Let’s face it: these days, everyone’s trying to squeeze more out of every dollar. And when it comes to cutting costs, technology often takes a hit. But to stay ahead of the curve, you need to think twice. Especially now that AI is changing the game.

Harnessing AI and Technology for Long-Term Success

When a business embraces AI and technology, it undergoes a digital transformation that fundamentally alters its operations. The digital age, now increasingly driven by AI, has reshaped customer interactions, leading to heightened expectations for seamless, personalized experiences. To remain competitive, businesses must leverage AI to meet and exceed these expectations by being accessible online, providing self-service options, analyzing customer data for insights, and more.

Leveraging AI and Tech to Stay Competitive

Despite the perception that technology is an easy area to cut costs, the reality is that AI and other technologies are becoming more affordable and more powerful. Consider the following ways your company can leverage AI and technology to remain competitive:

• Workflow Automation with AI: Are we using AI to automate routine tasks and workflows, freeing time for critical business operations and innovation? A recent study shows that AI-powered automation can reduce operational costs by up to 30% (Deloitte, 2022).
• AI-Powered Chatbots: Have we implemented AI-driven chatbots to handle customer service tasks, such as answering routine questions and routing calls? These chatbots can enhance customer satisfaction while reducing costs. Gartner predicts that by 2027, chatbots will be the primary customer service channel for a quarter of organizations (Gartner, 2024).
• Social Media Management Tools: How do we manage social media? AI-driven tools can optimize social media management, reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks and increasing effectiveness. According to a recent report, AI can boost social media ROI by 30% or more (McKinsey, 2024).
• Online Project Management with AI: Should we adopt AI-enhanced project management tools that streamline communication and task tracking? These tools can increase project success rates by 15% (LinkedIn, 2023).
• Cloud-Based Accounting Systems: Do we need opportunities by not using cloud-based accounting systems with AI integration to manage invoices, track expenses, and generate financial reports? Cloud-based systems can reduce accounting errors by 90% and save businesses significant time (WifiTalents, 2024).

These are just a few examples of how AI and technology can transform your business processes, reduce costs, and enhance your competitive advantage. The potential benefits are significant—what are you waiting for?

Summary

Cutting technology, especially AI, to save costs is a short-sighted approach that can undermine your competitive edge. Instead, businesses should invest in AI and digital transformation to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and ultimately, drive growth. The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in AI, but whether you can afford not to.

How AdVic Can Help

Businesses must carefully consider the challenges associated with AI and GenAI before implementing these technologies. But do not worry, AdVic’s Team is well-equipped to design your personalized AI roadmap to success. If you have any questions or are ready to start today, book a meeting with us now.

Related Resources:

Boosting Sales with AI & GenAI: The Game-Changers for Productivity

Enhancing Data Security: The Role of AI

Meet Salesforce’s Einstein Copilot: Revolutionizing Business with AI

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The post The Hidden Costs of Ignoring AI in Your Tech Strategy appeared first on Ad Victoriam Solutions.

Are we really putting 2022 in our rearview mirror? Where did it go?

Well, there’s no looking back now, so let’s push forward with eyes wide open into what we hope will be an amazing 2023 for all! But before we do that, we wanted to take this opportunity to share the Top 22 Salesforce Blogs AdVic® published in 2022, ones that we got the most feedback from, and ones you may have missed.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year from all of us at Ad Victoriam Solutions!

#1. Highlights from the Salesforce Winter ‘23 Release

Salesforce® has once again packed their platform with exciting new features inside its Winter ‘23 Release, And as they always do, AdVic’s consultants have poured through every one of the new features in this release and have highlighted the ones they are most excited about.
Read More

#2. 5 Common Questions Asked of Salesforce Partners

Through your research, you have found that Salesforce® products will work best for your organization. So, what’s next? It is time to look for a Salesforce Partner to implement (or modify) your technology. Here are five common questions Salesforce newbies (and vets, too) have asked AdVic.
Read More

#3. Be the 1 of 8 Digital Transformations that Succeeds
Did you know that about one of eight digital transformations succeed? To be one of the successful ones, start by building a digital transformation strategic roadmap that includes obtaining buy-in from your stakeholders and the team.
Read More

#4. AdVic’s Journey to be a Better Version of Ourselves
When we first embarked on our B Corp certification journey back in January of 2016, Ad Victoriam Solutions (AdVic®) was less than two-years-old, employed eight employees and was still operating out of a combination of shared workspaces and our founder’s basement. Fast forward to February of 2022 and we’re now over 150 employees strong located in 18 states across six time zones, and we’ve re-certified as a B Corp and continue to scale both fast and responsibly.
Read More

