Salesforce And HubSpot Integration

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Is your company using both Salesforce and HubSpot? If so, you may have heard about the need to integrate these two powerful systems. In this blog post, we’ll explore why integrating Salesforce and HubSpot is crucial and share some best practices to ensure a successful integration. So, let’s dive right in!  

Integration of Salesforce and HubSpot can be defined as a tool or process that keeps the necessary data in sync between the two systems. By achieving this seamless data flow, you can improve the overall operations of your company by streamlining processes, reducing data duplication, and minimizing the burden of manual data entry. Sounds like a win-win situation, right? Well, hold on, because there’s more to it than meets the eye! 

Sharing data between Salesforce and HubSpot allows each system to leverage a broader range of information, which can fuel processes and make them more effective. The ultimate goals are to improve marketing return on investment, enhance sales efforts, and increase customer satisfaction. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want those outcomes for their business? But now comes the question of how to achieve this integration. Don’t worry, we’ve got a solution for you: the HubSpot to Salesforce integration app. This proven solution offers a simple and effective way to integrate the two systems seamlessly. 

 

Before you install the integration app, there are a few important tasks you should complete to ensure a smooth integration process. Let’s take a closer look at each step: 

 

  1. Understand the shared data and its usage:

Capturing a comprehensive understanding of the data that needs to be shared between Salesforce and HubSpot is crucial. Take the time to identify the specific data objects and attributes that will be synchronized. Additionally, gain clarity on how this data will be used in each system. This information will be essential for configuring the integration and determining the direction of data movement between the two systems. Moreover, it’s vital to establish clear data mapping between Salesforce and HubSpot, ensuring accurate synchronization. 

 

  1. Prepare your data:

Data preparation is a crucial step in any integration process. It goes beyond removing duplicate data; it involves reviewing the key data attributes for missing or invalid values. Cleaning up your data ensures that you start the integration with a solid foundation, reducing the risk of errors and data inconsistencies. 

 

  1. Determine historical data requirements:

Consider whether you need to include all historical data or just a subset during the integration. While the integration app will handle data changes going forward, you should decide if you want to bring in all the historical data or focus solely on current active deals and customers. This decision will depend on your specific business needs and the relevance of historical data for your ongoing operations. 

 

  1. Install and configure the integration app:

Once you have all the necessary information and your data is adequately cleansed, you can proceed to install the HubSpot to Salesforce integration app. Follow the installation instructions provided by the app and configure it according to your requirements. This includes setting up data mapping, establishing synchronization rules, and defining any customizations needed to align with your business processes. 

 

  1. Perform a historical data import (if necessary):

If you decided to include historical data in the integration, this is the step where you can perform the data import. Follow the guidelines provided by the integration app to ensure a smooth and accurate transfer of historical data. It’s essential to validate the imported data and verify its consistency within both Salesforce and HubSpot. 

 

  1. Audit and monitor the integration:

Once the integration is up and running, it’s crucial to regularly audit the data flow and ensure that the integration is moving data as expected. Set up monitoring mechanisms to track the synchronization process and address any issues or discrepancies promptly. Regular audits will help you maintain data accuracy and reliability between Salesforce and HubSpot. 

 

In conclusion, integrating Salesforce and HubSpot is a crucial step for companies that utilize both systems. By seamlessly connecting these platforms, you can streamline operations, reduce data duplication, and enhance overall efficiency. The ultimate goals are to improve marketing return on investment, enhance sales efforts, and increase customer satisfaction – objectives that every business strives to achieve. 

To ensure a successful integration, follow the necessary steps outlined in this blog post. Take the time to understand the data that needs to be shared between Salesforce and HubSpot, ensuring accurate synchronization and mapping. Prioritize data preparation, eliminating duplicates and validating key attributes. Consider whether historical data should be included in the integration or if a subset is sufficient for ongoing operations.  

Next, install and configure the HubSpot to Salesforce integration app, leveraging its user-friendly interface and simplified setup process. Perform a historical data import if necessary and establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure data consistency and reliability. 

