Implementing Salesforce is already transforming your business, but who’s going to maintain it? If you’re new to Salesforce, managing licenses, running reports, and automating tasks can leave your head spinning.
Even if your IT team pushed for Salesforce, that doesn’t mean they have the experience to manage it on their own. That’s where a Salesforce administrator comes in. A specialized Salesforce administrator can help you get all the benefits of Salesforce without the headaches.
To hire a Salesforce administrator, you need to know what you’re looking for. If you’re not familiar with Salesforce, hiring the right person can feel impossible. However, finding the right administrator for your small business doesn’t have to be hard!
You can find a great Salesforce administrator that won’t break your budget. Here are our top 5 tips for hiring the right Salesforce administrator for your small business.
1. Soft Skills are a Must
Having good people skills is an absolute must for a good Salesforce administrator. Your Salesforce administrator is a key part of your technical support team, so they need to work well with less tech-savvy employees. User management is a significant part of your CRM manager’s job, so make sure to ask questions to gauge if your job candidate is good with people.
Salesforce isn’t useful to your team without a high adoption rate. If adoption is lagging, a Salesforce administrator may need to show employees how to use Salesforce for daily tasks. In this case, having someone patient and friendly can make a big difference in encouraging employees to use the platform.
Great soft skills can help your administrator gain insight into your employees’ needs. If your consultant is easy to work with, they may get a better sense of which processes you need to automate.
2. Check for Training Experience
If you plan to build on the platform with apps from the AppExchange, you’ll need an administrator that can help employees use a new app. Training and change management experience will help employees adjust to changes in the platform.
A good Salesforce administrator provides strong backend support and answers frequently asked questions. Working with a developer may not be useful if you’re still looking to get team members to use the platform. The right administrator will make adopting new technology easier for your team.
Hire a Salesforce consultant who can explain the platform to trainers, employees, or even C-suite execs. Even if they aren’t hosting training sessions, they’ll be able to give walkthroughs on new features.
3. Ask For Examples of Automated Workflows
Small businesses rely on Salesforce to make running their business easier. Automating tasks can reduce human error and help your employees be more productive. Salesforce runs best with robust automated workflows that take many manual tasks off your team’s to-do list.
Setting up automation is one thing, but a good administrator can help you identify tasks that need improvement. During your interview, ask what types of business problems your admin has helped solve. This offers a good idea of what can be accomplished with automation.
A good Salesforce administrator can help you see where automated workflows will benefit your business. Plus, the right hire can set up automated reporting with complex data sets to give you a better look at how your business is performing. Even if you aren’t sure what to automate yet, an administrator can identify and put in place automated workflows that help your business.
4. Get Help with Customization
With so much information available in the Salesforce platform, it’s important to show only the data your team needs. Customizations can help your teams get the data they need without getting distracted.
Salesforce is all about making day-to-day business activities more convenient. Having the data your team needs readily available will make your team more inclined to use the software.
Different dashboards and layouts can help each department do their job better. Your Salesforce administrator can help create the right customizations for each department. During your interview, ask your candidate what types of customizations they’ve made.
Before going into an interview, talk with your teams about what data they want to collect and see. An admin may be able to recommend the right customizations for you, but they are not the expert on your business. Share your data collection and reporting needs to see if you need custom fields, page layouts, or dashboards.
5. Screen for Passion
Salesforce is an evolving platform, and a good administrator is always looking for something new to help your business. Keeping up with the latest and greatest in Salesforce technology can help your business take advantage of the platform.
While almost anyone can get a Salesforce administration certificate, that doesn’t mean they’re the best person for the job. Looking beyond certifications can help you find the right admin support for your needs.
A passionate Salesforce power user may not have the tech background you would typically look for in a software administrator. Their experience with what your company needs and their passion for the platform are more important than certificates.
Ask if your candidate engages with the Salesforce community and if they are continually growing their skillset. If they’re passionate about Salesforce, they’ll have a lot to say on this topic.
Understand Your Goals Before You Hire a Salesforce Administrator
Some mid-size companies may need custom coding or complex integrations. However, most small businesses need help maintaining the platform, answering questions, and managing permissions. Before hiring someone, it’s important to understand what your administrator will be doing.
If you’re searching resumes for extensive technical chops, you may hire someone who isn’t right for your company. Many small businesses may only need a part-time administrator to meet their needs. Sit down with your IT department to help create goals and better understand what tasks call for a Salesforce administrator.
Most small businesses don’t need full-time, internal administrators to meet their Salesforce goals. At Cutopia, we offer the part-time support you need at a price you can afford. Contact us today to hire a Salesforce administrator for your small business!