LendingTree’s Big Wins with Sonar:
With Sonar, LendingTree cleaned up its 16-year Salesforce org, transforming it into a critical system that fully supports 30 business units.
- Tackled nearly two decades of tech debt in its Salesforce org, with cleanup projects taking 40% less time
- Used Sonar’s automatic documentation to meet the company’s data security policy
- Improved communication and collaboration between its Salesforce Admin team and the 30 business units they support
“When our Salesforce team went from supporting three to 30 business units, we weren’t documenting our changes, which opened us up to security risks. Sonar’s automatic documentation saved us, helping us document every change we make and track all of the data in our Salesforce org across our business units.”
— Lauren Moore, Senior Salesforce Business Analyst
The Problem
Online lending marketplace LendingTree had an underutilized 16-year Salesforce org that only one team used. LendingTree realized it was missing out on the opportunity to unify its 30 business units and drive more revenue. So, it set out to transform its Salesforce org into a financial hub that’s fully integrated across its business units and critical processes.
LendingTree built a team of Salesforce Admins to lead the charge. The newly assembled team was up against a vast amount of tech debt that had built up in the org over nearly two decades. And they didn’t have any documentation about how the system was built and why changes were made, making cleanup projects difficult and time-consuming.
The lack of documentation meant the team had no insight into where fields in Salesforce were used and who was using the fields. The team relied on makeshift solutions to fill in the knowledge gaps and avoid issues when making changes. Each time they made a change, they would Slack teams across the company to see if the update might impact other business units. But this solution often left the admins with blindspots that caused problems for other teams when they made a change.
Simultaneously, LendingTree’s Data Governance team mandated a documentation policy, requiring the Salesforce Admins to note every change they made. This policy was of critical importance to the company, as it ensured LendingTree wouldn’t be vulnerable to security risks. But documenting every change was a strenuous manual process for the Salesforce team.
The Solution
LendingTree’s Salesforce team was seeking a better way to tackle 16 years of tech debt, so they could transform their org into a best-in-class platform that seamlessly powers the entire company. So, they brought on Sonar to provide them with a clear view into their tech stack and how it was built.
With Sonar, the team now has the context they previously lacked. Empowered with a comprehensive understanding of their Salesforce org, cleanup projects are easier and faster. They previously spent 190 hours on similar projects. Now, the team has reduced that time by 40%, saving nearly 500 hours per year with Sonar’s Org Blueprint.
Sonar also helps the Salesforce Admins work more effectively with the business units they support. With Sonar, LendingTree tags every field used by a business unit to easily see which fields are in use and what teams are using them. Equipped with this insight, if they want to make a change that impacts another business unit, they can let the affected team know in advance.
The admins no longer make changes that result in negative ripple effects across the company. With Sonar’s Potential Issues, if a change causes a problem, the admins get a real-time alert showing what’s not working and how to fix it. That way, the team can solve any issues before they have a negative impact on the business.
Relying on Sonar also means the Salesforce Admins can meet their Data Governance team’s documentation mandate head-on. With Sonar, the admins automatically document every change, big or small, made across their tech stack. By meeting this requirement, the team plays a direct role in eliminating company security risks caused by no documentation.
Today, LendingTree’s Salesforce org functions as an end-to-end platform that’s critical to the entire company. It supports everything from LendingTree’s consumer database to its SMS platform and front-end lending system to legal contracts. And, with the help of Sonar, the team of Salesforce Admins has the insight they need to work successfully with LendingTree’s 30 business units and keep everything running smoothly.