Salesforce offers two types of forecasting: Customizable and Collaborative. You may be wondering why there are two features that serve the same purpose?
The quick answer is that one type (Customizable) came before the other (Collaborative). The longer answer is that Collaborative forecasting offers custom currency fields, adjusted amounts and a custom field forecast that Customizable does not – instead of keeping two features that serve the same purpose, it’s no surprise that Salesforce announced that Customizable Forecasting will be retired for all customers as of Summer ’20.
Once decommissioned, users won’t be able to access the Customizable Forecasting feature and its underlying data; with that in mind, Salesforce is already encouraging the users to migrate to Collaborative Forecasts well before the June 2020 date*.
This post will point you in the right direction, to help you get started with switching to Salesforce Collaborative Forecasting. Plus, if you are not currently using forecasting, we have included some key benefits later on in the post.
*subject to change.
Quick Overview of Forecasting Features
Switching from one type of forecasting to another may seem like a big change, but don’t panic! Here’s a quick overview of similarities and differences:
- Forecasting Grid (similarity): the forecasting grid will be similar to that of Customizable Forecasts, for example, users will also be able to adjust forecasts and see the opportunities that make up the forecasts.
- Custom opportunity currencies (difference): with Salesforce Collaborative Forecasts you can use a custom opportunity currency field to save adjusted amounts and a custom field forecast to track the rollup of that field.
Check 1: Forecasting Enabled?
If you are not too sure where to start? I’d say, go to Setup and search for “Forecasts (Customizable)” – if you get results, you will then know that Customizable Forecasting has been enabled.
Check 2: Impacted Users
From here, identify if you have impacted users; you can easily run a standard Users report, to show any users with the ‘Allow Forecasting’ permission set to True.
Step 1: Export Forecasting Report Data
Before contacting Salesforce for the disable/enable do run an Export Forecasting Report Data, as when you migrate: the forecast history, overrides, reports, and sharing data from Customizable Forecasting will be purged. Note that the forecast hierarchy will be retained.
Step 2: Raise a Case
To disable Customizable forecasting and enable instead Collaborative Forecasts, you need to contact Salesforce via a support case.
New to this? Key Benefits of Salesforce Forecasting
For those of you not using Salesforce Forecasting, here are some of the key benefits:
- Data-driven Pipeline: Work on your pipeline driven data, based on last year’s figures (rather than ‘gut feeling’)
- Pipeline Trends: learn from the past to guide your pipeline trends.
- Sales Journey Guidance: clear definition on the milestones for a successful sales journey.
- Collaboration: have real-time and collaborative enablement for your team.
- Visual representation: have a very open and transparent visual representation of your ‘work in progress’ towards your organisation KPIs.
If you want to get hands-on and learn about Salesforce Collaborative Forecast, they, of course, have a great Trail to get you from Zero to Hero, check it out:
Summary
SummaryWith the news that Salesforce will be that Customizable Forecasting is scheduled for retirement for Summer ’20, we thought it would be wise to point you in the right direction, to switch from Customizable Forecasting to Salesforce Collaborative Forecasting.
Salesforce want to focus their developmental efforts on the latest forecasting functionality, and in my mind having a ‘by product’ not widely used may be slowing them down. By switching soon, you will be able to take advantage of the latest innovation Salesforce are rolling out to Sales Cloud.
Ps. on a separate (but related) note the ‘original Territory Management’ will be as well retired in line for Summer ’20 Release too – find more info on this here.