Why Your Salesforce Org Needs a Health Check (And How to Get One Free)

A Salesforce health check is a systematic, read-only audit of your org across security, data quality, automation, user adoption, technical debt, reporting, and integrations — delivered as a prioritised action plan. If your org hasn't been reviewed in the past 12 months, it almost certainly needs one, and SaaSKool runs them free for NZ and Australian businesses.

Think of it like an annual physical: even if everything feels fine, preventive care catches small issues before they become expensive ones. In this guide: what a health check includes, the warning signs your org needs one, what skipping audits actually costs, and how the free assessment works.

What Is a Salesforce Health Check?

A Salesforce health check is a systematic review of your Salesforce org across multiple dimensions:

1. Security & Access: Are your permissions too broad? Are inactive users still active? Is sensitive data exposed?

2. Data Quality: Duplicate records? Incomplete data? Outdated information cluttering your system?

3. Automation: Are your workflows efficient or creating bottlenecks? Are there broken automations or redundant processes?

4. User Adoption: Are users actually using Salesforce, or working around it? Are they trained properly?

5. Technical Debt: Unused fields, objects, and customisations bloating your org? Deprecated features still in use?

6. Best Practices: Are you following Salesforce recommended practices for scalability, performance, and governance?

7. ROI & Utilisation: Are you using features you're paying for? Are there underutilised capabilities that could drive value?

The outcome? A prioritised action plan with quick wins, critical fixes, and long-term optimisations to improve your Salesforce org's health.

What Does a Salesforce Health Check Cover?

1. Security & Compliance Review

What we assess:

• User access levels and permissions
• Sharing rules and role hierarchies
• Profile and permission set usage
• Inactive user cleanup
• Password policies and MFA enforcement
• Data visibility (who can see what)
• Audit trail and field-level security

What we look for:

• Users with excessive permissions (security risk)
• Inactive users consuming licences (cost waste)
• Weak password policies (compliance issue)
• Sensitive data exposed to wrong users (privacy risk)
• Privacy Act 2020 alignment — could you demonstrate appropriate handling of personal information if the Privacy Commissioner asked?

Example finding: "15 users have 'View All Data' permission but only 3 need it. Recommend reducing permissions to minimise risk."

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2. Data Quality Assessment

What we assess:

• Duplicate records (contacts, accounts, leads)
• Data completeness (missing required fields)
• Data consistency (formatting, standardisation)
• Outdated/stale records
• Data import/export processes (see our data migration best practices)

What we look for:

• High duplicate rates (confusing users, skewing reports)
• Incomplete records (missing emails, phone numbers, addresses)
• Inconsistent formatting (NZ vs New Zealand, mobile vs phone)
• Old records never updated (data decay)

In our experience across NZ small and medium businesses, 15-25% of contact records typically carry at least one significant data quality issue. Fixing this alone can dramatically improve sales and marketing effectiveness.

Example finding: "22% of contacts are duplicates. Recommend implementing duplicate rules and running a deduplication project."

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3. Automation & Workflow Review

What we assess:

• Active workflows, process builders, and flows
• Validation rules and triggers
• Email alerts and task automation
• Approval processes
• Scheduled jobs and batch processes

What we look for:

• Redundant or conflicting automations
• Overly complex workflows creating bottlenecks
• Broken automations (errors in logs)
• Manual processes that could be automated
• Deprecated automation tools still in use (e.g., workflows instead of flows)

Automation sprawl is more common than you'd think: we've seen NZ organisations with 40+ active automations where fewer than 10 still served a legitimate purpose. The rest were legacy processes nobody remembered creating and nobody dared to delete.

Example finding: "3 workflows are creating the same tasks (redundant). Recommend consolidating into a single flow."

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4. User Adoption & Training Analysis

What we assess:

• Login frequency and activity levels
• Feature usage (are teams using key features?)
• User complaints or workarounds
• Training materials and documentation
• Mobile app adoption

What we look for:

• Low login rates (users avoiding Salesforce)
• Heavy reliance on workarounds (exporting to Excel)
• Key features unused (e.g., cases, campaigns)
• Lack of training documentation

Example finding: "40% of users haven't logged in for 30+ days. Recommend refresher training and identifying adoption barriers."

