5 advantages (and disadvantages) of Salesforce for your business

Today it is essential to have a customer-centric and customer-focused organisation that prompts an effective ecosystem where all information is concentrated and flows. CRM Salesforce unifies different departments on a single platform to get a global understanding of the whole process: customer service, accounting, sales and marketing.

Benefits of Salesforce

To make this possible, Salesforce offers an innovative technological system in the cloud (they were pioneers) that produces different options and is easily adaptable to any company. These are some of the main advantages you will find when using it in your company:

1. Flexibility. It is highly adaptable. This means that the company will be able to reorganise the elements of its CRM system according to its needs and interests, and to do so whenever necessary. It is not a restricted model with a predetermined working process. The ecosystem it provides is much more flexible than much of the software you will find on the market.
2. Easy handling. Another major advantage of the Salesforce platform is that it is easy to use. In fact, you do not need to be computer-literate to make timely changes to the platform. Salesforce also has a learning programme called Trailheads, which trains users to become expert administrators. After a few stimulating training sessions, anyone will be able to manage this software. Salesforce even offers a consulting service for companies that need faster and more personalised training.
3. Multitude of options and applications. In addition to the system implemented in the cloud, numerous applications are available for purchase on the AppExchange. This is a differentiating advantage compared to other competitors, who only offer certain integrated tools. Such applications are developed by experts from different fields to bring about perfection.
4. Standard API bindings. In addition to the applications that are easily accessible through the AppExchange, you can also include other external applications in your Salesforce space. Salesforce has one of the largest and most comprehensive cloud platforms in existence, thanks to the many vendors offering standard API bindings. Thus, if the automation of a specific tool does not meet your company's needs, you can always contact other providers for an alternative solution.
5. The largest cloud platform in the world. It is an extremely large ecosystem, with everything that entails. In other words, users will have the latest tools on the market and the most complete and practical applications at their disposal. The aim is to go further and expand a little more every day.

Disadvantages of Salesforce

We would also like to share with you the most salient disadvantages of Salesforce so that you know how to manage and deal with its main drawbacks:

1. Employee training. As with any programme worth its salt, Salesforce CRM also has a learning curve. Time spent training employees can be a disadvantage, but Salesforce makes the process easy thanks to the effective training system discussed above.
2. Managing Data Protection in Salesforce. A CRM system contains a multitude of personal customer data, which means close attention needs to be paid in order to process the information appropriately. Users must always give their consent, and there must an "unsubscribe" option for all communications sent or in all relevant online marketing actions, such as newsletters. Salesforce software records the most important customer contact information and is able to store relevant details such as personal preferences. In addition, it enables task automation, resulting in consistent and attractive emails to users, with meaningful messaging to customers and prospects to pique their interest.
3. Software cost. There is no doubt that the implementation of the Salesforce CRM platform involves a significant financial investment. However, this type of investment is necessary if you want to be competitive.
4. Some resistance to its use. When you are used to working in a specific way, having new tools or programmes can generate fear and even rejection. However, Salesforce is concerned about changing the way employees view the platform. Showing the advantages of CRM on a practical level will motivate them to gradually integrate it into their daily tasks.
5. Adaptation to the business in question. A CRM system basically serves to personalise interactions between company and customer, improving communication and increasing the number of sales. However, an effective platform must be able to be reoriented to suit any business or sector. This is often a problem given the rigidity of some software, but not in the case of Salesforce, a platform tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of each business.