Overview
When Josh and I decided to take the leap and start our own Salesforce and nCino consulting firm, we were nervous, excited, and probably a little bit naïve. We thought we’d be able to point to our past projects with other firms and easily get a seat at the table. Turns out, selling wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. But we sent out email after email, submitted proposal after proposal, and eventually started executing project after project. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we started Lucro, because it honestly feels like it’s been three. Taking a look back on our first year, we were able to reflect on common challenges our clients have faced and recall the great memories we had along the way.
Client Trends
In the past year, we’ve helped clients build strategic roadmaps, evaluate new markets, optimize business processes, automate customer journeys, streamline Salesforce configuration, implement new nCino features, and rearchitect inefficient automation. In addition to projects with our clients, we’ve been able to have candid conversations with prospects spanning topics like blockchain, digital banking, data strategy, and more. Through these experiences, we’ve learned a lot about the challenges and opportunities that Financial Institutions have in front of them to get the most value out of the Salesforce platform. While there are many to list, we want to highlight the three most pressing opportunities we believe Salesforce and nCino clients have ahead of them:
Opportunity #1: Using Salesforce as a Workflow Tool to Drive Efficiency
Salesforce has the potential to be an extremely powerful workflow tool for internal employees, but those same employees rarely view it as one. Instead, Salesforce is often viewed by those employees as a platform that causes confusion, bogs down productivity, and increases micromanagement. Our recent blog explores how using Salesforce and nCino workflow tools can result in a more productive and engaged team.
Opportunity #2: Refining your Customer Portal Strategy
Every Fintech company and consulting firm is telling you that if you don’t have a Customer Portal, then you’re falling behind. While we agree with the sentiment, the execution often leaves much to be desired. Many Portals fall short of meeting customer expectations due to a misguided strategy and minimum viable product approach. Learn more about our perspective on why institutions should create minimum lovable products instead.
Opportunity #3: Balancing Innovation & Maintenance on the Salesforce Platform
As a Salesforce and nCino Product Owner, it’s a difficult task to manage the ever-growing backlog from users, multiple releases from Salesforce and nCino, and a team of admins, developers, and consultants that want to continuously build cool things. This balancing act only becomes harder the longer a Financial Institution is on the platform. And as technical debt accumulates, Salesforce and nCino continue to release newer, better features. There is no perfect science, but a good Product Owner uses the platform to achieve business goals and solve the most pressing issues for users, all while keeping customization to a minimum.
Institutions can benefit from bringing in consultants to assess the technical debt, interview the business, and offer recommendations for achieving the right balance. Don’t know where to start? Read more about our nCino Org Health Assessment and how it can be the perfect start on your journey to a healthier org.
Our Highlights
In addition to having plenty of conversations about nCino and Salesforce, we made sure to have fun by traveling to client sites, conferences, and award shows. Here’s a few of our favorite highlights from the past year.
nSight Conference
In June, we traveled to Raleigh, NC to reconnect with old colleagues, clients, and prospects at the 2022 nSight Conference. We enjoyed eating great food, drinking delicious cocktails, and having wonderful conversations with nCino fanatics from across the country.
Trip to Boise
In September, Josh and I flew out to Boise, ID to celebrate the third member of the team, Savana Maxon. We celebrated Savana as a 2022 Idaho Business Review Women of the Year honoree! It was awesome to be together in-person as a team, work on building out our operations processes, and have fun in downtown Boise.
Trip to Cabo
In December, we celebrated the end of our first calendar year in business with a trip to Cabo San Lucas. We used the time to reflect on the past year, recharge after a busy 2022, and prepare for an exciting 2023.
Meet with Us
Set up time with us to introduce your institution, learn more about Lucro, and discuss how we can partner to achieve your business goals.