Outsourcing Salesforce Development for Better Workflow

Table of Contents

A3Logics 22 Jun 2023

 

It’s a fact that’s almost guaranteed that every business wants to improve its workflow. Whether for profits and team engagement or delivering on unique value proposition and brand integrity, every business wants to improve. Subsequently, Salesforce software is a 21st century business tool that fulfils so much more than customer relationship management (CRM) needs. With every single advancement, Salesforce technology — inclusive of module ‘Clouds’, features, AI, and integrations — continually helps businesses run better. In short, it’s no surprise that Salesforce has been one of the most in-demand business products for 20 years.

 

Nevertheless, businesses may struggle getting started with Salesforce or make the most of this software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription. Unlike some other IT areas, the issue is not so much with the user-friendliness of the software. Overall Salesforce is actually highly usable for businesses and it’s possible to deploy the platform with limited to no coding.

 

Unfortunately, there are two key reasons why businesses might not maximize their Salesforce platform:

 

  1. Neglecting customization and not deploying a tailor-made software solution
  2. Failing to choose and integrate components that boost business workflow at all levels and in all areas

 

All in all, if businesses aren’t considering these two reasons then they’re probably not gaining all Salesforce benefits. Likewise they might be disappointed in the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). Thus this might be impacting stakeholders, such as customers, as well.

 

So, what can businesses do to maximize their Salesforce investment and is outsourcing Salesforce development a beneficial option?

 

A proven strategy is to opt for outsourcing Salesforce development in order to get the most out of the software. When businesses do this, they’re not just investing in the product, they’re investing in all areas of their operational workflow:

 

  • Evaluating business processes and strategic goals
  • Overhauling business systems and third-party software integrations
  • Training and supporting staff stakeholders
  • Planning the development, deployment, maintenance, and scaling process
  • Boosting the business environment and engaging staff
  • Driving high-quality customer experiences and sales conversions

 

In this A3logics article, we’ll cover the points above to help businesses understand the outsourcing development process for better workflow.

 

Salesforce SaaS features to know before outsourcing development

 

Before our comprehensive discussion of outsourcing Salesforce development, let’s review the Salesforce SaaS key features. Chiefly, the following areas concern the software components that help businesses move forward with digitization, automation, and intelligent tools. For this reason, Cision PR says that the CRM is suitable across all industries and for businesses of all sizes. Additionally, “With Salesforce, businesses in any sector can go faster with flexible and automated technology built for their particular needs.”

 

Businesses benefit from these Salesforce features for in-house and outsourcing development

 

  • Cloud-based SaaS
  • Agile, efficient development
  • Highly configurable, flexible, and customizable
  • Intelligent, user-friendly with intuitive UX/UI design components
  • Powerful infrastructure with renowned security architecture
  • Apex coding
  • Comprehensive database systems for data management, reporting, and analysis
  • All-in-one products with scalability for building upon features and adding new technology
  • Extensive ‘Cloud’ product modules including Sales Cloud, Services Cloud, App Cloud, and Commerce Cloud
  • Seamless integration with third-party software tools such as Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365
  • Customer insights for service, sales, engagement, and logistics
  • Accessible for remote and mobile teams across timezones and locations
  • AI, algorithmic, and automation technologies integrated across the products
  • Salesforce Partner Ecosystem offering specialist development, scaling, and customizations
  • Collaborative design to improve team workflow and eliminate operational silos

 

Overall, the Salesforce software features are dynamic and suitable for businesses irrespective of region. Therefore this offers opportunities to work with international developers.

 

outsourcing-salesforce-development-better-workflow

 

Is an in-house configuration or outsourcing Salesforce development better for businesses

 

Given these points above, we can now delve into a comparison of in-house configuration or outsourcing Salesforce development. In brief, it’s key that we emphasize how user-friendly and easily deployable Salesforce SaaS is. Moreover, this evaluation is not about features so much as how businesses can approach internal or outsourced Salesforce development.

