Introduction

Salesforce AppExchange is the one-stop shop for all our Salesforce needs. From apps to consulting services, AppExchange has it all covered. By signing up as a Salesforce partner, we can even put your solutions up on the AppExchange. Let’s take a journey through AppExchange to grasp a couple of basic concepts on the working of this ecosystem.

What is Salesforce AppExchange?

Like the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, Salesforce has its own AppExchange. AppExchange can be considered a community where Salesforce partners, clients, and users can interact to create solutions or services. The platform is a portal for developers and consultants to introduce their business solutions. And Admins can use the same platform to unleash their potential by utilizing the services available.

What Can I Find on AppExchange?

We can choose from apps, certified consultants, and more to extend the existing functionality of our org. AppExchange includes :

• Apps
• Components
• Bolt Solutions
• Lightning Data
• Flow Solutions
• Consultants

Pricing in AppExchange

Here are a few key points when it comes to pricing on AppExchange:

1. Solutions on AppExchange can be either Free, Priced, or Discounted (for non-profits).

2. When we submit our solution for an initial security review, we may be required to pay a fee.
The fees are as follows :

• Initial review of a paid solution – USD 2,550
• All reviews of free solutions – No charge
• Follow-up review of a paid solution after addressing issues in a previous security review – No extra fee ( for a limited number of follow-up reviews)
• Periodic re-review of a previously approved, listed, paid solution – USD 150 fee charged annually after the first year of listing

3. If we’re putting up a paid listing on AppExchange, we have an option to offer both one-time payments and subscriptions. Pricing can be per-user or per company.

Steps to develop a good AppExchange strategy

A major portion of an Admin’s work involves listening to our users and learning; this quintessential step can help shape our feature roadmap and drive adoption.

With Salesforce, Admins have a lot of power at their disposal, and they can boost overall productivity by including apps and functionalities that serve the user’s needs. We can either build it ourselves on the org or find off-the-shelf solutions on AppExchange, which is perfect, but now we’re in a pickle – how do we make the most of what AppExchange has to offer without duplicating functionality or wasting resources on something we don’t require.

This is when we realize the need for an AppExchange Strategy.

Here are a few key steps to keep in mind to avoid the chaos and confusion that an AppExchange splurge could cause.

1. Identify the stakeholders or departments that require Salesforce
2. Identify apps on the AppExchange that fits the departments’ needs
3. Find relevant apps to test in Sandbox
4. Assess your choices
5. Install, document and sustain