Salesforce is one of the most powerful CRM technologies on the planet but it’s also one of the most complicated. Many organizations get excited about their Salesforce transformation, and dive straight into it, only to fall into the “Salesforce trap”: a series of costly mistakes due to inadequate planning, no lay-out, and/or no professional help.
In this blog post, we are going to discuss the most common mistakes made when implementing Salesforce, and more importantly how to avoid them so your investment isn’t regrettable, but creates growth for your organization.
The Top Salesforce Implementation Mistakes to Avoid
1. No Clear Business Objectives
Implementing Salesforce with no goals is like taking a road trip without a map. When you implement a CRM it is important to align the set-up with the business goals, for example, lead generation, customer care, automation, etc., vs simply “get Salesforce up and running”.
2. Over-Customization Without Strategy
Just because you can customize anything and everything does not mean you should. Excessive customization will render your Salesforce solution burdensome to utilize and costly to maintain. Always consider customization that is well-considered, scalable, and meaningful.
3. Ignoring User Training
Omitting user onboarding is one of the more common Salesforce implementation errors. If your users do not know how to use Salesforce, no matter how well you set-it-up, you will realize a negative return-on-investment. Training should be included as part of your implementation plan from day one.
4. Migrating Bad Data
Migrating bad data; old data; duplicate data; unstructured data – to Salesforce equals a compromised reporting and automation nightmare. A data audit and clean-up will be needed before migrating your data.
5. Skipping Integration Planning
Salesforce does not operate in isolation. Salesforce should be integrated with your other technologies (e.g. ERP’s, marketing platforms, or customer support systems, etc.). Poor integration creates data silos, silos are inefficient.
6. Lack of Ongoing Support & Iteration
Salesforce is not a “set it and forget it” platform. The reality is that your business is evolving, and so should your CRM. If you do not review, update, and provide admin support consistently, at some point your system will become outdated.
Quick Checklist to Avoid the Salesforce Trap:
- Establish business use-cases early in implementation
- Start with standard functionality and customize only if necessary
- Spend time training users, also ensuring proper change management
- Clean and validate data before migration
- Plan integrations early not after go-live
- Assign post-implementation support ownership
Avoid Mistakes. Accelerate Growth with SignaTech
At SignaTech, we’re experts at helping businesses implement Salesforce properly from start to finish. Our Salesforce consulting services will limit risks, simplify implementations, and ensure you use the right tools in your CRMs that align with your real-world business objectives. If you are starting fresh or dealing with a failed set up, or building one that was unsuccessful, we will help you avoid the usual pitfalls of a SF implementation and maximize your investment in Salesforce.