Salesforce Implementation

5 Salesforce Implementation Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

Salesforce’s customization, clean interface, and exceptional functionality has been encouraging more businesses than ever to transition to its platform. If you’re considering implementing or updating Salesforce, you’re right to be excited about these features. However, there are common mistakes that people make when implementing Salesforce. Don’t fall into these traps - read on to discover how to have a seamless transition.

1) Picking The Wrong Implementation Partners

When a business begins to implement a Salesforce platform into its strategy, it’s crucial that the implementation process is undertaken by experienced consultants. Most businesses recognize that an in-house team is going to be insubstantial as a full implementation will require specialist knowledge not found in-house.

Picking the right partner for your Salesforce implementation is essential, and as the selection process begins businesses need to be self-assured that they have the right way to measure correct partners in order to get the job done. A poor partner in your Salesforce implementation strategy will lead to multiple problems down the line as your team will be ill-prepared to make optimized use of the platform. Ensure that any hired guns are good communicators, experienced in Salesforce itself, and remember - the cost is not always a good indicator of the quality of experience you’re buying. Enforce a strong selection process guided by good practice to find the best partners you can.

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2) Underestimating The Full Cost Of Implementation

In the exciting early stages of decision making about new technology, where everything seems possible and game-changing updates to your platform are going to be introduced, it’s easy to overlook the details. Big technological shifts encourage big picture thinking but neglecting to consider the cost of implication will leave you in store for a nasty surprise.

The cost of implementation or update of a Salesforce platform will be determined by a variety of factors and to ensure that you aren’t caught out down the line you need to take time to consider the full cost of the implementation you’re undertaking. The time the implementation will take, the complexity of the implementation (is it an update or a transition to a completely new platform?), as well as choices about consultancy, will ultimately determine the cost of your project. Investing in the planning stage will protect your process and will be time well spent.

3) Making Life Too Complicated

“One of the reasons Salesforce ignites such passion in businesses is because of the possibilities of customization,” says Susan Jenkins, Salesforce expert at Boomessays, “and as you’re launching headlong into a new technological platform and expecting game-changing results, customization can become the focus of a “dream-big” approach.”

However, overindulging in customization can create more problems for your business as this is notably buggy territory. Prioritizing functionality and taking a measured approach to customization will ensure that you don’t overcomplicate your Salesforce implementation. Where customization is essential, ensure that you are communicating with your transition team to see your customizations emerge bug-free and functional.

4) Failing To Fully Consider The Data

Fixating on new features that the implementation of Salesforce will provide is a natural focus when you’re shifting to new technology. A new platform is an exciting prospect and exploring all the technological possibilities of this is one of the things that drew you to Salesforce in the first place. However, it’s a common mistake for this to distract from the full implications of data migration and integration that are required for a successful transition.

“Failing to fully consider the data will lead to big problems for your business long after the sheen of new features has worn off,” says Warren K. Holmes, tech writer at Essayroo. “Ensure that responsibility for data migration is well-articulated and there is a designated team member who will oversee this process. You’ll be ensuring a seamless transition down the line.”

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5) Overlooking Internal Buy-In

The last mistake is less about technology and more about team psychology. For a transition into new technology to be a success you need complete buy-in from your team. Don’t assume that everyone shares your enthusiasm for change, and be prepared to do the work to bring internal attitudes on board. Ensure that sufficient training is in place and build solid chains of communication to keep everyone in the loop.

Salesforce has the power to take your business to the next level. Optimize this platform by avoiding these common implementation mistakes and you’ll have a seamless transition to new technology that everyone can be thrilled about.

Katherine Rundell is a Salesforce writer at State Of Writing services. She started her own consultancy in 2009 and has been enabling smooth transitions to CRM software for over a decade since.

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