The best Salesforce tips and tricks fall into three buckets: automate repetitive work with Flow, keep your data clean, and master the Lightning Experience features you touch every day. This guide collects 50 of them for admins, sales reps, and managers, so you can pull more value out of your org without writing code.
Key Takeaways
- Flow Builder is Salesforce's only actively developed point-and-click automation tool; Workflow Rules and Process Builder reached end of support on December 31, 2025.
- Clean data beats clever features: accurate leads, fresh contacts, and consistent custom fields make every report and forecast more useful.
- Lightning Experience keyboard shortcuts, the App Launcher, and global search cut clicks on every record.
- Collaborative Forecasts replaces error-prone spreadsheet forecasting with live pipeline data.
Salesforce Automation Tools Compared
Point-and-click automation used to be split across three tools. Salesforce has consolidated everything into Flow, and the two older tools stopped receiving support at the end of 2025. Here is where each stands:
| Tool | Status in 2026 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Builder | Active, receives all new features | Build all new automation here |
| Process Builder | Retired, end of support December 31, 2025 | Migrate remaining processes to Flow |
| Workflow Rules | Retired, end of support December 31, 2025 | Migrate remaining rules to Flow |
50 Salesforce Tips and Tricks
Automation, Custom Fields, and Setup Tips
Tip #1) If the standard features aren't getting you to quota, explore automation. Flow Builder lets you drag and drop workflows together without writing code, and it is Salesforce's only actively developed point-and-click automation tool: Workflow Rules and Process Builder are retired and reached end of support on December 31, 2025.
Tip #2) Create custom fields so admins can capture critical data points such as departments when they create an account. This way, reps know who their potential customers are before speaking to them about the product or service they offer.
Tip #3) When assigning cases, use field values to determine each case's appropriate person or resource.
Tip #4) Create a custom user profile page to display critical data points, such as account credits and sales history, in an easy-to-read format.
Tip #5) Load your Salesforce with company information so that reps can reach out to potential customers by name quickly and easily!
Tip #6) With Lightning Experience you can customize tabs on records' detail pages based on which fields each type of customer reviews when looking at this record's details. For example: If someone is browsing opportunities, they will not see contact information, but if someone has clicked into those, then they might want to have their phone number be available instead of having them search again for it elsewhere in the app. You'll save that customer (and yourself!) a lot of time!
Tip #7) Find records fast with global search, and switch between apps quickly with the App Launcher.
Tip #8) Use salesforce features to automate workflows that need routine attention, such as sending an email reminder about upcoming payments or subscriptions.
Tip #9) You can use field history reports to get information on how long it's been since someone last accessed specific data points. And if you're looking at individual profiles, this will tell you which ones have gone months without updating their account credit balance - but who knows? Maybe they just never checked that particular detail page before now!
Salesforce Tips for Sales Teams and Managers
Tip #10) Certain customers might not mind getting automated emails every day from sales representatives, while others would prefer weekly updates instead. To keep your salesforce contacts happy, be mindful and adjust the frequency of your messages accordingly.
Tip #11) When you're in a meeting with several people who aren't necessarily all involved on an account level, let them know which person they should contact for their specific questions so that everyone's needs are met.
Tip #12) You can set up custom dashboards to monitor particular data points or documents within your org like goals, forecasts, product specs or customer information. These will help you stay informed about how everything is going without going into individual tabs for every report each day.
Tip #13) This might seem obvious, but make sure that you don't send out emails from Salesforce unless necessary! It could potentially cause confusion between two different inboxes.
Tip #14) One way to stay connected with your sales team is through social media, making sure that you have a presence there outside of work! Please encourage them to do all their research on leads before reaching out and find out what they're up to by following them on social media. Plus, you'll be able to see any mentions of your company in real-time without having to go into Salesforce each day - this will help keep things running smoothly if something goes wrong.
Tip #15) Make it easy for reps from other territories and regions (with different languages!) to share updated data.
Tip #16) If you're the sales manager in charge of a large territory, consider setting up Google Maps for your team. This will make it easier to relay information about territories and travel time between them without having to constantly "overshare" personal information like addresses or phone numbers through email.
Tip #17) You can even use DocuSign to manage approvals from other regions when needed.
Tip #18) In Salesforce, elevated privileges are used by administrators in order to perform tasks that regular users don’t have access to.
Reporting and Forecasting Tricks
Tip #19) You can use the "Hide Columns" feature in Salesforce reports to only view data from certain fields, making it easier for reps who don’t know what all of the fields are called where they exist on a report.
Tip #20) Replace spreadsheet forecasts with Collaborative Forecasts. It rolls live opportunity data up through your forecast hierarchy, supports quota tracking and manager adjustments, and removes the copy-paste errors that plague Excel models.
Tip #21) If your organization sells in multiple currencies like USD and EUR, enable multi-currency and dated exchange rates in Setup instead of hand-building conversion columns. Opportunities, forecasts, and reports then convert to each territory's currency automatically.
Tip #22) You can use custom fields with formulas and calculations to calculate things like discounts, commissions or lead time (e.g., if there's a 40% discount off your product when purchasing 100 units).
Tip #23) If you're using a "Revenue by Segment" report to forecast sales, be sure to set the Time column on this report's header row as Months (e.g., Jan 2026). Otherwise, it will default back to Days.
Tip #24) When setting up forecasting models in Excel: when entering data into your spreadsheet, make sure each month is consistent with Value and Percentage columns of one another; for instance, if the first number in the Value column is $100K, then enter that same amount in percentage column too!
