The Challenges  

The customer had multiple systems for their daily operations, including tasks related to various chapters, technical divisions, reporting, events, nominations, and awards. Their diverse programs posed difficulties due to some offline programs not being integrated with system-based programs. 

Longer process turnaround time: One of the programs required rigorous workflow for internship applications. Application forms went through multiple levels of review and action before decisions were made. The process was offline, requiring additional manual effort, intervention, and follow-ups without a system. 

Data duplication: For activities involving multiple Chapters or Committees, representatives used separate systems for reporting and management, resulting in redundant data points. Implementing a well-integrated system could have eliminated these issues, as synchronization was time-consuming, and inconsistencies occurred due to varying entry points. 

Heavy maintenance efforts, and high maintenance cost: Multiple isolated systems on different tech stacks required separate teams for maintenance. Data exchange needs between systems added to the effort and cost, making maintenance laborious and expensive. 

The user experience (UX) was not optimal: Departments developed different systems in isolation, resulting in a non-uniform user experience. Users had to learn separate UI features for each system, even for similar tasks. A unified UI approach could have prevented this issue. Additionally, users had to log in to each system separately, creating inconvenience. 

The Solution 

We addressed the business pain points by implementing the Salesforce Experience cloud, which effectively resolved our customers’ issues. This solution also provided several implicit and explicit benefits. The following actions were taken to achieve this: 

Customer Communities: We implemented multiple Salesforce sites to handle customer programs using CRM data such as Account, Contact, and Person Account. These sites included Yellowbook, SEED program, Reviewer Application, and others. 

Auto Provisioning: We streamlined the sign-up/sign-in process with the SSO JIT handler, generating a user ID for authentication and managing authorizations separately for each experience when a user logs into a different application. 

Unified UI: We created LWC components for a UI that closely matched our customer’s non-Salesforce applications, to ensure consistency across all applications. 

Integrations: We established various inbound and outbound data integrations using middleware (Mulesoft) and REST-based methods as necessary to support business use cases. 

The Benefits 

Multiple applications under the same umbrella: By hosting all the sites in Salesforce, CRM data can be shared across multiple programs, eliminating data duplication efforts and improving data consistency. 

Similar UI: The implementation of a consistent custom theme and style across all our communities helped to get a uniform look and feel across all sites. 

Reusability: Since several UI and backend components are shared across different sites, there is a greater density of reusable components that can be leveraged further. 

Reduced maintenance efforts/cost: The new system enabled the customer to improve productivity, enhance user experience, and consolidate their technology stack. 

Solution Components

About us 

NEC Software Solutions India (NECSWS) is a Salesforce Consulting Partner, with comprehensive expertise in implementing Salesforce products, customizing them, and integrating them with other applications and products. We offer a range of services that cater to our clients’ Salesforce Cloud requirements, making us a one-stop-shop for all Salesforce-related needs.