#5. How a Relationship Turned Into a Partnership
It’s no secret that fostering positive relationships with your customers out-of-the-gate can help to transform those customers into real brand supporters and long-term partners. Such is the case with AdVic and a recent high-tech customer that provides cloud-based business solutions to their customers.
Read More

#6. The Seven Stages of a Sales Pipeline
Not to be confused with a sales funnel – which looks at the whole customer journey and the various stages a consumer will go through in their journey towards purchase – a sales pipeline looks at the different steps in the sales process. These seven are generally considered to be the “standard” stages for a business that follows a typical sales process.
Read More

#7. What is B2B2C?
Is your organization B2B, B2C, or B2B2C? The way you interact with your clients, the way you define success, and the technology you use all tie into the business model that defines your company.
Read More

#8. Storytelling with Data
Data is more than a trending topic. Today, data drives business solutions and tells a story about what is happening in your business. Whether manufacturers are using data to pinpoint defects or downtime in their machines, retailers are analyzing their new loyalty programs, or a healthcare provider is monitoring patient engagement, data tells a story.
Read More

#9. AdVic Empowered Minority Football Coaches
As a small nonprofit, NCMFC relies heavily on advisors in the technology, marketing, legal, and finance worlds to enhance their business practices. When it was time to implement Salesforce for their organization, an advisor recommended AdVic as a partner. With excitement, we jumped onboard this pro bono project to integrate Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack into their organization.
Read More

#10. Four Easy Ways to Get Involved and Make a Difference
At AdVic, we give every employee 40 hours of paid time-off to volunteer every year. We encourage them to get involved in their communities to give back, regardless of cause or organization. Here are four simple ways anyone — or a company – can get involved and give back.
Read More

#11. Managed Services: How Does It Save Time & Money? When Do You Need It?
Simply put, Managed Services, and specifically a Managed Services Provider (MSP), handles the daily operations of your specialized technology applications so you and your teams can focus on driving revenue. But how do you know when it’s really time to enlist the services of an MSP before your day-to-day business is impacted?
Read More

#12. Do You Need Sales Automation or An Upgrade?
From the top of the sales funnel to closing, the sales process has a lot of steps. In many cases sales begins with marketing initiating the first touching point. It could be socials, ads campaigns, or email marketing, and from there, prospects flow through the funnel hopefully landing in a closed deal. Here’s how sales automation increases productivity, accelerates the sales cycle, and increases revenue.
Read More

#13. Equipment Manufacturer Replaces Legacy Systems and Thrives
Here’s how Residential Elevators is now seeing profound improvements with their new and improved CRM system. In the ever-evolving world of Salesforce®, their technology is continuously seeing updates, new features, and more functionality that enables their business to progress.
Read More

#14. A Manufacturer’s Road to Success
The most successful digital transformations drive change from leadership to employees to provide customers with unforgettable experiences. They also require planning stages. Get our step-by-step “Guide to Success” for manufacturers.
Read More

#15. Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Challenges and Growth
The electrical equipment sector of manufacturing is experiencing robust growth. According to Yahoo Finance, “The global electrical equipment market is expected to grow from $1,384.97 billion in 2021 to $1,540.25 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2%.” Because the manufacturing industry, specifically electrical, was hit so hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are working tirelessly to get back on track.
Read More

#16. Talking Tech Trends with Salesforce Ben & AdVic
During a 2022 AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast – titled “Talking Tech Trends with Salesforce Ben” and featuring Salesforce Ben’s Ben McCarthy and AdVic President Brian Mize – we discussed top tech trends that may impact the industry and business practices in the near future.
Read More

#17. ‘May the Fourth Volunteer With You’ Week a Huge Success at AdVic
After an inaugural volunteer week in 2019, and a two-year delay because of pandemic-related postponements, “May the Fourth Volunteer With You” week was back this year at AdVic. With three events at our headquarters just outside of Atlanta, and our remote employees participating in events across the country, our team came together to give back.
Read More

#18. HexArmor’s Sales Director Talks About Sales Cloud
HexArmor‘s Director of Sales, Geno Lechuga, recently spoke on the AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast about how his team benefits from being able to see every interaction prospects and customers have with his business—regardless of department—using the CRM platform that connects his whole company. Here’s some highlights from that conversation.
Read More

#19. The Best Features of Salesforce Sales Cloud
For those who don’t know, Salesforce Sales Cloud – often referred to as the World’s #1 CRM – provides a platform to manage end-to-end functioning of the sales department for companies. In this Salesforce Blog, we focus on some of the best features of Sales Cloud.
Read More

#20. The Project That Became a Partnership
AdVic’s initial project with FLUX Pumps was to implement a necessary Salesforce Sales Cloud solution. From this, their sales cycle was cut in half. They were awarded efficiency, visibility, and automation with their introductory digital transformation. FLUX achieved great milestones that included doubled conversions, a 20% increase in revenue, and a way to nurture leads that turned into customers.
Read More