Tip #25) Set things up so they are easy for yourself - create custom fields called Taxes or Commissions which can automatically calculate these values based on product line or account.
Tip #26) To change fields or relationships, go to Setup, open Object Manager, select the object, then Fields & Relationships.
Tip #27) If a salesperson has had a deficient performance this year compared to their historical success rate, check for new account activity that would skew the data (e.g., if they left your company and signed up with someone else).
Tip #28) Use lead conversion reports to learn how many leads become customers, your conversion rate, and which channels drive repeat business most often.
Tip #29) Generate a report listing all the opportunities in which you have more than one instance.
Tip #30) Use reports to compare two different fields, for example sales volume by territory against revenue by customer segment.
Productivity Tips in Lightning Experience
Tip #31) When your users log in, they are automatically presented with any relevant tasks that need their attention right away from Chatter feeds, Salesforce alerts or emails sent via Marketing Cloud. These "active" task items are also shown in the top navigation bar under My Tasks, so it's easy for them to see what needs immediate action!
Tip #32) Increase opportunity activity rates by sending follow-up emails when someone doesn't respond after an initial outreach email within 24 hours.
Tip #33) Create a new contact without leaving the page using a quick-create action, handy for sales, marketing, and customer service teams alike.
Tip #34) The Salesforce platform offers both REST and SOAP APIs. The REST API exposes data and CRUD operations (create/read/update/delete) over HTTP and suits most integrations. The SOAP API ships two WSDLs: the Enterprise WSDL, strongly typed to your org's metadata, and the Partner WSDL, generic across orgs. Both authenticate with OAuth.
Tip #35) There are many ways to share your Salesforce data with external parties. You can export the records and create a CSV or view them through an API in their native format by sending a GET request specified with JSON, for example.
Tip #36) Use a matrix report to take two fields and compare them side by side in a grid, grouping data by both rows and columns to spot patterns quickly.
Tip #37) Learn the Lightning keyboard shortcuts. They save real time on navigation, search, and record editing across the day.
Tip #38) Build formula fields with math operators and functions to compute values directly on the record.
Tip #39) You can actually have two different date-time fields on your record and use one of them for things like scheduling appointments or meetings while still showing it as the other type (for example, you might want an AppointmentDateTime that is displayed as a Date).
Tip #40) Combine the IF function with text functions in a formula field to return different output based on a field's value. This drives conditional display directly on the record, no code required.
Developer and Security Tips
Tip #41) Get some help by checking out the Salesforce Developer Site, which includes documentation and learning resources to get you up-to-speed on their language (Salesforce Object Query Language - SOQL).
Tip #42) Restrict login IP ranges and set login hours by profile to tighten security across your org.
Tip #43) If there's something you need to know about inside salesforce but don't have access like 'User Permissions' or 'User Roles,' you can go into the Setup Menu and look for these items.
Tip #44) You're in a salesforce org, so of course, there are opportunities to create custom objects like Leads that will help organize your work more effectively! Custom Objects are compelling but might require some customization to get them just right for your expectations.
Lead and Contact Management Tips
Tip #45) When you're working with a customer, and they have specific needs or requests, be sure to ask them for their contact information so that you can follow up. This will help keep track of the relationship and make it easier to respond in future conversations.
Tip #46) If your company uses Salesforce, set a reminder on your calendar every week to go through old leads and messages from potential customers who never responded to confirm whether they were interested but didn't reply for some reason. You may find one or two new prospects if you try!
Tip #47) Reach out periodically (once per quarter) around the same time each year to remind clients about any sales incentives going on at the moment. Sometimes people need that little extra nudge, and they'll be ready to talk with you when they return from their summer vacations.
Tip #48) If you find yourself getting overwhelmed by the number of sales leads in your CRM, ensure that every lead's information is accurate before sending them a follow-up email or call.
Tip #49) Be mindful of sales leads' priorities and how they feel about their budget - even if it seems like a big sale, some people might not be ready for that much spending yet.
Tip #50) Always add new contacts as soon as possible after meeting someone new - this way, all of the contact info is stored right away, fresh in your mind!
Salesforce Tips and Tricks for Sales Reps
Most Salesforce tricks and tips for sales reps come down to cutting clicks. Five habits pay off fastest:
- Learn the keyboard shortcuts. Press Ctrl+/ on Windows or Cmd+/ on Mac to see the full list in Lightning Experience.
- Pin a "My open opportunities" list view so every login starts on the records that pay you.
- Log calls and emails the same day. Stale activity history makes every handoff and forecast worse.
- Use quick-create actions to add contacts and opportunities without leaving the page you are on.
- Set a follow-up task before you close any record. A 24 hour follow-up window keeps deals moving.
None of these require admin help, and they compound: a rep who works from pinned list views and shortcuts spends the reclaimed time selling instead of navigating.
Salesforce Lightning Tips and Tricks
Lightning Experience ships productivity features Classic never had. Press / to jump straight to global search, use the App Launcher to switch apps, and pull up any record without touching your mouse. Keyboard shortcuts are enabled by default; the full list lives in Salesforce Help.
Two Lightning tips and tricks go further: customize record page tabs per profile so each team sees the fields it works with first, and audit any automation built in the Classic era. Workflow Rules and Process Builder no longer receive support, so anything still running on them belongs in Flow. A one-time migration pass now prevents silent automation failures later.
Related Twelverays resources: Salesforce services and Salesforce guide.
