In the past, work was like an orderly assembly line. People identify which part is stuck, then stop the line to fix the problem. Today, most of the work happens inside the software (and Lots That).

Companies of all sizes are accumulating applications to increase their productivity, efficiency, and ultimately, their profits. In 2024 alone, the average company employee will use 231 apps—up 4% from last year.

With this many tools, your company’s technology stack looks less like a smooth, sequential assembly line and more like the NYC subway system. Each software is an integral part of the workflow, with its own goals and user groups. Some workflows overlap, some don’t. And they are all trying to get you to your final destination.

Revenue growth started with the adoption of Salesforce

There are three common consequences of poor digital adoption: Higher risk of non-compliance, increased employee turnover, and lost time and money. In Salesforce, this might look like longer-than-usual 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 final destination as quickly as possible. But where (and how) should you start?

1. Map and understand employee workflow

First, the bad news: 40% employees have avoided or delayed using the app after having a negative experience 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 in three ways:

Analyze user engagement

You have a number of Salesforce licenses with different permissions. But knowing whether your employees are logged in (or not) does not represent the value of your digital workplace. How do people use Salesforce, and how often? This additional context helps you reduce IT and operational costs.

Resolving friction

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

Empathize with employees

You have to go further than just numbers. Building empathy with your employees comes from their experiences. Watching actual workflow replays (in a safe and scalable way) is one way to do this.

You can visualize where users get stuck, where they click furiously, where they quit, and even discover shortcuts you didn’t know existed. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is its replay value?

Sales force usage insights without a plan will be wasted. Start with one or two end goals, such as improving workflow completion or decreasing support costs. Radical prioritization will help you achieve your adoption and engagement goals.

2. Communicate what you want others to do

Passengers riding the L train don’t want messages for different routes. Communication in your workplace is no different.

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

Sometimes general in-app communication isn’t enough. Users may not be logged into Salesforce enough (or, they’re ignoring your messages). Address this by targeting and personalizing communications based on user info and in-app behavior, such as:

• Experience level. Entry-level salespeople may require a more in-depth exploration of the platform than a full-time sales director.
• Persona and job to be done. Technical account managers engage with Salesforce in a very different way than BDRs. Analysis’ segment and in-app poll can provide a level of insight and guidance on what to do next.
• Language and region. Default AI tools like Pendo writing assistant can create and translate communications for employees in every country where you operate.
• In-app behavior. If the user is not logged in, in-app messages will not be noticed. Use channels outside the application, such as email, to send messages based on what employees are doing (or not doing) within the application. Pendo Orchestra making it easy to scale this one-to-one personalization with targeted campaigns to drive desired behavior.

Real-world use case: Using guidance to drive compliance

Most companies cannot afford to design illegal or dangerous systems, but ensuring compliance and governance is easier said than done.

When a global bank using Pendo sells one of its lines of business in a particular country, the seller must comply with a non-compete clause. To remind sellers of these legal requirements, the global bank added Guide on Salesforce to remind bankers not to target customers in those countries. This helps ensure compliance, reduce risk, and protect their bottom line.

3. Collect feedback continuously

Product usage data only tells half the story about your employees’ Salesforce experience. To really improve your Salesforce workflow, ask your workforce what they think and feel when they come together qualitative data.

When you launch a new guide, ask for in-app feedback to see whether your communications were helpful (or not). You should also ask for their ideas. However, they who lives in Salesforce every day. No one understands what their job entails except themselves.

You can do this via Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)in-app polls, and even offers a place for it write feedback (like Pendo Listen in-app widget). Then, let Pendo AI summarize your employees’ feelings into core themes.

Qualitative feedback enriches your quantitative analysis 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 for strong Salesforce usage.

Map out your Salesforce “transit map,” identify workflows that need improvement, places to drive behavior change with in-app messaging, tooltips, and guidance, and listen to your workforce. To learn more, explore Pendo for Salesforce or connect with an expert.