Salesforce org merges or org consolidations involve combining one or more production instances of Salesforce. These merges are complicated (involving a significant amount of resources and time) but often necessary processes when an enterprise decides to consolidate two or more instances of their Salesforce. Salesforce org merges entail the integration of the various technological backends of one or more orgs into one single org. Discover the essential 10-point checklist for ensuring a smooth Salesforce org merge. Streamline your process with this comprehensive guide.
What merits a Salesforce org merge?
Here are valid reasons to merge Salesforce orgs:
- Mergers and acquisitions
M&As are the most common reason for performing an org merge. When companies merge or acquire one another, they might need to consolidate their Salesforce instances to streamline operations, unify data, and create a single source of truth.
A single pane of truth that portrays the complete picture of the customer across departments, and improves employee productivity is invaluable to propel CX.
- Business process standardization
Organizations may have multiple Salesforce orgs due to historical reasons or different business units. Merging these orgs can help standardize processes, reduce complexity, and improve efficiency. Additionally, costs can be saved on a duplicate license cost for users who require access to both the orgs; in addition, you have lower costs for setting up and managing the orgs, managing similar fields or processes in both instances.
- Reduce technical debt
Businesses evolve rapidly, and decisions, processes, and workarounds that made sense in the past year might now be obsolete now. Decide on what can be retained, modified, and what can be discarded based on the evolving business needs in the foreseeable future.
In fact, some companies that have accumulated decades of Salesforce tech debt which might have become so huge that it would be easier to start over fresh in a brand-new org than try to correct and implement legacy processes.
Advantages of an org merge
- Enhanced data integrity and reporting – Consolidating data from multiple orgs can lead to improved reporting and analytics capabilities. This consolidated data can provide better insights and decision-making, through more informed strategies.
Salesforce survey respondents from customer service/support, commerce, sales, IT, finance, and marketing report better performance of applications when all teams use a unified system.
- Eliminate silos between teams – Salesforce org merge consolidates data and workflows, thereby fostering unified access and collaboration, breaking down barriers between teams, promoting shared insights, and enhancing cross-departmental communication.
According to Salesforce’s study, enterprises need unified CRM to boost business resilience.
- Lower maintenance costs – When multiple orgs are merged, duplicate functionalities, integrations, or subscriptions for similar services can be eliminated, thereby reducing ongoing subscription or maintenance costs.
- Simplified training and support – Having a single Salesforce instance means simplified training processes for users and administrators. This can result in decreased dependency on support resources.
- Streamlined maintenance and support – Managing multiple Salesforce orgs can be complex and time-consuming. Consolidating them simplifies administrative tasks, reducing the effort required for maintenance, updates, and support.
Top 10 guidelines for a flawless org consolidation
Planning for a Salesforce org merge entails crucial steps to ensure a smooth and successful consolidation. Here’s a comprehensive salesforce org merge checklist for a seamless org merge:
- Define objectives and scope:
- Clearly outline the goals and reasons for merging the orgs.
- Define the scope of the merge, including data, processes, customizations, and users involved.
- Conduct a detailed assessment:
- Analyze the existing orgs thoroughly to understand their setup,data models, and integrations.
- Identify redundant or overlapping data, fields, processes, and customizations.
- Develop a merger strategy:
- Decide on the target org that will absorb or consolidate data and configurations.
- Plan the timeline, milestones, and key deliverables for the merge.
- Determine the approach for data migration, including mapping data, data cleansing, and validation processes.
- Data analysis and cleanup:
- Perform data analysis to identify duplicates, inconsistencies, and outdated records.
- Develop a data cleansing strategy to ensure data quality before migration.
- Create a data mapping document detailing how data from different orgs will be merged into the target org.
- Custom & system configuration rationalization:
- Evaluate customizations, process setups, feature utilization, and integrations in both orgs.
- Determine what customizations need to be retained, modified, or discarded in the merged org.
- Document the configurations and customizations to be migrated and adapted in the target org.
- User engagement and change management:
- Communicate the merger plan to all stakeholders, including users, administrators, and managers.
- Provide training sessions and resources for users to familiarize themselves with the changes.
- Address concerns and queries to manage expectations and facilitate a smooth transition.
- Migration and integration plan:
- Develop a detailed migration plan specifying the sequence of data migration and configurations.
- Test all data migration processes and integration points thoroughly in a sandbox or testing environment.
- Prepare rollback strategies in case of unforeseen issues during the merge process.
- Execute the merge:
- Perform the data migration and org configuration according to the plan.
- Monitor the merge process closely to address any issues promptly.
- Conduct thorough testing and validation of the merged org’s functionalities.
- Post-merge activities:
- Provide support and address any post-merge issues or discrepancies.
- Conduct user feedback sessions to gather input and improve the merged org as needed.
- Document the changes made and update documentation and training materials accordingly.
- Continuous improvement:
- Review the merged org periodically to identify areas for optimization and improvement.
Finally, it’s pivotal to enforce best practices and optimize processes to maximize the advantages of the merged org.
Preparing for a merge
Remember, planning and executing a Salesforce org merge checklist is a strategic venture that mandates careful coordination, and involvement of stakeholders. Navigate the intricacies of an org merge with Movate by your side. As a trusted Salesforce partner, experts will guide you toward a customer-centric harmonious consolidation.
Movate’s Salesforce practice helps organizations attain speed, productivity, efficiency, and agility by transforming their Salesforce ecosystem through home-grown platforms and value multipliers including consulting, migration, integration, and transformation services.
Talk to Movate Salesforce consultants
Indranil Sengupta has 12+ years of experience as a Senior Solution Architect for Digital Transformation using Salesforce. He specializes in Salesforce org assessment and consolidating, revenue cloud and consumer goods cloud. LinkedIn.
Related information