Salesforce implementation guide: phases, timeline and checklist
The five phases of a Salesforce implementation, what happens in each, what drives the timeline, and a checklist to use before you sign a statement of work.
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We work with Memphis logistics and distribution companies, wholesalers, medical device and food manufacturers, retailers and health care organizations on Salesforce.
Photo: Emily Finch / Unsplash
Abstrakt Solutions is a Salesforce Consulting Partner serving companies in Memphis and Shelby County, including the Northridge area of North Memphis, along with businesses in the Mississippi and Arkansas parts of the metro, remotely and on site. Memphis is one of our focus markets.
Memphis is about a four-hour drive down I-55 from St. Louis, or a short flight, so an on-site workshop rarely needs more than one overnight. Memphis shares our Central Time clock, which keeps meeting invitations free of conversions.
Figures cover the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area (TN–MS–AR).
Transportation and warehousing narrowly leads wholesale trade as the largest private sector in the Memphis metro by output, with manufacturing third. EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County, calls the city home to the world headquarters and central air hub of a global express carrier, the centerpiece of that company's global distribution operations. EDGE also granted a global athletic brand a 15-year PILOT to expand its Northridge facility in North Memphis, the North American distribution center for every product the brand sells. A paper and packaging company moved its headquarters to Memphis from Connecticut in 2005, according to EDGE, and the Greater Memphis Chamber lists an auto parts retailer, a children's research hospital and a pest control company among the global brands Memphis is home to.
EDGE's key industries apply to Memphis and Shelby County rather than the full three-state metro: supply chain and logistics; corporate, headquarters and tech; advanced manufacturing; life sciences and medical devices; and food and beverage. EDGE counts more than 50 life sciences companies in Memphis, names five global medical technology firms as major manufacturers, and notes that one of them has long based its spinal business there. It credits the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council and the ZeroTo510 accelerator with supporting device startups. EDGE also reports that a claims administration company consolidated its Memphis headquarters and operations. The Chamber's Prosper Memphis 2030 plan sets a goal of 700 new advanced industry companies, and its Digital Delta spans nine counties in three states.
Largest private sectors, 2024 GDP share.
Carriers, freight brokers, 3PLs and warehouse operators working around the express carrier's airport hub juggle shipper accounts, rate requests and service exceptions that move quickly and involve many contacts on both sides.
Distributors of auto parts, food, paper products and medical supplies based along the Memphis corridor need reorder visibility, territory coverage and a B2B portal where buyers can check orders without phoning a rep.
Orthopedic, spine and surgical device makers work next to food, paper and automotive producers, and each group needs its own blend of contract pricing, surgeon or distributor relationships and ERP data.
A nationally known pediatric research hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center anchor a health economy in which clinics, research programs and charitable care providers must keep patient, participant and donor records apart under clear access rules.
Regional target sectors: Supply Chain & Logistics, Corporate, Headquarters & Tech, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences / Medical Devices, Food & Beverage, Advanced industries (automotive, aerospace, advanced electronics, battery technology, semiconductors, robotics, AI, advanced machinery) (EDGE (Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis & Shelby County))
Logistics providers commonly field delays, damage claims and rate disputes through shared inboxes and phone calls, which leaves no dependable record of what each shipper was promised.
Medical device makers often sell through independent reps and distributors, so consigned inventory, case coverage and commissions drift into spreadsheets outside the CRM.
Companies serving Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas accounts have to manage territory assignment, tax and licensing differences and state-specific contact rules within a single org.
Client names are anonymized and these projects are not specific to Memphis. All case studies →
Written by the consultants delivering the work.

The five phases of a Salesforce implementation, what happens in each, what drives the timeline, and a checklist to use before you sign a statement of work.
Read the full post →Use Sales Cloud for new-shipper pursuit, then a structured onboarding path covering credit approval, lanes, rates and EDI setup, so operations knows exactly when an account can tender freight. After go-live, route delays, claims and billing disputes into Service Cloud cases with entitlements tied to each contract's service levels. Integrate your TMS or WMS so reps see shipment status on the case instead of switching screens, and report exception causes by customer every month.
Yes, with care around compliance. Track surgeons, facilities and value analysis committees as related accounts and contacts, and log interactions so transparency reporting stays accurate. Field reps and distributors can record case coverage and loaner kit movements on mobile, and those records should reconcile with ERP inventory every night. Experience Cloud gives independent distributors a controlled portal in place of emailed spreadsheets. Keep patient identifiers out of case records unless your privacy review explicitly approves them.
Start with account-specific price lists and delivery days, since grocery, restaurant and institutional buyers rarely pay the same or receive on the same schedule. Experience Cloud can host a reorder portal showing past orders, open invoices and item availability pulled from ERP, leaving reps free to chase new placements in Sales Cloud. Because you ship across state lines, store tax and licensing details per ship-to address, and design lot and expiration fields up front in case of a recall.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026.
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