5 Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Salesforce Consulting Partner
For a good reason, Salesforce is the industry titan of CRMs. The platform can assist in streamlining various operations inside your company, including marketing, product distribution, and the sales process. Salesforce is a fantastic system, but allocating resources to match it to your needs shines and can expand your organization. One of the best things a company can do to make the most of the Salesforce CRM is to hire the best sales consultant. A Salesforce Consulting Partner offers the knowledge and expertise you need to put best practices into practice so that you may expand your company.
However, how can you pick the top Salesforce consulting firm? Identifying which consultant will best meet your objectives can be challenging given the hundreds of official Salesforce Consulting Partners listed on AppExchange, all of whom understand the platform.
The most important qualities to seek in a consulting partner are listed below
1. Comprehensive Knowledge
A successful partnership may be ensured by selecting a Salesforce Consulting Partner with Salesforce knowledge, but there are other crucial qualities to look for.
· Sales –
To develop automation that helps your sales process, you’ll collaborate with your Salesforce Consulting Partner. Therefore, your consultant’s team must include former sales managers or directors of sales operations. These people can offer crucial, practical insight and counsel on sales methods that will work for your business.
· Management of projects
The procedures within the Salesforce ecosystem affect numerous teams and departments on and off the web. Your Salesforce implementation will make sense online and offline if you work with a Salesforce consulting partner with expertise in project management. To guarantee the project stays on track, delivery is carried out, and post-implementation training is successful, they have experience managing phases and iterations. The leading Salesforce Consulting Partners employ Project Management Professionals (PMPs) to carry out those efforts.
· Additional Technologies –
To help with integrations and other LOBs is one of the key reasons businesses use Salesforce consultants. Any team you select should know the wide range of technologies that Salesforce connects with, including custom software programs, Quickbooks, and Gmail. Consider the following before hiring a consultant: Do they have the capacity to integrate Salesforce solutions into my planned technology? If not, think twice.
2. The Techniques of Implementation
Comprehending the partner’s implementation strategy while looking to employ the greatest Salesforce Consulting Partner is critical. The best method is incremental delivery based on agile principles because it considers phases and iterations, which help keep your project on schedule and under budget. This strategy also ensures that your staff and the Salesforce experts work closely together, frequently producing superior outcomes. Please learn more about your partner, such as the tools they use to create flowcharts and prototypes. It’s preferable to pick a different partner if they cannot give specifics.
3. Ongoing Assistance
Before you agree to work with a Salesforce Consultant Company, ask them how they will help your company going forward once the deployment is complete. Collaborating with a partner who focuses on continuous Salesforce changes is the best way to ensure that your business stays ahead of the curve and the competition. Make sure the partner won’t put the needs of other, more extensive initiatives ahead of your assistance needs. Some partners, such as KeyNode Solutions, provide specific Salesforce Managed Services focused on providing clients with continuous support and upkeep. The ideal mate is one like this.
4. Financial Plan
Prices for Salesforce Support are all over the place! It’s crucial to talk about your budget immediately so you can concentrate on partners who fall within your price range. But decide on a range and pick the first partner that fits it. The most expensive option is sometimes the best, as with many things. Request bids from your partners, then evaluate them. Without a formal RFP, you can still discover a lot about the partner, including some informal insights about how they deliver and how detailed they are.
5. Decide on a long-term relationship
It makes sense to use a Salesforce Consulting Company to support the business organization from process execution to process according to emerging needs when the internal assets are not Salesforce-certified experts and the execution is business-critical. Long-term engagements are the best strategy for customer-centric businesses since Salesforce-certified experts have the tools to identify hazards before they become a problem.
The ideal time to engage a consulting partner is when?
Deciding when to engage a consulting partner for your Salesforce Implementation can vary depending on several factors. However, here are a few situations that indicate it may be the right time to engage a consulting partner:
1. Initial Salesforce Implementation:
If you’re starting from scratch with Salesforce and need assistance setting up and configuring the platform, engaging a consulting partner from the beginning is beneficial. They can help you design exemplary architecture, customize the system to meet your business needs, and ensure smooth implementation.
2. Complex Customizations:
If your Salesforce implementation requires extensive customizations or integrations with other systems, it’s advisable to involve a consulting partner. They have the expertise to handle complex technical requirements, ensuring your Salesforce instance is tailored to your unique business processes.
3. Low User Adoption and Productivity:
If you’ve already implemented Salesforce but need help with user adoption or low productivity, a consulting partner can help. They can analyze the root causes, provide training and change management strategies, and optimize your Salesforce instance to enhance user engagement and productivity.
4. Scaling and Expansion:
When your business is growing, expanding into new markets, or introducing new products/services, a consulting partner can help you align Salesforce with your evolving needs. They can assist with scaling the platform, implementing additional features, and optimizing processes to support your business growth.
5. System Upgrades and Enhancements:
If you plan to upgrade to a new version of Salesforce or want to leverage new features and functionalities, a consulting partner can guide you through the process. They can assess the impact of upgrades, ensure a seamless transition, and maximize the benefits of the latest Salesforce capabilities.
Ultimately, the right time to engage a consulting partner depends on your organization’s requirements, goals, and resources. However, involving a consulting partner early in your Salesforce journey can lead to smoother implementations, better user adoption, and enhanced long-term success.
Conclusion
Finding the ideal Salesforce Consulting Partner to match your company’s needs ideally necessitates the application of a systematic plan. You should be aware of the individuals they employ and their procedures. Check to see if their approaches are similar to yours after determining the criteria for your project. Examine all the services to ensure they are the best fit over the long run. The information will help you choose the best Salesforce Consulting Partner to take your company to new heights.