#21. What You Need to Know About Slack
Slack and Salesforce® have spearheaded a newfound innovation in the way that employees communicate, connect and collaborate. From internal marketing teams to recruiters connecting with new talent, Slack offers unmatched flexibility that allows all parties to communicate swiftly with their instant messaging capabilities, or their built-in video and voice capabilities. Inside the blog, download AdVic’s informative no-form Slack infographic.
Read More

#22. Top Brands Do This to Create an Effective Customer Experience
These days, customer experience has become more than a buzz phrase. No matter the industry or the brand, companies have come to the realization that they need to focus on being more proactive, as opposed to reactive, when it comes to engaging with their customers.
Read More

Read More AdVic Salesforce Blogs 

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A pet supply retailer with numerous locations across the U.S. came to AdVic® with a major predicament that had actually been snowballing in recent years. Their eCommerce platform had become extremely challenging not only to maintain, but to enhance. As a result, their challenges were creating barriers hindering their growth in what has become an extremely competitive marketplace. 

What this client really needed was to be able to pivot at a moment’s notice to increase their ability to service customers quickly and be able to control their platform locally and, at the same time, digitally rebrand their business.

The Multi-Cloud Solution

The Salesforce solution AdVic implemented for our client took on a very specific four-pronged attack that also included a MuleSoft® integration.

Commerce Cloud:

• Implemented a complete digital transformation, empowering internal teams with local control over their processes, brand, offerings, and more.
• Formalized and implemented a new UX/UI design for a rebranding campaign.
• Rebuilt processes, automation, and system integrations, enabling Pet Supermarket to create their own content and manage their online presence.
• Established change management procedures to streamline and facilitate future platform changes.
• Hourly data integration updates (previously once in 24 hours) provided accurate inventory availability, while custom logic alerted the customer and blocked order acceptance of unavailable products.

Salesforce Order Management (SOM): 

• Implementation and integration of SOM with Commerce Cloud enabled the client’s team to build Split-Order Processing to manage fulfillment for two separate warehouses.
• SOM dynamically reviewed each warehouse’s inventory based on SKU. If an order included SKU’s in each warehouse, the order would split aligning with the appropriate warehouse, change order stage to “allocated” to trigger MuleSoft to process and send the order downstream through the ERP to the pick/pack system in preparation for shipping.
• Sales data visibility in SOM aggregated from three systems.

Service Cloud:

• Integration of SOM with Service Cloud placed the processing of returns, discounts and cancellations inside of Service Cloud at the agent’s finger tips.
• Case Management dashboard consolidated data provides extensive visibility in one system versus two, facilitating quality customer service and agent management.

Marketing Cloud:

• Implementation empowered the client’s local marketing team to drive website visits through the creation and executing of promotions, campaigns, and targeting and nurturing, which more than doubled eCommerce conversion rates.
• Initiation of online order email confirmations, along with FedEx tracking numbers, decreased the “Where’s my order” inquiries by 20% within one month, and that percentage continues to trend down.

Outcome

Full digital transformation of this client’s business revolutionized the way they do business and positions them for short- and long-term success. Implementation of the multi-cloud Salesforce system, integrated with MuleSoft, has provided them with updated consolidated data insights, elevated customer experiences, more than doubled eCommerce conversion rates, reduced service calls, and built a foundation for future functionality and growth.

Are you considering a Salesforce and MuleSoft integration? You will want to seriously consider a consultant who is not just interested in building your next project but wants to build your business for future success. The AdVic team is ready to start your project today. Let’s start that conversation today!

Related Resources:

More Customer Stories from AdVic

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It’s becoming more clear with every passing day that in order to keep up with the “always-connected” customer, your business must embrace technology to deliver an unmatched customer experience. Research shows that 35% of business executives claim that digital transformation helps them to better meet customer expectations and improve operational efficiency (40%), and 38% of executives plan to invest more in technology to make it their competitive advantage.

To highlight the importance of placing customer experience at the top of your priority list, we invited Nick Glimsdahl, Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS to AdVic’s “Salesforce Simplified” podcast to speak about bringing together digital transformation, customer expectations and business objectives to create effortless customer experiences. Here are some highlights from that conversation.

The Definition of Customer Experience

According to Glimsdahl, “Customer experience is the experience that a consumer receives and or feels resulting in an emotional reaction. And sometimes it could be, I am beyond excited that you solved my problem. You knew who I was. And you did it in record time. It could be the whelmed, you’re not overwhelmed, you’re not underwhelmed. You’re just whelmed, and that was not a great experience, or it wasn’t a bad experience, but it just solved my problem. And it was ‘meh.’ And then there’s the absolute worst where it’s, you’re frustrated, and that not only is the chance that somebody could not do business with you anymore, but then they’re going to go out and tell their friends, they’re going to potentially tell social media, and you now have the opportunity or the risk of losing that customer.”

