“We Are the Cloud That Bridges the Gap between Education and Employment”: Cloud Co-Op

“Providing cloud solutions to emerging and established business and government agencies, we are experts in all Salesforce cloud services”

Businesses today are moving from the traditional on-premises CRM to cloud-based CRM to address scalability, change management, and time to market needs of businesses. So, in order to stand out in the industry, companies across several spaces are implementing Salesforce in their business process.

Providing an enterprise with an engagement layer to go beyond customer expectations across sales, service, and marketing, Salesforce is the world’s best cloud-based CRM platform. It is the right cross-cloud solution that is integrated into the entire digital chain driving immense value from previously untapped areas of a business.

Being the world’s #1 CRM platform that employees can access entirely over the Internet, setting up and managing Salesforce can be hard, and hiring the right person to help can be expensive. So, to make Salesforce work in an efficient way, companies are looking for the right partner to unlock the Power of Salesforce.

The Silver Lining Consulting Firm

Founded in 2015, with a mission to help veterans become more competitive and launch into the Salesforce eco-systems, Cloud Co-OP was established. It is a service-disabled-veteran-owned small business that is fast becoming a national hub for Salesforce consultants and Veterans entering the workplace. With a team offering Salesforce customization, application development, and marketing expertise, the company provides service to both new and existing Salesforce clients.

Whether a business is just getting started, looking to increase adoption, or seeking ways to integrate Salesforce with other parts of the business, Cloud Co-Op is the first and foremost option to go with.

As the Salesforce market grows, it is tailored more towards larger consulting firms and Cloud Co-Op believes that when smaller firms (SME’s) can work together and utilize a community bench then they can survive the market growth. Furthermore, the company adjusts nicely to the market and offers the first Salesforce Community Call Center backed by military veterans providing Tier 1 support on both Salesforce and various ISV products.

Helping Veterans Obtain Their Goals

Started out to help support veterans, finding a prospect who wanted to participate with Cloud Co-Op in helping Veterans transition was one of the major challenges for the company. After struggling for a period of time in the initial stage, the company partnered with some of the wonderful programs like VetForce, Merivis and the Jewish Vocational Services providing the educational training.

Being one of the key players in a market that is strong and growing rapidly, Cloud Co-Op was looking for effective ways to help veterans enter the workplace as Salesforce Business Consultants. So, under the mentorship and coaching leadership of senior consultants, the company soon started an apprenticeship program called Vets2Cloud^®. Over the course of 2-3 years, Cloud Co-Op mentors and coaches Veterans to provide them the real world working engagements along with senior level certified consultants to mentor and coach along the way. Veterans and members of Cloud Co-Op participate in weekly coaching seasons covering many topics to strengthen their skills and business knowledge.

“It is always nice to talk about what we do but more importantly, it is why we do it that means the most to us. We invest in veterans as individuals knowing the challenges a military person faces when trying to enter into the civilian community.”

Earning trust and respect of consumers across the globe is always through consistent focus on delivering high quality in all of the actions, and Cloud Co-Op being a customer-centric firm justifies it completely. The mission of Cloud Co-Op centers around veteran and their success is the fuel for the company’s engines. Even though Cloud Co-Op sells a service, the company supports people. With the volunteer senior consultants dedicating their time and sharing their expertise to veterans advance in their careers, Cloud Co-Op works day in and out to for its customers so they can support the veterans.

“We make the client part of the success of the veteran and allow them to experience the power of transforming someone’s life.”

In addition to the Veterans Apprenticeship program, Cloud Co-OP is also looking for ways to give back to non-profits that want to utilize Salesforce as their operations platform. Also, the company participates in community service events, like Keep Austin Beautiful and seasonal events.

Crafting the Future Roadmap

Helping companies transition to the cloud and allowing individuals to grow their personal career, Cloud Co-Op is one of the pioneer members of the .Cloud domain and have positioned itself as a strategic contributor to the advancement of cloud computing.

With a goal to become a national hub for veterans entering the Salesforce eco-system, the company has recently launched its first Salesforce Community Call Center. Backed by veterans in the apprenticeship program, with this new call center, veterans are becoming application specialist, obtaining more certifications, and field support cases for the community.

Howdy Chief!

David Franklin, Founder and CEO, Cloud Co-Op: Serving eight honorable years in the U.S. Navy as a Technical Communicator for Surface and Sub-Surface vessels, David earned two Navy Achievement Medals and was nominated for Shore Sailor of the Year in 1996. He attended Moody Bible Institute where he studied Biblical Studies and Penn State University where he studies Organizational Leadership. He is currently in the SBA’s Emerging Leaders Streetwise MBA program.

With a specialized focus on Governance, Adoption, Implementation/Growth Strategies and Business Coaching, David is a seasoned Salesforce.com leader. He has lead two successful Salesforce Consulting firms (SI & ISV), designed two patent-pending applications, holds multiple certifications (1st 500), founder of four Salesforce User Groups and members of the Salesforce AppExchange Customer Advisory Board.

“Our goal is to make each person feel part of the process and have input into what we are doing. Many voices make a choir; a single voice is just a solo performance.”