Preena Johansen pointing at bar charts and text that says, "Deliver Insights with CRM Analytics."

How I Solved It: Deliver Insights with CRM Analytics

By

In this episode of “How I Solved It” on Salesforce+, #AwesomeAdmin Preena Johansen solves a customer insights problem using CRM Analytics and App Builder. Learn how she approached building her solution and her tips for developing admin skills.

The problem

Rumor had it that account teams were frustrated because there wasn’t a quick and easy way for them to get a complete picture of their customers. They were having to look in multiple places to track down service cases, opportunity pipelines, and account information to piece together a full view of what was going on with each customer. Account teams are busy people who are laser-focused on closing deals, so they don’t have time to dig around for hours trying to figure this out. After doing some investigation of my own, I realized the rumor was true and I had to create a solution that provided a full 360 view of each customer.

The solution

I’m an #AwesomeAdmin who loves data analytics and solving problems, so I knew I could build a solution that got the account teams everything they needed. In order to pull together all the data from across different parts of Salesforce, I used CRM Analytics with a few different queries, widgets, and filters. I then embedded the snapshot version of the full dashboard right onto the account page so the team could see everything they needed right where they do their work.

How I solved it

You can see the full solution in action by watching my episode, but while you’re here, I’ll share how I approached the problem using a few of my favorite skills from the Salesforce Admin Skills Kit: data analysis, user management, and product management.

Data analysis

Analyzing data is all about storytelling. You need to figure out what stories you want to tell, and then you can figure out what data to collect and work on how to transform it to tell that story. In this project, I made sure to understand what information the account teams needed to know in order to make decisions for the business. Then I found a way to surface this information in a dashboard that told the story they could use to take action and ultimately deliver a great customer experience while helping the business.

User management

Your solution is successful only if people use it. That means no matter what you build, you need to think about how your users will feel when they use it. Is it memorable? Do they like using it? If you build something they like, they will become advocates for your solution and help others adopt it across the business. In building this solution, I focused on how I could boost my account teams’ productivity because they could spend less time tracking down data in other places. At the end of the day, you want to build a solution that makes your users happier. By building a way to get my account teams the information they needed to better serve our customers quicker and easier, I made them happy and helped the business be more effective.

Product management

An #AwesomeAdmin skill that isn’t talked about enough is product management. As an admin, it’s my job to manage Salesforce as a product. I need to know what the platform can do, how I can extend it, and how it evolves with each release. This knowledge enabled me to use CRM Analytics and App Builder together to build this solution, and it helps me set a long-term vision for how to use Salesforce to transform other parts of the business. It can be a bit overwhelming to keep up with how the platform continues to expand, but I recommend using Trailhead and getting involved in Trailblazer Community Groups to learn about new features and keep up to date. One of my favorite groups (unbiased, of course) is the Salesforce User Group, Brisbane Australia.

My top 3 #AwesomeAdmin data analysis tips:

  1. Understand the end goal so you can understand what your users are trying to achieve.
  2. Be a storyteller—be the one to simplify and clarify the data so a nontechnical audience can understand and act on it.
  3. Be a change champion by taking your users on the journey with you so they can see it and believe it.

Want more?

Make sure you check out my episode and the rest of “How I Solved It” on Salesforce+!

Check out these great resources:

 

 

Jen Cole pointing to herself and text to the left of her that says, "Manage Data with MuleSoft."

How I Solved It: Manage Data with MuleSoft

In this episode of “How I Solved It” on Salesforce+, #AwesomeAdmin Jen Cole solves an inefficient fulfillment and sales process using MuleSoft Composer. Learn how she approached building her solution and her tips for developing admin skills. The problem Once upon a time, not so long ago, I was asked to fix an inefficient sales […]

READ MORE
Paolo Sambrano next to text that says "Design User Friendly Apps."

How I Solved It: Design User-Friendly Apps

In this episode of “How I Solved It” on Salesforce+, #AwesomeAdmin Paolo Sambrano solves an inefficient service desk experience using App Builder and Flow. Learn how he approached building his solution and his tips for developing admin skills. The problem A long, long time ago, someone (ahem, maybe a less-experienced me) built a service desk […]

READ MORE
Brittanee Charles in a Trailblazer hoodie next to text that says, "Automate Processes with Flow."

How I Solved It: Automate Processes with Flow

In this episode of “How I Solved It” on Salesforce+, #AwesomeAdmin Brittanee Charles solves a disconnected sales process using custom objects, Flow, and App Builder. Learn how she approached building her solution and her tips for developing admin skills. The problem We had two different sales processes in our organization: land sales and home sales. […]

READ MORE