Salesforce Classic to Lightning Migration: Benefits and Best Practices

Salesforce is a comprehensive CRM platform that delivers almost everything needed to manage business operations efficiently. It is a powerful toolset that enables top-level management to streamline and execute complex tasks on the go—including marketing automation, data analytics, platform development applications, and customer service to name a few.

Salesforce Classic, which is the original version of the CRM platform, had been the most preferred option for numerous enterprises until 2016. Compared to its contenders, Classic became quite an outdated platform to a great extent. It was then that the company rolled out a new and advanced Salesforce Lightning with an improved User Interface. One of the important reasons why Classic is now phased out in favor of Salesforce Lightning.

What is Salesforce Lightning?

Salesforce Lightning is a newer, more modern, and intuitive component-based framework. It offers a slew of benefits compared to the original Salesforce Classic—including a cleaner User Interface (UI), better reporting and analytics, enhanced UX, improved productivity, better mobile support, automation capabilities, and more, making it a go-to option for companies.

Lightning is designed to streamline business operations, enhance user experience, and boost productivity. Further, users can make data-driven decisions, complete tasks more easily, and find information more quickly and efficiently.

What are the Best Practices for Migrating to Salesforce Lightning?

Some of the best practices to ensure an effortless and successful migration from Classic to the Salesforce Lightning version are as follows:

• Start as Early as Possible

Migrating is never an easy task. So, if you’re planning to switch from Salesforce Classic to Lightning, it is imperative to start planning and preparing as early as possible. Hence, you get ample time to assess your current setup, test as well as validate customizations, and inform all about the upcoming changes to all relevant business stakeholders.

• Assign a Team

You can either assign an in-house team that will be responsible for the migration process. It should include representatives from all relevant departments including IT, marketing, sales, and customer support. Or else, you can engage in Salesforce migration services to get professional help.

Don't forget to check out: 4 Phases of Salesforce Classic to Lightning Migration

• Communicate Often

When opting for a third-party setup or Classic to Salesforce Lightning migration, it is advised to communicate upcoming changes to all relevant stakeholders. These might consist of business partners, employees, and customers.

• Provide Training and Support

It is essential to provide ample training and support as migrating to a new platform can often be challenging for users. This helps them firm their grip and get on the speed of the new system. You can offer hands-on support, provide training materials, and set up a helpdesk to answer their concerns or questions.

• Test, Validate, and Revalidate

Testing and validation are vital to ensure a successful migration, whether it is third-party or Salesforce to Salesforce. Test and validate all integrations and customizations before making the switch to Lightning. Also, check for data loss and validate it again after the migration is complete to be assured that everything is working as expected.

Exclusive Features of Salesforce Lightning

There is high chance that you are missing an interactive user interface with an equally outstanding library of exclusive features if your company hasn’t upgraded to Salesforce Lightning. Designed using Salesforce’s mobile application technology, Lightning has a responsive UI that works efficiently on different devices. Other exclusive features like Kanban View and customizable dashboards facilitate faster navigation and improve the intuitive UX.

However, the benefits of Lightning adoption aren’t limited to boosting end-user experience only. It also provides outstanding back-end design components and systems, enabling developers to customize the Salesforce CRM using low-code frameworks. Overall, Salesforce Lightning is committed to delivering the following benefits:

• Additional Salesforce Einstein Features

Salesforce Lightning provides access to the task list for each account, lead, opportunity, and contact immediately. The activity timeline offers complete information about open tasks, upcoming meetings, recent accomplishments, and so much more.

• Improved Security

Lightning prioritizes security as these components need less coding and minimize the chances of security breaches. One of the security features is Locker Services which separates the Lightning components and prevents malicious attacks, if any. In addition, user permissions need a separate sign-in and are managed by higher authority access.

• Enhanced User Interface

As compared to the Classic version, Salesforce Lightning is built with a more intuitive and easier-to-navigate interface. It has a cleaner and more modern look and feels, enabling users to find information more quickly and efficiently. Consequently, businesses get a better overall user experience and improved productivity.

• Better Mobile Support

People use mobile to access the internet, as compared to any other device. Hence, a mobile-optimized CRM platform is good to have for enterprises. Users can easily access their data and work on the go as Salesforce Lightning is developed to work seamlessly across a wide range of devices, such as tablets and smartphones.

• Boosted Productivity

Lightning includes streamlined navigation, drag-and-drop capabilities, and a more customizable homepage, improving business productivity. With the help of such features, users can complete tasks efficiently and quickly, saving time and boosting overall productivity.

• Better Reporting and Analytics

Lightning has improved reporting and analytics capabilities, such as real-time data visualization and interactive dashboards. This leads to informed decision-making based on updated information and improves outcomes as well as overall performance.

• Increased Automation

You can easily do away with repetitive tasks with the help of Lightning as it offers increased automation capabilities. You not only streamline workflows but also save time and reduce errors. In addition, resources can be freed up to focus on higher-value tasks.

Check out another amazing blog by Alok here: 5 Things To Know Before Implementing Salesforce Sales Cloud

Conclusion

Migrating from Salesforce Classic to Lightning is a significant undertaking as it needs dedicated time and effort. Lightning offers many non-negotiable advantages over Classic with its improved interface, better productivity tools, and enhanced mobile support. At the same time, it is essential to prepare your people and company and follow the best practices listed above to ensure a glitch-free and successful migration. And, by collaborating with experts, you can unlock the full potential of the powerful Salesforce CRM platform.