Maximizing Your Salesforce ROI Doesn’t Have to be a Headache.

It’s not uncommon for someone’s initial takeaway from their first Salesforce experience to be one part excited (so many buttons!), one part confused (so…many…buttons!), and a hundred parts overwhelmed (too many buttons!). While Salesforce as a CRM is as intuitive as they come – with tons of self-learning resources available via Trailhead to make anyone a CRM superstar – it’s natural to struggle with a learning curve when introducing it as a new tool in your company workflow. With a group of employees with differing levels of familiarity and experience with CRMs, how do you make sure your ROI is being maximized when introducing your brand new Salesforce org? Our experts at Bitwise Industries have a few ideas. Keep reading for tips and tricks to make sure your users become Salesforce superheroes.

Homepages Built with Efficiency in Mind

It seems almost too obvious to point out, but it’s true – humans are extremely visual creatures. The more they’re able to see, the more information they comprehend; this makes learning easier for the average end user. Some end users are quicker to the Salesforce draw than others, but for those who are maybe more resistant to change, a good visual representation of the information a CRM holds can be enough to sway anyone in the direction of realizing Salesforce’s effectiveness.

Part of keeping visual efficiency in mind is creating a home page that displays any and all pertinent information so when an end user logs in, everything they need to know is at their fingertips. This looks different across the org, of course: people on the sales team might need a dashboard to see monthly metrics, or tech support users may benefit from having a list view of open support cases. When we build home pages with user efficiency and comfortability in mind, the possibilities for adoption are truly endless.

Strokes of Brilliance within a Strike of Lightning

When the Salesforce Lightning Experience was introduced in 2016, even the most experienced admins weren’t aware of how much it could change the game for users of all skill levels. In a similar vein to the human nature to prefer a visual example, the Lightning Experience was introduced to customize a Salesforce org with brand new capabilities and features to create an even more intuitive experience for end users. One of the dynamic features introduced by the Lightning Experience are Lightning Dashboards. It seems like a no brainer, right? Seeing any and all company KPIs at the click of a button – and subsequently setting goals based on that information–is one of the easiest ways to witness ROI for a CRM, and Salesforce makes it easy to customize those dashboards for any user profile. 

By creating cohesive dashboards that give marketing or sales managers a place to view and measure company metrics and performance, users are seeing ROI happening in real time. No more disjointed spreadsheets or Post-It math – these incredibly accessible Lightning dashboards feature drag-and-drop columns to keep track of your company’s next move at any given time.

Want to take it one step further? Working with your sales or marketing teams to create dynamic reports in Salesforce continues to eliminate confusing Excel formulas, or fumbling on a Friday morning to manually input numbers to get a report that’s only as reliable as the week it’s being created. When admins work with their end users to create reports, they can set scheduled times for reports to be delivered via email and Salesforce notifications, using the information that’s being inputted into the CRM as deals are being closed.

Play the Game of Phones with a Mobile CRM

Here’s the thing: you’re probably reading this blog on your smartphone. Having mobile data rules everything around us. How many work emails do you read on your mobile device over breakfast or coffee, before even making the commute to work? There are pros and cons to having tiny devices to rule our lives, but why not take advantage of how effective a Mobile CRM can be for maximizing ROI? When we make CRMs accessible on our mobile devices, we can work from anywhere. Need to review notes with a potential opportunity before an important meeting, but you’re on the subway? No worries. Managing contacts and accounts on a mobile CRM is easier than ever, because it’s being created with the end user in mind.

From in-office work to regular business travel, having a mobile CRM is more important than ever. If a support specialist has access to schedules, work orders, or list views whenever they need it, technology snags get solved even quicker. When admins build orgs with mobile CRM capabilities in mind and give employees the chance to access work remotely, stakeholders are getting the best service available at all times, and end users are able to give it to them seamlessly.

We Can be (Salesforce) Heroes.

Listen – in theory, it’s terrifying to introduce a bunch of new users to a CRM. In practice, it can be even tougher. With employees from all walks of life who all have different relationships with technology and CRM in general, there isn’t one perfect way to establish a CRM that caters to every skill level, but this guide has hopefully shed some light on how it can be possible. ROI doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without work or knowledge from awesome admins. This guide is only the start of unpacking all the goodness and wonder that can be gleaned from creating a cohesive Salesforce experience for all users, but at Bitwise Industries, we’re constantly looking at ways to help create an accessible org that maximizes ROI for all users in every department. If you need a nudge in the right direction, or know you need a Herculean lift, consider leveraging the expertise that Bitwise offers through our Implementation services. We will do all the hard work so you can get back to work!

Let Us Help.

Bitwise Industries builds tech economies in underestimated cities, driving digital transformation through its Salesforce, DocuSign, and custom SaaS solutions. Developing innovative tech solutions, and training individuals living in underserved communities with in-demand tech skills to improve their standard of living is our mission. Centering our efforts in the heart of the downtowns of these overlooked cities, Bitwise is creating a place for the technology industry to take root and ignite local economies.

This post was written by Amber Carpenter, Junior Copywriter, at Bitwise Industries. When she isn’t writing, she’s wondering when her rescue cat, Rosie, is going to decide to contribute to the household. 

If you’re interested in uncovering the tech possibilities available to your organization or want to find more ways to increase your ROI with technology, click this link to schedule some time with one of our experts.