In the past, work was like an orderly assembly line. People identified where things got stuck, then stopped the line to fix the problem. Today, most work happens inside software (and a lot of it).

Companies of every size accumulate apps to improve productivity, efficiency, and ultimately, their bottom lines. In 2024 alone, the average enterprise employee uses 231 apps—up 4% from last year.

With this many tools, your company’s tech stack looks less like a smooth, sequential assembly line, and more like NYC’s subway system. Each piece of software is one stop along the workflow, with its own purpose and set of users. Some workflows overlap, some don’t. And they’re all trying to get you to your end destination.

Revenue growth starts with Salesforce adoption

There are three general consequences of poor digital adoption: A higher risk of noncompliance, increased employee churn, and lost time and money. Within Salesforce, this may look like longer-than-normal sales cycles, poor lead conversion, inaccurate forecasting, and compliance and legal issues.

Just like a transit system, your Salesforce ecosystem needs to get sellers to their end-destination, ASAP. But where (and how) should you start?

1. Map and understand employee workflows

First, the bad news: 40% of employees have avoided or delayed the use of applications after a negative experience by using minimal features. And with third-party software, negative experiences may be out of your control.

Now, the good news: With data-driven tools for employee education, you can overcome this. Forward-thinking companies generate actionable, data-backed insights about employee software usage three ways:

Analyzing user engagement

You have a set number of Salesforce licenses with varying permissions. But knowing if your employees log in (or not) isn’t representative of your digital workplace’s value. How are people using Salesforce, and how often? This additional context helps you reduce IT and operational costs.

Resolving friction

You also need to look at each app in your revenue team’s workflow, and consider if it’s helping you design the best digital experience for all employees. If the most common path in Sales Cloud isn’t the most optimal path, this friction is hurting prospecting, account management, forecasting and pipeline, and your bottom line.

Empathizing with employees

You need to go further than just the numbers. Building empathy with your employees comes from connecting with their experiences. Watching replays of actual workflows (in a secure, scalable way) is one way to do this.

You can visualize where users get stuck, where they rage click, where they drop off, and even find shortcuts you didn’t know existed. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a replay worth?

Salesforce usage insights without a plan go wasted. Start with one or two end-goals in mind, like an increase in workflow completion or lower support costs. Radical prioritization will help you achieve your adoption and engagement goals.

See how Pendo can boost employee productivity and compliance.

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2. Communicate what you want people to do

Passengers riding the L train don’t want messages for a different route. Your workplace communications are no different.

The best way to drive Salesforce adoption is to show your workforce exactly what to do. And because 70% of training content is forgotten within 24 hours, the most effective way to communicate is when users are actively inside Salesforce. This also makes it easier to train a remote, globally distributed workforce. Use embedded in-app guidance to usher users through the sales cycle, provide resources, and even escalate issues right inside your workflow.

Sometimes generic, in-app communications aren’t enough. Users may not log into Salesforce enough (or, they simply ignore your messages). Combat this by targeting and personalizing communications based on their user info and in-app behaviors, like:

Level of experience. An entry-level seller may need a more in-depth walkthrough of the platform than a tenured sales director.
Persona and job to be done. Technical account managers engage with Salesforce very differently than BDRs. Analytics’ segments and in-app polls can provide this level of insight and guidance on what to do next.
Language and region. Built-in AI tools like Pendo’s writing assistant can create and translate communications for employees in every country you operate in.
In-app behavior. If a user isn’t logged in, in-app messages go unnoticed. Use out-of-app channels, like email, to send messages based on what employees do (or don’t do) in-app. Pendo Orchestrate makes it easy to scale this one-to-one personalization with targeted campaigns to nudge desired behaviors.

Real-world use case: Using guides to promote compliance

Most companies can’t afford to design a system that’s illegal or harmful, but ensuring compliance and governance is easier said than done.

When a global bank using Pendo sold one of its business lines in one specific country, their sellers had to adhere to a non-compete clause. To remind sellers about this legal requirement, the global bank added Guides in Salesforce to remind bankers not to target customers in that country. This helps ensure compliance, reduces risk, and protects their bottom line.

3. Gather feedback continuously

Product usage data only tells half the story about your employees’ Salesforce experience. To truly improve your Salesforce workflows, ask your workforce what they think and how they feel by gathering qualitative data.

When you launch new guides, request feedback in-app to see if your communications are helpful (or not). You should also solicit their ideas. After all, they’re the ones that live in Salesforce every day. Nobody understands what their work entails but them.

Pendo can take your Salesforce motions to the next level.

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You can do this via Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS), in-app polls, and even offering places to write out feedback (like Pendo Listen’s in-app widgets). Then, let Pendo AI summarize how your employees feel into core themes.

Qualitative feedback enriches your quantitative analytics so you can understand the “why” behind your data.

Improving your employee experience isn’t always linear, but these best practices will help you lay the foundation of strong Salesforce usage.

Map out your Salesforce “transit map,” identify workflows to improve, where to drive behavior change with in-app messages, tooltips, and walkthroughs, and listen to your workforce. To learn more, explore Pendo for Salesforce or connect with an expert.

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