Item: Salesforce Sales Cloud
Rating: 8
Author: Quentin Goin

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

[Salesforce.com] is being used across a large part of the organization to track customers, prospects, partners, sales and much more. Having a single platform for users to easily access on their mobile device or web is beneficial for IT tracking and managing data. From expense reports to managing visibility of parent/child companies, Salesforce can be configured to do it all.

Pros and Cons

Easy on the eyes. Present data effectively on the screen.
Manage many different objects.
Easy access for all users from mobile to web.

By default there is usually a lot of scrolling by the end users.
Permissions are confusing if get too detailed.
API limitations can be frustrating to data integrators.
Have seen slower load times than some other competitors.

Return on Investment

Companies that either hire consulting expertise or have in-house experts will benefit the most. It can be a powerful tool. Manage it correctly and there will be great benefits.
Conversely, if companies don't implement Salesforce.com with a plan, there will be frustration and small if any ROI realized.

Alternatives Considered

I actually did not select Salesforce, I use [Salesforce.com] as a data source when integrating systems together for my clients. My clients have selected either Salesforce or Microsoft CRM for the most common CRM tools from my experience. Both tools are very flexible and can be made into a streamlined process or confusing grouping of ideas.

Key Insights

Do you think Salesforce Sales Cloud delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Salesforce Sales Cloud's feature set?

Yes

Did Salesforce Sales Cloud live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Salesforce Sales Cloud go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Salesforce Sales Cloud again?

Other Software Used

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (formerly Microsoft Dynamics CRM)

Usability

End users seem to like using Salesforce.com.

Support Rating

It is difficult to get complex issues resolved with nearly any Support department if you can't get the level 1 person to understand what complex tasks are taking place. Not bad for the first level support. I would recommend a Salesforce consultant for complex issues.

Likelihood to Recommend

[Salesforce.com] does well tracking prospects, customers, opportunities, orders, etc. It is easy to add custom fields and create your own objects. It looks nice and users appreciate the usability.
It does not do as well when you need to customize permissions to many degrees or in great detail. If a methodology is not followed, troubleshooting permissions can be confusing.

Data Integrator thoughts on Salesforce.com

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Salesforce.com