Making the most of third-party apps on Salesforce

The right app makes all the difference. Independent software vendors (ISVs) bring huge possibilities to the Salesforce^® ecosystem, and for many organizations, their applications are a core part of operations – as much as Salesforce itself. But many find themselves struggling with third-party apps on Salesforce for a range of very common reasons. I’ll explore how you can conquer the technical difficulties and unlock the full value of your applications.

More moving parts means more expertise is needed

For all the additional value and capabilities third-party applications offer, they also bring their own administration, maintenance and support needs – which mean additional complexity to deal with. Their integration with Salesforce, and other business tools, means that changes to one may have a knock-on effect that impacts the others. Furthermore, when a problem occurs, it’s not always easy to discern whether it’s an issue with the app itself or with how it’s been implemented, among all the other “moving parts”.

All of this means extra considerations – and extra work – for administrators, which in turn means a serious drain on resources. You may not even have the requisite skill-sets at all. However, these are all challenges that can be solved with managed services.

Getting some help from the experts

You’re probably already well aware of the benefits managed IT services offer organizations. Outsourcing daily application management and maintenance is often far more cost-effective, and an expert managed service provider will ensure your solution is up-to-date and optimized. You may even be familiar with the advantages of managed services for Salesforce – there’s a wide range of possible use cases, including post-implementation administration and continuous improvement. But have you considered the specific benefits of managed services when it comes to third-party apps on Salesforce?

When you engage a managed services partner that’s an expert in the Salesforce ecosystem, their knowledge of the platform will help you diagnose and resolve problems as quickly and effectively as possible. If an issue arises, we can help to triage it and quickly find out if the vendor’s support is needed, or if it’s a problem that can be fixed by experts in our team. That can be incredibly important to a quick and effective resolution. And there are many more ways that managed services can help you make the most of your business-critical applications.

Vital Salesforce knowledge and experience

An expert in Salesforce third-party apps Managed Services can also give best practice consultation and ensure you’re prepared for upcoming new releases of both Salesforce and third-party apps. That means you can make sure that everything you use keeps working well together post-update, but also that you’re ready to make the most of new features and functionality. Your Salesforce Managed Service provider will be able to use the right configuration and customizations to optimize your Salesforce platform and third-party apps, so they both fit your organization and its needs as closely as possible. You’ll want a partner with long experience and a deep bench of talent enabling them to be the skilled advisor you need – especially if you’ll be using a niche or even bespoke application.

Valuable Partnerships with ISVs

Managed service providers’ partnerships with ISVs can also be very valuable. At VRP Consulting, we’re proud to be partnered with the best in the Salesforce ecosystem, giving us unrivaled expertise in the leading solutions. That means clients using these solutions can rest assured they’re receiving the highest quality of managed services.

There’s more. So far, we’ve talked about the benefits of Salesforce managed services for ISVs’ clients. However, partnering with a managed Service provider can also be highly beneficial for the vendors themselves. They can assure customers that the necessary expertise is available to fill their skill-gaps without the ISV needing to dedicate their own resources to the task. That can be a huge advantage – even if the managed Service provider isn’t a partner but simply a reputable third-party they can recommend to their customers.

Now that we’ve explored the value of managed Services for third-party apps on Salesforce, it’s time for some examples. Let’s look at some of VRP’s work here.

Ensuring peace of mind for the future

When a major utilities company in the UK decided to use the Aptumo billing solution, they needed a managed Services provider with experience in such Salesforce-native applications. With its advanced billing capabilities, Aptumo allowed them to bring together all their data on customer accounts and interactions for greater visibility and control. But, to ensure long-term success with this powerful tool, they wanted a partner with specialist knowledge of Salesforce data management and integration of apps within the platform. That’s why, after a referral from Echo, the company that created Aptumo, the utilities company chose VRP Managed Services.

Our team quickly bridged the in-house skills gap and gave the client access to our Managed Services App, which they can use to quickly seek assistance from us. This proprietary application is seamlessly integrated with Salesforce, so users don’t even need to log in first – help is only one click away. Now, our client can rest easy knowing that they have the Salesforce and Aptumo expertise they need to assist them, whenever they need it.

Meeting even the most unique needs

Another company, a leading background check company, had a Salesforce-based app that they needed to provide for the use of their partner – a huge global enterprise with demanding requirements and high expectations. Experts in VRP Consulting’s other departments had already created the application this company needed – so, who better to provide ongoing managed services than us?

Because we had an unrivaled understanding of their solution, we were able to run two parallel projects at the same time. It meant we could make sure that the improvements they needed were rolled out without negatively impacting their end users – all in the most efficient and timely manner. And, thanks to the Salesforce development talent VRP has on staff, our other teams were ready to handle later project work when their bespoke app needed to evolve further.

Instead of our Managed Services App, this client chose a different option we offer, our Managed Services Portal, due to its ease of initial configuration. Our Managed Services Portal is also often very suitable for clients and their partners who have certain data privacy directives in place. It can be a better choice for them than VRP’s Managed Services App, because it isn’t required to be within their Salesforce org. That means they can access all the help and advice they need, within easy reach, while still maintaining vital compliance.

Interested in managed services for third-party apps on Salesforce?

As we’ve explored, there are many very good reasons for businesses to choose managed services for third-party apps on Salesforce. Peace of mind and futureproofing your technology investment are strong incentives – and with the right managed services provider, your organization can enjoy them, too.

VRP Consulting Managed Services deliver the specialist Salesforce expertise that clients all over the world – and their customers – rely on. We also understand that there may be times when you don’t need help, and that’s why we offer our services via a flexible “bucket” of monthly hours that you can use as you require, and roll-over if you don’t. And if you need something that goes beyond task-based services into a bigger project, we have the right people in-house to take it on.

So, if you’re looking for expert outsourced management of an app on Salesforce, or you’re an ISV looking for the right managed services provider for your customers, I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

Bruno Pimenta
Director of Managed Services
VRP Consulting

About the Author

Bruno’s background spans over 10 years managing enterprise customer support and cloud technology services. He’s currently leading the VRP Consulting Managed Services team in Krakow.