Salesforce announced that Kelley Austin officially advanced to the Crest tier (previously named Gold), making the Salesforce Consulting Partner one of the fastest firms to achieve the Crest tier in Salesforce history.

The Dallas-based consulting firm was founded in March of 2020 by brothers-in-law Hunter Austin and Waylon Kelley and reached the Crest level in just 18 months. What normally takes Salesforce Consulting Partners five years to achieve, was done in less than two years by the Kelley Austin team.

In order to reach the Crest level in the Salesforce partnership program, Consulting Partners attain points based on the number of successful Salesforce projects completed, annual contract value per customer, customer reviews, and the number of Salesforce certifications their employees have, which demonstrates their expertise level. The more points a partner has, the higher tier they get assigned.

Salesforce partners like Kelley Austin lead 70% of customer implementations and are authorized by Salesforce to engineer custom solutions and leverage the power of the Salesforce ecosystem to satisfy the needs of each client’s unique structure. Picking the right partner is critical to the Salesforce implementation process, which is why the Consulting Partner tier system is so useful. The Salesforce partner program makes it easy to see which partners have the right combination of expertise and experience to get the job done to the company’s standards.

Co-founder Hunter Austin said, “Achieving this status is absolutely a reflection of the Kelley Austin team as a whole and the effort they’ve put in to be great at what we do. The most important factor to project success is trust, and reaching this status proves that we’ve been able to build it across the Salesforce ecosystem.”

Kelley Austin was established in 2020 because Austin and Kelley wanted to create a work environment that prioritizes employee happiness and work-life balance, which can be difficult in the consulting industry. With more than 20 years of combined experience in the Salesforce ecosystem, they felt that what was missing the most from the industry was an exemplary employee experience — an experience where team members felt connected, empowered, and appreciated. At Kelley Austin, employees are supported by leadership and the rest of the team, are encouraged to take time off, and have the opportunity to put time towards furthering their education and expertise.

Kelley Austin team members hold over 100 Salesforce certifications, including certifications for Architects, Consultants, Developers, and more. The majority of the company’s employees live in Dallas, a fact the co-founders believe has contributed to a strong work-ethic and sense of community among team members.

Beyond experience and expertise, Kelley Austin exudes a level of professionalism that many customers describe as “second to none.” Client stakeholders often remark on how they wish all their partners operated with the level of professionalism and detail that Kelley Austin provides.

"I just want to say that our team has been impressed with your entire team throughout this process,” said a business leader in the Communications Industry. “We talk about it internally all the time, especially with the other major initiatives going on, that we wish you and your team were doing all of these projects because of how much better Kelley Austin has been."

Kelley Austin is proud to help brands and businesses drive revenue and connect with their customers with the power of Salesforce.