- Salesforce Implementation Services
Why do we need a Salesforce implementation partner? Can’t we just implement it with in-house resources?
Has your boss asked this question? Or maybe you’ve asked it of yourself? And while Salesforce is an amazing tool that capable of tons of things straight out of the box, most organizations need to customize the platform’s tools to fit their particular needs in order to really supercharge their competitiveness and be able to drive the efficiency they seek.
Let’s be honest, to implement and customize your Salesforce instance will not be a completely stress-free experience. It’s one of the most important investments your company will ever make, and you don’t want to mess it up. Because at the end of the day, the technology can always be adapted, but your implementation is where you’ll see your true ROI… or not.
So what’s a business owner or department head to do? Go it alone with your fingers crossed or hire an experienced Salesforce implementation partner? If you’re reading this, you know what our answer is going to be. Sure, we would suggest you contact VALiNTRY360 to assist you but, at the end of the day, the goal of this post is to help you make an informed decision, whether you chose us as your Salesforce implementation partner or select someone else.
Reason 1: You Probably Don't Have the Internal Technical Expertise
A Salesforce implementation is just that – a process. And it requires 100% focus. Let’s be realistic, if you had the technical expertise or experience internally, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. So, start off by viewing this video on the Salesforce website to get a sense of the depth and breadth of what’s possible. Then use the App Exchange to search for a registered consulting partner, like VALiNTRY360. Read their reviews, capabilities, and areas of expertise as well as how they approach working with clients to see if they would be a good fit for your organization.
Keep in mind, an experienced Salesforce implementation firm will be able to help you and your team become more fluent and knowledgeable about the Salesforce ecosystem. Do you know the difference between an Opportunity, Prospect, and Lead in Salesforce? How about the hierarchy relationships between Campaigns, Contacts, Accounts, and Activity? What about how any of these items affect your business processes and systems? A great Salesforce implementation partner will be able to help you understand the ramifications of your answers so you can, in turn, educate your organization.
Reason 2: You May Not Have the Internal Objectivity
It’s easy to miss the forest for the trees or not be able to see your blind spots when you live every day in your business. A good partner should be able to help you get an objective view of your business and processes (read: hire experts not order takers). They do this by listening to you and your internal stakeholders for pain points, bottlenecks, and areas of improvement as well as the areas of the business that are working well.
A skilled Salesforce implementation partner will act as a strategic adviser for your organization giving you insight into the best practices of your industry based on their experience while offering suggestions for additional customizations and third-party tools based on your need for support in sales, marketing or operations.
Reason 3: You've Never Been Here Before
Imagine you’ve taken a dream vacation to a destination on your bucket list. Do you go and blindly wander around or do you seek help from those who know the lay of the land? Like an experienced trail guide, your new Salesforce partner will help you navigate the pitfalls of implementation and ensure that you can focus on what you’re good at: running your business.
A good implementation partner should take all the tedious tasks of planning and implementation off your plate when it comes to things like requirements gathering, data migration, change management, system design and customization. If your partner doesn’t have deep experience in customization, integration, and project management, you could be left with essentially a costly off the shelf tool that no one uses.
Reason 4: You Don't Have the Time to Do It Yourself
Depending on how complex your implementation needs are, it’s not unheard of for a good Salesforce implementation partner to have a Salesforce ready in about 2 weeks, with minimal time invested on your end.
Still, we advise that you adopt a “crawl, walk, run” mentality for the greatest long-term success. First, go throw the planning and implementation processes to get your Salesforce up and running. Then give your team the opportunity to learn to the new tools and suggest ways to improve them further as their experience with the platform grows and your business scales. An experienced Salesforce implementation partner knows that finally “flipping the switch” and going live with Salesforce isn’t the end-point. It’s the beginning of an on-going process that sees your Salesforce instance growing, improving and evolving with your business. While that sounds scary at first, once you’re at that point, you’ll find it’s very exciting and empowering. So that means you should also seek a Salesforce partner that offers affordable, ongoing Salesforce support for a long-term roadmap that defines a personalized evolution of your Salesforce environment.
Reason 5: It's Cheaper in the Long Term
Many new Salesforce users make the rookie mistake of focusing on the hard costs of an implementation. And yes, depending on the size of the organization, a Salesforce implementation isn’t exactly inexpensive. Still, it’s important to ask yourself: How much revenue will our business forgo to save the cost of an implementation that could improve processes, drive efficiency and accelerate growth? Many times, these costs FAR exceed a typical custom implementation when you consider the internal overhead involved in planning, management, implementation, and post-launch support.
Conclusion
Hopefully this list of reasons to hire a Salesforce Implementation Partner will help convince your boss (or maybe you) that implementing Salesforce alone isn’t wise. You can learn even more about working with Salesforce Implementation Partners on the Salesforce website. One last (and very important) bit of advice for when you finally make the decision to use a Salesforce implementation firm: When you find a partner, commit to trusting their expertise. Salesforce implementation is a people business so, if possible, meet all the individuals on your project so you have the confidence that you have the best partner your money can buy.
Are you convinced? Still have questions? VALiNTRY360 is here to help. Contact us today to discuss your unique Salesforce needs.