To migrate or not to migrate to Salesforce Lightning, that’s the question facing most organizations today. And, honestly, there’s no simple answer to that. It’s a lot like the apples or oranges decision. The sweet crunch of the former or the citrusy taste of the latter? Perhaps, you have an acidity problem; in which case, it’s best to avoid oranges. And for those with dental issues, keeping the apple away may be a wise move. Different strokes for different folks.
You need to examine the basic structure and vision of your organization, coupled with its unique technology needs, to make the right choice. For those who came in late and are wondering what this bewilderment is about, here’s what you missed. Salesforce has launched a new platform, Salesforce Lightning Experience, for companies to explore innovative ways of connecting with customers. Experts have been raving not just about the refreshed user interface, but also the re-imagined platform that is designed to drive sales precision, enhance productivity and help better business decisions.
For many enterprises, Lightning Experience becomes a natural upgrade from Salesforce Classic. However, is your organization ready for it? Here’s how you can find out:
1. Understand the difference between Lightning and Classic
For starters, Lightning Experience does not have all the features and functionality of Salesforce Classic. Not yet. In that sense, it’s not a conventional upgrade. For instance, activating Lightning Experience does not lead to a one-to-one conversion of your Salesforce Classic based org. You’ll need to configure the Navigation Menu and Dashboards to provide users with quick access to their data. Whether it’s creating an Opportunity from a Contact, or customizing a page layout, there’s a learning curve involved.
As an organization, you need to consider all the new features (and the missing ones), in order to determine if the switch is really feasible for you.
2. Prepare a feature checklist
What are the Salesforce features most used by your organization? Does forecasting or territory management – features that are not yet integrated into Lightning Experience – sit right on top of your checklist? Do you prefer a single experience for your sales and service teams? In that case, your organization may not be ready for the switch.
However, if your checklist shows that most of the business-to-business sales are done using accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, and custom objects, supported in the new user interface, Lightning Experience could be a good investment.
The idea is to be pragmatic. Look at features that are still not available. Can your business live without them? Do the new features add value to your organization? Once you have answers to these critical questions, you can decide if you are ready to deploy Lightning.
3. Try it first
Even if you decide that your organization is ready for the switch, it’s prudent to test your Salesforce org in Lightning Experience before enabling the new interface. You can do this either with Company Sandbox or Admin Playground. Or else, you could even use the Lightning Experience Migration Assistant. The idea is to see how your data and existing customizations work in the new interface.
Are you able to utilize the default tabs? Get creative with the layouts? Perhaps, you could consider piloting the new interface with a group of sales reps.
4. Be selective
The best way to garner honest feedback and find the gaps is to deploy Lighting Experience to specific users via a Permission Set. Once you have these representatives of the target users onboard, encourage them to share the potential issues, bugs, errors, and even advantages of the new interface. This way, the configuration can be tested and validated before releasing it to the entire organization. Besides, the positive peer feedback and testimony can help reduce the potential adoption woes.
5. Plan your strategy
Once you decide on switching to Lightning Experience, it’s imperative to create a roll-out strategy that includes a target go-live date. You also need to have a communication plan in place, whereby every user will be informed about the readiness to embrace this new interface.
Make it a point to notify users of upcoming enhancements. Also, ensure that the training materials and adequate resources are in place to ensure user readiness.
6. Your choice
Experts believe that Lightning Experience is an inevitability. That doesn’t mean you need to do it now. Look within to see if your organization is ready for the overhaul. If yes, go for it, in a planned manner. If not, wait for Lightning to evolve enough to accommodate your organization’s needs.
This one can’t be an impulsive decision. You need to take your time.
Share your feedback on this blog with us. To know more about Suyati’s Salesforce expertise in general and Lightning in specific, write to services@suyati.com.
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- What to expect from Salesforce in 2017
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