Salesforce Implementations
We help nonprofits, foundations and organizations in the affordable housing sector leverage their database as a business intelligence tool.
Our Implementations team builds solutions for nonprofits, foundations and organizations in the affordable housing sector who are new to the Salesforce Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platform or who need to update their existing Salesforce instance to address pain points or add new functionality.
How to Get Started
Step One: The implementation process starts with a free 30 minute consultation. During the call we’ll discuss the scope and goals of your project, share North Peak’s relevant experience, and discuss our proven implementation process. At the end of this call we can provide you with a personalized scope for the Discovery Diagnostic, our recommended introductory service.
Step Two: Once your team completes the intro call, reviews the recommended Discovery Diagnostic, and decides you’re ready to move forward, we will provide references, a statement of work and a Master Service Agreement (MSA). When those pieces are in place we will set up a kickoff call with your implementation consultant to get the project started.
Step Three: North Peak works with key stakeholders on your team to complete the Discovery Diagnostic. The deliverable for this process is a Needs Analysis document detailing your organizational needs and the steps we will take to address them. This stage of the project typically takes 4-8 weeks, but may take longer for larger or more complex initiatives.
Step Four: After completion of the Discovery Diagnostic, the exact scope of work for your Salesforce implementation is finalized and a contract is signed. There are various stages to the process including producing written specifications, configuration to customize the system to your needs, testing to make sure everything works and finally training, launch and post-launch support.
After more than ten years of successful implementations we’ve found that organizations that are committed to investing in and maintaining a healthy CRM see the most return on investment. It’s also crucial to have executive leadership who understand the importance of making data-driven decisions to increase impact.
Participation Requirements
Implementation initiatives are team efforts, typically requiring the following specific roles and responsibilities:
Executive Stakeholder: secures buyin, communicate goals and hold individuals accountable.
Project Manager: coordinates timely and complete participation among staff, mitigates project risks, and more.
Process Analyst/Coordinator: guides teams to evaluate and update processes to be sensible within a CRM-centric approach.
Power Users: represent their department’s priorities and business processes throughout the process, as well as champion the system to other team members and help with system adoption among colleagues.
Salesforce Administrator: for new implementations this role is more relevant at the end of the project to take over maintenance, support and enhancements after the completed system is launched. For existing Salesforce systems, the Administrator often acts as Process Analyst and/or Project Manager, as well as supports a training and user adoption plan.
Investment and Payment Terms
The cost for a discovery diagnostic varies; often falling between $5,000 and $25,000. The cost of implementation or growth projects depends on the size and scope of your initiative. Typically, the Discovery Diagnostic is approximately 10% of the total cost of the initiative, including implementation. We charge on a monthly basis for time used the previous month on the project, and we accept payment via wire, ACH, or check.