What is an Opportunity?
Opportunities are for interactions that your business unit would like to track and forecast. The Opportunity Object allows you to add probability information, track interactions in regards to the deals, and assign User teams and other information that can then be reported on or tracked as needed. A lot of different records can be associated to Opportunities and there are many different options to record interactions with different parties.
Although the intent in Salesforce is to track sales it can be useful as a tool within our instance to track courses, certificate programs, workshops, conventions, donor information, and more.
This article is meant to be an overview of the available functionality for Opportunities with information about what kinds of records and interactions you're able to associate and is not meant to replace or change internal business practices.
What Are My Privacy Options?
Opportunity is a record type that is private to your business unit. Any information within the Opportunity record is private to your business unit. Any record associations with the Opportunity are also private to your business unit.
Skip to relevant sections: Tasks, Events, Log a Call, Send an Email, Contact Roles, Opportunity Team, Partners, Competitors, Google Docs, Notes, and Attachments.
Manage Opportunities
Create a Task
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Task:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Open Activities brings up a window where the New Task button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is an Open Activities section of the page where there is a New Task button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the New Task screen fields can be manipulated as needed. How you manipulate these fields will likely be determined by internal business processes.
- Assigned To will default to you as the User but if needed the Lookup icon can be used to assign the Task to a different User.
- The Subject field will likely be determined by internal business processes and should be something descriptive or useful to the User the Task is being assigned to or another User that may be viewing the record.
- Due Date will default to empty but can be manipulated as needed and will automatically affect the Reminder field below (which can then still be updated as needed).
- Comments are where you will be putting the descriptive information that the Task is being created for and may be determined by internal business processes. Something useful to someone consuming the information should be put within this box.
- The Related To field will automatically be filled in with the Opportunity record you created the Task from.
- The Name field can be filled in as needed by using the Lookup icon to find and associate up to 50 different Contact records.
- Note: Since the record is associated with a Opportunity record the Task will remain private and not be viewable on the Contact record by users of other business units.
- Related Case allows you to use the Lookup icon to associate a Case with the Task as needed.
- Type should be set according to internal business practices.
- Direction should be set according to internal business practices.
- Status should be set according to internal business practices.
- Priority should be set according to internal business practices.
- Phone and Email cannot be manipulated here and will pull from any associated Primary Contact record if applicable.
- If the task should be recurring the Create Recurring Series of Tasks checkbox being checked off will bring up options for selecting recurrence and date ranges.
- Reminder will be pre-populated based on selections in the Due Date and Recurrence areas but can be manipulated here as needed.
- If there are any supporting documents or other necessary attachments the Attach File button can be clicked in the Attachments section at the bottom of the screen.
- Fill in all desired fields for the Task and if you would like to add another Task for this Opportunity record click on Save & New Task at the top or bottom of the screen.
- Fill in all desired fields for the Task and if you are done adding Tasks to the current Opportunity click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Create an Event
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Event:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Open Activities brings up a window where the New Event button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is an Open Activities section of the page where there is a New Event button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the New Event screen fields can be manipulated as needed. How you manipulate these fields will likely be determined by internal business processes.
- Assigned To will default to you as the User but if needed the Lookup icon can be used to assign the Event to a different User.
- The Subject field will likely be determined by internal business processes and should be something descriptive or useful to the User the Event is being assigned to or another User that may be viewing the record.
- The All-Day Event checkbox allows you designate the Event as all-day on any associated calendars. This will also affect the Reminder field below (which can then still be updated as needed).
- Start and End allow you to designate the time period during which the event will take place and will automatically update the Reminder field below (which can then still be updated as needed).
- The Related To field will automatically be filled in with the Opportunity record you created the Event from.
- The Name field can be filled in as needed by using the Lookup icon to find and associate up to 50 different Contact or Lead records.
- Note: Since you are associating the private Opportunity record you can add Contacts without making the Event public on those Contact records. Internal business processes, however, will still dictate when, how, or why you associate Contacts with Event records.
- Clicking on Add to Invitees will add the Appointment to the Contact's Salesforce Calendar and changes the Save button to Save & Send Update. This will email associated Contact(s) an invite to the Appointment once this button is clicked.
- The Subject, Description, and Location information from the Event are included in this email communication.
- As most Contacts will not have access to their CRM Calendar note that the email also gives the contact the option to save to their own calendar outside of CRM with appropriate Start and End or All-Day Appointment information.
