salesforce implementation partners

No arguments to deny the fact that Salesforce is the world’s most trusted CRM platform. Because it really is! Trusted by over 15000 companies worldwide, Salesforce tops the list against all competitors. Although the platform offers unmatched flexibility, adopting and optimizing it is no small feat. You always need the right expertise to utilize its full potential. That’s where Salesforce implementation partners appear and make all the difference. Read on to learn why and how to meet the right consultant. What is Salesforce Implementation? Before understanding Salesforce implementation partners, we must first understand what Salesforce implementation is. Salesforce implementation is a multi-phase process that includes design, development, and configuration. Beyond the technical aspects, it also involves employee training, app integrations, data cleansing, etc. When we say, “a well-executed Salesforce implementation,” it indicates that the platform is seamlessly integrated with existing systems and tailored to specific business needs. However, Salesforce's complexity and resource demands can make it challenging to implement the platform. What is a Salesforce Implementation Partner? Salesforce implementation partner is a certified expert who focuses on all phases to ensure a smooth Salesforce implementation. From system designing to data cleansing, these partners ensure everything to let businesses capitalize on Salesforce. As each partner is Salesforce-accredited, you can trust their potential and critical skills. Additionally, you can swiftly transform your entire Salesforce ecosystem with their specialization in multiple areas like: Broad Salesforce Implementation Salesforce OmniStudio Salesforce Sales & Service Cloud Agentforce/Einstein/Salesforce Consulting Salesforce AI Data Cloud Salesforce Marketing Cloud Lightning Services MuleSoft Consulting Salesforce Development Salesforce Integration Salesforce Support Imagine joining hands with a company that provides all these services under one roof. Now, picture bringing the full capabilities of Salesforce to your business—enhanced customer satisfaction and improved ROI, managed by a single trusted partner. Partnering with Girikon enables you to achieve your goals 5x faster. Schedule a meeting today to learn how the experts help you get results aligned with your business objectives. What are the Specific Roles of a Salesforce Implementation Partner? Here are some roles and responsibilities performed by Salesforce implementation companies Giving guidance on choosing the right Salesforce product that matches specific business requirements. Providing a brief understanding of Salesforce pricing to cut down on unnecessary features. Assessing that the current system can handle multiple operations and mitigate challenges like data modelling, over-customization, and security. Guiding, supporting, and addressing all kinds of changes when there are any requirements. Decreasing the risk associated with implementation budget, timeline, and scope. Factors to Consider Before Taking Salesforce Support Business Requirements Before engaging with any Salesforce consultants, it’s essential to understand your business objectives. With this, you can define the goals for the Salesforce implementation. Besides, you can align the set-up with your specific business needs. For instance, you can prioritize metrics like customer behavior and loyalty if your goal is to improve customer relationship management. This way, you will get a clear insight into how the solution delivers the desired outcomes. 2.Timeline Salesforce implementation is a complex process that can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year, depending on the complexities. This makes it important to create a well-defined timeline that sets expectations for consultants regarding deliverables, milestones, and resource allocation. Consider these milestones for an effective timeline: Requirement gathering and analysis Configuration and customization Data migration and integration Testing and quality assurance Training and deployment Give sufficient time for testing and training to minimize disruption at go-live. Also, ensure alignment with your partner on timeline expectations without compromising quality. 3.Budget Without a realistic budget, your Salesforce implementation could become a costly surprise. The most powerful features could end up being overspent and underutilized. Moreover, you may not allocate resources efficiently for Salesforce success. That’s why establishing a clear budget within financial constraints is essential. Here are various ways in which you can allocate your budget. Initial implementation costs (setup, licenses, customization) Ongoing costs (training, maintenance, support) Future enhancements or other scalability requirements Also, you can choose the best among the fixed-price contracts, milestone-based pricing, and time and material hourly rates. 4.Internal Resources Assessing the capabilities of your internal team is another key consideration to make before hiring Salesforce consultants. This will let you know their training needs, i.e., whether they are familiar with Salesforce’s UI, features, and functionalities. Also, learn if the team has additional time to work on the Salesforce project without compromising their regular duties. Ensure that the need for support in areas like customization, integration, and ongoing support is identified. Lastly, just promote an effective collaboration between the internal team and the consulting partner to facilitate skill development. Tips to Identify the Right Salesforce Implementation Partner A reliable Salesforce consulting partner is essential for the optimal performance of Salesforce software. To ensure you’re partnering with the best, look for these key qualities in a consultant. 1.Salesforce Certification and Expertise Always check for certified Salesforce consultants who have relevant experience and expertise. By providing their skills on one of the hottest CRM platforms, they ensure to kick start your business growth. Their niche knowledge and skills help businesses expand from all corners.   