Upgrading software can be an awesome or blah-some experience. How it turns out all depends on the features, benefits, user experience – and the bugs. Of course, bug-free is the goal! But in the real world, there will at least be some minor ones to work through.
The new Salesforce Lightning Experience represents the first major overhaul in the look and feel of Salesforce in more than 15 years. Organizations that have migrated to Salesforce Lightning Experience rave about its enhanced user experience and added features.
The revamped, flexible, dynamic design looks slick, of course. But there's more to Lightning Experience than just looks. This new platform helps users work more efficiently. For example, the seamless layout cuts down on clicks and the need to switch among screens to get information.
There are lots of features and reasons to move to Lightning, and we won’t rehash all of them. Instead, here are four major reasons to switch to Lightning Experience.
This reason alone is huge. Lightning comes with Sales Path, a feature that lets you define the key stages in the buyer's journey. You can set it up to highlight the important fields in each stage of the sales process that the reps must complete. And anything that makes the sales team's job easier, makes selling easier.
Sales Path also offers coaching scripts and guidance to help the team be successful every step of the way. Also, you can add links to Chatter posts and videos. In short, a sales team will be able to access valuable information easily and quickly. That brings up the next reason.
Lightning requires fewer clicks to get the information you need and create records – saving time. The software replaces grids with easier-to-follow visuals like Kanban view for Opportunities, which provides visual representations of deals organized by stage. Kanban view can be accessed for almost any list view.
Little things like these make a huge difference in the user experience. Sales reps are more likely to use the software when they see it as an extension of their job rather than something they are saddled with. Add training to the equation, and you'll send Salesforce user adoption soaring.
A mobile-first strategy is a must today. Salesforce Classic came to be long before mobile-first kicked in. Conversely, the entire Lightning Experience has been designed with mobile in mind. Your sales team and business users can get more done in Salesforce – from anywhere, on any device.
When making major upgrades people often overlook the things that do not change. Decision makers may struggle with the thought of migrating because they worry about keeping what they need in their current setup. They need reassurance that important information will not disappear.
The good news is that the three essentials will not be affected by the migration:
If you are concerned about making a smooth transition to the new system, there is a security blanket built in. Even after switching to Lightning, users can still work in Classic mode. However, this may not work forever. So, the sooner an organization moves to Lightning, the sooner their users can learn it, love it, and leave Classic behind.
Salesforce Classic served everyone well. But times change, and so do the ways and means of doing business. For example, when Classic came out, artificial intelligence (AI) was the stuff of science fiction. Now it is a must-have feature in CRMs. Lightning Experience contains the features and benefits that organizations expect from today's CRMs. Stay ahead of the game and move to Lightning. Your users will thank you.
According to Salesforce, one of the biggest barriers to migrating is not cost. Rather, it's the system administrator's lack of knowledge of Lightning. There is a human app for that.
If the process of migrating causes a lot of fingernail biting, you may want to work with a Salesforce consulting partner. They have done many Salesforce migrations, and they know what to do and how to prevent common problems.
Since Lightning's release, there have been more than 3,500 pages of release notes! All the more reason to find the right Salesforce partner to work with you.