Get Started With Salesforce Mobile Publisher

Mobile devices have surpassed their role as mere communication tools. They’ve become the driving force behind accelerated business operations, connecting us like never before. However, amidst this need for connectivity, businesses often struggle to deliver the intuitive and user-friendly experiences that customers crave.

But fear not, for Salesforce has answered this call with Mobile Publisher—a powerful tool designed to empower businesses in their mobile app development journey. It’s time you stop worrying about the complexities and high costs of creating attractive applications, as Mobile Publisher allows you to craft and launch custom-branded mobile apps for your Salesforce app or mobile Experience Cloud sites.

This blog is your gateway to unveiling the remarkable capabilities of Salesforce Mobile Publisher. Discover how it can elevate your brand identity, making you not only accessible but also approachable to customers around the globe.

What is Salesforce Mobile Publisher?

Salesforce Mobile Publisher is a tool that empowers businesses to create custom mobile apps with no coding or app development experience required. You get the authority to distribute a customizable version of the Salesforce Mobile app or portable Salesforce Experience Cloud implementation to function on both Android & iOS users by publishing it on the Play Store and App Store.

Salesforce Mobile Publisher enables your brand to add elements like icons, names, colours, etc., to improve the application visually. Moreover, you can customize its functionality and UI with an easy drag-and-drop feature.

The application publishing process on the App Store and Google Play Store is eased out with Mobile Publisher. It provides a Listing Wizard that helps you upload your branded assets, test beta versions, and submit your app for approval. You can also edit your app’s branding and store listing as often.

Furthermore, Mobile Publisher empowers you to update your app as often as necessary and immediately deliver these changes to your users. You can make these updates without the concerns of disrupting your customizations or risking data loss. Additionally, you’ll benefit from three automatic yearly upgrades, all without impacting your app’s performance or functionality.

How Salesforce Mobile Publisher Works?

Salesforce Mobile Publisher’s magic lies in its simplicity. It creates a managed package containing your branded assets and customizations for your Salesforce app or mobile Experience Cloud Sites implementation. A managed package is a collection of components that can be installed in other Salesforce organizations.

To create a managed package with Mobile Publisher, you need to follow these steps:

1. Create a Mobile Publisher project in Salesforce Setup. A project is a container for your app’s information and assets.
2. Input the required information and upload assets for your app within the project. This includes your app’s name, icon, splash screen, description, screenshots, keywords, etc.
3. You have to decide the distribution type of your app now, whether you want to make it public (available on Google Play or App Store) or private distribution (restricted for specific group users).
4. Initiate a request for a beta version of your app from Salesforce. This beta version is a testing iteration you can install on your devices and share with others for feedback.
5. Thoroughly test your beta version and implement if there are any alterations.
6. Proceed to submit your app for review by Salesforce. They will assess your app and its store listing to ensure alignment with the App Store and Google Play guidelines.

Finally, go live with your application on the App Store or Google Play as soon as you get the approval from Salesforce.

Salesforce Mobile Publisher Pricing

Mobile Publisher is free for customers with an Enterprise Edition or higher license for Salesforce Platform or Experience Cloud Sites. Still, you might have to pay certain costs associated with listing your apps on platforms like App Store or Play Store.

For App Store publication on iOS, enrollment in the Apple Developer Program is required, with an annual fee of $99. To release an Android app on Google Play, you must register as a developer on Google Play Console, incurring a one-time fee of $25.

Furthermore, additional expenses for testing, marketing, maintenance, and updates may arise based on your specific business requirements and objectives.

Which Is More Beneficial, Mobile or Desktop?

The decision between mobile and desktop solutions hinges on your unique business requirements and workforce characteristics. Mobile devices offer flexibility and accessibility, while desktops provide comprehensive features. Now, let’s get into the depths of the advantages and considerations of both and assist you in determining the ideal choice for your organization.

Some benefits of mobile devices are:

• They are portable and convenient. You can reach your app at your convenience, regardless of location, even offline or with limited connectivity.
• Mobile apps offer a personal and engaging experience, allowing you to tailor the app to your user’s preferences, needs, and behaviours, resulting in a rich and interactive user experience.
• Mobile devices offer power and versatility, enabling you to harness their native features like the camera, GPS, push notifications, and biometric authentication to enhance your app’s functionality and user-friendliness.

As a result, mobile devices excel over desktop counterparts in specific use cases, including:

• Swift and convenient access to information such as leads, contacts, accounts, opportunities, and more.
• Perform various tasks like creating orders, quotes, invoices, contracts, documents, etc.
• Efficient communication and collaboration with customers or colleagues through messages, emails, calls, video chats, and other means.

