Salesforce CRM is a continuously evolving platform as the company regularly releases upgrades. This is done to meet and accommodate the growing needs of businesses, whether B2B or B2C. A company gains such benefits only if it can keep up with the latest innovations in the platform. However, not every organization has the budget to get an entire in-house team of Salesforce architects, developers, or admins—that’s where managed services for Salesforce come in.
An Overview of Managed Salesforce Services
Managed services are a cost-saving and flexible alternative to in-house managing and maintaining Salesforce instances. It means engaging a partner that takes care of your Salesforce implementations and tasks, including updates, enhancements, optimization, ongoing support, and maintenance.
In a nutshell, Salesforce managed services include the entire spectrum—ranging from basic design, architecture, and configuration to health checks, debugging, and planning for new feature rollouts. The dedicated Salesforce service management professionals also provide strategy planning sessions regularly to help businesses with frictionless user adoption. They leverage the proactive approach to identify and fix issues before creating chaos, enabling enterprises to gain maximum value from their technology investment.
Unmasking Misconceptions Around Salesforce Managed Services
Managed services offer a host of benefits to businesses, including cost optimization, effortless data transition, access to diversely skilled resources, flexible contracts, etc. Yet there are several myths surrounding Salesforce-managed services that usually create misconceptions or misunderstandings. Let’s address some of these common concerns and debug them so that you can keep your Org moving forward.
Myth #1: Managed Services Are Meant Only for Large Enterprises
Reality: This is not true, as Salesforce-managed services are suitable for organizations of all sizes and types. Small and mid-sized enterprises can also benefit from outsourcing their Salesforce implementation management to experienced managed service providers. As a result, businesses can dedicate more time and focus on their core competencies while experts handle and manage their Salesforce instances.
Myth #2: There’s Poor Flexibility and a Lack of Customization
Reality: Managed services for Salesforce can be tailored to fit the unique needs and requirements of your business. MSPs work closely with clients to understand their unique business processes, assess their pain points and configure Salesforce to address those challenges. They can also assist with custom development, integrations, additions, and enhancements based on your business goals. It is safe to say that managed services are a flexible way to manage Salesforce instances.
Myth #3: Salesforce Managed Services Are Expensive in Nature
Reality: Though there is a cost associated with Salesforce-managed services, it is important to consider the return on investment and the overall value they provide. Outsourcing Salesforce management helps in saving a big deal on costs as it eliminates the need for in-house expertise, infrastructure, and ongoing training. You need not hire any additional resources as MSPs have a pool of diversely skilled experts. In addition, optimized processes and efficiencies gained through expert support lead to better productivity and significant revenue growth.
Myth #4: Internal Salesforce Teams Are Better than Managed Services
Reality: Managed Services aren’t intended to replace internal Salesforce teams; rather, they prove to be a cost-friendly and time-saving alternative to getting an entire in-house setup. They complement and support your in-house IT teams by offering specialized expertise, additional resources when required, and round-the-clock support. You can free the cognitive bandwidth of your internal team to focus on strategic initiatives and other high-value tasks while offloading routine maintenance and support tasks to external vendors.
Myth #5: Outsourcing Salesforce Management Implies Lack of Data Security and Compliance
Reality: Reputable MSPs know that data integrity matters the most for businesses, and to address the same concern, they prioritize data security and compliance. These professionals strictly adhere to industry standards and compliance and have robust security measures in place to protect sensitive information. As a part of their core competency, Salesforce MSPs often work with clients in highly regulated industries. They use this experience and expertise to help ensure that your Salesforce implementation meets relevant compliance standards.
Myth #6: There’s Limited Control and Ownership Under Managed Services
Reality: This is not true. Salesforce MSPs work as an extension to the in-house team, collaboratively with clients, wherein the ownership of the Salesforce implementations remains with the client. These dedicated professionals support business objectives and follow your directions and guidelines in terms of customization, configuration, and overall strategy to meet the set target. They act as trusted partners and work collectively towards achieving the client’s goals.
Myth #7: Managed Services Are Meant ‘Only’ for Support
Reality: The role of managed services for Salesforce extends beyond support and maintenance. On a broader note, it is an umbrella term that includes a wide spectrum of services such as system optimization, platform add-ons, and enhancements, integration with other systems and applications, seamless data migration, reporting and analytics, and user training with strategic guidance.
Under Salesforce-managed services, you get essentially everything under a roof, including consultation, implementation, integration, customization, development, user adoption, training, and support, along with administration. Leveraging the right blend of skills and experience, MSPs can help organizations unlock the full potential of their Salesforce CRM and maximize their return on investment.
Bottom Line
Businesses have three major options to choose from–overload the in-house IT team with Salesforce tasks, hire a dedicated in-house Salesforce team, or opt for managed services for Salesforce. While every option has its merits and demerits, the managed services model proves to be a smarter way out, especially for organizations with limited resources and a budget crunch. This is why it’s essential for businesses to dispel these myths and have a clear understanding of what Salesforce-managed services bring to the table; then only, businesses can make an informed choice.
By partnering with a reputable Salesforce managed service provider, enterprises can leverage their expertise to maximize their license usage, list their products on AppExchange platforms easily, build customized applications, and get an assured ROI. In addition, they can improve operational efficiency, streamline processes and workflows, and achieve their Salesforce objectives more effectively.
FAQ
A: Managed Salesforce Services refer to outsourced support and management of Salesforce implementations and operations. Unlike regular Salesforce services that might be project-based or limited to specific tasks, managed services provide ongoing and comprehensive assistance. This includes continuous monitoring, maintenance, upgrades, customization, and user support to ensure a smooth and efficient Salesforce ecosystem.
A: Managed Salesforce Services offer several advantages, such as:
1. Expertise and Experience: Access to a team of certified Salesforce experts with extensive experience managing and optimizing Salesforce instances.
2. Cost-Effectiveness: A predictable and manageable cost model without hiring full-time in-house Salesforce administrators.
3. Continuous Support: 24/7 monitoring and support, ensuring minimal downtime and quick issue resolution.
4. Scalability: The flexibility to scale services up or down based on business needs, adapting to changes and growth.
5. Focus on Core Business: Allowing internal teams to focus on core business activities while leaving Salesforce management to the experts.
A: Yes, Managed Salesforce Services can be customized to meet the unique needs of each business. Service providers work closely with clients to understand their requirements, challenges, and goals. This customization ensures that services align with the organization’s objectives, processes, and Salesforce implementation.
A: Data security is a top priority for Managed Salesforce Service providers. Reputable service providers implement robust security measures to protect sensitive data. This includes data encryption, access controls, regular backups, and compliance with industry-specific regulations such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
A: Yes, Managed Salesforce Services are designed to integrate with existing business processes and systems seamlessly. The service provider collaborates with the organization to understand their current workflows and align Salesforce functionalities accordingly. This integration ensures a smooth transition and maximizes the benefits of Salesforce within the existing infrastructure.
