Setting up global email address for your organization in Force.com

When you set up workflow to send out emails in Force.com platform, you can set the from address to a generic email address of the organization. For example, instead of your own email address you could use contact@yourcompany.com. 

To be able to set these standard email address as from email address, you first need to set it up using a feature called organization-wide address.

Go to Administration Setup -> Email Administration -> Organization-Wide Addresses. By clicking on the 'Add' button you can enter an email address. You can use this across all profiles or limit to only certain profiles to use as from address.

Once the email address is added, a verification email is sent to that email address. The verification email provides a link where you can go and verify the email address. Until the verification is done, platform keeps that email address in 'Verification Request Sent' status. Once the verification is done, status changes to 'Verified'.

You will be able to use any of the verified status organization-wide email addresses as from email address for email alerts.

Happy cloud computing using Salesforce!

Creating Workflow Action for sending out email alerts in Force.com

One of the workflow actions that we can set up to execute in Force.com platform is 'Sending out Email alerts'. Let us explore the steps involved in setting up this type of workflow action using Force.com platform.

From the App Setup -> Create -> Workflow & Approvals -> Email Alerts, you can create new email alerts and use it while setting up workflow actions.

Otherwise, while setting up workflow actions you can click on 'New Email Alert'. Both actions take you to the same page.

Enter Description for the Email Alert you are setting up. If you had come into this page via the 1st route mentioned above, you will need to select the object to which this email alert belongs to.  In the 2nd route, the object you have selected for the workflow rule is automatically selected for the action as well.

Email Template need to be specified. There are some standard email templates provided by the platform. If you need your own customized template, you must set up your email templates  in advance via Administration Setup -> Communication Templates -> Email Templates.

Email Recipients must be specified. There are 2 different ways you can specify who should receive the alerts. If your alert is going to someone in your organization, look for the recipient by Recipient Type. Based on your selection in the type, you get the Available Recipients list. You can select recipients among them. You may also specify up to 5 additional free form email addresses at the bottom section, if the recipient is someone outside your organization network in the Force.com platform.

From Email Address can be set to workflow user's email address or one of the organization-wide address that has been set up.

Save your work. If you created a new email alert, go ahead and associate it with a workflow rule and you will have a workflow action for sending out emails.

Happy cloud computing using Salesforce!