Navigator Summary


Navigator Importance for Consulting Partners

Beginning in PY21 Q3, earned Navigator distinctions are the primary go to market rating for consulting partners to market their Salesforce Practice.

Moving forward, Consulting Partners will continue to be evaluated based on the Trailblazer Score and placed in corresponding program levels. Each new internal Consulting Program level - Base, Crest, Ridge, Summit, will come with incremental program benefits for our partners. These new Program levels are an internal-only distinction to allow Salesforce to evaluate partners and distribute Consulting Program benefits.

For the remainder of the current Consulting Program year, we encourage partners to begin the process of identifying and removing external, customer-facing references to their former metal tiers and medal badges from their published assets. (Metal Tiers: Registered, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Starting in PY22 (March 1st, 2021), Consulting Partners should no longer refer to themselves with metal tier distinctions when going to market, and all external mentions of their metal tiers - and the use of metal badges - will need to be removed from their published assets.

Your unique Navigator expertise is now the most impactful and relevant way for you to promote your Salesforce capabilities and expertise to prospects and customers.


PY21 Partner Navigator




Check out the new Navigator eBook!

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PY21 Enhancements

In an effort to provide a simpler, more durable, and easy to use Partner Navigator, we are excited to announce enhancements which go in effect August 30th.


Navigator enables Consulting Partners to differentiate their firm based on customer-validated industry expertise, Salesforce product knowledge, and customer success. In order to participate, your firm must be registered and in good standing with the Salesforce Consulting Partner Program.


Navigator synthesizes three aspects of a partner’s product, industry and service expertise into a measure of deployable expertise that is easy for customers and AEs to understand. Partner Navigator enables consulting partners to differentiate based on proven experience, Salesforce product knowledge, and customer success.


To learn more about Navigator, review the below resources, and use the Partner Navigator Chatter group for any additional questions.

Navigator Contributes to Trailblazer Score

Navigator is a measure of deployable expertise that is a component of the Trailblazer Score. By earning distinctions in Navigator, partners can earn up to 250 points towards the Customer Success metric. In PY21, Navigator makes up 25% of the overall scorecard. Partners earn points in Navigator through the following point allocation:

  • - Expert: 50 points per distinction
  • - Level II Specialist: 10 points per distinction
  • *-Level I Specialist: 0 points>

Consulting Partner Program Overview >

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Levels to Highlight Expertise

Navigator has three distinct levels of expertise that partners can earn distinctions in. The highest level of recognition is at the Expert level. Partners earn Expert level distinctions at the Cloud and Industry level. The Level I & II Specialist distinctions are earned at the product feature or industry sub-vertical sector.

Here’s a full breakdown of requirements by level:

Before diving into exact specializations to focus on, let’s take a look at the description of the levels:

  • - Expert: The most experienced partners and thought leaders in the area and the domain. Able to handle the largest and most difficult problems and meet the highest standards of customer satisfaction.
  • - Level II Specialist: A partner that has project delivery capacity while maintaining high standards of customer success.
  • - Level I Specialist: A partner that demonstrates knowledge and capacity to consistently produce customer success.

Formerly, the levels in Navigator were Certified, Specialist, and Master for reference.

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Define Your Lane: Areas of Expertise

Product

Earn distinctions to highlight your Salesforce product knowledge and competency. Product specializations and expert level categories will remain stable throughout the program year but will be adjusted slightly if a new credential becomes available or if new specializations are added on a quarterly basis to adjust for new product releases.

Click here to view fill list of product specializations and expert level distinctions and their corresponding requirements >

Industry

Showcase your expertise in the industries that you deliver customer success in. Keep in mind, credentials are not currently required for Navigator Industry distinctions.

Click here to view fill list of Industry specializations and expert level distinctions and their corresponding requirements >

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Service

The Consulting Partner Program recognizes that consultants are constantly innovating for our joint customers and oftentimes provide services beyond product implementation. In an effort to reward and highlight partners with unique experience, we have introduced the Services category to Partner Navigator. The following two services are available at the Expert Level

Product Development Outsourcer (PDO): this category recognizes partners with expertise in building commercial apps, as well as other valuable services like training, funding, marketing, or selling your app. These specialized partners can help architect & design a commercial app, tackle specific areas of your build (like third-party integrations), or simply augment your own development team.

In order Managed Services: A service type to recognize partners who contribute to customer success through ongoing, proactive processes and functions performed under recurring, renewable contracts.

