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Every customer is unique. And they are demanding too! In general, customers like to know if the experience they are going to have is personalized for them or not. In fact, in a survey conducted by Salesforce across customers, it was found that 86% of them admitted that personalization played a role in their purchasing decisions. But customers aren’t the only ones who prefer customization. Businesses around the world are equally uninterested in consuming products and services that are designed for mass consumption.  They want something that fits seamlessly with their unique processes and is flexible, intuitive, and effective. Salesforce does all this and more. The World’s No1 CRM Platform was designed specifically for configuration and customization. It comes with a plethora of unique features, tools, and resources enabling businesses to create custom apps that are aligned with their business goals and objectives. However, unlocking its true power requires a deep understanding of its customizable nature across different industries. And this is exactly where a competent Salesforce Implementation Partner comes in. With the right Salesforce Consultant and a methodically executed implementation plan, you can send the productivity of your teams into overdrive and unlock the real value of your business. If you can’t trust a CRM platform to meet your unique business needs, then it’s likely you won’t get much use out of it. Salesforce features a totally open eco-system, which means you can extend Salesforce to accomplish any task, with apps for every business need. CRM + UX: The ultimate customer experience Customers aren’t just demanding vanilla products and services anymore; they are seeking an enriching experience. They are demanding convenience and deeper engagement throughout the business lifecycle. With exponential growth in technology-related products, tools, and services, coupled with today’s dynamic and unpredictable context, it is imperative for businesses to live up to these demands and offer their customers the ultimate experience. How your business delivers products and services to your customers is as important as what you deliver.  Salesforce provides you with that elusive combination of power, flexibility, and tools at your fingertips to effortlessly execute code-less customization to suit your needs. So how does one go about customizing Salesforce to align with your business goals? Identify opportunities and bridge gaps An important step before the Salesforce implementation begins is to conduct a thorough assessment of current business processes and identify inadequacies and redundancies. Focus on processes that are a drain on your resources. Identifying gaps and shortcomings early is critical to a successful implementation. This is where the role of a Salesforce Consultant becomes so important. Discuss with your Salesforce Implementation Partner and answer some key questions like -How do you customize Salesforce to enhance adoption? How do you maximize your ROI? How do you reduce the learning curve? Discuss with your Salesforce Implementation Partner to understand which features are most helpful to address these gaps. Add additional functionality into your implementation by using custom codes or extended features, that is more end-user-focused and aligned with your overall goals and objectives. Look beyond standard Salesforce functionality. Customize! It’s a certain way to drive adoption. Businesses must understand that a successful Salesforce implementation is a result of team effort as well as collaboration across departments and stakeholders. The implementation plan needs to be communicated to all concerned teams and all stakeholders need to buy into this new process of doing business. Focus on usability Salesforce has countless features and options, and this can be a deterrent to early adopters. Work with your Salesforce Consultant to configure the software in a way so as to present relevant data and components to optimize your business workflows. Salesforce Lightning (discussed later) can be used for enhancing productivity and drive adoption rates. Automate Automate repetitive tasks. By customizing templates, standardizing workflows, and automating repetitive tasks, you can significantly improve adoption rates. Businesses can now automate faster using something called Flows. You can download configurable prebuilt processes with flow templates and use the flow builder to integrate stand-alone building blocks. Leverage AppExchange Salesforce AppExchange is a great place to find relevant tools and plugins to get you off the blocks quickly. AppExchange is a unified ecosystem that is used for creating and running all of the personalized applications that an organization might need. Whether you are a new user or an existing one, you can discover free, customizable, customer-recommended solutions built by Salesforce developers to help you address common business issues.  