Lightning vs Classic: Which Salesforce Experience Aligns with Your Business Strategy?

Salesforce has been a transformational force in the customer relationship management landscape. It has certainly emerged as a top CRM powerhouse that assists businesses across diverse industries in streamlining their sales processes, efficiently managing customer relationships, and strengthening the quality of customer service. In fact, today, about 91 % of firms with 10 or more staff use a CRM solution.

In order to derive optimum value from Salesforce as a tool, it is a must to have a solid insight into Salesforce lightning vs classic. It can definitely help you to choose the right interface that perfectly aligns with your business, its strategy, and its needs. The selection between Lightning and the classic interface is essential so that you can optimally choose the ideal Salesforce option and leverage its capabilities.

The article will surely help businesses choose between Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic and decide the best fit based on their strategy. Modern businesses must undoubtedly consider salesforce lightning services to enhance the experience of their users.

What is Salesforce Classic?

Salesforce Classic is known as the legacy interface offered by Salesforce. It acts as the conventional tab-based interface that offers a simple and straightforward layout to users. The CRM software has been designed to help business entities manage their customer data.

The original CRM solution by Salesforce is popular among long-time users owing to its simplicity and familiarity. Businesses can effortlessly navigate it and use it as a reliable platform owing to its useful customer relationship management-related functionalities.

Salesforce Classic has a number of key features and capabilities that make it highly relevant for businesses of diverse types. A distinguishing feature of the CRM software is the inclusion of robust CRM-related capabilities. Some of the chief elements include lead or opportunity management, automation of workflow, contact or account management, and email integration. These solid features make Salesforce Classic a top tool for businesses to manage customer data.

It serves as an ideal CRM tool for small businesses that have simple CRM needs and requirements. Similarly, existing Classic users who are yet to shift to Salesforce Lightning can use the CRM solution and derive immense value from it.

What is Salesforce Lightning Experience?

Salesforce Lightning is an advanced, component-based UI that you can utilize to develop apps on Salesforce. It comes with advanced features that make it a top-quality tool that businesses can leverage to enhance user experience and increase business productivity.

In the prevailing business environment, which is characterized by high dynamism, Salesforce Lightning empowers entities in diverse ways. In fact, it has been transforming the future of customer relationship management as well as the sales function of firms in the current times.

To optimize your Salesforce Lightning experience, integration has been made with Einstein AI, App Builder, and Lightning Components. Salesforce Einstein AI is a suite of AI tools that equips businesses to leverage its predictive and generative AI capabilities. Similarly, App Builder serves as a powerful tool that businesses can use to develop custom pages for Salesforce mobile applications. Furthermore, businesses can use and reuse Lightning Components to develop apps efficiently.

Salesforce Lightning has been designed to support scalability and automation. Modern businesses looking for innovation and agility can certainly derive immense value from the novel CRM software.

Read More: Key Benefits of Salesforce Lightning: Improve Customer Experience

Key Differences Between Salesforce Lightning and Classic

1. User Interface & Experience

While discussing Salesforce lightning vs. classic difference, one of the chief differences arises in relation to user interface and user experience. Salesforce Classic has a very basic layout, which adds to its simplicity. However, in the case of Salesforce Lightning, the user layout is characterized by sleek and modern UI.

A standout feature of Salesforce Lightning is the availability of Drag-and-drop customization options. With the help of the feature, you can conveniently make modifications to page layouts and configure the dashboard. So, the experience of your users can improve significantly. However, Salesforce Classic does not possess any such features.

2. Features and Functionality

In order to understand the difference between the two major offerings by Salesforce, it is a must to focus on Salesforce lightning vs classic features. In terms of features and functionalities, Salesforce Lightning certainly has the upper hand over Salesforce Classic. By choosing the Lightning experience, businesses can have access to a broad range of exclusive features such as Einstein AI and Kanban views. Moreover, you can also generate highly insightful reports and take advantage of the available dashboard enhancements.

The features and functionalities present in Salesforce Lightning are not available in the Classic option. As a result, its utility or business is diminished to a considerable extent. Furthermore, Classic has several limitations, especially for growing businesses. It lacks novel and advanced tools, which can hamper your ability to strengthen your CRM skills.