 

Facts about in-house Salesforce configuration

 

  • Simplifies timeline according to business needs
  • Eliminates expense of working with external developers
  • Allows business to plan and undertake development according to their processes
  • Reduces risk of collaboration and project management problems as development/configuration is all in-house
  • Ensures businesses oversee all branding components with limited external involvement that might be a risk factor for customer-facing systems

 

Facts about outsourcing Salesforce development

 

  • Brings in external experts completely dedicated to the development process
  • Applies wider developer talent pool of strategists, developers, testing teams, and consultants
  • Hires often include Salesforce qualified experts who are Salesforce Technical Architects and Consultants
  • Possibility of higher costs due to not being an in-house resource allocation
  • Ensures maintenance and scaling are entirely in the hands of these professionals
  • Requires extensive collaboration between businesses hiring developers and development teams

 

Takeaway point for whether to invest in outsourcing Salesforce development or taking development in-house

  • Costs may balance out over time due to competing factors such as:
    • Training staff internally versus handling maintenance externally as part of services
    • Difficult to quantify total costs
  • Expertise and ability to concentrate entirely on all development process requirements may be risky for businesses undertaking in-house configuration
  • Timeline for development can be more strictly implemented with a development team as it’s a financial investment
  • Diversifying resource allocation means businesses can concentrate on their immediate strategic and operational goals while outsourcing development to a company.

 

Understanding the maintenance and scaling opportunities for outsourcing Salesforce development

 

Surprisingly, there is no definitive answer for the question of whether in-house or outsourced Salesforce development is better. In the long run, it is worth noting that businesses who are outsourcing Salesforce development can swiftly maintain and scale. Since Salesforce is designed to be scaled as businesses grow, this has strategic and operational benefits that cannot be ignored. Additionally, in terms of workflow, this also supports all team members focusing on the business tasks rather than maintaining Salesforce. Nevertheless, it’s important to acknowledge that if businesses have team members with Salesforce experience and expertise, in-house is viable. On the whole, businesses should approach using this SaaS in a highly professional way. Because it’s a business tool and an investment, appraising needs against the factors above will help ensure decisive, informed action.

 

What project contributions businesses should expect when outsourcing Salesforce development

 

Following on from the comparison of in-house versus outsourced Salesforce development, let’s look at outsourcing Salesforce development in detail.

 

To begin with, we’ll evaluate the project contributions businesses can expect when they opt for outsourcing Salesforce development

 

  • Consultation

 

Even prior to commencing development, an experienced Salesforce development company will meet with prospective clients for preliminary consultation. Not only does this help to establish the business relationship but also professional developers will fairly assess if their services are required.

 

  • End-to-end development process

 

After consultation, if salesforce development services are needed, then businesses will work with Salesforce developers for their customization needs. To explain, this will cover all phases of development including research, testing, and deployment preparations. Because businesses are undertaking this with development experts, they will be able to concurrently focus on their own operations. Additionally, the development experts will be working to agreed timeframes that ensure the platform is robust, purpose-built, and agile.

 

  • Maintenance

 

Although this does fall under development services, maintenance is a particularly important value-add for businesses. Due to how comprehensive Salesforce is while also being a central business tool, businesses can’t afford to have problems. Markedly, this is a major benefit of working with a professional company and outsourcing Salesforce development. Notwithstanding the pre-deployment phases, post-deployment Salesforce development services should incorporate maintenance inclusive of monitoring and resolving any problems. Because Salesforce — both CRM and integrated modules — are foundational business tools, monitoring functionalities and resolving issues swiftly is essential. Significantly dedicated developers are able to identify problems and resolve them swiftly unlike in-house IT who have competing priorities. Subsequently this risk manages problems on an ongoing basis without compromising business operations or perpetuating problems that could then compound.

