Getting started on Salesforce at the Cat dealership

At its core, digital transformation is about leveraging technology to improve business processes, and customer experiences and, ultimately, drive growth. One tool that many businesses have turned to for digital transformation is Salesforce, a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform that can help businesses automate sales, marketing, and customer service processes.

In this blog post, we'll explore how dealerships for Caterpillar construction equipment can start their digital transformation journey with Salesforce. We will shed light on the initial steps to evaluate current tools and processes, identify areas for improvement, and finally begin the rollout of a fully future-proofed plan.

What to keep and what to replace

When approaching a new Salesforce implementation, the first step is to review the existing technology. The questions to ask are:

• Is there a "burning platform", that is, the tool or process currently in use but no longer meeting the changing needs of the business?

• What is the risk of a current tool or process being sunsetted due to a lack of investment in IT infrastructure or the retirement of the person who created it? This is a critical future-proofing activity for Cat dealers.

• What features are on parity or better than the Salesforce platform within the remaining toolset, and would migrating to Salesforce benefit the business?

Establishing priorities

Once the team has identified the answer to these questions, the next step is establishing an order of priority. Quite simply, this means it’s time to evaluate what works well and what needs attention immediately. That’s the first step in prioritizing.

Pro Tip: Don’t underestimate the importance of assessing the handoffs between different teams within the business, as these are often the areas where information is lost or duplicated. By plugging these gaps and streamlining processes, businesses can improve efficiency and deliver a better customer experience.

Generally, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) are two great projects to begin with, as these two areas are interconnected. It’s no small undertaking, however; to provide an efficient customer quoting service via CPQ. Cat dealers need to have all their parts in Salesforce.

Marketing and field service can follow CRM and CPQ in terms of priority.

But (there’s always a but) all the above goes out of the window if the platform is on fire! For example, if a business has a retiring Service platform, then it makes more sense to focus on that first. While Service is a more complicated and challenging project, it's essential to have access to standard jobs and parts to quote them using CPQ.

One size does not fit all

It's worth noting that every dealer is unique, and the way that each dealer approaches digital transformation will also be unique. That’s why it’s critical to partner with a consultancy with lived and wide experience in Cat dealerships.

In summary, the Salesforce platform can future-proof Cat dealers' businesses by improving their processes and integrating their data. To achieve this, they need to evaluate their existing tools, assess the benefits of moving to Salesforce, and create a roadmap for a program rather than a single project.

These are the simple but vital steps that Endiem followed in the initial stages of its digital transformation program for Mustang Cat. This was the foundation for them to streamline processes and improve efficiency, ultimately leading to a better customer experience.

Top Cat Stat: A commission calculations process previously took a senior analyst 100 hours a month to complete. After bringing in Salesforce CPQ, this process has been reduced by 80%.

Watch the Mustang Cat digital transformation story

If you're considering digital transformation for your own business, following a similar process can help you identify areas for improvement and lay the foundation for future growth. Contact us today for an initial no-obligation consultation on getting started with your dealership transformation.

Next post: The Six Pillars of Data Management for Cat Dealers