How to Enable Einstein Search in Salesforce

Introduction to Salesforce Einstein Search

Sometimes it’s hard to find some records in Salesforce, especially if you don’t know to which object they are related, or if you don’t know the full name of the record. But fear not, Salesforce in the Winter 22’ release presented Salesforce Einstein Search for all Unlimited, Essentials, Enterprise, Professional, and Performance editions prebuilt by default. So, what is the Salesforce Einstein Search? It’s a search with AI. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Same as all Salesforce Einstein AI features, Einstein Search helps to transform your routine search into personalized and more effective, actionable results.

Image Source, Salesforce Supercharge Productivity with Einstein Search

How Does AI Powered Search For Salesforce Work?

You may think it’s strange, but Salesforce Einstein Search starts working, not when you click a Search button, that confirms your search query. It starts much earlier, exactly when you create a record, Einstein Search starts its work. He makes the information that you create easy to find in a system.

So, imagine you create a record (1), and then Salesforce breaks information into smaller pieces, to make it easy to search, those small pieces are tokens (2). It stores these tokens in a search index (3). You’ll receive indexed records which will help you to receive related records easily and fast.

Indexed search can improve how users benefit from Salesforce, by making the processing of queries faster. In Salesforce, when a field in the database gets indexed, its values are stored in a more organized structure. This setup allows users to work faster and more efficiently with fields that are already indexed by default. Also, you can create your own custom-indexed fields. This feature not only simplifies the process of finding data but also enhances the overall performance of the system, enabling users to access the information they need easily.

Image Source, Salesforce Help, How Einstein Search Works

When you start a search in Salesforce, the process looks like several steps to ensure that you will receive the best results. Here’s what happens:

• Step 1. Entering the information you have to search: First, you have to input the data you’re looking for into the search bar.
• Step 2. Transforming terms into tokens: The Salesforce search engine then takes your input and breaks down the search words or phrases into smaller pieces also known as ‘tokens’.
• Step 3. Matching with the Index: These tokens are matched with tokens in the index in Salesforce. This index is a structured data format that helps in quickly locating matching records.
• Step 4. Ranking for Relevance: After finding the matching records, the system ranks these records based on their relevance to your search terms. This ranking is crucial as it determines the order in which the results are displayed to you. It means that you will see only relevant to your search results. 
• Step 5. Returning Results: Finally, the search engine returns the results.

However, it’s important to note that you will only see the results that you have permission to access. This access is determined by your user profile in Salesforce.

Regarding access permissions, if your profile doesn’t have access to certain objects or records, you won’t see search results related to those objects, no matter how relevant they might be.

Initial Setup Of Salesforce Einstein Search

When you open your Salesforce Org, you don’t need to enable or turn on an Einstein Search – it’s integrated and enabled by default. You can check it by clicking on Settings, and then writing in the Search bar ‘Einstein Search’.

Features and Benefits of Einstein Search

Customized Search Results

Einstein Search stands out by customizing search results for each user. For instance, it prioritizes leads or accounts that a user frequently searches or interacts with, placing them at the top of the search results. This means if you’re a user based in the USA, you’ll see American accounts first. Similarly, UK users will primarily see UK accounts. This customization is based on your regular interactions.

Understanding Natural Language Queries

One of the key features of Einstein Search is its ability to understand natural language queries. This means you can search using everyday phrases like “all leads in the USA” or “all leads in New York.” This functionality makes the search process much more natural and faster, as it mirrors the way people speak every day.

Updating Records from Search Results

A significant advantage of Einstein Search is the ability for users, especially salespeople, to update or enter records straight from the search results. This is much faster than the traditional Salesforce search method. It reduces the number of clicks needed, which saves time. By enabling direct editing from search results, users can quickly make necessary changes without the need to navigate away from the page.

Advanced Einstein Search Customization

Search Page Layouts

Einstein Search allows customized search page layouts, and users can see the most relevant data first. To make it, navigate to ‘Setup’ in Salesforce and enter ‘Einstein’ in the search bar. Select ‘Search Layouts’ and then choose the specific object (like Accounts, Contacts, etc.) you want to customize. This process lets you adjust which fields and information are displayed in the search results, making them more aligned with the specific needs and workflows of your team.

In this case, we can see a Search Layout for the Account object, and which fields appear on the search results page, not which fields are searched for a User with a System Administrator profile.

