[App Review] Smart Cloud Connect – Transforming Mailbox into a High-End Business Hub

Last Updated on April 30, 2020 by Rakesh Gupta

Having to fumble with number of clicks – (1) when in a hurry; (2) when an important idea pops up; or (3), god forbid, when in the midst of an important negotiation with a premium client – is one of the major pet peeves of most Sales representatives. Is it a surprise then, that the representatives gravitate towards features, or Apps, that enable them to take quick actions with as few clicks as possible?

Email is one of the great point in case; for, it is almost a second home of majority of Sales representatives. Therefore, Email feature enhancements hardly ever escape sharp eyes of seasoned representatives. So, when I stumbled upon SmartCloud AppExchange Application vendor at Southeast Dreamin’ this year (2017), I foresaw SmartCloud Connect’s Email features and functionalities, as a game changer for Sales Representatives! And, that inspired me to write this blog post so I can share my insights and experience with the App. In the past, whenever I have reviewed an App, I have received many constructive feed backs; as a result, I continue to undertake this endeavor whenever a promising App crosses my path.

It is a well-established fact that the most ubiquitous technology in the world of business is Email. Virtually every company has Email as an instant form of communication. It is fast; cost is relatively low; and, for the most part, it is one of the most highly used and efficient communication and collaboration tool. Surprising albeit, despite its pivotal role as one of the popular outreach channels to one’s clients, up until recently, it has remained almost isolated from other business applications. Most people do not use email beyond functions like sending messages, setting meetings and exchanging documents. But, after playing around with SmartCloud Connect’s Email functionalities, I believe that, by pairing with Microsoft Outlook/Microsoft 365 and Salesforce, Smart Cloud has transformed Email into a powerful business platform.

Companies that are using Salesforce as their backend system, and Microsoft Exchange as their Email Server, have been experiencing less than expected efficiencies. The following paragraph aptly captures the typical disappointment towards the marriage between these two platforms. Fortunately, for SmartCloud Connect, the disappointment provides an opportunity that they can capitalize on!

Our company is using Microsoft Exchange as an email server and Salesforce as a backend CRM system. It was a huge problem for our sales team to log all of our activities into Salesforce since we are mostly not in the office and work from our tablets or smartphones in the field – having meetings or negotiations. Furthermore, We had difficulties accessing Salesforce data, even though we need to have it on our finger tips while on the go. For instance, accessing updated information, such as new meetings or tasks which were created in Salesforce but were not accessible while we are not logged into the system, was a challenge, unproductive and highly inconvenient, to say the least.

SmartCloud Connect is a befitting business tool for integrating Salesforce with your personal environment (Email clients, Calendar, Task applications, etc). It combines powerful synchronization with flexible Email App capabilities thereby providing users full set of business tools for integrating their personal environment (Email clients, Calendar, Task applications etc.) with CRM.

Hosted on a Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, SmartCloud Connect automatically synchronizes Contacts, Tasks, Events, and Emails with Salesforce. While synchronizing with Salesforce, it takes into account customized filters, user rights, and other parameters. All changes made to objects in Salesforce are brought into Exchange Email, Contact, Task or Calendar application, and vice versa. Once in Exchange, all devices connected to Exchange get the Enterprise data and can manage and update the information natively. The solution can also support different backend systems – if you can provide the required APIs – and operate business data that can be mapped with Contacts, Tasks, Events, and Emails.

With SmartCloud Connect, users can take advantage of the following functionalities – (1) create business records and share them in Salesforce; (2) simultaneously update data on Exchange server and Enterprise system; (3) get up-to-date Salesforce information; (4) sync Contacts, Attachments and much more.

Why sales people chose Smart Cloud Connect for Salesforce?

