Salesforce implementation services 
and guidelines

Salesforce implementation services and guidelines

Salesforce implementation is the delivery of Salesforce products into the designated environment together with configurations, migration, and setup activities to ensure the solution’s maximum value. Itransition has certified consultants, architects, developers, and admins on board to help companies with Salesforce implementations of any scope and complexity and provide post-implementation support upon request.

About Itransition

10+ years Salesforce consulting services provider

In-house Salesforce Center of Excellence

Recognized among Top Salesforce Consulting Companies by Clutch

98 Salesforce certifications

Experience with Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, CPQ, and more Salesforce products

Our Salesforce implementation projects

Salesforce CRM implementation

+15%

conversion rates

We replaced Bruntwood’s numerous legacy systems with a unified Salesforce CRM, automating the company’s lead and opportunity management, quote generation, and contract management.

Customized Salesforce implementation

+75%

client management productivity

We provided Salesforce implementation services to an insurance buyout company and tailored the CRM’s client management workflows, including data collection, communication, and activity planning, to the customer’s needs.

Salesforce implementation roadmap

Here’s how our certified Salesforce experts approach a typical Salesforce implementation project to ensure its efficiency and eventual success.

1

Planning

We conduct kick-off meetings with the customer to plan the project and determine what Salesforce products they should implement. Based on this, we select the tools we will need for this Salesforce implementation project and select specialists for the team.

2

Discovery

At this stage, we analyze the customer’s business needs in more detail and use them to elaborate on Salesforce implementation requirements as well as the project’s goals. We can also develop PoC for features without established requirements and provide a demo to validate the suggested approach.

3

Design

Our Salesforce developers configure the solution’s UX/UI, objects and fields, reports, business rules, and other aspects to better tailor it to the customer’s operations. When out-of-the-box settings can’t provide the desired modifications, we can perform Salesforce customization through custom development. 

4

Integration

We integrate the future Salesforce platform with other business software in the customer’s IT infrastructure, like ERP, document management solutions, marketing tools, etc., with pre-built connectors or custom modules and ensure seamless data flow and collaboration between them.

5

Validation

When we’ve finished modifying the Salesforce solution and preparing it for implementation, we deploy metadata to a testing environment to perform user acceptance testing, load testing, and staging. If needed, we make necessary changes to the solution afterward.

6

Roll-out

We deliver the Salesforce solution to the customer’s selected environment, ensuring minimal interruptions to the company’s operations. Then, we migrate all the necessary data from legacy CRM and other systems to Salesforce.

7

Support

After the successful Salesforce implementation, we can help the customer with user adoption, getting target users acquainted with the new solution’s features and capabilities. Our team can also provide ongoing support and maintenance services on demand.

Salesforce products we implement

Sales Cloud

Service Cloud

Marketing Cloud

Community Cloud

B2C Commerce

CPQ Salesforce

Salesforce Einstein

Sales Cloud

We implement the Sales Cloud solution and set a tailored sales pipeline to enable your sales reps and managers to have a complete view of all existing and prospective customer information as well as deals and opportunities and get comprehensive performance reports.

Service Cloud

We set up an omnichannel customer experience platform based on Salesforce Service Cloud that is tailored to your support agents’ needs, helping them efficiently solve cases and incidents, access the knowledge base faster, and automate case routing.

Marketing Cloud

Our team implements and configures this marketing automation tool to enable companies to personalize and partially automate customer interactions across channels, craft outstanding marketing campaigns, and gather granular customer insights for further analysis.

Community Cloud

Based on Salesforce’s Community Cloud, we create a branded hub for companies to engage and communicate with their customers, partners, or employees, building a strong community.

B2C Commerce

We implement and optimize this tool for B2C workflows to help retailers efficiently promote their products through marketing and merchandising campaigns, craft a consistent customer experience across channels, and scale or modify their stores on demand.

CPQ Salesforce

We help companies implement and tap into all useful capabilities of CPQ Salesforce to enable their sales agents to provide accurate pricing for various product configurations and quickly generate quotes to streamline the selling process.
We help companies implement and apply this comprehensive data-ready AI tool to sales, marketing, customer service or IT workflows and make sure it delivers accurate insights for evidence-based decision-making.

