Best Practice for Email Logging in Salesforce CRM?
Question:
Our organization is new to Salesforce CRM and we are currently building out the platform for UAT later this year. The development team is Salesforce-certified and capable, but one challenge we face is determining the best practice for logging emails.
Our inside sales team does not cold call; instead, they focus on developing client relationships and assisting with order configurations, which are often complex. Ideally, the team would like to log every email exchanged with clients. However, Salesforce data and file storage costs are prohibitively high (over $10,000 per year for 10GB). With dozens of sales team members and thousands of clients, storing every email natively in Salesforce would become our second-highest expense after labor.
We tested Einstein Activity Capture (EAC) with Salesforce Outlook Integration and Sync (SOIaS). The issue is that emails logged via EAC are not searchable, even after following Salesforce documentation. Additionally, EAC cannot interact with certain objects in our environment, such as Orders and Opportunities, which limits its usefulness.
We are aware of third-party applications that could address these limitations, but we are more interested in understanding the best practice approach for email logging in this kind of workflow. How should we realistically handle email logging without blowing up storage costs while still providing sales with meaningful client history in Salesforce?
Answer:
This is a common challenge in Salesforce implementations, especially for organizations that want to log every email but cannot afford the storage costs. The key is to balance completeness of logging with practicality and cost.
CRS Info Solutions offers expert Salesforce online training with real-time projects, certification guidance, interview coaching, and a job-ready approach. Enroll for free demo today!!!
One approach is to continue using Einstein Activity Capture (EAC), but understand its trade-offs. EAC does not consume Salesforce storage since emails are stored on external servers (AWS), but the downside is that emails are not fully searchable in Salesforce, and they cannot be related to custom objects like Orders. For many sales teams, this is acceptable because they gain automatic email capture without ballooning storage usage, even though searchability is limited.
Another approach is to selectively log only the most relevant emails. For example, you could train your sales team to manually log key conversations that advance opportunities, confirm major orders, or document agreements. This approach reduces storage needs significantly while still providing critical client communication history. You can enforce this with Salesforce Outlook Integration by enabling “Log Email” only when users choose it.
If neither option satisfies your business needs, then a third-party email archiving tool is often the best practice. Apps such as ZynBit, Match My Email, or Riva allow you to store emails in external systems while surfacing relevant metadata in Salesforce. These solutions reduce the storage burden while still making emails searchable and linkable to any object, including custom ones.
In short, there is no single “best practice” that works for every org. The recommended approach is:
- Use EAC if automatic capture with zero storage impact is the top priority.
- Use selective manual logging if cost control and data precision are most important.
- Consider third-party tools if you need full searchability, flexibility, and custom object support.
This tiered decision framework ensures your sales team gets visibility into client communications without overwhelming your Salesforce storage budget.
Summing Up
The best practice for email logging in Salesforce depends on balancing storage costs with usability. Einstein Activity Capture offers automatic capture without using storage but limits searchability and custom object linking, while manual selective logging ensures precision with lower data volume. For organizations needing full flexibility and search, third-party archiving tools provide the most comprehensive solution.
Master Salesforce with Expert Training in Pune
Elevate your career with our Salesforce training program in Pune, designed for aspiring Admins, Developers, and AI professionals. Our expert-led certification guidance ensures you’re equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Our training combines in-depth theory with practical, hands-on sessions to help you bridge the gap between learning and real-world application. Salesforce training in Pune With personalized support, advanced interview preparation, and industry-focused tools, we prepare you to confidently tackle the challenges of a competitive job market.
Don’t miss this opportunity—sign up for a free demo class today and take the first step toward a thriving career in Salesforce!!!
