Document generation & creation with Salesforce data

Article December 08, 2022

We can generate and create a number of customized documents using Salesforce data.

We can create or use a template for a document like a contract, quote, agreement, proposal, or application, and generate a PDF, Word document, Excel document, or Google Doc and merge specific dynamic data from Salesforce records into the document.

We can create automations and efficiencies to generate documents needed in Salesforce by creating links or buttons to click which will auto generate the document and attach it to the Salesforce record.

Common reasons to generate documents from Salesforce:

Using data already in the Salesforce Account, opportunity, and opportunity line items, you can generate a proposal or quote PDF to send to a potential customers with a click of a button.
Generate a form that needs to be sent that has to have merged field information from the person’s name or company information.
Generate an agreement or contract that merges the company name and the person’s name and any unique contract information already populated on the Salesforce record to send for electronic signature.

Common uses after generating a document:

Email the document automatically with an email template.
Preview the email with the document already attached, then click send.
Attach the document to the record.
Send a document for electronic signature via DocuSign or Adobe Sign.
Download or open the document immediately in a browser. This is good to print/mail or to modify/tweak in word/excel or use document elsewhere.

Benefits of using auto document generation in Salesforce:

Save time. Generate a document in 10 seconds with all data already merged/populated. Email it automatically.
Control the template. By using a template and creating a process that forces all users to use it because it makes their job easier also allows you to standardize and control the look of your quotes, contracts, etc. You can also create validations/controls around the Salesforce field data that ends up populating the document to really control what is sent out.

Full document automation without any manual clicking is possible

We can also configure a process to automatically generate documents based on an event in Salesforce.
This allows for some really cool automation.
For example maybe you have your ecommerce website platform sync orders to Salesforce. When an order is created automatically in Salesforce you could auto generate a PDF order confirmation and have it emailed to the customer automatically.
Another example is that you previously emailed a potential customer a link to a web form that asks them questions that they click and fill out and submit and that form updates the Salesforce record, then automatically generates an agreement document based on the data they entered and emails the document for electronic signature.

How do you generate documents in Salesforce?

You can use an app like our own developed app called RS Documents, Conga Composer, WebMerge, or Drawloop. Or you can develop Apex code with a trigger or a class to generate a document.
The benefit of the app is that it is easier to configure if you are not a programmer and also to change any template or settings. But an app has licensing costs, whereas developing some Apex would be a one-time cost.
Conga Composer is the biggest app in this area and allows you to create templates for Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF. Conga has a lot of features for automations and using Conga Workflows you can do full automations. It costs $15/user/month (paid annually) and has a 5-user minimum. Their support is awesome. Just call and they pick up. Conga is not dead simple but the documentation is there.
Our own developed app is RS Documents was developed because we thought we could make something better and cheaper that the others out there. The big benefits is that it is easier to use, especially when creating templates and configuring the app. It can create Google Docs. And it costs $5/user/month (paid monthly) with no user minimum.

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