Issue

Syensqo is embarking on a full greenfield Salesforce implementation, which means that no legacy Salesforce org, configuration, or data model will be reused. This fresh start offers important advantages—such as the freedom to design a clean architecture, adopt best practices from the beginning, and avoid technical debt—but it also introduces a fundamental question: which Salesforce Cloud(s) should be selected as the foundation of the solution?

Choosing the right Salesforce Cloud is a critical architectural decision because each cloud comes with its own functional coverage, licensing implications, data model assumptions, and extensibility boundaries. The selection must be driven first and foremost by the business capabilities required by the client: process automation, customer engagement, case management, lead-to-cash workflows, partner interactions, service operations, and more. However, this capability matching cannot be done in isolation. It must be balanced with strategic principles such as prioritizing standard features over heavy customization, maximizing long-term maintainability, and controlling both licensing cost and implementation cost.

The challenge lies in navigating the trade-offs between clouds that provide strong native support for certain business processes and alternative clouds that would require extensive customization to deliver similar outcomes. An inappropriate cloud selection could lead to unnecessary complexity, higher total cost of ownership, duplicated capabilities, or a solution that drifts too far from Salesforce best practices. Therefore, a structured evaluation is needed to align the client’s required capabilities with the intrinsic strengths of each Salesforce Cloud, ensuring that the chosen foundation supports a scalable, cost-efficient, and future-proof architecture.

Recommendation

In response to the current limitations of Syensqo’s fragmented CRM architecture, there exists a powerful opportunity to transform business operations by adopting a unified Salesforce platform strategy. This approach involves transitioning away from bespoke, legacy, and siloed solutions toward a centrally managed suite of Salesforce standard modules, each natively supported and strategically aligned with the Salesforce product roadmap. Below is the recommendation: 

By embracing above cloud recommendations, Syensqo positions itself to realize both immediate and long-term benefits like:

Platform Unification and Consistency

Adopting standard Salesforce modules establishes a single source of truth for customer, product, and transactional data across the organization. This unified data model and security framework eliminate inconsistencies, strengthen compliance, and improve cross-functional visibility—empowering teams to deliver more cohesive and data-driven customer experiences.

Simplified Maintenance and Improved Reliability

Standard modules benefit from Salesforce’s enterprise-grade support, ongoing feature enhancements, and robust documentation. Relying on natively supported capabilities dramatically reduces the time, effort, and cost associated with maintaining custom code or outdated integrations. This shift streamlines upgrades, minimizes downtime, and allows in-house teams to focus on supporting business growth rather than firefighting technical issues.

Accelerated Innovation and Business Agility

With a modular, future-proofed environment, Syensqo can rapidly deploy new Salesforce innovations—such as AI-powered insights, process automation, and sophisticated analytics—without the traditional hurdles of retrofitting custom solutions. Capabilities like Agentforce and Data Cloud can be harnessed more effectively, unlocking real-time data unification and intelligent service delivery. As Salesforce continues its investment in emerging technologies, Syensqo’s ecosystem will remain at the forefront of customer engagement and operational excellence.

Cost Optimization and Efficient Scaling

Streamlining to standard Salesforce solutions will significantly lower the total cost of ownership (TCO). Reduced customization means fewer resources spent on bespoke development, testing, and ongoing support. System upgrades become simpler and less risky, and governance is easier to maintain. Syensqo can also onboard new business units, geographies, or products rapidly by replicating proven Salesforce modules instead of reinventing the wheel for each new initiative.

Readiness for Strategic Growth and Change

This approach is not merely about technology transformation; it is about equipping Syensqo with a scalable and adaptable digital foundation. As business priorities, regulatory environments, or customer expectations shift, Syensqo will be better positioned to quickly pivot, add new capabilities, and expand into new markets, all while maintaining strong platform governance and data integrity.

Leverage Salesforce’s Ecosystem and Continuous Innovation

By aligning with Salesforce’s product roadmap, Syensqo ensures ongoing access to latest features, security improvements, and ecosystem integrations (including AppExchange, partner solutions, and industry accelerators). This reduces risk of obsolescence and supports a continuous improvement culture within the enterprise.

Background & Context

Following the strategic separation from Solvay and the establishment of Syensqo as an independent entity, the organization inherited a complex CRM environment shaped by years of growth, acquisitions, and adaptation to diverse business needs. This landscape, while functional, reflects a history of siloed decision-making, varied business models across Global Business Units (GBUs), and a reliance on custom and legacy processes that were often designed to meet immediate tactical demands rather than enabling long-term strategic goals. 