3. Customization and Development

While looking at Salesforce Classic vs Lightning, it is imperative to focus on areas such as customization and development. The customization features of Salesforce Lightning are far superior to those of Classic. If you select Salesforce Lightning, you can leverage App Builder to develop custom apps. Additionally, you can use Lightning Components to develop modular components that can enhance users’ experience.

While using the Classic option, the opportunity to make customizations for businesses is quite limited. In Salesforce Classic, the developers’ experience is mainly driven by Visualforce. It acts as the chief tool for creating custom user interfaces. On the other hand, in Salesforce Lightning, the experience of Developers is shaped by how they utilize the available Lightning Components.

4. Mobile Experience

While making a salesforce classic vs. lightning comparison, you need to focus on the mobile experience. When it comes to Salesforce Lightning, the mobile-first approach has been adopted, which enhances the overall flexibility for users. However, no such approach is adopted in the Salesforce Classic solution. This certainly diminishes the overall usefulness of Classic for modern businesses.

By using Salesforce Lightning, businesses can derive optimum utility from the tool. It can improve their overall mobile experience. However, Classic has major limitations in this area. Due to the restricted mobile capabilities of Salesforce Classic, its users cannot seamlessly use the Salesforce1 app. Its designed layout and functionality hampers the mobile experience of Classic users.

5. Performance and Speed

The salesforce lightning experience vs. classic comparison cannot be complete without taking into account factors such as performance and speed. When it comes to performance, Salesforce Lightning is definitely ahead of Classic. It has several strengths which work in its favor and improve the experience of businesses. In Lightning, you can observe major improvement in areas such as page load times and efficiency. Due to its robust components, users can efficiently utilize the modern UI.

When it comes to Salesforce Classic, its core strength lies in its stability. In spite of being a stable option for businesses, it delivers outdated performance. It even lacks the speed to support businesses comprehensively to meet their diverse needs.

Read More: Building Salesforce Lightning Component: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Align the Right Experience with Your Business Strategy?

1. Business Size and Complexity

If you wish to perfectly align the Right Salesforce experience with your business strategy, you must certainly focus on the size of your business and the complexity of your business operations. For small and medium-sized enterprises, Classic is really useful. This is because such enterprises do not require high customization, and their CRM needs are quite simple in nature.

The enterprises that are better suited for the Salesforce Lightning experience are larger business entities. Similarly, companies that intend to grow in the evolving business climate may wish to leverage the core capabilities of the Lightning interface so that they can automate their work processes. Depending on the size of your company and the nature of operations, you must choose the Salesforce experience.

2. Industry Requirements

To effectively align the perfect Salesforce experience with your business strategy, you must prioritize industry requirements. One of the chief areas you may take into consideration is whether the industry where your company operates requires analytics or not. You must also emphasize the role of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and automation in the industry.

In the finance and healthcare industries, businesses may opt for Lightning Experience. If your business operates in such industries, Lightning experience is certainly ideal for you since it can meet your specific needs. Moreover, it can empower you to leverage the capabilities of Salesforce Lightning and adapt to the dynamic business environment.

3. Budget and Resources

While choosing the Salesforce experience that perfectly suits your business strategy, it is important to focus on your budget and available resources. If your budget is tight and you have access to limited financial resources, Classic may be well-suited for you. However, you must bear in mind that Classic may involve lower costs in the short term. It is equally important for you to realize that it has limited functionalities when compared with Salesforce Lightning.

If you wish to opt for Salesforce Lightning, it is imperative to keep the cost factor in mind. Salesforce Lightning is a much costlier option than Salesforce Classic. In fact, Lightning requires considerable investment from businesses, especially with regard to training and development. Thus, if you wish to make the transition to Salesforce Lightning from Classic, it is necessary to focus on the financial implications. If Lightning is not ideal for your budget, you may prefer to stick with Salesforce Classic instead.

4. Growth and Scalability Goals

As the owner of a modern business, you must focus on the growth and scalability goals of your entity. It will surely help you align a suitable Salesforce experience with your business strategy. Since Lightning serves as a future-ready platform, it is ideal for highly ambitious business entities that intend to expand and reach new heights. With the help of its top features and robust capabilities, you can certainly achieve your business goals in an optimum manner.

