PhoenixTeam’s Three Pillars to Successfully Implementing Salesforce
Pillar 3: The Right Talent
PhoenixTeam introduced two of our three pillars to a successful Salesforce implementation: The Right Strategy and The Right Process. Once you have a good handle on the key components for defining the right strategy and you have aligned on the right process, it is time to turn your attention to the resources and skillsets you need to deliver Salesforce and delight customers. Some organizations say that talent is what separates the best from the rest. PhoenixTeam agrees but takes it a step further, knowing that having successful talent requires us to align our team members in a way that contributes but also drives,
Let’s face it – a Salesforce implementation is complex and can easily get derailed without the right team. Be real with yourself, if your organization does not have the skills, experience and resources to confidently implement one or more Salesforce Cloud solutions, admit it and consider working with an experienced Salesforce partner. Many consulting firms look at Salesforce implementation engagements as a “get in, get out” gig. This is not the PhoenixTeam way. The right Salesforce partnership goes beyond consulting to bring momentum to the solution through product and implementation leadership, training, and industry knowledge. The best partners provide support after go live. Here are some tips for vetting talent to make sure that they can “bring it” if selected.
- Seek a consulting partner who has in-depth experience and a proven track record with Salesforce implementations of your size and complexity. Request referrals. If there is any hesitation in providing referrals, heads up, may not be the right talent for you. This insight will give you confidence that your Salesforce partner has the maturity, knowledge, and sophistication necessary for a well-executed implementation.
- Take advantage of all that Salesforce has to offer from a training and learning perspective. At PhoenixTeam, we are continuously learning and encouraging our talent to grow in their Salesforce expertise. We provide training and certification programs to build skills and stay up to date on Salesforce features. We gamify our teams’ developmental learning experience through Salesforce Trailhead leader boards, Superbadge contests, and Salesforce Certification training opportunities. In addition to Salesforce education, we train our team in SAFe, Lean Agile, and other relative frameworks to provide strong knowledge and value to our customers.
- Search for partners who are experts in your industry. All time is valuable. Removing the ramp up time spent educating the team on your industry allows you to realize value quickly. PhoenixTeam focuses only on the consumer lending and financial services space. As mortgage technology experts, we marry our mortgage and Salesforce knowledge to bring quick strategies, alternatives, and solutions for common and complex mortgage industry challenges.
- Be open and honest about your goals and objectives. Giving this insight to consulting partners is vital for them to staff the implementation with the right talent.
When PhoenixTeam explores Salesforce implementation engagements, we listen to the needs and carefully curate our implementation teams to align with them. Our team members know the heck out of mortgage, but they are also visionary, empathetic and solution oriented. This combination allows us to provide a team of talented individuals who:
- Know the ins-and-outs of Salesforce. We identify the feasibility of potential solutions because we know the terminology, features, and configurations of Salesforce and what it means for your processes. We recognize when it is best to configure, code, or integrate and can translate “The How” to your business in an approach that everyone understands.
- Think “long-run” rather than “end-game”. User adoption of the implementation will not be supported without the proper internal resources to change manage the solution. Your partnership is not complete after the initial go live. PhoenixTeam remains a go-to resource for your team and provides knowledge and training on the new system and stays up to date on Salesforce’s ever evolving features. Release updates are announced three times per year that include hundreds of new platform features and enhancements, some of which may benefit solutions. We anticipate these updates, presenting them to clients and preparing clients on potential impacts. As business needs change, so will your strategy and solution. We know this and design a solution that will carry your business long term.
- Are committed to you and your company. When you work with PhoenixTeam, you gain a strategic partner and trusted adviser for your business. Unlike other consulting firms, our team members embed themselves into your team and organization. We stay laser focused on the engagement at hand and do not split our time between other clients or opportunities. We thrive on bringing team members together to envision, understand and create the desired end state. We believe in a “one-team” culture and mentality where a win is a win for all, and a misstep is equally shared.
The right strategy, the right process and the right talent. A simple, three-part recipe for any Salesforce implementation. PhoenixTeam believes in our team, in Salesforce and the value this combination can bring to any implementation. We constantly invest in our team. After all, if we want our team to invest 100% in our clients, we have to do our part and give them the tools, education and opportunities to showcase their skills. PhoenixTeam has more Salesforce knowledge to be shared – be on the lookout for our Salesforce Implementation Guide and White Paper as we continue to share out how PhoenixTeam knocks Salesforce implementations out of the park.
