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Using Apps and Technology to Increase Your Salesforce Solution’s ROI

Author: Naeem Khalid

Mobile app technology on the field | Technologie et application mobile sur le terrainAn organization’s approach when deciding how to extend the functionality of their Salesforce solution will help determine time to value, and the overall ROI achieved from both the project and solution.

This blog will discuss the benefits of using Salesforce compatible apps and technology to increase a solution’s overall ROI, with:

  • Tips on which approach will yield the best results
  • Use case examples focused on solving common field service issues, like material transport and form management, with field service specific apps and configuration
  • The next steps for your organization to take if you’re looking to extend the functionality of your own Salesforce solution

App and Technology Use to Yield the Best Salesforce Solution ROI

Assuming your Salesforce platform and solution has been implemented and configured to meet your organization’s basic needs, and your main goal is to address either organizational or industry specific concerns:

  • Pinpoint the most important need and focus there
    • You can always go back and add to your solution; focusing is what will help deliver ROI and value faster
  • Don’t start from scratch, finding the right Salesforce AppExchange or partner technology and having it implemented correctly will result in faster time to value than focusing on a custom solution
  • If you don’t have the expertise, get help from someone that understands and has delivered this type of project successfully for organizations in your industry
    • Finding someone with the right experience means seeing value immediately and obtaining ROI more quickly

While the next section will focus on field service specific app and technology use case examples, the approach above will work for any industry or organization.

Field Service Use Case Examples

These are common field service issues, an app or technology that addresses that specific issue, and where the value can be seen after project completion. Rather than relying on a separate solution, these apps work with and through the Salesforce platform.

Again, ROI should be achieved much more quickly by focusing efforts on resolving a major issue.

  • Example #1: material transport management is time consuming and inefficient.
    • App or Technology Suggestion: Material Transport App
    • How it Works:
      • It allows you to set up your preferred list of vendors so that requests are directed to them
      • It provides information for the driver about how much material is to be picked up, when to pick it up, and where to go next
      • It factors in the fastest routes, driver availability, truck capacity, and travel information, and is designed to provide the most efficient schedules for material transport
      • While not part of the app itself, it can be integrated with a scada alarm (For example in water hauling, the app would trigger when well water reaches a certain level, and send an alert to initiate a pick-up)
    • Value Delivered: Reduction in drive time and costs, optimizes pick-up and contractor schedules, automates material transport processes for efficiency, provides better process visibility, brings information on platform for reporting and metrics
  • Example #2: form completion and management are taking up time in the field that could be used to complete other tasks.
      • Brings forms, checklists, surveys, and inspections on platform
      • Templates can be configured to fit the technician’s needs, and are available offline and on mobile devices
        • Intelligent smart forms simplify the completion process, only showing what is needed
      • Information is then easily accessible both onsite and for the back office
    • Value Delivered: Optimized form management, can be configured for technician’s quality-of-life and user-friendliness, reduces risks, helps increase compliance and safety, significantly lowers time spent completing forms
Next Steps

Don’t try and solve every problem in one go. Find your biggest issue and solve it in the simplest and most effective way. If your organization:

  • Is having issues with base platform functionality or due to a previous implementation, look into having a system review or health check; the problem is sometimes as simple as streamlining your processes and getting the right configuration for end-users
  • Is having trouble prioritizing needs, get assistance narrowing down requirements and a recommended solution to move forward to achieve value more quickly
  • Has a specific problem, remember that there’s probably a solution already available that can help achieve what you need

In any case, we’re here to help. Contact us.