Here are some Salesforce certifications you should look for while searching for roles like Administrator, Architect, Consultant, Designer, Developer, and Marketer. Certifications for Salesforce Administrator Salesforce Administrator Salesforce Advanced Administrator Salesforce CPQ Specialist Certifications for Salesforce Architect Salesforce System Architect Salesforce Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer Salesforce Identity and Access Management Designer Certifications for Salesforce Consultant Salesforce Business Analyst Salesforce Education Cloud Consultant Experience Cloud Consultant Salesforce Field Service Consultant OmniStudio Salesforce Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant Certifications for Salesforce Marketing Consultant Salesforce Marketing Cloud Consultant Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Salesforce Pardot Specialist Certifications for Salesforce Designer Consultant Salesforce User Experience Designer Salesforce Strategy Designer Certifications for Salesforce Developer Salesforce B2B Commerce Developer Salesforce JavaScript Developer Salesforce Platform Application Builder. 2.Industry Experience and Knowledge Salesforce consultants with industry-specific experience avoid creating solutions that do not address your unique needs. They customize the platform by understanding your unique needs, challenges, and workflows. Moreover, they are more familiar with common pain points. This lets them anticipate roadblocks and seamlessly run the implementation process. Besides, these consultants understand the legal and compliance landscape, enabling you to avoid costly compliance issues later. 3.Past Projects and Records No business wants to hand over their dynamic projects to newbies or unsupervised developers. Because implementing Salesforce is not just about writing code—it’s about adapting to unique business needs. Experts are always familiar with the complexities, letting them optimize code for better performance. However, an unexperienced developer may struggle to implement clean code and take longer to resolve problems. This potentially derails the timeline and brings complications in making the project live. That’s why having consultants with dynamic past projects delivery is necessary. These seasoned professionals not just ensure successful projects but also manage complexities and risks. 4.Clear Communication and Collaboration Salesforce implementation partners must ensure clear communication and collaboration, letting businesses learn about each stage. It is an essential aspect, especially when businesses want to achieve specific goals and enhance workforce efficiency. By getting real-time updates on project development, teams can stay aligned and adjust priorities as required. Moreover, they can prevent delays by identifying any roadblocks and issuing quick resolutions for the same. Ensure your partner follows a clear communication strategy to improve the quality of implementation. 5.Strong Post-implementation Support Salesforce success depends on the post-implementation activities supported by a group of consultants. Organizations that lack this support may struggle to drive value from their CRM systems. Moreover, they may not be able to keep track of new features that may enhance the established processes. Upon choosing a trusted partner, you can get support on various activities: Report design, generation, and analysis Ongoing process assessment Data quality and integrity New feature release testing and training 6.Data Security and Compliance Salesforce stores a wealth of information – ranging from financial data to customer details and other confidential information. Upon taking the right Salesforce integration services, you can protect this information from accidental loss or unauthorized access. Salesforce consultants ensure the best practices, which is crucial for safeguarding valuable information. They implement a regular data backup schedule for the restoration of lost data. Additionally, they enforce strong password policies and multi-factor authentication to add various layers of security. Beyond these basic protections, consultants ensure compliance with industry standards like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR, etc. Thus, confirming that your sensitive information is secure within the system. 7.Transparent Pricing Transparent pricing means providing clear information about all costs, including products, services, taxes, fees, and extra charges. With such information upfront, you can compare prices, avoid unexpected fees, and make informed decisions. It’s essential to ensure that there are not any hidden costs. This not only builds trust but also prevents surprises down the line. Thus, helping you better manage your budget for the desired implementation. What else? You can prioritize spending based on business needs and avoid adding unnecessary features. 8.Scalability and Future Growth You can get a future-proofed Salesforce only when the platform is adaptable to handle increased workloads and user demands. However, to make it this capable, you must need the support of high-graded Salesforce implementation partners. They embrace a modular architecture, design your data model, and optimize the codebase. While a modular setup ensures these changes are implemented successfully without disrupting other parts, data models make it easier to handle growing datasets. Besides, code optimization lets you deal with high transaction volumes, complex logic, and integration with third-party applications. With all these, you can create a scalability roadmap that aligns well with the organization’s strategy. 9.Training and Knowledge Transfer For successful Salesforce implementation, it’s not enough to simply configure the platform to meet organization’s needs. Your team must also be equipped with the training and knowledge to use it effectively. Salesforce consultants play a major role in designing and delivering tailored training programs. Whether it’s for administrators, developers, or end-users, they provide hands-on workshops, letting different users utilize the system properly. This way, they not only help your team become proficient in Salesforce but also foster a culture of empowerment. Thus, bringing confidence to your users in utilizing the software for business success. Upscale Your Digital Journey with Girikon Girikon, a certified Salesforce implementation partner, offers dynamic consulting services that go beyond customization. The team handles everything from design and implementation to integration, while keeping your platform updated with the latest standards. With their ongoing support, you can relax while they monitor and optimize Salesforce performance. Girikon’s consultants also assess your current business problems and address these concerns by building a solution. To learn more about how their services can prove game changer for your business, book a meeting with the experts.

