Named the world’s #1 CRM, Salesforce is a powerful tool in-part because it is highly customizable and adaptable. It’s an environment where the possibilities are endless, provoking creative solutions for every business. With such a vast platform, you may be wondering if you need internal or external resource(s) to manage it all and how you leverage your investment. This is when the discussion on “when do I need a Salesforce partner?” often begins.

Once you have purchased Salesforce, generally there are two main ways to approach how you can get the software up and running. The first is shifting or adding to your current employees’ responsibilities to learn a new system and language. This is an attainable option, with the right people, enough time, and the right Salesforce resources.

The more popular option is hiring an experienced Salesforce partner to show you the Salesforce ropes, implement your environment, and support your ongoing needs so that your staff can focus on managing and growing your core business.

Implementing and managing Salesforce without a partner is similar to building a website without a web designer. It is possible, although is it the best use of your time, and will it really save you money in the long run?

Think of it this way – when you are creating a new website, there are so many different ways to approach this and many things to consider. For instance, how many pages should it have? What branding will you include? What hosting will you use? What is the hourly cost of your time, compared to hiring an expert who may produce this in half the amount of time it takes you?

While it is possible to create a website on your own, it is time-consuming, and you may not produce the best possible user experience for your website visitors. Many people choose not to pursue this option of self-build for these reasons and more.

In comparison, while it is technically possible to implement and manage Salesforce with your own internal team, it often may take a huge investment of your time and resources, and the end results may not turn out as expected. Working with a Salesforce partner can help accelerate this internal investment initially, and set your team up for success.

Keep in mind, an effective Salesforce Partner will be an extension of your team. They are an experienced group of consultants, developers, and analysts working with your team to lead you to the most efficient, effective, and productive Salesforce environment. Keep in mind that the level of expertise may vary per partner, depending on what Salesforce solution you are deploying.

So, let’s circle back to your question – “When do I need a Salesforce Partner?”

1. You Want Higher ROI
Salesforce wouldn’t be the best CRM if it didn’t produce more value than its cost. The ROI that your Salesforce Account Executive showed you was probably one of the incentives that led you to decide on purchasing Salesforce.

However, receiving ROI is dependent on several factors, including efficiency, adoption, and understanding of the new system. An accomplished Salesforce consulting partner will make a difference in your success and help you achieve a quicker, more effective delivery of your ROI.

2. You Want Quick Adoption
The great thing about Salesforce is there are plenty of guides and documentation to help new users learn and become familiar with the system. However, the knowledge that a competent Salesforce partner brings, from years of Salesforce consultation, development, and administration is invaluable. Results often decrease the time of user adoption and enable a faster acceptance of the change management process.

A Salesforce implementation is less of a step-by-step process – it focuses more on designing dependent and relational requirements that are specific for your needs. The design phase begins by understanding your unique business processes, then recommending what will be built, configured, coded, etc. The details really fall into place by creating the right roles, records, objects, permission sets, automation… you get the idea of the process.

Approaching your implementation with an experienced understanding of Salesforce’s data model and best practices will speed up implementation time and your team’s adoption. Beyond implementation, a partner will train your team to understand all of Salesforce’s nuts and bolts, helping develop more proficient Salesforce users! Partners often offer a Managed Services program that provides ongoing support for your Salesforce solution and helps you maintain the long term effects of it.

3. You Want to Improve Efficiency
Using Salesforce out of the box is an option. However, many companies continue to build on the benefits of customizing and updating their environment to create greater proficiency resulting in evolving value and ROI. A Salesforce partner offers ongoing business planning and strategic discussions that offer insights and new ways of creating efficiencies, from a perspective that your team may not have considered before.

Whether you want to create efficiencies through automating a quoting process, running a more streamlined sales funnel, improving customer service workflows, or automating marketing tasks (and so much more!) – it really is all possible in Salesforce.

From the beginning, the right Salesforce partner will help create an efficient system through strategic development and automation. Helping your team manage manual processes and duplicative actions while addressing your needs and goals, plus alleviating pain points – it really is a win: win situation and a significant result on the investment into your business.

You not only save time and energy when working with a Salesforce partner you also maximize your efficiency and ROI. When you are evaluating your next Salesforce product, it’s worth researching and asking your Salesforce Account Executive about bringing in a Salesforce partner. It is an investment that will pay dividends immediately and in the future.

As an experienced Salesforce partner, we are proud to have helped over 1,200 businesses implement, manage, and receive the full range of benefits that Salesforce offers. We have over 85 years of combined experience. Learn more about our work and results in our client stories.