If you’re reading this, your sales team probably lives in Salesforce and dreams of closing deals without bouncing between tabs, emails, and PDFs. Integrating Adobesign with Salesforce can get you there—if you set it up right. But there’s a lot of noise, and a fair amount of hype, around what these integrations can actually do. Let’s get real about what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the headaches.
Why bother integrating Adobesign with Salesforce?
Here’s the honest pitch: Getting e-signatures straight from Salesforce saves time, reduces errors, and makes deals move faster. No more chasing PDFs. But only if you set it up with some thought. Do it wrong, and you’re just adding confusion (and more “where’s the contract?” Slack messages).
This guide is for admins, ops folks, and sales leaders who want to get the most from the integration—without babysitting it every week.
Step 1: Get the basics right before you start
Don’t skip this. Before you even touch the integration, make sure:
- Your Salesforce org is tidy. If your Opportunity or Account records are a mess, expect problems. Clean up duplicate fields, old workflows, and random record types.
- Your sales process is mapped out. Know exactly when a contract should go out, who sends it, and what data needs to be in the agreement.
- You’ve got buy-in from Sales and Legal. If Legal isn’t on board, you’ll get blocked later.
Pro tip: Run a quick pilot with a couple of sales reps and a real deal. It’ll show you where your process is fuzzy before you spend time automating anything.
Step 2: Install and connect Adobesign in Salesforce
Adobe and Salesforce both have long documentation, but here’s the real-world checklist:
- Install the Adobesign Salesforce package from the Salesforce AppExchange. Use a sandbox first—never install straight into production.
- Connect your Adobesign account with Salesforce using the integration wizard. You’ll need admin access for both.
- Map your users. Decide who needs to send agreements. Don’t just give it to everyone—start with your core sales team and expand from there.
- Set up permissions and sharing rules. Make sure only the right people can send and view agreements. Over-sharing is a security risk; under-sharing leads to “why can’t I see my contracts?” tickets.
Watch out for: Weird permission errors usually mean you forgot a permission set, or your Salesforce profiles are too locked down.
Step 3: Set up templates and map fields (but don’t overdo it)
Here’s where things get messy if you’re not careful.
- Build agreement templates in Adobesign for your standard contracts (like NDAs, MSAs, order forms).
- Map Salesforce fields (like Customer Name, Amount, Start Date) to your Adobesign templates. This way, reps aren’t copy-pasting info—they just click and send.
- Only automate what’s stable. If your contract language changes every month, don’t try to automate it. Save the automation for stable, high-volume docs.
Pro tip: Start with one template (like your standard sales order) and get that rock-solid before adding more. This avoids a pile of half-baked templates that nobody trusts.
Step 4: Make sending agreements dead simple for reps
Your sales team is busy. If the integration adds clicks, they’ll find workarounds. To keep things smooth:
- Add “Send for Signature” buttons in the obvious places—like Opportunity or Account layouts.
- Pre-fill as much info as possible from Salesforce records. Less typing = fewer mistakes.
- Document the process in your sales playbook. A one-pager with screenshots beats a 20-page “training guide” every time.
Don’t bother: With complex approval processes in the first rollout. Get sending and signing working first, then layer on approvals if you really need them.
Step 5: Keep tracking and reminders inside Salesforce
The whole point is to keep things in one place. Don’t make reps log into Adobesign separately.
- Track agreement status (Sent, Viewed, Signed) right in Salesforce. Use related lists or Lightning components so reps and managers can see what’s stuck.
- Automate reminders for unsigned docs. Set up simple workflow rules or flows—don’t count on reps to remember.
- Log signed documents automatically. Attach the final PDF to the Opportunity or Account. No more lost contracts.
Honest take: The out-of-the-box sync isn’t perfect. Sometimes files don’t attach; sometimes status doesn’t update instantly. Set expectations and show reps how to troubleshoot the basics.
Step 6: Test with real deals, not just dummy data
It’s tempting to test with fake contacts and $1 deals. But real-world data always behaves differently.
- Pick a few in-flight deals and run them end-to-end. Watch for missing fields, weird formatting, or delays.
- Ask sales reps for feedback. If they find it clunky, believe them. Fix it before rolling out to everyone.
- Loop in Legal early. Nothing kills momentum like Legal vetoing your shiny new workflow.
Step 7: Train, support, and iterate—don’t assume “set it and forget it”
Even the best setup needs tweaks.
- Hold a short training call. Record it for new hires. Focus on the 3–4 things reps need to know, not every possible feature.
- Have a go-to person for questions. Usually a sales ops or admin, not “everyone” or “open a ticket.”
- Review usage after a month. Are deals getting stuck? Are people bypassing the integration? Fix what’s broken; don’t be afraid to scale back if something’s more hassle than it’s worth.
Ignore: Shiny features you don’t need, like deep analytics or full-blown contract lifecycle management, unless you’ve got a dedicated team to own it.
What to watch out for
- License mismatches. Not every Salesforce user needs Adobesign; buying too many licenses is just burning money.
- API limits. If you automate heavily, you might hit Salesforce governor limits. Unlikely for most sales teams, but keep an eye on it.
- Updates breaking things. Both Salesforce and Adobesign update regularly. Test major changes in a sandbox before rolling out.
Reality check: No integration is ever truly “done.” Plan for a little ongoing admin work.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, stay flexible
Integrating Adobesign with Salesforce can absolutely speed up deals and cut down on busywork—if you keep it focused on the basics. Start with one template, fix pain points as they come up, and don’t fall for the “set it and forget it” myth. The best setups are never the most complicated—they’re the ones your team actually uses.
Got it working? Great. Now go close those deals.