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Head of Digital Consulting Team at a mining and metals company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
User-friendly, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is user-friendly."
  • "The customization of Salesforce, a generic CRM software, has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution as our organization's CRM.

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, demand was fragmented and varied depending on the line of business, such as plate mail, pipe mail, and calls. This made it difficult to track metrics, such as the order book, conversion from leads to opportunities, etc. However, since Salesforce was implemented, the tracking has improved significantly, as all leads, opportunities, and conversions are captured. This has improved visibility for both end users and salespeople, as well as higher-ups.

The solution has improved the efficiency of our entire organization.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

The customization of Salesforce, a generic CRM software, has room for improvement. It is not very customizable, which is often required for a particular industry, and building those customizations can take a lot of time. For example, in the steel industry, there are thousands of SKUs that need to be configured depending on the mill parameters. Salesforce does not do this out of the box, so we must consider these factors and configure it on the due date and time.

Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability a ten out of ten. We have around 50 people using the solution currently in our organization.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used custom developer software in-house before switching to Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

How was the initial setup?

I give the initial setup an eight out of ten. Our deployment took one year. We created a dedicated team consisting of the digitalization team, sales team, and top management to monitor the overall progress. We then onboarded an implementation partner to accompany us on the journey from start to finish. The deployment was originally planned to be completed in nine to ten months, but it took more than twelve months.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house with the help of an implementation partner.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is a bit expensive. I give the cost of the solution a six out of ten.

We need to invest a lot of money upfront for implementation, and there are certain modules, such as Einstein Analytics, which are sold by Salesforce and require extra payment. I am not familiar with all the components of Salesforce, but there is an optional component that requires additional investment.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten. Salesforce is reliable and once configured, it can capture as much customer information as desired. The solution is also highly scalable, allowing many users to be added without issue. The only downside is the cost, which has a recurring expenditure component that can add up over time. Additionally, once everyone is trained in a particular software, it can be difficult to switch, making it difficult to break away from the software. Salesforce is a great tool, but it can be addictive and can lead to a feeling of being locked in.

Depending on our ability to develop in-house CRM software, I would advise staying in-house. If we opt for Salesforce, we will likely be tied to it for five to ten years, depending on the size and complexity of our organization. For larger and more complex organizations, Salesforce may be the best solution; however, if the organization is of medium size, they should consider developing custom software in-house, which would be more cost-effective.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Rahul Gandhi - PeerSpot reviewer
Head, Customer Success - India, LogMeIn at LogMeIn
Real User
Tracking opportunities is easy and there are a lot of supporting tools
Pros and Cons
  • "You can schedule reports, there's a lot of supporting tools, and you have access to all that information."
  • "The processing speed, the way information displays, and scrolling options can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

With this solution, you can build up an opportunity, track it, look at missed opportunities, and output data to work on outside the cloud. 

How has it helped my organization?

The solution helps to pull information together for everyone to use.

What is most valuable?

What is most valuable is that you can schedule reports, there are a lot of supporting tools, and you have access to all that information.

What needs improvement?

Improvements can be made in the processing speed, how information displays, and options for scrolling.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for five to six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is absolutely scalable. We have about 2,000 users and plan to increase that number with the growth of our company. 

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted tech support and rate my experience an eight or nine. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

When I got to the company I believe they used a different solution, but I don't recall its name. 

How was the initial setup?

We installed the product on the cloud. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this product a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AladdinNabil - PeerSpot reviewer
Digital Lead of Middle East/ North Africa and Ukraine at Organon
Real User
Leaderboard
CRM used to build fully automated customer journeys using the journey builder
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to automate processes is one of the most valuable features of Salesforce. This sets it part from other systems. We use the journey builder to design a fully automated journey."
  • "In a future release it would be great to have the ability to connect the data from social media and email marketing and have it in one dashboard."

What is most valuable?

The ability to automate processes is one of the most valuable features of Salesforce. This sets it part from other systems. We use the journey builder to design a fully automated journey. 

What needs improvement?

In a future release it would be great to have the ability to connect the data from social media and email marketing and have it in one dashboard. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. 

How are customer service and support?

The support for this solution is good. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at European University
Real User
A straightforward setup process and great scalability, but room for improvement in the pricing structure
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable part of the solution are the selling features."
  • "It's a very good solution, but the way the prices are structured is not always good, and I feel like that is a problem."

What is our primary use case?

We use Salesforce to manage our customers' data, to make sales campaigns, and to provide customer care.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable part of the solution are the selling features. 

What needs improvement?

I want to improve the cost because the larger you get, sometimes the price rises in a way that I don't like. It's a very good solution, but the way the prices are structured is not always good, and I feel like that is a problem.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for two years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is perfect. There are 300 direct users in our organization. We have five IT people who handle administration and connect with the integrator if there is an issue, and that is more than enough for us.

How are customer service and support?

I would give Salesforce support a four out of five because it is very, very good in terms of documentation. However, if you have a serious defect that is harder to solve, it can take some time to get a response.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The setup is quite straightforward. The process is standard and very easy to understand. 

What about the implementation team?

We hired an integrator, and we implemented the solution in phases. It took nine months to a year for everything. First, we deployed customer care, then the 360 view of our customers, and then the selling part.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have two types of licensing. We have a yearly license for end users and we have a concurrent login for selling. 

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend this product. I would rate it as an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Principal Technical Lead at Tieto Sweden AB
Real User
Good notifications and data management but user management could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "It is straightforward to set up."
  • "User management could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for customer ticket management and for services.

What is most valuable?

The data management is great. We like how it is organized. I'm able to view the tickets in a well-organized manner. That is quite useful. 

