In this article, you'll learn what Salesforce is, what HomeKeeper is, and how they both interact. You'll also learn the basic information that you need to get started with Salesforce.

Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that provides customer relationship management (CRM*) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, and application development.

The Salesforce Platform is a platform as a service (PaaS*) that allows developers to create add-on applications that integrate into the main Salesforce.com application. These third-party applications (such as HomeKeeper!) are hosted on Salesforce.com's infrastructure. 

How to Login

1. Go to https://login.salesforce.com/
2. Enter Your Username (always in the form of an email)
3. Enter Your Password 
4. Set Up Your Multi-Factor Authentication Method. Here are tips and instructions from Salesforce.

Basic Vocabulary

CRM - Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers.

PaaS - Platform as a Service (PaaS) a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet. In this model, the provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure.

Trial License - When creating a Salesforce instance, you can receive a 30-day free trial to try it out. This trial license will expire at the end of your trial period.

Permanent License - Once you've committed to Salesforce, you will receive a permanent license. You can check to see which type of license you have in Setup → Company Information. Scroll down to Licenses and check the expiration date. If the expiration date is more than a month out (usually a year), then you have a permanent license.

Salesforce vs HomeKeeper

HomeKeeper is an app hosted on the Salesforce Platform. You can think of Salesforce like your Smartphone, and HomeKeeper is like an app that you download on your smartphone.

The HomeKeeper app is just one app on the Salesforce platform, but Salesforce has many other capabilities and apps beyond what HomeKeeper is designed to do (e.g., tracking and managing your Homeownership and Housing Counseling programs).

Help! Who Should I Contact?

Below is a brief summary of who to reach out to when you have questions or need help. HomeKeeper Support is included in your annual fee, and Salesforce Support is included as part of your Salesforce contract (even if you received free licenses through Power of Us).

Reach out to HomeKeeper Support if:

• You need links to your training recordings
• You're having issues with any HomeKeeper custom components
• You need help with HomeKeeper workflows (patterns of work that HomeKeeper can enable your program to do, such as entering Properties, adding Applicant Info, or certifying Resales)
• You need help upgrading your HomeKeeper to the newest version

OPEN A TICKET WITH HOMEKEEPER SUPPORT HERE 

Reach out to Salesforce Support if:

• Your team is locked out of Salesforce and unable to access HomeKeeper
• You're having issues with Salesforce standard components (included with Salesforce out of the box) such as standard objects, fields, and page layouts
• You have questions about other third-party apps/integrations
• You have questions about Salesforce releases

OPEN A TICKET WITH SALESFORCE HELP HERE

Please note that HomeKeeper cannot provide general Salesforce support or support for customizations made in your instance.

Learn More

• Review our Introduction to Salesforce and HomeKeeper course 
• Review Salesforce Basics for HomeKeeper Users on Trailhead, Salesforce's gamified learning platform