Your Salesforce CRM is up and running, so what’s next? As your company grows and changes, your software should adapt. To ensure your systems keep pace with your business, you’ll need the help of a Salesforce Managed Service provider. But what are Managed Services, and why should they be top-of-mind?

What are Managed Services?

Traditional managed services have been around for years. The process is simple—businesses outsource software management to an external consultant or company rather than relying on an internal IT team that’s busy with other business functions. Some solutions, like full-fledged CRMs and ERPs, require frequent dedicated upkeep, which IT departments can’t always focus on. This makes managed services an affordable alternative to hiring an in-house admin for an individual solution.

The Benefits of Salesforce Managed Services?

Salesforce Managed Services are administrative functions fulfilled by third-party consultants to manage Salesforce solutions such as Sales Cloud. Different companies will each use their own terminology, but Salesforce Managed Services often include the following:

Ongoing Training

With three updates rolled out every year, Salesforce solutions are jam-packed with enough features to make your head spin. Instead of throwing users into the thick of things, Managed Services providers offer seminars and other resources to explore new functionality and suggest modules based on your business needs. Some Managed Service providers even publish content on help centers and knowledge bases to keep software users informed. 

New Functionality Development and Integration

As businesses grow and industries change, they may develop specialized needs not covered by their existing software environment. Because Salesforce is an open platform that encourages developers to produce add-ons, many Managed Service providers are willing to create custom modules that integrate with a customer’s Salesforce software. These can range from extra fields for reports or dashboards to robust add-ons that add more breadth or depth of functionality. This growth is a major benefit for companies that want to maintain their software in the long-term.

Ticket Support

If you need assistance with your Salesforce software, a Managed Services partner can accept and review support tickets. Once they’ve diagnosed the issue, they can send help center articles and knowledge base content, schedule maintenance, or suggest another course of action. Support packages are sometimes sold separately, and direct solution support may sometimes be outsourced, so be sure to check with a Managed Services provider if it is included in their Managed Services offerings.

View Building

Building reports, charts, and dashboards in Salesforce can be tricky for users who are new to the software or are trying to create specialty views. As part of Managed Services packages, providers can help users build a variety of reports and other views. If the data exists in Salesforce, either housed there or pulled from connected solutions, a Managed Services provider can create new views for it.

System Audit and Optimization 

Business models are subject to change, with new product and service offerings or sudden acquisitions changing business processes. These developments require updates to the software environment, with the ultimate goal of ensuring all modules align with business processes. A Managed Services provider can identify inefficiencies in a system and make sure it scales alongside your business.

How are Salesforce Managed Services Different from Salesforce Implementation Services?

Salesforce Implementation Services include the initial design and configuration for your software system. Think of these services as activities that lay the foundation for a system that you intend to build upon. When you’re ready to build, you’ll tap a Managed Services provider to incorporate add-ons, patch up issues, and keep you and your team comfortable with the software.  

What Salesforce Services Does Cargas Offer?

Cargas offers the previously-mentioned services of ongoing training, development and integration, ticket support, view-building, and system audits as options in our Monthly Optimization Plan package. This package is available to our Salesforce customers, allowing them to achieve long-term success with their software.