Last week we looked at how to find the right Salesforce partner for your needs, looking at the different types of partners, tips and considerations, and when it makes sense to work with Salesforce directly. You can see that article here.

This week, let’s look at how you can get the most out of a partnership and ways to address issues if and when they arise.

Part 2: Addressing Issues in Your Current Partnership

Even with careful selection, partnerships can sometimes run into difficulties. But if you identify the signs of trouble early and work through them properly, there’s no reason that they can’t be overcome.

Recognising the signs early and knowing how to address issues is crucial for maintaining a healthy working relationship with your partner organisation. Here’s a few things to look out for:

Common Signs of Partnership Problems:

Missed Deadlines: Consistently failing to meet agreed-upon timelines. Everyone misses deadlines once in a while, but when it’s happening regularly it’s a sure sign that things are not well.

Poor Communication: Lack of responsiveness, unclear updates, or frequent misunderstandings.

Subpar Deliverables: Work that doesn't meet expectations or requires frequent revisions.

Escalating Costs: Projects consistently going over budget without clear justification.

Lack of Transparency: Difficulty getting clear information about project status or issues.

Resistance to Feedback: Dismissive attitude towards your concerns or suggestions.

Knowledge Gaps: Inability to address complex issues or leverage new Salesforce features.

Lack of Proactivity: Failing to suggest improvements or anticipate potential issues.

Lack of Change Management: Not offering Change Management or Project Management can increase the likelihood of any of the above problems.

You might note that these sound familiar - maybe you've even seen some of them in other business partnerships. But that goes to show that Salesforce partnerships aren’t immune to some of the issues that can get in the way of other productive partnerships.

Steps to Improve the Relationship:

Be Honest: Start by gathering concrete evidence of issues. Document specific instances, including dates, descriptions of the problems, and their impact on your business. Prepare for an open, fact-based discussion.

Communicate Clearly: Schedule a meeting dedicated to addressing your concerns. Present your observations calmly and professionally. Listen to their perspective as well – there may be underlying issues you're unaware of.

Provide your own Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) or Project Leads: As a business you have to provide SME's or Project Leads, as well as time and commitment to ensure project implementation success. Many projects have been derailed by not having the right resources or time allocated to the project and partners need the business to partner with them during the implementation.

Create an Improvement Plan: Collaboratively develop a plan to address the issues. Set specific, measurable goals with clear timelines. For example, "Improve response time to critical issues to within 4 hours by implementing a new ticketing system within the next 30 days."

Implement Change Management: Recognize that improving the partnership may require changes on both sides. Be open to adjusting your processes or communication methods if needed. Consider bringing in a change management expert to facilitate this process.

Establish a Center of Excellence: Designate a team or individual within your organisation to oversee Salesforce operations and partner relationships. This group can serve as a central point of contact, ensuring consistency in communication and project management.

Regular Check-ins: Set up frequent status meetings to track progress on the improvement plan. These should be separate from regular project meetings and focused specifically on the health of the partnership.

Invest in Training: Sometimes, issues arise from knowledge gaps on your team. Invest in Salesforce training for your staff to ensure they can effectively collaborate with your partner and manage your Salesforce instance.

Document Everything: Keep detailed records of all agreements, issues, and resolutions. This documentation can be invaluable if further escalation is needed or if you eventually decide to change partners.

Consider Escalation: If issues persist despite these efforts, consider escalating within the partner organisation. Many larger firms have dedicated client relationship managers or escalation processes.

Reassess Regularly: Set a timeframe for reassessing the partnership. If significant improvements aren't seen within the agreed period, it may be time to consider other options.

Remember that it’s a Three-Way Relationship:

It's crucial to understand that a successful Salesforce implementation involves a three-way relationship between you, Salesforce, and your partner. Each plays a vital role:

• You (the Customer): Provide clear business requirements, ensure internal buy-in, and actively participate in the implementation process.
• Salesforce: Provides the platform, updates, and support for core functionality.
• Partner: Offers expertise in implementation, customization,consulting/architecture, and optimization of the Salesforce platform for your specific needs.

Having three different parties involved can introduce complexity in managing the relationships.

Think of it this way: it’s hard enough keeping two items balanced, but when you’re trying to manage three it’s like balancing a triangle on its point: it falls over easily unless things are in perfect alignment.

That makes it all the more important to get the relationship fundamentals right in transparency, expectation setting, and keeping open lines of communication. This is especially true in navigating complex issues, as can occasionally arise in Salesforce.

If you find yourself in a challenging partnership, don't hesitate to address issues promptly. Open communication and a willingness to work on problems can often turn a struggling partnership around. However, if problems persist despite your best efforts, remember that changing partners is a viable option.

If you’ve had issues with a partner before, how were you able to resolve them?

In Part 3 of our series, we’ll look at what to do when it’s time to move on. Breaking up can be hard to do, but with a little guidance it can be less painful.