Penrod Blog

A Tale of 2 Managed Services Companies: Ticket-Takers vs. Partners

In managed services, there are opposing philosophies – ticket-taking and partnership.

Ticket-takers focus on steadfastly completing incoming requests without question – regardless of whether they align with overall business goals or promote long-term stability. In contrast, partners focus on building ongoing support and development services beyond the initial setup – and evolving – according to the company's needs.

This post will discuss the differences between ticket-takers and partners and evaluate their impact on healthcare businesses.

What Does a Salesforce Ticket-Taker Do?

Ticket-takers have little to no impact on a company’s long-term goals. They treat Salesforce as a "set it and forget" platform with problems to be solved. They also take their role as passive, where clients tell them what they want, place orders, and are done.

What Does a Salesforce Partner Do?

A Salesforce partner is a service provider that offers customer services beyond the initial setup and implementation of a CRM platform. They work closely to ensure that the Salesforce environment evolves within the organization in line with the company’s growing needs and objectives. Some of the services that a salesforce partner offers include the following:

  • Consultancy
  • Digital transformation solutions
  • Change management
  • System Integration
  • Strategy and design
  • Technical support
  • Custom app
  • Custom code development
  • Unlike ticket-takers, Salesforce partners don’t treat CRM platforms as "set it and forget it" but exhibit ownership. Every decision they make is geared towards achieving the long-term success of their clients.

    Salesforce partners are also certified system administrators who can solve problems and design new solutions according to your company’s needs and goals. They can also interact with your team and present innovative ideas and perspectives to help your business flourish.

    Salesforce partners offer various benefits to an organization. Some of these benefits include the following:

    • They can help you understand your company’s needs and which product suits you best.
    • They’re highly skilled at translating your company’s strategic requirements into a custom-designed process.
    • They can create custom applications to automate your organization’s processes apart from designing and implementing innovative solutions to drive productivity.
    • They have the technical skills to accelerate success, optimize system configurations, and streamline upgrades.
    • They can help your organization maximize its ROI, ensuring it realizes its investment value.
    • They bring a wealth of innovative solutions and experience to your organization.

    How to Tell the Difference Between an Ticket-Taker and a Partner

    There’s a clear difference between Salesforce ticket-takers and partners. A ticket-taker only focuses on providing essential Salesforce services, such as fixing and completing issues.

    On the other hand, a Salesforce partner is driven by a strategic process geared toward an organization’s collective growth. They focus on the three disciplines of strategic thinking: acumen, allocation, and action.

    Acumen refers to generating crucial business insights, while allocation involves making trade-offs with your organization’s resources, and action involves staying focused on essential aspects rather than urgent ones.

    What to Look for in a Salesforce Partner

    Choosing the right Salesforce partner for your organization makes all the difference in your success. Therefore, there are several things you should look out for when selecting a Salesforce partner to get the best for your organization. Here are some of the crucial aspects you should consider:

    Experience

    Check whether your target Salesforce partner understands your industry, the number of years they’ve been in business and whether they focus on continually learning to stay up-to-date with current technologies and trends. You can also ask for case studies and testimonials to understand their relationship with their previous customers.

    Capacity to Leverage Software Engineering Models Like Agile

    Salesforce platforms are highly complex. Therefore, look for a Salesforce partner who can leverage the agile methodology to ensure adaptability and collaboration and align your Salesforce platform with your business objectives through an iterative approach.

    Ability to Tailor Custom and Holistic Solutions

    Custom Salesforce solutions fuel an organization’s success. Therefore, look for a Salesforce partner who deeply understands your organization’s unique needs and can integrate, automate, or create custom features that meet those needs.

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