Salesforce Support Tiers: What’s Available
- Standard Support: Basic issue resolution, only for business hours.
- Premier Support: 24/7 support, quicker response times, expert guidance.
- Signature Success Plan: A dedicated team, proactive support, and custom solutions.
Salesforce Support Tiers
Salesforce organizes its support offerings into multiple levels, each designed to suit different types of businesses and challenges.
The goal is to provide as much value as possible, depending on how critical Salesforce is to your operations.
Below, we break down the key Salesforce support tiers: Standard Success Plan, Premier Success Plan, and Signature Success Plan.
Standard Success Plan
The Standard Success Plan is Salesforce’s foundational support level. It’s perfect for organizations comfortable with self-guided resources and need essential support to keep their operations running smoothly.
Key Features of the Standard Success Plan:
- Self-Guided Learning Resources: Salesforce offers extensive learning options through its online platform, Trailhead. Trailhead provides everything from step-by-step tutorials to guided learning paths, helping users develop their Salesforce skills at their own pace.
- Access to Knowledge Articles: Access a vast library of knowledge articles, frequently asked questions, and release documentation to help troubleshoot issues.
- Online Case Submission: You can submit support cases online to receive help from Salesforce’s technical support team.
- Trailblazer Community: Join the Trailblazer Community to connect with other Salesforce users, share tips, and find solutions through peer support.
This plan is great for smaller businesses or those with a good internal IT team that feels confident in navigating the Salesforce ecosystem with minimal intervention from Salesforce’s support staff.
Additional Insights on the Standard Success Plan
The Standard Success Plan is an excellent choice for companies with strong internal capabilities. Businesses using this tier rely heavily on the Trailhead platform for continued learning and problem-solving. Trailhead is not just a resource for beginners; it also offers advanced learning trails for users who want to master complex Salesforce features.
Another significant benefit is the Trailblazer Community, an interactive network of users contributing real-world solutions, practical examples, and the latest updates.
Many organizations find immense value in this peer-driven support, which helps foster a sense of collaboration and community.
Furthermore, Access to Knowledge Articles helps organizations reduce downtime. This library contains detailed documentation that guides users through Salesforce’s different features, often eliminating the need for direct technical support.
For companies that value efficiency and internal problem-solving, this foundational tier is often all needed to maintain a stable Salesforce environment.
Premier Success Plan
If your organization requires more help than the standard tier offers, the Premier Success Plan could be a significant upgrade.
This plan is ideal for companies that need faster response times, more personalized assistance, and additional resources to stay ahead of issues.
Core Benefits of the Premier Success Plan:
- 24/7/365 Technical Support: With Premier support, you get round-the-clock technical help with faster response times, making it possible to solve critical issues whenever they arise.
- Expert Coaching Sessions: Salesforce provides coaching sessions where certified experts help you develop specific skills or overcome business challenges using Salesforce tools.
- Custom-Code Troubleshooting: For businesses with custom Salesforce solutions, the Premier plan includes support for troubleshooting custom code.
- Health Checks and Performance Recommendations: Routine health checks ensure your Salesforce environment is optimized, and Salesforce experts provide proactive performance recommendations.
- Discounted Training Programs: Receive discounts on specialized Salesforce training courses, enabling your team to stay up-to-date with the latest tools and practices.
The Premier Success Plan is a fantastic option for organizations that need reliable support, faster problem resolution, and expert assistance to customize and optimize Salesforce for their needs.
Deep Dive into Premier Benefits
Premier Success Plan users greatly benefit from 24/7/365 Technical Support, crucial for companies running mission-critical operations that depend on Salesforce uptime. This continuous availability means that any disruptions can be addressed before they escalate into major problems, helping to maintain business continuity.
Another valuable feature is the Expert Coaching Sessions. These sessions are often tailored to address specific challenges, such as learning how to better use Salesforce Analytics or developing advanced automation workflows.
These sessions can be attended by multiple team members, offering scalable learning opportunities that add tremendous value. This aspect of the Premier plan is particularly popular for teams new to Salesforce who need extra guidance or for teams experiencing growth and needing new features to be implemented quickly.
The Custom-Code Troubleshooting feature distinguishes the Premier tier from the Standard Success Plan. Organizations with custom-built applications often face unique challenges, and having direct access to Salesforce developers or experts can save significant time in diagnosing and fixing custom code issues.
This ensures minimal disruption and helps keep custom functionalities running smoothly.
Furthermore, Health Checks and Performance Recommendations provide an added layer of preventative care.
Salesforce experts conduct detailed assessments to identify inefficiencies, security loopholes, or potential risks. This allows organizations to optimize performance and avoid future problems.
These proactive health checks significantly improve long-term platform reliability.
Learn how to negotiate salesforce service credits.
Signature Success Plan
The Signature Success Plan is Salesforce’s top-tier offering, delivering the highest level of support.
This plan includes personalized attention from Salesforce experts and a proactive approach to keeping your Salesforce environment in peak condition.
