In short, you probably do want to engage a Salesforce Managed Services provider—even if you have in-house Salesforce administration.
If you have this function in-house, you’ll want the extra flex capacity from a third party, as well as more expertise for when your internal team runs into issues.
If you don’t already manage Salesforce internally, then a third party is a much more effective way to start building your team until the point where you can achieve cost savings by bringing in an in-house administrator for the more basic work.
What is the Salesforce Managed Services model?
Salesforce Managed Services, like any MSP model, consists of dedicated, expert-level support for hire without the financial burden of hiring full-time employees.
Salesforce Managed Services involves proactive management and administration of Salesforce operations, different from mere consulting where you’re being told what to do but left to actually implement it on your own.
And rather than simply implementing Salesforce and letting it sit dormant, a Salesforce MSP aims to address roadblocks in real time, optimizing the platform for revenue operations and maximum adoption.
Why businesses turn to a Salesforce Managed Services partner
Maximizing Salesforce without the right expertise can be challenging. Partnering with a Salesforce managed service provider offers two key benefits.
Access to experts with diverse business and technical knowledge
Partnering with Managed Services providers offers access to a team of sales and revenue operations experts, providing a competitive advantage over only the people you’ve hired internally. Businesses can leverage this diverse knowledge for more comprehensive solutions and avoid getting stuck on figuring out a tricky problem.
Pay as you go vs incurring fixed operating expenses
Opting for Managed Services over adding more full-time hires is a cost-effective choice while actually increasing the level of quality, typically. It allows organizations to access expertise when they need it and for specific projects without the heavy financial commitments and management overhead associated with full-time employees.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t have internal Salesforce management team members—but rather that the default should be a third-party MSP while eventually adding FTEs when it makes sense. Too often, operations leaders look at it in the reverse order.
What’s typically included?
Tailored to you: customized Salesforce management services
Working with a Salesforce Managed Services partner is like taking a Salesforce consultant and making them a part of your team. Salesforce Managed Services are customized solutions tailored to specific operational needs within the Salesforce ecosystem.
This involves creating custom workflows, introducing new processes, deciding on CRM strategy, and tailoring solutions specific to the business and its use cases.
On-demand troubleshooting
Managed Services providers can offer faster assistance and support for overcoming technological hurdles as opposed to contacting Salesforce customer support directly. In any case, Salesforce customer support won’t always provide a strategic answer (unless you pay them for their in-house professional services offering, which is unpopular).
Operations leaders we work with tell us that choosing a third-party MSP ensures them a quicker implementation, higher-quality service, and fewer roadblocks along the way for their team.
Building custom reports and dashboards
SFDC MSPs can develop custom dashboards to help you track your progress vs goals as well as custom-tailored Salesforce reporting and metrics development in cases where the CRM isn’t built to provide something out-of-the-box.
Plus, they can offer Salesforce data management, which is often beneficial for admins who aren’t used to working with Workbench, Data Loader, or other data management tools that are specific to Salesforce.
Large-scale architecture and integration projects
Managed Services partners can handle larger projects like new architecture, workflows, Apex code development, and more, ensuring a solid technical foundation for the business without worries about scalability.
Homegrown approaches to Salesforce architecture rest on the experience level of the person doing the implementation and are not a task best given to a part-time person whose role does not exclusively focus on revenue operations systems implementation.
How to pick the best Salesforce Managed Services partner
Selecting the ideal Managed Services partner involves considering factors like industry expertise, scalability, alignment with company culture, and communication frequency. In other words: do you like them, will you likely have a productive working relationship, and are they extremely competent?
It's crucial to ensure that the partner's services align with the organization's unique requirements. Don’t be shy about advocating for what you need while being open to an MSP helping educate you on what MSP buyers in your situation often need.
When selecting a partner, working with someone who makes decisions with business outcomes first is a must. Technical expertise is good but falls short if it doesn't consider organizational priorities.
Salesforce managed services help many B2B companies get the most out of their CRM
Salesforce Managed Services present an opportunity for B2B organizations to fully leverage the potential of their CRM, making it something that customer-facing teams will actually use, adopt, and be thankful for. Partnering with a dedicated Managed Services provider like Skydog Ops offers the expertise needed to maximize Salesforce's capabilities for smooth, efficient business growth with minimal technical debt.
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