Alternative to Nintex Drawloop for Salesforce Document Generation

Alternative to Nintex Drawloop 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.

Nintex Drawloop DocGen for Salesforce

Overview: Nintex Drawloop DocGen for Salesforce scores high for usability, with a smooth admin wizard taking the admin through the process. It particularly stands out for the easy way to access data related to the original record for document generation. Unfortunately, Nintex Drawloop DocGen is only partially available in Lightning, with many advanced options throwing error messages when selected. This is a tool to look out for once Lightning-compatibility has been achieved for all options. The currently available beta version of a Lightning Experience DocGen Designer is a solid start in that direction. 

Best for: Organisations still using Salesforce Classic with no immediate plans to migrate to Lightning, or admins most comfortable working in Classic. 

Admin User Experience: After installation, the admin sets up Packages, which combine Data, Documents and delivery options (similar to the Conga Solutions). A wizard takes the admin through the process, including options for delivery, simple automations (e.g. field update), and a user-friendly Relationships page. The Relationships page allows admins to connect multiple related child or parent objects, as well as sort and filter the results (Classic only). A Field Tagger then provides the admin with the merge fields to copy-paste into any MS Office document that can be uploaded in the final step as a template. Admins may optionally create custom buttons via an Admin page. Further settings, such as third party integrations, are also available via the admin page. Sample Packages are available for the admin to work from. 

Template Setup Effort: Despite the wizards and user-friendly pages, it took me around two days to get to a working template. Most of that time was spent figuring out generic error messages, most of which were related to functionality not being Lightning-ready. With the current state of the package, an admin working in Lightning needs to first look up for each option whether it is available. The resulting experience is unfortunately rather limiting. 

End User Experience: The end user can either use a template-specific button created by the admin, or a generic Generate Documents button. If they select the latter, they can then choose the Package they want to run, as well as the delivery method if multiple were made available. In addition, if set up by the admin, end users may add text for specific sections before the document is being generated (e.g. special contract terms). 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.