How to Generate and Use QR Code in Salesforce

How to Generate & Use QR Code in Salesforce

Have you ever come across those square-shaped patterns filled with black squares (like the one shown on the right)? That’s a QR code, short for Quick Response code. Unlike traditional barcodes, QR codes are two-dimensional and can store a wealth of information, from website links to contact details. They’re scanned using a QR scanner or your smartphone’s camera.

Originating in 1994 from the innovative minds at DENSO WAVE Inc., QR codes were initially developed to surpass the limitations of traditional barcodes, which could only hold a limited amount of alphanumeric characters. Originally tailored for the automobile industry, their usage has since skyrocketed across various sectors, serving as a versatile tool for companies to engage with their audience.

Common usage of QR Code includes:

  • Website addresses: This is the most common use case. Scanning a QR code can take you directly to a website.
  • Contact information: You may see QR codes on business cards or marketing materials that, when scanned, will add the person’s contact details to your phone’s address book.
  • Text messages: Scanning a QR code can pre-populate a text message with a specific recipient and message content.
  • Wi-Fi login information: Some public Wi-Fi networks use QR codes to allow you to easily connect to their network.
  • Mobile Payments: QR codes are used in mobile payment systems, allowing users to scan a code to make payments or transfer money.
  • Ticketing and Boarding Passes: QR codes are commonly used for electronic tickets and boarding passes, providing a convenient way for users to access their tickets using their smartphones.
  • And many more…
QR Code Use Cases in Salesforce

There can be many use cases for which you can generate and use QR code in Salesforce. Some of the use case that I can think of are:

  • Event Management: Generate QR codes for event registrations or attendee badges. Attendees can then scan their QR codes upon entry to check-in, track attendance, or access event-specific information.
  • Field Service Management: Use QR codes to identify equipment or assets during service appointments. Technicians can scan QR codes to access relevant information, update service records, or document work completed.
  • Asset Tracking: Label assets with QR codes to monitor their lifecycle, maintenance schedules, or location changes. Scan QR codes to update asset records, schedule maintenance tasks, or identify asset history.
  • Document Management: Attach QR codes to documents or files stored in Salesforce for quick access. Users can scan QR codes to open documents, update records, or initiate workflows.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into harnessing the power of QR codes specifically for managing event attendance in Salesforce. With just a few declarative steps, you’ll not only be able to send event registration confirmation emails containing QR codes but also establish a seamless digital solution for verifying and tracking attendee presence.

To achieve this, we’ll use the standard Campaign object in Salesforce for storing Events and Campaign Members to store individuals (leads/contacts) who have registered for the event. When an individual is added to the to the Campaign as a Campaign Member, we’ll leverage on Salesforce Flow + a pre-defined email template to send the email automatically with event details and a personalized QR code.

On the day of the event, attendees will present their QR codes to the front desk executive, who will scan them using their mobile device. Upon scanning, the executive will be redirected to the Campaign Member record in Salesforce mobile app. Here, they will be able to update the attendee’s status as “Attended,” ensuring accurate and real-time tracking of event participation.

This guide will walk you through configuring the above in just under 30 minutes. Ready to dive in?

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17 thoughts on “How to Generate and Use QR Code in Salesforce”

  1. Hi, Great article and appreciate you sharing this knowledge with us. While these steps show you how to use QR code for invitees to scan to register their attendance on the day of the event, I would love to know how we can use QR code that we can send to invitees that they can scan and will direct them a registration page to register their attendance and will create a Contact record against the Campaign event. Once we have a list of interested people then we can send another email to with QR code that they can scan on the day of the event to update their attendance against the campaign member status. Would love to know how I can achieve this. THanks.

    1. Ashish Agarwal

      Hi Ananth, for invitees to register their attendance against the event, you will need to have a web form on Internet that they can fill. In Salesforce, there are various methods of creating web form for public to fill. You may want to refer to my blog post at https://www.asagarwal.com/step-by-step-guide-on-using-formassembly-with-salesforce-to-create-web-forms/ where I have listed different methods to create web form and have also shown how to create a web form using one of the popular products from AppExchange called ‘FormAssembly’

      Once you have the URL to the webform, you can generate the QR code as shown in this guide.

      Hope this helps.

  2. Hi Ashish,
    Thanks for your really thoroughly explained post ! I was wondering if you had a similar solution for good old fashion barcode ? I’ve looked at the solution offered by developers.google, and I couldn’t find anything…
    Thanks !

  3. Hello I was wondering if there is a way to automate the end so that when the QR code is scanned, campaign member status is automatically changed instead of manually needing update. Thanks in advance for your help! This has been so helpful!!

    1. Hi DG, I think this is very much do-able, though it will require customization. The way I am visualizing this is through a Visualforce page and custom controller. QR code will contain the URL of the Visualforce page and will pass the Campaign Member record ID as the parameter. So when the user taps on the QR Code to open the link, it will open the VF page. On load of the VF page, we can automatically execute the apex code that will update the campaign member status and will redirect the user to the updated campaign member record.

      Something like this should be do-able using Lightning Web Component also, though this will need to be explored further.

        1. Spencer W Widman

          I am trying to implement this exact use case. Did you clever find a viable solution to scan a QR code and update a campaign member?

  4. i work for a non profit and we are trying to figure out how to use qr codes to track attendance. We have multiple exercise classes throughout the day, and currently use paper to keep track. I have successfully generated qr codes in Salesforce for each member but now want to figure out how to use those to track attendance in each individual campaign. Is there a blog post or video that could help us?

    1. Hi Jeannette, can you please elaborate more on what exactly do you mean by “how to use those to track attendance in each individual campaign”? How do you want to store attendance? Can you let me know your data model?

  5. Pingback: How to Generate and Use QR Code in Salesforce - gigminds

  6. Adwait Gogate

    Hi Ramasamy,

    Firstly, go to App Manager -> Salesforce in your phone. Select ‘Allow’ for ‘Open the supported link in an app’ setting.

    Then download the Google Lens app from this link. https://lens.google.com/

    Open the Google Lens app and point it towards a QR code which is a link to a Salesforce record. The app scans the code and shows a link. Once you click on the link, it will open in the Salesforce app and you will be taken straight to that record.

    Let me know if this helps!

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