 

  •  Scaling

 

As has been noted above, maintenance as well as scaling are under the development process classification. Nevertheless, scaling is inherently important for businesses that want to grow. Whether it’s continually improving operations or aggressively pursuing business diversification, Salesforce’s scalability is a leading part of the value proposition. Simultaneously, outsourcing Salesforce development to experienced developers — especially those in the Salesforce Partner ecosystem — simplifies processes while expanding scaling options. For example, Salesforce Ecosystem partners are highly knowledgeable about scaling, customization, and emerging software features and offers. Consequently, not only are they able to help businesses scale their Salesforce SaaS, but also maximize platform capabilities. In time businesses gain traction in their operations while deriving more value from investing in outsourcing development and Salesforce subscriptions.

 

  • Insights

 

Before and after scaling, businesses will also gain platform insights through outsourcing Salesforce development. In addition to consultation and maintenance, the Salesforce platform combined with the development team’s expertise gives businesses extensive data insights. For instance, development teams will configure the SaaS for operational reporting as well as evaluating performance. In that case the developers can report back to businesses about opportunities for scaling plus how they can improve workflow. For that reason then businesses are making informed decisions and will consistently audit their macro and micro activities.

 

  • Training

 

Lastly, outsourcing Salesforce development also incorporates staff training. Despite how user-friendly the UX and UI is for staff, training is essential to ensure best practice and performance. In any event, this will help cultivate team buy-in and promote a positive attitude to new business tools. Furthermore, Salesforce is a core system so for businesses to truly get the most out of the SaaS, training matters. Due to experience and product knowledge, Salesforce development teams can help with training while also guiding the internal deployment phase.

 

How does outsourcing Salesforce development affect employee, team and business workflow

 

Undeniably workflow is part of successful modern businesses and there is pressure to be digitizing simultaneously. Besides the immediate benefits of using robust Salesforce software, the fact remains that outsourcing development positively boosts operations. Therefore it’s relevant for businesses considering outsourcing Salesforce development to understand how this supports their individual employees, and entire organization.

 

Although we’ve explored the platform customization advantages of outsourcing Salesforce development in terms of strategic benefits, workflow is highly specific. Overall how this impacts on organizational workflow on key levels is important to discuss for daily operations, deployment, and training.

 

For this reason, in this section, we’ll now look at how three key workflow areas benefit from outsourcing Salesforce development:

 

 

Employee workflow

 

Firstly, how individuals work is always going to have a cascade effect. Subsequently, when businesses outsource development they can take the time to invite all employees to provide software feedback. Because employees can speak freely they can share about their individual responsibilities, workflow, and any current issues with business tools. With development, Salesforce is highly configurable and offers a user-oriented, personalized UX and UI. Altogether when development teams are ideating and engineering businesses’ Salesforce SaaS, they can incorporate all levels of employee input. In short these custom solutions target individual problems that then benefit entire businesses.

 

Team workflow

 

Secondly, the collation of individual workflow feedback as well as development teams undertaking data analysis helps build effective Salesforce infrastructure. In order to configure and deploy a professional platform, developers will consider all different operational input. Thereafter every businesses’ Salesforce platform is purpose-built for all different teams across organizations. Thus this ensures that all teams — with their wide range of roles and responsibilities — are using SaaS designed for them. Not only does this streamline and elevate their workflow but also it helps with collaboration between teams. Because it’s hard for internal developers to objectively engineer comprehensive solutions, outsourcing the Salesforce development process considers every business area.

 

Business workflow

 

Thirdly, observing businesses as a whole workflow is the final aspect of workflow that outsourcing Salesforce development will incorporate. Since a software development company will parse all business areas including macro and micro workflows, this achieves top-down development. Neither the individual nor the team nor the business is ignored with this type of Salesforce development process. With this purpose in mind, businesses can review their organization-wide workflow during consultation and evaluate this strategically. Once the ideation, engineering, and testing is underway, certified salesforce developers will review workflow objectives with businesses to check efficacy. Accordingly this leads to businesses thoroughly checking the SaaS well before deployment and confirming all operational needs are met.

