- Feature depth
- Salesforce is the leading CRM
- Salesforce ecosystem (training, integrations, etc.)
Our review of Salesforce
Salesforce is the global standard for CRM software, widely adopted by companies both in France and internationally. In fact, proficiency in Salesforce has almost become a prerequisite for joining any sales team.
Last updated on
8
mn
My opinion
Customer reviews
- The software is quite expensive, especially for small businesses
- Challenging to learn initially
- The interface can be cumbersome and sometimes unintuitive
Ideal for those seeking a powerful, all-in-one CRM with extensive features
From $25 per user per month
Free 30-day trial
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Salesforce is the global benchmark for CRM software, used by countless companies across France and worldwide. In fact, knowing how to use Salesforce has become almost essential for anyone looking to join a sales team.
While Salesforce is an outstanding CRM platform, it’s not necessarily the best fit for every business. Based on my experience, some companies may find it overcomplicated, especially when it comes to relatively simple needs.
The goal of this article is to help you decide if Salesforce is the right CRM for your business. As one of the most feature-rich CRMs, Salesforce offers immense capabilities, but it’s not always the best choice for smaller projects. You’ll likely need to work with integrators and Salesforce consultants to implement it effectively, which can add time and cost. The more stakeholders involved, the more complex (and expensive) the process becomes.
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My opinion of Salesforce in a nutshell
Salesforce has long been the go-to CRM platform, and it continues to lead the market with an impressive range of features. From artificial intelligence to seamless integrations with popular business tools like Slack and Facebook Ads, Salesforce constantly evolves to stay ahead.
That said, it’s not the easiest option for smaller businesses, especially due to its high implementation and software costs.
| Perimeter | Score | My opinion |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5 | Salesforce isn’t the market leader in CRM software for nothing. Its depth of functionality and the vast ecosystem of apps and integrators make it a top-tier solution. However, if you’re not working with experts, simpler solutions may deliver a better ROI for your business. |
| Ease of use | 4.4 | Salesforce is one of the most feature-rich CRMs, which can make it complex to use. However, the company has made significant strides in data visualization, and most salespeople are already familiar with the platform, which shortens the learning curve. |
| Easy to install | 4.2 | Salesforce is far from simple. The integration process is complex, and the costs reflect that. That said, most sales teams are well-versed in the platform, and Salesforce offers accessible training to ease the transition. |
| Customer service | 4 | Salesforce’s customer service used to be a weak point, but they’ve made significant improvements. Keep in mind, though, that the best support often requires investing in higher-tier plans. |
| Integrations | 4.7 | This is one of Salesforce’s biggest strengths. The AppExchange marketplace is vast, offering high-quality apps for nearly any function you need to add to your CRM. |
| Value for money | 4.6 | To unlock the full potential of Salesforce, you’ll need the Enterprise or Unlimited editions, which come with high price tags. For larger organizations, the customizable plans and rates can make it worthwhile. |
Salesforce’s major strengths and weaknesses
- A very powerful CRM software. There’s a reason Salesforce has become a must-have tool: from marketing automation to automation tools like Pardot, the platform covers everything you need with top-notch quality across the board.
- Highly customizable features. Salesforce lets you tailor the platform to fit your business needs, no matter the industry or company size. TheAppExchange marketplace is incredibly comprehensive.
- A well-known and trusted platform. Salesforce’s reputation means your sales teams—or those you plan to hire—are probably already familiar with it, saving you time and money on training.
- Einstein, the AI-powered sales assistant. From lead scoring to sales forecasting, and automated activity tracking, Einstein’s AI features provide invaluable sales insights and recommendations.
- High cost. Salesforce can be expensive, especially since many advanced features require paid add-ons. For beginners, the pricing structure and module options can be confusing.
- Complex setup and configuration. Salesforce’s power comes with complexity. Setting it up and configuring it correctly can be time-consuming, often requiring help from a Salesforce consultant or integrator.
- Cluttered interface. Compared to more streamlined CRM solutions, Salesforce can feel overwhelming, which may slow down deployment and everyday use.
- Customer support. Salesforce has struggled with customer support in the past. Although they’ve improved, premium support often comes with higher-priced plans. The platform also offers extensive training via Trailhead.
How much does Salesforce really cost?
Salesforce offers four main pricing plans, ranging from $25 per user per month to $300 per user per month. The more comprehensive Enterprise and Unlimited editions are designed for large organizations, offering the full breadth of Salesforce’s functionality.
While Salesforce may offer discounts for high user volumes, it’s crucial to review the contract carefully—especially the clauses related to annual price increases and cancellation terms.
Salesforce outlines its plans and features in detail in this document.
Besides the licensing fees, there are additional costs to consider when deploying Salesforce.
Try Salesforce for freeIf you’re unsure which plan is right for you, Salesforce offers a free 30-day trial to help you explore the platform’s features and interface.
The cost of integration
Beyond the software itself, you’ll need to factor in integration costs when deploying Salesforce. Given its complexity, working with a professional integrator is often necessary, which increases the overall cost.
My adviceIt’s estimated that for a single user, Salesforce could cost up to $5,000 in the first year, with that number scaling to $50,000 for a small sales team.
The cost depends on several factors:
- Company size: The number of users, customers, and transactions will impact the cost.
- Business goals: The more advanced your customer engagement strategy, the more complex your CRM setup will need to be, which could require additional modules.
