Salesforce Sales Cloud Reviews

Pros

Although it's technically still a CRM, for most companies using it, it really becomes the central place for everything, customer data, sales activity, quoting, support and contract management. The huge range of plugins and extensions makes it incredibly valuable for a growing business and it's reassuring to know it can scale as your needs expand.

Cons

UI/UX still feels outdated and awkward and the software can be noticeably slow at times.

Pros

After using a different platform at a previous company, the one with a name that sounds like a camping spot, I was honestly surprised by how easy and user-friendly this one is. It's highly customizable and it does a really good job of keeping all of our project timelines moving in the right direction. I'm in it several times throughout the day and it keeps me clear on exactly what I need to work on. Compared with the other software, this definitely helps me be more productive.

Cons

Its usefulness really depends on having accurate data going in so human error can still create problems though that's not really the software's fault. The part I'm less enthusiastic about is the reporting process. It started to make more sense the more I used it but because our projects have so many moving parts, the reporting interface can still feel pretty complex.

Pros

Being able to keep everything highly organized is a big plus, whether that means legal files, documents or emails that come in tied to cases. The email functionality is especially useful since you can assign a status to each message which helps keep work efficient, structured and methodical. When the entire company uses it, it really becomes a central place to track down all kinds of information through the search bar.

Cons

A few sections feel somewhat tough especially the charts, graphs and quarterly performance review tabs. There is definitely a learning curve and it takes a while to get comfortable with them.

Pros

Right away, the interface feels modern and much better than most enterprise software I've worked with. It comes with a huge set of features out of the box, offers a lot of customization and connects well with other enterprise platforms. The training is also excellent which makes getting up to speed much easier.

Cons

The only real downside is that, depending on how you plan to use it, the cost can be on the higher side.

Pros

It can be tailored to match the company where it's being implemented which makes it work much better for our specific needs.

Cons

A few needed or important changes have to go through a voting process before the company is willing to add them in a future update.

Pros

This is one of those tools that covers nearly everything a team needs to get work done. The dashboard and reporting are especially impressive and help make the whole process feel much more manageable.

Cons

It can handle just about anything you'd expect but that really only happens when the platform is used to its full potential. Because it's such a broad and feature-rich tool, most teams end up using less than half of what's available. It's also highly customizable which adds a learning curve and the pricing can become a real issue for smaller teams since it gets expensive quickly.

Pros

One of the biggest benefits is how well the system works as a contact management database. It makes it quick to sort, group and manage different stakeholders and organizations. The Service Console also does a really good job as a global solution for routing customer concerns to the right person or team. On top of that, the reporting tools help us share consistent updates on our events, customer service and travel.

Cons

A better version history would go a long way in avoiding miscommunication and making it easier to roll back unwanted changes. Rolling it out across our offices worldwide was challenging and we've run into issues getting every location to use the tools the same way. Another downside is that too much customization can make integrations with other systems harder or in some cases, not possible at all.

Pros

If your organization needs a CRM that can be tailored in every possible way, this is about as customizable as it gets. It's hard to think of another CRM that offers this level of flexibility for adapting the system to a company's specific processes and structure.

Cons

At the same time, it's difficult to picture any person, team or organization actually enjoying using it. I'm sure plenty of companies are satisfied with it, but to us it feels overcomplicated, tough and all over the place. Even with several CRM veterans on our team, it still comes across as confusing. The attempt to make it a strong tool for people beyond sales makes the roadmap feel especially muddled. It tries to cover everything yet for us it doesn't do any one thing particularly well. On top of that, their sales team is extremely aggressive and the contracts feel unreasonably limited.

Pros

Having all CRM-related data stored in the cloud is a big plus because it removes the burden of maintaining servers on the business side. The platform takes care of the server management itself which makes it much easier to keep track of information and manage data more effectively.

Cons

There is a slight learning curve at the beginning but that is fairly normal for an all-in-one platform designed to cover a full range of CRM needs.

Pros

It covers pretty much everything we were looking for, with room to do even more through the API. We connected it with desk.com for support which let us pass leads from sales over to support without losing any of the lead details. Some of the terms they use were unfamiliar at first but the documentation does help clear that up. Our sales team was also pleased with it because it made follow-ups easy and kept a record of other sales calls which helped prevent duplicate outreach.

Cons

With a platform this feature-rich, there's definitely a learning curve. It's worth expecting to spend a few days getting everything set up especially if you're planning a more complex integration.

Pros

It really works as a full customer relationship management center. We're able to keep the best apps and training tools for both customers and employees together in a single suite which makes everything much more convenient. It feels fairly secure, the navigation is easy and from a lead role it helps to point employees to Salesforce for both learning resources and customer management apps. It's the program we depend on to get the work done. It's the first thing I open when my day starts and the last thing I close and our company leans on it heavily.

Cons

My biggest frustration with this software is the constant crashing. To be fair, we have more than 50,000 employees using it on any given day, from the corporate office to work-from-home agents so that volume probably plays a part. Even so, agents lose a lot of time having to reboot and reach out to tech support because of how often it goes down. When it's running properly, there's really not much to complain about. It's a great tool and makes it simple to locate what you need right when you need it. Still, the crashes happen far too often and I'm really hoping stability updates are on the way.

Pros

One of the biggest strengths is how much this platform can be tailored to fit specific needs. It also connects really well with third-party apps which makes it much more useful in day-to-day work. The interface feels simple, clean and easy to use and the software itself has been reliable and powerful. Being cloud-based is another major plus since it can be accessed from anywhere at any time, as long as there is an internet connection.

