Overview
Salesforce implementation: from requirements to a working org
A Salesforce implementation configures the platform around how your teams sell, serve and market: the data model, page layouts, automation, security, reports, data migration and integrations, then training and go-live support. It's for organisations moving to Salesforce from spreadsheets or another CRM, and for Salesforce customers who want to rebuild an org that has outgrown its first design.
Most of our implementations are Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, with Marketing Cloud or Data 360 added when the business is ready. Salesforce sells each cloud in editions priced per user per month, and its higher editions now bundle AI features that lower ones sell as add-ons, so choosing editions is part of the design rather than a procurement step at the end.
Great Minds is a Sydney-based systems integrator, the integrator for the gaps between platforms. We scope the integrations with the implementation, not as a later project, so Salesforce goes live already connected to your ERP, marketing platform or service desk. AI agents take on repetitive build, data and test work, and senior consultants own the design. For a 100-person law firm in Hong Kong, we delivered Sales Cloud in phases over six months to avoid disrupting its casework.
Capabilities
What a Salesforce implementation includes
Each implementation is sized to the processes agreed in discovery. We configure before we code: standard objects and Flow first, and Apex or custom components only where configuration can't do the job. Configuration is cheaper to maintain through Salesforce's three releases a year.
Not sure which clouds or editions you need yet? Start with Salesforce consulting, which ends in a roadmap this team can build.
How we deliver
A phased Salesforce implementation
We deliver in releases rather than one big launch. The first release covers the processes that matter most; later releases add teams, clouds and integrations once the foundations are in use.
Workshops with each team to map processes, data and reports, agree what success looks like, and choose the editions and add-ons the design needs.
Configuration in short iterations in a sandbox, reviewed with users as it takes shape. AI agents generate test data and test cases; consultants review every change.
Trial migrations, user acceptance testing on realistic data, and a cutover plan with a rollback point, rehearsed before go-live.
Go-live with hands-on support, training reinforced over the following weeks, and a backlog of improvements handed to your admins or supported by us.
Australian considerations
Australian requirements to design in from the start
Privacy is cheapest to get right in the data model. The Australian Privacy Principles ask you to collect only the personal information you need (APP 3), keep it accurate (APP 10) and keep it secure (APP 11), and they govern disclosure to anyone overseas (APP 8), which includes offshore support teams and integrations. A migration is the moment to decide which history you actually need: old records you no longer use are a risk, not an asset.
Decide where the org will be provisioned at the start. Salesforce says customer data on Hyperforce is generally stored in the country where the org is located, as long as the services you use are available there, so we confirm the region for the org and check every add-on and AppExchange app against it.
For APRA-regulated entities, design documents double as evidence: data flows, access controls and integration failure handling feed CPS 234 information security and CPS 230 operational risk assessments. Salesforce publishes its Australian list prices in AUD, so licence costs can be budgeted without currency conversion.
FAQ
Salesforce implementation questions
How long does a Salesforce implementation take?
It depends on the number of clouds, integrations and the volume and quality of data to migrate. Our Sales Cloud implementation for a Hong Kong law firm ran in phases over six months. We'd rather go live with a smaller first release and add to it than wait for everything.
Should we customise Salesforce or use it out of the box?
Start from standard features and customise where your process genuinely differs. Some businesses fit the standard sales objects poorly: fund managers, for example, need fundraising, investor and portfolio records that Sales Cloud wasn't designed around. Our article on customising Salesforce for fund managers explains the trade-offs.
Can you migrate us from another CRM?
Yes. We map the old system's records to Salesforce objects, clean and de-duplicate them, run trial loads and reconcile counts against the source. Attachments, activity history and record ownership need deliberate decisions, because not everything is worth moving.
How do you make sure people actually use Salesforce?
Training by role, built on real scenarios and done on live data, with managers in the room and refreshers after go-live. Our article on Salesforce training best practices sets out the approach.
What happens after go-live?
Salesforce ships three major releases a year, so someone needs to review each one and test your org against it. We can provide ongoing support, or hand over to your admins with documentation, a backlog and a release checklist.
Do you implement Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Data 360 as well?
Yes. See our Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Data 360 pages for what each involves.
People
Consultants who build what they design
Implementations are led by senior consultants who stay with the project from discovery to go-live, so the people who designed the org are the ones who explain it to your team.
They work with your admins, team leads and IT, and hand over documentation your people can maintain.
Case studies
Salesforce implementations and the work around them
Our Salesforce work includes a phased Sales Cloud implementation for a 100-person Hong Kong law firm, and Marketo and Salesforce connected into one marketing automation engine for Montgomery Investment Management.
4x faster campaign execution, 1M+ contacts migratedSalesforce Marketing Cloud to Klaviyo migration with 1M+ email marketing recipientsUnlocking personalised growth at scale through Klaviyo implementation and data migration
Marketo and Salesforce connected for 2 fund launchesMarketo and Salesforce, connected for a global fund launchMarketo and Salesforce integrated into one marketing automation engine, so Montgomery could launch two global equity funds to the right investors at the right time.
A 100-person firm running on Salesforce Sales CloudSalesforce CRM implementation for Hong Kong law firmDigital transformative journey of a 100-person law firm in Hong Kong powered by Salesforce Sales Cloud.Insights
Reading on Salesforce implementation and adoption
Migrating from Salesforce Marketing Cloud to Klaviyo: lessons from 1M+ contactsHow to move from Salesforce Marketing Cloud to Klaviyo: what the integration moves, Spam Act consent, active-profile costs, warming and cutover.
What changed in October 2026: Atlassian, Salesforce, Microsoft, Google and AdobeOctober 2026 changes for Australian IT: Atlassian Cloud price rises, Salesforce SOAP login() deadlines, Copilot licensing, Gemini data residency, OAIC.
The connected enterprise: integrating Salesforce, Atlassian, Adobe and ERPHow to connect Salesforce, Atlassian, Adobe and your ERP: system-of-record map, architecture options, API limits, APP 8 and CPS 230, and where to start.