When comparing LeanData vs. Salesforce Flows, what are the true differences? Hey, it’s a valid question: why buy LeanData if Salesforce has similar capabilities?
In this article we’ll explain some of the differences between LeanData vs. Salesforce Flows to help you decide what’s best for your organization.
What is LeanData?
LeanData is a Salesforce-native application, purpose-built for intelligent and complex go-to-market execution. LeanData sits inside your Salesforce instance, collecting signals, managing data, and triggering plays.
LeanData’s functionalities include:
- Lead-to-account matching and routing
- Out-of-the-box round robins with weighting, capping, user schedules, holidays, etc.
- Auto conversion of leads to contacts
- Account-based routing
- Intent-based routing
- Any object routing
- Automated and interactive alerts to Slack and Microsoft Teams
- Out-of-the box integrations (see full list here)
- Deduping capabilities
- Territory management
- Service level agreement (SLA) enforcement
- No-code automation
- Drag-and-drop interface
LeanData also offers automated scheduling tools through their BookIt solutions.
Easy Change Management
One of the benefits of using LeanData over Salesforce Flows is the ability to make changes quickly.
LeanData’s FlowBuilder makes it easy to visualize routing logic and outcomes. This enables users to find and fix errors in real time. Plus, with LeanData, you can manage territories and round robin distribution all in one place.
Auditing Capabilities
Another benefit to LeanData over Salesforce Flows is LeanData’s auditing capabilities. LeanData’s Audit Logs allow you to see which path an individual record took during the routing process.
Audit Logs will show you each node that the record passed through and the outcomes that went into LeanData’s decision for sending the record down that specific path.
Plus, if you notice that specific records were not processed correctly and you want to reprocess those records, users can do this directly from the Audit Logs page.
What is Salesforce Flows?
Salesforce Flows is a process automation tool available in Salesforce. Salesforce Flows offers low code automation, which allows users to build, manage, and run business processes in Salesforce.
In the last several years, Salesforce Flows has replaced Salesforce’s Workflow Rules and Process Builder as the primary process automation tool.
Strengths of Salesforce Flows
- Pricing: “Free”– it’s available in all Salesforce products.
- Automation: Quick automation for simple processes.
- Visual guides: Users can build forms to guide users to provide specific information, such as record details, feedback, images, and/or files. Data collected from these forms can be used to make decisions and execute actions in a flow.
- Object-agnostic: Users can build automation for any object in Salesforce and across various business functions.
Weaknesses of Salesforce Flows
- Agility: Flow logic is not easily or quickly configured or reconfigured. It requires many incremental setup steps and some code.
- Flexibility: No out-of-the-box round robin weighting, capping, or easy way to adjust user schedules or fallback actions. No direct integrations with 3rd party platforms.
- Transparency: Limited routing insights and audit logs.
- Scalability: Requires either excessive queue creation or headcount to develop, maintain, and document routing logic in Apex or Flows.
What is Salesforce Flow Orchestrator?
Salesforce Flow Orchestrator is a no-code, workflow orchestration tool that helps users create and manage complex workflows across multiple users and business functions. This tool is available as an add-on to Salesforce Flows for an additional cost.
Orchestration Types
- Record-triggered: runs whenever a specified type of record is created or updated.
- Auto-launched: automatically runs when invoked by Apex, REST API, and more.
Why Businesses Choose LeanData
Revenue teams typically bring on LeanData when the following scenarios occur:
- You need to react to market changes or process changes quickly.
- Your sales team is growing.
- Territories are constantly shifting.
- You need greater flexibility and customization.
- You need greater control of your go-to-market processes with less reliance on IT.
- You want to create and modify sophisticated routing logic without needing Apex code.
In addition, organizations typically use LeanData when their selling process becomes more complex. For example,
- Leads need to be assigned based on different criteria like industry, company size, etc.
- Your organization manages multiple go-to-market plays like inbound, outbound, ABM, product-led growth, or a Buying Groups motion.
Cost Structure & ROI
When comparing LeanData and Salesforce Flows, one of the biggest considerations is understanding the full financial picture.