- Related Case allows you to use the Lookup icon to associate a Case with the Event as needed.
- Type should be set according to internal business practices.
- The Private checkbox cannot be used in this instance as there is already a record other than your own associated with the Event.
- Location allows you to enter a location that will show as the Where for any Users or Contacts getting emails about the Event.
- The Show Time As dropdown allows you to designate how you would like the Event to appear on your own Salesforce calendar.
- Phone and Email cannot be manipulated here and will pull from any associated Primary Contact record if applicable.
- Description is where you will be putting information about the Event that you want to communicate to Contacts and/or other Users that are either invited to the Event or viewing the Organization record.
- Note that if you have invited any Contacts or Users this will also get pulled into any emails generated by the Event.
- Reminder will be pre-populated based on selections in the All-Day Event, Start, and End areas but can be manipulated here as needed.
- If there are any supporting documents or other necessary attachments the Attach File button can be clicked in the Attachments section at the bottom of the screen.
- Fill in all desired fields for the Event and based on the selections made you may be seeing different buttons:
- If you have clicked on Add to Invitees to invite any Contacts or Users to the Event you will want to click Save & Send Update to save the Event and send any relevant email invites.
- If you have not invited any Contacts or Users you can click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Log a Call
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to Log a Call:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Activity History brings up a window where the Log a Call button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is an Open Activities section of the page where there is a Log a Call button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Log a Call screen fields can be manipulated as needed. How you manipulate these fields will likely be determined by internal business processes.
- Assigned To will default to you as the User but if needed the Lookup icon can be used to assign the Task to a different User.
- The Subject field will default to Call.
- Due Date will default to today's date but can be manipulated as needed.
- Comments are where you will be putting the descriptive information that the Task is being created for and may be determined by internal business processes. Something useful to someone consuming the information should be put within this box.
- The Related To field will automatically be filled in with the Opportunity record you created the Task from.
- The Name field can be filled in as needed by using the Lookup icon to find and associate up to 50 different Contact records.
- Note: Since the record is associated with a Opportunity record the Task will remain private and not be viewable on the Contact record by users of other business units.
- Related Case allows you to use the Lookup icon to associate a Case with the Task as needed.
- Type should be set according to internal business practices.
- Direction should be set according to internal business practices.
- Status will automatically be filled in as Completed.
- Priority should be set according to internal business practices.
- Phone and Email cannot be manipulated here and will pull from any associated Primary Contact record if applicable.
- Below the information for the initial call there are fields available to create a follow up Task with the available fields of Assigned To, Subject, Due Date, Comments, Related Case, Type, Direction, Status, Priority, and Reminder that can be manipulated per business practices.
- Fill in all desired fields for the Call and Follow-up Task (if creating) and click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Send an Email
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to Send an Email:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Activity History brings up a window where the Send an Email button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is an Open Activities section of the page where there is a Send an Email button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Send an Email screen fields can be manipulated as needed. How you manipulate these fields will likely be determined by internal business processes.
- Email Format will either be HTML or Text Only. Clicking on the Switch To... text in the brackets will switch between the two options.
- HTML will allow you to apply additional formatting and/or paste in formatting from external sources.
- Text Only will remove formatting and send a plain text version of the email.
- To allows you to use the Lookup icon to associate a Contact as the recipient of the email.
- The Related To field will automatically be filled in with the Opportunity record you created the Email from.
- Additional To, CC, and BCC fields allow you to select co-workers and contacts as additional recipients or to be copied or blind copied on the email.
- Subject will be the subject of the email in the inbox of any recipients. This may be dictated by internal business processes.
- The Body field will either be plain text or, if you have clicked the Switch to HTML button, will allow to apply formatting. You can type, copy and paste, or click on the Select Template button at the top or bottom of the page to choose an Email Template from your available folders.
- Note: If using a template and modifying text your changes are only reflected in the HTML version of the template. The changes are not reflected in the text-only version of the email sent to recipients.
- Attach File can be clicked if a file needs to be added to the email.
- Preview allows you to view what the email will look like prior to sending.
- Check Spelling can be clicked to look for any spelling errors prior to sending.
- Email Format will either be HTML or Text Only. Clicking on the Switch To... text in the brackets will switch between the two options.