Advanced Features of the Signature Success Plan:
- Designated Customer Success Manager: A dedicated Customer Success Manager works closely with your organization, offering tailored guidance and helping you get the most from Salesforce.
- Strategic Guidance and Advocacy: With Signature support, Salesforce provides ongoing strategic advice, helping you align the platform’s capabilities with your business goals.
- Fastest Support Response Times: This plan ensures you receive 24/7/365 support with the fastest response times available.
- Personalized Recommendations: Experts provide tailored recommendations, helping you adopt new features and streamline operations.
- Customer Success Score Insights: This helps gauge how effectively your organization uses Salesforce. It provides actionable insights for improving user adoption and overall productivity.
- Proactive Services and Risk Mitigation: The Signature plan includes proactive services that identify and mitigate risks before they become bigger problems.
This plan is for organizations that view Salesforce as mission-critical. The proactive nature of the services, strategic support, and personalized attention make it ideal for large enterprises or those undergoing significant digital transformation.
The Value of Proactive Services and Risk Mitigation
A significant advantage of the Signature Success Plan is its focus on proactive measures. With a Designated Customer Success Manager, organizations get technical support and a partner who understands their business needs and provides a personalized approach. The Customer Success Manager doesn’t just respond to problems; they help foresee future issues and work with your team to mitigate risks before they happen.
Strategic Guidance and Advocacy are vital for enterprises undergoing digital transformation or expansion. Signature Success Plan customers often receive insights into Salesforce’s product roadmap, which helps them make informed decisions regarding their strategic initiatives. This allows for better planning and integration of upcoming Salesforce features into the company’s overall strategy.
Customer Success Score Insights also add tremendous value by offering in-depth analysis of how effectively your organization uses Salesforce. These insights are crucial for improving system adoption across teams, ensuring that everyone uses Salesforce to maximize productivity and output.
The score is derived from factors like user activity, feature utilization, and case resolution efficiency, offering a detailed view of platform effectiveness.
The Personalized Recommendations and Fastest Support Response Times ensure that Signature customers always get the help they need without waiting. The proactive approach means fewer disruptions and more time spent focusing on growth and innovation rather than troubleshooting and firefighting.
Technical Support Levels Explained
Salesforce support doesn’t end with choosing a Success Plan. It also offers different Technical Support Levels to meet your specific needs. Let’s break down the three levels of technical support available: L1 (First-Line), L2 (Technical), and L3 (Expert).
L1 Support (First-Line)
L1 Support is your first point of contact for Salesforce issues. It includes basic troubleshooting, routine maintenance, and standard configurations. It’s ideal for managing user accounts, resolving simple errors, and maintaining day-to-day platform stability.
Typical L1 Support Tasks:
- Basic troubleshooting for issues like login problems.
- Regular Salesforce environment management.
- Handling user accounts and permissions.
- Performing standard configuration tasks.
Why L1 Support Matters
L1 Support is often underestimated but is crucial for maintaining platform stability. When handled effectively, L1 support ensures that basic issues are resolved before they escalate, freeing up higher-level technical staff for more complex problems.
This level often deals with a high volume of smaller, less critical issues, making efficient first-line support essential for day-to-day business continuity.
L2 Support (Technical)
When issues get more complex, L2 Support steps in. This level involves technical experts who handle system administration and integrations and provide health checks.
What L2 Support Covers:
- System administration, such as adjusting settings or configuring security features.
- Handling integration issues between Salesforce and other systems.
- Performing detailed health checks to ensure everything is functioning smoothly.
- Offering advisory services to help plan Salesforce’s evolution.
Role of L2 Support in Complex Environments
L2 Support is pivotal when dealing with complex system configurations or integrating Salesforce with third-party tools and services. The technicians handling L2 issues often need advanced knowledge of Salesforce’s architecture, APIs, and integration best practices.
They may work closely with your internal IT team to adjust system settings, troubleshoot system connections, or assist with sophisticated security configurations.
L2 is also about proactive maintenance. For instance, Health Checks provided at this level ensure that the platform maintains optimal performance, which includes everything from data integrity checks to security vulnerability assessments.
These proactive checks help detect anomalies early, keeping your system running efficiently.
L3 Support (Expert)
L3 Support provides the highest level of technical assistance for critical problems. This tier helps resolve complex issues, develop custom solutions, and manage major incidents.
L3 Support Services Include:
- Addressing major incidents that could disrupt business operations.
- Creating custom solutions tailored to meet specific business needs.
- Providing a dedicated team of Salesforce specialists when needed.
Importance of L3 Support for Mission-Critical Operations
When the stakes are high, L3 Support is essential. This level of support often involves Salesforce experts who troubleshoot and provide strategic fixes and system customizations.
Major Incident Handling is a key component of L3 Support—addressing system outages, severe data issues, or integration breakdowns that can have significant financial and operational consequences for businesses.
Custom Solution Development is also a standout feature here. Organizations with complex workflows and unique requirements often need Salesforce to be extensively customized. L3 Support ensures that these customizations are implemented correctly and maintained over time, adapting as business requirements evolve.
