Lessors, MROs, part sellers, and repair shops all face the same challenge: critical information is buried in too many places. Work orders and shop findings in an MRO system. Contract details in shared drives. Customer contacts in Outlook. Spreadsheets tracking vendor approval expiration.
In this post we’ll examine a practical approach to turning that fragmented data into a genuine single source of truth via Salesforce—without up-ending operations.
The Reality of Disparate Data in Aviation Aftermarket
Many aviation aftermarket organizations go through:
- The introduction of new lines of business (PBH, exchanges, pooling, lease management)
- Acquisitions and joint ventures
- Evolving technology needs and solutions (ERP replacement, new finance systems, improved planning tools, integration requirements)The result can be: Multiple systems of record for customers, vendors, orders and certifying paperwork Inconsistent identifiers (variances in part numbers & interchangeability). Limited visibility between commercial, finance and operations teams. Slow decision-making because of unreliable, not easily accessed data.
This hits each segment differently:
- Lessors struggle to see a unified view of lessees, aircraft, lease terms, technical findings, and commercial opportunities
- MROs can’t easily connect visit history with pipeline, capacity planning, and customer satisfaction
- Part sellers lack a clear installed base view to drive proactive sales and stocking strategies
- Component shops miss trends across repairs, warranty performance, and customer behavior
What a “Single Source of Truth” facilitated by Salesforce Looks Like
A true single source of truth in Salesforce doesn’t mean every record necessarily lives there. It means: Salesforce is the most reliable place to understand your customers, assets, and commercial performance. In practical terms, that looks like:
- One customer / operator / lessor / shop record that everyone uses
- Linked aircraft, engines, components, and contracts for that customer
- Service and repair history visible to sales, account management, and support
- Opportunities, quotes, and cases tied to the same customers and asset records
- Data that is kept in sync using integration tools between systems, not manually retyped
For each type of organization:
- Lessors: Salesforce shows lessee relationships, lease terms at a summary level, fleet composition, upcoming transitions, and open commercial discussions
- MROs: Salesforce provides the customer 360° view: operators, fleets, historical visits, open quotes, current projects, and satisfaction metrics
- Part sellers: Salesforce combines account/contact info with historical orders, pricing, and open RFQs
- Component shops: Salesforce exposes repair history, warranty entitlements, recurring issues, and commercial opportunities around those repairs
But to get there, you need more than a one-off data migration: you need expert resources who can guide you down a structured path.
Step 1: Discover and Classify Your Data Landscape
You can’t build a source of truth without first understanding the current state. Start with a focused discovery:
- Identify systems ERP & Finance systems Planning and forecasting tools Legacy CRMs or contact management Spreadsheets and shared drives (especially for pricing, contracts, scanned files & images)
- Map key entities For each system, list how it handles: Customers and vendors Inventory Orders or aircraft visits Quotes and invoices Contracts, SLAs, or agreements3. Assess data quality & ownership Who “owns” the data today? Who besides the data owner maintains it? Where do people go today when they “really need the truth”?4. Decide how the right use of Salesforce unites the truth Customers, contacts, accounts, and relationships Commercial pipeline, quotes, and opportunities High-level asset and contract context needed for sales and service
The key is to design a model that’s robust enough to serve the needs all stakeholders but also simple enough to not impede productivity. Once completed, clearly document your discovery! It becomes the blueprint for every design and integration decision.
Step 2: Cleanse, Normalize, and “De-duplicate” Your Data
Before your data can be re-organized using Salesforce, you need to clean it up. Focus on a few high-value areas:
- Customer and contact data Standardize account names (“United Airlines” vs “United”, “UA”) Merge duplicates and align hierarchies Validate key fields: country, region, market segment, account owner
- Part numbers and descriptions Clean up duplicated or inconsistent part numbers Standardize manufacturer codes, ATA chapters, and other attributes Confirm serialization3.
- Inventory Validate serial numbers Flag incomplete cert or trace info Confirm linked files for paperwork 4. Tables and picklists Warehouse locations Visit, repair and contract types Meaningful record statuses (e.g. Waiting for Parts vs. Waiting on Customer) Take advantage of Salesforce’s data tools, deduplication rules, and validations to maintain data integrity.
Step 3: Identify system gaps in data normalization
- Fields Add fields where none exist for capturing key information Where possible replace text fields with tables and picklists for standardization Introduce validations for key fields to be completed
- Tables and Objects Create new tables and objects where needed Link existing tables and objects by adding fields Update Related Lists to improve access to associated records
Step 4: Integrate ERP, Finance & Planning Systems with Salesforce
Once you have a clear model and cleaner data, you need to keep Salesforce in sync with the systems that still run the operation. Key design decisions:
- Define systems of record ERP: source of truth for work orders, repair details, inventory Salesforce: source of truth for customers, relationships, pipeline, and high-level asset/contract context Decide, field by field, which system “wins” in a conflict.
- Choose integration patterns Batch (nightly or hourly): for most historical and slowly changing data (e.g., visit history) Near real-time: for data that drives customer interactions (e.g., new repair orders, status changes, AOGs) One-time migrations: for legacy systems being retired Platform Events: for multiple downstream systems to react to a business event in near real time Change Data Capture (CDC): for dashboards and metrics
- Surface detail on demand Use links or lightweight integration patterns so users can easily drill into data for more detail
Step 5: Govern and Maintain Your “Source of Truth”
A single source of truth is not a one-off project; it’s a discipline. To keep it trustworthy:
- Define data owners Account data → sales / account management Asset master data → technical records / engineering or a defined master data team Contracts → commercial / legal
- Set clear processes When a new customer is created, who approves it? When aircraft are transferred between lessors, who updates the records? How are new part numbers introduced and validated by Quality?
- Monitor consistency with simple KPIs % of Accounts with complete key fields Duplicate rates for Accounts and Contacts Number of records updated via integration vs. manual edits
- Train and support users Show teams how good data helps them: faster quote turnaround, better renewals, fewer surprises with customers. Build simple, role-based dashboards and alerts so people see the value immediately.
A Practical 90-Day Roadmap to Get Started
You don’t have to do everything at once. A focused 90-day data optimization initiative using Salesforce might look like this:
- Weeks 1–2: Assessment Inventory systems and data sources Clarify systems of record Identify 2–3 highest-value use cases (e.g., installed base visibility, quote context, lease/contract visibility)
- Weeks 3–5: Design Define the aviation-aware Salesforce data model Map key data from legacy systems and sources Design initial integrations (even if just batch loads to start)
- Weeks 6–10: Build & Migrate Configure Salesforce objects, fields, and relationships Cleanse and migrate an initial data set (e.g., top 100 accounts, key contracts) Implement integrations for priority data flows Build role-based dashboards
- Weeks 11–13: Rollout & Optimize Train core users (sales, account management, customer service) Capture feedback and refine layouts, reports, and automations Define ongoing governance and data quality metrics
Final Thoughts
Your data will never be perfectly tidy—but it can be made incredibly useful. By: Understanding your current data landscape Designing a Salesforce model tailored to aviation aftermarket Cleaning and integrating data with clear systems of record Governing it with simple, realistic processes …you can use Salesforce to best understand your business’ customers, assets, and opportunities
Ready to See What’s Possible?
Prodigy helps aviation companies deploy Salesforce technologies for maximum ROI. Contact us to discuss how to move past the “from the factory” basics to unlock the full power of your data and complete tech stack. Email: hello(at)weareprodigy.com Website: www.weareprodigy.com