 

Beyond workflow, what are the major reasons why businesses need to opt for outsourcing Salesforce development

 

Now that we’ve reviewed the three workflow areas that benefit from outsourcing Salesforce development, we’ll review some bonus benefits. Both the native platform scope and the options for customizing mean there is endless evidence of businesses transforming their operations. In like manner, these benefits are levelled up through outsourcing Salesforce development to expert teams and Salesforce Ecosystem Partners.

 

Additional business benefits of outsourcing Salesforce development

 

  • Cost savings — There are myriad ways businesses save money when they outsource Salesforce development. For example, this includes training design, maintenance on the platform, and even employee turnover due to disengagement during in-house software configuration.
  • External project management — Following on from cost savings is the efficiency gains of leaving the entire project to professionals. Because developers have an end-to-end process they will oversee the timeline, testing, and deployment planning. Additionally this streamlines businesses’ responsibilities so they can derive value during project management instead of getting lost in the weeds.
  • Workload distribution — Altogether effectively distributing the development workload to external partners enables businesses to allocate staff resources specifically. Comparatively, if businesses didn’t outsource Salesforce development they may be compromising staff productivity directly and indirectly. During outsourcing, businesses can plan for their employees’ role then adhere to these frameworks to minimize discord, confusion, or frustration.
  • Dedicated focus on preparing business for deployment — When businesses outsource development they are able to confidently get ready for launching their Salesforce SaaS. Balanced against managing this internally — including integration with third-party software and changing over systems — this inarguably eliminates pressure. Additionally this frees businesses to focus on their key stakeholders who may experience disruption during deployment. With attention to these stakeholders they can maintain business while Salesforce development experts ensure all deployment steps are successfully completed.

 

Six workflow areas that strategically benefit from outsourcing Salesforce development

 

During the development process, businesses should be appraising the wide-reaching ways their Salesforce platform will contribute to their organization. Furthermore, these are the fundamental areas to consider to ensure that workflow is protected. For instance, businesses should review their technical resources, workplace culture, deployment support systems, and stakeholders at the very least. Accordingly, in this section we unpack how to focus on six workflow-centric areas that benefit from Salesforce with strategy.

 

Businesses need to focus on the following workflow areas for strategic benefits when outsourcing Salesforce development

 

  •  Evaluating business processes and strategic goals

 

Above all, when businesses get ready for outsourcing Salesforce development they will definitely need to review strategic goals. At any rate, this will also hone in on their business processes and therefore their workflow levels. In order to properly benefit in this area, businesses should itemize exactly what is and isn’t working with existing tools. Afterwards they can review how they can improve their business processes using the Salesforce digitization pathway. Although a Salesforce development company will ask these questions during consultation, businesses should be ready with their own needs analysis.

 

  • Overhauling business systems and third-party software integrations

 

Once businesses are beginning the Salesforce development process they will be deciding what systems to keep and third-party integrations. Being that these feed directly into workflow, businesses should therefore consider these systems and software in terms of efficacy. Eventually this will lead to establishing if these are still suitable for operations and if not, how Salesforce fills gaps. In view of making the most of the Salesforce investment and outsourcing development, businesses shouldn’t stay with unsuitable tools.

 

  •  Training and supporting staff stakeholders

 

Following on from evaluating infrastructure, processes, and software tools, businesses need to look at how they will care for staff. In truth, businesses can mistakenly think that training and supporting staff is a late-stage development priority. Even though it will require more energy, it’s highly worthwhile to prioritize the needs of these key internal stakeholders. Whether it’s asking staff for input early in the development process or preparing Salesforce training modules, engaging staff pays dividends.

 

For instance, during the initial Salesforce development outsourcing businesses should ask staff to explain any workflow problems they currently have. When this approach is taken businesses commence support, implementation, and training rollout early on and developers can offer insights on this. Equally, senior management in businesses can positively show their staff they will be taken care of and manage stakeholder expectations.

 

  • Planning the development, deployment, maintenance, and scaling process

 

The end-to-end development process incorporates everything from consultation and research to ideation and long-term scaling. In order to deliver high-impact Salesforce customizations businesses should consider workflow in each area and step in the process. Accordingly this means working to smoothly manage each step and collaborating effectively with the outsourcing Salesforce development team.