When Should Companies Make Improvements to Customer Experience?

Glimsdahl, who also speaks on customer experience, employee experience, and digital transformation, among other things on his own podcast, Press 1 For Nick, offered this on knowing when to improve your customers’ experiences: “The first thing I would say is, have you actually walked in your customer shoes? Have you gone through the customer’s journey from the very beginning? How do I find your company? And then what are the steps that I have to go through to identify if it’s the right fit or not? And then where are the friction points inside that journey that need to be addressed? And it doesn’t matter how amazing, if you are the Zappos of your industry, everybody’s going to have friction points or ways that you can improve that experience.”

Encouraging Companies to Invest in a Digital Transformation

“The ‘Great Resignation’ is here,” Glimsdahl remarks. “I’ll start there because people are worried about hiring, training and retaining their talent. And if you can keep that talent, the reason why you keep that talent is because they feel also known and valued, and they have the ability for that upward mobility, and that growth, and that roadmap internally, they feel like they’re being cared for. And it’s not just because they have an amazing “culture” but they know where they’re going. And they feel like they have a place and they know their why. And the customer experience is a direct correlation in how you treat your employees, because that’s how your employees will treat your customers. And so I would say that if you don’t treat your employees, if you don’t have the right technology, if you don’t have the right process, then the people are just going to be frustrated.”

Creating a Customer Experience Strategy

While Glimsdahl offered several suggestions to companies about creating a customer experience strategy, he started here: “The strategy, I believe, should align with your outcomes, should align to who you are and what you’re trying to achieve holistically at the very top. What are your business objectives? What are your mission, vision, and values? From there, that’s where you should start. From there, you should understand where you’re at today. What are the metrics that you’re implementing that you’ve implemented and how are you measuring them? And then how are you acting upon that? So you have a baseline. You also need to truly understand and interview your front line to hear what your customers are saying. Then go talk to your customers. What are they saying? And then you take all of this information, you bring that to the senior leadership team, or the people who are involved in this project. And you’re saying based off of the information that we have, what is that priority? What are we trying to achieve? And what’s most important to us? What’s the most important to our customers?”

Listen to the entire “Salesforce Simplified” podcast with Nick Glimsdahl

If your company is struggling with growth, creating better customer experiences, or it takes numerous team members to execute manual processes that could be solved with automation, it’s time to consider a digital transformation…and it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Let AdVic® show you how. Book a time to chat on our calendar now.

Related Resources:

Enhancing Customer Experience Through Digital Transformation – Podcast

Top Brands Do This to Create an Effective Customer Experience

Digital Transformation 101: Your Questions Answered

Five-Steps to a Successful Digital Transformation

Preparing for a Digital Transformation

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The FLUX Pumps name has been synonymous with pump technology for more than 70 years. It was the invention of the first electric drum pump that sparked the creation of the company. Since its inception, FLUX, headquartered in the beautiful black forest region of southern Germany, has grown to employ more than 150 highly skilled men and women worldwide, established seven wholly-owned subsidiaries, and maintains sales partnerships in more than 70 countries.

One of those wholly owned subsidiaries, FLUX Pumps Corporation North America, anchored in Georgia, services the United States, Canada and Mexico, and began working with Ad Victoriam Solutions (AdVic®) in early 2015 (our second customer!) and remains a top customer today as one of our Managed Services partners.

Initial Projects

The FLUX Pumps team was made up of nine members that served approximately 3,000 distributors. Their process of communications and customer relations was nonexistent, yet they were about to send out invoices. Their process was manual, complex and outdated. Technology was not incorporated into it. Reps used scanners and business cards that were stored in shoe boxes as their CRM.

AdVic’s initial project was to implement a necessary Salesforce Sales Cloud solution. From this, FLUX Pumps’ sales cycle was cut in half. They were awarded efficiency, visibility, and automation with their introductory digital transformation. FLUX achieved great milestones that included doubled conversions, a 20% increase in revenue, and a way to nurture leads that turned into customers.

With technology that empowered reps, AdVic® has helped FLUX Pumps become leaders in their field.

In addition to the success of the Sales Cloud, we helped implement Marketing Cloud Account Engagement as a way to drive new business. FLUX Pumps uses marketing automation to send monthly emails to customers. Prior to this technology, they were only able to communicate with a small fraction of customers.

FLUX North American Former President, Pete Fujimoto, expressed his excitement and satisfaction with AdVic this way: “Opportunities increased for us by 50% in the first year. We used to get 10 opportunities a month, now we’re getting 20 or more.” And Pete admitted, at the time, that they are still in their infancy with their AdVic/Salesforce solution: “There is more and more that we can do to grow.”

