by Mike Walsh | Dec 5, 2018 | Blog, Salesforce Tips
At CloudMyBiz, we are in the business of providing the best possible solution to our clients for the best possible price. That usually means one of two things.
First is that for any client who has a specific need, particularly in the niche market of Alternative Lending, the best solution may be to build out the necessary functionality on top of our FUNDINGO frameworks.
The second option is implementing and integrating 3rd party apps. After all, if we can leverage an already built app, and take advantage of that company’s unique knowledge and specialization, why would we want to re-invent the wheel?
Conga
In regards to 3rd party apps, one of the highest rated and recommended apps, built on the Salesforce platform, is Conga. We recommend Conga over and over to our clients, and in particular FinTech companies, because, simply put, Conga delivers fantastic results in areas that FinTech companies need a reliable option.
Conga is a suite of AI-powered solutions that focus on automating documents, contracts and the processes surrounding them. Conga solutions include:
- Contract Lifecycle Management
- Document Generation
- Data and Process
- eSignature
- AI
Benefits for FinTech
To put it into a nutshell, when FinTech companies use Conga, they can speed up processes, automate workflows, reduce overhead, and reduce errors. Below we overview some of the best options for FinTech:
Contracts in Salesforce
- Conga allows the users to quickly and seamlessly draft and send out contracts, with essential data pulled directly from the account in Salesforce. The signed contracts can them be sent back directly to Salesforce, and the account updated.
- For FinTech companies, where deals need to be made with a matter of hours or days, this is an essential time saver and ensures contracts won’t fall through the cracks. Turnaround times on deals decrease by 80%
- These are some of the most popular Conga products and used by many CloudMyBiz clients. They help you create professional looking documents, in just about any format, including email, Word, and PDF. Of course, because it is connected to Salesforce, you can easily populate your docs with your hard earned business data. Conga also offers the option for online collaborative documents, so you and your team can work on them together, from anywhere.
- FinTech relies heavily on documents, for just about all parts of the business. You not only need professional, easy to read and use documents but in order to manage risk, you need to make sure those documents are error free! You can send out essential emails, pulling aggregated data from multiple sources, and focus on selling, rather than admin tasks and creating docs.
- In addition, Conga offers add-ons to their core document apps for:
- Simplifying mass mailings
- Creating & sending batches on a custom schedule
- Generate docs from event triggers
Data and Process
- Data, workflow, and processes are some of the trickier products to build. Conga, however, has done a great job with theirs. Admins can embed automated, repeatable processes in Salesforce to increase record keeping, reduce administrative tasks and encourage user engagement. In addition, you can automatically log activities, create follow-up tasks and even update fields with a click of a button.
- Data entry and manual processes are the number one complaint we hear from FinTech companies.Whether it is reviewing/analyzing bank statements, calculating deal terms or populating borrower information, there is a lot of data to process, and it all has to be done flawlessly. The Conga data and workflow tools are an easy way to help companies streamline their processes.
eSignature and AI
- While not part of Conga’s core offering (their bread and butter is documents), it only made sense for Conga to expand and handle related processes like eSignature and AI.
- For any business, FinTech or otherwise, if you can easily integrate eSignature to your documents, it will save you a lot of time. Document review AI is another big time saver. If you need to analyze your documents, organize and ensure you aren’t missing out on valuable insights, AI systems are the way to go.
So in conclusion, no matter what business you are in, but particularly FinTech, Conga can help your business. After all, documents, contracts and processes are central to most companies out there, so why wouldn’t you want one of the best solutions to handle this essential part of your business?
-Ryan and the CloudMyBiz team
Want to discuss adding Conga to your Salesforce solution? Need to get started with Salesforce?
Contact one of our Salesforce specialists now and see how we can find the right solution for you
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CEO of CloudMyBiz Salesforce CRM consulting services with a deep knowledge in the lending industry. Taking keen interest in the project management side of operations, playing a vital role in the 31% YOY company growth. Strategic leader, mastering the ability to problem solve at every level of the business, providing effective solutions for clients.
by Mike Walsh | Nov 14, 2018 | Blog, Salesforce Tips
When preparing for just about any new system or a significant upgrade, doing a Business Process Review (BPR) is one of the first places to start. If you are spending a large chunk of time, energy and money, you need to be sure that your new solution will meet your needs and solve any issues you are having. Only by being honest and figuring out what issues you are having prior to defining a solution, can you hope to make meaningful change.
What is a BPR?