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5. Technical Debt & Customisation Audit

What we assess:

• Custom objects, fields, and apps
• Unused fields and page layouts
• AppExchange package usage
• Code quality (Apex, Visualforce)
• Governor limit consumption

What we look for:

• Unused custom fields bloating page layouts
• Poorly documented customisations
• Deprecated code or packages
• Approaching governor limits (risk of failures)

Example finding: "47 custom fields are unused and can be archived. Simplifying page layouts will improve user experience."

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6. Reporting & Analytics Review

What we assess:

• Report and dashboard usage
• Data accuracy in key reports
• Missing reports for critical metrics
• Report folder organisation
• Einstein Analytics adoption (if applicable)

What we look for:

• Critical reports with data accuracy issues
• Executives missing key dashboards
• Over-reliance on Excel exports for analysis
• Disorganised report folders (hard to find reports)

Example finding: "Sales team exports data to Excel weekly for pipeline analysis. Recommend building a real-time pipeline dashboard in Salesforce."

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7. Integration & API Health

What we assess:

• Active integrations (Xero, Mailchimp, etc.)
• API usage and limits
• Integration error logs
• Data sync frequency and accuracy

What we look for:

• Broken integrations causing data gaps
• API limits being exceeded
• Slow sync times impacting workflows
• Redundant or unused integrations

Example finding: "Xero integration failing intermittently for 2 months. Recommend rebuilding connection and adding monitoring."

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8. Release Readiness

What we assess:

• Impact of upcoming Salesforce releases
• Use of deprecated features
• Sandbox usage for testing
• Change management processes

What we look for:

• Features scheduled for retirement still in use
• No sandbox for testing changes (risky)
• No process for testing new Salesforce releases

Example finding: "You're using Process Builder, which will be retired in 2027. Recommend migrating to Flows before EOL."

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What Are the Warning Signs Your Org Needs a Health Check?

Not sure if you need one? Here are the telltale signs:

1. Users Complain Salesforce is "Slow" or "Clunky"

Why it matters: Usually signals poor page layout design, too many custom fields, or inefficient automation.

Health check fixes: Streamline page layouts, archive unused fields, optimise automation.

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2. You Have Duplicate Records Everywhere

Why it matters: Duplicates confuse users, skew reporting, and waste time.

Health check fixes: Implement duplicate rules, matching rules, and run deduplication.

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3. Users Work Around Salesforce (Excel, Email, etc.)

Why it matters: If users prefer Excel over Salesforce, your org isn't configured to match their workflows.

Health check fixes: Identify workflow gaps, build automation, improve usability.

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4. You Don't Know What Features You're Paying For

Why it matters: You might be paying for unused licences or add-ons.

Health check fixes: Licence audit, feature utilisation analysis, cost optimisation.

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5. Integrations Keep Breaking

Why it matters: Broken integrations cause data gaps, duplicate work, and frustration.

Health check fixes: Integration audit, error log review, rebuild failing connections.

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6. Nobody Knows How to Build Reports

Why it matters: Teams export data to Excel because they can't get answers from Salesforce.

Health check fixes: Build custom reports/dashboards, train power users.

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7. You Haven't Updated Salesforce in Years

Why it matters: You're missing new features, security patches, and performance improvements.

Health check fixes: Review release notes, test in sandbox, implement beneficial updates.

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8. You Don't Have a Sandbox

Why it matters: Making changes in production is risky and can break critical processes.

Health check fixes: Upgrade to edition with sandbox, establish change management process.

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9. Salesforce Was Set Up Years Ago, Nobody Knows Why Things Work the Way They Do

Why it matters: Undocumented customisations create technical debt and make changes risky. This compounds with every admin handover — after two or three transitions, an org becomes a patchwork of naming conventions and contradictory validation rules that nobody fully understands.

