Salesforce Editions: Keys For a Successful Selection.

Based on its permanent innovative spirit, Salesforce remains the leading CRM platform worldwide. Consequently, Salesforce editions, aimed at various industries and sectors, evolve rapidly. Given the diversity and specialization of these products, it is vital to have clearly defined the decisive functionalities for your business. So, pay close attention until the end of the article. Let’s see!

Salesforce Editions: General Comments

The term “editions” refers to the different versions or packages of your CRM software. Each is designed to meet the specific needs of different types and sizes of businesses. These editions are structured increasingly in functionalities, which means that each edition includes features from previous editions, adding additional and more advanced functionalities. This structure allows you to choose the edition that best suits the characteristics and needs of your company. It also gives you the flexibility to upgrade to a higher or lower edition as you see fit.

Before detailing the editions that Salesforce offers, it is important to remember that its products are located in different clouds. These include Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud. In addition, there is another set of services that complement the company’s offerings, such as online forums, development environments, and more.

Each edition of Salesforce provides access to certain functionalities within a cloud, and consequently, its cost varies. When a company plans to purchase a Salesforce edition, it must decide which cloud best suits its needs. If your company focuses more on sales, opting for Sales Cloud is ideal, as it includes functionalities designed to address customer service as well. On the other hand, if your company prioritizes customer service, choosing Service Cloud would be more convenient. For the sake of clarity, we have selected Sales Cloud to illustrate the edits in this article.

Likewise, it is important to note that to access a Salesforce edition, it is necessary to pay the annual amount of a subscription. It is not possible to pay just one month to test whether the product is suitable or not.

If we are clear up to this point about these general questions, then it is time to detail the editions that Salesforce makes available to us!

Discover the ideal Salesforce edition to boost your business

The different editions of Salesforce are designed to meet the needs of all types of companies, from small startups to large corporations. Their design focuses on providing scalable solutions. Explore the key features of each edition and choose the one that best suits your business needs!

Starter Suite

This innovative edition of Salesforce is specially created for companies seeking minimal configuration. It integrates sales, service, and marketing functionality into a simplified interface, facilitating upgrades to other editions. It’s an ideal solution to start in the Salesforce ecosystem, perfect for small organizations with fewer than 5 members and growing companies.

• Cost: $25/user/month. Offers a free trial for a period of 30 days.
• Main features:
  • Management of accounts , contacts, leads, opportunities and cases
  • Task management and activity feedback
  • Lead Assignment and Routing
  • Duplicate blocking
  • Email Productivity
  • Campaign management
  • Email Templates
  • To-Do List
  • Einstein Activity Capture to apply AI-based insights
  • Mobile access to Salesforce CRM with the Salesforce Mobile App
  • Product and price books
  • Customizable reports and dashboards
  • Email integration with Gmail or Outlook

ProSuite​

This recent edition is an advanced version of Starter Suite, encompassing all its functionalities. It offers a comprehensive all-in-one solution integrating sales, customer service, marketing, and commerce functionalities on a unified platform. This scalable solution is easy to implement, equipped with tools for rapid deployment. Powered by the Data Cloud platform and Einstein 1, it’s ideal for small and medium-sized businesses requiring automation, flexibility, and seamless CRM integrations. It’s particularly beneficial for growing organizations.

• Cost: $100/users/month
• Main features:
  • Personal accounts
  • One custom app per organization
  • Salesforce Meetings
  • Sales Cloud from anywhere
  • Complete mobile functionality even when offline
  • Contracts, Orders and Quotes
  • Chatter
  • Allows the use of applications with AppExchange
  • Lightning App Builder
  • Generation of desktop and mobile forecasts

If you want to go into more depth comparatively between this edition and the previous one, you can click here.

Enterprise

It caters to the needs of large and complex companies, making it the most popular and beneficial choice among enterprises and clients alike. It provides access to all platform features, including advanced administration and customization tools, which makes it highly favored by developers and administrators.

