In the era of digital marketing, managing a company’s complex client database effectively is one of the largest issues it faces. Businesses have become significantly more diverse over the years, and new rivals are quickly flooding the market. Additionally, since new technological developments permeate every industry sector, it is imperative for companies to adapt to these changes. With so many workflows to oversee and so much customer data to monitor, it is practically impossible to use traditional techniques for managing corporate CRM amid this pandemonium.

To address this issue, powerful and automated company CRM software platforms have been released on the market, and they have been assisting numerous corporate organizations in carrying out their tasks successfully. One such well-known and dependable CRM software platform is Salesforce CRM, which helps your sales team manage the intricate customer database and offers a variety of automated and upgraded services that boost the business’ profitability and save your sales professionals a substantial amount of time.

Although Salesforce is a highly useful and effective CRM platform, there are many ways that adopting it in your corporate organization might go wrong. Before, during, and after Salesforce implementation, you must exercise extraordinary caution and take a number of factors into account because even a tiny error can have significant effects on your company.

Here are 7 common mistakes to avoid when using Salesforce:

You are not keeping the data clean.

It’s important to keep your data clean and up-to-date in Salesforce. This means deduplicating records, removing inactive records, and making sure all data is accurate and consistent. Data migration and cleaning are always necessary when using Salesforce CRM for the first time in your organization. There is a good probability that crucial data will be spread over several digital platforms, and you will need to move it to a centralized platform in order to effectively launch Salesforce.

It would be challenging to remedy errors after the implementation is finished if you choose the wrong data or only a portion of the crucial data for migration. Making sure your database is completely clean and free of duplicate data is also crucial. Even though certain powerful Salesforce data cleansing solutions could assist you in getting back on track, your accuracy will ultimately be the deciding factor. Incorrect data would ultimately result in inaccurate results being provided by different Salesforce features, defeating the entire purpose of obtaining an automatic CRM system.

You are not using the right tools.

To make sure that your Salesforce deployment offers the greatest possible value, you must take your company’s demands into account. Finding the business components you need to integrate with Salesforce CRM and determining whether they can interact with the application is the first step. It’s possible that you already use some systems and would like to integrate with them, but this isn’t always possible. This might cost you a lot of time and cash if you don’t prepare, consider, and analyze your implementation requirements before continuing with the implementation process.

Salesforce has a wide range of tools and features, and it’s important to use the right ones for your specific needs. For example, if you’re using Salesforce for lead management, you should use the Lead object and related features rather than trying to use the Account object. This is something that Salesforce developers regularly undertake to learn as much as they can about the resources available online.

They must understand, though, that not all sources are reliable or offer reliable information. You might be led down a worthwhile path by some people. There aren’t many websites that provide discussion and helpful ideas for Salesforce growth.

You are not using custom fields and objects.

Custom fields and objects allow you to tailor Salesforce to your specific business processes and needs. Although it can be difficult to keep up with new resources and advances in the developing sector, As a result, it’s crucial to keep programming procedures consistent.

Use the latest technical developments, implementations, and libraries as well. Don’t be afraid to use them; they can make a big difference in the usefulness of Salesforce for your organization.

You are not training users.

It’s important to properly train all users on Salesforce, including how to enter and maintain data, use features and tools, and follow best practices. Salesforce may appear to be a simple CRM platform, but there are some features and functions that your team members may find difficult to use. If you ignore this and assume your employees will become comfortable with the platform once it is established, you are making a serious mistake.

As a result, it is crucial to make proper plans for educating your employees on how to make the most of the Salesforce platform. Your members of the team will require some time to adjust to some specific platform features that may seem challenging to them. If you are switching from Salesforce Classic to the more recent Salesforce Lightning, this situation could occur frequently. Never forget to provide your sales team with enough theoretical and hands-on training so they can use Salesforce CRM as effectively as possible.

You are not following data governance policies.

It’s important to have clear data governance policies in place to ensure that data is entered and maintained correctly in Salesforce. This includes things like who can access and edit data, how data is shared, and how data security is maintained. An effective Salesforce deployment is not actually possible without a clear vision, according to every Salesforce implementation guide. Don’t ever make the error of purchasing Salesforce in a rush.

Prior to beginning the implementation, it is crucial to have well-defined objectives and an effective vision. Decide which areas you need to focus on and which essential company activities you need to automate with Salesforce CRM. This would enable you to narrow your attention to the areas of your business that are most crucial and assist you in making crucial business decisions.

Planning every step and allowing enough time for it are equally vital. Rushing through these problems increases the likelihood that you may sooner or later find yourself in trouble.

You are not using automation.

Salesforce offers a range of automation features, such as workflow rules and processes, that can help streamline business processes and reduce the need for manual data entry. Installing Salesforce CRM doesn’t often appear to be a difficult task because most of the work is done by developers, and every other function and tool of the platform is extremely customizable. If you believe you can manage the implementation alone and don’t need to consult anyone before doing the same, you should rethink your position.

Even if you are certain of the services you want to use and the business procedures you must manage, you should still seek advice from others. It is crucial to talk to everyone on the team who will be using the platform and get their feedback on how to implement it. It’s also crucial to heed the advice of your superiors because they’ll have a better and more comprehensive understanding of the industry. Make sure to take advantage of these features to improve efficiency.

You are not customizing dashboards and reports.

Custom dashboards and reports allow you to see the data that is most important to your business and track key metrics. Take the time to customize these to meet your specific needs. The notion that Salesforce CRM is a fully customizable platform is one of its most significant and advantageous characteristics. Because every firm is unique, so are its needs, demands, and business strategies. It is crucial to avoid assuming that Salesforce can be implemented in your company without requiring any modifications.

Despite having a wide range of features and tools to support both small and large business activities, the majority of these functions are set at standard levels, making it impossible for you to fully utilize the platform until you customize Salesforce for your particular business organization. When that happens, your only choice will be to modify your business procedures to fit the offerings offered by Salesforce CRM, which is as absurd as it sounds! So, it is preferable to customize the Salesforce platform rather than invest a lot of effort in redesigning your business operations.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the primary errors that, in general, prevent a correct and effective Salesforce integration and result in a major project failure. However, these faults can be prevented by creating a clear strategy that will guarantee your company’s success. If you want to offer high-quality Salesforce integration services, be creative and use cutting-edge ideas to wisely integrate Salesforce with your products while avoiding frequent blunders.

Nowadays, Salesforce engineers are the focus of attention. Salesforce developers are more likely to get the desired results if they avoid the aforementioned errors when developing Salesforce. The top CRM platform in the world, Salesforce, enables businesses to interact with customers in brand-new ways. It’s perfect for businesses looking to grow through more effective decision-making, sales and services, and market intelligence. While assessing Salesforce for your business, consider these Salesforce best practice recommendations.

Overall, it’s important to carefully plan and execute your use of Salesforce and to regularly review and optimize your processes to ensure that you are getting the most value from the platform.

Martin Gessner

Martin Gessner is the Founder of Focus on Force.

He has spent over 10 years working in various Salesforce roles including business analyst, project manager, consultant and solutions architect. Along the way he has earned twelve certifications, published "The Salesforce Career Playbook", and helps Salesforce professionals learn more about Salesforce, develop their career and prepare for certifications.