Why Figuring Out Salesforce Matters
We know that we are software licensing specialists and not expert anglers, but we think that the following story offers some valuable nuggets of allegorical wisdom, so please bear with us:
*Clears throat*
It’s been said that there are two types of fishermen; both can spend a day out on the lake, but one is considerably more successful than the other. Why is that? Well, it has to do with resource management.
You see, the first fisherman thinks that he’s been fishing all day, but in reality, he spent most of his time and energy eating meals and snacks, messing with his equipment, and getting to and from the water. The other fisherman is focused on fishing and eliminates any other distractions. So while they’re both gone from home for 12 hours, one has his line in the water for 10 and the other perhaps only 4 or 5. This results in much greater success for the focused fisherman.
So our question for you is this: when it comes to Salesforce licensing, is your organization more like the focused or unfocused fisherman, that is to say, is your organization using its Salesforce resources efficiently? The answer to that question could make a huge difference in your company.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a customer relationship management platform tailored to optimize different aspects of a business with their products. There are multiple different cloud platforms that a customer can purchase – Sales cloud, Service cloud, Marketing cloud, Health cloud, App cloud, Community cloud, Analytics cloud, IoT cloud, Chatter cloud, Commerce cloud, Heroku engagement cloud, and others. Wow, that’s an awful lot of clouds!
Naturally, having so many different platforms can make things challenging. The biggest challenge, perhaps, is the different cost implications associated because of the many clouds. It’s easy to imagine how things could slip through the cracks and an organization could end up having more or less than it really needs. So, whether it’s financially or usage-wise, it is critical to ensure full value out of the products that have been purchased.
Questions to Consider when Evaluating your Salesforce Licensing
Maybe you’re thinking, “This sounds great and all, but how can I get more out of my licensing to find full value?” Unfortunately, there is no easy or simple answer to this question. However, we’ve found that there is a lot of value in asking more specific questions to help shed some light to navigate through the uncertainty. Here are a few good ones:
1. What are the license types we’re using?
– How are we using them?
– Who is using them?
– Why do we have so many licenses?
2. Are the licenses optimized?
– Are we efficiently using the licenses we purchased?
– Do we have the right license types in place?
3. How do we manage multiple Salesforce Organizations?
– Is there a way to limit control on Salesforce Org creation?
– How do we prevent inefficient management?
Being able to answer these questions allows you to focus in on how your organization is using Salesforce. Or to reference our previous example, you’ll know exactly what type of “Salesforce fisherman” your company is – one that uses its time, energy, and money wisely, or not so much. Additionally, if there are any issues, you’ll be able to get to the bottom of them much quicker.
Having the answers to these questions won’t make your usage magically efficient, but it can help set up some goal posts and checkpoints to work towards. This way, your efforts will be more targeted and that allows for better time spent bridging the gaps instead of trying to figure out what the gaps are.
Contact Anglepoint
Every Salesforce licensing situation is different and has its own unique challenges. Anglepoint experts have extensive experience figuring out some of the toughest Salesforce licensing situations and providing appropriate guidance tailored to the specific needs of each business. Schedule a meeting today to talk with one of our Salesforce experts!
Want to learn more about Salesforce Licensing? Watch the On Demand Salesforce webinar