Whether it is tracking employee progress, oversight of projects, streamlining repetitive tasks, fast-tracking automation, or kick-starting app building, chances are that you will find a solution to your problem on AppExchange. You can effortlessly customize these tools with an intuitive drag and drop interface and get going. Although it is possible for businesses to build and run their own apps without the Salesforce platform, AppExchange has certain inherent advantages over other potential options: Intuitive interface. You may have a clear understanding of what you want apps to deliver for you. However, on most occasions, knowledge transfer of your goals and vision can create gaps in understanding between your developers and you. Leading to ineffective creation of apps. AppExchange features an intuitive and easy-to-master interface, so that your teams can build and deploy precise apps. This means more effective systems, and as a result, more productivity Short development times. AppExchange provides users with effortless, drag-and-drop elements empowering users to quickly create custom, business-centric apps, potentially in a matter of hours. Multiple development tools. Organizations are no more restricted to a limited choice of development tools. Salesforce brings together three powerful development tools — Force.com, Heroku Enterprise, and Lightning — empowering app developers with the flexibility to choose what they want in order to get the job done. Prebuilt apps. Why re-invent the wheel? It’s likely that what you are seeking to deploy is already there on the AppExchange. You can discover thousands of existing third-party apps in the world’s largest enterprise app marketplace. Customize as you want and deploy in an agile framework. Limitless possibilities. AppExchange is the solution across departmental needs – Marketing, HR, IT, finance, operations, and more. Businesses can build and deploy apps that can scale across a limitless number of devices and users. Scalable Meta Data Driven Platform As your business grows, your CRM needs to adapt right along with it. By using a single code base, Salesforce makes it possible for customers to customize and scale their CRM solutions with tools that work on the meta data layer. Whatever the need, Salesforce provides customizable, configurable solutions, and does so effectively, quickly, and with minimum effort. Conclusion Salesforce is committed to providing businesses of all sizes with the tools they need to empower themselves. Of the many advantages offered by the World’s No 1 CRM platform, perhaps the most valuable are comprehensive solutions, high security standards, customizability, innovation-centric design, and specifically designed apps that allow usability with limitless possibilities. With an ROI on par with the best in the industry, there’s no reason not to give it a try. Looking for Pricing? Contact our reps to discuss your needs today. CONTACT AN EXPERT

Today, Salesforce is the world's no 1 CRM platform, and for good reason too. Companies all around the globe are moving their business applications to the cloud and the world’s no1 CRM platform provides the power, flexibility, and intelligence that businesses need to drive productivity, efficiency, and growth. Salesforce not only eliminates the erstwhile need for maintaining expensive development and support teams but also the cost of outages due to failure at the hardware, software, or application level. And while there are thousands of organizations (whether for profit or not) who have benefited immensely from the deployment of Salesforce apps, the reality is that a high percentage of them are not getting the most out of the CRM platform. In fact, a substantial number of these projects fail. Having said that, there is one thing that all the successful ones did right. And that was choosing the right Salesforce Consulting Partner. And this is precisely what we are going to assist you with today. How do you get maximum value out of your investment into Salesforce? How do you choose the best Salesforce Consultant? And how good a fit is that choice of partner for your business? With hundreds of partners listed on AppExchange, how do you decide which one is perfect for you? These questions and many more are at top of the minds of all new adopters of the world’s no1 CRM platform. Our teams of experts have shortlisted top 8 qualifiers that will answer these questions for you and guide you on how to choose the right partner for your business. Identify needs and expectations – Let’s get one thing straight. Before looking for someone to solve your problem, you need to very clearly identify what that problem is. And once you have done that, you need to set your expectations. Identify very clearly the support goals you want to fulfill and what qualities you are seeking from your partner. Very clearly spell out the key variables – budget, results, scope, and timelines. Collaborate with your teams. There is no point in implementing a new solution if your teams are not inclined to use it and or they haven’t been involved in the whole decision-making process. Once you have your needs and expectations worked out, and your teams on-boarded, start looking. Experience – This is the most important criteria for shortlisting a prospective partner. After all, you are expecting them to re-invent your business, or at least a part of it. Find out if they have a great experience not only in the salesforce domain but have they worked with customers like you. From your industry. Solving problems and challenges like the ones you currently have. Are they Gold Partners? How long have they had a dedicated salesforce practice? How have they grown? What size are they today? Understand their journey as a Salesforce Consultant. Reviews and Feedback – A partner is doing great work if their customers are saying great things about them. There is no greater testament to success than genuine customer feedback. Salesforce AppExchange is a great place to find such reviews on prospective partners. Besides reviews, you will also get to know many other important aspects about the company like key people, experience, certifications, areas of expertise, awards, etc.  Implementation Methodology   Implementation Methodology – When you are looking to work with a Salesforce Consultant, it is important you understand the consultant’s implementation approach. Look up their website, go through white papers and case studies and understand how they approach the problem.  