Change is inevitable. As technology continues to shift in this ever-evolving landscape, being able to pivot while navigating a new landscape can be challenging. While these changes may leave management questioning the next steps, Salesforce Change Management, and partners like CloudStreet can make a difference.

Minor changes can cause severe disruptions. It doesn’t matter if your team is well-versed or just starting out with Salesforce, there are always tips that can provide insight. Here are six suggestions to help the process along.

When getting things in place, it’s critical to focus on what’s important. You need the schematics on how you’re going to develop or customize any modifications. This is the time to take a good look at current processes, what’s not working, talk to key stakeholders, and come up with a plan that addresses any impacts, how soon the implementation can take place, and if it aligns with the company’s strategic goals. Asking the hard questions, in the beginning, can position the company to be fully prepared.

You can’t have effective change management until your team learns how to work together across departments. It’s important to have all the necessary parties involved from the very beginning to ensure all perspectives, ideas, and solutions are considered. Having collaborative parties lend their expertise and insight creates a unified, synergistic implementation.

While change is necessary, so is the documentation that outlines the how, what, and when of that change. Detailed records of requests, certain requirements needed, and how things will be carried out is a crucial step of the process. This also aids in transparency, accountability, and the transfer of knowledge from one area to another. Ensuring everyone is on the same page and has the information they need to succeed helps move change forward. With proper documentation, decisions, and adjustments are easier to make, safeguards are in place, and there is a basis for future improvements.

Effective change management can’t happen if the theories and implementation methods aren’t tested. In fact, quality assurance and testing are pillars of a successful Salesforce change management implementation. Running tests on every update or change taking place ensures they are working as planned. This should be done prior to final integration.

This is the time when any performance issues, bugs, or other situations can be identified and addressed. An intense and thorough testing phase builds confidence among users while keeping the environment away from the actual development being affected. Making quality assurance a priority helps align with the company’s objectives while utilizing solutions that enhance and strengthen the change management process.

While users are involved during the testing phase, training is needed to ensure the change management process is successful. This means the team must develop adequate training materials and create training programs that go in-depth on the new features and processes. Guides, tutorials, videos, workshops, and other hands-on tactics should be included to help with proficiency and transition.

Ensuring the users have adequate support is also vital to make sure they are consistently learning and gaining knowledge that may be helpful in resolving issues. When users are properly trained and have the right resources, they are more confident in their ability to get the job done, are less frustrated when operating the system, and can be more effective and efficient when using the Salesforce platform. CloudStreet has implemented B2B stores for manufacturers in the industrial, IT services, and consumer goods sectors.