Read More on The FLUX/AdVic Partnership – Free No-Form Download

Partnership Extends Across the Pond

AdVic’s relationship continued with FLUX’s Germany team to create one-directional and bi-directional syncs. With this integration, their team moved from working in two systems, to just Salesforce®. On a nightly basis, contacts and opportunity line items are transferred between systems. On a shorter sync, products and opportunities are created and transferred every five minutes.

Before the integration, their U.S. team swiveled between systems, and used their team in Germany to gain information. Now, all of their data is in Salesforce and all teams have immediate access.

During the time of the integration, AdVic consulted FLUX on the best fit solutions possible. We listened carefully to their needs as to what information required to be exchanged between systems to ensure maximum efficiency on the first shot.

Syncs were tested every other day up until the official go live.

In addition to this integration, we also built-out a method for dynamically adding and removing fields to the integration. Users with admin access had the ability to go into the setup object to configure the integration without the use of code. This empowered their team to change their org whenever needed.

“To this day we still meet weekly with Ad Victoriam to think and explore more solutions. We work together. This is not a project; this is a relationship. They are not a vendor; they are a true partner who took the time to know our business. That is why we have continually worked with them for more than four years. The Ad Victoriam team finds a way to work within our system and makes things happen; they know solutions based on their knowledge of our business and are positive, creative, and supportive in every way. We always feel valued.” – FLUX Pumps

Our Present Partnership

Today, AdVic’s long-standing relationship with FLUX has morphed into a Managed Services partnership, whereby AdVic continues to enhance their Salesforce platform so it always fits their needs. FLUX is equipped with technology that grows and transforms with business, and they are assured that they can continue to connect and communicate with their customers on one unified platform and never miss a beat.

Thriving businesses are agile, scalable, and continually innovate to serve their customers. Based on industry best practices and the latest Salesforce and MuleSoft® advancements, AdVic’s Salesforce and MuleSoft Managed Services Program keeps your cloud-based software in alignment with your processes and goals – often at a lower cost than one employee – so your business can thrive. Let’s talk about ways your business can start thriving today!

Related Resources:

AdVic Provides a Managed Services Solution

Building and Maintaining Relationships Through Managed Services

Moving Your Business Forward with Salesforce Managed Services

Read More AdVic Customer Success Stories

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As businesses and cultures worldwide eagerly transition into a digital-first marketplace, seamless online customer experiences have become paramount for any company in the world to survive, and subsequently, thrive. With customers becoming the heart and soul of any organization, more companies are accelerating their shift to digital business by simultaneously reducing costs and improving online experiences for both their customers and employees.

What follows are responses Ad Victoriam Solutions President, Brian Mize, recently made to questions and topics about customer experience, posed by Salesforce.

Why is Salesforce the World’s #1 CRM?

Brian Mize: “Salesforce CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is not just any CRM that houses client data. It’s a premier platform that allows businesses to build customer-centric relationships by enabling them to connect and interact with customers in a way that caters to their individual needs, allowing for improved experiences and business growth. Salesforce helps companies stay connected to their customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability. Unlocking customer-centric growth by implementing Salesforce ultimately empowers companies to manage relationships through the customer lifecycle, spanning marketing, sales, and customer service. 

“Salesforce has become the world’s #1 CRM, partially due to the power of having a single source of truth for every customer’s data. Salesforce refers to this valuable feature as “Customer 360” because it connects all of your customers across both online and offline data. 

“But why does this matter? Because the collected data can be utilized for specific strategies within each individual cloud. For example, if part of an organization needs customer information for a specific purpose within marketing, sales, or service, the ultimate goal becomes successful because everyone on those teams has access to the most accurate, up-to-date data.”

Enhancing the User Experience

Brian Mize: “The excitement for Salesforce comes from seeing the needle move. When a customer realizes that they have been investing their efforts in the wrong direction, when they see that they can build a stronger client presence and a deeper base through knowing what the customer needs almost before the customer needs it… that’s where I get excited. It’s the “Ah-ha!” moment of the 360-degree view!”

How Transformation Transpires

Brian Mize: “As an organization, we have been in the ecosystem since 2014, and have completed well over a thousand successful projects. Our reach is East to West, North to South. We have consultants in all time zones across our nation that will work according to the schedule our customers need in order to ensure a successful launch.

“In years past, one would need to pull the customer list from System A, the sales revenue from System B, the Leads from System C, and fulfillment from still another system—and would still be missing critical points through the process. With Salesforce, and with a full set of API available, the data can live on platform, and can be reported on to provide insight that simply hasn’t been possible without significant IT lift in years past. This is truly a game changer!