Choose a partner who adopts a collaborative approach with customers and is not afraid to get creative with them. Ask them specifics like what tools they use, their familiarity with the latest updates in the salesforce platform. What training approach do they adopt? And very important- What is their collaborative review and iterate methodology? Do they have a Customer-Centric Culture? Involve your key team members and request a demo of their experience and approach. Support – Like any other software, Salesforce implementation is not a one-time affair. Businesses evolve, and particularly in today's context, they are ever so dynamic. Software needs to keep up with these changing times. And your Salesforce Implementation Partner needs to stay on top of all updates. Before you sign on a Salesforce Consultant, discuss with them about how will they support your business post implementation? Your business needs a partner that can support you 24/7. Someone who treats your business like his/her own. Understand how they are providing post-implementation support to their existing customers. Ask them to share case studies. Make sure they don’t prioritize larger projects over yours. Work with someone who has a Salesforce Managed Support Program as part of their implementation methodology. Pricing Ensure that you have a clear understanding of their pricing structure. Ask them questions like What are the charges for understanding your needs and recommending a solution and designing an appropriate implementation strategy? Do your hourly rates include all charges or are there separate charges /extra fees on top of that? What are the itemized support fees? What is the fee structure for the different consultants deployed on the project? Or is it a blended tariff? Make sure the overall pricing fits into your budget and keep sufficient margins for spillovers. Passion This is a little hard to come by and perhaps even harder to quantify, but it’s important. You want your Salesforce Consultant to treat your business like their own. You want them to work in close collaboration with your teams to work towards achieving common goals. After all, once you sign up, you are all on the same side of the table. Make sure the partner is passionate about technology and believes strongly in its ability to drive performance, productivity, and growth. In short, they must see your success as their own. Location Borders are almost non-existent in the digital landscape today, especially so in today’s context where physical business meet-ups are the last resort. The world has moved to online collaboration across continents. However, providence may be in working with a Salesforce Consulting Partner that is geographically close to you. Not only will this eliminate the challenges of communicating across time zones, but it will give you the opportunity to work more closely with the consulting team. Once you have identified the right partner, work on developing a long-term engagement strategy. Collaborate actively involving your teams to exchange creative ideas and unique experiences you both have. Talk about what direction you want the business to take. Like in any other relationship, trust your partner to identify risks, establish possibilities, and envision potential. At Girikon, we strongly believe that technology is a very potent driver for growth. Using the tools and features available to us through the Salesforce platform, we can help your teams transform not only the way you manage your business but also the way you look at it.

In the last almost 2 years, the world has seen a paradigm shift in the way education is perceived and delivered. This change in thinking has compelled educators to come up with new and innovative ways to deliver the entire education experience. Institutions want their entire education lifecycle to become lifelong memories for all key stakeholders- Students, Staff and Faculty. The access to cutting edge technology, coupled with the plethora of world class tools and resources, empowers educators to create beautiful and engaging experiences for students and staff alike. And it starts with the very first step – Enrolment. By making every facet of the enrolment process more engaging through the use of technology, institutions can focus on the critical events in the process that are most impactful. Salesforce Education Cloud provides the perfect blend of technology and customer service to assist educators create enriching and curated experiences for prospective students and families. As your Salesforce Implementation Partner, Girikon will help you adopt a digital transformation framework that will keep you ahead of the curve. Lets find out how : Modernize Recruitment & Admissions Education Cloud provides you the most scalable recruitment and admissions platform to meet your enrolment goals. Find best-fit students, streamline application processing and decision-making processes, and foster high-touch relationships — from prospect to enrolment. Unify data from multiple systems, use the power of AI for actionable insights, and encourage team collaboration with Admissions Connect. Make every enrolment experience effortless with CRM technology built on the #1 CRM. Image Source – salesforce.org Simplify Application Management Application Reader See and verify all applications and associated documents in a user-friendly view. Document Management Store all documents in a single platform. Conveniently switch and search PDFs. Collaborative Feedback Tools Empower your community of reviewers to verify documents and information, and provide dynamic feedback Workflow Automation Automate tasks, customize application review criteria by parameters that support your process. Drive Deeper Engagement Applicant Portal Engage applicants with interactive device friendly dashboards — all customised to your unique process needs. Dynamic Application Checklists Create personalized checklists to give applicants and their families a real-time snapshot into the completeness level of their application 24/7 Chatbot Deliver real time