Buyers today seek compelling digital shopping experiences and expect to be able to make purchases in a few clicks. To meet these expectations, brands can incorporate a variety of add-ons, customization tools, and other features into advanced CRM platforms such as Salesforce Sales Cloud. Sales Cloud from Salesforce is a robust and flexible CRM that includes all of the necessary features to help organizations enter new markets, execute result-oriented sales strategies to acquire new customers, and boost conversions. Whether you're a small firm wanting to get started with Sales Cloud or a large corporation looking to optimize your existing sales processes, this guide has you covered. So let's get started on your road to excel with Salesforce Sales Cloud. Whether it's understanding what Sales Cloud is, studying its capabilities, learning about its configuration and implementation, or determining how it outperforms others, this article will answer all these questions. What is Salesforce Sales Cloud? Sales Cloud from Salesforce is a cloud-based solution designed purpose-built to empower sales teams and centralize the complete customer data. With Sales Cloud, sales professionals can track every customer and automate tedious tasks. The platform provides sales reps with a common ground to track customer-related activity, communications, and buying history. Salesforce Sales Cloud has a variety of features for pipeline management, deal monitoring, auto-quote creation, sales forecasting, and customer behavior, all of which help sales professionals close more deals. Sales managers can use Sales Cloud to automate sales processes, increasing team efficiency and productivity. An effective CRM strategy is essential for competing and staying ahead of the competition. A sound CRM strategy is fundamental to robust and efficient sales practices rather than dealing with manual sales and customer service processes. Salesforce Sales Cloud Features Sales Cloud has an abundance of tools and features to fine-tune even the smallest aspects of the sales process, activities, and goals. Salesforce Sales Cloud includes a feature for every purpose that is specifically designed to fit your company models, style, needs, and operations. Here are some key business objectives aligned with Sales Cloud : Acquire More Deals The obvious key to maximizing sales is to acquire more deals. It is easier to close more business by continuously optimizing campaigns based on market response and interacting with channel partners. Lead Management: With Sales Cloud, you can create your own lead machine to boost conversion rates and revenues. Track your leads from start to finish, and optimize campaigns across all channels. Make better selections by investing marketing dollars with comprehensive calculations. Sales Data: To augment effective decision-making, get access to real-time sales data. With the most up-to-date and accurate data, you can easily plan territories and boost your sales and marketing productivity. Close More Deals Higher sales translate to higher revenue. To ensure that your sales reps can maximize deal closure, you will require these Sales Cloud components. Account and Contact Management: Take a comprehensive look at your customers' activity history, important contacts, customer conversations, and internal account discussions. Gain insights from popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn using Salesforce Sales Cloud. Opportunity Management: View deals created by your sales reps. Sales Cloud provides access to all stages of the sales lifecycle, as well as products, competitors, quotes, and other services. Keep up with the people and information you need to complete every transaction. Users can collaborate using Chatter cooperation to close sales by soliciting feedback from team members. Close Deals Faster Your teams can leverage the following capabilities of Sales Cloud to close deals quickly. Mobile The Salesforce mobile application transforms your smartphone into a portable office, allowing teams to access the cloud from anywhere. Increase productivity by allowing teams to work when it is convenient for them, logging calls, responding to hot leads and work opportunities, and reviewing dashboards as needed. Workflow and Approvals Visual Workflow helps you to quickly develop and automate business processes using drag-and-drop functionality. Create custom approval processes for sales, offers, expenses, and more. File Sync and Share Share and discuss documents, publish the most relevant ones, and track content in real-time using the File Sync and Share feature. Find what you need instantly, share it securely, and get alerts whenever updates are made. Automation Sales automation streamlines sales operations by deploying automation tools and creating workflows. It streamlines the sales process and reduces manual tasks for sales professionals. Furthermore, contact and opportunity management are well-organized, allowing reps to access data and interaction history in one location. Marketing automation can also help businesses improve the quality of their customer care. Faster Decisions When multiple tools are aligned properly, the decision-making process becomes seamless and thorough. Reports and Dashboards: Dashboards allow you to see real-time information about your business in a single view. Create detailed reports and access them from any device. Sales Forecasting: Get real-time updates on team predictions, modify them, override visibility, support multiple currencies, and more such capabilities to stay on top of your business. Sales Cloud Einstein: Sales Cloud Einstein is a predictive and analytics solution that enables sales representatives to take data-driven actions and boost conversion rates. It provides analysis based on prior data from robust data models and provides accurate sales forecasts to enable smarter decision-making. Best Practices for Sales Cloud Implementation Customize as per Business Needs CRM customization boosts sales process scalability, increases efficiency, and reduces response times. A variety of user-friendly and customizable apps, profiles, dashboard layouts, and UI enable the creation of comprehensive processes, the display of specific data, and permission sets to improve security. Custom Objects and apps can assist in the proper tracking of deals in the pipelines. Furthermore, a sales-support app can be developed to allow reps easy access to information across the system. Develop Salesforce Central in Accordance With How Your Team Works. To ensure the successful implementation of Sales Cloud in your company, make its usage the focal point of the department. Every detail regarding the customer should pass through Sales Cloud, which will later be used to evaluate the rep's performance. Salesforce centralization also improves accountability by ensuring the quality of dashboard setups. Make all meetings and prospective ideas a reliable source of information for the entire team. Automate all Sales Processes According to a Salesforce survey, sales reps spend 28% of their time on core sales activities and the remainder on deal management and data entry. Businesses can increase efficiency by incorporating automation into sales-related processes. When mundane tasks are eliminated, teams have a clear understanding of what and how they should strategize selling. Automated workflows and approvals allow for faster and more efficient decision-making. Utilize Sandboxes Before you launch any new functionality in Sales Cloud, test it thoroughly, and sandboxes are the best place for this. Sandboxes protect your existing system by serving as an identical twin of the operational system, allowing for secure testing. Endorse the use of sandboxes to ensure that the implementation does not disrupt your existing infrastructure. Empower Sales Teams with Data Science Tools Data management is an eclectic combination of science and art, and therefore can be quite a daunting task. Finding the right balance between maintaining and analyzing data that allows the sales staff to make informed decisions is challenging. Sales Cloud Einstein makes things easier by interpreting factual data with artificial intelligence. This processed data generates a network of leads, allowing managers and leaders to take specific actions. Using Sales Cloud Einstein's intelligence, you can discover high-priority leads and focus on their conversion. Salesforce Einstein AI can help you expand your business by providing the features listed above. How Sales Cloud Facilitates Business Growth? Everyone enjoys discussions about how to maximize revenues, scalability, and efficiency in their day-to-day operations. When Sales Cloud is implemented, here are some of the potential benefits for your business: Reliable Reporting Every organization has a humongous amount of data that must be managed, processed, and sifted in order to generate actionable insights that can then be used to develop strategies. Data collection and management are straightforward, but analysis demands intelligence. Sales Cloud organizes data after it has been processed through multiple rounds of analysis, focusing on error elimination. Managers can plan the next best actions using insightful reports and dashboards. Improved Customer Engagement & Service Salesforce captures data that helps the sales team do targeted marketing. When efforts are made in the proper direction, it results in increased customer engagement and service efficiency. When the Sales team is fully aware of their clients' needs, they can deal with them proactively. Boost Productivity with AI Salesforce Sales Cloud's AI capabilities use machine learning and AI technologies to provide deep insights from multiple sales channels. Analyzing sales efforts allows AI to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy. It also enables the team to automate operations, handle leads, and support teams in closing deals in the shortest possible time. Reasons to Hire a Salesforce Implementation Partner Outsourcing Salesforce implementation to a certified partner can provide various benefits, including: Expertise and Experience Salesforce implementation companies typically use a team of skilled and trained specialists who have a thorough understanding of the platform and its possibilities. They deliver the greatest implementation solution to businesses by following the best business approach. Time and Cost Savings Hiring a Salesforce partner rather than training your internal team will save you time and money. Teams with an implementation partner collaborate more effectively on implementation in less time and at a lesser cost. Customized Solutions The partners offer customized solutions based on business needs and goals. They also thoroughly analyze existing processes to discover gaps and potential for change, and then create a solution appropriately. Reduced Risk Partners mitigate the risks involved with installing a new Salesforce solution, manage complicated projects, and detect possible risks and concerns before they become problems. This can help ensure a smoother installation and reduce business disruption. Ongoing Support They offer ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that your Salesforce solution remains current and adapts to your changing business requirements. They offer training, support, and guidance on how to optimize your Salesforce instance to meet your business goals. Still, looking for a reason to hire? Why not speak with one of our certified Salesforce consultants for a free Sales Cloud demo?