“As all leaders of sustainable businesses will attest, it’s equally as imperative to improve the experiences of employees as those of customers. Employees need new technologies to work from home, capable enough to help them collaborate digitally. Our goal is, as it has always been, to provide exceptional value through exceptional consultants on an amazing platform. We often take a best-of-breed approach and build Victory Packages that can shorten an already fast-time to market for our customer base.  

“When your customers and employees are happy, everyone wins.”

Accelerating the Shift to Digital Business

Brian Mize: “Digital transformation on the platform has made all the difference for our forward-looking customers, especially as we navigate the difficult waters of a pandemic.

“A fully remote workforce, with a fully remote customer base, is something that many wouldn’t even have envisioned in years past. Through the digital transformation made possible on Salesforce, our customers are recognizing increased customer satisfaction, increased demand for products, and increased employee engagement. While we are multi-cloud, we do focus heavily on Retail, Manufacturing, and Healthcare. Across all of these, cloud enablement and digital transformation are critical to meet the growing needs of an increasingly adept workforce and client base.  

“One of the benefits of Salesforce is the always-updated platform. This means a client can move as quickly as business will allow, without worry for the next “big thing” that will be released and potentially break or change their direction.  

“Salesforce is able to upgrade, both in terms of technology and approach, to give their customers a resilient platform that can withstand the winds of global change while remaining in front of customers and changing the bottom line for good.”

Take the First Step in Unlocking Customer-Centric Growth

More than ever, customers are the lifeline of a business, but growing these relationships in this evolving, digital-first world is challenging. That’s why more companies are turning to AdVic® – a Top 25 Global Salesforce Partner – with the proven experience to deliver effective, creative technology solutions.

Interested in connecting your teams on a single platform to strengthen customer relationships? Click below to pick a date to chat with AdVic’s Consulting Team and learn more about driving business speed, scale, relevance, and reliance all with the world’s #1 CRM.

Related Resources:

Top Brands Do This to Create an Effective Customer Experience

B2B Customer Experiences By People, Built For People

​​How Salesforce and MuleSoft Create a Seamless Customer Experience

Manufacturer Transforms Customer and Team Member Experience with Salesforce

Subscribe to the AdVic Salesforce Blog on Feedly:

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Through your research, you have found that Salesforce® products will work best for your organization. So, what’s next? 

It is time to look for a Salesforce Partner to implement (or modify) your technology. We know that this is a huge decision – one that will affect your business, your team and your career. At AdVic, we start off with a strategic technology roadmapping that outlines your current process to tackling complex technology goals. 

Similar to any time you hire someone for a job, there are always questions. Here are five common questions Salesforce newbies (and vets, too) have asked us.

1. Are you listed on the Salesforce AppExchange?

You can find AdVic listed on the AppExchange along with more than 100 Salesforce-verified reviews from customers, project completions, and more about us. Our expertise expands from industry to industry as we completed 182 projects.

2. Are your consultants certified?

We have a power-house of Salesforce consultants, developers, and architects. We offer our consultants continued training and education to expand their knowledge in the Salesforce ecosystem. 

Certification Breakdown:

Admin: 150
Architect: 55
Consultant: 137
Developer: 87
Marketing: 16

3. What is your implementation framework?

The first step to any project with AdVic is Strategic Roadmapping. We study the ins and outs of your company, become an extension of your team, and begin planning. Following roadmapping, we begin choosing and adopting the right technology for your business, based on your unique needs.

4. Who maintains and protects our initial project?

A digital transformation can be a costly, yet valuable investment to any organization. Not only is it a monetary investment, it also takes time and effort from stakeholders and employees. At AdVic, we offer a managed services solution that protects your original technology investment. With managed services, our consultants will dedicate time to support and update your system to prevent system issues before they arise. 

Data and technology costs are bundled into a package with a set amount that can be paid monthly or annually.

5. In what ways does your company give back to the community?

We are a Certified B Corporation for a purpose, not profit. This means we are a company that treats people with dignity and respect and its community with care. We offer employees 40 hours of Volunteer Time Off to make an impact in the community. We also host Project Victory, where we enable Salesforce products for nonprofits to manage donations, data, marketing, and more. 

Still have questions? We’re standing by to answer any of your questions as you make that all-important Salesforce Partner decision. Why not pick a day and time that works for you to speak with us? See the calendar below, or just reach us here.

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2022 is the year! The year to connect your disparate systems, the year of automation, 360-degree data, and connecting with your customers like never before. If you are in the planning stages of your digital transformation, your company is on the way to great success.

A complete digital transformation is a great strategy for combating outdated processes and adapting to today’s standards. Customers want personalized experiences and service teams need access to customer data to deliver the expected results. A comprehensive CRM system can empower both.

