Relationship Maps let you build visual org charts of your customer's organization directly inside Salesforce. Using a drag-and-drop canvas, you can show how stakeholders relate to one another, which contacts hold decision-making authority, and where your team has strong or weak coverage. Backstory reduces manual work by surfacing known stakeholders who are actively engaged on an Account or Opportunity based on email and meeting activity.
Note: Relationship Maps are only available to customers with access to ClosePlan by Backstory.
What This Article Covers
Accessing an existing Relationship Map
Creating a Relationship Map
Adding and removing stakeholders
Creating a hierarchy
Drawing relationship lines
Adding groups
Adding submaps
Exporting a map
Frequently asked questions
Access a Relationship Map
Relationship Maps are available at both the Account and Opportunity levels in Salesforce. Account-level maps let you track the broader organization, while Opportunity-level maps focus on the specific contacts tied to a deal. Each Opportunity can have one map, and Accounts can have multiple.
Access an Account Map
Navigate to an Account record in Salesforce.
Click the Relationship Map tab.
Click the map name to open it.
Access an Opportunity Map from an Account Record
Navigate to an Account record in Salesforce.
Click the Relationship Map tab.
Click the Account Maps dropdown and select Opportunity Maps.
An Opportunity Maps list will open. Click the map name to open it.
Access an Opportunity Map from an Opportunity Record
Prerequisites: Opportunity-level maps require a ClosePlan to be created on the Opportunity before the map is available.
Navigate to an Opportunity record in Salesforce.
Click the Relationship Map tab.
Click the Mapper button to open the visual map canvas.
Note: The Relationship Map tab may be named differently in Salesforce depending on how your administrator configured it.
Create a Relationship Map
Prerequisites: Opportunity-level maps require a ClosePlan to be created on the Opportunity before the map is available.
Navigate to your Account or Opportunity in Salesforce.
Click the Relationship Map tab.
Click + Add.
Enter a name for the Map in the Name field.
Select an owner by clicking the Owner field and selecting a name from the dropdown.
If adding a secondary map, uncheck the Primary checkbox.
If you do not want the map to be available as a submap in other Relationship Maps, uncheck the Deployed checkbox.
Click Save.
Continue to Add Stakeholders to a Map.
Add Stakeholders
Stakeholders are the contacts you add to your map. You can add them from existing Salesforce contacts, create new contacts, or add unnamed placeholders when you know a role exists but have not yet identified the person.
Add Recommended Contacts
When you open a Relationship Map (new or existing), Backstory automatically recommends contacts to add to your map based on engagement level (unless you disable automatic recommendations).
Review the list of contacts recommended by Backstory when your map opens.
Check the contacts you want to add to your map.
Click Add Selected.
The stakeholders will appear on the map canvas.
Add Stakeholders Manually
In the Add to Map sidebar, choose one of the following options:
Use the search bar to search for an existing contact, then click the + button next to the contact’s name to add the contact to the map canvas.
Select New Contact to create and add a new Salesforce contact.
Select Unknown Contact to add a placeholder for a stakeholder whose identity is not yet known.
Fill the required fields for the stakeholder.
Click Save.
The stakeholders will appear on the map canvas.
Remove Stakeholders from a Map
Click the stakeholder to open the overview window.
Click the trash icon.
Click Confirm.
Create a Hierarchy
The Relationship Map hierarchy illustrates reporting structures and provides insight into how decisions are made within your customer’s organization. Senior leaders are positioned at the top of the canvas with their direct reports arranged beneath them. You have the option to create a hierarchy automatically or manually.
Automatic Hierarchy
Backstory Relationship Maps include an auto-hierarchy feature that uses AI to organize map stakeholders into a reporting structure based on their role, department, and title.
Note: This feature is in beta.
Prerequisites: You must be on the latest ClosePlan release version, available via the Releases tab in ClosePlan. You must also have the Backstory API connection established.
Open the Relationship Map you want to organize via auto-hierarchy.
In the map toolbar on the right, click Establish Hierarchy with AI (the org chart icon with a blue star).
