6 Obstacles to Salesforce Success and How to Overcome Them

Once you plunge into the Salesforce ocean, you’ll likely need to add new features, install updates, increase user adoption, integrate systems, and launch new clouds.

Whether you’re a Salesforce newbie or seasoned sailor, this adventure can be exciting and rewarding…or frustrating and perilous.

This interactive guide reveals the obstacles you might face when you dive into Salesforce. We also reveal how you can avoid getting trapped in the Salesforce service void.

Before we begin…what are your future Salesforce plans?

Research indicates that these are the top Salesforce improvements that companies plan to complete in the next year:

31% Integrated with non-SFDC systems

29% Implementing new cloud services

29% Optimizing existing cloud services (e.g. automation, workflow improvements)

16% Hiring more internal Salesforce personnel (admins, developers, or architects)

7% Adding or improving data analytics (e.g. Einstein)

#1 Post Implementation

You’ve just descended into the wide-open waters of Salesforce and…uh oh

Your new deployment did not go according to plan and users are frustrated. Concerns arise about the customer experience. And those implementation specialists that helped launch your platform? Well, they are long gone.

Then, it breaks. The system locks up. Users complain, executives criticize, and you’re left to handle break/fix tickets and workflow problems.

You feel like you are drowning…your oxygen is getting low.

Your options include hiring more staff, figuring it out on your own, or returning to the implementation provider for another expensive one-off project. Worst of all? None of these options will solve your immediate predicament.

We call this the “post-implementation blues,” and deep into the Salesforce service void you go.

Did you know?

62% of companies reported a lack of the right personnel or expertise to achieve the specific Salesforce goals they have in mind. Source:

TEC Research 2020

Tip #1: Develop a Realistic Support Plan

Companies often underestimate the amount of additional Salesforce work needed after implementation. Don’t let inadequate support sink your plans.

You should assume that shortly after implementation you will need to address new and unforeseen requirements.

You need to make sure you allocate sufficient internal and/or external resources for ongoing, post-implementation maintenance and development.

#2 The Salesforce Service Void

No one told you about the service void… a serious hazard!

Salesforce creates a fast current. And what they won’t tell you is that without the right Salesforce talent to provide maintenance and continuous innovation, you will likely fall short of your CRM goals and drift into ROI oblivion.

If support requirements grow as your access to talent disappears, you’re forced into what we call the Salesforce service void. The more features and platforms that Salesforce adds, the greater the service void, and the harder it will be for you to keep up.

Remember, this is what you are paying for with Salesforce: non-stop innovation. If you don’t keep up and take advantage of the new features, your competitors will and you’ll fall behind those that do.

Tip #2: Pick the Right Dive Buddy

The first step you should take to avoid this void is to talk with Salesforce experts who understand and fill the service void. Long-term and strategic Salesforce service providers can address the challenges and requirements needed to have an exceptional Salesforce system.

Certified experts that provide direct support, which means they do the heavy lifting for you, on a regular cadence, is the best partner for a great Salesforce journey.

#3 ROI and Adoption

A “not so unexpected” stage in your Salesforce journey…

Now firmly stuck in the service void, your underwater adventure takes an unfortunate turn. Those fancy “bells and whistles” from that last implementation are not performing. Users don’t trust the data. They’ve reverted to old processes. The “time saving” workflow improvements you made are counterproductive.

User adoption is low, internal teams are frustrated, and executives are questioning the ROI of your expensive platform.

Maybe you added too much too soon?

Maybe the training was insufficient?

Regardless, everyone is looking to you to quickly fix these errors.

Discover the Full Potential of Salesforce

ROI and adoption do not happen overnight. Major changes to a company’s Salesforce environment can be traumatic on your users and bring businesses to a halt when poorly executed.

The best approach to evolve your Salesforce environment, and to achieve the Customer 360 view, is through a consistent and incremental approach. We recommend using an Agile framework that delivers incremental improvements every month at the rate that users can absorb. This allows you to address rogue workflows and achieve improvements simultaneously.

