I know, it’s tempting to get lost in the details with CRM development and implementation processes. You want to do well and do your best to involve everyone in your organization. How is it possible that you still have a system that no one can handle? In practice I have noticed that it is important to use 7 principles of development. The goal: to create scalable, flexible and user-friendly solutions. In this blog, I share these principles with you to help you with your CRM implementation journeys.
1. Design for the future, not just based on the current situation
Create a solution that not only answers your current question, but also matches the plans and challenges for the future. I notice that organizations too often only focus on the current need. It is better to focus a little further so that you do not have to make all kinds of adjustments later. A good discovery is therefore a must, this provides you with a total picture of the present and the future.
2. Stick to your basic system as much as possible
To keep the solutions scalable and flexible, it is important to use the basis of your CRM system as optimally as possible and to arrive at the right solution through configuration. You can of course also reuse previously developed solutions. Customization also costs extra work and time, which makes it a lot more expensive. Hence our motto: as little customization as possible in coding, unless there really is no other option.
3. Make smart use of product add-ons within AppExhange
You have many options within the AppExchange of Salesforce to further expand the existing platform solutions of Salesforce. For example, think of chatbots and loyalty solutions. Sometimes an add-on can offer just that little bit extra for a specific case.
4. Organize your data in a golden record
You often have different data sources at your disposal. Data can sometimes be contradictory or duplicated. This is very inconvenient and often leads to negative customer experiences. It is therefore worthwhile to create a golden record. This is a complete, well-defined dataset of customers, consumers, and other data entities populated from that vast variety of data sources. Duplications have been removed, the sources have been aligned in terms of variables and empty sets have been removed. The golden record is also known as ‘the only version of the truth’. If all your tools, touch points and departments use this golden record, you can be sure that they all have the same information at their disposal. This ultimately ensures the best customer engagement.
5. Avoid Duplicates
If you’re striving for a single truth, it doesn’t really make sense to make duplicates of data for another tool or data source. After all, if data is changed in one place and for whatever reason this is not done in the other place, you increase the chance that you will again get unequal data. It is therefore better to avoid duplicates of data sets and to work from one and the same data source at all times.
6. Make use of REST API
I strongly recommend working with APIs to allow different applications to communicate with each other. If you use Salesforce, use REST API. REST API simply provides the best interaction and connections with all possible tools and channels, enabling you to provide scalable, non-fixed solutions.
7. Go for a scalable data model, but start with the basics
Do not make it too complicated in the beginning, otherwise you run the risk that you will soon lose sight of the wood for the trees. If you do not make the data models too complex in the first instance, you can start in a clear and therefore scalable way. After that, you can always further expand and enrich the data model step by step.
“Engage the users in the project to ensure that the platform fully meets their needs.”
Aiming for Partnership
At VANEIGENS we combine the above approach with a personal, pragmatic approach in which we think from the perspective of the end customer. All users are involved throughout the project to arrive at a user-friendly platform that fully meets their needs. By involving the users with the end customer, you also ensure that the transfer and training already take place during the implementation process. This ensures a more sustainable and qualitative transition. As equal partners, we jointly achieve an optimal result with which the customer is also happy in the long term.