Furthermore, L3 specialists may offer Dedicated Team Support to organizations that require continuous hands-on assistance.
This ensures that complex, ongoing projects are handled with consistent expertise, particularly beneficial for companies running high-stakes operations where Salesforce is deeply integrated into their business processes.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Salesforce offers Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure reliable response times depending on the urgency of your needs. Here’s a quick look at available SLA options:
- 8/5 SLA: Standard support package, suitable for non-urgent issues. You receive support during normal business hours.
- 24/7 SLA: Round-the-clock support with a one-hour response time for critical issues, regardless of occurrence.
- Custom SLA: Tailored agreements for businesses that need specific support activities, ensuring a unique response plan that fits their unique business requirements.
Choosing the Right SLA
Choosing the right SLA is crucial for aligning support to business needs. An 8/5 SLA may be sufficient for smaller organizations with predictable, low-risk operations. However, if you have mission-critical Salesforce functions that need immediate attention, then a 24/7 SLA with rapid response times is more appropriate.
For highly specialized requirements, Custom SLAs provide flexibility and cater to unique operational requirements. Custom SLAs can include specific stipulations around response times, escalation processes, or specialized support workflows, ensuring a tailored approach that meets individual business expectations.
Pricing Models
Salesforce support pricing can be based on two main models: Fixed Monthly Fees and Time & Material.
- Fixed Monthly Fees: This pricing model works well for businesses that want predictable costs. It involves a fixed monthly payment for a predefined scope of services.
- Time and Materials: This approach allows you to pay only for the work. It offers flexibility since costs depend on the time and materials used to resolve Salesforce issues.
Deciding Between Pricing Models
The Fixed Monthly Fee model is ideal for organizations with strict budget control. Predictable costs allow better financial planning, which is particularly advantageous for businesses that have allocated a specific budget for IT support.
This model also works well for companies with ongoing support needs that don’t fluctuate drastically from month to month.
On the other hand, the Time & Material model is well-suited for businesses with varying support demands. If you only need occasional support, this model ensures you’re not overpaying for unused services. This flexibility allows businesses to allocate resources where needed most without locking in a recurring fee.
Organizations undergoing significant projects, like system integrations or custom app development, often prefer the Time & Material approach as it allows them to ramp up support when required and reduce it after the project concludes. This elasticity can result in cost savings and ensures the support aligns closely with project timelines.
Salesforce Support Tiers: What’s Available – FAQs
What are Salesforce support tiers?
Salesforce offers different support tiers to cater to various business needs. These tiers include Standard Support, Premier Support, and Signature Success Plan, each offering distinct service levels, response times, and resources.
What does Standard Support provide?
Standard Support includes basic assistance during local business hours. It also gives access to Salesforce Help Center resources and community forums. It’s ideal for small businesses that need minimal support.
How does Premier Support differ from Standard Support?
Premier Support offers 24/7 availability, faster response times, and access to specialized resources like expert guidance, training materials, and webinars. This tier suits businesses that rely more heavily on Salesforce for daily operations.
What is included in the Signature Success Plan?
The Signature Success Plan provides a dedicated success team, proactive monitoring, tailored strategies, and the fastest response times. It is designed for large enterprises or critical industries needing customized support.
Can businesses upgrade their support tier?
Yes, businesses can upgrade their support tier based on evolving needs. Upgrading provides more features, faster responses, and additional support resources.
What response times can I expect from each tier?
Standard Support responds during local business hours. Premier Support provides faster responses, and the Signature Success Plan prioritizes issues with immediate attention for critical cases.
Does Premier Support include training for my team?
Yes, Premier Support provides access to exclusive training materials, certifications, and expert-led webinars to help teams maximize Salesforce’s potential.
Is the Signature Success Plan suitable for small businesses?
While small businesses may not require Signature Support’s advanced features, it can benefit those with complex or critical Salesforce needs.
Are multilingual support options available?
Yes, Salesforce provides multilingual support to accommodate global teams, particularly in the Premier and Signature tiers.
What kind of proactive services does Signature Support offer?
Signature Support includes proactive monitoring and issue prevention. This means potential problems are identified and resolved before they impact your operations.
Does Salesforce assist with system updates in all support tiers?
All support tiers ensure that your system stays updated with the latest Salesforce releases and features.
Can I get a dedicated account manager in any support plan?
No, only the Signature Success Plan offers a dedicated account manager who provides personalized guidance and helps align Salesforce solutions with your business goals.
Is training available in the Standard Support tier?
No, Standard Support only includes access to basic online resources. The Premier and Signature tiers offer detailed training and certifications.
Does Premier Support provide API support?
Yes, Premier Support includes expert advice and solutions for API-related issues, including integration and troubleshooting.
What should I consider when choosing a support tier?
Consider the size of your business, the criticality of Salesforce to your operations, and the level of support you need. Standard Support suits basic needs, Premier Support works well for scaling businesses, and Signature Support is ideal for enterprises needing tailored and proactive services.
