What is the difference between Salesforce Strategic Consulting Partner and Implementation Partner?

Salesforce is the world’s number one customer relationship management tool and an industry leader in cloud computing. They have a thriving network of partners from a number of industries that provide a variety of specialist services. 

These partners can be distinguished by the size of businesses they deal with, the industries in which they work or the products they work with in the Salesforce Cloud. 

Two of the key types of Salesforce partners are Strategic Consulting Partners and Implementation Partners. The difference between these types of partners is largely to do with how they approach their partner relationships. 

Below we’ve highlighted the major differences between the two types of Salesforce partners and explored the roles they both play to help businesses succeed. 

What are the main differences between a Salesforce Strategic Consulting Partner and an Implementation Partner?

Relational vs Transactional 

A Salesforce Implementation Partner works in a more transactional sense than a Strategic Consulting Partner. The nature of their responsibilities means that Implementation Partners can focus on the short-term value they can bring to businesses. An Implementation Partner will spend the majority of their time completing pre-determined projects. The relationship is pinned to these projects, and, once they are completed, the partnership is over. 

On the other hand, Strategic Consulting Partners take a more long-term, relational approach that is less contingent on individual projects and more focused on providing enduring value to your business. These partners want to help you get as much as possible out of your solution, and can support you post-implementation period as well as during maintenance. 

Identifying Business Needs

As the name suggests, an Implementation Partner will mainly focus on implementing the solutions that best fit your business. These partners aren’t there to develop an overarching solution but they will, from time to time, recommend add-ons to help maximise the potential of your Salesforce solutions. 

A Strategic Consulting Partner like Consleague will work with businesses to identify their needs, map out their goals, and look for comprehensive solutions to their problems. Once this stage is complete, a Strategic Consulting Partner will then help businesses find a Salesforce solution stack that meets these business needs. The main difference between the two types of partners is their purpose and level of involvement with the overall development process. 

Solution Engineering

An Implementation Partner is not there to help with any solution engineering. If there is a problem with the proposed solution that has to do with technology, an Implementation Partner may provide guidance on alternative options but, in general, they won’t help with the actual re-engineering process. 

On the other hand, a Strategic Consulting Partner is often better placed to help with any solution engineering needs you may have. A Strategic Consulting partner can support you with a team of Solution engineers and consultants. They will be able to understand your business needs and develop a strategy to ensure you are receiving a Salesforce solution that is properly optimised and attuned to your business. 

More so than Implementation Partners, Strategic Consulting partners can get involved in detail-oriented plans for solutions and use their technical expertise to create a refined solution. 

Types of Staffed Resources

Strategic Consulting Partners have the resources to offer extended, expert assistance, whereas Implementation Partners usually only have the resources required to complete specific projects. 

Strategic Consulting Partners like Consleague will have diverse teams that can boast a variety of technical expertise, from Salesforce Developers and Architects to Consultants, Engagement Managers and Solution Engineers. They will have plenty of in-house knowledge, whereas Implementation Partners will usually have to rely on third-party resources to solve problems that go beyond their initial brief. 

Process Re-engineering 

If an integration requirement fails or another issue arises, businesses may need to go back to Salesforce for a solution. A Strategic Consulting Partner is better placed to re-engineer or reimagine processes than an Implementation Partner. The breadth of knowledge that a Strategic Consulting Partner can bring to the table puts them in a better position to work through tricky engineering problems and search for niche solutions. 

Change Management Strategy and Training 

Change management and training is an important step in the process of implementing and managing a Salesforce solution. Some Implementation Partners work side by side with Change Management companies to offer a full project framework. An Implementation Partner will sometimes take control of the change management strategy and training if there is no third party to work with. 

If you use a Strategic Consulting Partner, they will develop a change management and training strategy with your team. They will ensure that your team is fully trained and prepared to work with the Salesforce solution and produce results. 

Do you need a Salesforce Strategic Consulting Partner like Consleague? 

Our team at Consleague is full of consulting experts, solution engineers and developers, who are ready to help you get the most out of your Salesforce solution. 

Set up a call with us today to discuss your requirements in more detail.