See below two links for existing integration landscape: 

Core CRM interface provider.pdf

Core CRM interfaces consumer.pdf

Today, Syensqo’s CRM systems are characterized by:

• Multiple legacy solutions and custom-built components resulting from historical mergers and region- or unit-specific requirements.
• Fragmented data models and process inconsistencies across Sales, Service, Commerce, Marketing, and Revenue Management functions.
• Siloed GBUs, each often operating with separate workflows, limited data sharing, and differing standards for customer engagement, reporting, and compliance.
• High maintenance overhead due to aging integrations, duplicated effort, and manual workarounds.
• Reactive rather than proactive innovation, where complex change management and technical debt inhibit adoption of new features or industry best practices.

This patchwork approach has, over time, created increasing challenges around growth, efficiency, and the ability to deliver a seamless customer and employee experience.

The decision to go to a Greenfield approach building a new CRM solution cross GBUs has been taken in the following KDD: KDD040 - CRM Platform Approach

Assumptions

• Business Requirements Are Clear: The core business and technical requirements for CRM capabilities across GBUs and regions have been captured and validated for the purpose of cloud assessment.

• No Major Business Model Shifts: There won’t be disruptive changes in Syensqo’s business model or regulatory environment before or during the cloud selection.
• Salesforce Offering Transparency: Salesforce will provide up-to-date, accurate information about its features, product roadmap, and licensing models, ensuring stakeholders have the necessary details to make informed decisions about platform adoption and usage.
• Standard Adoption Will Be Prioritized: There is a shared organizational preference for maximizing standard (out-of-the-box) solution usage, with customizations being justified case by case.
• Document Foundation: This Key Design Decision document is based on information available to date and reflects the outcomes of current discussions with stakeholders. If critical business or technical information changes, recommendations and analysis may need to be revisited.
• On Core First Approach: The evaluation and recommendations leverage an "On Core First" approach, meaning options that maximize the use of standard, out-of-the-box platform capabilities—especially for AI features—are prioritized in all streams.
• CLM capabilities of Revenue Cloud is not considered as part of this KDD and will be part of the other <<This need to be changed by actual KDD link DALAL-ext, Aniket KDD which KDD061 – Sales Contract Authoring. >>
• Syensqo will be responsible for managing the License provisioning and negotiations terms with Vendor Salesforce.

Constraints

In making the cloud platform decision, Syensqo should be mindful of the following constraints:

• Legacy System Integration: Some clouds may present greater integration challenges with existing ERP, supply chain, or proprietary systems due to technology gaps or lack of pre-built connectors.
• Customization Capabilities: Not all clouds offer the same level of configurable features or support for bespoke enhancements—potential limitations for unique GBU or regional requirements.
• License and Contract Terms: Certain features or modules may require additional licenses or have usage caveats, which must be considered against budget and scalability goals.
• Timeline and Resource Bandwidth: Implementation timelines may vary between clouds (based on maturity, readiness, and resource availability), which could affect project phasing.
• Salesforce Roadmap and Support: Future support, upgrades, and innovation depend on the platform’s product roadmap and the Salesforce’s commitment to specific clouds.
• Change Management: Adoption challenges may differ if the chosen cloud represents a substantial shift from current tools or business processes.

Impacts

Selecting the most appropriate cloud platform (e.g., Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, or alternatives) will have important, strategic consequences for Syensqo’s business transformation:

• Alignment with Business Needs: The chosen cloud must support current and future business processes (e.g., complex B2B sales cycles, global account management, regulatory requirements) to maximize value for each GBU.
• Scalability and Flexibility: The platform’s inherent features and ecosystem will impact Syensqo’s ability to scale operations, enter new markets, or support new business models as the organization grows.
• Integration Capabilities: The selected cloud’s compatibility with Syensqo’s existing IT and data landscape (ERP, supply chain, finance, legacy CRMs) will influence integration complexity and total transformation cost.
• Speed to Value: Standard modules and accelerators available in each cloud may determine how quickly new capabilities can be rolled out to business users and with limited customization efforts.
• Innovation Enablement: The choice affects access to advanced tools—such as AI/ML, automation, mobile, and analytics—that can drive digital transformation and competitive differentiation.
• User Experience: The flexibility, simplicity, and consistency of the user interface will impact adoption and productivity across different user groups.
• Compliance and Security: The cloud’s compliance with industry and regional regulatory requirements will directly affect Syensqo’s risk profile and readiness in sensitive markets.

Business Rules

At this stage, specific business rules are not defined within this document. Platform and cloud selection will be based on high-level business requirements and anticipated rules complexity. Detailed business logic, validations, and approval processes will be captured and validated during subsequent Detailed Design Phase.

Salesforce Cloud Options

Sales Cloud to Manufacturing Cloud for Sales 

Objective: To leverage Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud for managing long-term sales commitments, optimizing sales performance, and streamlining commercial operations within manufacturing organizations, rather than building custom solutions on Sales Cloud.

Option A: Manufacturing Cloud for Sales

Manufacturing Cloud offers a specialized, out-of-the-box solution tailored specifically for the complex sales and account management needs for companies such as Syensqo, providing industry-specific features like Sales Agreements and forecasting.

