Is your business ready to upgrade to one of the most powerful customer relationship management (CRM) platforms available? Salesforce gives your business the tools and resources you need to optimize sales and create an exceptional customer experience.
The incredible number of tools and options on Salesforce is also one of its few downfalls. With nearly unlimited configurations and add-on programs or services, Salesforce can be confusing to new users. Even experienced users know it can take years to completely master the platform.
Salesforce consulting services help reduce the confusion of learning and using Salesforce. A consultant will help you optimize your solution so you can get the most out of the platform. Learn more about Salesforce consulting and how it can improve your results.
What is a Salesforce Consultant?
Salesforce consultants are third-party contractors hired by businesses to help them implement or optimize Salesforce applications. The goal of hiring a Salesforce consultant is to get expert help and recommendations on purchasing, implementing, and using Salesforce. They create unique solutions that are tailored to your business.
They’re experts at more than just Salesforce. Most consultants have extensive experience with IT, cybersecurity, software platforms, and business automation, too. They leverage this knowledge to provide additional recommendations for your Salesforce configuration.
This means they can recommend the additional products or services that will help you get more out of your solution. Or, they can analyze your business and explain why a different CRM platform might serve you better than Salesforce.
Let’s take a look at how your Salesforce consultant can improve your CRM solution.
1. Offer Objective Third-Party Observations
When an internal IT team takes on the task of implementing a CRM platform, they might be limited by their existing ideas of the organization. Internal team members could get caught up in doing things “the way they’ve always been done” or be unable to objectively come up with new solutions.
As an outsider, a Salesforce consultant’s responsibilities include providing a unique point of view for your business that internal teams cannot. Consultants come into your business without predetermined ideas of how it should run. They’re able to offer an objective perspective on business needs and create solutions focused on those needs.
2. Provide Professional Advice During Decision-Making
What if you could have access to an expert to answer questions about certain issues, processes, or products related to your business? Many business owners would jump at the chance for a direct line of contact with an expert. That’s exactly what you get when you work with a Salesforce consulting team.
Your consultant serves as an expert resource to answer your questions about Salesforce and technology products. When it’s time to make business decisions related to your CRM strategy, your consulting team is there to provide professional advice and coaching.
3. Ensure Security and Lower Risks
Moving to a cloud-based CRM program requires your business to move a lot of customer and business data. Security should be one of your top concerns during the data migration process. Once your data is moved to the new platform, you’ll still need a robust security plan and system.
A Salesforce consultant knows what needs to be done to keep your company data safe. They’ve helped businesses like yours migrate data safely and securely. They’ll help you create a security plan and watch out for common security risks.
4. Choose the Right Salesforce Edition
There are several basic Salesforce options to choose from for small and enterprise sized businesses. After picking an edition, your business also has to decide what add-on services or products are needed to get the most out of your solution. Salesforce consulting services make it easy to get the right options — the first time. While your consultant analyzes your business to determine which edition is best, you’re free to focus on your business.
5. Optimize Salesforce for Your Business
Is your business already using Salesforce? Is your application optimized to meet the needs of your business? You might have added services or products that don’t make sense for your organization when you first subscribed to Salesforce. This means you’re paying for features you’ll never need or use.
One of the most important jobs of a Salesforce consultant is to optimize existing Salesforce solutions. Your consultant will look at your current application as well as the needs of your business. They’ll make recommendations to scale your solution up or down based on their observations. You’ll save time and money by avoiding overpaying for unnecessary services or features.
6. Create Implementation and Integration Plans
How do you ensure your Salesforce solution is properly implemented in your organization? Will it work with the other platforms you currently use? Salesforce consultants help answer these questions.
After customizing a Salesforce solution for your business, your consultant creates an implementation plan. This plan outlines the steps to introducing Salesforce to your organization and provides checkpoints throughout the process. The plan should also check integration capabilities with your current systems.
7. Provide Employee Training and Resources
An important component of a successful Salesforce implementation is employee adoption. Employees who are excited about a new program or system will be more engaged. However, if employees find the system difficult, they’re likely to resist adoption.
Salesforce consultants can provide training resources to help your employees better understand Salesforce. You can tailor these resources for each team to teach them how Salesforce will help make their jobs easier. When employees know how Salesforce will benefit them, they’re more likely to dive in and learn how to use it.
Salesforce Consulting Services from 5P
Salesforce can help your business be more efficient and effective. With so many options, however, Salesforce can be an overwhelming platform to master. Working with a Salesforce consultant, like the team at 5P, can help you get the most out of your Salesforce application.
We’ll help you optimize your current configuration and set up Salesforce to be most effective for your organization. Find out more about Salesforce consulting by scheduling your free consultation with 5P today or reach out to us to be your salesforce implementation partner.