We hear this a lot. You have Salesforce, you set it up, and it’s just a mess that you can’t figure out how to sort. Don’t panic! Not only is a Salesforce mess a common issue for organizations to run into, but it is a very solvable one! Let’s start from the beginning.
How did this happen?
We most often run into a case of Salesforce mess in three circumstances.
Fresh Eyes in a Key Role
It’s most common when a new person joins the team in a new key role. Like a new CEO, a new VP of Marketing, or a new VP of Sales. This new team member brings new energy and changes to the organization. Maybe they used Salesforce in their previous role. So, they have experienced first hand the benefits of having a good system in place. Naturally, they go with Salesforce as the solution!
Your organization probably chose Salesforce because it’s the leader in the market. But, if Salesforce isn’t properly mapped to your organization’s internal processes, your data will still be a mess. There is only so much a team can do on their own without adequate configuration and training. Your Salesforce users may not understand how the system works and how the system could really help them in their roles.
Your Organization Changed
This brings us to the second most common situation. Salesforce was properly implemented initially, but several years have passed. The organization has grown, internal processes changed, and the team has changed. Now, the system is no longer aligned with how you operate.
Salesforce Changed
Salesforce itself also changes over time. New features are added, older features are deprecated. If you don’t update your Salesforce Org along the way, you have been increasing your technical debt with the system during this period of time.
What is the result?
- Lack of trust in the data, because the system is not used consistently.
- Frustrations among team members, because the system is not configured in a way that is intuitive for them to use it.
- Lack of visibility for the business owner and for team members in key roles.
Moving Forward
If you are the business owner, please don't feel bad about it. You are still in business, aren't you? You are certainly doing something right. You just need to invest some time and money into a revamp of your Salesforce Implementation. And you might need a little assistance to get back on track.
Start With What You Have
If you are that new team member in a key role, get settled in your role first. This will help you better understand what your team could best benefit from in the long run. Then you can build your case for how much time and effort you and your team can save using an updated system that’s aligned with how you operate. Make sure you take stock of what your team needs as you get started.
- Is it possible that the current configuration is adequate, and it is just a matter of training your team to use it?
- Are there internal resources to help you with the Salesforce configuration?
- Do you have a budget for your department to hire a Salesforce consultant to help you?
Call in Reinforcements
If you do have the budget to hire a Salesforce consultant, we strongly suggest doing so. It’s tempting to try to handle it all in house, but getting a fresh pair of specialized eyes can help mitigate any common pitfalls that can occur during implementation.
We recommend starting with a Salesforce Audit. This will help your team and the consultant see where your current system is working well, and where it needs to be adjusted. The consultant can then properly map your internal processes to Salesforce to give you the most efficient system possible.
Keep Up to Date
Recall that one of the common situations that lead to Salesforce being messy is that it once worked well for your organization, but is no longer optimized due to time. If you want to prevent your Salesforce from being a mess in the future, it is best to stay proactive.
Working with a Salesforce admin on a regular basis is a great way to stay up to date with Salesforce features that come with each release and avoid increasing technical debt. Tune in to next month’s blog post to find out more about this topic.
Remember, Don’t Panic!
If you are asking yourself how your Salesforce is a mess, it is because you have reached an exciting milestone in your business. You are growing and you know you need a good system in place to help you to operate more efficiently.
This is a good thing! It’s time to make the investment for your organization and for your team to update your Salesforce Org and reach your next business milestone.
Get Started
If you need guidance on sorting your Salesforce mess, reach out to CRM Growth Strategy. We specialize in setting up Salesforce for small to midsize businesses with 10 to 50 users, integrating it with other business applications, and training your team on how to use it.
CRM Growth Strategy explains how outsourcing services at any stage of CRM implementation can help to design a better workflow, develop customized processes, and deliver an efficient CRM system that can keep up with your evolving company. Our engineers are certified to work with today’s robust and complex Salesforce CRM features to help your sales, marketing, and customer service teams work more efficiently together.
If you have questions about how we work, feel free to contact us to learn more. Depending on your situation, we either serve as your outsourced Salesforce Admin or combine our services to best support your in-house staff.