Roll out Salesforce properly, instead of just standing up a system

This question cannot be answered in a blanket way. Salesforce is strong when processes need to be mapped in an individual, scalable and integration-ready way. For very simple requirements a leaner solution may be enough. We help you make this decision cleanly, looking at use cases, team size, existing systems, data structure, budget and long-term development.

There is of course no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. As a rule, we recommend Salesforce when your processes are highly individual and a certain degree of scalability is desired.

Compared to the competition, Salesforce is considerably more adaptable, so both complex or individual processes and integrations are easier to realise. Accordingly, it scales better than alternative systems and grows with your requirements.

For start-ups or small companies there is a low-cost edition called Starter Suite, although a look at Hubspot or Pipedrive is worthwhile then too. Depending on the use case, these are all valid ways to start your digitalisation journey.

Get in touch and we will advise you in a free initial consultation on whether Salesforce is the right fit for you!

The duration depends on scope, products, user groups, data situation, integrations and decision paths. A clearly bounded start can often be delivered much faster than a comprehensive transformation project. Our approach: rather create a robust first version, gather feedback and then expand in a targeted way.

Here too there is no blanket answer, since many factors such as the number of products, users, locations and individual processes determine the overall duration.

On most projects we rely on a minimum viable product, so work can start with the essential requirements relatively early. It is often available after just a few weeks. If you operate internationally and a three- or even four-digit number of employees works in Salesforce, we are talking months instead. Enterprise projects can even take a few years.

To give you better plannability and cost transparency, we like to slice the elephant and work our way towards the defined solution step by step.

Success does not show up only at go-live. What matters is adoption, data quality, process speed, reporting, productivity and acceptance. Together we define metrics that make progress visible. That keeps it clear whether Salesforce is delivering the expected contribution.

The return on investment (ROI) of your Salesforce investment can be measured, for example, through the following approaches:

• Cost savings: Reducing operating costs through automated and efficient processes.
• Revenue growth: Increasing sales revenue through improved lead and customer management.
• Productivity gains: Raising employee productivity through optimised workflows and better data accessibility.
• Customer satisfaction: Improving customer satisfaction and retention through personalised and timely communication.
• Reporting and analytics: Using Salesforce reports and dashboards to measure and analyse performance in real time.
• Benchmarking: Comparing current performance with your goals and with performance before the Salesforce implementation.

For us, understanding the problems and wishes of our clients comes first. We therefore take plenty of time to build a thorough picture of your challenges and goals before we start any implementation.

Our project approach can therefore not be put on paper as a blanket formula. It is adapted to your needs.

Generally speaking, we always work agile and value short communication paths. To reach the goal quickly and efficiently, we work with best practices and rely on modern tool stacks that make work easier for us and for you.

Implementing a Salesforce product in your IT infrastructure can pursue a wide range of goals. Transparency of relevant data, automation of recurring tasks and integration with other systems are certainly among the most common ones. But Salesforce offers so much more: document generation, data analysis and easy internal and external communication are just a few examples, and even invoicing can be mapped in Salesforce.

Essentially, we believe that (almost) anything can be realised in Salesforce. Nevertheless, usefulness and cost should never be ignored.

And it is exactly these decisions we can support you with.

Your satisfaction matters to us, which is why we rely on fair prices and transparent communication.

Our hourly rates are usually tiered as follows, although we grant discounts for NGOs or start-ups:

• Architect: 195 euros / hour
• Senior consultant: 160 euros / hour
• Consultant: 130 euros / hour

There is no reliable rule of thumb for implementation costs, since an integration or highly individualised processes increase complexity and with it the cost. We did crunch the numbers, though, and worked out the average:

Salesforce licence costs x 3 = approximate implementation costs.

Deviations of more than 30% in either direction are entirely realistic, however.

All our consultants have different focus topics that go hand in hand with our interests and strengths. Accordingly, we cannot be the perfect partner for every product and every industry. In general, no single person is the jack-of-all-trades of the Salesforce universe anyway; it is far too complex for that.

The products and industries we have focused on, however, we have been serving for many years, so we can promise well-founded advice with a clear conscience. You can find an overview here.

For a data migration we offer end-to-end support, which can include the following:

• Analysis of your existing data: We assess the current data sources and structures.
• Data cleansing and preparation: We clean and prepare the data to make sure it is correct and complete.
• Mapping and transformation: We map the data onto the Salesforce structure and transform it according to the requirements.
• Migration and validation: We migrate the data into Salesforce and run validations to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data.
• Training and support: We provide training and ongoing support to make sure your team is familiar with the new data structures and can work with them efficiently.

Yes, Salesforce offers a free trial. You can sign up directly with Salesforce for a 30-day trial to explore the features and benefits of the platform. This lets you get to know the various Salesforce modules and tools and see whether and to what extent they match your business requirements. In consultation with your Salesforce account executive, the trial period can potentially be extended.

Last but not least, it is worth taking a look at Trailhead, Salesforce’s own learning platform. There you can get to know Salesforce and its many features and learn and test them in dedicated test instances, so-called playgrounds.

Salesforce places great emphasis on security and data protection. The platform offers:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
• Access controls: User roles and permissions can be configured in detail to restrict access to sensitive information.
• Monitoring and logging: Activities are monitored and logged to detect unauthorised access or suspicious activity.
• Compliance: Salesforce complies with various international data protection standards and regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA and more.
• Security certifications: Salesforce holds numerous security certifications that document compliance with industry standards.

Salesforce offers extensive integration options with a wide variety of systems, including:

• ERP systems: Integration with systems such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics.
• Marketing automation: Connection with platforms such as Marketo, HubSpot and Mailchimp, or of course the Salesforce products themselves.
• E-commerce: Integration with Shopify, Magento and other e-commerce platforms.
• Collaboration tools: Links to tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace.
• Custom APIs: Using the Salesforce APIs to build custom integrations with almost any application.

Essentially, anything can be connected that offers modern security mechanisms for authenticating and authorising the integration. Examples are: bidirectional SSL, OAuth 2.0 or connected apps.