Health check fixes: Document current configuration, identify and remove unnecessary complexity.

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10. You're Planning a Major Change (Migration, New Features, etc.)

Why it matters: Starting a big project on a shaky foundation causes problems — whether that's a data migration, a new integration, or budgeting for AI like Agentforce.

Health check fixes: Baseline assessment before project, identify risks early.

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What Does Skipping Regular Health Checks Cost?

Commissioning an audit can feel like an expense, especially for a cost-conscious NZ business. Compare it with the costs of not auditing:

• Lost productivity. If each of your 20 users wastes 30 minutes per week fighting Salesforce friction, that's over 500 hours per year of lost productivity.
• Poor decisions. Inaccurate data leads to misallocated resources, missed opportunities, and strategic missteps.
• Security and privacy exposure. A misconfigured sharing rule that exposes personal information can have legal and reputational consequences under the Privacy Act 2020.
• Integration failures. Technical debt makes every future project more expensive and more risky.
• Licence waste. Many organisations pay for features, add-ons, or user licences nobody actually uses.

In our experience, the findings typically pay for themselves within the first quarter after implementation — often through licence savings alone.

What Do You Get from SaaSKool's Free Health Check?

SaaSKool offers a complimentary Salesforce health check for NZ and Australian businesses.

What's Included

1. Comprehensive Org Audit (60-90 minutes) Our certified Salesforce experts review your org across all areas listed above.

2. Detailed Health Report (10-15 pages) You'll receive a written report covering:

• Executive summary of findings
• Health score by category (security, data, automation, etc.)
• Critical issues requiring immediate attention
• Quick wins (high-impact, low-effort improvements)
• Long-term optimisation opportunities
• Cost-saving recommendations

3. Prioritised Action Plan We categorise findings into:

• Critical: Fix immediately (security risks, broken integrations)
• High: Address within 30 days (data quality, adoption issues)
• Medium: Tackle within 90 days (technical debt, optimisations)
• Low: Nice-to-haves for future consideration

4. 30-Minute Debrief Call We'll walk you through the findings, answer questions, and discuss next steps.

5. No-Obligation Recommendations If you want help implementing the recommendations, we'll provide options (fractional admin, project-based, etc.) — but there's zero pressure. The health check is genuinely free.

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What We DON'T Do

To keep the health check fast and free, we don't:

• Rebuild your org (that's a paid engagement)
• Provide line-by-line code review
• Migrate data or implement changes
• Write custom documentation

Think of it as a diagnostic assessment, not a treatment. We identify the issues; you decide if you want our help fixing them.

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How Does the Health Check Process Work?

Step 1: Book Your Free Health Check

Click here to book or email us at hello@saaskool.com.

We'll schedule a kickoff call within 2-3 business days.

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Step 2: Kickoff Call (15-20 minutes)

We'll discuss:

• Your business and how you use Salesforce
• Key pain points or goals
• Access requirements (read-only admin access to your org)

You'll grant us temporary read-only access (we won't make any changes).

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Step 3: Audit & Analysis (3-5 business days)

Our team reviews your org using:

• Salesforce Optimizer (official Salesforce tool)
• Custom analysis scripts for data quality and automation
• Manual review of configurations and customisations
• Best practice benchmarking against Salesforce standards

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Step 4: Report Delivery

You'll receive a detailed PDF report via email, covering all findings and recommendations.

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Step 5: Debrief Call (30 minutes)

We'll walk through the report together:

• Explain findings in plain language
• Answer questions
• Discuss priorities
• Provide ballpark estimates for fixes (if you ask)

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Step 6: Your Choice

After the debrief, you can:

• Implement fixes yourself using our recommendations (free)
• Engage SaaSKool for fractional admin support or project-based fixes
• Engage another partner (we're not precious — we want you to succeed)
• Do nothing (no judgment, sometimes timing isn't right)

Zero pressure, zero obligation.

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What Happens After the Health Check?

