Salesforce is a powerful platform. But, as the saying goes: With great power comes great responsibility. Your company’s Salesforce administrator is responsible for everything that a company depends on SFDC for.
Do you have someone on staff who is fully knowledgeable about all of Salesforce’s options and functions? Is your administrator capable of handling any Salesforce question that comes up? If not, your company is missing opportunities to maximize its customer relationship management (CRM).
Let’s take a closer look at what your Salesforce admin might not know about managing your CRM program.
Salesforce Lingo
First of all, there’s a whole set of Salesforce-specific terms that go along with the platform. This Salesforce lingo is quite helpful when you understand it, and a bit baffling if you don’t.
Your admin should know all kinds of Salesforce glossary terms like:
- AppExchange
- Salesforce Chatter
- Cloud Flow Designer
- Salesforce Einstein
- Feed Card Visualization
- Salesforce Lightning
- Managed Package Extension
- Namespace Prefix
- Superbadges
- Salesforce Trailhead
- Translation Workbench
If your Salesforce admin is an employee – or a less-seasoned freelancer – they might not have a thorough knowledge of the lingo. It’s not really their fault, but it’s a roadblock to the success of your business.
Customizable Features
Salesforce administration isn’t just about the normal, day-to-day routine; It’s also about unexpected situations. What happens when you need something you’ve never needed before, like a special template, unique client code, or highly-customized quote?
Your Salesforce admin needs to be able to handle a huge variety of CRM demands on a case-by-case basis. As challenging situations arise, they’ll need to be problem-solvers who can dig deep into Salesforce and find the optimal solution every time.
For example, imagine that your company suddenly decides to introduce a variety of free and low-cost trial subscriptions into your sales model. But your Salesforce setup isn’t currently configured for that kind of billing and fulfillment.
In this situation, the good news is that Salesforce offers lots of solutions, but the bad news is that your admin might not have the tech savviness to implement them. They’d need to know the pros and cons of what’s available on AppExchange. They’d have to be able to quickly implement a Salesforce App Cloud solution.
How to Act With Urgency
Here’s something else to consider. If an urgent issue arises, is your admin prepared to handle it fast? This is a major concern with part-time admins, freelancers, and consultants who don’t provide easy availability.
For example, imagine that your biggest client needs a custom price quote on a major project. Their CEO absolutely demands it by Friday, but your Salesforce admin is on vacation until the following week. Now what?
Well, the answer is probably found somewhere in Salesforce Trailhead, which helps users build their knowledge base quickly and find custom solutions. Still, using it requires finesse and time, which are two things you don’t have when your admin is out of the office.
This kind of situation is why many companies partner with Salesforce certified teams that can provide comprehensive support. One person being on vacation is never a problem because an team is available for seamless backup.
Ongoing Certification
Let’s go back to basics for a moment. Do you even know if your Salesforce admin is currently certified as a Salesforce administrator? This is a critical question.
Passing the Salesforce exam is serious business. It requires a comprehensive knowledge base. And passing the exam doesn’t confer a lifetime of skill. Someone who trained on Salesforce in 2015 is already way out of date.
In the meantime, Salesforce has introduced dozens of new features your company could be using. In fact, they release new updates constantly and do 3 major feature releases per year.
Your admin should be a Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant who stays constantly up to date. When in doubt, check the official Salesforce certification verification page.
The Bottom Line
If your mind is boggling a bit, that’s no surprise. There’s a lot to know about Salesforce administration.
Don’t let your company get buried in Salesforce confusion. Reach out to StarrData, certified Salesforce consultants, for a world-class administration that helps you get the most out of Salesforce.