Benefits of Salesforce Mobile Publisher

Let’s explore many advantages of Mobile Publisher for your business:

Streamlined App Creation: Mobile Publisher’s simplicity is a standout advantage. Without coding or technical expertise, businesses can swiftly create and customize mobile applications tailored to their unique requirements, eliminating the demand for extensive development and design resources.

Gain Competitive Edge: Having data at your fingertips is crucial to gain a competitive edge in today’s business environment. Mobile Publisher empowers your teams to stay updated and make data-informed choices wherever they are, whether it’s sales figures, customer details, or the latest market updates.

Enhanced User Engagement: Mobile apps excel in user engagement compared to desktop or web-based interfaces. With Mobile Publisher, you can design intuitive, user-friendly apps that cater to your target audience’s preferences, increasing user engagement and higher app adoption among your teams.

Heightened Productivity: Salesforce Mobile Publisher empowers your employees to be more productive by facilitating tasks, information access, and collaboration while on the move. This boosts efficiency, reducing time spent on administrative work and allowing your teams to focus on strategic tasks.

Improved Customer Relationships: Real-time customer data access for your sales and support teams allows them to provide personalized and informed service, enhancing the overall customer experience. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and higher retention rates.

Remote Work Flexibility: Mobile apps are invaluable in the era of remote work. Salesforce Mobile Publisher enables your teams to work from anywhere with an internet connection, attracting top talent and providing work-life balance.

Competitive Advantage: Being an early adopter of mobile tech can set your business apart, making your products more appealing to customers and potential partners.

Cost Savings: Developing mobile apps from the beginning can be expensive and time-consuming. With Mobile Publisher, you can make custom apps without the high costs linked to standard app development, a budget-friendly solution for businesses of any size.

Is Salesforce Mobile Publisher a Valuable Investment?

The question you may be asking now is whether investing in Mobile Publisher is worth it. The answer depends on your business goals and how much you want to rely on mobile technology. However, the value that Mobile Publisher can bring to your organization is substantial.

Mobile Publisher is a valuable investment for your business if you want to:

• Create a custom-branded app for your Salesforce app or mobile Experience Cloud Sites implementation without spending too much time or money on development.
• Swiftly launch your app on the App Store or Google Play, sidestepping the complexities of the approval process.
• Effortlessly update your app without disturbing your customizations or data.
  Deliver a seamless and personalized mobile experience to your customers and employees, aligning perfectly with your brand identity and business needs.

The return on investment can materialize in various forms, including heightened efficiency, greater customer satisfaction, increased sales, and cost savings. With its flexibility and adaptability, Mobile Publisher proves to be a valuable investment, especially when considering the myriad benefits it brings.

However, Mobile Publisher might not align with your needs if you’re looking to:

• Create a completely different app from your Salesforce app or mobile Experience Cloud Sites implementation that requires extensive coding or customization.
• Publish your app on other platforms or channels besides the App Store or Google Play that require different requirements or standards.
• Update your app less frequently or not at all that does not require constant maintenance or improvement.

So, before you take any final call on adopting Mobile Publisher for your business before you decide to use Mobile Publisher for your business, don’t forget to consider your goals, needs, budget, resources, and expectations carefully.

Salesforce Mobile Publisher for Community Cloud

With Community Cloud, you can:

• Connect with your customers and provide them with self-service portals, forums, knowledge articles, case management tools, etc.
• Collaborate with your partners and provide them with deal registration portals, lead generation tools, training resources, etc.
• Foster employee engagement by offering them intranets, social networks, career development tools, and more.

Mobile Publisher for Community Cloud, also called Mobile Publisher for Experience Cloud, empowers you to design a custom-branded mobile app for your online community, compatible with iOS and Android devices. This app mirrors the features and functionality of your community website while providing a seamless native mobile experience.

Conclusion

As simple as Salesforce Mobile Publisher looks, its capabilities are hard to underestimate. From newly budding startups to big enterprises, it is delivering accessibility and adaptability that can truly elevate your business strategy.

As we stand at the mobile revolution’s precipice, a world of opportunities is waiting to be harnessed. With our Salesforce Implementation services and expert team, your journey of exploration and innovation can be easy.

Seize the moment, embrace the change, and let the dynamic capabilities of Salesforce Mobile Publisher reshape your path to success. Schedule a consultation call today.