More than 150,000 companies and big names like NASA, Audi, Shell, etc., use Salesforce to run their overall operations. But some of them have not been successful in leveraging the platform. The reason being: lack of proper configuration, integration, and training. Due to this, a multitude of businesses are still not able to meet their objectives. This is where the need for Salesforce Consulting Services comes in.
Salesforce consultants assist organizations in optimizing, adopting, and integrating Salesforce systems to support their business objectives. This claim is supported by a Forrester study, which indicates that companies that work with Salesforce consultants enjoy higher productivity in their sales and customer service teams, faster CRM adoption rates among employees, and higher operational efficiency by 35% after a proper Salesforce implementation.
With statistics like these, it is clear that expert guidance can make a huge difference. But what exactly do Salesforce consultants do, and how do they deliver value? Read on to find out.
What are Salesforce Consulting Services?
Salesforce consulting services are the services that assist in the implementation, customization, and optimization of the Salesforce CRM in order to enhance business operations, improve efficiency, and achieve growth. These services are offered by licensed Salesforce consultants who will first identify business processes that need analysis, then configure Salesforce solutions to meet the business’s needs, and also offer support services. Moreover, various industries use Salesforce to manage customer relationships, automate the sales and marketing processes, and provide customer service and overall business processes. But, it is a bulky platform with so many features, and if not configured well, it can be a mess for businesses to navigate through.
What are the Different Types of Salesforce Consulting Services?
Salesforce CRM consulting services are provided in different areas:
- Implementation & Customization of the Salesforce system in a way that is relevant to the business.
- Data Migration from other systems to the Salesforce Cloud.
- System Integration of the ERP, marketing automation, and eCommerce systems to Salesforce.
- Workflow Automation processes with the help of Flows and Process Builder to reduce dependence on manual work.
- Training & Adoption Support to make the employees familiar with the use of the Salesforce application.
- Ongoing Maintenance & Optimization are the regular updates, solving of issues, and enhancement of the performance.
Plumlogix makes Salesforce work for you with expert consulting services!
Who Needs Salesforce Consulting Services?
Salesforce consulting is a mandatory step for the following categories of businesses:
- If you’re new to Salesforce and need a structured implementation, it’s high time to consider Salesforce consultation.
- Secondly, companies that are struggling with Salesforce adoption on an internal level due to poor training or system complexity are recommended to opt for expert consulting.
- Thirdly, the organizations that require advanced levels of customization to match industry-specific workflows need proper guidance.
- Last but not least, businesses looking to integrate Salesforce with other systems like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or Marketo should hire a Salesforce consultant for better results.
Don’t fret if you fall under any of the aforementioned categories. Instead, start contemplating hiring a consultant that can be a life saver for your business. Moreover, as reported by Forrester Research, the enterprises that implement Salesforce with the help of certified consultants can enhance productivity by 30% and cut IT expenses by 25%.
What are the Core Responsibilities of a Salesforce Consultant?
Salesforce consulting is, in essence, a multifaceted approach. It doesn’t revolve around only devising a CRM strategy. If you’ve had the same misconception, then it’s time for you to learn about the responsibilities of a Salesforce Consultant.
Here’s a breakdown of their key roles:
1. Business Process Analysis and Development of Salesforce Strategy
First, a Salesforce consultant analyzes business processes and determines where Salesforce can be most beneficial. The consultant spends time:
- To understand key pain areas in sales, marketing, or customer service.
- To highlight existing software weaknesses and problems.
- To outline business needs and how Salesforce can address them to meet business goals.
2. Implementing Customized Solutions for Your Business
It’s not only about downloading the software or running a few commands. Salesforce is a platform that can and should be customized to meet business requirements. This includes:
- Development of custom objects and fields to support industry-specific data collection and removing siloed structures.
- Automation of workflows to avoid the need for manual intervention.
- Customized dashboards and reports for data-fueled insights.
