Salesforce Adoption: What Does Good Look Like?
A guest post by Jane Boier.
If you’ve made the decision to use Salesforce, you’re probably thrilled about the new possibilities it can introduce for your business. Yet adopting it can also present various issues your company will have to overcome. For instance, many sales reps will resist Salesforce adoption out of an aversion to change (particularly if said sales reps have been successful without this kind of tool or system in place). They may also not be thrilled about the adoption of a system that can seem designed to keep closer tabs on their performance. And aside from all that, the transition to Salesforce can simply seem complicated!
Those are all common problems with Salesforce adoption, and as we spoke to in a recent article about this very topic, some implementations do fail. Some employees simply don’t see the value or feel that there’s a lack of communication and instruction regarding a new system being imposed upon them. Clearly though, there are plenty of instances in which adoption does work, and winds up benefiting the company at hand significantly. So, how will you know if you’re working the program successfully?
For starters, you can develop a system to track metrics such that you’re assessing the effectiveness of Salesforce adoption beyond your own general sense or feeling. You can know, factually, how well it’s working. To do so effectively, it might even be worthwhile to take advantage of professional strategists to develop and assess your metrics. Addressing the needs of startups and growing businesses, Ayima emphasises that dedicated strategists are able to streamline processes, cut implementation time, and get instant results provided they are given the proper tools with which to do so. So, if you turn over any and all data related to your Salesforce implementation and the resulting performance to someone equipped to analyse it, you may stand to see results that clarify what’s going right and what’s going wrong, and you’ll be able to adjust accordingly.
Beyond the metrics, you’ll also know you’re on the right path when you successfully turn Salesforce milestones and data points into understandable goals. This may sound like an empty idea, but quite simply, if you give your reps something tangible to strive for, they’ll be more likely to respond by chasing it and obtaining the positive reinforcement that comes with reaching a goal. As an example, you could look at including dashboards that present data relating to questions like, “How many leads have been converted?” or “How many opportunities have I created (and at what stage)?” When they’re presented with these kinds of prompts and this type of information, it can help motivate them to strive for better numbers – and this help to make the new system work. Once you find a way to set up this kind of arrangement, you’re likely to feel less like you’re forcing a new system on employees, and more like you’re inspiring them to perform.
Finally, you’ll have a very good indication that adoption is going well when the questions you get about it from employees start to reflect understanding, rather than frustration. RingLead recommends several key steps to the process of implementing Salesforce, one of which is having a “post-implementation plan.” The article stated that you should be “extremely responsive to users’ questions and challenges,” and try to support them in real-time. This is certainly a vital aspect of the process, and through this kind of continual support, you’ll also be able to notice when the questions start to change, reflecting more curiosity and ambition than confusion or resistance.
Through these steps and indicators, you should be able to gauge how effectively you’re implementing Salesforce. They all amount to making the benefits of the system clear and helping your employees to recognise and appreciate them in various ways. If you can accomplish those goals, you’ll likely be on the right track, and your business will excel because of it.
Want to read more? Why not download our free guide “Feel the love for Salesforce (again!)“. Download this paper to find 5 simple steps that will help reps become productive, efficient and successful. Start receiving ROI from Salesforce now by rekindling the flame between your salespeople and your CRM system.