While there is no standard BPR for all companies, you can generally expect a consultant (usually from outside your company) to come in and help you do a thorough analysis of your company.
To start, this will likely include a breakdown of your processes and day-to-day tasks, as well as reviewing any written process docs. In addition, consultants often meet with employees and/or stakeholders to get an inside perspective on what is going on.
The whole point is to do a thorough analysis to identify the pain points and inefficiencies in your company, as well as discuss potential solutions. Ideally, the BPR will shed new light on the problems for the client and give the consultant the information they need to make recommendations, and lay out a solution plan.
Why Conduct a BPR?
So you already know what issues your company is having and probably have a few ideas on how to fix them, so why do you need to pay someone to come in and confirm your hunches? Why not just get right to fixing things?
Well before you dive in, consider that an outside consultant can give you a fresh take on your problems, and might even have a level of knowledge or experience you and your team doesn’t have. This could potentially lead to shortcuts you didn’t know were there and all-around better results.
Aside from that, a BPR has three essential benefits that are good for any company:
Defines the scope and parameters of the Implementation
- By being able to discuss the current process and issues in-depth, the BPR gives the consultant a much better idea of what needs to be done. This leads to a more comprehensive plan and ensures seamless functionality where nothing can slip through the cracks. Without a BPR, there is always an increased chance that part-way through an implementation, a big-time issue will arise, derailing the whole project because it wasn’t foreseen and prepared for.
Better Cost Estimates
- Because the consultant is able to get a detailed plan in place prior to doing any work, cost estimates become much more accurate. A BPR helps avoid unexpected costs and allows both client and consultant to budget time and hours accordingly. Further, by identifying risks, you can also identify where money can potentially be saved before jumping into the implementation.
Sets More Realistic Expectations
- Almost no amount of success can make up for a terrible client experience. Imagine going out for a world-class dining experience and having terribly rude waitstaff. No matter how good the food, or how much wine you drink, your experience can be ruined. Same goes for an implementation project. We find that one of the best ways to ensure a quality client/consultant experience is to set realistic expectations up front. Sugarcoating a timeline or budget at the beginning only leads to tension and distrust later on. By doing a thorough BPR at the beginning, and forthright project terms, consultants can establish a happier working relationship through realistic expectations from both parties.
It can be challenging to truly change your business, especially if you have been doing things the same way for a long time. However, if you are going to make any changes, it is always best to thoroughly commit and scrutinize as much of your business as possible. A BPR is an essential tool to really dig in and lay out the path to a better future.
BPR’s for Salesforce
At CloudMyBiz, we do a Business Process Review for just about every project we do. Our years of experience have taught us that the BPR is an essential ingredient to every successful project. We perform our BRP’s prior to submitting any proposal, which allows us to create detailed and customized project plans, rather than generic, one-size-fits-all solutions.
Our BPRs aim to follow this general outline:
- Discuss and map out your current business process – including what is working, what isn’t working, and why
- Brainstorm solutions and potential changes – there are often a number of possible fixes, including customizations, apps or simply changing workflows and processes
- Identify any goals and significant needs from the project – it isn’t enough to know what needs to be fixed, knowing the why is just as important to a successful implementation. Goals and needs are often broken down into an order of importance. Critical solutions are of course first, while the minor adjustments will come after.
- Design a solution that will not only fix the issues but meet any goals along the way.
- Submit the proposal
This formula allows us to create a roadmap for success for each project we do. So when the question comes up “Why don’t we create project proposals without doing a BPR?” it is because we believe in the old adage of “measure twice, cut once”.
-Ryan and the CloudMyBiz Team
CEO of CloudMyBiz Salesforce CRM consulting services with a deep knowledge in the lending industry. Taking keen interest in the project management side of operations, playing a vital role in the 31% YOY company growth. Strategic leader, mastering the ability to problem solve at every level of the business, providing effective solutions for clients.
by Mike Walsh | Sep 12, 2018 | Blog, Salesforce Tips
Digital forms are a very simple but important part of online business. In fact, they are one of those small things that many of us really don’t give a second thought to. But we should! After all, it’s our forms that capture all that essential data about our leads, clients, and prospects. When it comes to building out a sales pipeline, having good data, and an easy way to process it, is absolutely essential.