Hire a certified Salesforce implementation partner for your project

Contact us

Salesforce implementation options

By implementation strategy

Big bang

This approach implies a one-shot shift of business functions and data from the legacy environment to Salesforce.
Suitable for
  • Small to mid-size companies
  • Fast-paced businesses that can’t afford a lengthy disruption
Advantages
  • Short timeline
  • The cheapest option
  • Reduction of legacy system maintenance costs
Limitations
  • High risk
  • The need for quick end-to-end testing
  • Intense user onboarding

Phased

According to this approach, Salesforce implementation is divided into several stages defined by business functions or geography.
Suitable for
  • Large and complex companies
  • Organizations operating across markets and locations
Advantages
  • Minimized risk
  • Easier user onboarding and change management
  • Allows for mid-project changes
Limitations
  • Longer timeline
  • Costly
  • Potential integration challenges

Parallel

In this approach, the company implements Salesforce and runs it alongside the legacy system until the data and processes are safely migrated.
Suitable for
  • Companies with large volumes of data
  • Companies with complex processes
Advantages
  • A safe option
  • Easy rollback
  • Ensures business continuity
Limitations
  • Expensive
  • Requires full support of the legacy system
  • Can be confusing to users

By implementation team

In-house

In this approach, companies carry out Salesforce implementation independently, appointing internal IT staff for the project. While being the easiest to set up and most cost-efficient, this approach involves a high risk of errors and technical debt creation when in-house developers have no Salesforce experience.

Third-party

Here, companies hire outside Salesforce partners to carry out implementation end-to-end and additional tasks upon request. This option is more expensive and requires a rigorous selection process, but in the end, experienced consultants are more likely to roll out Salesforce successfully, with fewer risks and disruptions.

Hybrid

This approach involves hiring a Salesforce implementation partner and distributing responsibilities between them and the in-house team. This way, companies can allocate more complicated tasks requiring extra expertise to third-party experts while saving costs.

Team composition for a Salesforce implementation project

Project owner

Defines the project scope and supervises all implementation stages.

Project manager

Understands the company’s processes and can map them out in the Salesforce system. Communicates with different teams and oversees the implementation end-to-end.

Salesforce consultant

Helps stakeholders select Salesforce products and determine the requirements, set up the system, and perform necessary configurations.

Salesforce developer (upon request)

Designs and builds Salesforce customizations and integrations.

Data lead

Takes care of data preparation for migration into Salesforce and ensures the migration goes smoothly.

System administrator

Manages the implemented Salesforce system on a daily basis.

Power users

Customer employees from particular departments that provide feedback at each project’s stage and become the solution’s first users.

Salesforce implementation best practices

Learn nine best practices to ensure the Salesforce implementation project goes smoothly and brings the expected results.

Establish the project’s KPIs

Ensure data quality before migration to Salesforce

Draw up detailed documentation for the new solution and processes

Provide employee onboarding and training

Create a change management strategy

Carry out testing throughout and post-implementation

Factor in contingencies into the project’s budget

Secure both stakeholders’ and users’ buy-in from the start

Successful Salesforce Implementation

Salesforce implementation cost

A Salesforce implementation budget can range from $10,000 to $100,000+. Such a significant difference is due to a large number of cost factors that impact the final price. Here are the most important ones:

Salesforce license

Salesforce products typically come in four editions, each with different features and capabilities, with the cheapest at $25 per month and the most expensive at $300. Additional feature licenses or managed packages will cost you extra. 

The number of users

Since Salesforce charges companies per user, the more users you plan to have, the more money you’ll need to spend.

Consulting

Salesforce implementation fees vary depending on whether you hire a consulting company or a freelance specialist, as well as their location and certifications.

Customization and data migration

The scope of custom development and the volume costs will depend on your data set size for migration to Salesforce and customization ambitions

User training

Salesforce user training is relatively inexpensive. However, if you plan to have Salesforce system admins or developers on board, you’ll have to invest thousands of dollars.

Support

After Salesforce implementation, you’ll need someone to supervise your Salesforce journey, delivering updates and improvements and fixing emerging errors. Whether you hire third-party support specialists or appoint someone from your IT staff will also impact the final cost.