If the Relationship Map sidebar is open, close it by clicking the X in the top-right corner so you can access the toolbar.
The AI Hierarchy Review page will open with a preview of the suggested hierarchy. Review it carefully for accuracy. To remove any incorrect assignments, click the X on the corresponding contact card.
Click Apply Changes.
The new hierarchy will appear on the map canvas.
Include Unmapped Stakeholders
By default, only stakeholders already placed on the map canvas are used for AI hierarchy generation. If you want the AI to consider all stakeholders from the stakeholder table, including those not yet mapped, you can enable the option to include unmapped stakeholders in AI hierarchy generation. When enabled, any unmapped stakeholders will be added to the map and included in the hierarchy generation.
To enable this option:
Open the map and click the gear icon.
Under AI Hierarchy Options, toggle on Include unmapped stakeholders in AI hierarchy generation.
Note: This option applies only to Contacts that have a Stakeholder record created for them.
Manual Hierarchy
On the map canvas, drag a stakeholder onto their manager to create a "reports to" line and nest them under the manager in the hierarchy.
Draw Relationship Lines
Relationship lines visually connect stakeholders to show how they relate to one another.
Hover over the stakeholder node you want to draw a line from.
Click the three-line icon that appears on the stakeholder node.
Click the icon for your desired line type:
Line icon: Choose this icon to indicate a standard relationship.
Smile icon: Choose this icon to indicate influence.
Frown icon: Choose this icon to indicate conflict.
Drag and drop the line onto the target stakeholder.
Delete a Relationship Line
Click the desired line on the canvas.
Click the trash icon.
Click Confirm.
Add Groups
Groups allow you to organize your stakeholders by team on the same map canvas.
In the Add to Map sidebar, click New Group.
Enter a group name in the Label field.
Click Change icon.
Select an icon.
Select a color from the color dropdown.
(Optional) Add a description in the Description field.
Click Save.
The group icon will appear on the map canvas.
Drag and drop a stakeholder onto the icon to nest them under the group.
Add Submaps
Submaps let you nest one relationship map inside another, which is useful when an organization is too large or complex to show clearly on a single canvas. The most common use case is linking an Account-level map into an Opportunity-level map.
Prerequisite: A map has to be marked as Deployed before it can be used as a submap.
In the map toolbar on the right, click the View/Add Submaps button (the org chart icon).
If the Relationship Map sidebar is open, close it by clicking the X in the top-right corner so you can access the toolbar.
A list of maps associated with the Account or Opportunity will open in the sidebar.
Drag and drop the submap onto the map canvas.
Export a Relationship Map
Exporting lets you share a snapshot of your map in meetings, presentations, or reports. Account-level maps export as a .png image only. Opportunity-level maps can be exported as either a .png image or a PDF Summary report.
Export a Map Without Submaps
In the map toolbar on the right, click the Export Map button.
If the Relationship Map sidebar is open, close it by clicking the X in the top-right corner so you can access the toolbar.
Select Export Image to download the map as a .png file, or select Export Summary PDF to download a PDF report (Opportunity-level maps only).
Export a Map With Submaps
In the map toolbar on the right, click the Preview (eye) icon to enter preview mode.
If the Relationship Map sidebar is open, close it by clicking the X in the top-right corner so you can access the toolbar.
Click the Export Map icon from the preview page.
Select Export Image or Export Summary PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an Account-level and an Opportunity-level map?
Account-level maps give you a broad view of the entire organization and can be shared across multiple opportunities. Opportunity-level maps are specific to a single deal and display only the stakeholders tied to that opportunity.
What is an Unknown Contact?
An Unknown Contact is a placeholder stakeholder you can add when you know a role exists in the buying organization but have not yet identified the specific person. You can update the node later once you have a name.
How do I share a Relationship Map with someone who does not have Salesforce access?
Export the map as a .png image or PDF Summary using the export options described above, then share the downloaded file directly.
Need Help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager or email support@backstory.ai.