When exploring CRM tools to boost sales, service, and marketing, CRM implementation cost becomes a crucial factor in your choice. Salesforce implementation costs can range from $10,000 for basic projects to over $200,000 for comprehensive projects with complex customization and integrations. Salesforce implementation is a valuable investment, potentially boosting revenue by up to 37% according to Salesforce data, and enhancing customer relations.
However, attempting a DIY CRM rollout without prior consultation can lead to higher costs due to potential issues, rather than optimizing your expenses and workflows is beneficial.
This article will delve into the average costs of each Salesforce implementation phase, unveil Salesforce QuickStart Packages types, compare their pricing across the USA, the UK, and India, and discuss the importance of selecting the right Salesforce implementation partner for the successful solution rollout.
Besides Salesforce license pricing which we’ll discuss later in the article, Salesforce implementation cost encompasses frequently overlooked expenses associated with Salesforce consulting and professional services pricing.
What Makes Up Salesforce Implementation Cost | Ascendix
*Please note that the Salesforce implementation cost may vary based on factors such as the scope of the project, the complexity of customization, and the geographic location, level, and scope of technical expertise of resources.
| Internal resources, often involving online resources and training materials | Low-cost, Potential for in-depth internal knowledge | Time-consuming, Requires significant internal resources and expertise, Higher risk of errors or incomplete implementation. |
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| | External contractors or freelancers that handle specific tasks or projects | Flexibility in resource management, Expertise in specialized areas, Potentially lower cost compared to consulting firms. | Quality and reliability may vary, Lack of long-term commitment, Potential challenges in project management and coordination. |
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| Full-time employees that manage Salesforce implementation and maintenance | Dedicated resources aligned with company culture and goals, Potential for deep knowledge of the organization, Long-term commitment. | Recruitment and training costs may be significant, Dependence on limited internal expertise, Potential for slower ramp-up time. |
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| Professional SF consulting firms that handle end-to-end implementation and support. | In-depth expertise and experience in Salesforce implementation, Streamlined process and support structure, Reduced burden on internal resources. | Higher upfront costs, Reliance on external expertise and timelines. |
Salesforce Consulting Partners are certified firms listed on AppExchange, Salesforce’s marketplace for third-party apps and services.
These partners have profiles showcasing their:
While they primarily focus on Salesforce services, many also offer other tech services like custom app development.
Why a Salesforce Consulting Partner | Ascendix
To remain a Salesforce partner, these agencies must meet Salesforce’s standards such as:
Partners are categorized into tiers (Base, Ridge, Crest, and Summit), with higher tiers indicating more business and talent.
For example, in the United States, junior Salesforce consultants typically charge $60 to $100 per hour, mid-level consultants $100 to $150 per hour, and senior consultants $150 to $250 per hour.
Now, let’s delve into the benefits of collaborating with these agencies.
#1 Team Extension
Salesforce Consulting Partners often offer lower rates compared to in-house experts and can seamlessly extend your team, assisting with complex customizations and development.
It’s the best option if you have a large Salesforce organization that requires intricate Salesforce implementation or optimization guidance.
Partners like Ascendix conduct a comprehensive discovery process, then provide a State of Work (SOW) detailing:
#2 Enhanced Security Standards
While outsourcing often carries risks such as data breaches and misuse, Salesforce consulting partners are mandated to adhere to strict Salesforce security standards.
They maintain their reputation to remain in the partnership, ensuring greater security than typical contractors.
#3 Comprehensive Expertise
A single individual can’t master every Salesforce product and application. Consulting agencies, however, offer a diverse team of experts.
By partnering with them, you gain access to seasoned developers, business analysts, and project managers equipped to handle Salesforce projects of all complexities.
#4 Cost-effective Project Execution
For Salesforce projects requiring diverse expertise, partnering with a consulting agency like Ascendix ensures access to a comprehensive team of specialists.
This not only proves more cost-effective than hiring individuals separately but also saves significant time on recruitment.
#5 Prompt and Dedicated Customer Support
Salesforce consulting partners offer superior customer service. Unlike freelancers who might juggle multiple tasks and delay responses, consulting agencies have dedicated teams for client engagement.
They promptly address inquiries and ensure the right specialist is available when needed.
Read also: How to hire a Salesforce consultant
Hiring a freelance Salesforce consultant can be cost-effective, making it appealing for those on a tight budget or with smaller projects.
They’re particularly suitable for organizations looking for guidance on standard features or minor adjustments to the default Salesforce functionality.