Benefits of Salesforce implementation

Cost cutting

Salesforce is a unified platform that digitalizes numerous paper-based processes and automates repetitive tasks, allowing companies to abandon some of the tools and cut costs. Moreover, effective sales and marketing functionality in its toolkit helps companies bring new customers faster and cheaper.

-25%

IT costs reduction

Salesforce

-28%

customer acquisition costs reduction

Salesforce

Better performance

The implementation of Salesforce gives employees access to various capabilities for sales and marketing management, collaboration, analytics, paperwork digitalization, and task automation, helping them do their work more efficiently.

+26%

employee productivity improvement

Salesforce

Streamlined business processes

Salesforce provides many out-of-the-box features for automating repetitive sales, marketing, and customer service tasks, helping streamline many time-intensive operations. Additionally, Salesforce developers can deliver custom process automation based on your needs.

27%

aster process automation

Salesforce

Accelerated decision-making

Salesforce keeps customer information complete, accurate and up-to-date for all departments to take best actions. Moreover, the system provides comprehensive dashboards and reports to aid management with operational and strategic decision-making.

+29%

faster insights

Salesforce

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Salesforce implementation challenges and their solutions

Challenge

Solution

Poor compatibility with existing systems

Challenge

Some outdated or homegrown software can prove hard to connect to Salesforce and ensure seamless data exchange between them.

Challenge

Solution

Companies should first validate that Salesforce integration with this software is indispensable. If it is, stakeholders should consider developing custom APIs or other integration solutions to connect Salesforce and other business software.

Low user adoption

Challenge

Due to the lack of understanding, employees can resist using Salesforce.

Challenge

Solution

Before Salesforce implementation, stakeholders and managers should start promoting the platform’s value and employee benefits. Companies should also conduct specialized Salesforce training programs for various departments.

Overcustomization

Challenge

By adding too many unnecessary customizations to Salesforce, companies risk going overboard and making the solution cumbersome and hard to use.

Challenge

Solution

Companies should draw up the scope of initial Salesforce customizations and workflow automation based strictly on current business needs and target users’ wishes. After you get used to the platform, you can come up with other, more specific and meaningful improvements to cater to emerging business goals.

Lack of qualified support specialists

Challenge

Ongoing Salesforce support requires specific knowledge and skills that not every company has on board.

Challenge

Solution

To keep implemented Salesforce CRM running smoothly in the future, companies should take care to hire Salesforce support specialists or train in-house IT staff way in advance. Another viable option is to outsource Salesforce support to certified Salesforce developers, preferably ones who have performed the implementation.

FAQ about Salesforce implementation

Why is Salesforce implementation important?

Salesforce is a leading CRM platform with rich features for streamlining and improving sales, marketing, and customer support processes. Depending on the specifics of their Salesforce implementation, companies can considerably improve sales agents’ productivity, craft more personalized marketing campaigns, build better relationships with customers or partners, and help support agents work more efficiently.

Is Salesforce easy to implement?

Implementing Salesforce is not easy, as it involves many complicated activities like Salesforce customization or configuration, data migration, or even custom development. So, if you don’t have any experience with the platform, it would be best to enlist the implementation services of experts, at least for the most challenging parts of the project.

What does a Salesforce implementation partner do?

An implementation partner helps companies choose suitable Salesforce products and services, work out an implementation strategy, and successfully carry it out. A Salesforce partner can also complete other related tasks on demand, for example, migrating legacy data, integrating Salesforce with business software, or tailoring it to the company’s processes and needs.

How long does Salesforce implementation take?

The implementation timeline heavily depends on the scope of features you plan to introduce. If you need to automate some of the existing processes, it can take just several months. However, it can easily take a year to prepare extensively for Salesforce implementation and then make significant changes to the out-of-the-box solution.

Salesforce professional services and product expertise

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Salesforce CRM implementation for a real estate company

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Learn about Salesforce CRM implementation that helped a large real estate company increase their sales by 15% and shorten their sales cycle by 10%.

Salesforce CRM for a US insurance buyout agency

Case study

Salesforce CRM for a US insurance buyout agency

Learn how Itransition’s customized Salesforce CRM has brought a US insurance buyout agency 54% more leads.

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