Synonyms for More Efficient Searches

A unique feature of Einstein Search is the ability to create custom synonyms for terms and phrases commonly used within your organization. This feature is especially useful for internal jargon or industry-specific terminology. While standard objects like Accounts, Contacts, Leads, and Opportunities are smartly handled by Einstein Search’s AI, custom synonyms can be set for other terms, which helps you get the search results that you need.

Machine Learning for Better Accuracy

Einstein Search incorporates machine learning to continually refine and improve search results. Initially, the search function may start without any historical data or learning. However, as users interact more with the system, Einstein Search begins to learn from these interactions, adapting to user preferences and patterns. This means the more you use it, the smarter and more accurate it becomes, tailoring its responses to fit your specific search habits and needs.

In this case, in the Global Search Bar, I entered ‘Mobi’, but Search showed me all related records. It was very quick and easy, also this feature of search reduces the general quantity of clicks the User should make to achieve a successful search.

What Does a Salesforce Einstein Search Use For Search?

The main magic that helps us to receive quick and effective results happens behind the scenes. Methods that use Salesforce to produce effective search are: 

• Lemmatization: This process simplifies words to their root form while retaining meaning, helping identify word variations. For instance, searching for “feature” also brings up “features,” and searching for “add” finds “adds,” “adding,” and “added.” 
• Synonym Groups: These are words or phrases treated the same by the search engine. For example, if “thumb drive,” “flash drive,” and “memory stick” are in a synonym group, searching for one term brings up results for all. Salesforce provides standard synonym groups for common terms and allows admins to create custom groups for specific organizational needs.
• Spelling Correction: This feature corrects misspellings in your search terms and shows results for the corrected spelling. A message indicates when results include spelling corrections. It’s also available for instant results, but only for the first term if multiple terms are misspelled. Note that spelling correction doesn’t work with wildcards, numbers, exact matches, or terms in quotation marks.
• Nicknames: Searching for a name also brings up related nicknames, although they rank lower than exact matches. For example, searching “Milk” might show results for “Mike” or “Mikhail.”
• Expanded Searches: Salesforce expands searches to include parts of your search term. For example, searching for “lap” could also show results for “laptop.” This also applies to searches with punctuation or special characters.

Einstein Search Manage shows all objects and fields from your organization’s search storage that are available for searching. This storage contains all the data the search engine reviews when a user types in a search term. It’s organized to match the search algorithm’s way of finding information. Keep in mind, the size of your search storage can affect how fast the search works. Larger storage might slow down the process. You also have the option to create your own search configurations, currently in Beta, to further customize your search experience.

All related plugins that will help boost productivity and work with Salesforce Einstein Search can be found on the AppExchange marketplace. About AppExchange you can read in the SF app exchange article.

In Conclusion

Einstein Search in Salesforce activates as soon as a record is created. It breaks the information into small, searchable units, or tokens, storing them in an index for quick access. This method speeds up the search process, helping users find related records efficiently. The system includes features like lemmatization, recognizing various forms of a word, and synonym groups, ensuring relevant results for different terms. Spelling correction and expanded searches enhance accuracy, even for less precise queries.

Einstein Search is already integrated and enabled in many Salesforce editions. Users can easily adjust settings through the Salesforce interface. Customization options like altering search page layouts and creating synonym groups tailor the search experience to specific organizational needs.

The machine learning aspect of Einstein Search is notable. It refines search results based on user interactions, becoming more precise over time. This feature, combined with the ability to directly update or enter records from search results, streamlines workflows, saving time and effort.

The Winter ’24 release of Salesforce introduced the Search Manager, which makes the setup of searchable objects for profiles simple. Users can also create custom search configurations, optimizing the process further. Einstein Search enhances productivity and efficiency in CRM technology, offering a smarter, more intuitive way to access and manage data. And don’t forget that Salesforce continues to upgrade and improve Einstein and Einstein Search regularly.

Dorian Sabitov

Dorian is a 4X Certified Salesforce Developer and Administrator with a start in the IT world as a CRM Admin in 2020. Since diving into Salesforce in 2021 via Trailhead and Focus on Force, he has achieved a Ranger Rank, earned several Superbadges, and bagged certifications including the Salesforce Certified Administrator, Platform App Builder, Associate and Platform Developer I by 2023. Dorian is very keen on continuous learning, always looks for fresh ways to improve his knowledge. He enjoys running, boxing, kickboxing and reading diverse kinds of books in his free time.