Customer service has become the cornerstone of every business and to ensure superior customer service, businesses should leverage the capabilities of a robust CRM platform. One such robust CRM platform is Salesforce, which is a cloud-based platform that assists businesses to streamline workflows while driving digital transformation. However, implementing Salesforce isn’t easy and requires expertise to tailor the platform as per the specific needs of an organization. That’s where the need for a certified Salesforce Consulting company comes in. These companies are not just service providers but are certified by Salesforce to manage everything from system setup and customization to long-standing training and support. In fact, these professionals have the skill to translate the goals of an organizations into tailored solutions by leveraging the robust capabilities of Salesforce. What are the Roles and Responsibilities of a Salesforce Implementation Partner? Before engaging the services of a reliable partner, it’s essential to understand their roles and responsibilities to ensure seamless implementation. A reliable partner helps organizations to create effective strategy for utilizing Salesforce besides setting short-term, as well as long implementation goals. They are also responsible for setting up the system and tailoring it as per the needs of an organization. For ensuring seamless transition and improvement in workflow, a reliable partner will help organizations to integrate Salesforce with their existing systems. They also provide consulting services and end-user training after the accomplishment of implementation. Factors to Consider Before Shortlisting a Salesforce Partner Listed below are some crucial points to consider while selecting a Salesforce implementation partner: Assess Experience and Expertise: It is crucial to look out for partners who have a proven track record of several successful implementations. It’s crucial to verify their experience, as well as expertise of working on projects like yours, their industry knowledge, and the number of certified professionals in their team. It also makes sense to look at client reviews to get insights about their prior performance. Consider Certifications and Technical Skills: It’s important to ensure that the professionals you have shortlisted to work with are certified and possess the necessary Salesforce certifications. It’s also crucial to assess the technical proficiency through diverse project case studies. This will provide a better understanding of their practical experience. Evaluate the Cultural Fit of Your Partner: Besides the technology skillset, it’s crucial to evaluate whether the partner in question has the same company vision, language and culture for communication. A partner who shares the same values, culture, vision, and communication approach will accomplish all the tasks while offering valuable insights through the implementation process. This enhances collaboration and contributes to a more successful project outcome. Scalability: Before zeroing in the right engagement model for Salesforce implementation, organizations need to identify a partner who can provide the flexibility of quickly scaling up or down as their business evolves.  Besides having adequate manpower to meet the evolving demands of an organization, they should have the technical prowess to meet those demands. Ensure Transparency in Budget: While cost is a crucial factor, it’s equally important to focus on the value that a partner delivers. A partner that delivers results and aligns with the goals of an organization is worth the investment. It’s also crucial to ask for a cost breakdown to ensure there are no hidden costs besides getting an idea of market prices by comparing the pricing with other partners. Training Capability: A good Salesforce partner will offer training and support to secure a strong adoption within your organization. Whether it’s marketing cloud creating educational videos or offering after-training support, this aspect of the Salesforce marketplace is crucial for long-term success. Benefits of Engaging the Services of a Certified Partner Listed below are some of the benefits of engaging a certified and trained implementation partner: Real World Experience: One of the compelling benefits of engaging the services of a Salesforce implementation partner is the real-world experience and in-depth knowledge, which they bring to the table. In fact, they have years of practical experience of implementing Salesforce across various industries.  Customization Abilities: Certified partners understand that one-size fit all approach doesn’t fit with respect to Salesforce implementations. They have the know-how to develop solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of a business, which in turn is crucial for maximizing the benefits of the Salesforce system. Reduces Employee Downtime: Implementing Salesforce is taxing and time-consuming, which can divert employees from performing their core responsibilities. A certified partner does all the heavy lifting by allowing teams to focus on their everyday tasks. This ensures smooth business operations for organizations. Long-term Support: Reliable partners do not discontinue their support after the initial set up. Rather they continue to offer ongoing support to help businesses scale their system as their business evolves. Such an association is crucial for maintaining a responsive and agile business model. Increased ROI: Salesforce Implementation Partners with their in-depth knowledge can restructure the deployment process thereby reducing time for implementation while increasing their return on investment (ROI). With this their chances of costly mistakes are reduced significantly. Final Words: A Salesforce implementation partner serves as a strategic resource that enables organizations to optimize the benefits of Salesforce through the successful delivery of Salesforce implementation services while making the most of the benefits that come with it. Therefore, engaging the services of an implementation partner isn’t just a wise decision but also an essential one. Their expertise and ability to tailor solutions besides overall support to minimize the possible challenges while ensuring sustained growth makes them a must have asset for every organization.

