Trying to pick the right tool for Salesforce automation? It’s not fun, and the stakes are high. Whether you’re running a sales ops team, leading a revenue org, or stuck with the admin work, the wrong choice means more headaches for everyone. This guide is for anyone who’s wading through pitches from Troops and other B2B go-to-market (GTM) automation vendors, trying to make a smart, defensible call. Let’s make this simple, cut through the marketing fluff, and focus on what actually matters.
1. Get Clear on What You Really Need
Before comparing features or pricing, nail down your use cases. Vendors will try to convince you that their tool does everything. It doesn’t. Here’s how to avoid chasing shiny objects:
- List your top 3 pains. Is it pushing Salesforce updates to Slack? Automating reminders? Getting pipeline alerts to reps before meetings?
- Find out what your users actually do. Talk to AEs, CSMs, or whoever’s in the trenches. What slows them down? What do they ignore?
- Be honest about your Salesforce setup. Are you running a vanilla CRM, or is it full of custom fields and triggers? Some tools melt down when things get weird.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink edge cases. Focus on the 80% of your workflow that happens every day, not the 20% that crops up once a quarter.
2. Map Out the Core Categories: What’s Out There?
There are a ton of products selling “automation” for Salesforce. Most fall into these buckets:
- Notification and alerting tools (like Troops, Workato, or Slack’s Salesforce integration)
- Workflow/rule engines (think Zapier or Tray.io)
- Sales engagement platforms (Outreach, Salesloft — not apples to apples, but they try to automate GTM stuff)
- In-app Salesforce automation (Flows, Process Builder, native automations)
- Custom code or internal tools (when you just can’t get what you want off-the-shelf)
Knowing which category you’re shopping in will save you from comparing apples to oranges. For most teams, Troops and its direct competitors live in the “notification and alerting” camp, which matters if what you care about is getting real-time info in Slack or Teams.
3. How to Break Down Troops Versus the Rest
Let’s get granular. Here’s what you should actually compare (and what’s mostly noise):
A. Integration Depth and Breadth
- Does it connect to your version of Salesforce? Not every tool plays nice with Salesforce Professional or custom objects.
- How does it handle authentication? SSO, OAuth, or weird workarounds? Admins care about this a lot.
- Can it talk to your chat platform? Troops is built for Slack and Teams. Others might only do one, or do both badly.
Ignore: Vendor promises about “future integrations” unless it’s on your roadmap and in contract.
B. Customization and Flexibility
- Can you set up alerts based on your fields and logic, or are you stuck with canned templates?
- How easy is it to tweak after launch? Tools that require a consultant every time you want to change a trigger get old fast.
- What’s the learning curve? Some “no-code” tools are actually “low-code, high-frustration.”
Watch out for: Tools with slick demos but no real admin controls. If you can’t change things without re-reading the docs, skip it.
C. User Experience for Reps and Admins
- How noisy are the alerts? Too many pings, and people tune it out. Too few, and you miss the point.
- Where do actions happen? Can reps update Salesforce from within Slack/Teams, or do they just get links?
- Mobile experience: Worth checking if your team is remote or always on the move.
Pro tip: Run a pilot with your most opinionated reps. If they hate it, everyone else probably will too.
D. Reliability and Support
- How often does it break? Ask for real uptime stats, not just “99.9%” on a slide.
- What happens when Salesforce changes? Some tools break every time Salesforce does a quarterly update.
- Support response times: Slack channels? Email only? How fast do they actually help?
Ignore: Customer logos and case studies unless you can talk to a real reference who’s like your team.
E. Security and Compliance
- Does it meet your company’s needs? SOC 2, GDPR, whatever your legal team cares about.
- Where’s your data going? Some tools store more than you’d expect.
- Granular permissions: Can you control who sees what, or is it all-or-nothing?
Pro tip: Loop in security early. Nothing kills a deal faster than a surprise at the end.
F. Pricing (and the Sneaky Costs)
- Is it per user, per workflow, or flat rate? Troops is usually per user, but others might get you on “premium” features.
- Hidden implementation or support fees? Ask directly.
- What happens if you scale? Some tools get expensive fast as you grow.
Ignore: Pricing tables with tons of “contact us” buttons. If they won’t give you a ballpark, it’s probably not cheap.
4. Don’t Get Distracted by Hype Features
Every vendor wants to talk about AI, analytics dashboards, or “transformative engagement.” Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Most teams just want reliable, simple automation. If getting a Slack ping when an opp changes stage is 95% of what you need, don’t pay for 10 extra features you’ll never use.
- AI features are often half-baked. Unless you’re already using AI in your sales process, don’t let it drive your decision.
- Custom dashboards sound cool, but who’s looking at them? Unless you have a data-driven culture, these usually collect dust.
Pro tip: Ask for usage data from the vendor’s existing customers — not just what’s possible, but what people actually use.
5. Test in the Real World (Not Just the Demo)
Demos always look great. Reality is messier. Here’s a better way to trial:
- Pilot with a real subset of your team — not just admins.
- Set up your top 3 workflows. Don’t bother with edge cases.
- Track how much time it actually saves (or wastes).
- Watch for unexpected friction: Do reps start ignoring alerts or complain about login pain?
- Ask for support during the trial. See how fast and helpful they are before you sign.
Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to walk away. If a tool feels clunky in a small test, it’ll be worse at scale.
6. Make the Call (And Don’t Overcomplicate It)
You’ll never get a perfect tool. The best choice is the one that solves your main problems with the least pain and drama. Here’s how to wrap up:
- Pick based on what matters most: If real-time Slack alerts are your lifeline, lean toward the best at that, even if it’s not the “most powerful” tool.
- Get buy-in from users and admins. If either group hates it, adoption tanks.
- Document what you learned. You’ll need it for the next tool review in 18 months.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
There’s no silver bullet for GTM automation with Salesforce. The best teams pick something that mostly works, roll it out, and tweak as they go. Don’t let a long feature list or a slick salesperson talk you into complexity you don’t need. Start small, keep it real, and remember: boring, reliable tools beat flashy, confusing ones every single time.