Salesforce Spring ‘20 Release: Key Takeaways

Salesforce released its Spring ‘20 release update on February 17th, 2020, and we’ve had a few days to review the updates, changes, and improvements that should help make users lives a little easier. 

Each update has an extensive list of feature improvements, wide-release notes, beta testing announcements, newly released features, and anything else that the Salesforce team likes to throw in for good measure. We’ll admit, it’s a lot to review once the release goes live. 

To make things easier for you, we’ve gone through the release notes and experienced the new release for ourselves, to let you know about some of the top updates in each release. 

Here are the top release updates that we find most noteworthy from the Spring ‘20 release: 

GENERAL

• Lightning Experience is Live: Salesforce has turned on the Lightning Experience for all organizations that hadn’t manually switched over yet. In-app guidance prompts will be launched that will help encourage users to quickly learn and adapt to the new Lightning Experience.
• Google Chrome Changes Regarding SameSite Cookie Behavior: The Google Chrome 80 release changes the default cross-domain (SameSite) behavior of cookies. This change enhances security and privacy but requires customers and partners to test custom Salesforce integrations that rely on cookies. Salesforce has been actively working to resolve the known issues with Winter ’20 related to the SameSite attribute on cookies. These fixes are included in Spring ’20 and apply to Chrome 78 and later.
• App Launcher Enhancements: The Lightning Experience App Launcher makes it easy to quickly find and open apps, items, and more using the App Launcher search tool.
• Einstein Voice Assistant (beta): One of the more exciting developments in the Salesforce arena is the use of Voice CRM tools, built in the form of the Einstein Voice Assistant. Currently in its beta phase, the voice assistant will allow users to make updates to Salesforce through voice commands alone. Build custom skills based on your (or your users’) most common tasks to generate more high-quality Salesforce data.
• Trailblazer.me: Simplify your logins and profiles on Salesforce-related sites by accessing Tralblazer.me, a single login point for multiple sites. You can also manage your profile and settings in one place.
• Require Secure HTTPS Connections: In connection with Google Chrome’s SameSite cookie updates, Salesforce now requires HTTPS connections to access Salesforce sites. The Spring ‘20 release eliminates HTTP connects and removed the ability to disable HTTPS connections from the “Session Settings Setup” page.

CMS

• Hybrid CMS: Great news in that Salesforce CMS now acts as both a central repository and can share content to external channels. This saves time and effort, allowing you to get content out more rapidly.
• Manage CMS Workspaces and Channels: Salesforce added user permissions to the CMS workspaces and channels. This permission needs to be enabled for a user to have access to editing CMS workspaces and adding CMS channels.
• CMS Content Adds Flexible Layouts: Any Salesforce user that’s experienced building content in a CMS knows the value of flexible layouts. Salesforce has added flexible layouts to the Experience Builder. Users can create adjustable columns and designate space for sections to be added or deleted.
• More Video Providers in CMS Workspace: Four additional video providers have been given support in the Salesforce CMS. Wistia, Brightcove, Cloudinary, and Amplience now all have support in the Salesforce CMS workspace. 

ESSENTIALS AND EINSTEIN

• New Salesforce Mobile App: With an improved experience updated in the Salesforce Mobile App, you can run your small business from anywhere in the world at any time! Updates include personalized navigation in Essentials and information prioritized by user usage.
• Behavior Scoring Insights: A new dashboard has been added to B2B Marketing Analytics to breakdown how your custom Salesforce Sales model weighs each engagement activity in Behavior Scoring. You can also view which assets are most strongly correlated with future conversions.
• Chatbot Conditional Messaging: Take your chatbots to the next level by empowering the chatbot AI to deliver personalized experiences to customers. Built-in logic based on form responses, CRM data, or previous responses all help provide more intelligent responses from the bot to your customer, without needing to connect with a customer service expert.
• Amplify Live Prediction Scoring: The Spring ‘20 release adds the ability to include external data, resulting in better predicted outcomes. Some users may have found that certain predictive models require information that can’t be found within Salesforce. Einstein Analytics can now prep the data and using a user-built dataset, predictive models can view external data in these datasets and create more accurate predictive models.
• Einstein Discovery – XGBoost: A third modeling approach has been added to Einstein Discovery called XGBoost. XGBoost uses gradient boosting learning algorithms to provide a third modeling approach, in addition to the previously available regression and GBM models. Einstein Discovery automatically includes the new XGBoost model alongside the regression and GBM models so that users can view all three models.
• Einstein Analytics: Use Direct Data to query live Salesforce data right inside the Einstein Analytics view. You can also use the dashboard builder’s interaction building, targeted faceting, and collaborative version control with a couple of clicks. No need to do any hard coding.

SALES AND SERVICE

• Sales Cloud Einstein: Salesforce has relaxed the data requirements for a couple of Sales Cloud Einstein features, resulting in more easily obtainable meaningful sales intelligence. And who doesn’t like when things are just a little bit easier?
• Sales Rep Productivity Features: Get ahead of your to-do list with the newly released productivity features for sales reps, including Send Later for emails (choose future date and time to send), List Email Drafts (save draft for later), Email Threading (see entire email conversations in a single location), and Task Queues (assign task priority via queue view).
• Field Service Updates: Users can now set up shifts and schedule delivery services at any time on any date, or as needed. Appointments can be assigned one right after the other, so there’s back-to-back service coverage. In the Field Service mobile app, new security features and offline priming UI promise safer experiences for users.
• Salesforce Order Management: With this new Commerce capability, Salesforce is working towards filling the contemporary shopper’s expectation for a digital enhanced, seamless experience from click-to-buy to arrival on their doorstep. Salesforce Order Management allows users to build and automate custom processes for order lifecycle management. And that results in fantastic customer service!

This certainly doesn’t cover everything that was released in the Spring ‘20 update. If you’re interested in reading through the more in-depth notes and details, you can always find them on the Salesforce website directly But for a quick skim and recap of the top updates, that’s what the Oceanforce seasonal release reviews are here to help with! 

Not sure what a Salesforce release means for you and your Salesforce account? Connect with an Oceanforce Solutions expert today to review what updates can be best incorporated into your account.