3. Data Migration and System Integration
Gradually, companies shift their data to Salesforce from legacy spreadsheets, previous CRMs, or ERPs. This process is quite complicated and includes the following activities:
- Data cleaning and deduplication to avoid making some mistakes.
- Field mapping to make sure that the old data is consistent with the format of Salesforce.
Also, it requires integration with other applications, including:
- ERP software (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics)
- Marketing automation tools (HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot)
- eCommerce platforms (Shopify, Magento)
4. Training and User Adoption Support
Another reason that many Salesforce implementations fail is low user adoption rates. A consultant helps employees use the system properly by:
- Providing practical training sessions to various departments.
- Creating user manuals and how-to guides.
- Providing permanent help centers (help desks, FAQs, and chat support).
5. Salesforce Ongoing Maintenance and Optimization
Salesforce is not a one-time setup, it needs continuous optimization. Consultants provide services:
- To detect inefficiencies and conduct system performance audits.
- Feature updates and reconfigurations to new business needs.
- To comply with data protection regulations like GDPR, security enhancements.
Why are Salesforce Consulting Services Important?
Many businesses think they can handle Salesforce on their own, but poor configuration results in low adoption rates, ineffectiveness, and, therefore, wasteful spending. There are a plentitude of reasons that are motivating enough to showcase the importance of Salesforce Consulting services. Some of these reasons have been listed below:
1. A consultant ensures your Salesforce implementation is smooth
Salesforce is not a plug and play system, it needs proper implementation for it to work for you. Therefore, a consultant makes it a point that the following are done correctly:
- The initial setup of your platform is smooth so as not to make mistakes.
- Only those custom features and workflows are implemented that are relevant to the business.
- Data accuracy is without a hitch by preventing duplication and inconsistencies.
2. Optimizing your ROI is their utmost priority
Salesforce is an expensive platform, and businesses need to get the most out of it. Therefore, the consultant you hire is responsible to make it work for you by:
- Integrating automation tools that can help reduce the need for hiring more staff to do manual work.
- Making decision-making processes easier with AI-powered analytics.
- Implementing specialized dashboards to monitor key metrics and KPIs so you can keep track.
3. Minimizing Downtime and Technical Issues
If the configurations are wrong, it can lead to system failures. A consultant guarantees:
- Appropriate security settings to safeguard customer information.
- System integrations to avoid downtime.
- Maintenance and surveillance of the environment to make sure that Salesforce is operating efficiently.
Without the help of professionals, companies stand to lose important data, time, and money through technical configuration mistakes.
We provide expert implementation, integration, and automation consulting to increase your ROI.
Key Challenges Businesses Face Without Salesforce Consulting
Most organizations are limited by Salesforce because of the absence of professional help. Some of the challenges include:
1. Poor User Adoption
People may find the Salesforce application complex to use. Lack of training results in underemployment of the application and its capabilities. Also, the business processes are not in sync with the workflows; therefore, the teams are able to navigate through the system easily.
2. Data Migration Challenges
This is because of the existence of inconsistencies in the data formatting. The company has duplicate records, which causes a lot of problems and time wastage.
3. Integration Problems
In most cases, businesses employ other applications such as ERP, eCommerce, and marketing tools. Due to this, data is not centralized in one place but is rather divided between different platforms. This makes it difficult to work efficiently.
4. Underemployment of the Features
Failure to leverage AI, automation, and advanced analytics is a sign of failure for companies. The CRM capabilities are not fully realized, which results in a low return on investment.
Benefits of Salesforce Consulting Services
Salesforce consulting services help organizations to prevent common pitfalls and maximize their CRM system. Here are some key benefits:
1. Higher Productivity and Automation
A consultant sets up automation to:
- Reduce the burden of sales teams on data entry.
- Increase customer engagement through automated follow-ups.
- Provide real-time notifications to the sales and service teams.
2. Improved Customer Experience
With the help of a better CRM implementation, businesses can:
- Personalize the customer interactions with the help of AI-driven insights.
