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Businesses invest in Salesforce’s game-changing software to streamline operations, enhance customer relationships and unlock new growth opportunities.

Yet, they often underestimate the complexities of implementation, leading to inadequate training and poor user adoption. The hurry-up-and-go mentality prevents businesses from leveraging the full potential of the software, stifling growth and limiting the platform’s ability to deliver optimal results.

“Salesforce is a very customizable platform,” says Mike Parrott, Director of Marketing & Operations at KBF CPAs in Oregon. “In a way, it’s similar to a Lego set. They give you the raw materials, and you get to build whatever you want.”

Parrott worked with an integration partner to lead the Salesforce implementation at KBF. He shares some key learnings for adopting the software—and pitfalls he faced along the way—along with tips for hiring and working with a Salesforce consultant.

1. Budget Extra Time and Resources for Implementation

   Parrot says he initially downplayed the Salesforce implementation process. He thought he could achieve business goals using out-of-the box features and tried to quickly launch the software without thinking through the data migration and architecture.

   “We made the big mistake of trying to build it out on the fly,” Parrott says. “We bought it and we didn’t know what all it could do. As we started to learn about the capabilities, we realized it would take several more months and thousands of dollars to implement.”

   Parrott hired Everpeak Partners to help him understand Salesforce’s full capabilities, manage the architecture and devise a multi-phase plan to implement additional modules—a process he wishes he started from the get-go.

   “You have to budget for implementation, both in time and money. If I buy a fighter jet, I better budget to have a pilot,” Parrott says. “Not anybody can just sit in that seat and fly it, and the same goes with Salesforce. You have to hire somebody who actually knows Salesforce, whether it’s an integration partner or an employee—and you need to budget for it.”

   Parrott recommends spending a minimum of 50 percent of your time and budget working with a consulting partner to build out the architecture and understand how the software can achieve business goals.

   “If I could go back in time, instead of building it on the fly, I’d spend a lot more time upfront having the consultant get to know my business, figure out what I’m trying to accomplish for sales, marketing and operations, and determine who’s going to run the software. Again, you have to budget for all of this both in time and money.”

2. Find a Power-User to Drive Adoption

   Beyond planning for the implementation, businesses need to consider not only how their employees will learn to use the software, but who will lead the charge. 

   “Any company that uses Salesforce better have their power-user. It could be the consulting firm you hire or an employee, but you need somebody who’s the go-to person that everybody else can come to with questions,” Parrott says. “Otherwise, it’s not going to get adopted and you just wasted all your money.” 

   Businesses also must ensure they roll out a powerful software like Salesforce in stages, otherwise employees will quickly become overwhelmed.

   “You have to start at phase one and show employees the basics,” Parrott says. “Once they’re living in Salesforce and using it every day, you can begin to introduce additional modules.”

3. Hire a Salesforce Integration Partner

   Parrott mistakenly thought he could implement Salesforce on his own using in-house resources. He says everything changed when he hired Everpeak Partners to lead the Salesforce implementation.

   An integration partner not only serves as your trusted advisor for the implementation but provides ongoing consultancy as you grow your business and add additional Salesforce modules.

   “You want a partner who consults from a commercial standpoint, helps you understand what automations Salesforce brings to the table and can map out development in a series of phases,” Parrott says. 

   There’s a process for implementing Salesforce, and Parrott says a great consultant brings real-world experience and understands the nuances and roadblocks to make it as seamless as possible. 

   “It’s important to find somebody that lives in this software and can clearly communicate all the capabilities and how they apply to my business,” Parrott says. “They might have great technical knowledge, but if they’re unable to effectively communicate and live with you every day as you build this out, it’s not going to work.”

   Beyond ensuring excellent communication skills, Parrott says business should seek recommendations and check online reviews, and also ensure the consultant employs enough architects and engineers to manage the project.

