7 Tips to Find the Right Partner Expertise for Your Business

Filled to the brim with powerful, pre-built apps and certified consultant expertise, AppExchange can help your business deliver on customer needs and realize value. But where exactly do you start when there are so many different solutions to scrutinize? Don’t get overwhelmed when considering how to choose the right partner app or experts for your unique organizational challenge or goal, this blog can help you extend the power of Salesforce today! 

1. Determine Business Challenges and Goals
Luckily, step one is simple. You’re probably already aware of some of the challenges your business would like to solve, but having internal stakeholder input and alignment will ensure you prioritize the right things first. Is your team’s goal to increase customer satisfaction by 25%? Are you looking to increase sales or decrease the time it takes to onboard new employees? Whatever the goal, there’s a partner for that.

- Appy Tip: “Don’t try to do everything at once and overwhelm your team. Divvy up your tasks and tackle one thing at a time!” 

2. Consider the Benefits of Apps and Experts
Once you’ve identified those pain points, it’s time to evaluate which partner is right for you. Just like you would use an app on your phone to do things that your phone doesn’t do on its own, partner apps allow you to do things with Salesforce that aren’t supported out of the box, such as automating customer billing and generating contracts. 

Partner experts, on the other hand, are consulting specialists with deep industry knowledge and proven Salesforce expertise. They join forces with Salesforce customers, many of whom don’t have the in-house resources or solution knowledge to achieve their goals on their own. Sometimes, partner apps and experts work together to help customers implement the right tools to quickly find success.

- Take this Trailhead to learn the basics of AppExchange and how partner apps and experts can uniquely help you tackle your business challenges!

3. Find the Right Expert for You
No matter where you are on your journey with the world’s #1 CRM, our new partner expert discovery tool makes it even easier for you to find the right certified consultant for your business needs. Follow step-by-step prompts that help you define your needs based on your challenges and goals. Search for experts based on customer ratings, industry, business size, and use case. Then, visit the AppExchange listing for a more detailed view featuring credentials, contact information, and testimonials. With thousands of capable managed service providers and consulting partners in our global ecosystem, choosing the right partner can help bring your Salesforce project to life.

- Utilize the new tool HERE.

4. Learn How Other Customers Are Solving Similar Challenges
While it may feel like you’re the only business facing a significant challenge, we promise you’re not alone! Thousands of customers — just like you — have been pickled by similar issues and have shared how their organizations achieved success with AppExchange partner apps and experts.

- Read their stories HERE.  

5. Explore AppExchange’s Enhanced Search and App Listing Experience
Earlier this year, we announced an updated, intelligent, and dynamic homepage as part of the evolution of AppExchange. With Next Gen Discovery, which is made up of new search capabilities and an app listing page experience, you’ll connect with the right apps and experts to help solve your business challenges and extend Salesforce Customer 360. With improved search results pages, it’s now even faster and easier for you to identify the most relevant apps and experts. 

6. Read Reviews and Ask AppExchange Chat
Worried about blindly trusting an app or expert listing and potentially making an investment in the wrong solution? Make sure to read through a partner’s reviews on the listing page for additional information and reassurance that you're on the right track. You can also leverage the Trailblazer Community to ask questions and compare solutions with those who have faced similar industry pain points.

7. Take a Test Drive
Not quite ready to pull the trigger and invest in that exciting app you found on AppExchange? Look for solutions that offer free test drives for potential customers. These test drives enable you to experiment, evaluate, and assess a solution before you spend money investing in your future. 

Remember, it can be easy to get overwhelmed without a plan, but these seven tips are sure to get you and your team on the path to success. Learn more and find the right expertise for your business HERE!