Salesforce Consulting Services in the United States How to Pick the Right Partner

If u are just starting off on your Salesforce journey, it may get a bit intimidating to get a grip on all that the software can do for your business. No matter if you’re just starting your journey with a Cloud CRM, a veteran building your own Salesforce apps or building your own legacy integrations, you need a strong Salesforce partner to help you along the way.

We’ve created a checklist for everyone at this important decision-making stage of the Salesforce journey. Look for these when selecting a partner and your journey with Salesforce would be smooth sailing

‍Define what you’re looking for from Salesforce

‍Salesforce can do a lot of things right out of the box. It can do even more if you build your own app on top of it. However, you don’t need to flex the platform to the maximum for your business if it doesn’t really make sense for your space. It’s a versatile platform, but having clarity on what you want from it is really the first step towards a great implementation.

While looking for a Salesforce partner, create a scope of work document that clearly outlines what you want from the system. Carve out clear goals, metrics, and KPIs for the implementation. You must also identify the teams that are going to be using the system and the processes that are going to change because of it.

Identify key stakeholders from each of these teams and ensure that you have the buy-in of these stakeholders. If you haven’t yet ironed out exactly what you’re looking for, look at engaging a partner for a consultative/initial engagement to come up with a roadmap of the ideal implementation

‍Don’t go for the lowest bidder

‍There are a number of factors that go into a Salesforce implementation, the needs of your business, team size, strength, scope, and KPIs all can change how the partner prices the implementation. A Salesforce partner who proposes a lower costing may be choosing to do an ‘out of the box’ implementation or a template implementation for your industry without really understanding all the variables at play or really researching your business.

This can really affect the productivity of your implementation as well as your overall ROI. So, when looking for a partner, make sure that they understand your business in detail and ask about all the features and custom solutions that might add value to your business. Sometimes, when going for the lowest bidder, companies also sacrifice on the quality of support and the talent that’s in charge of implementation. It helps if you think long term about the partnership and engagement rather than a one-time implementation

‍Ensure that your Salesforce partner has extensive software experience

‍When choosing a Salesforce partner, ensure that your partner has extensive experience in software development and solution architecture. If your partner has worked on an array of software projects, they will be more familiar with the challenges and will be able to build an appropriate solution on the Salesforce platform.

Check if your partner has worked with startups as well as enterprise firms, this will give you a fair idea if their core values align with yours. Domain expertise in various software projects will invariably ensure that your implementation is faster and free from glitches.

‍Verify if the partner has the talent and team size to support the implementation

‍Check with your partner and make sure that the team handling implementation is introduced to you and a single POC is set up before the project. Also, look out for consultancies that merely act as middlemen and don’t have the in house expertise to handle the delivery.

You must meet the team of Engineers, QAs, and Project Managers and be assured of the team size and skill set before you proceed with your project.

‍Check whether they have the appropriate support infrastructure

‍Salesforce is continuously evolving and as a result, you need to make sure that you are always up to date with the latest version with all the latest features and software patches. Your Salesforce partner must be able to provide support as necessary.

If you have an in house technology team, offshore support from the partner would suffice, however, if you don’t have an in house team, your partner should be able to provide support for major fixes and updates

‍Take the leap of faith

‍While Salesforce is a vast and complex tool, it is essential to get started and not keep delaying your first steps. If you’re contemplating implementing Salesforce then the best way to find the right partner is to be meticulous when selecting a partner.

Make sure that you evaluate multiple partners and engagement models and have clear visibility on the planning, processes, design, and adoption of the platform. It’s important to be agile in the adoption process or you run the risk of delaying the transformation and missing the boat to a competitor

‍Are you looking for a Salesforce partner that isn’t just a consultant but acts as an extended team? Get in touch with Fission labs today for a free demo - Contact Us