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What Is a Salesforce Partner?

A businesswoman greets Salesforce partners in a meeting.
Our partners are experts in our products, and their technologies easily plug into Salesforce. This enables customers to benefit quickly. [sturti / Getty Images]

Our large network of apps and experts is incredibly popular with Salesforce customers. Learn more about our partners and how they can help you reach your goals faster.

A healthcare provider needed help breaking down silos to create a connected patient experience. A retail distributor needed a more simplified order management process. An insurance company wanted to increase agent productivity and customer satisfaction.  

These customers found the help they needed with Salesforce and through our partner ecosystem, a global footprint of app builders and consulting partners. These “apps and experts” bring technology and expertise to help customers extend Salesforce and make the most of their investment. In fact, 91% of Salesforce customers use AppExchange apps and 70% of customer implementations are led by our consulting partners. 

How can you get the most out of Salesforce with partner apps and experts? You can discover trusted Salesforce consultants and pre-built apps on AppExchange, the leading cloud enterprise marketplace. With tailored and customizable solutions, you have the tools in place for a 360-degree view of your business. 

Partners in action: How it works

Here’s a real-world example of our partners extending what’s possible for you: 

A global retail manufacturing customer wanted digital storefronts to mirror the buying experience in its physical stores using a design-first approach. With the help of a global Salesforce consulting partner and AppExchange apps, they built out a scalable platform by unifying disparate technologies to deliver a seamless buying experience for shoppers. They also connected the in-store and online experiences through live chat and video. And they delivered engaging shopping moments through rich product galleries and product personalization journeys for customers. The result? Operational efficiencies that led to an immediate return through increases in order values and customer support chats.

The Salesforce partner ecosystem extends the power of Salesforce to companies of all sizes and across industries, and helps make incredible customer success like that possible. As Salesforce grows, so do our partners — in fact, according to IDC, the ecosystem of companies supporting Salesforce customersʼ implementations is five times as big as Salesforce itself today and will be more than six times as big in 2026. We are committed to providing our expanding partner ecosystem with the tools needed to succeed in the jobs of the future.

Our partners are experts in our products, and their technologies easily plug into Salesforce. This enables customers to benefit quickly from this unparalleled ecosystem rather than doing it alone.

Who are Salesforce partners?

Generally speaking, the Salesforce Partner Program includes three types of partners: independent software vendors (ISVs), consulting and integration partners, and cloud resellers.

ISV partners build innovative apps on the Salesforce platform, enabling customers to solve critical business challenges. Their apps extend Salesforce and help you tackle challenges across use cases such as automation, document generation and developer apps. With over 10 million installs, ISV partners offer more than 7,000 pre-built and ready-to-install apps on AppExchange.

Salesforce consulting and integration partners as well as digital agencies drive meaningful results fast by managing the development, coding, configuration, user training, and integration of Salesforce products within your operating systems. These partners bring industry expertise and can help you and your employees configure Salesforce according to your unique business needs. It’s no surprise that these experts are in demand! More than 170,000 certified individuals are ready to bring you strategic guidance and the very best technical skill sets. 

Our partners undergo a comprehensive verification and credentialing process to ensure they’re providing the most trusted technology and services.

Additionally, cloud resellers offer specialized knowledge and capabilities in local markets and are essential in helping Salesforce serve new markets. Resellers support the entire customer lifecycle and, as an extension of Salesforce, are trained to provide you with the same level of service.

Where do I find Salesforce partners? 

AppExchange is the most trusted enterprise cloud marketplace of partner apps and experts. You can discover innovative solutions, read over 117,000 customer reviews, check out curated collections of recommended solutions and find the best-fit Salesforce consultant for your needs. Even better, log in with your Trailblazer ID on the AppExchange homepage to see recommended solutions based on who you are, your industry, products used, and more. Partner apps offer out-of-the-box functionality, and can also be customized to meet a customer’s specific needs.

Our partners undergo a comprehensive verification and credentialing process to ensure they’re providing the most trusted technology and services to customers. Our consulting partners, for example, are defined by distinct levels of expertise via their Partner Navigator credentials. Navigator lets you evaluate partners based on three aspects of implementation experience, which combine into a measure of expertise that is Salesforce-validated and verified on the AppExchange. Learn more about Navigator Levels to find the right partner for your needs.

What are the benefits of Salesforce partners?

No matter the task, working together with apps and experts from the Salesforce partner ecosystem can help you reach your goals faster and achieve better outcomes. These outcomes can be further enhanced when coupled with Salesforce Professional Services and Salesforce Success Plans. 

Want to learn more?

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to making Salesforce work for your needs. That’s why we also offer custom Trailhead learning and enablement experiences, tailored to better understanding the partner ecosystem. 

Here are just a few of the partner resources where you can learn more:

Tyler Prince
Tyler Prince Executive Vice President of Alliances and Channels, Salesforce

As executive vice president of alliances and channels, Tyler Prince is responsible for growing the Salesforce global community of consulting partners, digital agencies, ISV’s, and resellers. He drives customer success and sales through our world-class partner ecosystem, with strong alignment to the Customer Success Group and the distribution organizations at Salesforce. Prince brings a deep breadth of experience to his role with more than 25 years of delivering transformational capabilities to partners and customers across many industries.

More by Tyler

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