To get the best results from your data, you really shouldn’t use a one-size-fits-all form! If you want your data to transfer into Salesforce cleanly and efficiently, you need to think about exactly what your needs and uses are, and then define a custom form to meet these specifics! Got a complex use case? Never fear, there are plenty of form helpers on the AppExchange, and if you have more than just a simple data or form issue, the Salesforce Experts at CloudMyBiz are always happy to help. No matter what your specific needs, correctly using forms will give you better data, and that is truly the foundation for a quality business.
Want to learn more? The team at SalesforceBen has put together a great breakdown of some advanced form uses cases that may be just what you are looking for.
Check it out here!
-Ryan and the CloudMyBiz Team
CEO of CloudMyBiz Salesforce CRM consulting services with a deep knowledge in the lending industry. Taking keen interest in the project management side of operations, playing a vital role in the 31% YOY company growth. Strategic leader, mastering the ability to problem solve at every level of the business, providing effective solutions for clients.
by Mike Walsh | Aug 6, 2018 | Blog, Salesforce Tips
Are you considering a new Salesforce implementation? Or maybe you just implemented Salesforce. Great! But before you continue with business as usual, there are a few things you should consider. Salesforce, like most major investments, takes a little bit of love, practice and know how to get the most out of. From a high-performance car to planting your own garden, how much you put into your investments dramatically influences what you get out of them. Whether your Salesforce Org is brand new, or a couple of years old, it’s never too late to adopt better practices and improve your business.
So in that vein, we have put together a short but powerful list of tips, based on research, discussion with Salesforce, and our own personal experience, on how to get the most out of your Salesforce implementation. The tips fall under two categories: things to do before your implementation, and things to do following a Salesforce implementation.
Preparing for a Salesforce Implementation
Think of it as moving into a new house or apartment. You don’t just pick a random place, sign a mortgage and drive straight over. A lot of planning and preparation is needed to make the big move, just the same as it is for a Salesforce Implementation.
Business Process Review
This is your chance for a better system and process. A well designed Salesforce platform should mirror, support, and augment your business process, reflect your internal roles, hierarchies, security, and enable your organization to be more efficient. Take a little time, think about what you have that works, what doesn’t and what you could do to improve. This is your foundation…make a commitment, invest in it, and you’re well on your way to a positive, organization-changing implementation.
Get Advice from Certified Salesforce Expert
Just about any businesses can benefit from receiving expert advice. A certified Salesforce expert can help you develop a deeper understanding of your business goals and advise on best practices or potential solutions. Certified Salesforce experts can help you in just about any area of your business, from figuring out a better system architecture to the strategic guidance of creating a better business roadmap that aligns with your implementation.
Review Your Data
Do you know where all of your data currently is? Are you planning/preparing to move from silos to one system of record? Once you’ve taken the time to review your data the best thing you can do it simplify! Not everyone on your team or inside of Salesforce needs to see every bit of minutiae, so be smart about your permissions, security and how everything is divided. If you do it right, not only will you avoid your team from feeling overloaded with data, which will negatively affect adoptions, but you will also set the foundation for a more secure and streamlined database.
Designate an IT project manager
As you prepare for a new implementation, you absolutely need to designate an individual who can work across functions, quickly gain consensus, make decisions and remove obstacles, and serve as the overall project champion. Having an IT project manager significantly improves both the quality of the implementation and the speed at which the implementation progresses. In addition, having continuity and leadership throughout the duration of the implementation will help immensely to ensure all goes smoothly and ensure that all your expectations are met. If you are working with a certified Salesforce developer and Consultant, this will be one of your primary contact points with the Salesforce expert.
Be Ready to Get Involved
Even if you are working with a developer or consultant to install Salesforce, you need to be ready to get your hands dirty. The more you participate with the implementation team, the better everyone can remain in sync, and generate the best results. Too little participation often leads to project delays and misaligned expectations.
Be Ready for Change. Expect Change
And set aside some extra funds for just in case you want to make additional changes. No project goes perfectly smooth from start to finish. Understanding this from the beginning will help ease any tensions or stress later on.
Post- Implementation Tips
Following your successful implementation, you need to remember that everything isn’t done yet. You still have plenty to do to make sure your system is optimized and stays that way.
Train, Train, Train
Training is one of the most critical points in ensuring user adoption and the long-term success of your Salesforce implementation. It’s crucial that users not only learn how to use the system, but that they know how to make the most of it. If you can make the commitment to effective, ongoing training, you’ll end up with a confident and effective user base. And remember to keep on training as time goes on. The more you invest in your team’s knowledge, the more they will be able to do!