The notifications as well are good.

It is straightforward to set up.

It is a scalable product.

What needs improvement?

User management could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for four months or so now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's too early to say if it is properly stable. I've been using it for just four months, and I've just been onboarded for two months. That said, I have had no issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale well. 

We have 12 people using the solution on my project. I'm not sure if other people or other teams are also using it. I'm not sure if marketing plans to increase usage at this time. 

How are customer service and support?

I've never used technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Jira and migrated to Salesforce. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution is very straightforward and simple to implement. It's not complex at all. 

That said, I have not deployed it myself. It was another team who handled it. I don't know about the details. I also do not have details in regards to maintaining it and if we have any team members dedicated to that task. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not sure of the exact costs. That's handled at an organizational level.

What other advice do I have?

We're using the latest version on the cloud.

I'd advise potential users to try before they buy so that can see it in action and decide if they like it. Pricing should be looked into too. If it's small-scale, it's okay. I'm not sure about large-scale costs. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Account Manager at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good performance, expands well, and doesn't crash
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the solution to be scalable."
  • "The product could use a little bit of BI in the sense of rule-based building."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for holding our contacts and opportunities as well as general reporting. 

What is most valuable?

The performance and stability have been good overall.

We have found the solution to be scalable. 

What needs improvement?

The query building's a bit weak if you want to build something new. It's a bit complicated. We need it to be easier to build a query dashboard in Salesforce. 

The product could use a little bit of BI in the sense of rule-based building.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for seven or eight years or maybe even longer at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have found the solution stable. The performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product can scale as needed. It's not a problem.

We have around 1,000 people in our organization using the solution. 

I'm not sure if there are plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

You pay for what you get with technical support. I've used it in the past, however, in a different position.

How was the initial setup?

I never set up the solution directly. I only use it. Someone else handled the implementation. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am unsure of the exact costs. I'm just a user. I don't handle any licensing aspects. 

What other advice do I have?

In terms of capability, I'd rate the product nine out of ten. In terms of usability, I'd rate it about seven. In general, I would rate the product eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
SriniDhanaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Data at Gauri Ltd
Real User
Reliable, effective for small to medium business, and beneficial lead to opportunities
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the seamless conversion of lead to opportunity, in relation to orders is good. That seamless connection is beneficial and simple."
  • "When you use your iPhone or Android phone, Salesforce is not as user-friendly as it could be. That UX needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Salesforce Field Service for engineer visits. For example, to keep track of when they visit and when they went to service.  All this can be done through the Salesforce field service. In adition, we mainly use it in the marketing space, we did two project(s).  

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the seamless conversion of lead to opportunity, in relation to orders is good. That seamless connection is beneficial and simple.

What needs improvement?

When you use your iPhone or Android phone, Salesforce is not as user-friendly as it could be. That UX needs to be improved.

React Native is a newmobile app based framework, where you can build one framework which will work with Android, iPhone, tablets, and all browsers. What you see is what you get on all the different platforms. I get this in Salesforce as well, but the UX is not beautiful. This is not required for business, but when you spend some money, the UI should look very beautiful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using  Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Field Service for approximately 4 Years

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is good.

We have two clients using this solution and one of them has over 100 field engineers are using it.

How are customer service and support?

We provide support for Salesforce, Marketing, Sales, CPQ, Service/Field service and Tableu Reporting .

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used SAP CRM previously and Salesforce Marketing Cloud is more flexible.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup or implementation is straightforward. You can be in operation within three to four weeks subject to the scope and size of the Organaisation.

What about the implementation team?

We have approximately seven people for the maintenance and support of Salesforce Marketing Cloud and another 5 to 7 consultants for Field service space.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is paid for monthly.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution for small to medium companies. If they are large enterprises I would choose SAP CRM.

I rate Salesforce Marketing Cloud an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Salesforce Silver Partner
PeerSpot user
Vice President Information Technology at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Sending personalized emails to clients and prospects helps build our brand awareness
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the 'Accelerators', which are expert-taught subject matter webinars on items such as personalization of emails and SMS to contacts and prospects."
  • "We would like an improvement to the 'Einstein Engagement Frequency'; the optimal range of emails that our subscribers will engage with."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for sending personalized emails to prospects and clients for reminder consultations or meetings. Use 'Journey Builder' to have clients/prospects first name, last name, financial advisor's signature at the bottom, and dynamic sender for personalized emails that are sent ad hoc, weekly, and monthly.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has improved organization brand awareness with prospects and clients. It can track open and click-through rates, among other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). While only Premier Support customers (like our firm) have access to Accelerators, these subject matter-taught webinars give detailed implementation instructions.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the 'Accelerators', which are expert-taught subject matter webinars on items such as personalization of emails and SMS to contacts and prospects.

Setting up the 'short code' with cell phone carriers to send short messages to contacts and prospects has proved valuable.

What needs improvement?

We would like an improvement to the 'Einstein Engagement Frequency'; the optimal range of emails that our subscribers will engage with. Then take action to suppress those who receive too many or send more to those receiving too few. Also, we would like a 'sandbox' for Marketing Cloud because only PROD exists today.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution actively for five months, since May 2019.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Market Volt was elementary compared to Marketing Cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Know that six months on ingesting data is a minimum requirement. You cannot port six months of data, it must be ingested.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Salesforce offered Pardot but the 'road map' showed the long-term internal investment would be on Marketing Cloud.

What other advice do I have?

We are only touching the surface of segmentation in the Marketing Cloud, primarily for sales and marketing teams.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Salesforce Marketing Cloud Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Salesforce Marketing Cloud Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.