As trite as it may be, the new year is the perfect time to commit to some new goals—goals for your organization’s Salesforce instance, that is. At most organizations, it takes an average of 24.2 hours to get the first response (not the final resolution) on a single IT request. Imagine all the requests and wishes your employees have for Salesforce, hoping to improve it and more closely align it to their daily needs. You can’t afford to spend over 24 hours waiting to reply. That’s why Salesforce upkeep is an area of improvement for any organization. 

Let’s look at seven Salesforce upkeep resolutions—one from each of our key service areas here at Simplus. These are the recommendations your organization needs to take the pledge for so you can realize the complete breadth of benefits Salesforce has in store for 2021. 

1. We’ll begin any technology project with cross-department alignment and executive visioning for clear KPIs. 

Projects are destined to falter if not fail completely if they didn’t start on the right track: clear, definable goals and measurable targets. Kicking off a technology project with a handful of discovery sessions to analyze and design the solution is an easy way to make sure everyone is on the same page and focused on the same value-adds. 

2. We’ll work hand-in-hand with industry experts as our go-to implementation partner.

Getting set up and started with new technologies and clouds requires experienced knowledge to make sure the best practices for configuration and integration are used. Whatever new technologies and initiatives your organization may consider this year, be sure to involve the guidance and technical expertise of a trusted systems integrator as your partner. 

3. We’ll look for ways we can continuously innovate and improve Salesforce for our team members. 

Even when not undergoing any major technology projects, Salesforce demands a certain level of maintenance to ensure it runs smoothly through seasonal updates and improvements and the feedback of your users. An in-house Salesforce admin may be the answer, but an entire Managed Services team offers more hours, expertise, and opportunity for innovation. Learn more about our offering for daily upkeep help here.

4. We’ll keep data sources clean and integrated by using the proper API-led connectors. 

Your systems are only as good as the data fueling them. Keeping your data clean, consistent, and integrated properly is critical to reliable analytics and informed decision-making. Make sure your organization is taking the steps to clean your data from redundancies or errors and connected where it should be with our best practices.  

5. We’ll adapt our workflows and processes to better accommodate our more remote workforce. 

The trend of remote work has long been picking up, and 2020 only expedited it. More and more companies are pivoting to at least partially remote workforces, which requires a new approach to collaborative workplace tools and operational logistics. As a long-time remote workforce from our start, Simplus knows a thing or two about managing this setup—find out more here. 

6. We’ll let the human side of change guide us from the very start of any transformative initiatives we embark on. 

Change management is a critical part of any transformation initiative, especially technology changes that will impact your employees and their day-to-day operations. But what many people take for granted is the importance of involving change management leaders from the very start—analysis, planning, and design—of a project. Change management is a task that runs the entire gamut of a project, making sure the impact on real people is always considered first.

7. We’ll crawl before we can run by bringing in immediate value through quick, low-budget projects. 

Whatever your Salesforce journey holds for 2021, we understand the need to take it slowly, especially as we continue to face the pandemic marketplace and tight budgets. Make a promise to you and your organization now that you’ll seek the high value, low effort initiatives as a way to win broader company support for larger transformations or to stay within a budget. Our FastTrack offerings are a great place to start looking. 

Maintaining the day-to-day upkeep of your Salesforce instance is already a tall order, not to mention any new technologies or clouds you may want to implement in the new year. If you’re not sure where to start or how to organize all your needs, reach out to Simplus for expert help in getting started on your resolutions.