Salesforce Workflow vs. Process Builder | Salesforce Automation Tools

Hardly can any business or organization afford the luxury of “manual” planning and arrangement of business processes. Even small businesses with teams of under a dozen people acknowledge the benefits of digital automation tools that allow them not to waste time on routine tasks, organization, and approval and therefore become most efficient in their fields.

That is why Salesforce, which appeared in the late 90-s and allowed automated cloud-based CRM for all sorts of companies, became revolutionary. The demand for automated solutions started to grow, and Salesforce started to work on more focused solutions tailored to specific tasks. Salesforce Process Builder has become another popular automation tool.

In this article, we shall compare the platforms and see the similarities between them and the advantages of each to understand how companies can make informed decisions choosing their automation tools.

What do they do? How are they different?

Salesforce Workflow is a solution that allows automating all the essential vital processes in the company`s work, so the team members don`t have to do it manually anymore. Every essential step of every task, from task creation to document and report processing, can be automated and become the most efficient due to Salesforce Workflow.

Here is what Salesforce Workflow provides:

• Creating Tasks Automatically: Whether for one particular team member or a whole department, Salesforce Workflow will automatically create a necessary task and provide the data and processing tools that allow it to complete it;
• Status Updates: The created tasks can instantly be adjusted according to the new data about every business process. The workflow will create and update tasks according to payment being made or canceled, shipment status, customer availability, etc.;
• Instant Messaging: Salesforce workflow also makes communication within the system or with customers instant and seamless. As soon as the status changes, there are any updates or additional requests, the relevant team member or customer gets notified through the most convenient communication channels.

Don't forget to check out: 6 Things To Know About Salesforce Workflow

Salesforce Process builder is designed to help teams navigate within the business processes. Every small change or update that is introduced into any process, every new demand or change in the approach is initially introduced in the related business processes automatically and seamlessly. Every team member gets updated instantly.

• Instant and secure identification: Salesforce process builder creates relevant records and makes relevant updates in them when the data changes or is added due to a change in the operation or status of a certain task or work process.
• Schedules and deadlines: Salesforce Process builder allow the most efficient planning through the automatic determination of the best scheduling for every task. Based on the data about the previous operation, the Process builder will introduce certain tasks at a certain time and help to determine the most efficient timetable for every process;
• Customization: every user can create as many milestones, nodes, and additional criteria for every task as they need to make the process most efficient. Those can be transferrable commands that, from now on, will be reflected in further tasking or one-time moves.

Choosing between Workflow and Process Builder

So, how does a company choose between Workflow and process builder when both services offer so seemingly similar solutions? Let`s take a look at the critical details that distinguish between the two services and companies that most benefit from them.

Workflow is perfect for:

• Processing large amounts of data and automating all the possible aspects to save as much time and effort as possible.
• Startups or new companies that start discovering and working out their policies. Salesforce Workflow has a user-friendly interface and is suitable for users and Salesforce Admins who are only starting to master the platform.
• Companies that have a clear understanding of their point A and point B process. Workflow allows automation of as much of the operation as possible and prevents it from going sideways in the planning and execution.

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Process Builder allows to:

• Customize the process: Every user can control and adjust every step of the process, cancel or go back in the planning if something goes off or does not work.
• Allows variability: Process builder allows us to see more than one outcome at a certain point of time in the planning process;
• Introduce details and relevant information: You can take up relevant details in the planning process as needed to achieve the most precise result. However, for the very same reason, it requires more complex technical skills and knowledge from the user than the Salesforce workflow.

Final Thoughts

The difference between Salesforce Workflow and Salesforce Process Builder is mainly the difference in the size and complexity of a company`s operation, the volume, or relevant criteria that can affect the final result.

If you want to fully understand the nature and principles of Salesforce CRM solutions or become the go-to professional in your company or discover new career opportunities, make sure to focus on your Salesforce online training and certification as soon as possible.