Update Plan Assignment Settings

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Update plan assignments through individual user profiles.
  
• Manage plan assignments in bulk using the Plan Assignments page.
  
• Modify plan assignments for specific plans on the Plans page.
  
• Ensure proper use of External IDs.
  

To make sure that you’re calculating accurate and timely commission calculations in Salesforce Spiff, you need to manage plan assignments. Sales teams rely on timely commission payouts, and having the correct users assigned to the right plans is a fundamental part of this process. Since Salesforce Spiff is flexible, there are three places where you can update plan assignment settings: the user profile, the Plan assignments page, and the Plans page.

The User Profile

The first method to update plan assignment settings is through the user profile. This option allows for a focused approach. You can make changes for individual users one at a time.

To update a plan assignment through the user profile:

1. Navigate to Admin | Users.
   
2. Select the user’s name.
   
3. On the user’s profile page, scroll to the Plan Assignments section.
   
4. Toggle the Edit button to enable modifications.
   
5. Add or update the user’s plan assignment.
   

This approach is useful for managing individual user assignments and making sure their plans are aligned with their role as organizational changes occur.

The Plan Assignments Page

The second place to update plan assignments is the Plan Assignments page, under User Management. This method allows you to view and edit plan assignments for all users in a centralized table. It’s a great option for managing assignments in bulk.

To update plan assignments on the Plan Assignments page:

1. Navigate to Admin | Users.
   
2. Select The Plan Assignments tab.
   
3. Click Edit.
   
4. Add or update the user’s plan assignment.
   

The Plan Assignment page displays all representatives and their associated plan assignments. Each row lists information such as plan assignments, effective dates, and any custom fields you’ve configured. This page also allows you to assign a Plan Assignment External ID, which is essential when using Salesforce Spiff’s Mass Data management feature. Each entry in the Plan Assignment External ID field must be unique.

Important Considerations

While this method provides an efficient way to manage plan assignments for many users at once, ensuring that no rep is left out of the appropriate commission structure, keep these considerations in mind.

• Blank External ID for plans created on the Plans page: If a plan assignment was created using the Plans page in Salesforce Spiff, the Plan Assignment External ID will be blank. To use the Mass Data Management feature, you must assign an External ID.
  

• External ID requirement for future uploader updates: Once a Plan Assignment External ID is added, future updates using the Uploader feature will require this field.
  

• Consistency of External ID for uploader-based assignments: If the External ID was initially populated by the Uploader, any subsequent updates must use the same Plan Assignment External ID.
  

The Plans Page

The third method to update plan assignment settings is through the Plans page. This approach focuses on managing plan assignments in the context of specific commission plans, offering a comprehensive overview of how users are assigned to different plans.

To update plan assignments on the Plans page:

1. Navigate to the Plans tab.
   
2. Select the specific plan you want to modify.
   
3. Click Edit.
   
4. Add or update the user’s plan assignment.
   

This method offers a middle ground between updating individual users and managing all users simultaneously. Focusing only on the users assigned to a specific plan provides a streamlined way to review and update assignments without sifting through unrelated users.

Removing Users from a Plan

As a general guideline, avoid removing users from a plan outright. If a user has any frozen statements, removing them from the plan will result in an error. Instead, it’s better to enter an Effective Until date to stop commission calculations at the appropriate time.

In the next and final unit, we focus on managing your plans more comprehensively. This includes using effective dating to manage transitions, archiving outdated plans to keep your workspace organized, and handling hidden plans to maintain a clean and efficient system.

Resources

• Salesforce Spiff: Bulk Uploading Users, Plan and Team Assignments, Currency Rates, and Quotas (login credentials required)