In today’s competitive era, businesses must consider integrating and synchronizing products, their pricing, inventory, and other business details to fulfill the evolving needs of modern consumers. To meet these demands, businesses require robust tools such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud and MuleSoft. You can seek Salesforce support from a reliable service provider to know more about these platforms. The integration of MuleSoft and Salesforce Commerce Cloud ensures a connected commerce experience and allows organizations to unify commerce data from any system, and quickly launch into new markets while providing enterprise-grade security to ensure the safety and security of corporate data. In other words, MuleSoft and Salesforce Commerce Cloud can provide a connected commerce experience. What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud? Salesforce Commerce Cloud is an e-commerce solution that empowers organizations to sell their products and services across different channels, including social, mobile, and the web. This cloud platform helps retailers provide a superior shopping experience to their customers.     This platform provides brands the agility to remain competitive and ensure the following: Proficiently launch and manage stores across different channels, geographies, and dialects through a cloud-based commerce platform. Test and deliver changes. Modernize while prioritizing actionable insights that drive better business decisions. Salesforce Commerce Cloud Is Only as Powerful as the Data That Lies Behind It With Salesforce Commerce Cloud, businesses can take the online shopping experience a notch higher than that of a traditional e-commerce platform by capturing customer data. In fact, this innovative platform has transformed the way organizations conduct their business by launching into new markets faster while ensuring security from threats. This is possible through API-led connectivity that amalgamates crucial data from legacy systems, CRM, ERP, and partners like delivery logistics providers. However, digital transformation via API-led connectivity depends significantly on the data that backs it. This is where Salesforce Commerce backed up by MuleSoft comes into the picture as it connects all the commerce systems and creates a steady customer view across the organization. MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform allows you to centralize data while creating an omnichannel experience. Since customer data is an asset that can be leveraged by organizations to improve customer service by using digital technologies and integrating data while making it accessible in real-time. Real-time data ensures quicker customer support and increased satisfaction. APIs help in integrating different systems together and creating a data-driven model. This ensures precise decision-making. In addition, such an approach to data provides insights by tracking customer engagement patterns and gathering more data. By integrating customer data with Salesforce Commerce Cloud, you can get a comprehensive view of your customers while furthering your brand loyalty by having all customer data gathered in a single solution. What is MuleSoft? MuleSoft is a reputed provider of Enterprise Integration Platforms. MuleSoft connects all the data, applications, and devices across different business entities. They enable organizations to gather their data in real-time, actionable, and secure information. MuleSoft along with its Anypoint Platform is one of the best integration platforms available and allows businesses to connect with different applications while ensuring system-to-system integrations are easy and cost-effective. Additionally, the platform provides a unified platform to help organizations manage their business process activities to enable efficient connectivity across people, devices, and systems. MuleSoft has put an end to point-to-point legacy integrations that hinder digital transformation. The Influence of MuleSoft and Salesforce Commerce Cloud: If the solutions that you are using currently do not allow you to tap into data from various sources, you're stuck inside one system. If you are willing to venture into new markets then it would consume more time and money. The right solution would be to combine your requirements in a single system, which is possible with Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Mule Soft which allows you to connect with other systems quickly. To Wrap-up: To succeed in today’s competitive era, businesses must create great customer experiences, which is possible by having ready access to customer data. However, brands are likely to stay behind if they fail to centralize their data. Salesforce and MuleSoft together are a perfect match as they both are dedicated to leveraging APIs and connectivity to help organizations succeed through digital transformation. To know more about the benefits of these platforms, it’s essential to get in touch with a certified Salesforce implementation partner.  

In today’s business landscape, a successful enterprise must adopt a system that seamlessly integrates all departments and their respective business processes to enable them to interact and collaborate effortlessly. This is where Salesforce has established itself as the market leader in the CRM space.  Salesforce CRM sometimes popularly referred to as the Customer 360 platform, is a user-friendly solution with virtually limitless flexibility that connects teams across departments in an organization and drives growth. As a result, companies that use Salesforce see improvements in growth and efficiency. But to get the most out of what Salesforce CRM has to you need professional expertise. While most of the Salesforce products are centred around sales and customer service, Salesforce can be used for almost anything. And while the key Salesforce functions haven’t changed much – consultant, administrator, architect and developer, the specializations required based on the unique business needs of an organization have become quite apparent. One needs to have specialization on some of the key aspects of Salesforce to make the implementation count. Consultants don’t just bring in the necessary skills and experience for implementing the CRM platform. They also add significant value in being able to understand the customer. Not only in terms of business processes within the organization but also outside of that realm, such as the people who drive those processes. And they are an intrinsic part of the customer’s growth journey onwards of implementation. While businesses can provide the Salesforce implementation team with data and insight, certain things can only be understood by a specialist. This is where the Salesforce consultant role becomes important. They are trained with skills like attention to detail, analytical thinking and problem-solving along with hands on expertise on the platform. Why Is Salesforce so Popular? Salesforce upgrades its product offering three times a year. Which means every year they add new features and functionality to help existing and new business innovate rapidly. Salesforce is founded on a Customer-360 vision and promotes a collaborative work culture that brings people together and promotes productivity. The Salesforce online community provides help and support to the entire developer community to solve any business challenge The Salesforce platform has virtually limitless flexibility and businesses can create any number and kind of custom apps and integrations to support their business Salesforce allows you to automate routine business processes which frees up employee time to focus on core tasks. Salesforce is powered by an advanced AI engine which delivers qualified analytics on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of your business. Here's