Get Ready for Multi-Factor Authentication: Prepare Your End-Users

With multi-factor authentication (MFA) auto-enablement for Salesforce orgs on the horizon, you might be wondering how to prepare your users for this change. We’ve got you covered!

Busy people aren’t always receptive to change. To hit the right notes with your Salesforce users, share why MFA is a critical security measure and help everyone quickly incorporate it into their daily lives. A good strategy for managing change includes engaging and educating everyone with communication, training, and onboarding materials. And—great news–there are templates available to help you jump-start these activities.

Engage with communication

To make sure no one is surprised when MFA is turned on, communicate early and often with your users. We recommend using multiple channels to help reach everyone.

As part of your messaging, describe what MFA is, when it’s going live, what users must do to be ready, and where they can find instructions and support. To promote user adoption, amplify the idea that MFA is an important safeguard for account access and, ultimately, your valuable business and customer data.

Here are a couple of ideas to engage your users.

• Communication channel: Create a central place, such as a Slack channel, where you can make announcements, share resources, answer questions, and tap into the power of peer collaboration. This is also a great place to pin the MFA enablement date for your org.

• Awareness emails: You can go simple with a single email, or do a drip campaign with bite-sized messages delivered over several days or weeks.

• Visual reminders: If enough of your users are coming into the office, consider reinforcing awareness by putting posters in hallways and break rooms. Develop a theme or catchphrase that engages users—something like “Secure the way with MFA” or “MFA is the way (to better login security)”.

Educate with training

When a user logs in after MFA is enabled, a series of prompts shows them how to register and use MFA verification methods. But don’t rely on this guidance alone. A little end-user training prepares everyone to respond to MFA challenges.

There are a variety of training approaches you can take, including:

• On-demand: Create resources, such as a video, that users can access on their own time. If you’re relying on Salesforce Authenticator as a verification method, utilize the How to Use Salesforce Authenticator for MFA Logins video created by Salesforce.
• Real-time: Set up in-person or virtual training sessions, like a webinar or a lunch-and-learn event.

When creating training materials, consider addressing these topics.

• What MFA is, how it works, and why it’s important for your company and customers
• The types of verification methods that users can select, how to obtain a method (such as where to download authenticator apps or how to receive a physical security key), and how to register and log in with each of the methods you’re supporting
• Where to get help if users have problems registering a method or logging in, or if they forget or lose their method

Reinforce with onboarding materials

Training is valuable, but don’t count on your multi-tasking users remembering everything they learned. On your MFA launch day, users will benefit from simple resources that supplement the guidance provided by the in-app MFA registration prompts. Onboarding materials go a long way in getting people up and running (and reduce calls to your support team).

Consider creating a “quick start” webpage or a laminated cheat sheet that you’ll distribute to users before MFA is turned on. Focus on the step-by-step instructions for acquiring, registering, and logging in with verification methods. And be sure to include guidance on how to get help if users wind up stuck or confused.

Jump-start your MFA change management activities

Start preparing your Salesforce users for the MFA auto-enablement change now! Be sure to download the free MFA Rollout Pack for planning and change management templates, and use the additional resources below for more information.

Resources

• Salesforce Trust Site: Change Management for a Successful MFA Rollout
• Salesforce Help: Verification Methods for Multi-Factor Authentication
• Salesforce Help: Everything You Need to Know About MFA Auto-Enablement and Enforcement
• Vidyard: Journey to MFA: Launch Multi-Factor Authentication
• Salesforce Help: Salesforce Multi-Factor Authentication FAQ
• Salesforce Trust Site: Multi-Factor Authentication for Salesforce
• Salesforce Admins Blog: Get Ready for Multi-Factor Authentication: Plan for Auto-Enablement
• Salesforce Admins Blog: Get Ready for Multi-Factor Authentication: Tips to Help Users Recover Access

Join the conversation anytime in the MFA – Getting Started Trailblazer Community Group. And tune in next month for some tips on supporting your users once MFA is enabled for your org.