Cons

Getting comfortable with it takes a serious time investment because the system is very complex. Expect to spend a lot of hours digging through the official documentation whenever something goes wrong and even then some features may still not work properly after following the documented steps. Beginners will definitely need a fair amount of training to understand how all the different parts connect. The reporting tools are also weaker compared with ServiceNow.

Pros

There's a lot this platform can do. It connects extremely well with our company's API and gives us access to a huge amount of client information. We're also able to manage schedules, activities, callbacks, reminders and follow-ups all inside the system. On top of that, it lets us store all of our client documentation in one place and pull it up without trouble. It's also been excellent for keeping detailed notes on client calls and visits.

Cons

Setting up our organization was an absolute nightmare. We never had one consistent local rep guiding us through the process and over the course of a year we met with several different reps without really accomplishing anything. We even had internal staff try to handle the setup but it still wasn't configured the way we wanted. Customer support wasn't much help either since they kept directing us back to a rep who wasn't providing any real assistance. In the end, we had to bring in an outside company which meant spending even more on an already expensive program.

Pros

One of the best things about this software is how it lets us keep a record of every single interaction with prospective and current customers. That has made communication across our business much more consistent and helped us deliver excellent customer service. I also really appreciate the option to automatically capture emails from our own platform directly into the database. On top of that, assigning responsibilities, sending internal messages and keeping an eye on the overall workflow have all been major advantages for our team.

Cons

There is a bit of a learning curve at the beginning when it comes to deciding how to structure the system. Some teams prefer to log everything under a contact card while others focus more on open cases. The good part is that the support team is very helpful in guiding new users through the best setup and processes and there are plenty of online resources available as well.

Pros

Range of tracking, reporting and status tools was really useful for making our business processes more efficient. It also offered the flexibility to connect with other programs through API integrations which was a big plus.

Cons

Getting everything configured to match our exact needs and specifications could be challenging at times. Once the templates are in place, it works very efficiently but reaching that point can take some effort and a few rounds of adjustments.

Pros

This CRM is highly flexible and works well for handling the needs of both a large client base and the organizations that support them. Filtering the right data is easy and sending mass emails to clients while connecting support organization information to those clients is very user friendly. The dashboard is especially strong when it comes to pulling impact and productivity metrics.

Cons

One area that could be better is duplicate account detection. Clients have several ways to register or open an account and sometimes they sign up with a different email even though the rest of their personal information stays the same. Unless someone notices the new account and connects the dots, the duplicate can be missed. It would help a lot if the system compared all submitted personal details against existing accounts and triggered an alert when enough matching information is found so users could review and merge or delete duplicate records.

Pros

The online features and backup history were really helpful for tracking version changes, along with clear time and date stamps. It made it very simple to tell who worked on specific items and when and helped us keep a great record of how each project moved along.

Cons

Getting our data exported from this system was incredibly frustrating and far more complicated than it should have been. The help we received was minimal and we were first sent to a website that only covered part of the process. It took several hours on the phone with support before they finally shared the remaining steps we needed to export everything.

Pros

One thing that really sets this apart is how customizable it is. I've been at two different companies that used this software and each setup looked completely different while still feeling simple to use. It's also a big plus that if a built-in solution doesn't quite cover your needs, there are add-ons and plug-ins that can be worked into the platform to create a very tailored fit for all kinds of businesses. On top of that, the customer support team has excellent tools available which gives you even more control when you need help fine-tuning things for the right setup. The integration with Pardot is another standout. With Pardot's automation features, it can save literal hours of manual work since contact and prospect data can sync almost in real time based on the rules you configure. And even if all of that sounds a little overwhelming at first, the onboarding team is fantastic and works closely with your admin staff to help get the most out of the platform, no matter their background or level of experience.

Cons

A few things can be frustrating, mainly the reporting limitations in Pardot. Plug-in integrations can also be a little inconvenient at times especially if they weren't configured during the original onboarding process. Still, those issues feel more like minor bumps in the road than anything serious and they don't take away much from the overall experience.

Pros

Just about every tool on the market seems to connect with it somehow. The surrounding software ecosystem is honestly staggering and once you compare it with other options in the space, it becomes pretty clear why it stays so dominant. It's tough to find another platform that supports enterprise-level needs this well. From managing leads and opportunity pipelines to delivering strong analytics, it covers most of the core things an organization expects from a CRM.

Cons

For something that has been around this long and is used by so many companies, you'd expect the UI and overall user experience to be far more polished and enjoyable. That really hasn't happened. Even with the newer version interface, it's still far from simple. Between the baffling gaps in functionality that seem like they should have been addressed years ago and the tough customization process, this CRM can seriously test your patience. That disconnect feels even stranger given how popular it is. On top of that, the pushed paid support is hard to ignore. Even though they don't handle onboarding directly, there always seems to be a third-party tech partner ready to help with setup at a very high hourly cost. It definitely doesn't add up to a pleasant experience.

Pros

A couple of years ago, our organization adopted it to handle applications and registration for students entering courses at our university-level training campus and it completely changed our workflow. We moved every part of the student process from paper to an online system which has made everything far more efficient and positive for our team. Being able to access applications and manage the entire process from anywhere in the world while traveling has been a huge advantage. It gave us the powerful platform we needed to make the whole operation fully paperless.

Cons

That level of capability also brings a fair amount of complexity. Our setup had to be built from the ground up and it took significant time, expense and the work of a couple of programmers to get everything functioning the way we needed. Still, I see that as part of the tradeoff for having a system this powerful since it definitely is not something that comes ready to use right out of the box.