However, there are potential drawbacks. Freelancers might have limited expertise, potentially leading to incomplete or prolonged implementations. Complex projects might escalate in cost if not initially managed by an experienced professional.
Additionally, high-demand freelancers might have limited availability, causing delays or challenges in addressing issues.
Freelance platforms like Upwork suggest rates from $25/hr in India to $250/hr in the USA and Canada.
We will help you to implement Salesforce in your organization, train your team, and ensure they adopt it. Request a consultation.
Common Salesforce Consultant Cost Models | Ascendix
This pricing model offers a fixed project cost determined after evaluating the project’s scope and timeline. Typically used by Salesforce consulting agencies, the consultant’s fee is integrated into the overall bill.
Its primary benefit is the assurance of a set timeline and cost, eliminating unforeseen expenses.
However, clients can still discuss new requirements during implementation and adjust the final cost accordingly.
This billing method is prevalent for outsourced Salesforce services, such as CRM maintenance or managing standard projects.
Both consulting partners and independent contractors typically charge a monthly flat fee for a predetermined number of hours. Its primary advantage is the potential for a reduced hourly rate compared to a fixed pricing model.
The Salesforce fractional team model is a staffing approach where a company hires part-time or fractional Salesforce experts to work on Salesforce implementation and customization projects.
Instead of employing full-time Salesforce administrators, developers, or consultants, companies opt for fractional teams to access specialized skills and expertise as needed.
This pricing model is highly flexible and is often used by freelance Salesforce consultants for short-term projects that don’t demand deep business or industry-specific insights.
Data migration is crucial in the Salesforce implementation process and involves several preparatory steps. Before importing, data must be:
This process may also include designing automated solutions for scheduled data transfers. These activities can typically cost between $10,000 and $60,000, depending on a company’s specific needs.
Salesforce is a highly customizable CRM solution that can be tailored to any business needs. While you can leverage free resources on Trailhead for a customization roadmap, professional Salesforce consultants can also train your team for in-house adjustments.
Costs for customization vary based on the intricacy of company processes and the techniques used.
Simple modifications using point-and-click tools are less expensive than custom-coded changes. In instances where complex automation of key business processes is needed, a Salesforce developer is essential. The cost of a skilled Salesforce developer can range from $25 to $300 an hour, based on the complexity of necessary modifications.
Typically, customization costs range from $10,000 to $85,000, based on the complexity involved.
We will teach you how to use CRM software to the fullest without overpaying for unnecessary functionality.
Salesforce is renowned for its extensive integration capabilities and the largest number of native connectors. However, specific cases may necessitate additional Salesforce integrations.
The cost of such integration depends on:
More about Salesforce integration approaches you can find out in our Salesforce integration guide
While integration costs typically range from $10,000 to $50,000, some projects might be more cost-effective. It’s best to consult with your Salesforce partner for tailored estimates.
Effective Salesforce implementation is only as good as your team’s ability to use it. Hence, user training is crucial for CRM roll-out and adoption.
Training costs depend on:
For a mid-sized company encompassing sales, marketing, and customer service, training can cost up to $15,000.
After a Salesforce implementation and training, continued support is often needed, typically for up to 3 months post-deployment. CRM support costs are based on the provider’s hourly rate and service duration, averaging between $10,000 to $45,000 per project.
Hence, Salesforce implementation pricing varies and should be tailored to each business’s specific needs and budget.
Get an accurate implementation cost estimation to the consultancy with 20+ years of experience and save money on hiring in-house experts.
The typical Salesforce implementation cost varies based on licensing options:
Opting to buy directly from Salesforce, you’ll likely begin with primary Cloud products such as:
Additional enhancements include solutions like:
Learn more about the Salesforce products ecosystem in our blog post “What is Salesforce?: Expert Insight on What It Is Used for ”
Now, we’ll discuss popular Salesforce solutions to answer the question “How much does Salesforce cost?“.
Salesforce Sales Cloud offers four editions for sales teams, each differing in functionality, user capacity, and cost. Although priced monthly, licenses are billed annually.
Salesforce Sales Cloud Pricing Comparison | Ascendix
Salesforce Essentials Edition ($25/user/month):
Salesforce Professional Edition ($80/user/month):
Salesforce Enterprise Edition ($165/user/month):
Fits mid to large organizations needing advanced sales automation, workflow, and approval processes.
Salesforce Unlimited Edition ($330/user/month):
Offers extensive sales automation features, including everything from the other editions plus 24/7 support & configuration services.