In order to be recognized as a Managed Services partner, this specialization is gated by an application form, so Salesforce can validate your Managed Services practice and assess its maturity. Earn Specializations in the following categories: Administration Services, Support Services, Release & Change Services, Developer & Integration Services, Analytical Services, and AppExchange App Management

Keep in mind the below key points for Navigator requirements:

  • - We look back at the rolling previous two years of project data for quarterly evaluations. We look at two years from the project end date.
  • - Once a distinction is earned, partners will have that distinction to market for the remainder of the current program year and following program year.
  • - If Navigator distinctions are not maintained by the end of the program year, they will not be renewed, and partners must remove all mentions or badges.

To review the full list of requirements, download this resources >

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Showcase Your Earned Distinctions

As distinctions are earned, market your Salesforce-validated expertise with designated badges. Badges are made available for all specializations across all levels. To view and download badges, visit the Branding page of the Partner Community

Remember to follow the partner branding guidelines >

As partners earn distinctions in Navigator, the Expertise tab on AppExchange will be updated to reflect achievements. Ensure that your AppExchange listing is updated and accurate to showcase your expertise and full breadth of Salesforce and Industry capabilities.

Requirement Submission

To ensure you are recognized for the great work you are doing, please continue to submit your customer projects, receive CSATs, and maintain credentials to earn your designations.


Evaluation Cadence

Navigator evaluations occur on a quarterly basis and AppExchange Expertise tabs will be updated.

As partners advance in levels, Partners will be ranked higher in search results on AppExchange.


Partner Support for Navigator

We are here to help support partners during the transition to Navigator. If you have additional questions or feedback, please share them in the Partner Navigator Chatter Group.

For specific firm related questions or request a tracker, please reach out to the team at masters@salesforce.com

PY21 Navigator Enhancements

Q: In March it was announced that our tiers will be replaced with Navigator status. Why is the program making the switch?
A: The goal is simple: to help customers find the consulting partner with the expertise needed to help them be successful. At the end of August, we will eliminate the use of metal tiers and pivot to Navigator levels to better reflect a partners’ expertise and ability to deliver customer success.

Q: How will partners be supported during the transition?
A: We are committed to supporting our partners throughout this journey and plan to do so through a variety of resources. We suggest reviwing this eBook to maximize your knowledge and operational efficiency with Navigator

Q: Where can I learn more about the updates to Navigator and when will these updates go into effect?
A: Enhancements to the Navigator program will be live August 30th. To learn more, check out the *Partner Navigator webinar* and *slide deck.*

Q: Which requirements will be used for the Q2 quarterly review?
A: Q1 and Q2 Navigator evaluations will be based on the requirements that were launched March 1, 2020 at the start of the program year.


Navigator Requirements Through August 2020

Q: What are the benefits of the Salesforce Navigator Program? 
A: Certified Navigator status is achieved by meeting the minimum certifications required (typically 5 per firm). Partners will receive both internal exposure with Salesforce and external exposure on AppExchange. All Specialist Navigators will appear higher in search rankings and specific Specialist Navigators (Datorama) will receive a badge for promotional purposes. Salesforce Master Navigators will always appear at the top of relevant search rankings, receive a badge to use for marketing efforts, and receive a joint press release. They will also receive Consulting Partner Trailblazer score points for each Specialization and Master achieved.

Q Is the Partner Navigator program based on an individual or firm basis?
A: The Partner Navigator status is achieved on a firm basis. 

Q: What happens to the Specializations we have on projects and stories that were already submitted? 
A: Many of the existing Specializations will continue for FY20 and for any existing specializations that are being retired, we will map them to the new specializations (where applicable). 

Q: How do we make sure our certifications are being included in the Certified Navigator evaluation?
A: Please make sure your team has linked their Webassessor accounts correctly. No additional requirements are needed. 


Q: The requirements say that my firm must achieve half of the optional requirements to reach Master level. What if the number of  requirements are odd?
A: We will always round down for if the number of optional requirements is odd. For example, if there are 4 required Specializations and 7 Optional, you will need to achieve at least 3.   


Q: Do we get a badge to use for promotional/marketing?
A: Badges are available for Master Navigator industry and product achievement. Specialist Navigator badges are available for Datorama only. Currently there are no badges for other Specialist Navigator (except Datorama) or Certified Navigator achievements.

Q: As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, do I have to be in a specific tier to qualify for the Partner Navigator program?
A: Yes, you need to be a Registered partner or above. 

Q: Do I receive Trailblazer Points for achieving Certified Navigator?
A: Points for Trailblazer Score are not distributed for achieving Certified Navigator status. The Innovation category of the Trailblazer Score captures points for your firm's certifications. As a reminder, in order to advance to Specialist and Masters, Certified Navigator must be met.


Q: Can I receive multiple Specializations for one customer?
A: No, within a project you can select multiple specializations across different products but a specialization will only count once per customer. You can submit multiple projects for one customer, however, again specialization will only count once.