Option 1: DIY Implementation

Use our report as a roadmap and implement fixes yourself. We're happy to answer occasional questions via email (no charge).

Option 2: Fractional Admin Support

Engage SaaSKool's fractional admin service (10-40 hours/month) to methodically work through the action plan, from NZD $1,500/month for 10 hours. Not sure whether ongoing support fits your situation? See our guide on when to hire a fractional Salesforce admin.

Typical timeline:

• Month 1: Critical fixes (security, broken integrations)
• Month 2: Quick wins (data cleanup, workflow optimisation)
• Months 3-6: Long-term improvements (automation, reporting, training)

Option 3: Project-Based Engagement

For larger pieces of work, we offer fixed-price packages:

| Package | Typical investment (NZD) | Best for | |---|---|---| | Starter implementation | $2,500 – $5,000 | Small organisations getting started, up to 5 users | | Professional implementation | $5,000 – $15,000 | Growing businesses with automation and integration needs | | Salesforce Rescue | From $3,000 | Fixing a broken implementation or recovering from technical debt | | Enterprise / custom | Quote | Complex orgs, multiple integrations, custom development |

Full details on our pricing page.

What Results Can a Health Check Lead To?

A health check is a diagnostic, but it's usually the first step toward measurable change. For real examples of what structured Salesforce work delivers — like the NZ conservation nonprofit that lifted donor retention 45% and cut admin time 60% after replacing a patchwork of spreadsheets — see our case studies.

Why Use a NZ-Based Partner for Your Health Check?

A health check from a local partner comes with context that offshore or enterprise-scale consultancies often can't match:

• Local compliance knowledge. We assess your org against the Privacy Act 2020 and NZ business practice, not just generic global checklists.
• Familiar integrations. Xero, local payment gateways, and the tools NZ SMBs and nonprofits actually run.
• Plain English reporting. Written for business owners and GMs, not just technical staff — you'll understand what needs fixing and why it matters to your bottom line.
• Right-sized recommendations. We work primarily with NZ and Australian SMBs and nonprofits. We won't suggest a six-month enterprise transformation when a few days of targeted work solves 80% of your issues.

Choosing between partners? Our guide to choosing a Salesforce partner in NZ covers the 12 questions worth asking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Salesforce health check take? From booking to report delivery: 5-7 business days. The actual audit is 60-90 minutes of expert review time plus analysis. You only need to attend a 15-20 minute kickoff call and a 30-minute debrief.

Do I need to prepare anything for a health check? Just grant temporary read-only admin access to your org. No prep work is required on your end, and the assessment is purely diagnostic.

Will a health check make changes to my Salesforce org? No. The health check is read-only. We review configuration, data quality, automation, and security without modifying any data or settings. You receive recommendations; you decide what to act on.

Is SaaSKool's health check really free? Yes, genuinely free. No credit card, no obligation. You keep the full written report and prioritised action plan whether or not you engage us to implement the recommendations.

What if I already have a Salesforce admin? The health check works well as a second opinion. It can validate your admin's work or surface issues an in-house admin misses through lack of external perspective — a common and useful outcome.

How often should I get a Salesforce health check? Annually at minimum, plus after major changes (migrations, restructures, periods of rapid growth), before major investments like CPQ, Marketing Cloud, or Agentforce, and whenever you change administrators so the new admin starts from a documented baseline.

Your Next Steps

Don't wait for small issues to become big problems. A Salesforce health check gives you:

• Peace of mind that your org is secure and optimised
• A roadmap for improvements
• Cost savings from identifying wasted licences and inefficiencies
• Better user adoption from streamlining workflows

And with SaaSKool, it's completely free with no strings attached.

1. Book your health check via the free health check page or email hello@saaskool.com
2. Kickoff call within 2-3 business days
3. Receive your report within 5-7 business days
4. Decide next steps (DIY, engage us, or do nothing)

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SaaSKool runs free Salesforce health checks for NZ and Australian SMBs and nonprofits. For the full scope and methodology, see our health check service page, or contact us with questions.