Salesforce Einstein 1 Sales Edition ($500/user/month):
Offers Einstein Copilot powered by Generative AI for enhanced decision-making, Performance Management tools, Sales Programs, and seamless Team Collaboration with Slack integration.
Additionally, the plan includes connectivity to Data Cloud and Revenue Intelligence, streamlining data integration and sales optimization.
Sales Cloud can be enhanced with Sales Engagement, Salesforce CPQ & Billing, and Pardot (now Marketing Cloud Account Engagement).
Service Cloud, like Sales Cloud, offers four yearly-billed editions for service agents:
Salesforce Service Cloud Pricing Comparison | Ascendix
Salesforce Essentials Edition ($25/user/month):
It offers basic features for small customer service teams, with multi-channel case management, telephony integration, and Service Console app access.
Salesforce Professional Edition ($80/user/month):
Extends the Essentials version functionality with service contracts, entitlements, and order management features.
Salesforce Enterprise Edition ($165/user/month):
It provides advanced customer service automation, enhanced reporting AI tools, and Web API.
Salesforce Unlimited Edition ($330/user/month):
This suite has the most comprehensive feature set, 24/7 Salesforce support, configuration services, and online training.
Salesforce Einstein 1 Service Edition ($500/user/month):
Expanded features beyond the Unlimited plan, including Digital Channels, Service Intelligence, and Slack integration.
Additionally, users gain access to Einstein Copilot, powered by generative AI, enhancing service efficiency and decision-making.
Furthermore, the plan includes connectivity to Data Cloud, ensuring comprehensive data integration for optimized service performance.
Service Cloud can also integrate with Salesforce Clouds like Field Service, Digital Engagement, and Service Cloud Einstein.
Сhoose from four editions of the Sales and Service Clouds bundle to enhance both sales and customer service:
Salesforce Essentials ($25/user/month):
It is a basic edition for small sales and customer service teams (max. 10 members).
Salesforce Professional ($100/user/month):
This module offers advanced features, including asset management and team collaboration, suitable for any user count.
Salesforce Enterprise ($175/user/month):
Customizable solution ideal for mid-sized and large companies, with unlimited roles, offline CRM access, and automation tools.
Salesforce Unlimited ($325/user/month):
This suite has the most comprehensive features list for service and sales reps, unlimited Salesforce support, and extensive online training to increase customer satisfaction rate.
Note: The bundled Salesforce Sales & Service option is slightly pricier than buying separately. Expect to pay an extra $25 per user for the Professional edition and above.
Marketing Cloud offers four suites targeting areas such as email marketing, social media, advertising, and B2B marketing automation.
MC Engagement (formerly Core Messaging/Journeys) facilitates personalized cross-channel experiences throughout the customer lifecycle, complemented by advanced campaign management.
It ensures consistent messaging across marketing channels, designs visual customer journey maps for refinement, and integrates features from the Email, Mobile, and Web Marketing Suite, including email personalization, content builder, tagging, and audience segmentation.
MC Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) now consolidates all Account-based (or B2B) marketing automation solutions.
It moves visitors and prospects through a sales funnel, from creating marketing materials to assigning qualified prospects to sales reps.
Integrating seamlessly with Salesforce, it offers bidirectional synchronization with standard Salesforce objects like leads and contacts and aligns with Salesforce campaigns within the Pardot app.
Marketing Cloud Growth Edition helps streamline team collaboration, leverage AI for faster campaign delivery, and nurture personalized customer relationships.
It includes AI-driven features such as AI-powered Emails and Campaigns, Multi-Channel Journeys, and Real-Time Sales Alerts to drive revenue and propel your small business forward.
Marketing Cloud Personalization (formerly Interaction Studio) offers genuine one-to-one customer engagement across all touchpoints, leveraging Salesforce’s premier solution for real-time personalization and interaction management.
It centralizes marketing activities to view, track, and manage the customer experience in real time, optimizing impact and humanizing every moment.
Data Cloud for Marketing aggregates, consolidates, and leverages audience data for personalized interactions. It integrates all customer data for a holistic profile, creates precise audience segments, and deploys data across marketing channels.
MC Intelligence, rebranded from Datorama, offers a unified marketing dashboard that allows you to connect, analyze, and act on your data, enhancing ROI, efficiency, and business growth.
If you need to learn more about Salesforce Experience Cloud pricing, read our post “What is Salesforce Experience Cloud?”
Now, let’s look at other “backbones” of your average cost Salesforce implementation that may arise if your business challenges can’t be solved with ordinary setup and configurations.
