The difference between fixing problems and building solutions
It was a typical Thursday morning in October when the Capital Formation team at a prominent SEC-registered investment adviser discovered they couldn't create new opportunities in Salesforce. The "New Opportunity" button had simply vanished from their screens—and with it, their ability to track new deals and manage investor relations.
But here's the thing about crises: they have a way of revealing bigger problems hiding beneath the surface.
When Everything Stops Working
Five team members suddenly found themselves locked out of a critical business function. No new deals could be entered. No investor conversations could be tracked. The entire opportunity pipeline came to a standstill.
Making matters worse, a quick audit revealed zero open opportunities in their system. Zero. For a team responsible for capital formation and investor relations, this wasn't just concerning—it was a red flag that something fundamental had broken in their Salesforce instance.
And then came the real bombshell: Salesforce's December 31st deprecation deadline was approaching fast. Their system relied on 3 Process Builders and 39 Workflow Rules that would all stop functioning in just 75 days.
One problem had just become three. Or was it three problems revealing one bigger opportunity?
The Partnership That Changed Everything
This is where Randy Wandell, Vice President of Professional Services at Vantage Point, entered the picture. What happened next is a masterclass in how the right partner can transform a crisis into a competitive advantage.
Hour One: Emergency Response
Randy didn't waste time with formalities. Within hours of the initial report, he was systematically testing user logins, walking the team through browser diagnostics (yes, those Ctrl+F5 and F12 developer console tricks actually matter), and reviewing screenshots to isolate the root cause.
The culprit? A missing "Flow User" permission that had cascading effects across the entire opportunity creation process. Simple to fix once identified, but nearly impossible to diagnose without deep Salesforce expertise.
By the end of the first day, all five team members had their access restored. Crisis averted.
Hour Two: Strategy Session
But Randy didn't stop there. Instead of declaring victory and moving on, he asked a different question: "Why are we just putting out fires when we could be building a better building?"
During a video call, he laid out a comprehensive modernization plan that would address not just the immediate crisis, but all three underlying problems—and position the client for long-term growth.
The Transformation Roadmap
Step 1: Modern Automation Architecture
Randy proposed migrating all 39 Workflow Rules and 3 Process Builders to Salesforce Flows before the year-end deadline. This wasn't just about compliance—it was about unlocking capabilities their old system couldn't deliver:
- Advanced conditional logic for smarter opportunity routing
- Enhanced notification systems for better team coordination
- Improved audit trails for SEC compliance requirements
- Projected 15-20% increase in conversion rates through intelligent automation
Instead of limping toward a deadline, they'd leap ahead of competitors still using legacy automation.
Step 2: Dynamic Related Lists
The old Standard lists were functional but rigid. Randy introduced Dynamic Related Lists as a replacement—a 45-minute implementation per page layout that would deliver:
- Seamless integration with the new Flow-based opportunity creation
- Conditional visibility based on user roles and record types
- User personalization for individual workflow preferences
- Estimated 20-30% efficiency improvement through better filtering
He even provided a detailed pros-and-cons analysis to help them secure internal approval. No overselling, no hidden complexity—just transparent guidance on what to expect.
Step 3: Pipeline Visibility
That concerning zero-opportunity count? Randy committed to providing daily lists of created opportunities for cleanup and validation. This operational support would help rebuild pipeline visibility while ensuring data quality from day one.
The Results: More Than Just a Fix
Immediate Impact
Within 24 hours, the entire Capital Formation team was back to full productivity. No downtime. No data loss. No disruption to ongoing deals.
Strategic Wins
But the real value emerged over the following weeks:
- A clear roadmap to meet the December 31st deadline with time to spare
- Enhanced Salesforce capabilities that positioned them for scalable growth
- Improved compliance posture for SEC audit requirements
- Foundation for 15-30% efficiency improvements across opportunity management
The Partnership Difference
What separated this engagement from typical vendor relationships? Three things:
Responsiveness: From troubleshooting emails to same-day video calls, Randy met the client where they were and moved at their pace.
Transparency: Every recommendation came with honest assessments of effort, risk, and trade-offs. No surprises, no hidden complexity.
Strategic Thinking: Rather than just solving the problem in front of him, Randy connected the dots between immediate fixes and long-term business goals.
Lessons for Every Salesforce Organization
This story isn't just about one investment adviser's successful transformation. It's a blueprint for how any organization can turn technical challenges into competitive advantages:
Start Before the Deadline Hits: Legacy systems hide interdependencies that take time to unravel. Waiting until the last minute turns manageable projects into emergencies.
See Crises as Catalysts: That UI failure or urgent fix? It's probably revealing broader optimization opportunities worth pursuing.
Audit Your Permissions Regularly: Small configuration gaps cascade into team-wide productivity losses. Regular audits prevent expensive surprises.
Choose Partners Who Educate: The best consultants don't just fix—they explain, estimate, and empower you to make informed decisions.
The Bottom Line
Today, that investment adviser is heading into Q4 2025 not just meeting Salesforce's deprecation deadline, but doing so with a more powerful, efficient CRM infrastructure than they've ever had. The Capital Formation team is operating at full capacity, with tools and processes that support rather than hinder their work.
What started as a crisis—a missing button, a looming deadline, a mysterious gap in their pipeline—became the catalyst for genuine transformation.
The difference? A partnership approach that valued problem-solving over billable hours, strategic thinking over quick fixes, and client success over vendor convenience.
Your Turn
Are you facing your own Salesforce challenges? Deprecation deadlines? Permission issues? Pipeline visibility concerns? The key is finding a partner who sees beyond the immediate fix to the strategic opportunity.
Because the best solutions don't just restore what was working—they build what should have been there all along.
