The transition to Lightning Experience from Salesforce Classic can seem daunting to some organizations. Nonprofits with a long history of using Classic or those with limited technical capacity may be the most resistant to change. Their users, however, may benefit most from the flexibility of Lightning’s new interface, improved automation, and a more customizable user experience. 

During my time as an Executive Director of a Montana-based nonprofit, I implemented Salesforce and the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) in Classic. I can relate firsthand to the preparation and energy that goes into transitioning, but now that I have spent time in Lightning I will not go back. Craftsman has transitioned many organizations to the modern interface so their teams can leverage the new, efficient features. In this post, I consolidated some of Craftsman’s favorite Lightning features with a focus on those that are simple to use and have an outsized impact.

Simple, Yet Powerful

List Views. Although List Views are available in Classic, they are much improved in Lightning. List views provide an easy way to sort and make sense of data and immediately improve efficiency. Users can set list views to private or make them accessible to others. Filters make it possible to drill down into information quickly and charts help visualize data. Inline field editing and mass inline editing are available when the list is filtered by a single record type and allow users to update information on a single screen. Finally, users can select multiple records with a checkbox. Depending on how the instance is configured, users can add the selected records to a campaign or send a list email to multiple records at once. 

Kanban. Kanban, a type of list view,  provides a wonderful visual of which stage records are in. Records are presented in tiles and separated into columns. And, each tile can be easily moved to a new stage without leaving the list view. 

Favorites. Using Favorites is similar to bookmarking a webpage. It is a time saver for users who often need to refer to certain records, reports or list views. Users can add any page to their favorites by clicking on the star icon. Once populated, favorites can be reordered, renamed or removed from the list.

Global Actions Menu. Replacing the sidebar found in Classic, the Global Actions Menu shows a subset of global actions that are accessible from any screen. A composer window at the bottom of the screen allows for quick record creation. Admins can use the Publisher Layout to include only the specific fields users need to create records on the fly. There is even prefill functionality for record types and fields to make record creation as quick as possible.

Button Lightning URLs. A button URL in Lightning is an answer to the infamous URL hacking that Classic users may be familiar with, but won’t work in Lightning experience. In Lightning, users can leverage the URL string to push field values from a parent record to a child record via custom buttons.

The breakdown of a Lightning URL: 

• The opening URL string: /lightning/o/[Object API name creating]/new?
• List the Default Field Values to pass to the new record: defaultFieldValues=[child record field API name to populate]=[{!source parent object and record field API name}],[child record field API name to populate]=[{!source parent object and record field API name}]
• An example of a complete Lightning URL string: /lightning/o/Contact_Role__c/new?defaultFieldValues=Opportunity_Name__c={!Opportunity.Id},Project__c={!Opportunity.ProjectId__c}
• To push to a specific record type: <opening URL string>recordTypeId=01220000000bbbw&defaultFieldValues=<list fields to populate>

Track Impact with Reports + Dashboards

Lightning Experience makes tracking and sharing data easier for users. Reports and dashboards are now separate tabs on the Lightning interface. They are organized in standard folders – ‘Created by Me’, ‘Shared with Me’ and ‘Favorites’ – with customizable subfolders. Chart options are made within the report allowing the user to edit, add a title, change axes, reveal chart values, or provide a reference line.

Salesforce admins can select ‘Subscribe’ on a report to run it at a scheduled time and allow for automated email distribution to specific users. This removes the need to manually run and send the report. When subscribing, a running user must be identified. The running user’s access will determine which data is shown to recipients, and it can be more or less information than recipients normally have access to. If you have access to sensitive information as an admin, you may want to select another running user to ensure only appropriate data is shared.

Reports and dashboards have seen some great improvements in Lightning. Dashboard filters allow users to apply a single filter to all components within a dashboard. For example, fundraisers might filter their donation pipeline dashboard by month, quarter, or year. Instead of selecting a report type, as you do in Classic, reports can shift from summary to matrix by simply adding field groupings for rows or columns. This flexibility allows for easier and quicker changes to how users organize and visualize data.

AppExchange

An array of free Lightning components are available on the AppExchange. These components add functionality to systems with a simple install and can quickly improve user experience. Mopsy, a favorite among our clients, gives users a streamlined and flexible way to manage tasks in Lightning. There are hundreds of options like it on the AppExchange that leverage the flexibility of Lightning to cater to different user needs.

Summary + Conclusion

Many native Lightning features are easy to leverage and can have a powerful impact on an organization’s processes. Tracking information through reports and dashboards is one example of an enhancement that can make it easier to view and share data across the organization. And, app providers continue to add functionality. When an organization transitions to Lightning Experience they access a flexible interface that can greatly improve their user experience.