 

When businesses approach each step in terms of these workflow and strategic needs they communicate productively while preparing for scaling. In particular, preparing for scaling helps businesses to keep moving ahead and getting the most out of their SaaS investment. Thus having clearly ideated goals for a Salesforce customization and preparing for development, development, and scaling results in better developments.

 

  • Boosting the business environment and engaging staff

 

In like fashion to training and supporting staff stakeholders is planning to build a better business environment and engaging staff. Surprisingly or not, this can measurably lead to business growth including staff retention and more productive workers. With a focus on using Salesforce development to improve how teams operate, how staff work, and businesses’ culture change happens. Specifically this revision and redesign of the staff UI results in more engaged teams who can enjoyably complete their jobs. Both the business brand and the customer experience are helped through these workflow benefits as well.

 

  •  Driving high-quality customer experiences and sales conversions

 

In the same fashion, outsourcing Salesforce development revolutionizes customer experiences and nurtures sales processes. Undoubtedly custom Salesforce developments elevate customer experience and the sales conversions due to the all-in-one CRM module. Concurrently businesses can drive sales and scale up customer experiences even more with Salesforce Service Cloud and Sales Cloud integrations. When businesses choose these integrations during development outsourcing they equip staff to better service customers, manage leads, and track data. In due time businesses see growth through staff performance, customer satisfaction, and sales growth.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, thought leaders explain that most of all outsourcing Salesforce development helps organizations run effectively in countless ways. In particular, this means better business. Accordingly, one LinkedIn Pulse article says, “Instead, this will allow you to focus on your core competencies and invest time in other important tasks that drive your business growth.” Notwithstanding business’s individualized requirements that may require a proprietary solution, Salesforce understandably remains the go-to all-in-one CRM.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

How do businesses start the process of outsourcing Salesforce development?

 

Starting the outsourcing Salesforce development process involves meeting with an expert software company who can oversee and fulfil custom configurations. When businesses are starting the outsourcing journey, they should first meet with a Salesforce development team for a preliminary consultation. Overall this establishes initial needs and knowledgeable developers should appraise and advise what businesses need. In order to make the most of this type of initial consultation businesses should provide key strategic information including objectives.

 

Is outsourcing Salesforce development quicker than in-house configuration?

 

Generally speaking, there is no exact time guarantee for Salesforce configuration although it is possible to deploy without customizations. Furthermore the time differences for outsourcing Salesforce development or choosing in-house configuration depend on internal resources available. For the most part, outsourcing development to professionals results in dedicated services that oversee all configuration steps including integration. In order to gain an insightful overview of development, businesses can book an A3Logics consultation to evaluate their Salesforce needs.

 

Do businesses receive a customized software platform after outsourcing Salesforce development?

 

Notwithstanding a business’s individual preferences, businesses investing in development services will receive a custom Salesforce platform. In detail, this means that the configuration, module integration, and all features are entirely consistent with business needs and specifications. Unlike in-house configuration, outsourcing Salesforce development to experienced developers who are Salesforce Ecosystem Partners leads to comprehensive SaaS deployments.

 

 What are the process steps of outsourcing Salesforce development?

 

When businesses invest in outsourcing Salesforce development they are benefitting from end-to-end development with expert software developers. These developers will guide and manage development over the following development process steps:

 

  • Initial consultation to evaluate business needs and objectives
  • Research, ideation, and primary engineering in collaboration with client
  • Beta testing of prototype and revisions with target market and client
  • Preparations for deployment including staff training and integration with third-party software
  • Deployment including ensuring smooth implementation and resolving any problems
  • Maintenance and monitoring with ongoing support
  • Scaling and revisions to platform as needed

 

Additionally, these developers will be qualified and experienced Salesforce developers who are Salesforce Ecosystem Partners. Specifically, this means that they can swiftly configure new features and scale the platform as businesses need.