Alternative to DocuSign for Salesforce Document Generation

Alternative to Docusign for Salesforce Document Generation

Document generation is an almost universal need for businesses and nonprofits leveraging the Salesforce platform as a CRM and beyond. Companies want to build quotes, contracts, invoices, product sheets, and many other documents off the data they manage through Salesforce, in as few steps as possible. This document compares six of the most popular tools available on the appexchange today. A summary table highlights core attributes, including basic technical capabilities. In addition, each tool is further described in more detail with an emphasis placed on the user experience for both the admin setting up the template as well as the end user generating documents from records.

DocuSign Gen for Salesforce

Overview: If you’re primarily interested in managing and generating contracts, DocuSign Gen for Salesforce is a solid bet. The tool is very easy to use, whether you’re using the online Cloud Editor or pasting merge fields into an MS Word document. DocuSign Gen is solely geared towards contract creation, so Word and pdf outputs are the only options. In a similar vein, your primary option for delivery of the output is sending the generated document for signature. DocuSign Gen for Salesforce requires a paid DocuSign subscription. Adding DocuSign Negotiate covers the full contract lifecycle. 

Best for: Companies exclusively interested in generating and managing contracts. DocuSign is set up incredibly well for that use case, however it would not be a good fit for other use cases such generating quotes or invoices. 

Admin User Experience: The installation and setup effort for DocuSign Gen for Salesforce is minimal. After installing the package from the appexchange, the admin is required to sign into a DocuSign account to establish a connection. Once signed in, a DocuSign Setup tab contains all options needed for the admin to get started, including access to a template creation wizard and user management. The template creation wizard offers two ways to get started, either by using the online Cloud Editor or by copy-pasting merge fields into a Word document. The second option provides by far the more intuitive option to access data from related objects, and allows for previews and testing within the process. The last step in either option is creating a custom button and automatically adding it to the desired page layouts. Each step comes with relevant help text and is easy to follow. Logic can be set up within one template to select different documents depending on the data, making it easy to route users to the right contract template for the use case. A weakness in the wizard is that an error in the last step effectively erases all previous work, which can be particularly frustrating when working in the Cloud Editor where no offline version of the template exists.

Template Setup Effort: DocuSign Gen was by far the quickest setup process for me, getting from zero to a first template in about half a day. Most information is directly available within the tool, there was little need to reference the support documentation other than for some of the more advanced document generation options. 

End User Experience: The user clicks the custom button for the template from the record, and can then preview, download or send the document for signature. The UI matches Lightning Design System.

Titan

Overview: Titan’s MS Word Add-in provides a fantastic user experience when creating templates. It’s incredibly easy to use, there is no need to separately build out a data model or otherwise define which objects you want to work with, fields and tables can simply be added in as you go. Subsequently defining how the records are related is also easy, and no SOQL statement, scripting or other code is required to set up even advanced logic for a template. A preview option allows for quick testing of the template, before publishing it. Setting up delivery methods and establishing the full connection to Salesforce is a little more challenging, as the admin has to navigate their online Titan account, which is primarily geared towards form creation. Finding the options relevant to document generation can be challenging. The same applies to the support documentation, which is extensive (though it primarily consists of videos) and can be hard to navigate. 

Best for: Companies with webform needs in addition to document generation needs taking advantage of the full Titan offering. Admins wanting a pure clicks-not-code experience with extensive video guidance. Could be a good fit for non-admins setting up the template in MS Word, and admins only supporting in the online setup steps.

Admin User Experience: Titan provides a very quick access to the templates itself. Rather than first having to set up a solution, package, or similar, they only need a Titan account, the add-in in Word, and can then start directly building out the templates. The MS Word Add-in is incredibly easy to use and fits in visually, too. Titan is a true clicks-not-code tool, even for advanced logic. There is no need to copy-paste merge fields or write SOQL queries to filter results. The Add-in also provides an option for previewing the template. Once the template is set up, it can be published to the Titan account. This is where the setup becomes more challenging, as the user interface contains a multitude of options that are not relevant to document generation, making it harder to navigate. The admin follows a few general setup steps in the Titan account, then needs to set up various pieces for each individual template. Similar to FormStacks Documents, a mapping has to be set up, though in Titan this can be largely automated. In addition, collaborators have to be set up per template in order to allow Salesforce users access. Depending on the desired automated delivery method (storage, email, e-signature), further setup is required, though the end user may also select these methods manually when generating documents.

End User Experience: The end user clicks a Generate Document button from the starting record. They can then select the relevant template, and either view/download it or choose from a range of options, including Download, Email, or attaching the document. The UI is in line with Titan and does not clash with Lightning Design System.