where Salesforce Consultants add value across various phases As Part of an Implementation Team CRM implementation is a time-consuming effort and requires coordinated team effort. It would be a wise decision for a business to hire a specialist with extensive experience in Salesforce implementation since the Salesforce platform is complex and offers virtually limitless customization possibilities. Consequently, Salesforce consultants are in high demand across businesses that need the Salesforce CRM implementation. Here are the phases that require the services of a Salesforce Consultant: The Pre-Implementation Phase Before preparing a draft of the Salesforce implementation plan, a Salesforce consultant needs valuable insight from within the company. Information on the type and number of employees, the working structure of the company, regular business processes and workflows, are all important to understand how the organization works and what are its vital parts. The consultant needs to work closely with the business leaders within the organization to understand goals and expectations and current challenges and workflow bottlenecks During the Implementation Consultants play a vital role during the implementation phase as well. They are the link between the technical team – architects, administrators and developers who install and configure the platform and build and deploy custom apps, and the company. Their role is to maintain good communication between the two groups and ensure everything is well captured. After the Implementation The implementation is not over until the customer starts seeing results. After all, the technical implementation is just side of it. Once the technical tasks are completed, the implementation team also needs to train the users on the platform. Typically, this is another key responsibility area of a Salesforce consultant. It requires good communication skills, teamwork and leadership skills. Businesses are evolving continuously. And the software that they use needs to keep pace with it. Businesses need to add and upgrade their apps and workflows on an ongoing basis to stay ahead of the curve. If you are already using Salesforce in your organization, the presence of a Salesforce Consultant will help you to upgrade rapidly by building and deploying apps in an agile framework. And do to that you need a strong team of specialists. Moreover, just like every other complex platform, Salesforce also requires maintenance time to time. This is another key responsibility area of a consultant. As part of the organization Salesforce consultants also work in organizations that don’t do implementation for others. They just have enough in house needs. These are regular businesses that use the Salesforce platform and a small team of consultants to oversee the implementation, upgrades and maintenance activities. In this context, a Salesforce Consultant’s function is to make sure system performs perfectly and the users are able to use it easily. On top of that, they also discover methods to further enhance the customer experience through the use of the platform and make sure teams continue to communicate with each other. Shortage of Salesforce Professionals Currently, there just aren’t enough people trained in Salesforce to meet growing demands of this ecosystem. One of the key reasons is that Salesforce isn’t your run-of-the-mill software. It’s a specialised and complex product and unless you're a service provider or you are a part of an organization that uses Salesforce, it’s unlikely that you know much about it. Many of the Fortune 100 companies use Salesforce. IDC published an article in October 2017 saying that over 3 million jobs are expected to be there in the Salesforce ecosystem by end of 2022 through its network of partners. Salesforce has been growing at a brisk pace year on year, and so are their customers, consequently driving up the demand for Salesforce professionals to support that growth. And the skills one acquires as a Salesforce professional are highly transferable in case one wants to switch over to another industry. Developing Salesforce Skills Irrespective of your available budget, there are multiple options available to help one get familiar with Salesforce and develop skills in a certain are: Developer organisations— Sign up immediately for a free developer licence and start practising Trailhead, which is a Salesforce powered only community where one can get hands-on exposure to Salesforce and learn the technical and business skills one needs to succeed from anywhere for free. Girikon is a dedicated Gold Certified Salesforce Partner. Our relentless focus on understanding the unique needs of our customers combined with our rich expertise and experience on the Salesforce platform allows us to deliver value driven solutions to our clients. Contact us today to know more.

Salesforce Energy and Utilities Cloud gives energy and Utilities providers a digital interaction platform to personalise customer engagements. Utilities can meet new customer expectations by delivering great experiences like easily guiding customers through enrolment, transfer and activation of services through a self-service website. And using out of the box drag and drop tools, to configure complex processes. With data integration with existing back-end CIS and MDM systems, to ensure a streamlines service experience. A utility has a comprehensive profile view of each customer to deliver a highly personalised and predictive experience. Like sharing special offers for programs or new rates for products. Digital tools are available to tailor customer experiences and help customers make informed decisions. With chatbots for the first level of customer support, accessible at anytime from anywhere. So service agents can pick up the case for the right level of assistance when needed. Agents have a thorough view of each customer account and can navigate between multiple residential or commercial accounts. With all the information they need like full chronological history, account and billing information, usage and more. And al data can be consolidated from back end systems so agents always have access to a single source of truth. Agents can also see into process and actions initiated on other channels and can use that information to better serve customers from finalising a purchase to liaise scheduling field service appointments. Utilities now have insight through interactive dash board to real time data to keep customers at the core of their business. And can provide developers a library with hundreds of pre built business processes and integrations to accelerate time to value and digital transformation. Chart a new course for the future of energy by streamlining your business. Meet the needs of all energy eco-system stakeholders -customers, suppliers, partners and employees with a platform that fosters agile innovation across your entire business lifecycle. Adapt and cater to rising customer expectations. Adopt a digital first approach and scale fast with easy integration with your existing systems. Deliver customer first service to your customer community. Streamline your Oil and Gas business and prepare for the future of energy. Connect stakeholders and assets across the service journey and collaborate in real-time. Drive on field decision-making with on-th-go access to vital data and information. ENERGY AND UTILITIES CLOUD Drive customer service and engagement on a single, connected flexible and scalable platform. Be the trendsetter for transition to energy transformation with centralized customer data, and on-time, personalized, pro-active service from anywhere, from any device. Energy and Utilities Cloud delivers a scalable, digital and secure energy solution that adapts and scales for future energy needs. Get access to a process