- Provide customer support through chatbots and self-serve portals.
- Decrease response times through the use of effective case management tools.
3. Cost Savings
The companies that are working with the Salesforce consultants are benefiting from:
- 25% lower IT costs due to proper management of the system.
- 30% faster rates of CRM adoption, which reduces the costs of training.
Some Examples of Salesforce Consulting Services
We have curated a list of the examples so that you might find something relevant. The services that come under the category of Salesforce consulting are as follows:
- Sales Cloud implementation for improving the sales pipelines.
- Marketing Cloud setup to create automated campaigns and track your consumer interactions.
- Service Cloud deployment in order to improve the customer care systems.
- AI and Einstein analytics on the Salesforce platform, which use machine learning for better decision making.
- Health Cloud integration to meet compliance issues in the healthcare sector.
How Much Do Salesforce Consultants Charge?
The cost of hiring a Salesforce consultant depends on experience, location, and the size of the project to some extent. However, the partner that you’re choosing also matters. The common price models (may vary) are as follows:
How to choose the right Salesforce Consultant for your business?
The most important decision that you can make for your business is to find the right Salesforce consultant. With so many consulting firms available, selecting the right consultant is critical and a deal breaker. For your ease, we have listed some key factors to consider:
- Certified Salesforce Partner status of the consulting company: This is a non-negotiable point, as the absence of certifications may indicate a lack of experience that would cost you a fortune. So, it is suggested that you should look for a consultant with official Salesforce certifications, like Salesforce Certified Administrator, Salesforce Certified Technical Architect, and Salesforce Certified Consultant.
- Industry experience that is relevant to yours: Secondly, it is advisable to go for a consultant that has proven experience and also case studies to show in your relevant industry. The reason being that an experienced consultant will already be aware of your bottlenecks and can readily recommend effective solutions.
- Proven case studies and client testimonials: This is also a crucial point that validates their experience. Check if the consultant has case studies showing real business improvements.
- Clear communication and support to match expectations: Another important point to consider is clear communication. A good consultant will provide transparent project timelines, detailed reports, and ongoing support.
Why Select Plumlogix for Salesforce Consulting Services?
Plumlogix is the perfect choice for any company looking to increase the effectiveness of their Salesforce ecosystem due to the following reasons:
- Industry-Experienced Certified Salesforce Expert: Plumlogix is a Salesforce Consulting Partner, and we have a team of certified Salesforce professionals to implement and optimize your Salesforce solution.
- Optimized Salesforce Solutions for Business Objectives: It’s different from one-size-fits-all approaches; Plumlogix starts with understanding your client’s business before implementing a Salesforce strategy.
- Complete Training and Ongoing Support: Implementation is not the end of the road for Salesforce success. At Plumlogix, we offer complete training and support to make sure that your team is well-armed to use Salesforce correctly.
- Cost-Effective and Sustainable Solutions: If you are a startup, a mid-sized business, or a large enterprise, Plumlogix has the scalable Salesforce solutions that will grow with your company.
- Strong Track Record of Client Success: Plumlogix has been able to help businesses get incredible results from Salesforce. Our customer success stories and testimonials demonstrate our ability to deliver real business value.
Client Success Example: A Leading Manufacturing Company’s Architectural Revamp
A global manufacturing company was facing challenges in sales and inventory management due to disjointed systems. We, at Plumlogix, helped them by:
- Connecting their ERP system with Salesforce to enhance order processing.
- Implementing an automation process for inventory tracking.
- Enhancing sales forecasting to increase revenue projections by 25%.
As a result, the company was able to improve its operational efficiency by 60% and its sales by 20%. See full case study here!
Final Thoughts
Salesforce is a very potent yet intricate tool. If your business is planning to adopt, enhance, or combine Salesforce, then seeking professional consulting services is a good business decision that brings real value. A Salesforce consultant helps companies get the most from their investment, increase their efficiency, and sustain growth over time.
