How We Typically Help

• Build Salesforce around real engineering and project workflows 

  • Structuring Salesforce so quoting, engineering coordination, project delivery, and service support happen inside the platform — not across spreadsheets, email, and disconnected tools. 

• Connect systems, data, and project execution 

  • Making sure sales, engineering, operations, and service teams are working from consistent information across the full lifecycle. 

• Turn Salesforce into a system of execution 

  • Embedding workflows, approvals, and project tracking directly into Salesforce so work progresses consistently without manual coordination. 

Common Situations We Step Into

Industrial automation organizations typically come to us in one of three situations: 

1. New Salesforce implementations 

For organizations implementing Salesforce for the first time, the priority is getting the foundation right. 

We work with you to: 

• Define how sales, quoting, engineering handoff, and project delivery should operate inside Salesforce 

• Design data models for customers, systems, components, projects, and installations 

• Structure workflows from opportunity through delivery and service 

• Integrate Salesforce with ERP, engineering, and operational systems 

• Deliver reporting that connects pipeline, delivery, and performance 

This is usually a strong fit for teams that want to get it right from the beginning, instead of rebuilding later. 

2. Recovering and stabilizing existing Salesforce environments 

For organizations where Salesforce exists but project and engineering work happens outside the system, the focus is getting things back under control. 

We work with you to: 

• Understand how sales, engineering, and project delivery are actually happening today 

• Identify where workflows break down between teams 

• Reconnect processes so work flows end to end inside Salesforce 

• Clean up data models so reporting reflects real activity 

• Start making steady, visible improvements 

This tends to work best for organizations that are ready to simplify and fix what’s there — not just keep adding more on top. 

3. Expanding Salesforce as a platform 

For organizations where Salesforce is already in place, the focus shifts to extending it across more of the business. 

We work with you to: 

• Extend Salesforce across engineering, delivery, and service workflows 

• Introduce structured processes across quoting, approvals, and execution 

• Improve reporting across pipeline, projects, and installed systems 

• Replace inconsistent processes with something repeatable 

This is typically where Salesforce starts becoming part of how the business runs, not just something sales owns. 

AI and Automation in Industrial Automation Workflows

A growing part of our work is applying Salesforce AI and automation to real operational processes. 

This includes: 

• • Moving opportunities through quoting, configuration, and approval workflows 

  • Automating engineering handoffs and project coordination 

  • Supporting service and maintenance workflows for installed systems 

  • Reducing manual work across sales, engineering, and operations 

  • Keeping projects moving without relying on manual tracking 

The focus is always practical — applying automation where it improves delivery, coordination, and visibility. 

Our Delivery Model

We typically work with organizations in one of two ways, depending on internal structure. 

In many automation organizations, Salesforce is disconnected from engineering and operations. We work differently — the same people who design the solution are the ones working with you throughout. 

Acting as Your Salesforce Team

• Take ownership of Salesforce across sales, engineering, and operations 

• Align it to how projects and systems are delivered 

• Define and manage what gets built and when 

• Coordinate across systems and teams 

• Deliver implementation, enhancements, and ongoing improvement 

This creates a single place where responsibility sits. 

Acting as a Strategic Salesforce Partner

For organizations with an existing team: 

• • Work alongside your team on the parts that are slowing projects down 

  • Lead specific initiatives or problem areas 

  • Fix areas that have degraded over time 

  • Deliver work without adding more layers 

This tends to work best when teams want support where it matters, without changing how they’re structured. 

Handling Growth, Complexity, and Scale

Industrial automation businesses evolve as systems become more complex and projects expand. 

We support: 

• New products, systems, and engineering capabilities 

• Growth in project volume and delivery complexity 

• Standardizing processes across teams and regions 

• Integrating new systems and operational tools 

• Improving visibility across pipeline, delivery, and service 

We also support expansion scenarios, including: 

• Aligning operations across facilities or business units 

• Consolidating data across systems 

• Standardizing how projects and systems are managed 

This usually works best for organizations that want to simplify through growth, not carry forward every variation. 

How We Work

Whether implementing, fixing, or expanding Salesforce, the approach is the same: 

• Make it reflect how your business actually needs to operate 

• Keep it aligned as things change 

We’ll also tell you directly when something isn’t working — including when the right answer is to simplify or remove what’s already been built. 

Our Accelerators

Fostering has delivered many successful Salesforce Implementations and Enhancements for banking clients.  This means we've solved many of the challenges that you might face - an overview of some of the technical solutions we've deployed is available here.