Key Advantages: 

• Sales Agreement Management: Consolidates long-term sales commitments, enabling tracking of planned vs. actual revenue and quantity metrics, automatic performance updates, and a single source of truth for renewals and operational planning.
• Performance Management: Allows account managers and sales representatives to monitor actual order volumes against planned quantities for accurate sales process oversight.
• Price Change Notification: Facilitates sending price change documents to customers within the Sales Agreement when updates occur after the initial order.
• Rebate Management: Supports defining and tracking rebate programs associated with products, quantities, and amounts over specific periods; integrates rebate details at the quote level with SAP S/4 HANA.
• Visit Management: Enables field representatives to efficiently plan and execute on-site interactions using mobile access to action plan templates, location details, and task history, ensuring coverage of mandatory actions and capturing key performance metrics.
• Extension of Salesforce Core: Specifically designed for manufacturing organizations, Manufacturing Cloud extends Sales Cloud functionality to better align sales, planning, and operations with advanced features, reducing implementation effort and technical debt.
• Future-Ready: Leveraging standard features ensures access to future product updates and innovations without the need for custom development.
• Support for Complex Scenarios: Built to support multi-tier partner management and indirect sales channels, enabling organizations to capture and analyze partner performance, manage channel programs, and optimize incentives.
• Ecosystem Growth: Facilitates growth through extended partner ecosystems while maintaining visibility and control over indirect sales activities.

Key Challenges:

• Transitioning from custom-built solutions in Sales Cloud to standard features in Manufacturing Cloud may require process adjustments and change management.
• Integrating rebate management with external systems such as SAP S/4 HANA could present technical and operational complexities.
• Ensuring accurate and consistent data entry for sales agreements, rebate programs, and visit management to maintain a reliable single source of truth.
• Adapting existing workflows to new features like Sales Agreements and Visit Management may require additional training for account managers and field representatives.
• Managing price changes and communicating updates effectively within the Sales Agreement framework.
• Aligning commercial operations across sales, planning, and operations teams to fully leverage Manufacturing Cloud’s advanced capabilities.
• Managing complex manufacturing scenarios, such as multi-tier partner management and indirect sales channels, may require additional configuration and oversight.

See below the key capabilities from Manufacturing Cloud identified for Syensqo:

Option B: Leverage Sales Cloud and Build Custom on Top

This approach uses the highly flexible core Sales Cloud platform and requires additional custom development to build and maintain the specific manufacturing-related features needed to meet unique business requirements

Key Advantages: 

• Maximum Flexibility & Control: Offers the freedom to design and build a solution that precisely matches every unique and specific manufacturing business requirement and existing process.

Key Challenges:

• Higher TCO: Requires ongoing investment in development resources for building, maintaining, testing, and updating the custom code with every Salesforce platform release.

Evaluation

Criteria	Option A: Manufacturing Cloud for Sales  (Recommended)	Option B: Leverage Sales Cloud and Build Custom on Top
Alignment with "Simplification and Standardization principles"	Manufacturing Cloud offers out of the box processes such as Sales Agreements and Advanced Account forecasting which will allow to standardize process and will bring simplification staying out of the box as much as possible.	All the processes not standards in Sales Cloud will have to be customized
User Adoption and Experience	Capabilities such as Sales Agreement offer Excel like capabilities increasing and improving User Experience	Building custom open up the possibility to provide flexibility in building something custom but this will have a significative cost impact.
Scalability & Future-Proofing	Salesforce handles continuous maintenance, security updates, and regular feature innovation, ensuring the platform automatically evolves with technology and industry standards without incurring constant internal development costs	Building customization on the top of the platform is not allowing to benefit of future upgrade/ extract capabilities that would be provided by the platform in the future.
Implementation Cost	Full leverage on Manufacturing Cloud out of the box capabilities reducing the implementation cost	Higher cost of implementation in order to build the capabilities needed to covered by Sales Cloud
Licenses/Subscription Cost	Manufacturing Cloud for Sales cost to be foreseen	Cheaper License Cost

Custom CPQ to Revenue Cloud

Objective: To unify and optimize product management and pricing processes by leveraging Salesforce Revenue Cloud, enabling structured, automated, and scalable configuration, pricing, and quoting, and replacing manual, fragmented approaches with a future-ready, integrated solution.

