In today’s changing landscape, businesses worldwide are seeking innovative ways to manage customer interactions and optimize their internal operations. At the core of this endeavor lies Customer Relationship Management (CRM), an indispensable tool that assists businesses in offering enhanced services and elevating the customer experience.
As CRM’s leading name and with an impressive market share of 23.0%, Salesforce is setting innovative standards in several industries. Over 150,000 businesses worldwide rely on Salesforce. The reason behind this preference for Salesforce is its proven track record of implementation.
An effective Salesforce implementation can boost productivity by much as 44% and generate an average revenue increase of 37%. Nevertheless, to leverage the benefits of Salesforce, the expertise of a Salesforce setup consultant becomes invaluable.
Who Is A Salesforce Setup Consultant?
A Salesforce setup consultant provides specialized guidance and advice to businesses of all sizes on using the Salesforce platform effectively. They help streamline customer service, sales, and marketing processes using the Salesforce functionalities and features.
Typically, Salesforce consultants have profound knowledge of the platform and can help businesses design and implement customized solutions that satisfy unique business requirements. They work directly with clients to analyze their business requirements, pain points, their need for the Salesforce platform, and design workflows.
Then, they emerge with the best strategies to develop custom apps and integrate Salesforce with other systems. Likewise, they offer support and training to the end users, ensuring they use the platform efficaciously to achieve their goals.
Roles and Responsibilities of A Salesforce Setup Consultant
The following are the roles and responsibilities of a Salesforce setup consultant.
- Identify the client’s business needs, challenges, and objectives for the Salesforce implementation.
- Create a personalized Salesforce setup strategy that aligns with specific business processes.
- Create custom objects, fields, user roles, profiles, and page layouts in Salesforce.
- Help with data import and migration while ensuring accuracy and integrity.
- Create unique triggers, functions, and Visualforce/Apex components.
- To optimize data flow and procedures, integrate Salesforce with other processes.
- Offer thorough training sessions for end users.
- Provide perpetual assistance and guidance for troubleshooting.
Key Criteria for Choosing A Salesforce Setup Consultant
Although Salesforce is a very useful technology, integrating it into your workforce can be challenging. A dedicated Salesforce setup consultant assists with integrating Salesforce into the business, making the transition easier for the workforce.
The only challenging decision is determining whether a Salesforce consulting firm, partner, or consultant fits your project. Hence, businesses must understand the critical factors to be considered before hiring a Salesforce setup consultant.
Below are some key criteria when deciding the right consultant for a business:
1. Experience and Expertise
Look for consultants or companies with a track record of successfully executing Salesforce projects. Check their experience working with companies in your sector and size range.
Any Salesforce setup consultant must be conversant about the best practices, integration, customization, and features of Salesforce.
2. Salesforce Certification
The Salesforce certifications demonstrate the credibility of Salesforce consulting services. Reputed consultants must have several certifications to help businesses in many capacities effectively.
Although there are more than 30 Salesforce certifications, not all of them are needed. Eventually, in the end, it is all about the business needs – what the business owner expects from the consulting services.
3. Client References and Reviews
Request testimonials and reviews from previous clients who have worked with the Salesforce setup consultant.
Speak to these references to learn more about the consultant’s working methods, communication skills, problem-solving aptitude, and general client satisfaction level. Check online testimonials and reviews as well to get further input.
4. Understanding Your Business
A qualified consultant will learn about your business’s procedures, objectives, and problems. Instead of providing basic configurations, they must be able to customize Salesforce solutions to meet your unique requirements.
Moreover, a good Salesforce setup consultant should have creative thinking and problem-solving abilities, identify potential obstacles, and suggest innovative ways to resolve them
5. Onboarding Process
Salesforce implementation comprises a number of steps and tasks. A credible Salesforce setup consultant must be able to provide a well-defined process covering each step/stage.
Also, the consultant must be able to comprehend the business process in depth and transparently present all the steps to be followed while implementing Salesforce.
Furthermore, a qualified consultant should possess good project management skills to keep the project on track, set realistic deadlines, and effectively manage resources.
6. Data Migration Cost
Never underestimate the value and challenges of introducing legacy data into Salesforce. Salesforce may not be difficult, but managing all the data is. Additionally, there is still significant maintenance even after the data migration and Salesforce setup.
Therefore, spending the entire budget on data migration might not be a good idea. Before making a final choice, it is prudent to ask the consultant about the expected data migration cost. This enables them to allocate resources effectually and make informed decisions.
7. Training and Support
Give top priority to consultants who give business owners and their employees comprehensive post-implementation training and support. Ample training enables employees to use Salesforce’s features, increasing productivity and efficiency.
A smooth transition can be achieved with reliable post-implementation support since it enables quick handling of any problems that may arise. A well-trained team maximizes Salesforce investment and enhances business processes.
8. Compatibility and Cultural Fit
To ensure compatibility with the culture of your business, assess the consultant’s working methods and values. A compatible partnership fosters more effective communication and collaboration.
As long as consultants share your beliefs, they are more likely to comprehend the needs of your business and provide solutions that naturally fit.
A good fit will improve the consulting process, resulting in successful outcomes and a stronger, more productive relationship between your business and the Salesforce setup consultant.
Conclusion
In your digital transformation path, having the right Salesforce implementation partner by your side can make a big difference.
The right Salesforce setup consultant can guide you toward best practices and away from common pitfalls. Hence, you can unlock the full potential of Salesforce and deliver faster returns on your investment.
Cloudiate is a certified Salesforce implementation partner that enables businesses of all sizes to get the most out of Salesforce. With more than ten years of experience, Cloudiate has a demonstrated history of success with its clients leveraging all the resources that Salesforce provides.
Contact Cloudiate today to learn more about how they can help you unleash the full potential of Salesforce and grow your business.