Whether you choose to rely on LeanData or Salesforce Flows for orchestration, you’ll need to consider the total cost of ownership. This includes everything from implementation and maintenance to less obvious expenses like training and consulting.
So here are some key questions to consider:
- Will LeanData’s advanced automation capabilities justify its pricing compared to what you can accomplish with Salesforce Flows out of the box?
- How much will you spend on Salesforce Developers to build comparable complex flows in Salesforce? It’s the classic build vs. buy situation.
- Can your IT department, Salesforce Admins and Developers make changes and updates to your flows at the pace your business requires?
LeanData Pricing
Clearly, LeanData requires additional licensing fees on top of your Salesforce investment. As shown on the LeanData pricing page, subscription fees are as follows:
- Standard Plan: $39/user/month
- Advanced Plan: $49/user/month
- Premium Plan: $59/user/month
Each tier of pricing offers varying levels of matching, routing, data management, alerts, and reporting features.
In addition, LeanData offers custom pricing for enterprise organizations with multifaceted go-to-market plays or complex Salesforce environments. This Includes dedicated support for both sandbox and production environments.
Salesforce Sales Cloud Pricing
For comparable functionality to LeanData’s mid-tier “Advanced” plan, Salesforce Sales Cloud is $165/user/month. Moreover, Salesforce has a separate feature known as “Flow Orchestrator” which manages complex workflows at an additional cost.
Implementation Complexity
When deciding between LeanData and Salesforce Flows, implementation complexity is another critical factor to consider.
- Evaluate your team’s technical capabilities and available resources, as well as how long it will take to either build your flows in Salesforce or implement LeanData.
- Consider the learning curve for your administrators and users, along with any integration work needed with your existing systems.
- Factor in the effort required to migrate your current processes. This isn’t just about setting up something new, but also about ensuring a smooth transition from what you’re doing now.
No doubt Salesforce has incredible learning opportunities on Trailhead. Likewise, LeanData has multiple channels for training. These include:
- LeanData Learning Center
- LeanData Certifications
- Tips and Tricks video series
- Expert Hour and Lunch-n-Learn training events
- LeanData Help Center
- Routing Templates and Snippets
Review the full LeanData implementation guide here: Getting Started with LeanData.
“This [LeanData] has become the gold standard for our organization. It arms the sales team with everything they need to hit the ground running: who to talk to, when to contact them, and what to talk about. It also allows us to automate as much as we need and operate at scale. We have the full support of sales leadership and the revenue operations team. They now see this as a mission critical process.”
Nicholas Lansberry Sales Technology Business Analyst
Scalability and Performance
When evaluating LeanData versus Salesforce Flows, scalability and performance should be at the forefront of your decision-making process.
You’ll need to assess how each solution handles large volumes of data and whether it might impact your overall Salesforce performance, particularly when it comes to governor limits.
Consider how well each platform can manage increasingly complex routing rules as your organization grows. Further, make sure the solution you choose can adapt and scale alongside your business as your needs evolve.
Maintenance and Support
Maintaining and supporting your chosen solution is a crucial consideration when comparing LeanData vs. Salesforce Flows.
You’ll need to think about the day-to-day administrative work required, as well as whether you can find and retain qualified administrators to manage the system.
And last, consider the quality of vendor support.
The Final Say: Business Impact
Certainly, Salesforce Flows is a powerful automation tool within the Salesforce ecosystem. However, its capabilities may not always meet the demands of complex, fast-paced, go-to-market execution.
For organizations seeking to eliminate manual processes, accelerate speed to lead, and drive cross-functional alignment, LeanData delivers a measurable business impact.
And, truth be told, many organizations use both LeanData and Salesforce Flows. Admittedly, they each have their role to play.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to your business needs. For organizations ready to streamline go-to-market operations, improve customer experiences, and unlock faster revenue growth, LeanData is a strong, reliable partner.
Kim Peterson
Kim Peterson is the Manager of Content Strategy at LeanData where she digs deep into all aspects of the revenue process and shares her findings across multiple content channels. Kim's writing experiences span tech companies, stunt blogging, education, and the real estate industry. Connect with Kim on LinkedIn.
