Salesforce Implementation Plan for a Smooth Rollout

Are you looking to streamline your sales processes and boost revenue? Salesforce might be the answer you've been looking for! 

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However, before you can start enjoying the benefits of this powerful platform, you'll need to integrate it with your existing systems. That's where a Salesforce implementation consulting partner comes in. 

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By working together to create a customized Salesforce implementation plan that aligns with your organization's goals and revenue management needs, you'll be able to ensure stakeholder buy-in and a smooth transition to Salesforce's systems. Let’s get started! 

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Pre-Implementation Preparation

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Getting started with Salesforce isn’t a short-term venture that you can dive into right away. It involves developing a thorough Salesforce implementation project plan to ensure that you don’t disrupt any critical systems or run into issues with accessing valuable sales data. 

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To get the most out of Salesforce, follow these steps for your Salesforce implementation plan.

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Assess Your Organization's Needs and Goals

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Before you can forge ahead with Salesforce, you need to develop an in-depth understanding of your current systems. An awareness of what data you have and how different stakeholders use that data is critical for developing a Salesforce environment that supports your organizational goals. 

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Allocate Budget and Resources

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Successful CRM system implementation projects are a massive endeavor, and they can easily expand in scope as you encounter issues with your data or identify new processes you want to develop. In fact, the initial Salesforce implementation cost can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars without even factoring in ongoing maintenance costs. 

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What does this mean for you?

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When crafting your budget, you should thoroughly research the costs associated with other Salesforce implementations of your company’s scope and size, then build your implementation team and budget accordingly. Building scope creep into your budget is important to account for unexpected challenges with your company’s data and avoid costly delays.

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Data Migration and Cleansing

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Salesforce implementation projects tap into your current customer and sales data and bring it to the Salesforce platform. So, preparing your data and importing it to Salesforce based on data migration best practices is the first step toward building a functional Salesforce ecosystem.

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Assess Your Current Data

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Developing effective processes in Salesforce is easier when you’re working with quality data. For this reason, it’s helpful to think about your Salesforce implementation CRM data migration as moving from one house to another—you want to be strategic about what you take with you and how you organize everything to ensure a smooth transition that prioritizes your most important belongings.

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To that end, carefully review your current data, keeping in mind how your different data sets interlink and how various systems in your organization use your data. 

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Plan for Data Migration

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A successful Salesforce implementation project involves effortlessly transitioning to Salesforce without disrupting your processes or interfering with the integrity of your data. 

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How can you accomplish this?

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Create a detailed Salesforce implementation plan that outlines the tools you want to use, the timeline you’re hoping to follow, and how you’ll transition away from your legacy systems. You’ll also need to develop a data mapping plan to determine which aspects of your current databases correspond to your Salesforce tables, fields, and templates.

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Cleanse and Transform Your Data

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Identify any inconsistencies, duplicates, or errors within your current databases, then start cleansing and standardizing your data and metadata. Focus on how you plan to use and govern your data within Salesforce as you adjust.

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Salesforce Customization and Configuration

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Once Salesforce has your data, you’ll need to teach its systems how to properly leverage it. This requires you to develop custom workflows, program triggers that activate in certain situations, modify user permissions, and generate personalized dashboards to create an efficient and productive Salesforce workspace. 

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Throughout this process, communicate with stakeholders to learn what functions will help your team be most effective.

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User Training and Adoption

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As you implement Salesforce, be proactive about training your team. Ensuring your team members are comfortable using Salesforce can support user adoption rates, helping you maximize your investment. 

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Host training sessions, utilize the Trailhead learning platform, and use the built-in Salesforce Learning Paths to provide your team with hands-on, in-app learning opportunities.

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Testing and Quality Assurance

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Audit your new Salesforce system with standard software testing procedures like user interface testing, system integration testing, security testing, and automation testing. Simulate common business processes to ensure your most critical systems function effectively after rollout.

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Post-Implementation Evaluation 

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Make sure that your Salesforce environment is meeting your team’s needs and expectations by regularly evaluating its success within the context of your organization.

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Measure Against KPIs

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Measure your Salesforce implementation success by tracking KPIs like lead response time and follow-up rates. This will help you assess the effectiveness of your Salesforce workflows. 

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Monitoring these metrics can also help you identify areas of improvement as you continue to align your Salesforce environment with your company’s overarching goals.

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Gather Feedback

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A successful Salesforce CRM deployment hinges on stakeholder support. To that end, seeking input from your users and stakeholders is critical to learn what elements of your Salesforce CRM implementation act as roadblocks and which are most helpful. 

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Leverage this feedback to continuously tweak and refine your automation, user interfaces, and workflows. 

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Take Control of Your Salesforce Implementation Success With Operatus

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With a thorough Salesforce implementation plan and continued guidance from an expert Salesforce implementation partner, you can fully unlock the power of Salesforce to enhance your workflows, boost your revenue, and support your overall business objectives. 

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Operatus is a seasoned RevOps as a service provider that offers Salesforce implementation services that take you step-by-step through the implementation process, keeping your unique needs in focus. 

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Connect with the Operatus team to meet with a Salesforce implementation consultant and discover how our specialists can optimize your Salesforce rollout.