4. Stick with Your Integration Partner

   Once a business finds a Salesforce integration partner they like, Parrott recommends sticking with them for the long-haul. He compares switching consultants to changing a doctor or lawyer, as it’s difficult to provide the best care or representation when starting from scratch.

   A long-term partnership allows the Salesforce consultant to get to know your business, so they can construct the Salesforce development to align with your business needs and goals.

   “The minute all of the tribal knowledge is no longer part of the package, you lose,” Parrott says. “Whether you work with an integration partner like Everpeak or hire a Salesforce developer, make sure to spend enough time to find the right person and then stick with them. It will save so much time and budget on the backend.”

 

Everpeak Partners was founded in 2017 and has helped more than 200 companies implement and optimize Salesforce, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud. Contact us today for a free 3-hour discovery session to see how we can help accelerate your business.

Companies invest in CRM software to centralize customer data, automate sales and marketing tactics and make data-driven decisions to improve their operations. 

But sometimes a tool meant to simplify business processes causes unanticipated chaos. Organizations often run into problems by underestimating the complexities of implementing the software, lacking in-house expertise to manage the system and failing to adequately train users to get the most out of the platform.

Read on to explore some of the top mistakes companies make when integrating CRM technology into their operations.

1. Not Planning for Implementation

   CRM platforms like Salesforce provide powerful business intelligence, and organizations invest considerable capital to enhance sales automation, track customer interactions and measure ROI. But a lack of strategic planning and cross-department alignment during implementation sets companies up to fail from the get-go. 

   “The product is great, but the problem is it’s so robust and it has so many different features and functionalities that the implementation is where things go wrong,” says Gean Biffulco, a Salesforce consultant for Everpeak Partners. “There’s a misconception that Salesforce is an off-the-shelf product that you simply turn on and start selling.”

   Before starting implementation, organizations should bring sales, marketing, accounting and other key players to the table to outline the user requirements and business goals they hope to achieve from the CRM. Then, define processes, document workflows and invest in training and change management for users. 

2. Lacking an Experienced Admin

   Companies frequently make the mistake of handing the reins to their in-house IT person who lacks hands-on experience with a complex CRM, such as Salesforce. 

   “They just wing it and go in and add a bunch of fields or try to build a workflow and it ends up not supporting the business’s workflows and how their team can use the software correctly,” says Cory Gould, a Sales Cloud Solution Architect at Everpeak Partners. “You need an experienced admin or Salesforce integration partner to explain how Salesforce supports the organization in a holistic way, and who understands the core components like contacts, accounts, opportunities and leads.”

   While earning certifications or badges help admins grow their knowledge, a lack of real-life experience proves difficult to solve complex CRM problems.

3. Mishandling Data Architecture and Migration

   Data migration can be complex and challenging when implementing CRM software, and several issues can arise if not managed properly, from unreliable and duplicate data to inaccurate reporting. 

   “Sometimes when companies grow, they just keep adding software, but they don’t have a data architect who can see how all of the systems need to come together,” Biffulco says. “They’re working in silos, and that’s a major inefficiency.”

   Companies manage tons of data across multiple systems, and the CRM needs to integrate with these tools and blend the data to create accurate reporting.

   “Data architecture issues often occur because there’s so many different personalities and competing interests around where the data should be, where it should flow and what data should even be in the system,” Gould says. “The biggest challenge is getting everyone in a room to document it, and then understanding the business needs of the CRM.”

   To mitigate these problems, companies should adopt a structured and well-documented data migration strategy, including data profiling and cleansing, detailed data mapping, testing and validation processes and user training.

   “With so many competing priorities and personalities, companies really benefit from bringing in outside consultants to mediate and provide them with a vision or a future state of the data architecture,” Biffulco says.

4. Not Providing Training for Active Users

   Organizations purchase complex CRM software, but don’t always invest in effective training for daily users. Without the know-how and proper training, users will struggle to get the most out of the software, and businesses won’t see an ROI on the platform.