Salesforce Classic is not an ideal choice for business entities that wish to grow and scale in the future. In fact, this legacy offering by Salesforce may act as a major bottleneck for businesses that may impede their ability to scale. Due to the limited features, functionalities, and performance of Salesforce Classic, it may not be an ideal option for businesses. It may hinder your ability as a business in the dynamic business environment. In today’s competitive and unpredictable business setting, the selection of Salesforce Classic may not be ideal for firms that wish to gain an edge over their rivals.

Migration Considerations: Moving from Classic to Lightning

If you wish to have an enriching Salesforce experience, you may certainly consider migrating from Salesforce Classic to Salesforce Lightning. In addition to prioritizing the benefits of Salesforce Lightning vs. Classic, you must bear in mind the following areas to enjoy a smooth migration process.

✧ Steps to evaluate Lightning readiness – It is imperative for a business to ascertain whether it is ready for the transition or not. A fundamental step for evaluating Lightning readiness involves using the built-in Lightning Experience Readiness Report offered by Salesforce. The report will help you identify compatibility concerns that may arise in the path of your business entity. The other steps you need to take include assessing business processes, user roles, and current customizations. The rich and valuable insight can aid you in understanding whether you are ready for the transition to Lightning or not.

✧ Planning a phased rollout – Once you have decided to move from Classic to Lightning, it is time to plan a phased rollout process carefully. This approach can surely simplify the transition process for your business. Furthermore, you can collect valuable feedback and test the functional aspects. A phased rollout approach will definitely give you the chance to make appropriate modifications during the transition phase.

✧ Data migration, testing, and user training – Another important consideration revolves around areas such as data migration, testing, and providing user training. In order to effectively shift to Salesforce Lightning, you may have to make certain updates relating to page layouts and custom elements. Proper testing is indispensable for validating Salesforce Lightning’s functionality. Moreover, prioritizing training is crucial so that your business staff will be able to use the features, capabilities, and tools offered by Salesforce Lightning effectively.

✧ Leveraging Salesforce support and Lightning Migration Assistant – In order to have a smooth transition, you can certainly use the tools that are available. A highly valuable form of Salesforce Support that is available for businesses is Lightning Migration Assistant. Lately, it has been replaced by Lightning Experience Transition Assistant. It acts as a central hub that supports businesses in making a smooth transition by providing useful tools and resources.

Expert Recommendations

✦ Staying with Classic

Businesses can choose to stay with Salesforce Classic when they have simple and straightforward CRM needs. It is an ideal option if the workflow of your business is simple and there is a need for limited customization. In case the Salesforce environment of your business highly relies on Visualforce, you may continue using Salesforce Classic to prevent disruptions.

✦ Switch to Lightning

Businesses can consider switching to the Lightning experience if their business strategy revolves around innovation, automation, and modernization. It can surely act as a vital tool that can strengthen your work processes. If you wish to stay ahead in the competitive business world, you should definitely consider moving to Salesforce Lightning and leveraging its core capabilities.

✦ Hybrid approach

The hybrid approach, which involves both Salesforce Classic and Salesforce Lightning, may be ideal for certain teams. It is the perfect choice for companies that wish to take advantage of the functionalities of both the Salesforce interfaces. Moreover, it is a suitable option for businesses that intend to gradually make the transition to Lightning while dealing with the resistance to change.

Aligning Salesforce with Your Business Goals: The Smart Choice

Both Lightning and Classic interfaces offered by Salesforce act as useful tools for firms. These interfaces have distinguishing features and capabilities that make them useful for modern businesses. While the legacy option may suit certain businesses, the modern interface may be well-suited for other businesses.

If you wish to have the right Salesforce experience, you must focus on specific areas, such as your business strategy, the readiness of your team, and the long-term goals of the entity. By focusing on these areas, you can surely make a well-informed decision regarding whether to use Salesforce Classic or Salesforce Lightning.

Since Salesforce Classic and Lightning have their unique strengths, you must carefully choose the option. By taking into account diverse elements such as scalability, user productivity, and business alignment, you can select the ideal Salesforce experience that can create value for your business. If you require help making the selection, you can surely choose a credible Salesforce lightning consulting partner.