Launchpad Lesson 7 - Console App

There are two different types of apps in Salesforce. The app we configured in the last lesson is what we refer to as a standard app, which uses standard navigation. There is also another type of app called a Sales Console, which uses console navigation.

Let's compare the two.

Some users prefer console navigation, while others prefer standard navigation. The main benefit of a console app is that it makes it much easier to work with multiple records simultaneously.

Examples might include inside sales reps who need to follow up with lots of leads or customer service reps who handle multiple inbound calls each day.

To show you what we mean by console navigation, let's first look at standard navigation.

In the top-left corner, you can see that I'm using the Rocket Shop Sales app we configured in the last lesson. As previously mentioned, the tabs for all my objects are displayed across the top of the screen, and I can click on them to access those records.

If I click on Accounts, Salesforce takes me to a list of recently viewed accounts. When I click on an account, it opens that record in the same browser tab.

Now, if I want to view another account record, I have to click on the Accounts tab, return to the list, and select the account I want. But now I've lost the first account I was looking at.

To view both accounts at the same time and toggle between them, I'd need to right-click on the Accounts tab and choose Open Link in New Tab. Then, I can open the other account record. Now, I have both records open side by side in two browser tabs.

Note that this isn't anything Salesforce is doing. This is simply how your browser works.

This is what we mean by standard navigation. Console navigation takes this concept and applies it directly within Salesforce.

Let's switch to our Sales Console app so you can see what console navigation looks like.

In the top-left corner, click on the App Launcher and select Sales Console.

The first thing you'll notice is that instead of having our tabs displayed across the top in a row, they're now located in a dropdown menu. From this dropdown, select Accounts.

You'll notice that this replaces the Home tab with a new tab for Accounts.

In console navigation, when we click on a record, it opens in a new tab within Salesforce.

You'll also notice that our list of recently viewed accounts is displayed on the left. This is called a split-view format, and it's helpful because we can work from the list while viewing a record side by side.

Now, if we want to view another account record, we can select one from the list, and Salesforce creates a new tab to display that record.

We can now toggle back and forth between these two accounts.

We can even take this a step further and use nested tabs. This means that if we're viewing an account and want to look at a contact related to that account, Salesforce will open the contact in a nested tab.

As you can see, you can have multiple tabs open at the same time, including a mix of different objects. You can also arrange the tabs by dragging them, just as you would browser tabs.

These features allow users to work effectively with multiple records at the same time.

When you're finished with a record, simply close its tab.

Generally, users who sit at their desks most of the day and need to access multiple records throughout their shift may find the console easier to work with.

Ultimately, the choice is up to each user. Everyone can decide how they prefer to navigate Salesforce, but it's helpful to give them the option.

Next up is a topic you'll really like: Fields.

Talk then.