Tired of having to jump back and forth between Salesforce and your Microsoft Outlook client to sync up emails and calendar activities? In this post, we’ll show how to install Salesforce for Lightning.
It’s a subject that pops up frequently when talking to clients about integration and best practices when using Ascendix products on Salesforce Lightning.
So, we recorded the How-to video to guide you through the whole process.
Salesforce for Outlook is only available for users using Microsoft Outlook 2016/2013 or Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2016 using Mac OS X 10.10 or later. Users must also have access to Exchange Online with Office 365 or Exchange 2016/2013 on-premises.
Before we get started let’s make sure we meet the minimum specifications for integrating Salesforce for Outlook.
Outlook Program Versions:
Operating System:
Email Server:
Note: This information is gathered from the Trailblazer Community.
You will need to get in touch with your Salesforce Administrator to enable Lightning for Outlook.
Salesforce Lightning for Outlook Settings
In your Outlook client locate the Get Add-ins icon on the top right of your home bar and search for “Salesforce” and enable the Add-in.
Salesforce add-in in Outlook
Once you have that enabled close out of this window.
Then select the Salesforce Cloud Icon that should appear in the top right.
You will be prompted to log in to your Salesforce instance.
Please note by enabling the add-in Outlook your Office 365 account will have the same functionality as well.
Outlook to Salesforce Lightning interface
Congratulations! Now your Outlook to Lightning interface is ready to use!
Disclaimer! We are not liable for any loss of data or data duplication caused by improper configuration of Lightning Sync. As a best practice back up your data before attempting any sort of syncing.
The following steps must be completed by your System Administrator. We recommend reading the following about Lightning Sync before continuing with the steps below.
Enabling Lightning Sync for Outlook
Some of you got in touch with us with additional questions. In this section, we’ll post selected questions and our answers.
Q: What will be the mandatory requirements for the client to integrate outlook to Salesforce?
A: To find the minimal requirements to integrate Salesforce for Outlook please visit this link: Outlook Integration System Requirements.
To set up any sort of syncing, access to a service account or Exchange admin credentials is necessary as part of the configuration process. This is what handles impersonation between the user’s exchange mailbox and the exchange server.
Q: Can we integrate outlook to Salesforce without the ms exchange server stuff?
A: Without Exchange, you will not be able to use the Salesforce for outlook integration as this is a cloud integration
Q: I am curious about the version of Outlook. What’s the kind of license and installation? I am having a problem keeping the Salesforce Inbox tab ‘pinned’ in Outlook 2016. Thanks!
A: Salesforce inbox is a separate addition to Salesforce for Outlook. However, if you are using outlook 2013 or a not fully updated version of outlook 2016 you would have an issue with pinning.
Q: Can you please explain why you would need to enable the “Email to Salesforce” option? We have not enabled this option and are having problems connecting to Salesforce from Outlook 2016.
A: Email to Salesforce allows users to log emails from the Salesforce Side Panel as an actual email rather than as a task in previous versions of the integration.
Check How to Submit a Case with Salesforce Support via Different Communication Channels
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Phil Teng is our resident expert on all things technical. He's a troubleshooting guru and is often the lead when it comes to supporting our clients with any technical challenges or limitations. He's the voice behind several video recordings of connecting Outlook or Gmail to Ascendix. To reach Phil and his team to report issues, errors, or tech questions, email support@ascendix.com We promise it's not a black box! When Phil is not slaying technical dragons during the day, he can be found house hunting, exploring new foods, and photographing his wife's Instagram posts.
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Is there a possibilitiy that an opportunitie is automaticly created in Salesforce when i get an Email in Outlook ?
Hi Ruben,
Unfortunately, it’s not possible, but you can add a global action to allow for the creation of an opportunity within the Salesforce Side panel to allow for the creation of an opportunity record without navigating into Salesforce.
Hope it was helpful.
Today, when sales representatives create a meeting in Outlook, it syncs with Salesforce. Is it possible for this process to automatically create a visit and associate it with a store? Just to provide some context, the sales representatives work with consumer goods sector ?
Hi Alexie,
Yes, it’s possible but requires creation of a flow, out-of-the-box this functionality does not exist outside of syncing calander events.
If you need any further help, please reach out to our consultants.
Regards
Has anyone encountered this error in outlook when trying to install the add in for salesforce? – ““Unfortunately, your organisation has disabled access to this add-in. Please contact your administrator to request access.” – Curious if this is on the exchange side or something on the salesforce side of things.
Hi Kevin,
This error is due to elevated Exchange requirements set by your administrator disallowing you from installing plugins to your Office 365 account. You will need to reach out to your IT team to either have the application installed on your behalf or relaxing the restrictions on the exchange side to allow installation of apps.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us
I’ve read blogs and articles mentioning that the ‘Salesforce for outlook’ is retiring from 2023. Is the same true for ‘Lightning for outlook’ as well?
Hi Himanshu,
Yes, Salesforce for Outlook fully retired in June 2023. Salesforce encourages users to upgrade to their advanced solutions, Outlook Integration and Einstein Activity Capture, for enhanced Outlook integration.
Thanks
How to Sync outlook task with Salesforce Task?
Hi,
LinkPoint Connect offers two synchronization options for Tasks between Microsoft Outlook and Salesforce: Manual and Auto. Users or organizations can select their preferred sync method based on their daily interactions with Outlook and Salesforce. The Manual sync allows users to control which Tasks are synchronized and when, while the Auto sync ensures continuous, automatic synchronization throughout the day, maintaining up-to-date information across both platforms seamlessly. This flexibility enables users to tailor their sync settings to their specific workflow and organizational needs.
Hope you found it useful
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once you log into salesforce through the outlook plugin, How do you log out or change the user?
Hi Bill,
To log out or change your user click on the avatar icon in the top right corner of the Outlook Plugin and you should see an option to Log Out.
Hope it helps.