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Comparing Services
| Comparing Services | SharePoint | Salesforce |
| Purpose of Service | File sharing and employee connectivity | Helping employees connect with customers |
| Cost of service | subscription based, connected to Microsoft Office umbrella | subscription based, independent business that supports app connectivity |
| Greatest Benefit of Service | Document support, file sharing, storage, and transfer; interconnectivity of applications within Mirosoft Office | Boosting customer interaction and improving customer support through data and metrics, embedding across multiple platforms |
| Greatest Challenge of Service | Can require additional support from other services to be able to be used to its maximum potiential | Limitations in file sharing and storage as well as the need for additional apps to support data transfer and use |
| User Interface | Modern UI design, matches the Microsoft Office ecosystem | Modern UI design, highly customizable to fit business needs |
Purpose of the Service:
Salesforce, compared to SharePoint has a drastically different purpose although they can be used together in order to increase business strength and potiential. Salesforce allows for the connectivity of employees and customers within a business. It is by definition a CRM, meaning that it deals directly with customer data and impressions and turns this data into useless business information and data. SharePoint on the other hand focuses on the interconnectivity of information and data between Microsoft Office services. It’s primary function is to store, share, and allow the transfer of data and information within a business. SharePoint’s main connectivity exists within the business itself, as opposed to Salesforce which aims its focus on extrenal relations between the business and the customer.
Cost of Service:
Salesforce can be costly for businesses as it is an independent subscription service that is not tied to other business service expenese, though it can be linked to other services within a businesses internals. The main issue with this is that businesses that are growing and need to utilize these services- such as emailing, customer support systems, and other customer focused data collection- might not be able to justify the funds required to get the service compared to the cost of other business services. This is unlike SharePoint, which is apart of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, meaning that a subscription for a business often includes multiple accesses to cross-services such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Email, etc. This means that a business can utilize more services compared to the cost of the product.
Benefits:
Both services are incredibly beneficial to businesses, although in vastly different ways. Salesforce focuses on the customer relations aspects of business which connect the business to their clientele and ensure that they remain a contender in the market. Staying on top of customer relations allows businesses to tailor their services and products to match what the customer wants while staying within the organizations vision. SharePoint on the other hand focuses on the information contained within the business, allowing for a large amount of storage of data, information, and archived materials relating to the businesses services. Combined with interconnectivity of Microsoft products, SharePoint allows for a seemless transfer and storing of Data within an organization
Challenges:
The benefit of SharePoint is the challenge of Salesforce. While Salesforce has document storing capabilities, it does not support large saving capabilities, meaning that businesses will likely have to invest in file storing programs in addition to the storage which Salesforce provides. The program itself is also said to be difficult to set up and learn, though if a learning curve can be established the utilization of the program outways the costs of learning it. Obviously, the final cost is as discussed previously: cost of service. Salesforce is an expensive service for a business to justify, especially when needs increase. SharePoint, similarly, requires a complex set up which can cost businesses time and effort when establishing the service company wide. Not having a proper set up or configuration can result in difficulties when finding files and resources within the program.
User Interface:
Both of these services have similar levels of user interface, with SharePoint adopting the Microsoft 365 look to fit in with it’s sister programs, and Salesforce having a modern deisgn to fit in with the current application market.
What are KM Tools and Technologies?
Knowledge Management Tools are applications and services which businesses use to conduct their business practices. For example, tools of KM can include better connectivity to customers, internal chain or command, and with files that are required for business practice. KM tools aim to streamline activities within an employees workday in order to increase productivity and efficiency.
Knowledge Management Technologies can be defined as the methods and underlying technology which is used to support a business or a business practice. For example, this could be the use of a digital filing system versus a physical filing system or the phone systems, computers, or lack thereof that a buiness uses to interact with its customers. This can also include technqiues which a business uses to interact with the world. For example, an automatic emailing system or a cold-calling system can ensure that customers are reached with alternative systems being something like door-to-door sales or online chatting systems.
Weighing the Options for a Medium-Sized Organization
Organization A is trying to better manage their data through the use of online systems which connect both employees and customers. Organization A needs an extensive file saving and sharing system as this organization provides services, rather than goods, and these service records need to be tracked and maintained. For this reason, Organization A would likely choose SharePoint for it’s file sharing capabilities and it’s storage cpaacity.
Data Management
Organization Culture
While Organization A has changed drastically in recent years, moving between different connectivity systems to try and get a better deal, they have not completely settled on an organizational system, leaving some employees feeling unconnected and distant while other employees fully feel connected to their jobs. For this reason, Organization A should choose SharePoint, as the access to the Microsoft Offfice system would allow all employees to be brought up to speed within the office.
Organization A relies on consistent and constant customer support and interaction, however, it is gradually running out of space for saving documents that are pertinent to these customer relations. This is why Organization A is struggling to decide whether to expand into aquiring SharePoint or Salesforce.
Processes within an organization
Leadership Management
Management at Organization A is highly supportive and effective- when they are able to communicate best with customers and employees. Employees feel that a present management in their daily activities allows for a more productive day. With such strong leadership, Organization A should choose Salesforce to increase oversight and increase leadership support during sales and customer-focused spaces.
The technology of either Salesforce or SharePoint would critically impact the functions of Organization A. While the technology of SharePoint would increase the access opportunities within the organization and streamline the internal business operations, Salesforce would allow for an increase in customer support and relations, allowing Organization A to hone their audience and set a stand on the customer needs, which in turn could improve their business practices and services.
Technology
Politics
Politics has a large focus on the external view of the business, just as much as it has an impact on the internal view of the business. As such, either program would improve the overall impact of the political views of the company. Externally, Salesforce would improve the customer relations and the internal processes which impact how the outside world sees Organzation A. Internally, an organized business with good file sharing and saving practices coud prevent service issues within Organization A’s internal system, which would in the end translate to happy, well taken care of customers and improve the overall political standing within and outside of the company.
Due to the fact that our business is still growing, SharePoint may be the better option for business needs to the moment.
Although we want to increase our customer relations, first connecting internally and managing file sharing within our organization can allow us to better manage internal systems which will in turn benefit the practices and products, and in turn will benefit the customer.
As a medium sized business, the coct of aquiring Salesforce at this time might not be able to be justified, aside from an entry level subscription for a select few members of the organization. However, not having all team members on board may decrease communication and connectivity. SharePoint, on the other hand, can be added to our already established Microsoft ecosystem.
SharePoint
Salesforce
Due to our highly-customer focused business model, increasing our relations with our customers is a top priority for a business. Being able to stay in the market and on the money ensures that our organization can compete in a large market, despite the smaller size of our business.
Salesforce would ensure that we attach onto a fair share of the market while continuing to grow and find our customer base. SharePoint isn’t as valuable to us at this time, as the file storing capabilities of Salesforce match the file storage our business needs at this time.
Communication and connectivity on an internal basis is already controlled by the systems that we have implemented and are available to us, as such there is less pressure to have a complete unitification within our ecosystem- as SharePoint does with the use of microsoft office.
Comparing Salesforce and SharePoint 