• Cost: $165/user/month
• Main features:
  • Unlimited automation and integration capabilities with Flow Builder
  • Advanced Forecasting and Pipeline Management
  • Conversation Insights
  • Deal Insights
  • Opportunity scoring
  • Console with sales applications
  • Sales teams
  • Advanced reporting features
  • Opportunity division
  • Territorial sales
  • Forecasts with embedded graphics
  • Waterfall charts
  • Data synchronization and harmonization
  • Approval processes
  • Pipeline Inspection
  • Access to Lighting Platform
  • Web Services API

Unlimited

This high-end product maximizes business possibilities and is considered Salesforce’s flagship edition. It’s an ideal solution for enterprise-level organizations that require extensive configuration options.

• Cost: $330/user/month
• Main features:
  • Provides built-in AI features at no additional cost
  • Lead scoring
  • Sales Commitment and Smart Conversation
  • Complete 24/7 Live Premium Support and Configuration Services

Einstein 1 Sales

Originally named Unlimited Edition+, Salesforce Einstein 1 provides users with maximum access to Salesforce capabilities. It is available for both Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, combining new product bundles in Einstein AI, Data Cloud, Slack, Tableau, and Industries into a single offering.

• Cost: $500/user/month
• Main features:
  • Integrated predictive and generative AI
  • Unified and updated data in real time
  • Sales planning, scheduling and collaboration
  • Includes Slack at no additional cost
  • Access to all documentary resources
  • Sales Cloud also includes Data Cloud, Generative AI, Enablement, Sales Planning, Maps, Revenue Intelligence, Slack and Slack Sales Elevate
  • Services Cloud also includes Data Cloud, Generative AI, Service Cloud Voice, Digital Interaction, Comment Management, Self-Service, Slack, and CRM Analytics

And that’s not all—Salesforce has additional editions. They also cater specifically to developers with an exclusive edition that enables them to create applications for desktop and mobile computers. This led to the creation of Salesforce Developer.

Developer

Focused on developers, it provides access to APIs and the Lightning platform. Preferred by professionals in this field, it empowers them to expand Salesforce’s capabilities by developing new applications, tools, and integrating with other applications. Created packages can be sold or offered for free on the AppExchange. This edition provides access to many features available in the Enterprise edition, making it akin to a streamlined Enterprise with minimal storage.

• Cost: Free edition provided primarily for development and deployment on the Force.com platform
• General functionalities:
  • Provides great tools for testing/training at salesforce.com
  • Access to Lightning Platform and Salesforce APIs

It does not include technical support. Alternatively, you can seek assistance through the developer community forums. To do so, register on the corresponding Lightning platform website.

Licenses vs Salesforce Editions

Salesforce editions can sometimes be confused with ”Salesforce licenses”. While related, they are not the same. Editions refer to different versions of the CRM software we’ve already analyzed, each offering specific features and functionalities tailored to meet varying company needs.

On the other hand, licenses are permissions granted to users to access functionalities and data within a specific edition. For instance, a company might use the Salesforce Enterprise edition, where different license types exist, such as standard user, platform user, or service user. Each license type provides access to distinct functionalities and permission levels within the Enterprise edition.

Final comments

As you can see, although each edition has its price, the inclusion or exclusion of certain external packages can significantly affect the overall cost. The final total cost includes:

• The subscription plan, which corresponds to the chosen cloud or clouds under a specific edition (e.g. Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition).
• Fees for any additional add-ons you subscribe to (e.g., opting for the Premier Success Plan if your edition is lower than Unlimited, which typically incurs an additional 30% of the cloud subscription price).
• The cost of support and service packages you contract.

It’s worth emphasizing the level of specialization achievable through Sales plugins. For instance, CPQ is highly sought-after due to its significant practical impact.

Concluding

As the saying goes, there are different strokes for different folks. Similarly, there’s a Salesforce edition for every need. Each edition offers unique features tailored to specific business objectives, allowing organizations to choose based on their particular needs and preferences. If you’re grappling with which edition suits your company best, rely on the SkyPlanner team for assistance. Reach out to us at hello@theskyplanner.com. We’re here to help guide you through the decision-making process.