- Mike Leibrand
Top 10 Salesforce Implementation Mistakes
Updated: Dec 29, 2022
Salesforce is an extremely powerful platform for sales teams, and just like any tool if it is not set up properly at the beginning it can lead to inefficiency, frustration and possibly even abandonment. At Summit Technologies we have learned from experience interacting with our customers some best practices when setting up and using Salesforce. Here are our top ten:
Garbage In, Garbage Out. Data quality is key to a successful Salesforce implementation. Make sure before importing data from legacy products to take the time to remove duplicates, standardize the formatting of the data and fill out incomplete information.
A Place For Everything. Custom information demands custom fields. Don’t bury important information about your clients in free-form text fields. Create custom fields so reports and dashboards can be generated against this information.
Everything in Its Place. Enforce data quality standards. Salesforce provides powerful validation tools to ensure that the data that enters your system is accurate and complete, make sure you use them, or you may have a big mess to clean up later.
Train Users and Monitor Adoption. It is a simple fact that most people resist change. Hands-on training is critical to make users comfortable with your new CRM. Salesforce Trailhead is an excellent resource- have competitions to see who can amass the most badges or points in a month! Use the optional Adoption Dashboard to follow-up with users who aren’t logging in to see what their issues are and get them additional training.
Keep Training. Set up a monthly internal users’ group or join one in your community. Send emails out regularly offering tips and tricks to keep your users engaged!
Don’t Repeat Yourself. Having to enter data into multiple systems is not just frustrating and a waste of time, it invites errors and bad data. Salesforce can be easily integrated with nearly any other software you may be using, so make sure you do!
Do The Robot. Salesforce is far more than just an online contact manager- it has world class workflow automation tools built in. Create approval processes, workflows and even scripts to handle complex scenarios.
Go Mobile. Make sure you take the time to configure the mobile capabilities of Salesforce. The app is free to download and extends the power from the desktop to any Android or IOS device. Viewing and updating records on the road has never been easier!
Plan Before You Build. First and foremost make sure you understand the capabilities of the platform. Many organizations never fully leverage all the functionality that they are paying for- Salesforce is an extraordinarily powerful tool. Think through your sales process- what steps your company goes through when qualifying a lead or working an opportunity. Do you want to create quotes or forecasts? What sort of metrics and reports will help you measure your success?
Don't Recreate The Wheel. Salesforce has so many built-in capabilities and apps available it is impossible to know what they all are. Before you start custom building anything, look in the App Exchange to make sure it doesn’t already exist. Also check the platform- Salesforce may have already built it in.
About the author: Mike Leibrand is the Managing Partner in Summit Technologies, a Salesforce Consulting Partner. If you have any questions or comments, or if your organization needs help with any of the above, contact me at mike@summittech360.com