The first 90 days with Salesforce can be your most exciting, and your most challenging. As someone who gets to dive into many Salesforce instances everyday I’m also finding that it’s the first 90 days where you can be the most destructive. As an Admin/Developer/Business Analyst it’s easy to get caught up in how simple it is to configure Salesforce which can lead to poor short-term decision making that in the long run can leave you painted in a corner.
Here are my tips for making the first 90 days with Salesforce a successful one right out of the gate!
1. Plan First
I know this may sound like a broken record, but simply getting Salesforce and adding a bunch of users the first day isn’t a plan. Even if you are only evaluating Salesforce having a plan for departments it will be used in, data that will be stored there, and expected uses is helpful. It could be easiest to start off with a small pilot in a sales department. The biggest goal for your plan is to understand that the tool won’t magically fix your company. Having defined processes and yes- plans- will do that. The tool will only aid in that accomplishment.
2. Identify roles/ Define Responsibilities
While this is a part of your plan I wanted to call it because it is essential for your success. If you are launching Salesforce in a small company or as a pilot project it’s easy to just give everyone a license and the same profile. But along with that identify roles for each person in the rollout- who is the Admin, the sales lead, the marketing lead, etc. Then make sure you spell out responsibilities for each role- such as gathering feedback, making UI changes, etc. Having a clearly defined roles and responsibilities chart will ensure that you maximize and clarify expectations during the first critical phase.
3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
In the first 90 days of rolling out Salesforce there is no such thing as “Over communication”. It may feel like you have said something a thousand times, but to the user it might be the first. If you company has multiple communication platforms utilize them all! Email, Chatter, Intranet, etc. And if possible use pictures as much as possible to convey the message.
4. Think twice, Call once
Here is my rule for changes and enhancements. First, do some deeper digging into why the functionality is needed. Let’s take Person Accounts for example, as an Admin you need to have Salesforce enable them. That is your first red flag that you should really do some investigative work to make sure they are the right fit for your company.
5. When in doubt, have the community help out!
Rolling out Salesforce isn’t like being on a deserted island, hundreds of thousands of customers have gone through exactly what you are going through. So if you have a question or concern ask the community. Start by going to to success.salesforce.com and clicking on the Answers or Collaborate section. There you will find a bunch of fellow Admins/Developers/ and Business Analysts who have had similar experiences and are more than willing to give you advice about your rollout.
If you are rolling out Salesforce and need help with Business Process Planning, Training, or Salesforce customization Red Argyle offers a suite of services that will help you delivered tailored Goodness to the Salesforce platform. Contact us today, we would be happy to set up a discovery session and ensure you Salesforce implementation is a successful one.
