Salesforce document generation: How to generate documents from Salesforce records

Salesforce document generation uses data already stored in the CRM to populate documents such as quotes, contracts, and renewal agreements. Instead of copying names, pricing, dates, and other details into a separate file, teams can generate documents directly from the record.

Salesforce includes native document generation tools, though what you can do depends on the products and licenses your organization uses. Integrations such as Lumin can handle additional workflows, including generating documents from Salesforce records, sending them for signature, and returning completed files to the CRM.

Does Salesforce offer document generation?

Salesforce offers several native document generation options, but they aren’t available in the same way across every Salesforce setup.

Salesforce Quotes, for example, lets users generate customer-facing PDFs from quote records. Organizations can use standard or customized quote templates and save the finished PDF back to the quote.

Salesforce also offers Document Builder, a visual, no-code tool for use cases such as quotes, service reports, and work orders. Salesforce Document Generation supports more complex documents and can merge data from standard and custom objects into Microsoft Word or PowerPoint templates. It also supports conditional content and more advanced formatting. Availability depends on the Salesforce products and licenses in use. Salesforce covers the differences between Document Builder and Document Generation in its documentation.

If your team only needs standard quote PDFs or another document type already supported by the Salesforce products you use, native tools may be enough. If you need to populate your own agreement templates, send those documents for eSignatures, and save the completed files back to Salesforce, an integrated document generation tool can fill that gap.

Benefits of generating documents from Salesforce records

Once Salesforce data is connected to a document template, teams can cut out much of the manual work that happens between the CRM record and the finished document.

• Less manual data entry: Customer names, dates, pricing, and other record details can populate the document automatically, reducing rekeying and the risk of copying outdated information.
• More consistent documents: Reusable templates keep standard language and layout in one place, while Salesforce supplies the details that change from one customer, account, or transaction to the next. That matters especially for contracts and other documents where teams need to use approved terms consistently.
• Faster document creation: Once the template and field mappings are set up, users can generate documents from the record instead of sending the information to someone else to assemble.
• A more connected workflow: Users can generate documents, send them for eSignatures, and automatically save signed PDFs back to Salesforce without exporting data or re-uploading documents.

Astrea IT, a Salesforce consulting partner that uses Lumin with Salesforce, reports that the process saves about 10 minutes per document. The company has a searchable audit trail because it stores documents against the appropriate Salesforce record.

How to generate documents from Salesforce records with Lumin

Lumin for Salesforce connects reusable templates with Salesforce data so information from a record can populate the document before it is sent for signature.

The integration does not require custom code, and the initial setup is an admin task.

1. Connect Lumin and Salesforce

A Salesforce administrator installs and authorizes the Lumin integration, assigns the required permissions, and adds Lumin components to the record pages where they'll be used.

The setup also connects Salesforce and Lumin, so document status updates can flow back to the CRM.

2. Prepare the document template

Create the reusable document in Lumin and add the text, fields, and signer roles it needs.

The template contains the content that stays the same, while Salesforce supplies the details that change from one record to the next, such as names, dates, or account information.

3. Sync the template to Salesforce

Once the template is ready, sync it with Salesforce so it's available for document generation.

You can then reuse the synced template across applicable records instead of requiring someone to upload or rebuild a document each time.

4. Map Salesforce fields to the template

Connect the document variables and signer roles to the Salesforce fields that should populate them.

Lumin supports direct field mappings and lookup fields for information stored on related records. After you set the mappings, the template can pull the right information from each Salesforce record without manual entry.

5. Set up signing and completed documents

Configure what should happen when the document is sent and after it's completed.

Lumin's template settings can control options such as signature-request expiration, certificates of completion, and whether the signed document is automatically saved back to Salesforce.

6. Generate and review the document

Once setup is complete, users can open the relevant Salesforce record and choose a Lumin template. Salesforce data pre-fills the mapped fields, and users can preview the document before sending. Users can also edit the agreement if something needs to change.

After reviewing the document, teams can send it for signature and track it in Salesforce.

Learn more about document generation with Lumin.

What teams can generate from Salesforce records

Document generation works well for paperwork built largely from information that's already captured in Salesforce.

A renewal or subscription agreement might pull customer, pricing, and renewal details from an opportunity. A statement of work can use information tied to a closed deal. Account records can supply details for partner or reseller agreements, while case or service records can feed work orders and reports.

These use cases work well because the variable information already exists on the Salesforce record.

Astrea IT uses this approach for several types of paperwork. The company generates certificates from Salesforce records for students who complete its training program and sends them through Lumin. The company also uses the workflow for NDAs, appointment letters, and employee experience letters. After signing, the system automatically stores completed documents against the appropriate Salesforce records.

Generate documents from Salesforce without the manual handoff

Salesforce already gives teams several ways to turn CRM data into documents. The best fit depends on what you're generating, which Salesforce products you already use, and what needs to happen after the document is created.

For teams that want to populate reusable agreement templates from Salesforce data, collect eSignatures, and return completed files to the record, Lumin can keep those steps connected without a custom document-generation build.