You have invested in Salesforce, but are you sure you are using it properly? A study says that companies saw a 29% increase in productivity after they implemented Salesforce in their business. Salesforce can change your sales process, streamline the services, and integrate multiple business processes. Yet, due to its complexity, companies cannot start utilizing it successfully immediately after its installation. It needs to be fine-tuned and adapted to your organization’s requirements.
This leads to an important question. When do you need the help of external Salesforce consulting services? Is it just for the initial setup, or will it be helpful later for growth, problem-solving, and long-term strategy? This blog will explain when it makes sense to bring in a Salesforce implementation partner versus a Salesforce consulting partner.
When Do You Need a Salesforce Implementation Partner
The initial phase where you adopt Salesforce requires a lot of technical expertise. You’ll need a salesforce implementation partner if:
- You’re adopting Salesforce for the very first time.
- You’re migrating from a legacy CRM system, which could be spreadsheets or an older database.
- Your business is undergoing a drastic change which will affect your core processes (e.g., a major organizational restructure or new product line launches).
- You’re rolling out Salesforce to a large team or across multiple departments simultaneously.
The Role of a Salesforce Implementation Partner
A salesforce implementation partner guides you throughout the initial stage. Their services usually include:
- Requirements Gathering & Scoping: They take the time to understand your business challenges and goals and turn them into configurations that address their requirements.
- Initial Setup & Configuration: They set up core modules (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, etc.), user profiles, security settings, and basic automation to make it easier for your team to operate.
- Data Migration: They migrate your existing data into Salesforce. They make sure it is clean, accurate, and well-organized so nothing important gets lost in the move.
- Basic Process Mapping & Workflow Design: They map out your day-to-day business workflows inside Salesforce, and make sure everything aligns and runs smoothly from the beginning.
- Initial User Training: They provide practical, hands-on training so your team gets familiar with the new tools faster.
- Go-Live Support: They offer immediate help when you go live so you can solve your issues quickly and transition smoothly to the new system.
These salesforce implementation services are necessary for laying a correct foundation, avoiding common mistakes, and making sure your team actually wants to use the system from day one.
When Do You Need a Salesforce Consulting Partner
Once Salesforce is up and running, your focus will shift from implementation to continuous improvement. Many businesses find that after the initial go-live, the platform is not performing its full potential. They face new challenges or they realize that they need to use more advanced features. This is where the specialized expertise of a salesforce consulting partner becomes necessary to optimize the existing processes.
Look for these common triggers:
- Low User Adoption: Your team isn’t using Salesforce consistently. They are skipping it, finding workarounds, or sticking to old habits outside the system.
- Reporting Gaps: You can’t generate the reports, dashboards, or insights you need to make strategic decisions or they are just not right.
- Inefficient Workflows: Even after Salesforce is implemented, you’re still dealing with manual tasks or broken workflows that slow things down.
- Business Growth & Change: Rapid growth, new products, markets, or acquisitions are pushing your current setup to its limits.
- Integration Headaches: You’re struggling to connect Salesforce with other business applications.
- Underutilized Features: Salesforce has powerful features, but your team doesn’t have the specialized expertise to fully tap into them.
- Internal Resource Strain: Your internal IT or Salesforce admin team is overwhelmed or they lack the specialized knowledge required for complex enhancements.
The Role of a Salesforce Consulting Partner
A great Salesforce consulting partner not just helps you set things up, but also helps you get the most out of your investment as your business grows and changes. Their goal is to make sure that Salesforce continues to deliver real value over time. Here’s how they support you:
- Performance Review & Health Checks: They conduct audits to spot what’s slowing you down, whether it is unused features, issues in the data quality, or performance lags that may have occurred after Salesforce was implemented.
- Advanced Customization & Development: They can build custom automations, develop apps, and connect Salesforce with other critical tools such as your ERP, marketing platforms, or e-commerce systems.
- Strategic Enhancement & Roadmap Development: At some point, your business will grow. Whether you’re launching new products, entering new markets, or going through a merger, they help you align Salesforce with your changing goals and map out what’s next.
- User Adoption & Training Refinement: If your team isn’t using Salesforce the way it should be, they can help with more targeted training. They can create role-specific training programs, or refine existing training based on real user feedback.
- Troubleshooting & Problem Solving: They resolve complex technical issues, data discrepancies, or performance problems if your internal teams don’t have the experience to solve.
- Optimization for ROI: They help you find ways to use the advanced Salesforce features and functionalities. As a result, you will be able to use Salesforce to work smarter, serve customers better, and grow your business faster.
What to Look for in a Salesforce Consulting Partner
When selecting a partner, look for:
- Deep Experience & Certifications: Check if they have worked with companies like yours or handled similar projects. Certifications are great, but success in overcoming real-world challenges matters just as much.
- Strategic Methodology: See how they approach problems. Do they have a clear, structured plan to come up with solutions and manage projects, or are they just winging it?
- Strong Communication & Collaboration: A good partner should also be a great communicator. Figure out if they are the type of partner who listens carefully, understands your business inside and out, and communicates transparently throughout the project.
- Specific Focus: It’s important to know where their strengths lie. You should know if they are focused experts in what you need (e.g., Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or CPQ) or more general in what they have to offer.
- Long-term Vision: You need to think long-term because you’re not just hiring them for a one-off project. You’re looking for someone who can grow with your business and support you as your needs change.
Conclusion
Just setting up Salesforce is not enough. You need to improve the way you use it as your business grows. A good Salesforce implementation partner helps you start strong, but it’s important to know when to go for their consulting services. Don’t let your Salesforce investment fall short. With the right expert guidance, Salesforce can drive long-term efficiency, smarter decisions, and real business growth.