For this blog, I interviewed several Sales representatives, who have been using Smart Cloud Connect for Salesforce, to learn about their experience with the App. They gave me rave reviews. Below is a compiled list of key points that I gleaned from the experiences of representatives with Smart Cloud Connect:

Reliability – this was one of most valued features of Smart Cloud Connect. No surprise here. As mentioned, one of the pet peeves of Sales representatives is fumbling for up-to-date and reliable information while on the go! Smart Cloud Connect received rave reviews on Reliability because of their App guarantees that all business data is added to, and retrieved from, Salesforce in a timely manner. The representatives love the fact that they do not have to switch between Office 365 client and Salesforce to access critical and relevant information; they can just create Contact, add Event or Task to it, and it will be added to Salesforce almost immediately.
1. Wherever you are, there I am – Sales representatives enjoyed their ability to easily access the App from anywhere!. Like any other cloud apps, Smart Cloud Connect is available on any Microsoft Exchange or Exchange Online connected device after you sign up for the service. You can start working with your Emails in your office in Outlook, and then go onsite and continue to close your sales tasks on iOS, Mac, Android. All you need is a web-browser, OWA application, or just default Email client; and, internet connection, of course. As a result, you can access all Salesforce data while traveling.
Ease of use –Smart Cloud Connect is quite easy to use. For, it does not require any specific training. Users can start working with Smart Cloud Connect as soon as they sign up for the service. If interested, users can spend about 10 minutes viewing the product tutorials and then start working with the Smart Cloud Connect. The product’s design is intuitive and, when I tried, I did not have any problems with product adoption (I tried this app free of cost for 15 days).
Boosts productivity and efficiency – Working with Smart Cloud Connect is like having Salesforce in your Inbox! Indeed, it feels like Salesforce has become a part of Sales representatives’ mailbox. Because Smart Cloud Connect does the heavy lifting – by presenting all data and communication tools at representatives’ fingertips – it contributes towards increasing productivity, improving data integrity and decreasing IT cost. Ability to undertake all Salesforce related task right from their Email has made it easier for representatives to close more deals, deliver pleasant customer experience and meet, if not exceed, expectations of clients and supervisors alike!

Smart Cloud Connect’s key features

1. Adaptive Sidebar:- Static sidebar? In the age of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning? Now that is not so smart, is it? Well, SmartCloud Connect would not have lived up to its name if they did not introduce smart UI! And, lo and behold, they just did!

SmartCloud Connect recently introduced adaptive UI in Salesforce and Inbox/Calendar integration. The logic behind the adaptive UI is that since no two emails are alike then, why should the sidebar structure, and its content, be always static? SmartCloud Connect is a pioneer in introducing dynamic UI where stakeholders – Sales Representatives and other Executives – get a customized view of their object information from Salesforce that aligns with each specific email – a revolutionary innovation indeed!

Yes, let it just sink in! The newly released version of SmartCloud Connect transforms UI of Outlook, Office365 and Exchange integration by incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to deliver the best of Salesforce. Now that is what I call meeting the first actionable, fully adaptive and flexible, AI/ML driven smart app!

2. Contacts: – Share and sync information between Salesforce and Outlook seamlessly. Key Salesforce Contacts are placed in newly created Business Contacts folder in Outlook or Office 365. As a result, Sales representatives always know who is calling since Contacts Application on representatives’ phone already has, and displays, this information.

3. Calendars: – Your Salesforce and Microsoft Exchange Calendars will be in sync so your schedule is under control and you will never miss an important meeting or call. Just add Salesforce category to share the event with Salesforce, and have it always up to date in both systems. Your Salesforce meetings are not only available on your mobile phone or tablet but they are synced with Calendar application of your choice and connected to Microsoft Exchange or Office 365.

4. Tasks: – You do not need to switch between Salesforce and your task application to figure out your daily plan – all tasks will be put in one place, in a joint task list which combines Salesforce and Microsoft Exchange tasks. You can share a task by adding “Salesforce” category to it, or moving it into Business Tasks folder. When you complete a task in Salesforce or Microsoft Exchange, it will be automatically marked complete in all connected applications.

5. Record emails and attachments: – You can save important emails and attachments into Salesforce with SmartCloud Connect. Just add the “Salesforce” category or drag and drop it into Business Emails folder. Next, click on sync session, and it will save your Emails to Salesforce and link them with related Contacts or Leads automatically.

If you are interested in checking out Smart Cloud Connect’s customer success stories then, click on the following links provided by Smart Cloud Connect team. This will help you to learn how other business owners improved their productivity by using the App.

Note: – Thanks to Smart Cloud Connect team for taking the time to help me understand, in-depth, the architecture of your product.

Try SmartCloud Connect now for FREE and do not forget to share your experience with, and provide constructive feedback to, the Smart Cloud Connect team!