Salesforce implementation services are typically outsourced to external agencies or consultants, but this can be an expensive endeavor and may not always yield the best results. If you want to successfully implement Salesforce, you’ll need to find the right match between your business’ needs and resources and the technology that Salesforce offers. That’s why it’s important to consider all aspects of implementation before signing on with an agency or provider. Here are nine key considerations for successful Salesforce implementation.

1) Identify business goals

Identifying your business goals can help you narrow down which features you actually need in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. If your needs are driven by higher-level directives from corporate, then software that supports automation, collaboration and data sharing might be important to consider. If you’re a small company focused on fulfilling orders and generating revenue quickly, scalability is essential to support rapid growth. All businesses have goals and objectives, but don’t necessarily start out with those in mind when shopping around for software solutions. That’s why salesforce implementation is crucial—you should always start with clear vision of what you want to accomplish before looking at how certain systems may or may not help get you there.

2) Map customer journeys

Great salespeople don’t focus on creating value for themselves; they focus on creating value for their customers. If you want to be a great salesperson, it’s vital that you map out what your customer goes through as she makes her way through her own journey. Start by writing down your customer’s goals and then figure out how your company can help her accomplish those goals. Once you know that, everything else falls into place.

3) Explore internal processes

Before you start working on a Salesforce implementation, it’s important to look at your existing internal processes. For example, your company might have policies around data quality or records management that will impact how you implement Salesforce. It’s also important to understand what tools your employees are currently using and how those tools integrate with one another. Even if it’s a tool or process that doesn’t directly relate to how customers interact with your product or service, it can still play an important role in defining how you implement Salesforce, so make sure you understand exactly what those processes are before beginning implementation.

4) Define your data model

Make sure you understand your organization’s data model, which is essentially a hierarchy of all of your customer information. Data models are highly specific to companies and can vary from one department to another. For example, an insurance company might have different needs than a manufacturing company or even an airline. The more you know about how your organization uses data, the easier it will be to build a powerful platform in Salesforce that aligns with other existing systems and provides users with exactly what they need at every step of their sales process.

5) Build your application strategy

How will you get your users to actually use what you’ve built? It’s critical to build features that support your application strategy, which is a long-term plan for getting users on board and keeping them engaged. Create an app with no clear goal or strategy and it will likely fail—the same goes for sales teams. A well-thought-out app strategy should take into account all of the following

6) Choose the right development partner

Choosing a development partner is one of the most important steps in your journey to implementing Salesforce. You need someone with experience, who you can trust and who understands your industry or market vertical. Make sure you choose a company that offers complete end-to-end salesforce implementation services to help you through each step of the process. Here are a few key questions to ask prospective partners: How long have they been doing implementations? Do they have examples of successful implementations? Are they certified in any technologies used by Salesforce? What’s their background in my industry/market segment, and do they have any expertise I’ll need? Can I meet current clients?

7) Architect, build, test and deploy your applications with speed and quality

Your company's success may be riding on your ability to quickly iterate and test new ideas. Traditional app development and deployment methodologies can't keep pace with today's DevOps demands, resulting in apps that lack integration, have missing functionality or have broken code. To avoid these issues, follow a repeatable process that provides instant visibility into application changes and doesn't disrupt your business processes during testing. Integrate all components of your application within minutes—allowing you to get to market faster with fewer errors. Salesforce offers software developers powerful APIs for building custom applications and embedding analytics throughout their organizations.

8) Implement a go-to-market strategy

Getting a new business off to a flying start is more than just getting it up and running. Get started on your plan by asking yourself what needs to happen after you’ve launched your business. Have you created an ongoing marketing campaign? Are you planning events or providing customer service or fulfillment? Are there partnerships with other businesses that will help cement your role in a market? Creating a go-to-market strategy ensures that no matter how big or small your business is, you have thought through how it will grow over time. And be sure to make room in your strategy for contingencies – unexpected changes in demand, competitors entering your space, or even things as simple as bad weather that can affect whether someone shows up to one of your sales events.

9) Keep it fresh – it’s a journey, not a destination

When you first begin a project, it’s easy to get excited about your new software and want to rush through configuration, setup, testing and training. It’s important to keep in mind that success comes from patience. Even though you might be keen on making big changes right away (and there’s nothing wrong with that), remember that change is a process. Plan ahead and create reasonable milestones to ensure everyone stays engaged and everyone benefits from increased productivity, efficiency and employee engagement over time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, successful implementation of Salesforce begins with a good selection of platform and consultants. But it doesn’t end there. Once you have implemented your CRM, you must determine how to best utilize it to grow your business. Remember these 9 key considerations, along with additional tips provided by your provider (consultants), and you will be well on your way to a successful implementation and long-term use of Salesforce!