This Solution Guide will walk Conga Collaborate administrators through the complete list of tasks required to set up a Conga Collaborate solution that allows users to:

  • Launch a document from a Salesforce record
  • Auto-generate content in the document based on Salesforce data
  • Share the document with a recipient via email sent directly from Conga Collaborate
  • Allow a recipient to sign electronically using Conga Collaborate e-Signature
  • This solution works well for a variety of use cases. Some common examples include:
  • Send an NDA for execution
  • Deliver a standard new business proposal
  • Create and send renewal or upsell documents to your customers

Generating documents from Salesforce provides several benefits to your organization:

  • Create customized documents more quickly using data from Salesforce records
  • Reduce errors by automatically customizing documents based on Salesforce data
  • Easily view documents associated with a record on related lists in Salesforce
  • Work within one system by generating documents with Conga Collaborate inside Salesforce and keep both systems in sync
  • Save time from routine tasks by having Conga Collaborate update fields in Salesforce based on document activity (such as updating Opportunity Stage to Closed/Won when a document is signed)

Below are the typical steps an admin should take to build a fully integrated Conga Collaborate template. In this example, we’re assuming that you’re modeling your template off of an existing MS Word document.

Step 1: Configure the Salesforce Integration

  1. Install Conga Collaborate in Salesforce: If you have not already done so, start by connecting your Salesforce and Conga Collaborate environments. For instructions on installing Conga Collaborate in a Salesforce sandbox or production org and connecting the environments, see Connect Salesforce Integration.
  2. Install Buttons and Lists on your Launching Object: Your Conga Collaborate document will be launched from and relate back to specific records in Salesforce. Once you determine your document launching object, install the Conga Collaborate buttons and lists on that object page layout. Check out Install Octiv Buttons and Lists for more information on determining your launching object and adding buttons and lists to your layout.
  3. Map Salesforce Data into Conga Collaborate: Once you know your document launching object, take a look at the document you’re planning to build and determine which parts of the document could be dynamic, meaning:
    • Where would you like the text in the document to merge in Salesforce fields? (example: customer name)
    • Where would you like text or pages to show or hide based on Salesforce data?
    • Where would you like tables to present sets of data from Salesforce? (example: pricing table with product info)

Consider annotating your existing Word or PDF documents with notes on the specific Salesforce fields that will drive the dynamic behavior of your document in Conga Collaborate and how they are related to your launching object. Then, follow the Mapping Incoming data article to map your Salesforce fields to Conga Collaborate so they’re ready to use.

Step 2: Build a Conga Collaborate Template

After setting up your Salesforce integration, build a Salesforce-integrated template. For an even more detailed walk-through, you can check out the full length Creating Conga Collaborate Templates article.

Start a New Template

  1. There are two ways to create a template:
    1. From the Dashboard, click the Create button. In the dropdown menu, select Template. Give your template a name, select its type, and click Create.
    2. From the Templates list, click Create Template. Give your template a name, select its type, and click Create.
  2. Open the Properties panel, open the Design tab, and choose a Theme for your template. A Theme controls the general styling of your document. If you haven’t created a theme yet, check out our Creating Conga Collaborate Themes article.
  3. If this document will be signed electronically or if you’d like to allow customers to submit questions, add the Ask a Question button or the Sign button in the top-right of the document. For more information on Call to Action buttons, see our Call to Action button article.

Add Content to your Template

  1. Before you start adding text, tables, or images to your template, break down your existing document into sections and pages. Those sections and pages will drive how you build the Table of Contents in your new template. For more information, see Create Pages/sections structure in the TOC.
  2. Once you’ve built the Table of Contents, copy and paste content from your Word document into the appropriate pages within the Conga Collaborate template. We have some special tools to help the copy/paste process go more smoothly. For more, see Copy and Paste from Word.
  3. Use the Conga Collaborate editor to format the content you’ve pasted in or insert images, tables, pages breaks, and more. For more information, see Using the Editor. As much as possible, let your selected Theme determine the styling of your content. If you find that you are constantly changing styling within the document itself, consider making changes to your Theme instead.

Add Dynamic Behavior

Once you've started adding content to your template, you can start adding Salesforce variables and logic to drive dynamic behavior:

  1. Open the Content panel, select Variables, and choose the dropdown containing the type of variable you want to insert. When you place your cursor into the document, a "+" will appear next the variable names. Clicking this will insert the variable. Alternatively, you can type "%variable_name" into the document, and you will be presented with a list of dynamically filtered variables to insert into your content. See Variables for more information.
  2. Use Insert -
  3. Conditional Content to create sections of text or content in your documents that will only show based on specific criteria. See Conditional content for more information.
  4. Use the gear icon next to a page in your Table of Contents to open Page Properties and add page include logic, allowing the page to only show based on specific criteria. See Conditional sections/pages for more information.
  5. Use Insert -
  6. Table to start building a table that will automatically populate with child object data from Salesforce, like contacts or products related to a launching record. See Pricing Tables for more information.
  7. If you would to update Salesforce when this document is signed or other events occur, see Outgoing Data for more information.

If you don’t see the Salesforce fields you need to build your dynamic behavior, refer to the Mapping Incoming data article. For even more detailed information on creating templates within Conga Collaborate and optional additional configurations, go to Creating Conga Collaborate Templates.

Step 3: Test your Template

During and following the build of your template, ensure that you are testing! Your testing will follow a similar workflow as the sample document in the video at the top of this article. In brief, follow these steps to test a typical document workflow:

CREATE

  1. Login to Salesforce and navigate to your launching object.
  2. Go to the Octiv Documents related list and click New Document. If you have not set up Template Mapping, you will need to select the document you’d like to create.
  3. Turn on Preview in the document Table of Contents and review the document content, confirming the dynamic behavior you have configured is working as desired.

CUSTOMIZE

  1. Turn off Preview to manually edit any unlocked pages or sections of the document.
  2. If your workflow includes adding content from the content library or leveraging tasks, test to ensure that the desired editing process can be executed successfully.

SHARE

  1. Open the Next Steps tab and click Publish to finalize the document for sending.
  2. Click Add People and follow the prompts to send the document.
  3. Use the email you received to open the document and review it. While testing, we recommend opening in an incognito window so that your current session doesn’t recognize you.
  4. Test the document’s Call to Action buttons (ex: Ask a Question or Accept), and if needed, go through the process of electronically signing the document.
  5. If you have set up Outgoing Data rules, (ex: upon Acceptance, update Opportunity Stage to Closed Won) confirm updates were made appropriately in Salesforce.

TRACK

  1. On your Salesforce launching object, review the Octiv Documents related list to confirm the document is accessible and the document data has updated.
  2. Click on the document name to open the Conga Collaborate document, and then open the Track panel and select View Full Report to review the tracking information.

We recommend sitting down with a group of pilot users who are adaptable to new technology and have them test as well. Record feedback and make revisions following user testing.

Step 4: Deploy Your Solution

Formal deployments look different in every organization, the important thing is that users are notified, trained, and have the proper incentive to use their new process.

If you have questions about how to deploy your new process to your team, check out our Deployment Guide for more information.