Drawloop Blog

Salesforce users rely on Drawloop to help them automate the creation of proposals, sales quotes, presentations and many other document packages critical to selling or servicing their products. Our on-demand services will allow you to deliver a one-click process for the creation of Dynamic Document Packages (DDPs).

We’re proud to have launched the most recent version of our document merge, automation and packaging service within Salesforce. We’re launching the latest version (v4.5) of LOOP Document Services today. The following is a summary of the new features available with LOOP Document Services:

Dynamic Ordering of Attachments
A powerful new feature is your ability to add and order any static or dynamic (doc contains merge fields) documents that have been uploaded to Notes & Attachments on an Object.

Dynamic ordering of attachments allows “ad hoc” or “custom” docs to be added to a DDP at run time.

Parameter Based Sections
All DDP Admins will love this new feature — parameter based DDP sections. In addition to making sections (pages) of a DDP optional to the user at run time, you can now quickly and easily have sections (pages) included or excluded based on field values.

Example: You want to include the Quote section of the DDP only when Account Level field value = Enterprise

Product Addendums
If you use Products and Product Line Items, you will appreciate the ability to dynamically add Product Addendums to DDPs. This new feature simplifies administration of DDPs while you are utilizing product line items in Word or Excel files.

Example: Sales rep has just added Product A, F and M to his new Opportunity. He clicks a button on the Opportunity to run his customized Sales Proposal. The DDP delivers to him a merged and customized Sales Proposal as a single PDF that also includes the addendums for the products he selected (A, F and M).

Mass DDPs
This new feature is extremely valuable a business use case where you need to send a DDP to hundreds of customers at the same time. DDPs can now be emailed, attached, downloaded, printed, and e-signed en masse with Mass DDPs.

Example: Tim needs to email a DDP to hundreds of Salesforce Contacts in a list view. He selects the contacts to be emailed, clicks Mass LOOPlus, selects the DDP he wants to send, and clicks Run. When the emails have finished being sent, Tim receives the Mass DDP results via email.

DDPs with DocuSign Embed Signing
This new feature was added to take advantage of business use cases where DDPs are created and delivered directly to DocuSign’s embedded signing process within a Force.com application or a Customer Portal.

We have just updated our LOOP Storage Services which now offers multiple upload functionality. LOOP Storage Services is an efficient document storage solution for Salesforce.com which leverages Amazon S3 pricing . . . document storage from within a document tab or within an object in Salesforce.

Multiple Upload Demo

How To Get Started with LOOP Storage:

1) Install LOOP Storage Services from AppExchange

2) Sign-up for an Amazon S3 account

Contact us today with any questions.

Our team has been working hard to incorporate the latest features of Salesforce Winter ‘10 with our dynamic document creation (DDP) service. Below we have highlighted some of the upcoming enhancements for DDPs that can help you take advantage of new features in Salesforce’s Winter ‘10 release:

Real Time Quotes
Add Salesforce Quotes to your DDPs. This allows you to add a Salesforce Quote along with your other required documents like a proposal (.doc), a product data sheet (.pdf) and product terms and conditions (.doc) . . . delivering one packaged document to your prospective or existing customer.

Example: ACME has deployed Real-Time Quotes for Salesforce, but the Director of Sales wants to include a cover letter, company overview and product slick.  These documents also need contact information (Salesforce data) merged into the documents.  LOOPlus works with Real-Time Quotes and includes all of the additional merged documents as a single PDF for delivery.

Product Addendums

Upload your product addendums to the Salesforce document tab and tie them to your products in your product library. This can be useful when you need to include in your DDP a product info sheet for each Product added under an Opportunity.

Example: ACME has leveraged Saleforce Opportunity Line Items and Products, but at run time wants to include a detailed product specification sheet when the proposal is generated.

Capture Data to Salesforce

Email the DDP (.pdf) to your contact; he or she then completes the PDF form fields and returns the completed PDF via email. By leveraging Salesforce email services, the data will automatically update fields in Salesforce or create new records. This can be tied to various work flows as well as tied to other DDP generation.

DDPs with Visualforce Pages
Like adding a Salesforce quote to a DDP, you can add any Visualforce page to a DDP. This is a powerful feature providing you with the ability to add additional documents or collateral to any Visualforce page.

Salesforce Tasks or Workflows with DDPs
Create a Salesforce task, update a Salesforce record or trigger a workflow when a DDP is created and delivered. This is extremely useful for generating invoices, proposals, sales contracts and other document packages that require a “next action” upon delivery of the DDP.

Mass DDPs
Send DDPs en masse directly from a Contact (Opportunity, Case, Contract, etc.) List View. You can deliver Mass DDPs through email, attach back to Salesforce, attach back to Salesforce with LOOP Storage or log the DDP as an Activity History.

Attachments with DDPs
Order attachments with your DDP. This powerful new feature allows users to not only add attachments to a DDP but also to order the attachments at run time. This is often used for incorporating redlined terms and conditions with a DDP.

We have recently shared an integrated project on the K2 Underground site. K2 users can now add our document automation service to K2[blackpearl]. The ability to add our dynamic document creation service tied to other work flows and services is a powerful addition to the K2[blackpearl] software.

K2[blackpearl] is comprehensive software designed to build process-driven applications.

If you use or work with K2, we encourage you to take a look at our “Document Merge SmartObject Service” as well as contact us to gain access to our API.