Salesforce’s Manufacturing Cloud is an AI-powered tool that is built to tackle manual processes, unexpected downtime, and disorganization that many companies are facing. Imagine having one platform that caters to customers, partners, and employees? Manufacturing Cloud is just that. When approached with intention, implementation, integration, or managed services can be achieved using this tool to enhance your business.  

The most successful digital transformations drive change from leadership to employees to provide customers with unforgettable experiences. They also require planning stages. The infographic below (Download Here) illustrates a roadmap to incorporate in your planning. Here’s to gearing up for a successful year! 

 If you would like to learn how the  Ad Victoriam Consulting Team can get to work for you starting today and help you execute a plan for better manufacturing efficiencies, click here.

Related Resources:

Salesforce Solutions for Manufacturers

Manufacturers are Turning to Salesforce

The Five Most Important Things Manufacturing Cloud Does for Businesses

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Did you know that about one of eight digital transformations succeed? To be one of the successful ones, start by building a digital transformation strategic roadmap that includes obtaining buy-in from your stakeholders and the team. This buy-in lays is one of the top keys to a successful transition to the future of your business. 

To help prepare you, we have compiled six steps you can take to ensure gaps are filled and an effective assessment is taken of your business to build the perfect technology for you. 

Step One: Define Your Digital Transformation Objective

The first step to a successful digital transformation is knowing and understanding your business’ needs and goals. To avoid following tech trends that may not be beneficial to your org, or copying competitors, defining your objective sets you up to implement the right tools for your team.

Step Two: Stakeholder Buy-In

Stakeholders are the key members in the digital transformation process. Stakeholders include leadership, employees who have influence over the larger team, and those who will play a pivotal role in the success of the transformation. Stakeholder buy-in is more than just acceptance. It requires them to truly understand the project’s goals, how it positively impacts them and the metrics that will determine overall success.

Step Three: Design Your Customer and Employee Experience

Now it’s time to focus on designing the experience you envision for your team and your customers. A successful digital transformation prioritizes and values user experiences as much as it introduces new capabilities for your team. 

Step Four: Evaluate Your Current Technologies

This step will be a hard look at the current state of the business while considering the desired future state to identify the gaps and opportunities. 

This step will be a hard look at the current state of the business while considering the desired future state to identify the gaps and opportunities. 

1. Evaluate: You have to determine, based on the objectives you established and the design you’ve created, which specific technologies need to stay active, upgraded, automated, or discontinued.
2. Analyze: Match the technologies with the outcomes they deliver and the problems they solve.
3. Implement: Once a solution is reached, it is then time to kick-off your project. There is a process of discovery, design, development and testing, and a great deal of support and training.

    

Step Five: Your Solutions and Partners

If you don’t have the internal bandwidth or skill sets to make your digital transformation happen, you will need to consider outsourcing this service. It is best to do a careful and thorough review of possible providers and their services. In addition to the capabilities and experience of a vendor, they should have a proven track record, be flexible and responsive. The vendor also needs to be able to provide the necessary post-implementation support based on your needs.

The best place to find reviews, certifications, and other decision making information on Salesforce partners is the AppExchange.

Step Six: The Implementation Timeline

• Project Kick Off: Your hand-selected Ad Victoriam Salesforce Consultant team, who have the specific expertise and industry experience to achieve your objectives, will begin planning the project roadmap.

• Discovery & Strategic Design: Our team, alongside yours, will discuss your business processes and gather details on the functional, technical, and business requirements to create your project’s detailed technical roadmap.

• Development & Testing: Development is broken down into “sprints,” with each sprint completing outlined project deliverables. Iterative demos presented after each sprint to obtain your feedback early and often.

• Acceptance & Training: Your Salesforce implementation team verifies that the platform meets your requirements and your satisfaction. The Ad Victoriam team will train your internal Salesforce champions, who in-turn train all end-users. If requested, Ad Victoriam will train all end-users.

• Go-Live Support: Your solution goes live once final sign-off is obtained and users have been trained. Ad Victoriam remains available throughout the Go-Live process and will answer all questions.

• Project Success: Ad Victoriam schedules a closeout celebration meeting where, together, we’ll discuss the project success, and any future needs.

If your company is struggling with growth or it takes numerous team members to execute manual processes that could be solved with automation, it’s time to consider a digital transformation…and it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Let AdVic show you how. Book a time to chat on our calendar below!

More Digital Transformation Resources:

Digital Transformation 101: Your Questions Answered

Five-Steps to a Successful Digital Transformation

Preparing for a Digital Transformation

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As we begin to put 2021 in our rearview mirror and forge ahead with eyes wide open into 2022, we wanted to take this opportunity to share the Top 21 Salesforce Blogs AdVic published in 2021, ones that we got the most feedback from and ones you may have missed… Enjoy, and Happy New Year from all of us at Ad Victoriam Solutions!