To calculate the approximate Salesforce pricing for small businesses as well as medium-level companies, we’ve taken:
Reducing Salesforce implementation costs requires careful planning and strategic decision-making. Here are some tips to help minimize expenses:
QuickStart Packages from Salesforce vendors are designed for rapid deployment and calibration of popular products like Sales or Service Clouds at a reduced cost. Their pricing varies from $2,500 to $15,000 based on vendor location, services, and number of hours, with implementation taking 10 hours to 12 weeks.
However, due to its limited scope, some Salesforce managed services aren’t included in QuickStart Packages and require separate purchasing. Among them are:
The basic QuickStart package typically covers:
Basic Salesforce Quick Start Packages Cost Worldwide | Ascendix
It may also fine-tune tasks like Email and Events, provide end-user training, and post-implementation updates. Implementation generally spans 10 hours to 2 weeks, possibly requiring a team from consultant to QA specialist. Its pricing depends on location:
So, the average Salesforce QuickStart Package in the UK will cost 21% more, than in the USA, and in India – almost twice less.
Medium Quick Start Packages offer:
Medium Salesforce Quick Start Packages Cost Worldwide | Ascendix
Typically, these projects last 2 to 4 weeks. Their cost varies by location:
Thus, the UK’s medium packages are about 47% pricier than the USA’s.
The Maxi Quick Start Suite offers:
Maxi Salesforce Quick Start Packages Cost Worldwide | Ascendix
On average, implementations last 3-12 weeks and cost:
Salesforce Quick Start and Quick Start Plus Packages by Ascendix combine efficient Salesforce setup approaches with cost-effective pricing.
The Basic Quick Start Package provides:
Training for 1 end-user class (up to 10 attendees),
This suite offers the value of a mid-size package at the price of a basic one, including setup for 10 users (compared to the typical 5).
The Quick Start Plus Package includes:
Salesforce QuickStart Packages Average Cost for Other Clouds | Ascendix
If you want to implement more specific Clouds like Revenue (CPQ & Billing), it may take 3-12 weeks and cost from $5,000 to $15,000 because you’ll need to deploy the CPQ system on top of primary features.
Setting up of Marketing Cloud Quick Start Package typically takes 1-4 weeks, costing $3,500-$9,000. This includes:
The average Account Engagement (Pardot) implementation cost is up to up to $7,000 and takes up to 2 weeks. This setup involves:
For Non-Profit organizations, the Salesforce setup averages 1-4 weeks at $2,600-$3,000, focusing on fundraising, marketing communication, and analytics.
To answer the main question: “How much does a Salesforce implementation cost?” you need to calculate:
These costs can vary based on location, complexity, user count, and vendor expertise. Properly assessing each of these components ensures a comprehensive understanding of the total investment.
Struggling with Salesforce Service Cloud implementation or setting up other products? Our seasoned Salesforce consultants can help with:
Why choose Ascendix? We have two decades of Salesforce expertise with over 200+ satisfied clients, deep understanding across various industries and offer competitive pricing due to our global delivery capabilities. Have questions? Book a free CRM consulting call.
The average cost of a Salesforce implementation ranges from $10,000 to over $200,000. This price varies based on the chosen consultant’s expertise, data migration volume, technical complexity, level of customization, integration needs, and desired support. Complex CRM setups tend to cost more.
The cost of Salesforce licenses varies based on the edition chosen and additional services. Prices range from $25 per user/month for the Essentials edition to $300+ for advanced licenses like the Unlimited edition. Additionally, for $500 per user/month, users can leverage the capabilities of the Einstein 1 platform for Sales and Service Clouds. Implementation and customization costs are extra and depend on specific business needs.
The time frame for a Salesforce implementation depends greatly on project complexity, organization size, and customization extent. Typically, a straightforward Salesforce CRM setup ranges from 4 to 10 weeks. However, for complex, larger-scale projects, the timeline can extend from several months up to a year, influenced by factors such as planning, customization, data migration, system integration, and user training.
Salesforce’s pricing reflects its comprehensive features, scalability, integration capabilities, continuous innovation, and robust customer support. While it may seem expensive upfront, its value and customization options often justify the investment for businesses of all sizes.
Anzhelika is a seasoned B2B content marketing strategist with extensive experience in elevating corporate profiles through compelling content. At Ascendix, she offers a wealth of knowledge in Salesforce consulting, providing valuable tips, tricks, and comprehensive guides. Additionally, Anzhelika stays at the forefront of the industry, delivering expert analysis on the latest Salesforce tools and emerging technology trends.
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