repository of more than 100 preconfigured and extendable best practices Easily connect to back office utility Billing and Customer Information Systems (CIS) with easy, drag and drop integrations Utilise a data model with access to more than 350 extended objects specifically designed for the utility industry With Energy and Utilities Cloud, you can take advantage of purpose-built innovations designed for an dynamic and evolving energy landscape. Transform agents into advisors and deliver a whole new way of customer engagement. Empower service agents with the resources they need – tools, analytics, and AI based insights, to deliver personalized customer service anytime, anywhere, from any device. Deliver personalized customer service on a digital-first platform. Support the entire spectrum of customers, ranging from residential customers to large commercial customers. Get a single, scalable and secure solution that delivers connected journeys and promotes self-service. Turn customer freedom into a competitive advantage. Offer quotes and tariffs faster than ever, by quickly processing current market pricing and customer information with a 360-view of the customer and data-driven tools. Improve acquisition and trim churn. Easily generate complex, multi-locational and multi-product quotes to acquire customers faster. Retain customers longer with personalized offerings. POWER AND UTILITIES Adapt and thrive in a dynamically evolving Power & Utilities industry. Easily navigate the intricate utility landscape with seamless and powerful digital transformation. Revolutionise the Utility customer experience. Embrace digitalization and drive into future of energy transformation with a customer first approach. Make advisors out of agents by giving them the tools that deliver a customer-360 view. Encourage self-service and engage customers across the journey with AI, and offer multi-channel personalized service Deliver next generation service operations and customer experience by going beyond the contact center. Service customer needs faster in the Retail sector. Deliver a more connected experience for customers by bringing existing systems on a single platform. Deliver quotes and tariffs faster than competitors with data-driven tools and easily navigate multi-locational, multi-account structures. Evolve offerings, accelerate customer acquisition, and improve customer retention by designing competitive products and services with just a few clicks. Boost customer experience with personalised engagements and streamlined field service operations. Become the trendsetter in sustainability. Get ahead of your competition with innovative digital transformation that drives your business during the energy transition. Drive energy efficiency program adoption and help customers reach their energy goals. Educate customers and partner with them to adopt sustainable offerings and services that foster new revenue streams Go beyond commoditization and stay current with new offerings OIL AND GAS Connect stakeholders and assets across every touchpoint throughout the Oil & Gas value chain. Optimize your organization for the new era of energy transformation. Drive digital optimization across the upstream ecosystem. Optimise communication and engagement with stakeholders across the value chain. Seamlessly connect landowners, suppliers, customers, shareholders, and the relevant compliance organizations. Augment staff safety with tools that empower you to attract, retain, upgrade, and engage the dynamic workforce. Reduce costs with analytics and AI to drive smarter connections across the energy lifecycle. Boost on-site efficiency and safety. Optimise commercial processes and deliver better service Empower teams with digital tools that drive safety Streamline operations and optimise asset digitization Transform downstream enterprises. Increase customer retention with a platform that drives personalization and growth Optimise stakeholder relationships across all distribution channels Lower maintenance costs, boost plant efficiency and reduce less downtimes Remodel and enhance oilfield equipment and services. Personalize contracts, quotes and bids and win high-margin deals Operationalize existing investments in IoT with analytics and AI to drive business intelligence and reduce costs Deliver value to customers with simplicity and transparency by investing in digital transformation strategies. Develop and execute an actionable sustainability strategy. Scale Social, Environmental, and Governance excellence to boost stakeholder engagement Fast track progress towards achieving your sustainability goals with optimized greenhouse gas emission tracking and accounting across all your assets and locations. Get ready for a sustainable future with a unified agile platform that allows you to pivot quickly, fast track business models, and adapts to new processes, workflows and integrations. Common questions that we get asked often. Here are the answers. Who can use Energy & Utilities Cloud? Energy & Utilities Cloud is for any energy and utilities provider who wish to revolutionise the customer experience and connect the customer journey across every touchpoint. Irrespective of what type of business model you have, whether a regulated energy company or a retail energy provider, Energy & Utilities Cloud can help you deliver connected engaging, personalized digital-first experiences across the customer lifecycle. How do I use Energy & Utilities Cloud with my current Customer Information and billing systems? Energy & Utilities Cloud is not a replacement for billing or CIS systems.  However, you can easily integrate your existing utility enterprise systems with Energy & Utilities Cloud using out-of-the-box integration solutions driven by utility-specific data models and a repository of pre-built processes to fast track your digital transformation. How is Energy & Utilities Cloud different from competing products? Energy & Utilities Cloud is founded on the design methodology that built the world’s #1 CRM platform. It has been developed specifically for the energy industry.  Now you get faster time to value with data models, custom industry specific apps, and out-of-the-box integrations. Build on the experience of our industry leaders for click based implementation and guidance throughout your digital transformation journey. How so other Salesforce products work with Energy & Utilities Cloud? Energy & Utilities Cloud plugs in easily with Marketing Cloud Experience Cloud, Service Cloud, and more. Now you can innovate faster than ever, with the full power of the Native Salesforce Customer 360 platform. Girikon is a Gold Certified Salesforce Implementation Partner that can help you deliver an engaging digital transformation journey to your customers. Contact us today! Questions? Our reps have answers. CONTACT AN EXPERT

