What is Salesforce [Ultimate Guide 2021]

WHAT IS SALESFORCE

Salesforce is considered one of the Best Global Brands and has a significant influence on the tech industry. However, its popularity does not come from cloud-based services but rather its highly scalable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution.

WHAT IS CRM AND WHY IT MATTERS

A simplified explanation of a CRM system would be that it helps you keep tabs on your customers and their interactions with your company. Of course, such information is easier to handle for a small business. But as your company grows, so does your audience. CRMs in that scenario become more convenient as it does all the work of keeping your data organized.

HOW CAN SALESFORCE HELP MY BUSINESS

The CRM that Salesforce provides aims to build a bridge between customers and businesses by making marketing, sales, commerce, and many other departments easier to track. With one solution, employees from each department can access the relevant information by taking advantage of the user-friendly interface. Moreover, the CRM comes with many other cloud-based services that Salesforce provides. What makes Salesforce unique is that its architecture allows customizations such that every company can alter it according to their needs. By investing in Salesforce, you save yourself the hassle of making a customized solution and reducing implementation costs.

HOW SALESFORCE WORKS

Salesforce follows a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, thus providing hosting service to their clients. But Salesforce’s main product is the cloud-based CRM solution which includes features that can potentially enhance your customer support services. It has specific cloud services for each department and even replaces manual data entry with an automated solution. As a result, it makes the analysis of large amounts of data more manageable and can help companies make better decisions and boost sales.

SALESFORCE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The selling point of Salesforce’s CRM is its cloud-based products and services:

PRODUCTS

SALESFORCE ESSENTIALS:

This service provides CRM to small businesses. With a $25 annual subscription, you benefit from limited features such as sales and customer support tools, email tracking, account, social channel management, and report generating.

SALESFORCE SALES CLOUD:

As the name suggests, this cloud service is directed to the sales team, which helps in opportunity, lead and sales performance management, report generation, and sales forecasting as some features.

SALESFORCE SERVICE CLOUD:

The Service Cloud helps the customer support team to provide personalized and quick support services to your customers. With its multi-channel support and knowledge base as some of its main features, it becomes easier for the team to provide relevant resolutions.

SALESFORCE MARKETING CLOUD:

This platform is dedicated to the marketing team who can easily connect to Sales or Service Cloud and create a link between them and the customers through SMS, email, and social platforms.

SALESFORCE COMMERCE CLOUD:

The cloud provides an e-commerce solution with its Software as a Service (SaaS) model. It uses AI, applications, and other tools to customize the CRM based on your needs. It further provides deeper insights by linking sales, commerce, IT, and other departments while also providing your business a technical roadmap.

SALESFORCE EXPERIENCE CLOUD:

The Experience Cloud allows you to build interactive sites and applications while also being integrated with other Salesforce cloud products, allowing you to produce personalized content while also allowing customers to access their data fast.

SALESFORCE 360 PLATFORM:

This is an all-in-one CRM solution that promotes internal collaboration as it combines all services from commerce to IT under one platform. Furthermore, it reduces the workload by using AI for automation, introducing tools to improve collaboration, and creating a hub to provide free training.

SALESFORCE INDUSTRIES:

The name says it all; the product provides industry-centered solutions to businesses designed for their needs. From media to education, it aims to provide better sales and improve services for the company.

SERVICES

LIGHTNING PLATFORM/ FORCE.COM

Salesforce introduced their platform, Force.com, which can create third-party applications and host on their application marketplace. While passing the Platform as a Service (PaaS) model, users can make applications quickly and with ease.

WORK.COM

Work.com is a social performance management platform that helps companies track employees’ performance and deliver feedback to their teams. This service is ideal for the Human Resources department.

APPEXCHANGE

Being a service that comes with the App Cloud model, users can access multiple apps made on the Force.com platform, either free or available with yearly or monthly subscriptions. Additionally, the apps available can help companies reach out to cloud consulting partners and also look for solutions for their systems.

MYTRAILHEAD

myTrailhead is an online training platform designed to provide content and allow users to make their own. This service aims to increase productivity and customer satisfaction as it streamlines the onboarding process.

BLOCKCHAIN PLATFORM

This low-code-based platform aims to provide blockchain networks, smart contracts, and decentralized apps integrated within the CRM. It is directly integrated into the Salesforce platform and also enables data automation in the Lightning Platform.

SALESFORCE MERGERS AND PARTNERSHIPS

As of 2021, Salesforce has acquired around sixty-three companies, notably, MuleSoft, Tableau, and Heroku.

Apart from mergers, Salesforce also partnered with Facebook in 2014 to introduce analytics and with Apple in 2018 to help build business-oriented apps.

Recently, Salesforce and Team GB have announced a long-term marketing partnership to improve engagement with the audience.

SALESFORCE PROS AND CONS

What makes Salesforce unique is that it is the fastest solution for a CRM as it can take years of development. Once you are familiar with the tools, working with the software makes work easy and increases efficiency. Furthermore, the software’s scalable architecture allows users to integrate third-party applications seamlessly. Salesforce also offers multiple pricing plans, even for small businesses, to start their CRM at reasonable costs.

However, Salesforce CRM being a complex software, might not be helpful for all small businesses. In addition to its sophisticated nature, it takes time for users to adjust to the software. Moreover, users have no control over system upgrades and planned downtimes, which might disrupt operations. There are also certain restrictions that come with the products. For example, there are restrictions on mass email sending and data limits based on your plan but still insufficient for long-term use. Even though Salesforce has many price plans to choose from, they can still prove to be expensive for small businesses depending on their needs.

PROS

1. Fastest Path From Idea to App
2. Fast, Easy, and Efficient to use
3. Easy Access and Collaboration on Cloud
4. Scalable and Seamless Integration of Third-Party Apps Affordable

CONS

1. Not Helpful for Small Businesses
2. Users May Face a High Learning Curve
3. No Control Over System Upgrades and Planned Downtimes
4. Memory and Certain Actions Have Limitations
5. Expensive as Compared to Other CRMs

SALESFORCE PRICING AND IMPLEMENTATION COST

Salesforce has a structured pricing model for all users, from small businesses to big companies. Salesforce offers four plans for their products; Essential, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. The starting price is $25 monthly for almost all products.

However, the final price might not add up to what you expect, and there are many technicalities involved in the implementation. This is where companies consult with tech experts to find a better solution. We at Cloud Primero offer complete Salesforce consultation services that could save you give you the right solution according to your need. Contact us today for a free consultation.

This Article is originally published on www.CloudPrimero.com