When it comes to delivering technically complex, innovative projects on the Salesforce platform, your choice of partner is going to have the biggest influence on your level of success.
The problem is that there are plenty of outsourced partners out there who would love to help you develop new Salesforce capabilities – and many of them are able to deliver good results. But you really need to separate the good from the great.
Here’s our quick guide to what to look out for to make sure your first choice is the right one.
A partner is so much more than just an additional resource – it’s an opportunity to get fresh perspectives on your ideas and operations and bring new approaches and ideas into your business. A partner with a culture different to your own can be a huge advantage, not a drawback.
If a project is critical to your business, it should be critical to the partner you work with, too. If a partner doesn’t see you as a priority, the results of your project will suffer.
A partnership is a two-way relationship. No partner should ever spend all their time awaiting direct instructions from you. Once they understand your needs, they should be confident driving the project themselves.
Your partner should use their knowledge and expertise to help you see opportunities that you may not realise exist. They should be focused on helping you understand how tech can help you achieve the results you need, not simply using tech in the exact way you’ve asked them to.
Great partners ask questions. They endeavour to find out as much about your business as possible, so that they can come up with great ideas that generate the best results and outcomes for you.
A great partner doesn’t just provide help, they provide advice. They’ll come to you with ideas, and be willing to make their voice heard when they think the direction you’ve chosen isn’t the best one possible.
A great partner will constantly ask questions of your requests and be willing to say no when they don’t think you’re making the right choices. Then, they’ll provide useful input to improve and refine your ideas.
A partner’s attitude and approach can make a big difference to your development project. You should be able to feel their excitement and enthusiasm, and that feeling should permeate across your entire team
Having a clear plan is important, but even the best laid plans need to be flexible. Great partners will be ready to adapt if things don’t work out as desired and will help you find a new route that still delivers what you want.
To find out more about Salesforce partnering please contact Gary McGeorge
Our independent tech team has been servicing enterprise clients for over 15 years from our HQ in Bristol, UK. Let’s see how we can work together and get the most out of your Salesforce implementation.