Top 6 Challenges for Salesforce ISVs and how outsourcing can help

Salesforce ISVs help make the Salesforce platform even more incredible. Their applications allow businesses to expand the capabilities of the Salesforce platform even further. But building these apps don’t come without its share of challenges. They face many challenges while developing an app. Some of the most common challenges include reducing application time to market, maintaining customer satisfaction through quality, and passing a Salesforce security review. Let’s take a look at these challenges and how outsourcing Salesforce development needs can help ISVs overcome these hurdles.

1. Scaling up infrastructure
   

   A successful app always scales quickly, and we know that every Salesforce ISV out there is trying to build one. As the app goes live, the infrastructure required becomes more complex and expensive to manage. ISVs should have plans in place to scale up their infrastructure to handle large traffic and data without sacrificing app performance.

   Outsourcing application maintenance and infrastructure management will ensure that their app is secure and scalable when needed. The partner will make sure that the app is hosted on an infrastructure where it can be scaled as required without any harm to app performance. ISVs can now focus their attention on more important tasks, such as updating app features and releasing patches on time. Now, ISVs can relieve themselves from the burden of maintaining an expensive IT infrastructure.

2. Resource Constraints

   ISVs, from startups to large enterprises, face this challenge at some point. As the app scales, it needs more skilled resources just to maintain its functionality. The lack of resources can create severe complications for Salesforce ISVs to succeed, constraining their capability to build and scale up their apps, leading to failure in meeting the product roadmap, longer than planned time to market, missed opportunities, and more.

   While there are many ways to solve this problem in the long run, outsourcing their development needs to more skilled resources can solve it very quickly. ISVs will have access to a wider pool of technical talent who are highly trained in Salesforce development and testing.

   
3. Data Management
   

   As the app scales, the amount of data being processed by it increases, which makes data management more complex and challenging. Some of the data management challenges include managing a massive amount of data, analyzing unstructured data, and ensuring data quality and security. These tasks cannot be handled by the same team that is responsible for developing the app and ensuring its competitiveness in the market.

   Outsourcing data management to partners with the necessary expertise and technology can help ISVs overcome these challenges. These partners will have experienced and trained data science resources to analyze all of the unstructured data and extract insights from it.

4. Application Testing

   The quality of the app is significant for any Salesforce ISV to succeed. Quality ensures that both code and configuration are functioning correctly. App testing must be performed regularly to make sure the app will support all business processes. In a rare scenario, ISVs may not have the budget, right resources, or time to perform a robust testing process. They rely heavily on quick testing conducted by their testing team and release their app, which could affect the app's quality. Sometimes, the testing team may not be skilled or equipped to test complex applications. They may lack the resources to handle testing of the app with frequent updates.

   Not all ISVs can afford to have an internal testing team for such tasks. ISVs can outsource their testing needs to Salesforce partners to achieve a high level of quality for their product. The outsourcing partner will concentrate solely on improving the quality of the app, conducting robust testing regularly, and delivering results within strict deadlines.

   
5. AppExchange Stringent Security Review
   

   Every Salesforce ISV will go through a rigorous security review process to showcase their application on AppExchange, the primary Salesforce marketplace. Salesforce is extremely strict about the quality of the applications it promotes to its customers, and passing this review process means that the app is trustworthy without question. This process takes about 4 to 6 weeks to complete, and if it doesn't clear in the first round, it will take a few more weeks to complete. This process can be extremely demanding and challenging for developers.

   Some of the outsourcing Salesforce partners specialize in developing apps that can pass Salesforce's stringent security review process with flying colors. It won't be their first-time developing apps for showcasing on Salesforce AppExchange. With the help of these Salesforce partners, ISVs can clear the review process in the first submission.

6. Faster Time to Market

   Taking apps to market quickly is one challenge faced by most ISVs. They are constantly worried about building a quality app, reaching out to customers on time before competitors can pitch their ideas, and not missing out on any opportunities. What can positively impact the Salesforce app development cycle and accelerate product time to market? Increasing the number of resources can ensure the app is taken to market very quickly and without compromising its quality. But a sudden increase in skilled resources means a massive increase in development costs, and overheads will be higher than returns.

   ISVs can alternatively leverage outsourcing to Salesforce partners to address the lack of resource challenges at a reduced cost. Salesforce ISVs can eliminate the need to hire and maintain expensive in-house developers and testers to maintain the application. With the outsourced team, ISVs can scale up or down according to their requirements.

   

To Conclude

Salesforce ISVs face several challenges, from resource constraints to AppExchange security standards, that can affect their ability to create a high-performing app and succeed in the marketplace. Outsourcing certain activities to the right Salesforce development partner can prove to be helpful in tackling these challenges. Congruent Software is an experienced Salesforce partner that can help ISVs and act as their own extended development team. By outsourcing to Congruent Software, ISVs have access to a wider pool of skilled Salesforce resources and can bring down their development costs.