays!