5 Things To Consider While Choosing A Salesforce Consultant #2022
Businesses across verticals depend on Salesforce. This is because it offers numerous features and unique components crucial to an organization’s success. Additionally, it’s easy to set up and run as needed by your business. All you need is a reliable Salesforce partner.
When the aim is to run a scalable and long-term software solution, the wrongful implementation of Salesforce can be disastrous. It will also impact your ability to customize and opt for better software enhancements. The right partner will customize as per your needs and aid you in the flawless implementation of Salesforce.
However, choosing a consultant isn’t as easy as going with anything that comes your way. Here are the things you must consider while selecting a Salesforce consultant.
Outline the Pool of Finalists to Take Your Pick
There are various ways to find a certified and experienced partner. But the first thing you need to do is look at the Salesforce Partner Community. It will get you familiar with quite a few companies that deliver Salesforce backup and development services. You can start with an overview of the variety. Use Appexchange to get precise details about the product description, review, and location of the provider, along with industry-based solutions.
You will also find different online platforms that recognize top software and service providers in other focus areas. They publish top lists and ratings depending on the relevant indexes that might be important for your business. Your existing network can also find the salesforce consulting services. Social platforms like LinkedIn offer excellent opportunities for finding necessary contacts. You can locate organizations that have the same needs and size as your company and connect with these people to get the support that you want.
Make Sure That the Consultant’s Values And Vision Match Yours
The way your partner prefers to conduct business is crucial. Your organization’s mission and vision should guide you on performing operations and direct whom you work with. You need to make sure that your vision and values match those of your consultant. You can read about their research in the community and their mission statement, read the client reviews, and clarify doubts.
If you’re sure about your partner’s solution and industry expertise, take a look at their earlier work that is the same as yours. Ask them to show you documents like case studies and client references. Your best bet is to go for Salesforce partners from the same industry and already have on projects like yours.
Identify the Expertise of Your Salesforce Consultant
It would be helpful if you look for the specific expertise of the consultant in your industry. In terms of delineating capacities, adhering to implementation best practices, and mapping everything back to business requirements, industry expertise is advantageous. You might want to consider a partner who has years of industry experience. This way, they can have a deeper understanding of your particular points of interest. It will also enable them to provide well-researched and educated solutions to use Salesforce for solving issues.
Furthermore, your partner’s expertise in implementing similar solutions for others in the same industry should assure smoother and faster operations. Do you like to associate Salesforce with SAP? Then the consultant must have some fundamental ideas about SAP.
Specify the Budget That You Are Comfortable With
Prepare your budget after you have carried out sufficient research. The budget needs to be flexible as your needs will keep on changing. Your implementation will dictate a lot in this regard, and asking yourself the following questions will help you set a budget:
- Service cloud or sales cloud?
- How far from conventional are you planning to go?
- What about the integrations?
- What about the third-party add-ons?
- Are you ready to move the business process for conforming to the platform?
- Are you willing to go for a platform that changes to meet your needs?
Even after all these factors, you need to make sure that the consultant can offer quality worth your time and money. Wasting your time, resources, and energy on something below par is, of course, not something that you want.
Make Sure That the Consultant Has Salesforce Certification
Salesforce certification is the validation that a partner has the experience and Salesforce knowledge required for handling the implementation. It’s also an excellent way to ensure that the partner has updates on the latest Salesforce releases. Salesforce provides five types of certifications, namely:
- Certified Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant
- Certified Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant
- Certified Salesforce Advanced Administrator
- Certified Salesforce Developer
- Certified Salesforce Administrator
A consultant needs to have at least Developer and Administrator certifications. The rest you can decide as per your requirements. Go to this link right here to verify the certificates of your chosen consultant.
Summing Up
Finding the right Salesforce partner to fit the business is all about diligently following a systematic approach. Like all technological updates, Salesforce implementation comes with a learning curve. It needs effort from each level of your workforce. Having the right partner can be a massive aid in improving your business’ performance.
