Salesforce List View Best Practices

Best Practices for Managing Salesforce List Views

List views in Salesforce are essential tools, offering users segmented access to specific data sets based on varied criteria. In expansive enterprise environments, list views can easily grow out of control. In this guide we will share common pitfalls and provide actionable best practices. Let’s keep your Salesforce org tidy!

List views are your user’s way to keep up with tasks, so it requires clear oversight to make sure nothing gets lost.

1. Establishing a Naming Convention:

• Consistency is Key: Adopt a uniform naming strategy across list views. A department-centric approach could be: [Department] - [Criteria].

• Clarity in Naming: Ensure the list view’s name transparently indicates its criteria and intent.

  • Example: For a marketing team tracking leads from a March 2023 campaign, the name could be Marketing - March2023 or Marketing - Perks Campaign

2. Ownership and Creation of List Views:

• Centralized Creation: Only allow Salesforce admins or select power users to create public list views. You want each department to be set up with their ideal list views - and leave it at that.

  • Example: In a company with multiple sales teams, a central admin can create views like North Region - Prospects or South Region - Closed Deals - This Month.

• Private Views for Individual Needs: Promote the creation of private list views by users for their unique, ephemeral needs.

3. Prudent Access Control:

• Role-Based Accessibility: Ensure list views are accessible only to roles that genuinely require them.
  • Example: A Finance - Pending Invoices view might not be apt for marketing or support personnel.
• Always use proper Sharing Rules to manage record-level access - don’t rely on List View sharing.

4. Tailoring List Views for Teams and Roles:

• Role-Centric Views: Curate list views catered to distinct roles such as Sales Reps or Managers by creating different list views and share each with their respective role.

  • Example: A Manager - Quarterly Performance view might include fields not present in the standard rep’s view.

• Team-Focused Views: Establish list views reflecting the objectives and tasks of individual teams or departments. Or, you may implement filters to dissect data by parameters like region, time, or product category.

  • Example: A global enterprise might have views like Sales - EU - Customers and Sales - NA - Customers.

5. Workflow-Centric List Views:

• Stages of Lifecycle: For multi-stage processes (e.g., sales funnels), design list views to mirror each stage.

  • Example: For a customer support team, views like Support - Cases Pending or Support - Cases Open can be invaluable.

• Sometimes, You Actually Need Reports: Consider where you might need to be using reports & dashboards instead of list views. List views are great for taking actions on specific items, not for summarizing or comparing information.

6. Regular Review:

• Scheduled Audits: Set periodic audits of list views. Archive or delete views that no longer serve a purpose.

  • Example: Post product discontinuation, a Sales ProductName Leads view might become irrelevant.

• Iterative Feedback Channels: Facilitate channels for users to suggest refinements or report redundant list views.

  • Example: If a sales team finds a particular list view cluttered, feedback can guide refinement.

• Adaptive Improvements: Feedback should inform regular enhancements to maintain list views’ relevance and utility.

7. Education and Documentation:

• Scheduled Training: Conduct training cycles to acclimatize teams to list view utilization. Train them on the ones their team should be managing and on how to make their own.

• Centralized Documentation: Maintain an exhaustive documentation hub detailing every list view’s stakeholders, criteria, and purpose.

Closing Thoughts:

In sprawling enterprise ecosystems, Salesforce list views are crucial segmentation tools. By following best practices you can keep your organization efficient and adaptable.