Start Your Migration and Test Plan

Important Full product retirement for Salesforce for Outlook is scheduled for December 2027. See Salesforce for Outlook Retirement. To keep integrating Microsoft Outlook with Salesforce, check out our next-generation products: the Outlook integration and Einstein Activity Capture. See Move from Salesforce for Outlook (Retiring) to the Next-Generation Products.

To catch any major issues before they impact your sales reps, we strongly encourage you to first attempt your rollout with a group of test users. Likewise, if your Salesforce edition includes access to sandbox staging environments, we recommend running your test in the sandbox first, rather than in production. That way, if you overlook any migration details, you avoid introducing errors to your live customer data.

Follow these steps to start your migration plan and prepare for testing. To build your plan, continue to use the Salesforce for Outlook Migration Worksheets introduced in previous preparation topics.

Note To work with the Salesforce for Outlook Migration Worksheets, click the link, and then copy and paste the sheets into a new Quip document. Or use another application that edits spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. After you copy and paste each sheet into your own spreadsheet, make it your own. Track notes and progress to keep organized during your rollout. Plus, we give you advice about how to use it along the way.

Review Steps for Setting Up Outlook Integration and Einstein Activity Capture

Review product setup instructions with your Exchange or IT admin to get ahead of any technical roadblocks and start considering your rollout timeline.

Ask your IT admin to flag any technical preparation or concerns that you must address before you can move forward. Request timelines for completing action items. Track any notes for your rollout plan on the Setup Step Checklist sheet you copied from the migration worksheets. Feel free to add new columns or rows if you need them.

Check out these resources.

• For Outlook Integration, see Roles Required to Set Up the Outlook Integration.
• For Einstein Activity Capture, see Roll Out Einstein Activity Capture to Your Testers or Users.

Start Organizing Your Test Plan Chronologically

Note Though we encourage you to start your migration soon, it's possible to complete your rollout after the Salesforce for Outlook retirement. Review Prepare for Salesforce for Outlook Retirement to complete some important tasks before you lose access in 2024.

It's OK if you iterate on your test plan several times as you sort out the specifics of your rollout. We recommend organizing your plan into several broad phases, then supporting steps as you work through your notes and this guide. During each phase of your test plan, add steps about key items you must communicate to your sales reps and testers. Build time into your test plan timeline for those individuals to address assigned tasks. Send reminders along the way.

Here's an example.

1. Preparation: Using notes from the Feature Usage Checklist and Setup Req. Checklist worksheets, chronologically organize the pre-rollout steps you must complete before setup can begin. Include steps for you, your Microsoft or IT admin, and your sales reps.
2. Setup: Using notes from the Setup Step Checklist worksheet, chronologically organize the setup steps you must track. Include steps for you, your Microsoft or IT admin, and your sales reps.
3. Test Rollout: Using notes from the Feature Usage Checklist and Setup Step Checklist sheets, chronologically organize the steps you must complete during rollout. Include steps for you, your Microsoft or IT admin, and your sales reps.
4. Gathering Feedback: Compile a chronological list of steps you must complete to get testing feedback. Keep reading for ideas about more steps to add to this phase.

Select a Small Test group of Experienced Salesforce for Outlook Users

If you have Salesforce for Outlook users in different roles across your company (sales, service, management, and so forth), recruit testers from as many roles as possible. That way, you can test the unique workflows for each role. Try to pick users who get excited about Salesforce or are vocal about improving it. Include yourself in your test group, so that you have the context to quickly get in front of any issues that arise.

Prepare a Resource for Testers to Give Feedback Easily and Clearly

We recommend creating a resource that provides an easy way for testers to provide feedback, including notes and screenshots. For an example, see the Testing Feedback sheet in the Salesforce for Outlook Migration Worksheets.

If you have the time and support, develop a list of common user workflows and split up the list among testers. Doing so lets you test a wide variety of tasks and ensures that real-life scenarios aren't missed. For ideas on how to develop a list of workflows, include issues from Review Things to Know Before Rolling Out Replacement Products. You can also get ideas from a manager or someone in a sales operations role. Or even debrief some of your testers about how they commonly work with contacts, events, tasks, and the side panel.

Run a Test Rollout

If you have a sandbox, prepare it for testing and start to follow the steps in this guide to roll out the next-generation products. See Trailhead: Get Early Access with the Sandbox Preview and Sandboxes: Staging Environments for Customizing and Testing.

Give Testers Access to Your Sandbox

When your test rollout is complete, give testers access to the sandbox and instruct testers to try out the new products. Share testing instructions, any workflows you want them to try, and your resource for gathering feedback. Remind testers to provide detailed, specific notes in their feedback.

Get Feedback and Revise Your Test Plan

If you can, schedule a meeting with testers and run through their feedback. Make sure that you understand their complaints and what testers expected. During the group discussion, testers are likely to remember feedback that they forgot to mention. After your meeting, update any product settings or rollout instructions.

If you must, repeat testing multiple times, updating your rollout plan each time to work out snags before rolling out to production.

Add Production Rollout Phase to Your Plan

When you feel that you're ready for rollout, add a Production Rollout phase to your test plan. Include any remaining tasks described in Roll Out the Next-Generation Products in Production. Then, using your rollout tests as an estimate, establish a tentative timeline for your production rollout. When you feel ready, communicate the tentative timeline to sales reps. Rolling out on a larger scale could take longer than your rollout tests, so plan accordingly. You can always adjust your tentative timeline and recommunicate it.

Repeat Your Revised Rollout Plan in Production

Again, first start with your test users. Group by group, run through your finalized rollout plan, rolling out the product to more users until everyone has access.

If your planning and testing takes some time, remember to refer to the Salesforce release notes for updates that could impact your rollout plan. Likewise, we're adding improvements to our migration advice all the time. Rather than downloading a version of this guide as a PDF, use the live HTML version to make sure that you're getting the most up-to-date content.