How To Implement Social Sign-On In Salesforce

Social Sign-On, also known as Social Authentication or Social Login, is a user authentication mechanism that allows individuals to access a website, application, or service by using their existing social media or identity provider credentials instead of creating a new account-specific username and password.

In this tutorial today, we will dive into understanding what Social Sign-On in Salesforce is, how it works, and how to implement it. So, let’s get started

Understanding Social Sign-Ons in Salesforce

In Social Sign-On, users can log in or register for a service by clicking on a social media platform’s icon (e.g., Facebook, Google, LinkedIn) and granting permission for the service to access certain information from their social media profile. Once permission is granted, the user is granted access to the service without the need to enter a separate username and password.

Some users prefer to use an existing account with a service such as Google or Facebook to log in to the site instead of setting up a new account and password. The third-party service is an authentication provider that verifies user identification. Use the Social Login component to add an icon for each supported authentication provider. The user clicks the icon and logs in using the associated account’s username and password. To enable customers to log in to Salesforce with their social credentials, you configure an authentication (auth) provider for the social account. 

Here’s what your customer experiences when you do.

•  A customer encounters a Salesforce login page with options to log in via Google,
  Facebook, and Twitter, as well as a username and password.          
•  The customer chooses to log in via Gmail credentials. 
• Salesforce redirects the customer to Gmail.
• The customer logs in to Gmail. 
• Automatic Gmail logging to Salesforce is automatic because Salesforce trusts Gmail’s verification.

Why To Implement Social Sign-On in Salesforce?

Before we dive into the technical aspects, let’s explore why implementing Social Sign-On in your Salesforce instance is a smart move:

• Enhanced User Experience: Social Sign-On eliminates the need for users to remember yet another username and password for Salesforce. This streamlined login process significantly enhances user experience, reduces frustration, and increases user engagement.
• Accelerated Onboarding: New users can quickly sign up and access Salesforce using their existing social media accounts. This can speed up the onboarding process for customers, partners, and employees.
• Improved Security: While using social media credentials may raise some security concerns, many social networks implement robust security measures. Additionally, Salesforce can be configured to enforce strict security policies, making Social Sign-On a secure option.
• Data Enrichment: Social Sign-On can fetch additional user data from their social profiles, enriching the information available in Salesforce. This data can be used for personalization, targeted marketing, and a better understanding of your users.

Implementing Social Sign-On in Salesforce

STEP 1: GO to  SETUP and then search AUTH. PROVIDERS in the quick find box.

STEP 2: Click On AUTH. PROVIDERS, there will be a new window where we have to select the type of PROVIDERS we want. For instance, let’s consider Gmail.

STEP 3: After selecting AUTH. PROVIDERS, there will be more fields to fill up

STEP 4: Write down the Name.

STEP 5: URL SUFFIX will automatically take the name as its entry.

STEP 6: Create an AUTO-GENERATED REGISTRATION CLASS or you can create one.

Here we have generated an AutocreatedRegHandler1692605085793 with some modifications in it.