Difference Between Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience

Salesforce is one of the leading CRM platforms used globally by businesses of all sizes. Over the years, Salesforce has evolved, and one of the most notable changes was the introduction of Lightning Experience as a successor to the older Salesforce Classic interface. While both provide access to Salesforce’s robust set of tools and features, the user experience and functionality differ significantly. This blog will outline the key differences between Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience, helping you understand which version is best suited for your business.

1. Overview of Salesforce Classic

Salesforce Classic refers to the original user interface (UI) of Salesforce, which was used for many years. It is a traditional design that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. However, Salesforce Classic has limitations in terms of customization, automation, and user experience compared to the newer Lightning Experience. Salesforce has been encouraging users to transition to Lightning Experience, as it is better equipped to handle modern business needs and innovations.

Key Features of Salesforce Classic:

• Traditional navigation with tabs and links.
• Basic customization options for layouts, but lacks advanced design tools.
• Limited automation capabilities when compared to Lightning.
• Older reporting and dashboard tools.
• Less flexibility in user interface customization.

2. Overview of Salesforce Lightning Experience

Lightning Experience is the modern user interface introduced by Salesforce to provide a more dynamic, intuitive, and customizable platform. It was designed with the goal of offering improved productivity, more powerful features, and an overall better user experience. Lightning offers a modernized UI with improved dashboards, enhanced reporting, and better integration with Salesforce features and third-party tools.

Key Features of Salesforce Lightning Experience:

• Modern, intuitive user interface with a focus on visual enhancements.
• Enhanced customization and personalization options through Lightning App Builder, which allows users to design custom pages with drag-and-drop tools.
• Advanced reporting and dashboards with improved data visualization.
• Integration with Einstein Analytics, providing powerful AI-driven insights.
• Increased automation capabilities, including Flow Builder for creating sophisticated automation processes.
• Improved collaboration through features like Chatter, enhanced task management, and better access to real-time data.

3. Key Differences Between Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience

a. User Interface and Design

The most obvious difference between Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience is the user interface (UI). Salesforce Classic has a traditional design with a focus on functionality over form. The interface feels more static and can be difficult to navigate, especially for new users.

In contrast, Lightning Experience provides a much more modern and intuitive UI. The pages are visually appealing, with a cleaner layout and more organized navigation. The App Launcher, Record Pages, and Kanban views make it easier for users to manage and access their work.

b. Customization and Flexibility

Salesforce Classic offers customization options like page layouts and limited field-level security settings, but it does not provide the flexibility required to meet the needs of modern businesses.

On the other hand, Lightning Experience allows for extensive customization. With Lightning App Builder, users can design and tailor page layouts with a simple drag-and-drop interface, creating custom pages for specific user roles. Lightning also introduces Dynamic Pages, which let users control page content based on the record’s context, making it more personalized.

c. Features and Functionality

Lightning Experience includes many features that are not available in Salesforce Classic, such as:

• Lightning Components: Pre-built components that can be added to pages, making it easier to build custom features and functionality.
• Kanban View: A more visual way to manage records and opportunities, which is missing in Salesforce Classic.
• Salesforce Einstein: Artificial intelligence tools available in Lightning for predictions, recommendations, and insights that are not fully available in Classic.
• Path and Visual Workflow: Enhanced automation tools like Path, which guide users through business processes, and Flow Builder, which creates complex workflows more efficiently.

d. Reporting and Dashboards

The reporting capabilities in Salesforce Classic are functional but outdated, providing basic reporting tools with limited visualization options. Users must rely on Salesforce Classic Reports, which offer basic charts and graphs.

In Lightning Experience, reporting and dashboards are much more advanced. Lightning Reports allow for dynamic filters, grouping, and custom visualizations. Users can create interactive dashboards that offer a more granular view of performance data and trends. Additionally, Einstein Analytics integrations allow businesses to leverage AI-powered analytics directly in their dashboards.

e. Mobile Experience

While Salesforce Classic has a mobile app, its experience is limited and does not provide the full functionality of the desktop version.

Lightning Experience, on the other hand, offers a robust mobile-first design. The Salesforce mobile app is optimized for Lightning, providing users with an intuitive, consistent experience across both desktop and mobile platforms. With mobile-optimized pages, users can perform tasks like updating records, accessing reports, and collaborating through Chatter, all from their mobile devices.

f. Performance and Speed

Salesforce Lightning Experience is optimized for speed and performance. The platform takes advantage of modern web technologies like JavaScript and Apex to deliver faster load times, especially for complex pages and dashboards.

While Salesforce Classic is stable, it may not perform as efficiently when handling large data sets, complex customizations, or multiple apps. Users may experience slower load times compared to the optimized Lightning Experience.

g. Compatibility and Support

Salesforce has announced that it will continue to support Salesforce Classic for the foreseeable future, but all new features, updates, and innovations are being rolled out exclusively for Lightning Experience. Salesforce is continuously enhancing Lightning with new tools, AI integrations, and automation features that are not available in Classic.

4. Which One Should You Choose?

The decision between Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience depends on the specific needs and goals of your organization. However, Salesforce strongly encourages businesses to transition to Lightning Experience, as it provides:

• A more modern, flexible, and intuitive interface.
• Enhanced functionality, including advanced reporting, analytics, and AI-powered tools.
• Greater customization capabilities and automation options.
• Faster performance and a better mobile experience.

If your organization is still using Salesforce Classic, now is a great time to explore the benefits of Lightning and plan your migration. Salesforce provides tools and resources to make the transition as seamless as possible.

5. Conclusion

In summary, while both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience are powerful CRM solutions, Lightning Experience stands out with its modern design, enhanced features, and greater flexibility. It offers a more intuitive user interface, better performance, and new tools for automation, AI, and analytics. As Salesforce continues to innovate, moving to Lightning Experience will unlock new capabilities and ensure your business is prepared for future growth.