recommendations through artificial intelligence Document Review and Tracking Give applicants the freedom to upload, view, and track their documents from any device, anywhere. Image Source – salesforce.org Image Source – salesforce.org Harness Data Insights AI-Driven Recommendations Personalize applicant communication with recommendations, manage follow up and support to applicants when they need it. Analytics and Reporting Get complete visibility of your enrolment funnel in real- time, get deeper insight into trends and year-on-year performance. Third-Party Data Integration Seamlessly integrate with application data from other sources using the Education Data Architecture (EDA). Scalable Platform Education Cloud provides you with an easily scalable platform that works on clicks and not code. Scale with Tableau Dashboards for Enrolment to visualize trends across years, programs, subjects and geographies. Build a Robust Enrolment Platform with Education Cloud Education Cloud provides a scalable and flexible platform to find, engage, and enrol students. With Admissions Connect, educators can Increase personalization, streamline processes, and leverage data for team and student success. Conclusion With Girikon, your Salesforce Implementation Partner, you will be able to maximize utilization of the power, flexibility and scalability of Education Cloud to meet your key growth drivers. Drive student engagement and create personalised curated experiences in today’s dynamic and rapidly changing enrolment landscape. Questions? Our reps have answers. CONTACT AN EXPERT

Use social, mobile, and cloud to become a connected eco-system. Today, learners, faculty, staff and families require more support from their institutions than ever before. With Education Cloud, educational institutions of all sizes can drive success from anywhere. Institutions can benefit from the latest innovations across the Salesforce platform, as well as purpose-built education products and solutions that you can customize and scale to meet evolving needs. Features and Benefits for K12 A CRM Platform for Schools Access a Single Source of Factual Data and Information Access student and family data in a unified view and personalize every interaction at each stage of the education lifecycle. Modernize with a Scalable Platform Education Cloud is designed for schools to innovate and cater ti its dynamic needs. Be a part of a Progressive and Thriving Community Connect with a collaborative education eco-system and take advantage of a dedicated K-12 Advisory Council and partners. Image Source – salesforce.org Admissions and Enrolment Simplify prospecting and admissions Engage Students and Families Create a Unified Experience Personalize Communications Streamline Operation Get Access to Deeper Insights Student Success Help students unlock their full potential Provide wholistic support to the child Collaborate with 360° Views Prepare Students for the road ahead – Higher Education & Career Monitor Effectiveness of Programs and Services Track Alumni Success Manage Fundraising and Grants Foster donor relationships and easily track grants Build Lasting Relationships Improve Campaign and Team Productivity Personalize Engagement Optimize Processes Align Donations & Accounting Communications and Family Engagement Reach out to Families and Encourage collaboration Streamline Communications and Deepen Engagement Attract and Engage Students and Families Streamline School Support Operations Boost Fundraising Efforts Make Informed Data-Driven Decisions Features and Benefits for Higher Education Unified view of all constituents. Get a unified view of every conversation with prospects, students, alumni, donors, and affiliates. Salesforce uses social, mobile, and cloud technologies to connect all information, from everybody and presents it in a simple, user friendly interface. Connect every touch point. Students, alumni, and parents expect clear, effortless communication with institutions. Salesforce connects every aspect of the student life cycle and drives performance. Modernize Recruitment and Admissions Strengthen Top-of-Funnel Engagement Collaborate on a Connected Journey Use Admissions Connect to get a unified view Get AI Driven Actionable Insights Become part of an innovative ecosystem Transform the Student Experience Maximize Student Engagement Streamline Student Services Deliver Unified Advising Experiences Unlock Access To Careers Optimize advancement Build lifelong Alumni Relationships Personalize communications and optimize lifetime alumni value Track and Manage Gifts and Donations Get AI Based Deeper donor analytics Nurture Campus Collaboration Get Answers (Not Emails) Foster ideation Share Files Contextually Encourage Self-Service Collaborate on Projects Conclusion Salesforce CRM helps educational institutions connect with key constituents collaboratively, efficiently, and productively. Education Cloud gives you the tools and resources to build meaningful relationships with all constituents of the education life cycle -students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and donors. With Education Cloud, educators can get top level views and forecasts, and deeper insight into each key process area and performance indicator. Whether you are trying to recruit, retain, or develop support, you can customise the information views you need, when and where you need it. For students, the plethora of custom apps become platforms for learning, community-building, collaboration, growth, and advancement. Girikon is a Gold Certified Premium Salesforce Consultant, with more than 10,000 man hours on Salesforce Implementation experience across multiple domains and geographies. Looking for Pricing? Schools, Colleges and Institutions can access Salesforce products at a deep discount. Contact our team of experts to discuss your needs today. READ MORE