1. As is the case with all Salesforce Releases, Ad Victoriam’s consultants have poured through every one of the new features and have highlighted the ones they are most excited about. Let’s take a look at this release’s Top 6 highlights.
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2. Any successful business knows that in order to find and solve problems, you have to start by looking at your data. With all of the technology out there – including Salesforce – the hard part isn’t getting access to the data you need – it’s analyzing and interpreting your data, and then understanding how your analysis will translate into solutions to your business problems.
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3. For this Salesforce Release, AdVic’s CPQ Practice Lead Aaron Chamblee poured through every one of the new features and we have highlighted the ones he is most excited about across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Field Service, and Development.
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4. New standards require distributors to progress or sink in the competitive retail industry. For modern retail distributors, victory is to defeat challenges by finding new ways to run businesses efficiently. It is essential for distributors to have software that allows their operations to grow and remain strong in the face of change.
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5. As your business expands and opportunities increase, you’re most likely seeking solutions that enable your business to grow. A common barrier to growth is the utilization of technology that fails to scale with emerging needs. Eliminating technology limitations accelerates progress – especially when it relates to servicing customers, everyone’s number one priority. 
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6. During a recent AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast, Helbig Enterprises’ Diane Helbig spoke about retail sales, and on what has changed for retailers and shoppers, especially as a result of the pandemic, and how retailers are bidding for customer business via personalized journeys, and more. Here are some highlights from that discussion.
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7. Learn how an AdVic client partnered with our Manufacturing Consulting Team, who guided them toward the data and system solution that now delivers the rewards program experience they wanted (and needed) for their customers.
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8. In an effort to help you safeguard your Salesforce data, AdVic’s consultants – who work every day in the Salesforce ecosystem to help our clients secure their data – have compiled a list of seven things that users should be aware of within their Salesforce Org to ensure maximum data security.
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9. Salesforce continues to go to market with new products and features year after year. Our question for you is: How well are you taking advantage of them?
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10. To help get you ready for the Winter ‘22 Release, AdVic’s certified consultants have once again poured through the latest Salesforce innovations across Sales Cloud, Reporting, Experience Cloud, Field Service, and Service Cloud to bring you these six exciting new feature highlights.
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11. Andrew Deutsch was a recent guest on AdVic’s “Salesforce Simplified” podcast and talked about converting sales no’s into yes’ by analyzing important data he says may be “leaking” within your sales funnels. Then we dug into transforming sales teams into selling machines, and more. Here are some highlights from that conversation.
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12. During a recent AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast, Paul Slack, Vende Digital founder and CEO, offered some B2B marketing tips across the topics of marketing strategies, sales and marketing, SEO, and social media. Here are a few highlights from that conversation.
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13. Salesforce and MuleSoft can create a powerful, real-time integrated experience in your Salesforce org. This article will explain what it means to have an integrated experience in your Salesforce org and how to acquire that experience with MuleSoft. In addition, we will cover some of the basic integration tools in Salesforce, a high-level overview of MuleSoft architecture and how these tools work together. 
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14. Are you looking to segment your data in Salesforce Marketing Cloud to reach that key audience? Do you find yourself needing to segment or apply filters on a regular basis to get the latest data before you send an email? Marketing Cloud provides a manual process to filter data Extensions or Lists, but there is also another option to automate your frequent segmentation by utilizing Automation Studio.
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15. In a recent AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast, Diane Helbig, Chief Improvement Catalyzer at Helbig Enterprises, explained – among other things – the importance of sales teams engaging with prospects to gain accurate insight into their needs, along with the parallels that come with relationship development and business growth.
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16. Raise your hand if you’ve tried to tackle a Salesforce implementation in-house with little or no knowledge of how to do it and thus – unfortunately – failed to get what you need? Learn how without help from an experienced Salesforce partner, you could waste time and resources.
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17. Ad Victoriam Solutions and Fors Marsh Group, two certified B Corps, teamed up on a project to help facilitate further community engagement via the B Hive platform.
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18. AdVic released our Third Annual Impact Report in 2021, which included a list of lessons learned, milestones achieved, and goals unmet. Here are a few takeaways.
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19. AdVic and Goodwill of North Georgia partnered to provide a unique training program for residents of Athens-Clarke County, GA. The 12-week program taught participants the basics of Salesforce and prepared them for a career in the growing technology industry.
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20. Learn how implementing a digital transformation introduces exciting possibilities in business. From employee success and customer satisfaction, technology enhances experiences for all.
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21. In a 2021 AdVic “Salesforce Simplified” podcast, Ali Davachi, CEO of Realware, spoke  about the risks, rewards and wins of taking on a digital transformation. Here are some highlights from that episode.
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Need to reach AdVic to talk about any of the topics in our 2021 Salesforce Blogs? Hit us up here.

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