Salesforce for Outlook: Add Email

When Add Email and Side Panel is enabled in Outlook Configuration under Salesforce setup menu: Setup | Administer | Desktop Administration | Outlook Configurations. User will be able to add email open in Outlook to a Salesforce record: Account, Contact, Lead, etc from side panel.

User just need to click envelope with plus icon next to the record, for this sample I will use Account.

Once email added to Salesforce record, in Outlook:

• Added to Salesforce text show below email subject, even the email have been closed, open the email will show the message.
• Email added to record name in Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel

While, in Salesforce, a Task record created with fields populated:

• Subject = Email:[email subject]
• Comments = email body
• Type = Email
• Status = Completed
• Task Due Date = the email sent/received date (see red arrow in image above)
• Relate To / Name = depend on the record email added
• Created Date & Last Modified Date = when email added to Salesforce

When user open the Account, scroll down to Activity History, you should find the email added as a closed Task.

How to delete Salesforce for Outlook database?

When you setup Salesforce for Outlook to a computer, Salesforce for Outlook will create database on local computer. But, for some reasons Salesforce for Outlook sync may error because of the databases corrupted.

To fix the issue, we can delete the Salesforce for Outlook database manually through the steps below:

1. Close Microsoft Outlook
2. Close Salesforce for Outlook from tray icon by right click the icon and select Exit
3. Click Start menu
4. Type %appdata% and hit enter 
5. Open Salesforce.com folder 
6. Open Salesforce for Outlook folder 
7. Delete DB folder

Open Microsoft Outlook and Salesforce for Outlook again, you need to re-configure Salesforce for Outlook by entering your Salesforce login credential and following Salesforce for Outlook setup screen. Salesforce for Outlook will re-create the database again. But, if you still get error when sync, log a ticket to Salesforce support.

This blog is written with Salesforce for Outlook version 2.9.3 with Microsoft Outlook 2013 on Windows 7 machine.

How to Hide Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel in Outlook

When you (Salesforce admin) configure Outlook Configurations in Salesforce setup, there is an option to enable Side Panel. If this setting enabled, users with Salesforce for Outlook installed, user will see a side panel at the right panel of Outlook, this panel will match email address from email open with data in Salesforce.

It's understand that the side panel take some real estate in of your screen, you can simply click >> icon to minimize it.

But, if you want to really hide it, follow below steps:

1. From Microsoft Outlook, click on the down arrow to show the options for the Quick Access Toolbar
2. Click on 'More Commands...'
3. On the Outlook Options window, change the 'Choose commands from' option to 'All Commands'
4. Scroll down to 'Salesforce Side Panel' and add it, then click OK.

This will create the round icon, and if you click it, you will see the option to easily Show/Hide the Salesforce Side Panel. When it is hidden, it will take less resources, but the agent still active for sync process.

This blog is written with Salesforce for Outlook version 2.9.3 with Microsoft Outlook 2013 on Windows 7 machine.

Reference: How to Show Hide Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel in Outlook