Using Chatter to Communicate
Chatter is Salesforce's internal communication tool - it helps us communicate to one another as we manage our recruitment and student inquiries.
Sending Chatter Messages
You may have noticed that Chatter has its own app, located on the menu bar of the Recruiting App or in the App Launcher menu. Some organizations use Chatter as their primary means of instant messaging. Because we don’t use Chatter as a means of communication outside of a specific object, we usually do not use the Chatter app to send messages. Instead, we send Chatter messages within a specific object. Chatter is embedded in all our Account, Contact, and Campaign object records, located on the right side of each record.
Chatter usually comes with three tabs - Post, Poll, and Question. We only use the Post tab, even when we’re asking questions. This is because you cannot @ people in the question tab. In the image below you can see an example of the team members using the Chatter Post feature to discuss a college fair. When you want a teammate to see your Chatter message, you need to @ them in the body of the post, as the example below demonstrates.
Cases also have the Post function, within the communication widget located just under Details in the right-center pane.
Receiving and Responding to Chatter Messages
How do you know if you’re received a Chatter message? An easy way to see recent notifications is the little bell icon in the upper right of your Salesforce screen. It will show a red number when you have one or more new notifications and when you click on the bell then open below, as the image below demonstrates.
Another way to see your messages is through the Chatter app, found on the Recruiting App’s menu bar, or in the App Launcher menu. Because Salesforce wants organizations to use Chatter as their dominate instant messaging tool, Chatter is literally all around us in Salesforce.
Because Chatter is not OAR's main instant messaging tool, most of us are not actively checking for Chatter messages in Salesforce. Instead, we rely on emails telling us we have new Chatter messages. Please see How to Modify Chatter Email Settings to ensure you are receiving Chatter messages through email. Chatter messages arrive in your Outlook inbox from "Chatter Notification".
Opening the message, you will see a number of hyperlinks. The hyperlinks of the name of the person who sent you the Chatter and of your name are not useful, as they take you to the person's account. The other two hyperlinks are more useful. One will take you to the case or object that is the subject of the Chatter message and the other will take you directly to the Chatter post in Salesforce. Here are a couple examples, with the applicable hyperlinks circled.
Fun fact, you can also reply to the Chatter Notification email in Outlook and your response will be posted in the applicable Salesforce Chatter.
Using Chatter in Campaigns
All Campaigns, regardless of type, have a Chatter and Activity pane on the right side of the screen. This area enables us to communicate with our teammates. Chatter comes by default with three tabs - Post, Poll, and Question. We only use the Post tab. In the image below you can see that I’ve posted twice - the first time to document my work on RepVisits and the second time to ask a teammate a question (yes, we use the Post tab to ask questions, even though there’s a Question tab, it’s cool). When you want a teammate to see your Chatter, you need to @ them in the body of the post, as the example below demonstrates. This will usually result in your teammate receiving an email with the Chatter message, depending on their Chatter settings. See the Chatter section in this guide for more information about Chatter.
The image above also highlights the Files area that is included in the right pane of all campaigns. Files are also included in the Related tab, but having it along the right side enables easy access to things like school visit confirmation correspondence or fair arrival and setup instructions.