Drawloop Blog

Our latest product offering was announced tonight at the Google Campfire One event at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Drawloop is honored to participate as a Google Apps Marketplace launch partner and excited to offer its document automation service to the millions of Google Apps users who have embraced the cloud.

DDPs for Google Apps is a cloud-based business application that allows users to customize and manage document creation in seconds using Dynamic Document Packages (DDP™). With DDPs, businesses have document control and visibility while reducing the cost associated with traditional document creation. DDPs for Google Apps is ideal for document packages such as sales proposals, quotes, contracts, service agreements, presentations, and any other documents critical to selling or supporting a business’ products and/or services. With DDPs for Google Apps, users can quickly create a DDP to email, download or share using the integration between Drawloop and Google Apps.

Extend Google Apps to Meet Your Business Needs

Users will be able to use and access DDPs from Google’s universal navigation. Rather than manually customizing your sales proposal (cutting, pasting, locating files and manually updating), simply complete a web form and get back your merged and customized sales proposal in seconds. With DDPs, the web form is automatically created.

Use Google Docs in combination with any other docs on your computer. Data can merge into Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel. A DDP can include one (1) or any combination of documents.

DDPs can merge data from a web form into the docs below:

Google Document
Google Spreadsheet
Google Presentation
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint

A DDP can also include any of the following file types – PDFs, JPG, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Publisher, Bitmap, GIF, PNG, Plain Text, Rich Text, XML, HTM/HTML, MHT and WPD files.

Pricing: $5 per user / month – A user is defined as any person who is authorized to access DDPs within your Google Apps domain.

“We are very excited to have Drawloop in the Google Apps Marketplace. Through the Google Apps Marketplace, software vendors like Drawloop are helping us build a rich ecosystem of integrated apps that work seamlessly with Google Apps, allowing IT administrators to leverage the benefits of cloud computing and extend Google Apps to meet more of their business needs. We are happy to offer Drawloop to the millions of Google Apps users who have embraced the cloud.”

Google Apps Partner Lead for Google Enterprise
Google, Inc.

Box.net recently announced a new integrated file view feature. This new feature is an excellent display option to use in concert with our Combine to PDF service on Box. With Combine to PDF, you can quickly page order and combine multiple docs into a single document within your Box.net account to display with the new integrated file viewer.

Take a look at Combine to PDF on Box.net to see how quickly you can combine multiple files and pages to display with the new Integrated File View. This is the perfect solution when you need to display a document, spreadsheet, image and presentation as one combined document.

About Integrated File View: (from Box.net Blog)
“You can now view files instantly, without ever leaving your browser. Box’s integrated file view feature lets you view the most popular file formats, including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, images, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files, audio and video. It lets you flow through all your content in one place, without downloading or worrying about whether you have the right application to view a file. To activate this feature, just go to Settings, Display, and set Content Preview to All Files.”

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.

Drawloop’s Combine to PDF on Box is Amazing!
by Shane Van Veghel

“I wanted to congratulate Box.net on adding the Drawloop PDF service. It has made sending multiple documents from my Box account SO EASY! I was able to combine a letter with a PowerPoint document, as well as a couple of pictures I had into one PDF document. I was then able to send the link to my PDF to my family and friends. I’m already thinking up other ways in which to use this: sharing my resumes and art portfolios, etc. This is a GREAT service and absolutely worth $1/month!”

Try our free 30-day trial today on Box.net!

Combine to PDF: Subscription service ($1 per user / month) allowing a Box.net user to select multiple files from Box to combine to a PDF. The interface allows you to pick individual pages to control and customize the final PDF. This is an excellent service for sales teams as it allows you to convert, organize, and combine files to PDF. Your customer will appreciate receiving one organized, professional, and visually consistent secure PDF rather than a series of files that are confusing, out of order, and time consuming for the recipient to review.

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.

Since the launch of LOOP Storage (document storage solution for Salesforce), we have seen several creative deployments. One of those includes an integration for the real estate industry.

Excellent Support. Unmatched Value.
By James Pasquarella

“We’ve just completed an implementation using LOOP Storage Services to save documents right on opportunities, contacts and the custom objects that we created specialized to our business.

Now everything is available in one place. Our team uses Salesforce everyday and now we have the documents we need right at our fingertips. When viewing an opportunity or custom object, etc, I can just click the file to download the relevant file and view it. No separate file server with old folder systems to navigate while on a call. I only see the documents related to what I’m working on.

We can even share certain documents with our customers via our Customer Portal in Salesforce. And since Salesforce works the same no matter if we’re at the office, at home, or on the road, we can get to our related files without having to log on to the office network. That just makes life a little easier.

The best feature of all is LOOP Storage’s high value proposition relative to other solutions we looked at in the AppExchange. The highly responsive support staff and efficient combined pricing of both this service and Amazon’s S3 storage space makes for the best value solution for storing documents related to Salesforce records.”

LOOP Storage Demo:

Install our free trial on AppExchange

We are pleased to announce the integration and launch of our convert and combine PDF services on Box.net. These services are available today on OpenBox to the 50,000+ companies on Box.net.

Convert to PDF: Free service allowing a Box.net user to quickly convert files to a PDF and then deliver through sharing or outside delivery services like Gmail. You never leave your Box.net account.

Available file types:
Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, JPG, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Publisher, Bitmap, GIF, PNG, Plain Text, Rich Text, XML, MHT and WPD files.

Combine to PDF: Subscription service ($1 per user / month) allowing a Box.net user to select multiple files from Box to combine to a PDF. The interface allows you to pick individual pages to control and customize the final PDF. This is an excellent service for sales teams as it allows you to convert, organize, and combine files to PDF. Your customer will appreciate receiving one organized, professional, and visually consistent secure PDF rather than a series of files that are confusing, out of order, and time consuming for the recipient to review.

Example – Use Case:
Sales rep needs to share or email a Proposal. The proposal contains the following elements:

1) Cover letter (.doc)
2) Quote (.xls)
3) Product data sheet (.pdf)

Rather than sharing 3 files or emailing 3 separate attachments, use “Combine to PDF” to select the above three (3) files from Box and combine into a single PDF (Proposal.pdf) to share or email to your prospective client. You can control how the Proposal is presented and make sure it is reviewed in the proper order.

“Convert to PDF” and “Combine to PDF” represent the first two document services deployed on Box.net. We will be adding our DDP (Dynamic Document Package) service on Box.net in the near future. This will allow Box.net users to dynamically merge data into document packages and leverage all of the sharing and collaboration tools that exist within Box.

About Box.net, Inc.
Box.net (www.box.net) now serves over 50,000 companies from small businesses to Fortune 1000 that look to Box to simplify online content management, accelerate team productivity and connect employees with a familiar interface that anyone can use.

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.