#4 Staffing

You need a dive buddy, but no one’s around!

Salesforce talent is especially hard to find – and retain. You, and companies like yours, are all trying to hire Salesforce experts. But demand continues to outpace the supply of qualified candidates.

If you want to hire in-house, you’ll run into these challenges:

Hiring is slow
Successful hires may leave
The market for talent is growing
Salaries are high and climbing

Salesforce expertise is one of the most in-demand skills in today’s marketplace. Your mission to find quality Salesforce resources will likely be expensive, time-consuming, and frustrating.

Did you know?

In a recent salary survey of Salesforce professionals, respondents indicated the “lack of salary increase / earning increase” as top reason why they would leave their current job for a new opportunity, followed closely by “lack of career and promotional prospects.”

Source: Mason Frank Salary Survey 2020-21

Tip #3: Work with a Great Divemaster

If you need to implement new Salesforce features, scale your delivery capacity to meet business needs, or simply maintain your current environment, you should consider the benefits of a Managed Services Provider (MSP) over internal staffing.

An MSP, like Spinnaker Support, provides customers with access to flexible service arrangements that provide the right resources, in the right capacities, at the right times. MSPs offer a range of managed service packages and consulting capabilities to ensure platform adoption and customer success through a long-term partnership. Let us be your divemaster.

#5 Seasonal Releases

The dive plan just got really complex…

Three times per year Salesforce will unlock a treasure chest of goodies that are promised to further innovate and improve your environment.

Here’s the catch: these seasonal releases can be hundreds of pages long and overwhelming. You can choose to not pay attention to them, and risk missing out on crucial security and feature updates. Or you can accept the releases and cross your fingers that nothing will break your current environment.

The challenge with the releases is that you are thrown deeper into the Salesforce service void if you do not have the resources and support to understand the latest upgrades.

Did you know?

The seasonal releases often have well over 600 pages of documentation. That’s close to 2,000 pages a year that you or someone else on your team needs to review to understand the impact on your organization.

Tip #4: Do Your Homework

Read every release’s highlights and digest at a minimum. You should also consider enlisting the help of a Salesforce partner that has in-house experts dedicated to reviewing the releases and understanding how it will affect your organization. This will save you a lot of time to help keep your environment current and provide new features at the same time.

Note: One little paragraph can solve a major business problem.

#6 Integrations & Implementations

Just when you think it’s time to surface, you get pulled back down…

…with new requests to make your enterprise systems talk to each other or launch a new cloud.

If these big integration and implementation projects are poorly-executed, your organizational progress will suffer. Seeking the assistance of Salesforce specialists is highly advisable.

If your sales, marketing, and service teams are routinely logging in to disparate and non-connected systems to help your customers, you are likely on a very inefficient journey. This also can negatively impact the customer experience.

Did you know?

Research indicates that integrating Salesforce with non-Salesforce systems and implementing new clouds are top IT priorities for businesses in the coming year.

Source: TEC Research 2020

Tip #5: Explore, Plan, Execute & Repeat

If you have aspiring plans for your Salesforce environment, you will need a partner to help you navigate the AppExchange and design a long-term roadmap to optimize your current environment while consistently adding new functionality.

An MSP, such as Spinnaker Support, offers the expertise and partnership to continually advance a Salesforce ecosystem while laying the foundation for future integrations and implementations in a manner that will be non-disruptive for users and customers.

Take Action!

Are you ready to discover the sunken treasure in your Salesforce investment?

The Spinnaker Support approach to Salesforce managed services, using an Agile delivery framework, is ideal for companies that have ambitious plans for their Salesforce environment.

If you would like to upgrade your Salesforce environment and boost ROI, then contact us today. We make for great dive buddies, too!

We encourage you to envision what a world of ongoing Salesforce improvement looks like and what it could mean for your business.

Spinnaker Support:
The Salesforce expertise you need.
The service you deserve.