Key Advantages:

• Centralized Product Catalog Management: Dynamic, integrated product data from MDM (yet to be decided for Release 3). Advanced bundling and configuration rules for complex combinations. Streamlined Catalog management for product administrators.
• Guided Selling: Step-by-step configuration flows for sales reps. Dynamic product recommendations based on rules and sales history. Reduced errors and increased conversion rates.
• Structured Price List Management: Attribute-driven pricing for scalability and consistency. Flexible customer-specific pricing. Improved accuracy and reduced redundancy.
• Price Deviation Tracking: Price waterfall analysis for transparency. Automated flagging of unusual discounts or markups. Proactive monitoring of margin leaks and price fluctuations.
• Native Salesforce Integration: Seamless interoperability with Sales, Manufacturing, and Service Clouds. Unified data and simplified upgrades. Enhanced scalability and maintainability.
• Automated Processes: Automated approvals, guided selling, and quote-to-cash workflows. Reduced manual intervention and improved compliance.
• Future-Readiness: Ongoing access to new features and automation capabilities. Simplified upgrades and scalable adoption.

Key Challenges:

• <<To be filled by the workstream leads >>

Evaluation << To be filled by the workstream leads >>

Sales Cloud (used for Service) to Service Cloud

Objective: To transition existing service functionalities currently managed through Salesforce Sales Cloud to Salesforce Service Cloud, enabling access to advanced service capabilities, improved efficiency, and scalable support for complex service operations.

Key Advantages:

• Advanced Omni-Channel Support: Enables routing and management of cases across multiple channels (email, web, phone, portals), balancing workloads and ensuring SLA coverage.
• Automated Workflows and SLAs: Provides guided workflows, entitlement rules, and automated escalations for regulated complaint handling and high-volume service environments.
• Enhanced Agent Productivity: Offers Knowledge Base, Macros, and Screen Flows to improve agent efficiency and ensure consistent, high-quality responses.
• Unified Agent Console: Delivers an optimized interface for service teams, supporting full-time service operations within Salesforce.
• Scalability and Structure: Supports structured service processes and scalability for growing or complex service requirements.

Key Challenges:

• Additional Licensing Costs: Transitioning to Service Cloud requires purchasing Service Cloud licenses, increasing overall costs.
• Implementation Complexity: Migrating to Service Cloud may require additional configuration, integration, and training for service teams.
• Potential Overhead for Simple Needs: If service requirements remain basic, Service Cloud may introduce unnecessary complexity and features beyond current needs.

Evaluation

CloudCraze and 5 Portals to B2B Commerce Cloud & 1 Unified Portal <<To be filled and reviewed by Workstream Leads>>

Objective: To improve customer experience, streamline operations, and align with Salesforce’s strategic roadmap, we recommend Syensqo consolidate its multiple CloudCraze portals into a single, unified portal built on Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud. This transition will provide a scalable, future-proof, and fully supported e-commerce platform.

Key Advantages:

• Unified Customer and Order Management: Centralizes all B2B transactions, providing a single source of truth for customers, products, pricing, and orders, and eliminating inconsistencies across multiple portals.
• Modern, Scalable Architecture: Leverages Salesforce’s native platform capabilities, including core data models, standard objects, sharing models, and APIs, enabling seamless integration with Sales Cloud, CPQ, Manufacturing Cloud, and other modules.
• Enhanced Experience and Customization: Supports personalized catalogues, pricing, and guided selling for complex B2B models, while enabling customer self-service for orders, sample requests, and renewals.
• Future-Proof Investment: Aligns with Salesforce’s product roadmap, ensuring access to ongoing platform enhancements, AI-driven features, and mobile-first commerce capabilities.
• Governance and Maintainability: Utilizes Salesforce’s metadata, security, and deployment frameworks, supporting maintainable code, simplified upgrades, and enterprise governance standards.

Key Challenges:

• << To be filled by the Respective Workstream >>

Evaluation

Pardot to Marketing Cloud Next << To be filled and reviewed by Workstream Leads>>

Objective: To align with Salesforce’s platform-first strategy and ensure long-term scalability, it is recommended to transition from Pardot (Account Engagement) to Marketing Cloud Next (On Core).

Key Advantages:

• Natively built on the core Salesforce platform, enabling direct connection to CRM data and eliminating the need for data syncing.
• Supports real-time customer engagement across multiple channels, not limited to email.
• Simplifies system setup and reduces operational headaches associated with separate data environments.
• Unlocks powerful Flow automation and leverages Data Cloud for unified customer segmentation.
• Provides AI-driven personalization and event-triggered journeys based on any Salesforce object, allowing for tailored experiences throughout the customer lifecycle.
• Ensures consistent messaging, easier governance, and stronger collaboration between Marketing, Sales, and Service teams through native integration and multichannel capabilities.
• Keeps the organization future-ready and aligned with Salesforce’s ongoing investments in AI, automation, and data unification.
• Avoids the limitations of Pardot, which would require additional integration efforts and restrict access to new innovations.

Key Challenges:

• << To be filled by the workstream leads>>

Evaluation

See also

Insert links and references to other documents which are relevant when trying to understand this decision and its implications. Other decisions are often impacted, so it's good to list them here with links. Attachments are also possible but dangerous as they are static documents and not updated by their authors.

Change log