How JB Case Scheduler went from an idea to the AppExchange
Michiel van Gaalen on the two years it took to get JB Case Scheduler onto AppExchange: choosing the idea, becoming an ISV and the Security Review.
Our first app, JB Case Scheduler, began at a Salesforce Dreamin’ event. A speaker had a good idea for an AppExchange app but could not build it, because he was not a programmer.
Choosing what to build
That talk sparked something. I have plenty of ideas and I can code, even if I sometimes doubt my own skills. Getting the app onto AppExchange took two years. This is how it went.
Like many people who have worked on Salesforce projects, I had a running list of app ideas. For a first app I needed something manageable. I set three criteria.
- The Security Review should not be overly complex for this kind of app.
- Developing for the AppExchange was new to me, so the app should offer a reasonable learning curve.
- It had to simplify a real process for real users.
JB Case Scheduler met all three. Service agents often need to plan a follow-up, or postpone a case while they wait for information from the customer. Sometimes they need to book a time because the day is too full. The app lets them schedule or reschedule a Case inside Salesforce and get it back at the chosen time. It is the kind of function Salesforce could have built itself. That gap is where Journey Builders wants to build.
More than code
Having the idea was the easy part. Before I wrote the first line of app code, I had to become a Salesforce ISV partner. ISV stands for Independent Software Vendor, the partner type that publishes on AppExchange. I had to learn current development practice: Application Lifecycle Management, scratch orgs, and how to package an app for distribution.
I had done Salesforce development years earlier, but this was a different league. The steepest part was not the technology. It was time. Building an app next to a busy family life meant finding the hours. It also meant staying present for everything else.
Working with Lennart
After a year of building alone, I knew I needed help to finish. About a year ago I asked Lennart Stevens to join me on the code. The effect was immediate: structure, consistency, and a shared determination to launch.
We fixed one evening a week to work together. We called it “Klusavond met Lennart”, Dutch for “working evening with Lennart”. The evenings were productive and we both learnt a lot. That weekly rhythm is what got the app finished and published.
The Security Review
Anyone who has published on AppExchange knows the review is the part people dread. There are forms, contracts and processes. Getting the business plan for your listing approved feels like a win. Then comes the Security Review itself, which is mandatory before the app goes live.
When we went through it, the review cost around €1,000. It is less now because of the dollar exchange rate. We followed the guidelines and ran every scan we could. Even so, a single checkbox in one of the app’s Flows failed us the first time. It is a classic stumbling block, and many apps fail their first attempt on it. We were no exception. It shows how thorough the review is.
What comes next
JB Case Scheduler is live and free on AppExchange. Our challenge now is installs. We expected the listing itself to bring people in. It contributes, but we need to improve the listing.
Awareness is the other half. Many service teams do not know an app for this problem exists. Some do not know the problem can be solved at all. People do not search for a solution they do not know is possible. How to reach them is the next topic for our Klusavond.
What to do next
If you run a Service Cloud team, install JB Case Scheduler from AppExchange and tell us what you think. If you have ideas on how apps like this find their users, email us at info@journeybuilders.eu.