How do I get started with using Playbooks?

Overview

You are a new user of Playbooks, and you would like to know how to use Playbooks. The following article provides a general overview of using Playbooks and information on getting started.

Information

NOTE: Playbooks must first be set up by an admin or manager. See Installing the Unmanaged Packages in Salesforce for more information.

What is Playbooks?

Playbooks is a sales engagement tool that helps you to focus on the most important records or opportunities first. Its cutting-edge collective data stacks your pipeline with the prospects you are most likely to make meaningful contact with and the deals that you are most likely to close.

Stop wasting energy manually creating to-do lists in your CRM and let Playbooks take care of the busywork. After an administrator or manager has set up Playbooks for your organization, follow this article guide to set up Playbooks on your computer. You can also download the checklist for helpful new user exercises.

About the Playbooks Extension

Playbooks uses a Chrome extension to attach the application to the side of your browser, and to inject shortcut buttons into your CRM. Installing the Playbooks extension is the first step toward simplifying your prospecting strategy. See How to Install the Playbooks Extension in Regular and Managed Environments for more information. In non-managed environments, you can visit the Chrome Web Store to add the Playbooks Chrome extension to your browser.

Logging into Playbooks

Logging in to Playbooks is accomplished with one click by taking advantage of the single sign-on feature for Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics. When you sign in to your CRM, Playbooks uses that connection, so you don’t have to remember another username and password.

If this isn’t an option your organization has, you can also log in with your email and password.

See Logging into Playbooks for more information.

Connect to your services

Playbooks contains components for calling, emailing, calendaring, and CRM.

• Playbooks uses your phone number to establish a two-way connection between you and the contacts that you are calling.  See Configuring Agent Phone Number and Caller ID in Playbooks for more information on connecting your phone.
• Playbooks will use your existing email service to send and receive email messages. See How Do I Setup my Email Account? for more information on connecting your email.
• If you want to send invites and create events within Playbooks and be able to see them on your calendar, you need to connect your Calendar to Playbooks. Connecting your calendar will also allow you to use the Self Service Calendaring feature, which allows users to share a calendar link with prospects, so they can select times to schedule future meetings. See Connecting Calendar to Playbooks for more information on connecting your calendar.
• Playbooks pulls records from your CRM and synchronizes activities back to your CRM.

  The connection between your CRM and Playbooks allows you to primarily work directly from the Playbooks extension. To update information for all your prospects instantly, a link between Salesforce and Playbooks must be established. Only Salesforce requires this connection; other CRMs should be connected automatically. See Connecting Playbooks to your Salesforce for more information on connecting your CRM.

Start using Plays and Tasks

Plays and Tasks are the backbone of Playbooks functionality. Each Play is made up of Tasks that move you along the sales motion. Each day, your Tasks displays whatever Play steps are due for the records enrolled in your Plays. CRM prospects or opportunities can be enrolled into Plays automatically with Robot automation setup by your Playbooks Administrator or you can do it manually. Not every Play will have tasks due every day since there is a timing factor involved in spacing out when you reach out to each prospect. Plays and Tasks remove the guesswork for when and how to complete all your activities and ensure you contact the best leads first.

It is very important that each Play have a clear objective. Some common examples include inviting a prospect to an event, setting an appointment for a demo, or reengaging with a customer to renew products or services. The steps prescribed in the Play should all be driving towards that unique goal. Each Play goal, which might happen after 1 step or 17 steps, will be slightly different and use any of the variety of Play steps available in Playbooks. See Creating New Plays for more information.

Adding records and enrolling them into Plays

Adding records to Playbooks is the first step to targeting the right prospects with the most rewarding activities. Once the record is in Playbooks, you can enroll them in a Play to engage them in a strategic cadence. See Adding Records to Playbooks for more information.

Manage your Play Tasks

Tasks in a Play can be completed as soon as you receive them; otherwise, they can be skipped (if you deem the Task unnecessary) or snoozed (if you would like to delay the Task for a later date). Skipping is done by clicking the Skip This Task button (the icon with a right-facing triangle and line), then adding a note why you skipped the task. Snoozing is done by clicking the Snooze button (the clock icon), then selecting a future date.

Managing records within Playbooks

You have the option to pause records or remove them from a Play. Pausing a record keeps them in a Play so that you can resume later. Removing a record is used to unenroll the record from a Play and optionally enroll them in a new one.

To pause a record, open an existing People, Account, or Task record, click the Play name field, then select Pause this person.

To remove a record, open an existing People, Account, or Task record, click the Play name field, then select Remove from play.

You can also mark a Play as successful when you have achieved the goal of your play, set a lead, or closed a deal. This will keep your prospect in the Play but prevent future tasks from occurring. Once the Play has been marked successful, you can add the record to a new Play or remove it from Playbooks if you will no longer be working that record. To mark a play as successful, open an existing People, Account, or Task record, click the Play name field, then select Mark Play Successful.