Customizing the Chatter Publisher in Salesforce empowers administrators to tailor the user experience by defining precisely what actions and fields appear when users create new posts, tasks, or events directly from their Chatter feed. This allows for a more efficient and relevant workflow for your team.
Understanding the Salesforce Chatter Publisher
The Chatter Publisher is the interactive area within Salesforce Chatter where users can perform various actions, such as posting updates, asking questions, creating polls, logging calls, or initiating other quick tasks. By default, it includes standard actions like "Post," "Poll," and "Question." Customizing this area allows you to:
- Streamline Workflows: Place the most frequently used actions front and center.
- Improve User Adoption: Make it easier for users to complete tasks without navigating away from their feed.
- Enhance Relevance: Provide actions specific to different user profiles or departments.
Customizing the Chatter Publisher Layout
To control which actions appear in the Chatter Publisher, you need to configure the Chatter Publisher Layout. This involves either modifying an existing layout or creating a new one and assigning it to relevant user profiles.
Steps to Modify the Chatter Publisher Layout:
- Access Setup: In Salesforce, click the gear icon (Setup) in the top right corner.
- Navigate to Publisher Layouts: In the Quick Find box, type
Publisher Layouts
and select Chatter Publisher Layouts under the "Chatter" section. - Choose or Create a Layout:
- You can edit an existing layout by clicking Edit next to its name.
- To create a new layout, click New and then copy an existing layout or start fresh.
- Customize Actions: Within the layout editor, you'll see a palette of available actions and sections for "Quick Actions in the Salesforce Classic Publisher" and "Quick Actions in the Lightning Experience Actions."
- Drag and Drop: Move actions from the palette to the desired sections in your layout.
- Reorder: Arrange the actions in the order you want them to appear.
- Remove: Drag actions out of the layout sections to remove them.
- Assign the Layout: If you created a new layout or want to apply changes to specific users, ensure the layout is assigned to the correct profiles or permission sets. This is usually done through profile settings or specific object layout assignments for record-specific publishers.
- Save Changes: Click Save to apply your modifications.
For instance, a sales team might benefit from having "Log a Call" or "Create Opportunity" actions prominently displayed, while a customer service team might prioritize "Create Case."
Creating and Assigning Global Actions for the Publisher
Global actions are shortcuts that allow users to perform common tasks, such as creating records, logging activities, or triggering custom processes, from various places in Salesforce, including the Chatter Publisher.
What are Global Actions?
Global actions enable users to quickly create records (like a new lead or contact), log calls, send emails, or even trigger custom processes from almost anywhere in Salesforce. They are a powerful tool for streamlining user experience and enhancing productivity within the Chatter feed.
Steps to Create a New Global Action:
- Access Setup: Click the gear icon (Setup).
- Navigate to Global Actions: In the Quick Find box, type
Global Actions
and select Global Actions. - Initiate New Action: Click the 'New Action' button.
- Define Action Details:
- Action Type: Choose the type of action (e.g., Create a Record, Send Email, Log a Call, Custom Visualforce, Lightning Component).
- Target Object: If creating a record, select the object (e.g., Lead, Account, Opportunity, Case).
- Standard Label Type: Select a standard label for the button or link (e.g., "New [Object Name]").
- Name: Provide a unique name for the action.
- Description: Briefly explain the action's purpose.
- Success Message: Specify a message to display upon successful completion of the action.
- Layout: Configure the fields that will appear when a user clicks this action.
- Save the Action: Click Save to finalize your new global action.
Assigning Global Actions to the Publisher Layout:
Once you've created a new global action, you need to add it to the Chatter Publisher Layouts where you want it to appear.
- Return to the Chatter Publisher Layouts (Setup > Quick Find > Chatter Publisher Layouts).
- Edit the desired publisher layout.
- From the palette at the top of the layout editor, find your newly created global action.
- Drag and drop the action into the "Quick Actions in the Salesforce Classic Publisher" or "Quick Actions in the Lightning Experience Actions" section of the layout.
- Save the layout.
Best Practices for an Optimized Chatter Publisher
To ensure your Chatter Publisher customization is effective and user-friendly, consider these best practices:
- Keep it Concise: Avoid overwhelming users. Only include the most essential and frequently used actions.
- Contextual Relevance: Tailor publisher layouts based on user profiles or specific record types to ensure actions are always relevant to the user's current context.
- Utilize Default Actions: Leverage Salesforce's standard "Post," "Poll," and "Question" actions as they are fundamental to Chatter's functionality.
- Regular Review: Periodically review your publisher layouts and global actions to ensure they remain relevant to your evolving business processes.
- Test Thoroughly: Always test your changes in a sandbox environment before deploying them to production to ensure they work as expected and provide a positive user experience.
By carefully customizing your Chatter Publisher layouts and global actions, you can significantly enhance productivity and improve user satisfaction within your Salesforce environment.
Feature | Description | Benefit |
---|---|---|
Publisher Layout | Defines the arrangement and visibility of actions within the Chatter feed. | Tailors the user interface to specific roles and workflows. |
Global Actions | Quick links or buttons to perform tasks (e.g., create record, log call, custom apps). | Streamlines common processes directly from the Chatter feed and other areas. |