4 Salesforce Problems To Be Aware Of Before Making A Decision

Besides being a huge company employing over 35,000 people, with annual revenue in the $15 billion range, it's not without some controversial aspects for the most successful Customer Relationship Management suite of software in use today. Salesforce Problems exist, as they do with any large business operation. Are they outside acceptable limits? Let's delve into this a little deeper. While the Salesforce Platforms are generally excellent, many customers report some Salesforce Challenges.

4 Salesforce Problems You Should Know

First, let's get this out of the way: these problems Should Not dampen your enthusiasm for Salesforce. In its quest to provide the best product in the marketplace, Salesforce has created a software suite that functions fully for Most of its users. Does any consequence of any kind get 100% positive reviews? Probably not. Knowing what pitfalls might lie ahead when you begin using Salesforce seems prudent.

Let's look at the details.

1. Expense

Yep. Salesforce is expensive. But the folks who make it will tell you that it's a fair price considering the massive investment Salesforce made to get it to the marketplace. The fact that it's the most successful product in its field tells you that most customers don't think it's overpriced. And additional costs depend on what features you might want to add on.

Often, the complaint is that the massive storage needed for Salesforce is too expensive. While the free storage capacity of 10GB of data and 10GB of file storage per customer has increased over the years, most businesses need more than that. Those needing more storage must buy external data space from other vendors.

Also under some criticism is the cost of extra Salesforce support. The free standard support plan is limited. It includes Level 1 support from a Salesforce technical team and access to several free self-service resources and programs like Trailhead and The Trailblazer Community. To handle Salesforce support needs (ongoing CRM administration and constant system monitoring), clients will purchase a more advanced support plan (like Premier or Premiere) from Salesforce or go with a third-party support service.

2. Customization

Salesforce is rightly famous for its seemingly endless custom options. This is a critical element of its popularity. But some customers seem to get carried away and over-customize it. This creates many problems- extreme complications in using it and difficulty for every staff member.

Users should be cognizant of the pitfalls involved in over-customization. After all, ease of use is a popular feature of Salesforce, and hanging more "bells and whistles" on it will only make it more cumbersome. Choose your custom options carefully.

3. Limited distribution

Salesforce's competitors offer a variety of distribution options. Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle CRM, SAP CRM, and others offer multiple choices for distribution: on-site, Cloud, or Hybrid. On the other hand, Salesforce offers only Cloud-based, public and private distribution. Some prospective users have a problem with this, citing security and infrastructure concerns.

While these are genuine concerns, security for Cloud-based applications has been proven to be effective and easy to implement. Infrastructure is an outmoded concern as well.

4. User adoption

Let's face it, as technology advances, ease of use is constantly an issue. Salesforce demands more than the usual amount of effort. A steep learning curve can be an issue for businesses, as training interrupts sales activity. While this is true, Salesforce will argue that the results of using it will later make up for that lost time in increased productivity. Salesforce certainly offers ample options for learning the programs thoroughly, and if chosen carefully, any custom options can be easily mastered.

But it is more challenging to master than other more straightforward business programs, and therefore an obstacle for some users. And if only adopted by some staff members that need to use it, Salesforce's effectiveness could be improved.

Know Before You Buy!

While Salesforce continues to excel, delivering all its promises and more, potential users may hesitate because of these four issues. But knowing the issues ahead of time is part of the solution. Tech-phobic staff members may lag in their progress when encountering a particularly thorny problem and must be encouraged to keep moving forward in adopting Salesforce.

An upfront detailed examination of Salesforce and its competitors should be the first step in shopping for a more sophisticated Customer Relationship Management tool. If every staff member has a chance to see how it works and what level of training will be required to use it, all will have the option to express their concerns--knowing what the reaction to the use and training of Salesforce can effectively head off future problems.

Any enterprise considering Salesforce, or any other CRM, should consult an expert who is not a sales rep for the products being considered. Rely Services, a much-respected Business Process Outsourcing firm, can offer input before and after any purchase.