A dynamic and versatile customer relationship management (CRM) software, Salesforce helps organizations improve operational efficiency, strengthen customer relationships, and drive business growth. Organizations of all sizes stand to benefit from it. But to get the most out of Salesforce, it’s best that you seek the help and guidance of a Salesforce consulting partner. The reason is that Salesforce is a complex suite of cloud-based apps that requires trained experts to leverage it fully.
This article gives you a comprehensive guide to hiring the right Salesforce consulting partner. Partnering with a company that offers Salesforce consulting services can help you choose the right Salesforce products that align with your business goals. These partners also offer a Salesforce implementation plan and ongoing support and services to help you navigate the platform.
But how do you choose the right partner? What factors do you need to consider when choosing a partner from different options?
Let’s discuss.
10 Tips for Choosing a Good Salesforce Consulting Partner
                
1. Business Goals and Vision
Before you decide which Salesforce consulting company to onboard, it is critical to highlight your business goals, objectives, and vision. This is an essential exercise that brings all the stakeholders together; it should demonstrate how you will improve your existing processes and customer relationships by hiring a Salesforce consultant.
When you define the short-term and long-term goals of a project or your business, you can easily hire the right resource or Salesforce consulting company. You will know exactly what kind of resource or company will best align with your business objectives and values. Not only does it make hiring more efficient and effective, but outlining company goals also ensures that you are headed in the right direction.
2. Verify Certifications
When hunting for the right Salesforce consulting company for your business, you should verify certifications to gauge the expertise level of your options. Salesforce consulting partners can achieve four levels – base, ridge, crest, and summit, based on the Trailblazer consulting partner score. This score reflects the extent to which a partner meets the goals set by Salesforce. These goals cover four areas: innovation, customer success, growth, and impact.
Salesforce provides training at company and individual levels. Moreover, Salesforce evaluates a company’s consultant tier based on where it falls into its five categories: registered, silver, gold, platinum, and global strategic. The reason behind having these tiers or levels is to make it easier for businesses to hire Salesforce consultants. The tiers reflect a partner’s level of Salesforce expertise.
3. Validate Domain Expertise
Essential in the options assessment process is the unique proficiency and history of a consulting partner within a specific domain. Inquire about the strategies a company employs, the envisioned approach, and its implementation methodologies through project management.
This will highlight their team’s operational style and its contribution to success. Additionally, you should also ask for case studies, documentation, and testimonials for comparable challenges your business is tackling with Salesforce solutions. This practice ensures the company possesses a nuanced understanding and the necessary problem-solving abilities.
4. Learn About Team Capacity
Salesforce consulting partners often have certified Salesforce experts who are well-versed in the platform’s features and know how to leverage them to find business solutions. Not only do they understand the platform features, but they also have a sound grasp of the entire Salesforce ecosystem.
A well-established Salesforce consultant would ideally have a robust team of Salesforce experts, each of whom plays a different role. You should learn about your Salesforce consultant’s range of expertise and whether they have a large enough team or not. A company that has a good team with wide-ranging skills and experience will deliver projects on time, not to mention high quality.
5. Implementation Methodology
Understanding the approach of the Salesforce consulting company is paramount for seamless project completion, avoiding scope creep, missed deadlines, and budget overruns. Before you commit to a Service Level Agreement (SLA), inquire about customization, turnaround time, risk assessment plans, project management approaches, service delivery timelines, supported third-party integrations, and conflict resolutions.
These details, which relate to tools, collaboration, and approaches, provide insights into the customer-centricity of Salesforce solution implementation.
6. Ongoing Support
Given today’s dynamic business landscape, implementing a Salesforce solution is just the beginning. Regularly updating the solution with necessary customizations is crucial for sustained engagement and delivering exceptional experiences.
You should seek assurance from Salesforce consultants regarding ongoing support during and after implementation to foster continuous business growth. Inquire about the range of Salesforce consulting services offered and the proactive tools available for addressing business challenges. Once you know about these details, you will be in a much better position to make an informed choice about your Salesforce consulting partner.
7. Assess Company Portfolio & Client Feedback
Technology companies have elaborate portfolios to demonstrate their skills and expertise. Sharing a portfolio is a standard practice among Salesforce partners, showcasing tailored solutions for unique problems. Client testimonials serve as proof of success.
Explore Salesforce App Exchange for client feedback on a partner. Moreover, the portfolio and client testimonials also aid in making an informed decision about proceeding with a particular company. Failure to provide these should raise concerns about the company’s transparency.
8. Figure Out Costing Details
You should carry out detailed budget and costing discussions before engaging with Salesforce partners and hiring certified Salesforce developers for your project. Also, remember that the cheapest option is not always the best, which is why it is best to avoid settling for one.
Assess the total cost of ownership, hourly rates, development hours, licensing fees, support fees, various consultant fees, change management costs, migration costs, and new software adoption costs to derive an accurate budget estimate.
9. Consider the Geographical Location
While an interconnected digital landscape minimizes the significance of a service provider’s location, issues related to time zones and cultural differences persist. Imagine you’re an American company and you hire a partner based in Vietnam; you will have to face time zone and cultural differences. Do the Vietnamese follow a work culture similar to the Americans? If not, how will you overcome the differences?
For long-term projects, active and collaborative team participation is absolutely essential. This is why varying time zones and cultural differences cannot be wished away. Instead, you need to engage in discussions with Salesforce partners and certified developers to find a balanced approach that addresses both collaborative needs and potential challenges.
10. Working Approach
When hiring Salesforce developers, don’t forget to discern their approach and work style. Some companies act like entities that take guidance and instructions from their clients before commencing work. You don’t want these types of companies to partner with you.
Instead, you are supposed to look for a company that can provide guidance, insight, and valuable suggestions that enable your Salesforce investment to reap dividends. A consultant-centric approach, navigating through optimal solutions and incorporating valuable additions, is crucial in the dynamic Salesforce ecosystem.
Wrap Up
Salesforce offers a range of cloud-based applications that have helped scores of businesses worldwide streamline their sales processes, improve customer relationships, and ensure profitable returns. But newbies cannot just implement a Salesforce solution and expect it to revolutionize sales and customer relationships overnight.
You need the expertise of a certified Salesforce consulting firm to achieve all this. Such a company ensures that you overcome challenges, avoid pitfalls, and achieve business goals in the most efficient manner. We hope these ten tips will help you make an informed decision when choosing your partner.
Xavor Corporation is a certified Salesforce Consulting Partner. Our Salesforce solutions are tailored to meet your needs. Drop us a line today at [email protected] to learn more about our Salesforce development services.