Gross @ Google

Adam Gross, VP of Developer Relations gave a great presentation to Google
around our Apex Code, API, Web Services, AppExchange and our On-Demand Platform.
Check it out.

AppX Dasboard Pak

With so many free AppExchange dashboards to choose from (and all adding value), I decided to install them all, package them up and share them in one download from the AppExchange. Click here to install all dashboards.

Adoption is KEY!!!

ADOPTION IS EVERYTHING

 

Features of any application are great, right? Developers today make some cool stuff. Google is one of my favorite service providers with it's RSS Reader, Gmail,and Docs and Speadsheets, while Yahoo is my default mail provider. Over the years, the apps have added more features which is great for me as the user. Google Reader and Yahoo email are about the 2 things I use every single day.

 

There is also the other side of the coin. In addition to Yahoo and Google, I am a subscriber of Zoho Presenter (Web Conferencing), Goowy (Ajax Email Client), MP3tunes.com (Full Music Backup), Mozy.com (File Backup Service) and MANY MANY Other as well.

Here is the problem. I dont really use them. Some are paid for services and most are free. I can't complain about free app features but I also don't really complain about the apps I have purchased and the features that they may lack. It doesn't matter. I don't care about apps that I don't use. I did use them. Sometimes for a day. Sometimes for a month. Not no more!

What's my point?

ADOPTION!

 

It matters less what features are available if you don't have adoption. Microsoft could (and at this point SHOULD) have built the most amazing piece of software known to man. The problem is, it doesn't matter how great it is if no one uses it! 

Adoption is the key. It should be the first thing any evaluator of an application should consider before buying or using.

 

Ask yourself honestly:
- Will I use this?
- will others use this?
- Will this solve a problem I am having?
- Will others want to use it?
- will others learn it quickly?
- if there is low adoption, how can I overcome it?

 

If you can answer positively AND find an app with KILLER features, you have won the game.

 

To me, that is where salesforce.com has hit the mark.

 

Adoption is at the corner stone of every conversation. What do you need salesforce.com to do? What problem will it be solving? Who will be using it? How will you train the users? Do you have a plan? No? Here, use this one that we have created FOR YOU.

 

If you have low adoption, guess what? salesforce.com has a team of people who look at adoption statistics and will reach out to find out why adoption is a problem. That is a GREAT service called, "Customer Success Managers". Why doesn't EVERY company have this!?!?!? I wonder why Zoho, MP3Tunes, Mozy and others haven't ever called me to say, "Hey....I noticed you haven't logged into our service in months. What's the problem? Is it working? No? How come? What can we do to fix the problem?

 

Another way that salesforce.com solves the adoption visibility problem is the FREE Adoption Dashboards provided from the AppExchange directory. Some Dashboards are built by salesforce.com Labs while others are built by partners like Arrowpoint.

 

Click here for the salesforce.com Dashboards for Adoption.

 

Click here for the Arrowpoint Dashboards for Adoption.

 

Click here to learn how to Install Dashboards from the AppExchange.

 

The dashboards are free and a KILLER way to see who is inside the app, who is using it, who isn't, what areas of the app are being used, what areas need more attention.  

 

Make sure to think about adoption as the key to success and you will find a new focal point of salesforce.com and just another area where salesforce.com has nailed it!

6 Months at #1 - Going for Gold Record Status

Lead and Opportunity Management Dashboards - How Fun!!!!


I am not a programmer. I am not a coder. I do not write applications with .NET or Java. At the time I wrote this, I was a simple Sales Engineer who was using the tools available to build SIMPLE reports and dashboards that EVERY company would find value with.

The Lead and Opportunity Management Dashboards have remained at the #1 spot now for more than 8 months (as of June, 2007).

Click here to download:

Its pretty amusing actually. This "App" is so simple, its silly. I built a handful of reports around Lead flow and conversion, and then a second one that shoes how much business is OPEN for the Month, Quarter and Year....next to how much business was CLOSED for the Month, Quarter and Year.

I guess I was on to something because people LOVE IT! It has a 93% download rate. That means out of 10 evaluators, almost 9.5 are installing it within their salesforce.com instance immediately after they test drive it.

The only thing I can say....."Im glad someone enjoys it".

It is VERY telling that 3 out of the top 10 apps on AppExchange are Dashboards. Clearly, the salesforce.com community is telling us something.