Plan for Support
Having a plan to support your user base is important to the continued growth of your platform. If you have a consultant or developer working with you, discuss with them a support plan that meets your needs to ensure any unexpected issues are covered. Make sure you have a plan ready to go for how you are going to support your user base.
User Feedback
Make sure your users have a way to submit support requests, make suggestions for improvements, and request additional training. Engagement with your team is critical to make sure your users know you’ve got their back and that they’re going to be heard. This will significantly improve user adoption, and of course, the better your user take to the new system, the better they can perform their jobs.
Automate All the Things
While some automation may be better left to the Salesforce partner who did your implementation, there are plenty of smaller tasks that you automate yourself. Things such as auto scheduling emails, workflows, and task notifications, can all significantly streamline your day and give you more time to focus on your most critical tasks.
Download Apps from the Appexchange
Why build when there is a marketplace of over 3000 pre-built apps. Need an email marketing client? Check. Want a better call center. Also check. Need to put fun quotes and emojis into your org? Yep, got that too. Need advice on the best app to use for a particular pain point? Our Salesforce consultants are happy to help.
Use Analytics
Reports & Dashboards should be relevant for the business. Take the time to learn how to utilize and build proper reports and dashboards. If they are showing irrelevant information, or the information they show isn’t easy to understand, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.
Salesforce1 Mobile
Finally, think about adopting Salesforce1. With Salesforce’s mobile integration, you can carry all your vital information with you anywhere you go, and access it from any device. Essential for any business that goes on the road regularly!
Whew. How’s that for a short list? No matter what stage of the Salesforce journey you are on, hopefully these tips have given you a little something extra to improve your experience.
If you are still hungry for more, stay tuned for our comprehensive guide to getting the most from a Salesforce Implementation, coming out in the next few weeks.
-Ryan and the CloudMyBiz Team
Ready to upgrade to the world’s #1 CRM? Already have Salesforce but need some improvements?
Whatever your needs, we have you covered. Contact one of our Salesforce experts and we will find you a better business solution.
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CEO of CloudMyBiz Salesforce CRM consulting services with a deep knowledge in the lending industry. Taking keen interest in the project management side of operations, playing a vital role in the 31% YOY company growth. Strategic leader, mastering the ability to problem solve at every level of the business, providing effective solutions for clients.
by Mike Walsh | Apr 6, 2018 | News
A Fantastic 2017 Sets the Stage for an Even Better 2018
LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2018 – The results are in: 2017 was the best year in the history of CloudMyBiz. For the Los Angeles based Salesforce consulting firm, last year was full of growth, development and groundbreaking ideas that will lead the way for years to come.
2017 saw CloudMyBiz being ranked #789 in the Inc. 5000 top companies of 2017. From 2013 to 2017, CloudMyBiz posted a robust growth rate of 646%! An increasingly large portion of this revenue came from SaaS (Service as a Software) products, indicating a huge potential for CloudMyBiz to grow its annual recurring revenues.
We are extremely happy with the results of our efforts last year. The hard work and dedication of our team is commendable!” said Henry Abenaim, Founder and CEO. “Our success is also a testament to the changing needs of the market. More and more, lenders need to get smarter and lean on technology to access better deals. Our products and services, harnessing the power of Salesforce, are helping to meet these needs, reduce the costs of closing deals and build strong, scalable foundations.”
On the heels of such a successful year, CloudMyBiz is looking forward to the future. The company has been slowly bringing on new talent to fill out the ranks of the company and build on the momentum of the past year. At the top, these additions include a new CFO, Henry Kim, and a revamped marketing and branding approach under the supervision of Peter Cohen, of SaaS Marketing Strategy. CloudMyBiz has also implemented greater internal team structures, better development processes and more detailed goal setting. With all of these changes coming together, CloudMyBiz is poised to make 2018 an even better year than 2017 and push the growth rate even higher!
About CloudMyBiz
CloudMyBiz is a leader in cloud based technology solutions for business. Founded and staffed by experts in FinTech, Lending and Salesforce, CloudMyBiz develops custom solutions, built on the Salesforce platform, that consolidates systems, streamlines business processes and increases ROI. CloudMyBiz specializes in Salesforce implementation, migration, integration, development, in addition to working with Third Party Applications and Custom App Development.
CEO of CloudMyBiz Salesforce CRM consulting services with a deep knowledge in the lending industry. Taking keen interest in the project management side of operations, playing a vital role in the 31% YOY company growth. Strategic leader, mastering the ability to problem solve at every level of the business, providing effective solutions for clients.
