User experience begins at the very moment a constituent chooses to engage with an organization online. Whether a partner, staff member or donor is logging into the system an organization should consider the importance of their experience. The efficiency of backend operations is also a critical component of an organization’s digital presence. Activating My Domain is a small, often overlooked change that increases efficiency and improves user experience. My Domain is a subdomain, or custom name for a Salesforce instance. It replaces the Salesforce url an organization is automatically assigned with a unique name of their choosing. In this post, we will explain the importance of My Domain, how to prepare your system for the change and the steps to setup My Domain in your instance.

Why My Domain is Important

When My Domain is activated users will see a branded url (e.g. craftsmantech.my.salesforce.com). Creating a custom name for a Salesforce instance may not feel like a priority, but activating My Domain is a simple way to proactively troubleshoot, ensure efficiency and enhance the user experience. My Domain removes the manual lift of updating links and integrations when a server change or other Salesforce maintenance occurs. Once activated, it allows an organization to customize the login page to best fit their needs. My Domain is also required for full functionality in the Salesforce Lightning Experience, which will automatically be rolled out for all organizations in the Winter Release of October 2020. Enabling My Domain will streamline the transition and reduce disruptions to the organization’s work. 

Check for Hard-Coded References

Before enabling My Domain, admins should identify any “hard-coded” links that specifically reference the Salesforce url. This includes API and third party integrations like Click & Pledge, email templates, Visualforce pages and knowledge articles that reference Salesforce-hosted images. Many integrations and internal references will automatically redirect to My Domain. The connection, however, may be slower and it is best practice to update them. For additional information view Salesforce’s article on Updating Hard-Coded References.  Once My Domain is activated, all hard-coded references must be updated with the new url. 

Activate My Domain

After all hard-coded URLs have been identified, My Domain can be turned on. To activate:

• Click Setup and then enter “My Domain” in the quick find box. 
• Choose a unique domain name for your organization. Salesforce will not allow an organization to choose a name that is already in use. 
• The domain name may take a few moments to register. Salesforce will send an email when the domain is ready for testing. At this point, My Domain has been created, but is not deployed. This provides an opportunity to test links and identify any hard-coded references that may have been missed. 
• After you have fully tested your links, buttons, Visualforce pages and integrations go back to Setup. Under My Domain click “Deploy to All Users.” My Domain must be fully deployed for transitions, Lightning Components, and updated links to work. 

Login Considerations

Once My Domain is active, an organization can customize the log-in experience for users. The first opportunity to brand digital assets was in the domain name. Consider the login page to be a second opportunity and use it to take ownership of users’ experience. Customize the page with the appropriate sign-in options and brand elements. Streamline processes across systems by enabling single-sign on, social sign on, or a custom login id. Consider the totality of the login experience. It may be the appropriate place to highlight upcoming events, state your mission or share branded images.  

Summary + Conclusion

My Domain is a small but important change for an organization to make. Following the steps above will make it easier to transition to the Salesforce Lightning Experience, prevent service interruptions and create a better user experience for constituents. My Domain provides an opportunity to proactively enhance your Salesforce instance and digital presence.