   “Investing in your employees is a big part of implementing a CRM, and companies don’t always do a great job. They kind of just throw their users into something and say, ‘Hey, figure it out,’” Gould says. “But they should be thinking about processes. They should consider what they’re aiming to do with the CRM, and how it will support day-to-day work.” 

   When Biffulco advises clients on solving CRM pain points, he goes directly to the active users.

   “I’d rather talk to the people that use Salesforce every day versus the IT or Sales manager, because I know I’m going to get everything I need from the person that actually uses the platform,” Gould says.

   Businesses should consider tailoring training plans to different user roles and expertise. Sales, customer support, and marketing teams may require different training modules based on their specific needs, responsibilities and employee profile. Employees should understand how using the CRM system will benefit both their work and the organization as a whole.

5. Not Leveraging a CRM Optimization Consultant

   Biffulco and Gould say it may not make financial sense for every business to have a full-time admin on staff. Instead, they should leverage managed service support from a certified CRM consultant.

   “We start a dialogue, document their pain points, do analysis and get to know the client as if we were part of their business,” Biffulco says. “That’s what yields results and builds long-term relationships. When I see a well-oiled Salesforce machine, it’s so fun to watch.” 

   A CRM consultant can help organizations optimize their CRM investment, from opportunity and lead flow design to custom reports and dashboards.

   “Once we understand their business needs, we can introduce them to a world of possibilities with Salesforce that they didn’t know was even possible,” Biffulco says.

 

Everpeak Partners was founded in 2017 and has helped more than 200 companies implement and optimize Salesforce, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud. Contact us today for a free 3-hour discovery session to see how we can help accelerate your business.

Salesforce is a powerful platform that offers a wide range of features and capabilities to streamline sales, service, finance, commerce and marketing functions. But many users with a basic annual subscription fail to realize the full potential of their investment. Utilizing these five features can significantly enhance your team’s productivity and effectiveness.

Customized Dashboards and Reports:

Salesforce provides powerful reporting and analytics tools that enable users to track and measure key performance indicators (KPIs). However, many users only scratch the surface of this feature. With the ability to create custom dashboards and reports, you can gain valuable insights into your sales funnel, campaign effectiveness and customer behavior. By leveraging this feature, you can identify trends, make data-driven decisions, and optimize your sales and marketing strategies.

Workflow Automation:

Automation is the key to efficiency, and Salesforce offers a robust workflow automation feature. By setting up automated workflows, you can streamline repetitive tasks, such as lead assignment, email notifications and data updates. This not only saves time but also ensures consistent processes and reduces the risk of errors. Free up your team from manual workarounds so they can spend more time building relationships, closing deals and having value-added conversations with your customers.

Email Templates and Campaigns:

Salesforce email templates and campaign features are powerful tools for communication and nurturing leads. By leveraging email templates, you can create professional, branded emails with ease, saving time and maintaining consistency across your outreach efforts. Additionally, the campaign feature allows you to organize and track your marketing initiatives effectively. Deliver targeted, personalized messages and drive engagement with your audience.

Collaboration with Chatter:

Chatter is an often-overlooked collaboration tool that can foster teamwork and knowledge sharing within your organization. Chatter provides a social networking platform within Salesforce, allowing users to collaborate, share files, ask questions and stay updated on relevant activities. By encouraging your team to utilize Chatter, you can break down silos, facilitate communication, and foster a culture of collaboration that leads to improved productivity and innovation. Watchout: using Chatter is one more place for teams to check for messages so it’s a good idea to clarify when to use Chatter versus other tools like Teams, Slack or email and make sure alerts are set up so you don’t miss the messages.

Mobile App for On-the-Go Access:

The Salesforce mobile app allows you to stay connected with your customers, access real-time data, update records and collaborate on the go. By leveraging the mobile app, you can enhance productivity, responsiveness and customer service, regardless of your location.

