Are Outdated Business Processes Slowing Your Growth?

Salesforce Lightning Bolt Streamlines New Property Portals for Real Estate Property Manager

Problem and Background

Our Real Estate Property Management client was using a Managed Property web portal solution that couldn’t scale to match its aggressive growth strategy. With no documented processes and too many manual steps to be performed, they were experiencing delays trying to bring websites for their managed properties online.

Additionally, a disparate suite of applications was being used to design, configure, and deploy new websites, and many of the applications weren’t able to be integrated with Salesforce.

Finally, delays related to the deployment of websites resulted in poor customer satisfaction from Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and community homeowners.

The Vertex Solution

Vertex Computer Systems proposed leveraging a Salesforce Lightning Bolt design framework to streamline the entire end-to-end web site development process and eliminate as many of the manual processes (e.g., background colors, photo selection, and event calendar population) as possible.

Vertex’s Salesforce Solution Architect also defined and documented repeatable formal business processes that would maintain our customer’s high-quality standards and accelerate the entire web site design and deployment process.

Vertex leveraged the client’s existing Sales Cloud installation with an integration of Formstack’s (AppExchange) Forms and Documents to eliminate third party solutions. Vertex also utilized Salesforce Lightning Web Components to replace Google Calendars on Salesforce Communities so that events could be created and shared from Salesforce.

The Formstack Salesforce App replaced Hubspot forms, streamlining form creation and data collection. Formstack Documents replaced DocGen, making annual and monthly statement generation an easier process. The combination of a custom calendar component and forms helped to eliminate smaller registration platforms like SignUpGenius.

Finally, Salesforce Maps was used to replace a third-party solution that did not have any integration with Salesforce. This solution creates and tracks HOA violations and can be used by active Architectural Review Boards to review sites.

The original project was delivered two weeks ahead of schedule and under budget. As a result of our success, the client asked Vertex to redesign each of its existing Customer Community portals and to help onboard new communities.

Key Benefits & Results:

The Salesforce Lightning Bolt framework proved to be an effective and capable means of delivering high-quality, scalable solutions leveraging all aspects of the Salesforce Platform. The solution was seamlessly integrated into the Salesforce Platform and it increased both internal efficiency and external customer satisfaction. Leveraging additional AppExchange offerings further extended the framework’s broad capabilities

• Reduced license and support costs from disparate systems
• Increased efficiency in onboarding new communities and in the creation and ongoing management of community websites
• Repeatable and scalable processes
• Increased homeowner and HOA satisfaction

The solution demonstrated the effectiveness of Vertex’s proven ‘hybrid’ implementation methodology. Our resources provided the thought leadership needed to deliver on our client’s functional needs and long-term vision of migrating all solutions and processes onto the Salesforce Platform, eliminating manual processes, and the resultant savings of license and support costs by eliminating disparate third-party solutions.

Who was the Chief Technologist on the Project?

Joby Thomas, a Vertex Solution Architect with nine Salesforce certifications — led the design, configuration, and deployment of the solution. Joby was assisted by a US-based Vertex Business Analyst and an India-based Salesforce Certified Configurator.

Who Else Could This Solution Help?

Any business managing residential or commercial properties could benefit from this integrated solution. The Salesforce Lightning Bolt framework proved to be an effective and capable means of delivering high-quality, scalable solutions leveraging all aspects of the Salesforce Platform. The Bolt framework is capable of being leveraged across any industry’s solution needs.