It’s important to note that while the integration app simplifies the implementation process, it should not replace the need for clean data and process analysis. Clean, reliable data remains crucial, as does a comprehensive understanding of how your data is utilized within each system. Remember, the integration app provided by HubSpot is a facilitator, working hand-in-hand with thorough data preparation and process analysis. 

As you embark on your Salesforce and HubSpot integration journey, consider partnering with a consulting organization like Alternative Solutions. Their expertise can provide invaluable support and guidance throughout the process, ensuring a seamless and successful integration. 

With the combined power of Salesforce and HubSpot, along with the expertise of Alternative Solutions, you’re well-equipped to achieve streamlined operations, reduced data duplication, and enhanced marketing and sales efforts. Embrace the possibilities that an integrated Salesforce and HubSpot ecosystem offers for your business. 

 

If you’re looking to integrate Salesforce and HubSpot, then give us a call at 855-794-7342 or contact us at sales@alt-solut.com for a consultation.  

Introducing Consumer Goods Cloud

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Introducing Salesforce’s Consumer Goods Cloud, a powerful platform designed to make things easier for retail companies. It helps them run their operations more smoothly, improve how they sell products, and increase their sales.

Consumer Goods Cloud has a lot of useful features that help businesses manage their relationships with customers. It gives them a complete view of each customer, including their preferences, what they’ve bought before, and how they’ve interacted with the company. This helps sales teams understand customers better, personalize their approach, and give them great experiences.

The platform also helps teams work together when planning how to work with important customers. They can make plans, set goals, and work on those plans together. This makes sure that everyone is on the same page and that the company and the customer work well together.

Consumer Goods Cloud also uses advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and machine learning, to give companies even more help. It can analyze data and make predictions, which helps companies make better decisions, make customers happier, and make more money.

Under the “Retail Execution” part of Consumer Goods Cloud, companies can make sure their products are always available in stores, make their products look good on shelves, and help their field workers be more productive. They can use mobile devices to collect real-time data about the products on store shelves, what the competition is doing, and how much things cost. This information is sent to the Consumer Goods Cloud, so the sales teams can make good decisions quickly.

The platform also helps companies manage tasks, like restocking products or setting up promotions in stores. Managers can keep track of what’s happening, solve problems, and make sure everything gets done on time.

Mobile Data Collection: Field teams can leverage mobile devices to collect real-time data on shelf conditions, competitive insights, and pricing information. This data is instantly synced with the Consumer Goods Cloud, enabling timely data-driven decision-making by sales teams and managers.

Task Management: The platform streamlines task assignment and tracking, enabling companies to assign specific actions to field representatives, such as product replenishment, planogram compliance, or promotional setup. Managers can monitor progress, address issues, and ensure efficient task completion.

Consumer Goods Cloud utilizes Field Execution to help companies optimize their field operations, boost productivity, and enhance customer engagement. Key features include:

  • Territory Management and Visits: Organizations can optimize field resources and balance workloads using territory management and visit planning. This ensures sales reps cover the right areas and maximize their time and effort.
  • Route Planning and Optimization: Field representatives can utilize Salesforce Maps to plan optimized routes for their visits, considering factors such as customer priority, traffic conditions, and travel distances. This saves time, reduces fuel costs, and increases the number of customer visits.

Consumer Goods Cloud also offers robust analytics and reporting capabilities, providing actionable insights into field performance, compliance, and sales trends. Real-time data empowers companies to identify areas for improvement, optimize execution strategies, and drive sales growth.

One notable success story involved a South American pharmaceutical company seeking a comprehensive solution to manage their extensive list of retail accounts. They specialize in importing, distributing, and marketing medicines, medical products, and food supplements globally. Their requirements included tracking in-store agreements, inventory, planograms, asset placement, and product placement. Additionally, they aimed to enhance their sales team’s in-store visit planning using Salesforce Maps.

The highlight of the project was the configuration of retail execution, enabling the display of a territory map with scheduled visits for sales reps. Clicking on a visit provided a list of tasks to be completed, either through a predefined set of tasks or a custom action plan created by the sales manager.  For the customer’s specific needs, we developed custom tasks using code, including store agreement compliance, asset condition checks, and accurate asset counts within the store.

