To put it ideally, Salesforce implementation has the following steps:
However, every implementation is not ideal. There could be iterations in the steps given above.
1. Vision
A vision is a foresight, a sneak peek into the future of the unexpected
trends, results, goals and objectives for an organization. A visionless
implementation is equal to an aimless journey, no doubt.
A successful CRM project should start with a clear vision of the goals ahead.
The vision will drive the strategies and decisions at every step of your implementation. Questioning
helps. What makes your business goals? Is it to build long-term
relationships? Is it to create customer loyalty? Is it to increase
sales?
Set your goals and share them with everyone in the organization for better results.
2. Team
Henry Ford rightly puts it, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
No project can be completed or brought to fruition without a dedicated team in the background.
It isn’t any different when it comes to Salesforce Implementations. In
order to achieve your vision, you need to have a project team or steering committee that includes major stakeholders.
It’s a common mistake to assign a single project owner and expect that person to deliver a finished product
To be successful, you need the buy-in and participation of people with various perspectives and skills, including stakeholders from all business units..
3. Business Process
A
business process is nothing but a collection of linked tasks that find
their end in the delivery of a service or product to a client. On a
further note, it can be defined as a set of activities and tasks will
accomplish an organizational goal once completed.
When you want to get the most out of Salesforce CRM, you need to make it work the way you do it.
That explains why it is critical to define your business process so you
can prioritize the features, reports, and customizations as you prefer.
However, while you work to define your process, be aware of too much complexity. The point is to keep it always simple. Also, get feedback from prospective users before you launch - and all along the way as you refine and build out your application.
4. Measure Success
Before you start the implementation, you should be clear about the ways of measuring the impact or success of it.
You will reach your goals faster if you track your progress along the way. So far, we’ve discussed the importance of having a vision, goal and a business process.
You will also need to track those measures that show you’re moving towards your goal. But then, what should you measure? How do you know you’re on track and that you’re staying on track?
That is where key performance indicators (KPIs) come in. KPIs will show the areas where the project meets your goals. They’ll also help to identify whether you need to change the course.
For instance, the success metrics can be:
- Closed Sales (QTD rate)
- Top 5 Sales Reps
- Key Opportunities
- Lead Conversion Rate
- Completed Activities
5. Training
The only individual who can make a usability factor adaptable to a new Salesforce Implementation is the user themselves. Train users to make them feel that Salesforce is not that difficult to master and the users will reap astounding results once they start using it.
6. Data
Data is the backbone of any CRM. It is the treasure hidden in the labyrinths of CRM (in this case Salesforce). Nothing sinks a new implementation faster than bad data. Users will quickly lose faith in the tool as well as those leading the implementation effort if incomplete, incorrect or irrelevant data is present.
Here are a few things to consider vis-à-vis data in Salesforce implementation:
- Data quality is of utmost importance. Make sure your users understand this and do their bit by means of data quality checks here and there (validation rules, etc.)
- If possible, train the users to cleanse the existing data.
- Have a clear data management strategy in place.
It is natural to believe that there is more than enough information available about Salesforce on the internet and that trying to implement it yourself will save a few pennies. But if you face issues along the way, please reach out to us to learn more about how we can help your company.