Free trials are a great way to determine whether an application fits your business needs before committing to a purchase. While product demos might show how the product works, a free trial gives you hands-on access to the application and testing flexibility. Trials let you experience firsthand how the product integrates with your organization’s workflows and existing systems. Salesforce Trialforce is a tool that makes it simple to “road test” an application. It helps your organization determine if a Salesforce-based application fits your needs by providing a fully functional and customizable trial environment.
But what exactly is a Salesforce Trialforce, and why is it important? Let’s explore the ins and outs of Trialforce, including its features, benefits, and when you should use one.
Definition of Salesforce Trialforce
Salesforce Trialforce is a platform designed by Salesforce that allows organizations or users to test-drive trial versions of native Salesforce apps before purchasing them. On this platform, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and developers create an environment where you can explore an application’s features and functionalities in a risk-free setting, which is essential for making informed decisions before investing in any solution.
Even though we started this article by likening Trialforce to the concept of free trials, the two differ in a couple of ways:
- Sandbox Environment: One of the main differences between Trialforce and standard free trials is the sandbox environment in the Salesforce platform. A sandbox environment is typically an isolated or controlled space where you can test an application’s functionalities and features without affecting your Salesforce org. This feature isn’t available for standard free trials.
- Customization: Trialforce allows you to configure the trial source org to fit your organization’s specific needs and workflows. On the other hand, standard free trials provide a one-size-fits-all approach with minimal configuration or customization options.
- Data Security and Privacy: The environment provided by Trialforce ensures you can use your organization’s live (and possibly sensitive) data in the application without fearing breaches and other security risks. Standard free trials might not offer the same level of data protection, as they often rely on shared environments where data isolation can be less stringent.
Benefits of Salesforce Trialforce
Now that you fully understand what Salesforce Trialforce is and how it works, let’s explore the benefits you stand to gain when you use it.
Cost and Time Savings in Research and Vetting
With so many native Salesforce apps providing similar features and functionalities, determining which works best for your specific organizational needs can be an extremely lengthy process.
Think—setting up calls and emails with multiple Sales teams or buying subscriptions for several software applications, all to find the most suitable tool. Combined, these processes can eat into valuable company time and money. Trialforce allows you to bypass these lengthy processes and directly test these applications for free with minimal setup, which expedites the vetting process.
Efficient Evaluation Process
This advantage ties back to the cost and time savings benefit. By eliminating the need for extensive interactions with sales executives or support agents during the evaluation phase, you also remove the pressure that sometimes comes with sales teams wanting to hasten the sales process. This pressure can inadvertently make you purchase a solution that doesn’t quite meet your needs.
With Salesforce Trialforce, you can focus on evaluating the software solution at your own pace. This removes the pressure to decide and helps you avoid a hasty decision you might regret later.
Comprehensive Validation
Unlike demos or write-ups explaining what the software does, Trialforce allows you to actually test how the software performs. With Trialforce, you can validate the claims of the software’s demos and marketing materials by evaluating its performance against your business’s needs. This verifies that the solutions you’re interested in purchasing meet your use cases and requirements.
Quick Setup and Configuration
Set-up and configuration of testing environments is typically a lengthy process, especially when dealing with complex systems such as payment applications. Trialforce eliminates this time-consuming process by instantly creating a pre-configured environment ready for testing. This environment lets you start testing quickly to determine if the application fits your expectations.
Test Chargent in Trialforce
Being able to “test-drive” a native Salesforce application, especially a payment solution, helps you make the best decision for your organization. Moreover, it saves you time, effort, and money.
Looking for the best payment solution that integrates seamlessly with Salesforce? Chargent is exactly what you need—you can easily collect payments directly in your Salesforce org. But before you commit, we understand that you’d want to test its features to ascertain it meets your organizational requirements. Chargent’s new Trialforce offering allows you to do exactly that. With just a few clicks, you create a pre-configured Salesforce org and start testing Chargent’s payment collecting capabilities – modifying them to mimic your organization’s workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I spin up my Chargent Trialforce org?
- First, navigate to the Chargent listing on the Salesforce AppExchange
- Next, click the Try It Free button
- Select the option that reads “Try in a new Trialforce org”
- Fill out the form that appears
- Click the Start Trial button
That’s all it takes to get started! You’ll receive an email to let you know when your new Chargent Trialforce org is ready for login. Once logged in you can explore Chargent’s suite of powerful features in your own workflows and use cases.
How do I create Salesforce trial accounts?
Creating trial accounts for Salesforce only requires you to navigate to the free trial page on Salesforce.com. Once on the page, fill out the information needed, agree to the terms and conditions, and then click on the “Start Free Trial” button to initiate your registration.
Can I create a free Salesforce account?
Yes. You can create a free Salesforce account by completing a form with your relevant information on Salesforce’s sign-up page. A Salesforce free trial lasts 30 days and doesn’t require your credit card information.
How do you create a Trialforce org?
There are two primary ways to create a Trialforce org:
Environment Hub
- Navigate to the Environment Hub on your Partner Business Org (PBO) and click “Create Org.”
- You can either choose “Trialforce Source Organization” or “Standard Edition.”
- Choose between “Professional TSO” and “Enterprise TSO.”
- Key in an org name or create a unique name for “My Domain.”
- Enter the required fields, such as username, email address, and name for the TSO.
- Check off the “Main Services Agreement” box and click “Create.”
Trialforce Management Org
- Log in to your Trialforce Management Org (TMO) and switch to Salesforce Classic.
- Navigate to the Setup menu and type “Source Organizations” in the “Quick Find” box.
- Select “Source Organizations,” then click “New.”
- Enter the required fields, such as username, email address, and name for the TSO.
- Click “Create,” and you’ll receive an email with the login details.