Consumer Goods Cloud requires significant administrative setup to ensure optimal functionality for end users. As a new product from Salesforce, it is important to acknowledge that there may be documentation issues. Consequently, certain fields necessary for data entry were not mentioned in the implementation or developer documentation, yet they were still required.

While Consumer Goods Cloud requires initial setup and documentation improvements, its impact on businesses has been significant. With its transformative capabilities, the platform has the potential to drive sales growth, streamline operations, and enhance customer experiences in the consumer goods industry.

 

Contact us here at Alternative Solutions for assistance implementing Consumer Goods Cloud today.

Project Perfection is in the Planning

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Project Perfection is in the Planning

People often discuss the high failure rates associated with technology projects around the world as if they are some industry-wide enigma.  Why do so many businesses fail in their endeavors? What is it that separates the incredible from the regrettable projects, and how can you make sure your company succeeds in delivery?

When a need or idea presents itself in an executive boardroom, business owners and stakeholders will generate loose criteria from their internal discussion and then send over the details to an assistant that transcribes it all into an email assuming the developers will “figure it out”.  Many times, these developers are off-site and the second-hand communication may be all they have to work from.  In my past, I have been handed a pencil drawing and hand-written list of features on a napkin, yes, a napkin, and told to just figure it out.  Believe it or not, scenarios like these constitute the bulk of the process for many efforts around the world, and projects like these are doomed before a developer ever enters the scene.  If a business is very lucky, the pure perseverance of the team will overcome this information hurdle to produce a production ready solution, but the odds are not in your favor.  Success in projects with limited planning are generally short-lived, as even these lucky few will find that their completed product falls far short of the original requirements or riddled with compatibility bugs.  If the project fails, the business minds will blame the developers for not delivering the product they wanted, and the developers blame the business minds for not explaining their needs efficiently.

The two project scenarios mentioned above account for about 90% of the projects out there, but what about the other 10%?  What about the award-winning, industry spinning 10% that lead us to a better way of doing business?  What are they doing that the others aren’t?

Communicating in a standardized, thorough, and well-documented manner.

In psychology, the false-consensus effect or false-consensus bias is an attributional type of cognitive bias whereby people tend to overestimate the extent to which their opinions, beliefs, preferences, values, and habits are normal and typical of those of others. This cognitive bias tends to lead to the perception of a consensus that does not exist, a “false consensus”.  This false consensus is the best example I have found to explain the disconnect between business minds and developers.

Much like lawyers, developers are taught to think in a very process-oriented, standardized, and detail specific manner.  When provided the information they require, a strong development team can achieve incredible feats.  Without that information, they will be spinning their wheels on the 5th rejected iteration 6 months after the project deadline.  Business minds are forged to think outside the box and disrupt and improve standards to generate revenue increases. A developer asked to create a project without effective technical architecture and discovery is like being a CEO trying to lead a company with no analytics or references about the market!  Imagine having to fly blind with everyone counting on you for their success, it’s a scary scenario.  Finding an effective way to bridge the communication barrier between the business team and technology team is vital to ensuring project success.

The following steps will help put your team on the path to perfecting project process:

 

  1. The first and most necessary step to bridging the communication gap is, you guessed it, communication. We must bring together all stakeholders and leads to create standardized process that both teams abide.  Create a list out all the items the teams would require or like to see in their ideal project management situation.  Once the list is generated conduct a group value analysis to whittle down a final template.
  2. Fill out a RACI chart to identify responsibilities and consultations required for progression.
  3. Use wireframes to ensure the project is less “imagine this” and instead “create that”.
  4. Do a thorough discovery with a technical consult involved to ensure all data architecture, content, and third-party dependencies see the light of day before they drag your project into the darkness.
  5. Only fools rush in – Don’t start down an uncertain path as you will most likely get lost in the woods or worse, find bears.

 

It is difficult in the break-neck speed of business to stop and ask if things could be done better, faster, and with a higher success rate.  If your team is already at maximum output and you need help propelling your projects and processes to perfection, a proven partner can make all the difference.  A real partner acts to improve the overall quality and stability of a client, not just deliver the minimum to call it done.

Why take a chance on failure when certainty is one conversation away?

 

Johnie Waddell, Lead Developer & Salesforce Solution Architect at Alternative Solutions Consulting