Building a Better Salesforce Org with Habitat for Humanity
Since 1985, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County has partnered with more than 600 families, donors, and volunteers to build safe, affordable, and energy-efficient homes for North Carolinians.
They serve all parts of Wake and Johnston counties and use Salesforce to help make building and owning a home a reality for hardworking families who might otherwise face barriers to homeownership.
Cloud Giants is a proud partner in helping drive this important mission. Recently, we worked to streamline efforts related to their Salesforce CRM so their staff can spend more time helping families rather than wrangling applications and data.
The Challenges
At the start, their implementation of Salesforce was limited. It wasn’t optimized for their processes, and as a result, they weren’t getting a good return on their investment in the platform.
Habitat Wake staff needed solutions that would maximize budget and people power while keeping the focus on mission.
There were a few challenges related to their implementation that were high priority, so Cloud Giants Salesforce consultants worked alongside Habitat staff to ensure the updated process was the right solution for them.
These were:
Homeownership application process was clunky.
Data from this application was tracked across different platforms that didn’t communicate with one another.
Staff was unable to view application updates quickly.
Decisions about applications were unnecessarily time-consuming for staff.
Communication around these decisions was not efficient for the team either.
Follow up steps were not tracked in a sustainable way.
Denied applications received a communication per denial reason, resulting in multiple denial messages and undue stress on applicants.
The Solutions
To get our partnership started on the right foot, we first worked with key Habitat Wake leaders around what automation would best provide value for their team.
We pursued solutions inside Salesforce that would be sustainable for their team and budget while requiring minimal long-term maintenance from a Salesforce admin. By keeping it simple and focusing on the right solution, we were able to maximize their people power.
The basic idea was to let technology take the strain so staff could focus on people rather than data.
To increase efficiencies around the application process, we implemented Form Assembly and ensured tight integration with Salesforce. From there, we created a series of workflows and formulas to automate data management so staff time can be used more efficiently.
Together, we created a list view that shows all the important information related to application stage and status. Communication was then streamlined and automated for key decision and program milestones. Denied applications now receive one communication with detailed information about the decision that includes how to improve future applications. Now those individuals can make better-informed decisions about their options and continued participation in the program.
The Impact
We’re so grateful to contribute to Habitat Wake’s continued success serving families in North Carolina. Through our partnership, we were able to substantially increase the use of Salesforce for daily tasks that would otherwise occupy staff time.
In our work together, we were able to accomplish the following:
100% reduction in calls related to application status
800+ complete applications in system from 100% incomplete
Over 200 hours already saved since September in stage one of the application process
Significant increase in process efficiency and effectiveness
Ultimately, these streamlined processes will help Habitat Wake provide more housing for families in North Carolina. We’re proud to be a part of their story.
To learn how you can help make an impact for hardworking families in the Triangle in need of affordable housing, visit the Habitat Wake site for volunteer opportunities and more on their mission.
And if you’re ready to maximize your own investment in Salesforce, let technology take the strain, and free up your people power to make a big impact, Cloud Giants wants to be a part of your story as well. Contact us today to see how we can help you make the most of your Salesforce.