How to Alert on Salesforce Opportunity Stage Changes with Make

Dashboard > Create scenario > +

Create new scenario in Make

Start building the automation by creating a new scenario workspace. This will contain your Salesforce trigger and Slack action modules.

1. 1Click 'Create a new scenario' from your Make dashboard
2. 2Click the large + icon in the center of the canvas
3. 3Search for 'Salesforce' in the app selector
4. 4Select 'Salesforce' from the results list

Salesforce module > Watch Records

Configure Salesforce Watch Records trigger

Set up Make to monitor Salesforce for opportunity record changes. The Watch Records trigger polls Salesforce every few minutes for new or updated records.

1. 1Select 'Watch Records' from the Salesforce trigger options
2. 2Click 'Create a connection' and enter your Salesforce login credentials
3. 3Set Record Type to 'Opportunity'
4. 4In the Formula field, enter: AND(ISCHANGED(StageName), NOT(ISBLANK(StageName)))
5. 5Set Limit to 100

Salesforce module > Select Fields

Add field selection for opportunity data

Specify which Salesforce fields Make should retrieve when an opportunity stage changes. This reduces API calls and gives you the data needed for Slack.

1. 1Scroll down to the 'Select Fields' section in the Salesforce module
2. 2Check the boxes for: Name, Amount, Probability, CloseDate, StageName
3. 3Check the box for: Owner > Name (this is nested under the Owner section)
4. 4Click 'OK' to save the trigger configuration

+ > Slack > Create a Direct Message

Add Slack module for direct messaging

Connect the Slack app to send direct messages to deal owners. Make will use Slack's API to find users and deliver personalized notifications.

1. 1Click the + icon to the right of your Salesforce module
2. 2Search for 'Slack' and select it from the app list
3. 3Choose 'Create a Direct Message' from the action options
4. 4Click 'Create a connection' and authorize Make to access your Slack workspace

Slack module > User field

Map deal owner to Slack user

Configure how Make finds the right Slack user to message. This typically matches by email address since most companies sync Salesforce and Slack users.

1. 1In the 'User' field, click the dropdown and select 'Select by email'
2. 2Click in the email field and select 'Owner > Email' from the Salesforce data
3. 3If Owner Email isn't available, use a manual mapping or lookup table
4. 4Leave 'Create user if not exists' unchecked

Slack module > Text field

Build the Slack message content

Create a formatted message that includes all the deal details sales reps need. Use Salesforce field mappings to pull live data into the message template.

1. 1Click in the 'Text' field of the Slack module
2. 2Type: 'Deal Update: ' and then select 'Name' from the Salesforce mappings
3. 3Add a new line and type 'Stage: ' followed by 'StageName' from mappings
4. 4Add 'Value: $' and select 'Amount', then 'Probability: ' and select 'Probability'
5. 5Add 'Close Date: ' and select 'CloseDate' from the Salesforce data

🔔 New Lead: {{1.FirstName}} {{1.LastName}}
Email: {{1.Email}}
Company: {{1.Company}}
Status: {{1.LeadStatus}}

Connection line > Set up filter

Add conditional filtering

Set up filters so Make only sends notifications for meaningful stage changes. This prevents spam from minor updates or irrelevant stage movements.

1. 1Right-click the line connecting Salesforce to Slack
2. 2Select 'Set up a filter' from the context menu
3. 3Name the filter 'Stage Change Only'
4. 4Set condition: StageName 'Not equal to' 'Closed Lost'
5. 5Add another condition with AND: StageName 'Not equal to' 'Prospecting'

Run once button > Execution log

Test with sample data

Run a test to verify your scenario works with real Salesforce data. This catches field mapping issues and message formatting problems before going live.

1. 1Click 'Run once' at the bottom left of the scenario
2. 2Wait for Make to poll Salesforce and process any recent opportunity changes
3. 3Check the execution log to see if data was retrieved correctly
4. 4Verify the test Slack message was sent and formatted properly
5. 5Review any error messages in the execution details

Slack module > Add error handler

Configure error handling

Set up proper error handling so the scenario doesn't break when Slack users aren't found or Salesforce returns incomplete data.

1. 1Right-click the Slack module and select 'Add error handler'
2. 2Choose 'Ignore' from the error handler options
3. 3Add a note explaining this handles missing Slack users
4. 4Click the settings gear on the Salesforce module
5. 5Enable 'Store incomplete executions' under Advanced settings

Clock icon > Schedule settings

Set scenario schedule and activate

Configure how often Make checks Salesforce for changes and turn on the automation. Start with frequent polling for immediate notifications.

1. 1Click the clock icon at the bottom of the scenario
2. 2Set schedule to 'Every 5 minutes' for near real-time alerts
3. 3Click 'OK' to save the schedule
4. 4Toggle the scenario to 'ON' using the switch at the bottom left
5. 5Click 'Save' to finalize all configurations

Drop this into a Make custom function.

{{formatDate(CloseDate; "MMM DD, YYYY")}} to convert Salesforce ISO dates to readable format like 'Dec 15, 2024'. Add this in the Slack message text field.

{{formatDate(CloseDate; "MMM DD, YYYY")}} to convert Salesforce ISO dates to readable format like 'Dec 15, 2024'. Add this in the Slack message text field.