Today, enterprises expect their CRM systems to be more than just document repositories because of workflows, proposals, agreements and various other client information need to be managed periodically. Therefore document management is definitely one of the most important features that companies look for in their CRM systems. This feature facilitates nearly all of the sales processes, providing content to clients and partners. Therefore Salesforce, being one of the leading CRM platforms in the world, has a number of functions that can satisfy most if not all the needs of business users. 

When it comes to Salesforce, it’s unique and exceptional file and document management system takes utmost care to reduce a Salesforce admin’s complexities by simplifying file management, enhancing presentation skills, catering to all sorts of files, and finally managing these files efficiently. Not only this, having dealt with myriad types of documents, Salesforce has been constantly improvising to cater to the latest technology and needs. 

Salesforce has 5 off-the-shell modules for files and document management with several variations. These inbuilt modules include:

• Attachments– One of the first tools launched by Salesforce was Attachments. As is obvious from the name, it allows users to create Attachment lists and attach different types of files to particular Salesforce records (like, a contract, offer, or proposal). In this case, the size limit of the file to be attached is 25 MB, when attached directly to the Attachment list, whereas even for multiple files attached to the same email the size limit remains 25 MB, with a maximum size of 5 MB per file.
• Documents Tab– Salesforce Documents Tab allows users to store their web-based resources and Visualforce files, such as custom logos and DOT files, in folders without attaching them to any particular records. Though this file is not attached to any record, it can easily be accessed or used whenever its need arises. For example, users can add a custom logo to the meeting requests by uploading the stored logo directly to the documents tab. 
• Files Home– Salesforce Files Home is a kind of cloud-based repository where files can be uploaded, privately stored, synced and shared among team members and coworkers to kick-start Chatter collaboration. This document repository specifically stores files without any association to objects. It also allows synchronizing the information in the documents in real-time, across all devices, including desktop and mobile. It also has a plethora of exquisite features such as file filtering, drag-and-drop, file syncing, and files-specific search tools. Salesforce Files ideally suits co-working on unique documents, like client proposals.
• Salesforce Knowledge– Salesforce Knowledge is a corporate knowledge-sharing platform, commonly used for creating a base for information sharing among employees. It allows users to create, edit, search, organize, and share knowledge articles in libraries among the organization’s employees. Users can also use Salesforce knowledge and a particular web portal to share documents with their clients outside the organization. It supports a maximum file size of 5 MB for all attachments. 
• Salesforce CRM Content– Salesforce CRM Content is the most widely used content management tool that lets users create, duplicate, work, and modify official corporate documents, like case studies or sales presentations, in such a manner that only the creator can work on it. Once they are ready, it also allows them to make this content accessible for their coworkers as well as to external users such as clients, partners, and customers in the form of content packets. 

As the storage space in Salesforce is already limited, rather than extending these limits, it recommended to use different cloud-based storage services so as to ease the pressure. Salesforce launched Salesforce File Connect, an OOTB tool, for exactly this purpose of integrating the Salesforce system with other external systems. But even this tool has its limitations, so it’s better to choose an alternative integration solution. And the best place to look for these solutions is the Salesforce AppExchange marketplace.  

One such AppExchange application that can help you seamlessly store and collaborate files with external systems is XfilesPro. This highly customizable and admin-friendly application performs exceptionally well with Service Cloud, Experience/Community Cloud, Sales Cloud, and Salesforce Platform. With XfilesPro, Salesforce admins can not only seamlessly enable a 360-degree file collaboration including integration with various external storage systems, but they can also cut back on their file storage costs significantly. 

Learn more about XfilesPro’s file management capabilities. 

XfilesPro can be used to collaborate the Salesforce system with various external files storage systems like Cloud-based storage systems like Google Shared Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, SharePoint, and Dropbox and On-premise systems like SMB, SFTP, and Network Drive. Loaded with features like a centralized content management system, efficient file and folder hierarchy management, multi-org file integration, large-volume file migration, and community portal collaboration, XfilesPro is an ideal solution for integrating Salesforce with cloud-based systems. To know more about XfilesPro and how it can facilitate external system integration with Salesforce, please get in touch with us.