Version 4.3 of LOOP Document Services is now available to install or upgrade into your Salesforce account from the AppExchange. This release includes the following new features:

• Org-Wide Email Addresses can be used to send reports or automated emails instead of a specific user’s email address
• Processing Text for DDP runs can be customized
• DocuSign recipients can be chosen from Roles or User Groups
• DocuSign envelope expirations and reminders can be changed at run time
• DocuSign recipient titles can be displayed while selecting the recipients
• DocuSign recipients can be chosen from Account Teams and Opportunity Sales Teams

To upgrade your version of LOOP Document Services and take advantage of all of these features, contact Drawloop Support (email support@drawloop.com or call (949) 242-0455, opt. 2) for the latest upgrade instructions.

We are excited to announce our Amazon S3 document storage service for Salesforce, called LOOP Storage Services. LOOP Storage Services offers document storage for Salesforce. It provides a simple interface to store and manage any files, at any time, from within a documents tab or within an object in Salesforce.

Features:

A simple interface to store and manage any files or documents, at any time, from within Salesforce

Use single or multiple folder hierarchies

Add security (profile, role, user or user group) and keywords to your stored documents

NO file size limits . . . unless 5GB is not enough per document

How It Works:

Salesforce Tab: Custom Documents tab allowing you to store and manage all of your documents – simply upload and organize your files

Documents in Objects: Allows you to store documents within objects. You can also organize with document folders inside the objects. Deployed for all standard objects – contact Drawloop for custom objects

Amazon S3: All of your documents are managed within Salesforce but are stored with Amazon S3

How To Get Started:

1) Install LOOP Storage Services from AppExchange

2) Sign-up for an Amazon S3 account

Drawloop is an AWS Solution Provider. The AWS Solution Providers Program serves a growing community of Independent Software Vendors and Systems Integrators that offer a rich set of solutions and consulting services on AWS.

Contact us today with any questions.

We are pleased to announce that LOOP API has been added to SuiteApps for NetSuite. NetSuite is a leading provider of on-demand, integrated business management software for growing and midsize businesses. Through SuiteApps, NetSuite developers and customers will be able to leverage our document services and API.

Install on SuiteApps

The LOOP API allows for converting files to PDF and combining multiple files to one or more PDF files within NetSuite. To install the LOOP API example bundle from within SuiteApps, please follow these instructions:

Setup -> Customization -> Install Bundle and then under “Keywords” search “LOOP API”

What is LOOP API?

LOOP API is the best way to merge, convert and combine documents on the web. There are several methods you can use to leverage LOOP API in your business, each geared toward your specific requirements.

LOOP API is the most powerful and customizable way to manage your needs around document merge, conversion and combining. Enterprise customers use LOOP API to automate the creation of DDPs. This includes sales proposals, sales contracts, quotes and virtually any document package required to sell or service your products.

If you are a developer or an independent software vendor who is looking to add document automation to your applications, LOOP API is the answer. We have recently deployed an elegantly simple API that delivers powerful document services to be built into a number of business critical applications. This includes dynamically merging data into documents, converting documents to PDF and combining documents and/or pages to a single file.

Some document examples include:

Business Need:
Business wants to deliver one combined file

Use convert and combine API elements to package and combine multiple documents and/or specific pages to a single PDF

Business Need:
Business wants to automate and customize documents with metadata

Use merge, convert and combine API elements to merge and customize documents with metadata. Those documents are then converted and combined using the specific pages in the exact order required to create your final, personalized DDP (dynamic document package).

LOOP API is currently deployed with Salesforce.com, NetSuite and several Drawloop enterprise customers who have leveraged our document automation services within their business applications.

Learn more about LOOP API.

In working with several new customers and Salesforce integrators, we have expanded our LOOP Document Services to include the ability for a DDP to be sent to any service that can be exposed with an HTTP post. In addition to sending or pushing documents (DDPs) out of Salesforce, we can also help you pull documents back into Salesforce associated with the appropriate object / record. By applying logic to the document (DDP) name or properties, you can now trigger any Salesforce workflow or apex trigger to complete the document cycle.

By automating both outbound and inbound documents, LOOP Document Services can help you:

Outbound Documents

1. Send documents to a 3rd party fulfillment service
2. Send documents to an electronic signature service (like DocuSign)
3. Send documents to a tablet based signature service
4. Send documents to a 3rd party storage service (like S3)

Inbound Documents

1. Pull documents into any standard or custom object
2. Store documents in Salesforce or as activity history with links to download (stored externally)

We encourage Salesforce users, consultants and integrators to contact us to learn more about how to add LOOP Document Services for outbound and inbound document requirements within Salesforce.

The latest version of LOOP Document Services available on the AppExchange takes advantage of the powerful capabilities of Visualforce and Apex in order to provide LOOP admins and users a faster and more flexible tool. Automating the creation of your contracts, quotes, proposals, and letters with LOOP Document Services within Salesforce offers the following features:

• Create Dynamic Document Packages, or DDPs, from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and existing Mail Merge Templates
• Send Salesforce report data to Excel to analyze or summarize – send output to PowerPoint charts, Excel charts, PDF, or Word
• Order Opportunity Line Items based on any line item field
• Include dynamic images in Word
• Pull data from any objects whether they be standard or custom
• Using Advanced Line Items, pull data from child object records
• Limit document package selection based on record data
• Enable Drawloop subscription services through the app
• Route document packages to be downloaded, attached, or e-signed
• Automatically send document packages using Workflows and Outbound Messaging
• Return original documents from a package, optionally with tracking turned on in Word