Even though Salesforce technology is here to make our lives easier, implementing it isn’t a walk in the park. Numerous things can go wrong in a CRM implementation process.
Whilst today, we can gather a decent amount of knowledge on the best implementation practices online, it’s crucial to secure experts’ guidance in your CRM implementation journey. Every organisation needs a custom roadmap to evolve its current processes, and this is where your Salesforce implementation partner should step in.
Although we strongly believe that every business is unique (and therefore requires special attention), we listed a few universal tips to support you in your CRM implementation journey, just in case.
5 tips to help you navigate the Salesforce implementation process easily
1) Plan Everything
We have seen many businesses eager to install new processes, and often in that eagerness, they are forgetting to account for requirements such as time or manpower.
Previously, we have talked about the importance of having a CRM strategy, so before you continue, give that a read. A CRM strategy will help you clarify your requirements which will lead to clear expectations as well.
Other than reading up, here is what you absolutely must plan for:
- Requirements (needs, problems and desirable solutions)
- The support team plus their responsibilities
- Goals and vision (allow your vision a bit of flexibility)
- Timeline
2) Prepare
The preparation process will include going over the documentation to successfully implement Salesforce, along with getting the stakeholders in line.
However, the most crucial preparation is your data preparation. Many companies lose data due to inadequate handling. This is especially the case when companies decide to move from clunky (or non-existent) legacy systems without prior prep, causing the data migration process to become messy.
We have seen many clients underestimate the effort it takes to clean up, map, and load data.
Make sure to do your due diligence prior to implementation and prepare for this by setting the system up before the data is loaded.
3) Implement
Our advice here is plain and simple — reach out to an expert, like us!
4) Consider your users
Every future Salesforce user will get excited once they see the CRM automation results.
However, what happens if the results aren’t visible to all users and the enthusiasm starts to go down? Usually, then the workforce becomes disengaged from the system, while non-essential functionalities get tossed on the side. And the CRM evolution, once so promising, simply stops.
The CRM results can come in various shapes or forms, but if the user adoption rate isn’t great, your results will reflect that.
User adoption is of critical importance, and the simplest way to get the ball rolling is to make a quick win first. Find a process that most of your users hate, automate it, save them some precious time, increase engagement and voila! The new CRM system becomes a hit and everyone has an opinion on what to do next.
5) Long-term improvement
As we already mentioned, every vision should allow for flexibility. The CRM system will always follow the evolution of the processes and people in your organisation. By the same token, when we first endeavour on the CRM journey we won’t be able to see the ultimate end result, as the end goal will evolve into something else.
Because of this reason we continuously tell our customers – think of the big picture. Every functionality in the overall solution should be prepared for the future.
To simplify — think in terms of scalability, mobility, AI-possibilities and ease of use.
Final thoughts
Remember – beyond the implementation strategy, the support team and the processes – there is the technical part of the implementation process that includes managing data, avoiding technical debt and building the CRM system for the future.
And even though, as Salesforce implementation partners, we know how to manoeuvre the CRM implementation process, we still require deep insight into business operations before we start the CRM implementation.
So, in summation, make sure your Salesforce implementation partner gives you a proper interrogation before the project take-off.
Cloud Orca has successfully implemented over 150 Salesforce projects, contact us now to find out how we can help with your Salesforce Implementation.
