A Complete Guide to Creating Custom Paths in Salesforce

Salesforce’s Custom Path functionality provides an intuitive way to visually guide users through the key stages of a process, such as a sales cycle, case resolution, or project delivery. Custom Paths ensure users have a structured way to work through stages, along with recommendations and key fields to complete at each step.

This guide explains the concept of Salesforce Paths and walks you through how to create and customise them to align with your business processes.

What is a Custom Path in Salesforce?

A Custom Path is a visual representation of the stages in a process (e.g., Lead Qualification, Opportunity Stages, or Case Resolution) displayed at the top of a record page in Salesforce Lightning Experience. It helps guide users through the process by highlighting the current stage, providing contextual tips, and specifying key fields that need attention.

Benefits of Custom Paths

• Process Guidance: Helps users follow the correct steps to complete a process.
• Focus on Key Fields: Highlights the essential fields for each stage.
• Enhanced Productivity: Reduces confusion and improves user efficiency by showing only the relevant information at each step.
• Customizable Tips: Allows you to add motivational or instructional text for each stage.

Steps to Create a Custom Path in Salesforce

Follow the steps below to set up a Custom Path in Salesforce:

Step 1: Navigate to Path Settings

1. Go to Setup by clicking the gear icon in Salesforce.
2. In the Quick Find search bar, enter “Path Settings” and select the Path Settings option.

Step 2: Enable Path (if not already enabled)

If Path is not yet enabled:

1. Click the “Enable” button located at the top of the Path Settings page.
2. You can now start creating and managing your Paths within Salesforce.

Step 3: Start Creating a Path

1. Click on New Path.
2. Provide the following details:
   • Path Name: Enter a name for your path (e.g., Opportunity Sales Process).
   • Object: Choose the object you want to build the path for, such as a Lead, Opportunity, or any custom object.
   • Record Type: Choose the record type (if applicable) to associate with the path.

Step 4: Define Key Stages

1. Select the field that represents the stages in your process. For example:
   • For Opportunities: Stage
   • For Leads: Status
   • For Cases: Case Status
2. Click “Next” to proceed to the following configuration step.

Step 5: Add and Customise Guidance for Each Stage

1. For every stage within your chosen field, you can add:
   • Guidance for Success: Add tips, reminders, or instructions to help users complete this stage effectively.
   • Key Fields: Select the fields that users should focus on during this stage.
2. Repeat this setup for all stages included in your Path.

Step 6: Activate the Path

1. After configuring all stages, click Next.
2. Review your path settings and click Activate to make the path available to users.

Additional Features in Paths

Celebration Options

• Enable celebration for a specific stage to recognise user achievements (e.g., moving an Opportunity to “Closed Won”).
• Salesforce displays a confetti animation when users reach the specified stage.

Modify or Deactivate Paths

• Navigate back to Path Settings to update an existing path or deactivate one if it is no longer required.

Customising Path Appearance on Record Pages

1. Go to the Setup -> Lightning App Builder.

2. Edit the page layout for the object you created the path for (e.g., Opportunity).

3. Add the Path component to the desired section of the page.
4. Save and activate the updated page layout.

Results:

After applying the path, it looks like this on the selected page layout.

Use Cases for Custom Paths

1. Sales Processes: Highlight Opportunity Stages like Prospecting, Proposal, and Closed Won with guidance and required fields for each stage.
2. Lead Qualification: Guide sales reps through the qualification process, including key fields like Industry and Budget.
3. Case Management: Assist support agents with resolving cases by outlining steps such as New, In Progress, and Resolved.
4. Project Management: Track stages like Planning, Execution, and Completion in custom project management objects.

Best Practices for Creating Paths

• Align with Business Processes: Ensure your stages align with your team’s workflow.
• Keep It Simple: Avoid overloading users with excessive fields or long instructions—focus on the most important details they need at each stage.
• Update Regularly: Review and update your paths as business processes evolve.
• Train Users: Ensure users know how to use paths effectively by providing clear instructions or basic training.

Conclusion

Custom Paths in Salesforce are a powerful way to provide process guidance and improve user productivity. By highlighting key stages and fields, users can focus on completing tasks efficiently, resulting in better outcomes for your organisation. With the ability to customise paths for different objects and processes, Salesforce Paths are a versatile feature that can adapt to various business needs.