What are Solution Kits - and why they’ll save you money

You may have heard the term “solution kits” thrown around and were unsure as to what it means. If you Google it you will unlikely find any clear reference to it. It is a new term and this may be one of the first posts where you will see it not only referenced but defined. This is history in the making.

What does Solution Kit mean?

The first time I heard the term mentioned was by Pat McQueen of the Salesforce Foundation. He was referring to the enormous ecosystem of Salesforce and the numerous options available to build solutions. Simply put, with all the applications available on the AppExchange there are numerous ways to build a particular solution around your organization’s needs.

But how are you going to know which combinations of Apps are going to get you what you want? There are a number of different ways to approach the same goal. In the interest of making this easier for the consumer, the concept of a Solution Kit was born. A Solution Kit is a bundle of solutions combined with support to help you use these solutions to meet a particular end.

What is an example of a Solution Kit?

Salesforce released its first Solution Kit designed to address communities. Much like a handbook for a new toy, this Solution Kit describes how to deploy a community experience effectively so that you are likely to get better adoption. It explains why communities are worth investing in, what solutions you need to do so and five steps to strategize and deploy.

At Idealist Consulting, we have developed a few solution kits of our own as well, including a membership CRM that can facilitate online payment and renewals at a fraction of the cost. Our Memberships Solution Kit leverages Salesforce, Form Assembly, Predictive Response, and Click and Pledge.

Why should you care?

Solution Kits save time and money. They save time because they are proven examples of multiple apps working together to achieve a particular goal. You could spend hours trying to figure out which apps work best together and which ones offer the best functionality for what you are trying to build. No point in reinventing the wheel.

Most importantly, they save you money. Our Memberships kit is roughly 70% less expensive than traditional membership CRMs. A Solution Kit can often provide you a shortcut to a more efficient and affordable option. 

How can I learn more?

Each Idealist Solution Kit is designed to address a particular need in a pragmatic way, combining trusted apps with customization and consulting support. Our Solution Kits to date include Memberships, Recurring Revenue, Communities, Mobile GPS Tracking, and Grant Management. These Solution Kits serve as examples of what you can create with a multitude of applications all working together to achieve a sum greater than their parts.

Join our upcoming webinar November 6, “Ramp Up Your Recurring Revenue Campaign” to learn more about how solution kits can advance your mission.