Salesforce & Google Apps Integration Announced
The Salesforce / Google Apps integration news is coming out now. You can cut to the chase by watching the Salesforce Video on YouTube (embedded below), which explains how it works.
Salesforce’s main announcement page is http://www.salesforce.com/googleapps.
The permanent Salesforce product page is http://www.salesforce.com/products/google/apps.
Some of the notable sites are tracking it too. I am sure there will be lots more by morning.:
Some highlights:
- I believe this is offered free to all Salesforce users
- Save email right to Salesforce like you can do with the Outlook Connector already. Not sure if it has 100% of this functionality such as Attachment saves.
- Generate Google Docs, Spreadsheets and Presentations right from Salesforce and have them linked to your records. The Google Docs side will allow for strong collaboration and the linkage to Salesforce will ensure that everyone is working off the right document. I was unable to tell via the video if you can do Mail Merge to Google Docs like you can with MS Word.
- Google Chat is embedded in the Salesforce sidebar allowing you to chat with people right from within Salesforce
- Sync your Salesforce & Google Calendar via a 3rd party app
- Export your Reports to Google Spreadsheets with a 3rd party app
Check out the new Google Apps category on AppExchange to see all the 3rd party apps.
Kingsley Joseph Said,
April 13, 2008 @ 10:47 pm
Hey Scott, aren’t you the quick one. We’ve set up a page with resources for bloggers here: http://blogs.salesforce.com/googleapps/blogger-resources.html with videos, links and live webinar streams. Might cme in handy if you plan further coverage.
Narinder Said,
April 14, 2008 @ 4:58 am
Scott, thanks for the mention. We (Appirio) are incredibly excited about what has come and the potential for the future. These offerings start to bridge the gap between the tools that businesses need to run and the tools that people use to work. What’s remarkable is the role that partners can play by building on these platforms– Appirio launched an expanded services practice and 4 new (mostly free) extensions to Salesforce for Google Apps, allowing users to synchronize calendars, collaborate on marketing campaigns, find and embed documents, and create and share customized CRM dashboards (http://appirio.com/products/index.php). And this is just the beginning– solutions for business, meet solutions for businesspeople!