Companies of all sizes are transforming the way they do business digitally with innovation in technology, in an attempt to engage customers in a new way. Enterprises are adopting a go-digital first approach with best in class out of the box software. Salesforce CRM happens to be one of them. Educating yourself about Salesforce is one thing. Understanding which products, applications best suit your unique business needs is another matter. Which is why almost most Salesforce customers turn to Salesforce experts to seamlessly enter the Salesforce eco-system. These experts are called Salesforce Implementation Partners. Over the last decade, Salesforce has nurtured a vast network of it’s implementation partners across the globe that help businesses achieve their business goals. Here's a look at some of the typical questions early adopters have about working with a Salesforce implementation partner. What is an implementation partner? To put it simply, an implementation partner is an firm that has been vetted and approved by Salesforce to implement their solutions for businesses on their behalf. Every implementation partner specialises in certain areas of technology, industry, or application. Which means, there are Salesforce implementation partners to address every need, business, industry and product. Why engage an implementation partner? Salesforce CRM solutions cover the complete spectrum of business operations. These include but are not limited to sales, marketing, service etc. Each product can be further expanded by third party add-on applications and cross-platform integrations. To put it in a nutshell, the Salesforce ecosystem has endless capabilities. The challenge is of aplenty – to select the right product with the features and functionality that best suit your needs. A larger organization may already work with multiple technology-based solutions because of larger budgets and diversity in lines of business. They may need guidance in understanding how a particular Salesforce product, say, Sales Cloud, can seamlessly integrate with their existing systems without causing any conflict. A smaller company on the other hand may be scaling up rapidly and will quickly realise that continuing to work with spreadsheets will not support their growth objectives. They would soon realize that they would need to automate some of their processes, and/or develop more personalised and engaging customer experiences. Implementing a CRM solution for the first time can feel intimidating. It is almost impossible for your internal teams or staff with no prior experience with Salesforce to consider all the variables involved in an implementation and also be able to implement a new instance of a highly configurable CRM platform. Hiring full-time resources to embark on the implementation process can also prove be an expensive option. These are some of the operational reasons that most of the Salesforce customers depend on Salesforce Implementation experts. Bringing in a partner late in the game may prove to be detrimental to your growth plans. For you to derive maximum benefit of such a powerful and configurable platform requires close collaboration not just internally, but also with your implementation partner.  The best way to do the implementation is when the journey begins together. When is the right time to hire an implementation partner? As early as possible. As is true with any big investment, first you need to do your due diligence. Understand what needs should be met, gaps to close, or issues that need to be addressed. Establish a vision of what you want to achieve with the Salesforce implementation. Next, determine how would you execute your vision with Salesforce, which is where the partner comes in. As soon as you estabish your goals, it’s time to bring in a partner. The right Salesforce implementation partner won’t just expedite the how, but they will also help you to sharpen your vision. They’ll help you get a clearer understanding of success metrics, establish realistic goals, and provide guidance on appropriate products. Finally, they’ll chalk out a sound project timeline for your entire implementation journey. Meet with multiple prospective partners. Assess them on key parameters like industry experience, certified consultants, years in business, reviews, number of successful implementations, their post-implementation training and support strategy. Get a sense of who they are and how they work. This is a crucial relationship for your business, so don’t compromise. How do I know which is the right partner for me? Some Salesforce Implementation Partners have generalised Salesforce capabilities. And some would specialise in particular areas or functions of the Salesforce platform. Some might specialise in Sales Cloud and Financial Services Cloud. Others might have expertise in harnessing the combined powers of Marketing Cloud and Einstein. Here are some pointers to guide you on what to look for in a Salesforce Implementation Partner: Industry expertise Does the Salesforce partner have experience working in the same industry as yours for other customers? Can they offer customer testimonials or case studies from similar projects? Salesforce expertise Does the partner have enough experience with the specific Salesforce solution that you wish to implement? Technical expertise Does the partner have the necessary technical capabilities to implement your Salesforce solution through customization, third party app integration or integration with other business systems within your organization? Proven Methodology Does the partner have a proven process methodology for Salesforce implementation and training? Do they implement using an Agile framework evolving with every iteration using a collaborative approach? Ongoing support What level and type of support are they providing to their existing customers? Do they provide 24/7 support? Pricing and Budgets What is their pricing model? What is the average size of the projects they have executed? Do they fit into your long-term budget? What a Salesforce Implementation Partner Does? Here are some of the things your Salesforce Implementation Partner will do as a part of their overall implementation: Work with you closely to establish your long-term and short-term goals for your implementation Document your existing business practices and make a detailed note of your specific requirements Assess your existing systems and business operations and recommend any changes that may help you to achieve your goals and improve the efficiency of your workflows Work closely with key stakeholders, adopting a collaborative approach to integrate Salesforce with your existing systems Train your teams on the new platform Salesforce implementation partners have extensive experience on the Salesforce platform across industries solving unique challenges in varied business environments. They know what it takes to execute and deliver a successful Salesforce implementation. A qualified partner can help you to avoid common pitfalls and get you up and running quickly. What challenges might I encounter during implementation? Salesforce has been around for decades now and it’s a known fact that bringing in a partner early in the game mitigates may of the implementation risks and challenges that may emerge along the way. What is also important is to be clear on what you want to achieve over time and how you measure success over that journey. Most often, confusion or dissatisfaction arises from a lack of understanding on part of the customer on clear goals and measurable metrics. If both you and your partner are not on the same page, its opens doors for unnecessary assumptions, and confusion and misunderstandings on timelines and system features can arise. This only complicates the process of achieving objectives and reaching success benchmarks that your set out with. Salesforce implementation is an expensive roll out and it’s a two-way street. Both you and your partner need to be transparent and work in close collaboration to make it a success. Never hesitate to ask the same questions. The Salesforce implementation process can be highly technical and it is only natural to seek precise clarification. Just as you place your customers at the center of your business, partners place you at the center of theirs. They measure their success by your satisfaction levels. Customer success translates to partner success. As it true with any successful relationship in life, this implementation partnership too thrives on open, honest communication from day one. Girikon is a Gold Certified Salesforce Consulting Partner that provides expert guidance and support throughout the client’s growth journey. Get in touch with one of our experts today to know more about how we can help you. Questions? Our reps have answers. CONTACT AN EXPERT