3 Questions to Consider When Hiring a Salesforce Consulting Company

This article was originally published at Twistellar.com

If you visit the AppExchange consulting marketplace, an official Salesforce directory, you will encounter more than 1900 implementation partners ready to team up. Making the right choice will define the level of benefit you will get from your CRM.

We will dig into the typical issues solved by consulting companies, factors to consider when you look for a Salesforce partner, and what happens when you find one.

Whether you only plan your automation or have already implemented Salesforce, a consulting company can span your processes to ensure your upscale. Complete our quiz to receive a checklist and get a better perspective of your potential optimization

What business challenges can you address to Salesforce integration partners?

Endless customization opportunities of Salesforce allow you to create any solution, provided you have a development strategy, business expertise, deep platform knowledge, and in-house professionals who can deliver it. If one of the elements falls out, a consulting company comes into play.

Here are the signs that you need a consultant to streamline your business processes:

1. You only kick off with Salesforce implementation and are not sure about the total capacity of the system

You look for recommendations on the platform to choose for automation, help in the formalisation of the project goals and expected outcomes. Instead of inventing the wheel or reaching out to an individual contractor with no corporate responsibility and guarantees, you can rely on a Salesforce consulting partner and save time (read: money).

Salesforce integration partner will help with:

2. Salesforce is already implemented, but the results don’t live up to the expectations

Weak performance, unfinished projects, or employees refusing to keep track of the data in the system are some of the signs marking the misuse of your CRM system.

1. Salesforce integration consultants help identify the current drawbacks by investigating your org’s structure, the existing code, and structural components. Thus allowing them to put forward suggestions on architectural optimization from data scheme adjustments to adding third-party applications to span operations
2. If you already have in mind different architectural approaches, a consultant will advise on the best to choose and provide a delivery team if you can’t involve your in-house capacity for temporary project work
3. Salesforce infrastructure is complex, and adding new solutions may affect the whole system. In this regard, an experienced team of developers makes sure you avoid internal conflicts
4. The human factor can’t be overlooked. Many teams may struggle to get used to the software, so consultants with background experience can provide adaptation hacks and support

3. You need to customize Salesforce to specific needs according to the industry requirements, configure its interface, or develop an app.

At a certain point, companies encounter the need to restructure the system based on their particular requirements. These changes may be time-consuming or too complicated for an in-house team.

Consulting partners contribute to a successful CRM rollout by improving UI, creating add-ons on the current functionality, or building custom apps to increase user adoption. In addition to that, an experienced consulting partner can offer suggestions on budget optimization based on better licensing management or more efficient ways to handle additional functionality.

A trustworthy Salesforce consulting company:
how to make your search effective?

Hiring a Salesforce consultant is not a spontaneous decision. Projects may take from a couple of hours to years of mutual work, so the approach to your search should be mindful. Salesforce suggests considering the following points when reviewing consultants’ profiles:

1. Skillset according to your business challenges

Depending on the scope of your project, make sure the consulting company has sufficient technical competence. Take into account the availability of certificates and Salesforce awards. Look into their previous cases, the tools that they used, and achieved results.

2. Expertise and experience

Check the vetted reviews on such platforms as Clutch to have an unbiased picture of the company you plan to hire. They usually include:

• Projects and industries
  If companies have similar projects in their background, they are more likely to be aware of the industry traits and possible pitfalls.
• Salesforce domains
  Check if the company masters not only main clouds but also less frequently used domains such as Pardot, MuleSoft, CPQ, Visualforce. A cross-disciplinary team tends to propose more creative and original solutions.
• Team’s size
  If your project is with a tight deadline, the partner’s processes have to be smooth and fast. Company sizes vary from small (1–10 experts) to medium (11–100) and large (>100). Small companies may not possess enough expertise, and big companies prefer long-term projects usually accompanied by slow processes.

3. Location & cost

If you look for a local team to take over your CRM project, join the appropriate Salesforce User Group to find recommendations. Typically, the prices are affected by the location: professionals from America and Europe with the same level of expertise will significantly differ in rates. Staff augmentation is recommended not only for cost-effectiveness reasons but also when assistance is required within globally distributed teams.

One more tip: Salesforce experts are in demand, so if a company offers too low prices, they might hold something back.

What does a collaboration process with a consultant look like?

You have set your digitization goals, analyzed the required criteria, and created a shortlist of qualified companies. What happens next?

• With short-term projects, the aim is to set the system up and ensure smooth employee onboarding.
• Ongoing projects focus on increasing the value of the CRM

Here’s a typical step-by-step engagement process on the example of Twistellar:

1. Reach out

Discuss your business challenges with our CEO to analyze and set your business needs and possible solutions. Provide the details most conveniently for you: by email, call, or via a contact form.

The consultation is free, and it doesn’t bind. It is usually up to one hour, depending on the requirements you already formalized. The more precise they are, the more productive the conversation will be.

2. Estimate

There are three billing systems when it comes to SF projects:

• Project-based
  A consulting partner determines a fixed price after setting the project scope and timelines. Thus he is left responsible for all possible risks connected to project delays.
• Managed Services
  A consulting partner determines a fixed price after setting the project scope and timelines. Thus he is left responsible for all possible risks connected to project delays.
• Time & Materials
  A Partner sets the rate, and you pay for actual hours worked.

So based on the project type, the first consultation ends with its rough estimate or a rate card for T&M engagements.

3. Negotiate & Launch

. . .

Read the full version at Twistellar.com