- Fill in all desired fields for the Email and click on Send to send the email and be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Contact Roles
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Contact Role:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Contact Roles brings up a window where the New button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Contact Roles section of the page where there is a New button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Contact Roles page you're able to manipulate fields as needed:
- The Primary column allows you to select either one of four Contacts as the primary contact for the Opportunity or use the top selection to indicate No Primary Contact.
- The Contact column allows you to use the Lookup icons next to the fields to associate Contacts to the Opportunity record.
- The Role column allows you to use the dropdown menus to select from the various available options to assign a Role to each added Contact.
- If you have more than the default of 4 Contacts to add you can click on Save and then follow from Step 1.
- Once all fields have been filled out as desired click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Opportunity Team
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Opportunity Team:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Opportunity Team brings up a window where the Add button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Opportunity Team section of the page where there is an Add button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Opportunity Team page you're able to manipulate fields as needed:
- The User column allows you to use the Lookup icons next to the fields to associate Users to the Opportunity record.
- The Team Role column allows you to use the dropdown menus to select from the various available options to assign a role to each added User.
- The Opportunity Access column allows you to select the type of access the User should have to the Opportunity.
- Like Sharing rules, here you are able to grant further access than a User may already have but you cannot restrict access from someone already within your business unit the Opportunity may already be shared with.
- If you have more than 5 Users to add you can click on Save & More to add other Users.
- Once all fields have been filled out as desired click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Partners
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Partner:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Partners brings up a window where the New button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Partners section of the page where there is a New button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Partners page you're able to manipulate fields as needed:
- The Primary column allows you to select either one of four Organizations as the primary partner for the Opportunity or use the top selection to indicate No Primary Partner.
- The Partner column allows you to use the Lookup icons next to the fields to associate Organizations to the Opportunity record.
- The Role column allows you to use the dropdown menus to select from the various available options to assign a Role to each added Organization.
- If you have more than the default of 5 Organizations to add you can click on Save and then follow from Step 1.
- Once all fields have been filled out as desired click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Competitors
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two ways to get to creating a New Competitor:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Competitors brings up a window where the New button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Competitors section of the page where there is a New button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the New Competitor page you're able to fill in the fields as needed:
- Competitor Name is a required field and allows you to give a name to the Competitor. Check with your internal business processes to see if you're using any standard naming conventions.
- The Strengths text field allows you to put information about the Competitors strengths as needed.
- The Weaknesses text field allows you to put information about the Competitors weaknesses as needed.
- If you have more than one Competitor to add you can click on Save and then follow from Step 1.
- Once all fields have been filled out as desired click on Save to be brought back to the Opportunity record.
Add a Google Doc
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two way to get to adding a Google Doc:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments brings up a window where the Add Google Doc button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments section of the page where there is an Add Google Doc button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Add Existing Google Doc page you are able to add a Google Doc Name and a Google Doc URL.
- Note: Since you are making the Google Doc associated with a record that can be seen by users in your business unit ensure that the Sharing settings on the Google Doc are appropriate for the audience.
- When done adding the name and sharing link click Save to be brought to the Opportunity record.
Add a Note
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two way to get to adding a Note:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments brings up a window where the New Note button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments section of the page where there is a New Note button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Note Edit screen you are able to fill in a Title and Body for the Note.
- Only Title is a required field. If the title is descriptive enough there may not be a need for a Body that other Users would need to get to by clicking on the Note or using the View All button in the Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments section of the Opportunity record.
- There is a Private checkbox on the Note Edit screen that would make the Note private to you that you are able to use if needed.
- When done adding the note information link click Save to be brought to the Opportunity record.
Add an Attachment
- Once on the Opportunity record there are two way to get to adding an Attachment:
- At the top of the Opportunity record hovering over the text for Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments brings up a window where the Attach File button is able to be clicked.
- Further down on the page underneath the Opportunity Detail there is a Google Docs, Notes, & Attachments section of the page where there is an Attach File button that is able to the clicked.
- Once on the Attach File to Opportunity page you are able to click on Choose File to bring up your computer files and select the file you would like to attach to the record.
- When the file you want to attach is visible next to Choose File click on Attach File to upload.
- Note: If you'd like to add more than one file Steps 2 and 3 can be repeated until all files you would like to attach are uploaded.
- When done adding the desired files click Done to be brought to the Opportunity record.