- Organization complexity: Companies with complex hierarchies, processes, or structures will likely need a more involved Salesforce setup, driving up integration costs.
For more details on Salesforce costs and pricing strategies, check out our detailed guide.
Salesforce features in detail
Sales CRM: the core of the platform
The heart of Salesforce lies in its sales CRM, designed to help businesses manage every aspect of their sales process. With powerful tools to track opportunities, manage pipelines, and optimize workflows, Salesforce provides an in-depth view of your sales funnel from lead generation to closing deals.
Opportunities and pipeline management
Salesforce allows you to track sales opportunities throughout their lifecycle—from the initial lead to final order confirmation. Whether you’re overseeing a single salesperson, a team, or an entire region, Salesforce’s pipeline management tools give you a clear picture of every deal in progress. It helps you prioritize actions based on deal value and likelihood of closing.
Partner relationship management
Salesforce also includes tools for managing relationships with your channel partners, allowing you to track leads and opportunities generated through these partnerships, ensuring that your partner network is aligned with your overall sales strategy.
Tasks & activities
With Salesforce, you can assign tasks, set due dates, prioritize activities, and sync everything with your calendar. This feature helps your team stay on top of deadlines and manage their workload more effectively.
Contact and account management
Salesforce’s contact and account management features let you store all your customer information in one place. You can track interactions with customers, giving your team a complete view of the customer journey and improving the quality of your marketing and sales communications.
Contract management
Salesforce simplifies contract management by allowing you to create, negotiate, and store contracts within the system. Any updates or changes to the contract can be documented and agreed upon directly within the platform, ensuring compliance and smooth communication.
Product and price management
Manage your product lists and pricing directly within Salesforce. You can create custom pricing structures, offer discounts to specific customers, and ensure your sales team always has access to the latest pricing information.
Quotes and orders
Salesforce makes it easy for your team to generate quotes quickly, based on up-to-date product and pricing information. Once all necessary details are filled in, sales reps can process orders themselves or forward them to the appropriate department for fulfillment.
Try Salesforce for freeIf you’re still finding Salesforce’s capabilities overwhelming, you can get a better understanding by testing the platform for free.
Lead management (CRM Marketing)
Salesforce doesn’t just focus on sales—it also offers robust lead management features. With dedicated tools for handling your marketing campaigns, it’s easy to track and prioritize leads as they move through your funnel.
To help with this, Salesforce offers several views of your leads, including a Kanban board view, making it simple to move leads between stages.
One of Salesforce’s standout features is its AI-driven lead scoring, powered by Einstein. This tool analyzes your leads based on past performance and assigns a score to predict their potential success. To get the most out of Einstein’s lead scoring, Salesforce recommends having at least 1,000 leads and 120 conversions in the last six months.
Customer tracking features
Salesforce offers a comprehensive suite of customer tracking tools, allowing you to manage everything from call center interactions to problem resolution. Here’s a breakdown of the main features:
- Call center management. Salesforce includes call recording, workforce management, call script management, and compliance tracking.
- Problem resolution tracking. Easily track customer issues from submission to resolution.
- Customer support portal. Give your customers a place to submit service requests, view their order history, and contact your support team.
- Knowledge base. A robust knowledge base helps customers find the information they need, improving self-service capabilities.
- Analytics. Measure and optimize your customer support performance using built-in analytics tools.
Salesforce enables you to offer a personalized experience to your customers, which is especially effective when combined with an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) approach.
Try Salesforce for freeWe highly recommend taking Salesforce for a spin with their free trial to explore the full range of customer management features.
Customer reviews of Salesforce
Salesforce users tend to agree with our assessment of the platform’s limitations:
- Powerful but complex. Salesforce offers extensive customization options and functionalities, but the setup process can be cumbersome. Day-to-day usage can also feel more frustrating than helpful, especially when considering its price.
- Not the easiest to use. For those seeking intuitive sales and marketing tools, Salesforce might feel more like a burden. The learning curve is steep, which can be hard to accept given its premium pricing.
However, despite these drawbacks, Salesforce remains the dominant player in the CRM market for a reason. Most users acknowledge that, once fully implemented and mastered, the platform delivers strong returns on investment (ROI) and powerful capabilities that outshine its competitors.
Try Salesforce for freeIf you’re curious about Salesforce, test it for free and decide for yourself whether it fits your needs.
Customer Support at Salesforce
As the leader in CRM software, Salesforce has built a vast ecosystem of support that includes a network of highly trained consultants and integrators. This network is essential for successfully implementing the platform in larger organizations, especially given its complexity.
Unlike some other CRM providers, Salesforce directly manages this ecosystem, ensuring its partners maintain high standards. The company invests heavily in training and certifying its partners, making it easier to find skilled experts who can help you get the most out of the platform.
Salesforce also offers a variety of training programs, primarily through its Trailhead platform, which offers free, high-quality courses for users at all levels.
Salesforce support plans
When it comes to direct support from Salesforce, the company offers several tiers of customer service. At the base level, the Standard Success plan gives you access to community forums and documentation. For companies needing more assistance, Salesforce provides paid plans such as the Premier Success and Signature Success plans, which offer more in-depth support options.
The Premier Success plan is available for 30% of your net license cost and offers enhanced customer support, while the Signature Success plan provides even more extensive services, though pricing is available upon request.
Try Salesforce for freeIf you’re considering Salesforce, take advantage of their free trial to see if their support offerings and the platform itself meet your needs.