While Salesforce offers a comprehensive suite of features, it’s common for users with a basic annual subscription to miss out on the full potential of their investment. By exploring and utilizing these underutilized features—customizable dashboards and reports, workflow automation, email templates and campaigns, Chatter collaboration, and the mobile app—you can unlock the power of Salesforce.com and maximize your productivity, efficiency, and ROI. Embrace these features, and propel your sales and marketing efforts to new heights!

Since launching in 2017, Everpeak has helped more than 200 companies optimize Sales and Service Cloud. We’re often called in to fix a bad implementation or help teams improve adoption. Of the hundreds of audits we’ve run, these are the six most common areas we find low-hanging potential to improve.

1. 1. Sales path: Companies should have lead status values and opportunity stage values that make sense based off of their sales process. They should use “guidance for success” to outline best practices for each stage. The stages should pick up from the lead status to the opportunity stage and there should be a clear conversion event. The conversion point when a lead goes to an opportunity should be based on the timing in the sales process where the lead expresses clear interest in the product / service and the seller confirms that they are indeed a qualified potential buyer. 

      

 

1. 1. Key Fields / Dynamic Fields: Key fields are part of the buying process tied to stages, but can also be added to any “Path” which isn’t necessarily always related to sales. As the stages progress in any path, relevant fields for that stage can show up. For example, you might not care what the “loss reason” is when you’re within the sales process, but if you lose a deal, it becomes highly relevant.

      

 

1. 1. Validation Rules: Validation rules ensure that data is clean. While there are basic required / non-required fields, validation rules go a step further by requiring fields based on a condition. For example, a “manager approved” checkbox can be required if a deal size is over $250,000. Or you could require the “amount” field and “signer name” to be populated before generating a proposal in Salesforce. They ensure that the proper data is entered into Salesforce at the right time. Validation rules also save sales and rev ops managers time by automating their sales operations processes.

      

 

1. 1. Flows / Automation: The automation engine in Salesforce is world class. You can literally automate anything with the logic of: “If a criteria = true, then trigger an automation.” For example, if the State = California, trigger the lead to be reassigned to the “West” team as the new owner. Or if a new deal is won, create a new task to be assigned to the owner to schedule the onboarding session. Automation can trigger updates in the following ways: email alerts, new tasks, field updates, 3rd party system data updates and more. The sky’s the limit when it comes to automation. 

      

 

1. 1. User Interface: The UI is the way that the user interacts with the system and even saving one click each time a record is opened for a particular object can make a world of a difference. The UI should be simple and just show the most relevant information. Many companies who upgrade to Lightning do not properly configure all of the Lightning elements. For example, three-column layouts can be very effective. Eliminate extra fields and parts of the page layout that don’t serve the team and make it easier to scan for most useful data. Optimization of the UI is highly valuable and includes the following: homepage UI, tabs at the top of the screen, logo branded on top left, list views, page layouts across all objects for fields, Lightning page layout for object elements, buttons that show up within objects, buttons that show up within records, links in favorites tabs, related lists on objects and much more.

      

 

1. Reporting: Quality reporting is essential to understanding the performance of an organization. As the old saying goes, “What gets measured gets managed.” Most companies have two issues: No1. is the quality of their data, which leads to reporting that doesn’t accurately reflect what’s going on. Training your team to consistently enter accurate and timely data is crucial. Using a carrot and stick approach here can be most effective.  No. 2 is their reports aren’t built correctly. Quality reporting should roll up into dashboards with multiple components. The dashboards can be both placed on the homepage of users as well as saved dashboards within their reports / dashboards folders.

   

Oliver Sholder founded Everpeak Partners in 2017 after successful runs at four top-tier Salesforce consulting firms. Oliver is a 4x certified Salesforce consultant and technical architect with experience implementing Salesforce solutions for more than 250 organizations. He holds a degree in business administration from North Carolina State University. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, playing chess, and reading. Oliver resides in Portland, OR.