Are you one of the business owners who took a Salesforce license but wondering how you are not getting that 200% ROI out of it like your competitors do? It is because their org is getting run by Salesforce experts i.e “A Salesforce Managed Services Provider”. 

While 9 out of 10 Fortune 500 users are using the CRM platform the small medium businesses are nowhere back in the race. Salesofrce is the blinking name in CRM world claiming itself the #1 CRM today and has approximately 1,50,000 user base.   

So, when it comes to ensuring that businesses utilize Salesforce to its full potential, it becomes important to have the right people to do that job. This is where Salesforce Managed Service partners  come into play.

Businesses can utilize their expertise into assessing the right and wrong decisions they’re taking pertaining to their Salesforce org.

Let’s understand the basics- What is Salesforce Managed Services?

Salesforce Managed Services is a way in which organizations can ensure that their business is getting maximum output from their Salesforce org. It involves the organizations externally administering their Salesforce operations.

This concept gained relevance in the 90s and early 2000s as businesses started relying on technology and related services quite heavily.

This reliance meant that these businesses could not afford to lose out on their business due to downtime, loss of data, productivity issues associated with the services, and a delay in servicing.

A managed service partner provides a more robust, proactive, and accountable way for organizations to manage their technologies and keep their IT budget in account. As the name suggests, a Salesforce Managed Services partner will act as a service provider to the organization that brings them on board in a lot of scenarios.

They will provide the necessary technical support, assist the in-house teams with updates, ensure system security, and more.

As organizations evolve, and include Salesforce in almost all the major aspects of their organization, Managed Service Providers can diligently work towards ensuring that they are able to identify issues and opportunities and work towards them proactively, without losing on time and revenue.

Activities included by with Managed Services for Salesforce:

When implemented correctly, Salesforce Managed Services have the capability to increase the overall business value by a lot.

Here are some of the activities that are undertaken in Managed Services.

• Strategic Planning: Getting Managed Services onboard is a great way to plan and set goals. A professional Salesforce Managed Services provider entity can help in setting up and planning an effective Salesforce org.
• Salesforce Platform Optimization: Salesforce is a massively powerful tool. However, without proper technical know-how and functional knowledge, businesses might not be able to use the platform to its full potential.Hence, one of the activities that a managed service partner conducts is to ensure that the features and functions of the platform are being used efficiently.
• Enhancements: A sign of a properly working Salesforce org is consistent enhancements that come in from time to time for continued delivery, refining backlogs, and streamlining business processes.
• Industry Experts: Having an in-house team might seem a more practical decision, but it isn’t the most prudent one. An in-house team, as great as they might be, might not have the right know-how and technical knowledge of Salesforce org and how to unleash its full capacity. Experts bring their years of experience and know-how to the table before taking a decision.
• Business Reviews and Reports: A professional Service provider will help you assess what’s going right and what’s not by looking at periodic reports that give a clearer picture of the efforts being taken, helping you achieve your goals faster with Salesforce.
• Marketing Automation: One of the most vital functionalities of Salesforce includes its automation capabilities. With the right technical expertise, businesses can create ideal journeys for their customers using Pardot.
• Technical Support: When you implement Salesforce Managed Services, your business gets regular, round-the-clock protection and support. Technical support functions like fixing bugs, system crashes, system checks, and issue resolution are some of the things the team takes care of.
• Training: Salesforce service providers provide regular workshops and training sessions to your Salesforce Admin. This keeps the whole sales team updated with all the latest events and new developments in the Salesforce platform.

What does Salesforce Managed Services Bring To The Table?

Getting a professional Salesforce Managed Service provider on board is a wise decision for your business. The service provider doesn’t just come with their expertise but brings a host of other benefits to the table. Here are some of them.

Easier Than Ever To Attain Salesforce Managed Services

Up until a few years ago, Salesforce Managed Services were something that was only accessible to firms with a large number of resources.

However, with the rise in the penetration of Salesforce-using companies, getting the right Salesforce service providers has become more accessible and attainable to more organizations with lesser budgets and smaller teams as well.

Many organizations these days are moving to bring in Managed Service Providers to their organizations, to bring in the technical expertise that they can layer with their in-house team. 

It is better for your business to assess your team’s bandwidth, level of expertise, a roadmap for the project, and how Salesforce can become a part of that picture.

Is There An Alternative To Salesforce Managed Services?

An organization that doesn’t have a Salesforce Managed Service provider can rely on other methods to get the best out of its Salesforce capabilities.

These organizations can then manage their Salesforce via a variety of means, which can include employing a full-time Salesforce team of an administrator or a developer, an IT personnel, or an outside vendor in specific scenarios.

Hiring an in-house Salesforce admin seems like a logical thing to do, but if and when they decide to exit your organization, the knowledge of your entire Salesforce org goes with them. Moreover, if your business relies heavily on Salesforce, relying on a generic IT professional might not be the best thing to do.

Similarly, relying on an external vendor might not be beneficial for the organization. It simply means that the organization is following a break-and-fix model for their Salesforce org. While this might seem cost-efficient, there might be a lag between the time the issue has been communicated, and when it gets resolved.

Does Your Business Need Salesforce Managed Services?

Organizations these days are opting to upgrade their Salesforce at every step. As a business evolves and grows, there lies an integral need for ensuring that its Salesforce requirements are also met at each step.

In scenarios where your business isn’t able to fulfil the complete Salesforce requirements and use it to its full potential, getting Salesforce Managed Services is a good idea.

Moreover, any business shall focus on its core activities, instead of micro-managing its Salesforce functionalities. Hiring a Salesforce Managed Service provider has enormous benefits, get to know all of them by clicking “Finding Your Way Through Salesforce Managed Services”.

Getting in touch with a Salesforce Managed Services provider can help you assess if there are any improvements that you can make in your existing Salesforce-related work and how to exploit it to generate maximum value from it.