Author: Nick Sanders

Did you know that Salesforce prides itself on having 9 different features and ways that it can help your business thrive? Sadly, a majority of companies that invest in Salesforce don’t end up capitalizing on all the features that the CRM software offers.

This is mostly due to a lack of understanding. Since business owners and managers don’t know how to customize the platform to their needs, the software goes unused. You can avoid this problem by hiring freelance Salesforce administrators to help.

See below for several ways that freelance Salesforce administrators can help your business thrive with its CRM software for years to come.

1. Cost-Efficient Service

As you may well know, in-house employees are never as costly as their annual salary, they’re actually more expensive than their annual salary. By the time you’ve paid their salary, taxes, and benefits, they cost a heck of a lot more.

Here’s a shocking statistic for you: recent research has found that in-house employees are typically up to 1.4 times their base salary.

What does this have to do with Salesforce? If you’re wanting to hire an in-house Salesforce administrator for your staff, you’ll be spending a lot of money to do so.

Glassdoor.com has found that the average Salesforce Administrator salary is around $56,000 to $110,000 a year. That means the lowest you’d be paying for an in-house administrator (overall) is $78,400. 

By hiring a freelance Salesforce administrator, you can get all of the help that you need at a much lower cost. At Cutopia, we offer simple pricing for our services:

• Tiny Contract: $1,000 per month
• Small Contract: $2,500 per month
• Medium Contract: $5,000 per month

That means that—even if you bought our most expensive package—you’d be saving at least $18,000. We cater to your administration requests, we offer developer hours, and we provide it all with a quick turnaround. You can’t beat it!

2. Variety of Services

Let’s say you hire an in-house Salesforce administrator for your company. Then, after hiring them, you find out that they don’t have any experience with Salesforce development. 

As a result, you either have to deal with the growing pains as they learn the tricks of the trade or outsource to a Salesforce developer for help. But what if you didn’t have to hire an employee, but always had a developer that was only a call away?

We offer developer hours for both our small and medium monthly packages. With the small package, you get 2 developer hours per month and with the medium, you get 5 developer hours per month. Not to mention that we guarantee a 24-hour turnaround!

We also offer services such as:

• Providing you with a dedicated account manager (medium package only)
• Developer capabilities
• Anywhere from 10 to 40 basic administration request fulfillment each month 
• Anywhere from 2 to 10 advanced administration request fulfillment each month

Rather than hiring one person with one set of skills, you have access to an entire team of experienced freelance Salesforce administrators. All of which are ready to help you customize your platform and get the most out of your Salesforce CRM software.

3. Efficient Service

There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in your work. You’ve built your business from the ground up, learning new things along the way.

However, many business owners waste countless hours trying to learn the Salesforce software on their own. It leaves them frustrated and disappointed with the lack of production they’ve received from their investment. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap!

By hiring freelance Salesforce administrators, you’ll gain access to efficient service whenever you need it. 

If you need to reorganize call campaigns for your sales staff, we’ve got you. If you want to reorganize your dashboard to show call metrics, that’s no problem at all.

No matter what service you need to be performed, we guarantee that it will take no longer than a 48-hour window. With our small and medium package, we take it to the next level by guaranteeing a 24-hour turnaround!

4. Scalable Work

Perhaps the biggest reason you shouldn’t hire an in-house Salesforce administrator is due to the lack of workload. If you’re a small business, you won’t have projects to keep them busy at all times.

There will be times where they sit at their desk and don’t do anything at all. That hardly justifies paying them 1.4 times their salary.

Freelance Salesforce administrators are there whenever you need them. If your Salesforce is working fluently, you don’t have to pay them a dime. If a problem arises, they’ll be ready to help you out at a moment’s notice.

5. Knowledgeable Service

Did you know that to receive their title, Salesforce administrators have to receive their certification? Salesforce offers credentials to ensure that all administrators know the ins and outs of their system.

In that regard, all Salesforce Administrators receive the same certification. A freelancer has more knowledge than the typical in-house employee because they’ve helped so many different businesses customize the software to their business model.

For that reason, a freelance administrator can be more useful to you. They can offer insight into how to set up your CRM system to capitalize on its features.

Hire Freelance Salesforce Administrators for Your Needs

Now that you have seen several ways that freelance Salesforce administrators could help your business thrive with the CRM system, be sure to find the right team for the job.

Be sure to read this article for more information on why Salesforce is the best CRM system for small businesses.

For more inquiries on our services, please be sure to reach out via our online contact us form and we will be delighted to work with your further.

 

Many small business owners like you know how valuable Salesforce can be for their businesses. In fact, you might be tempted to start automating every part of your business as soon as the implementation is done! However, you may be wincing at the cost of hiring a full-time Salesforce developer so soon after your costly implementation.

Outsourcing your development projects is a great way to start customizing your Salesforce platform. That’s where part-time Salesforce developers can be of huge value. 

Whether you’re just getting started with Salesforce or looking to expand your current platform, a freelance Salesforce developer can help your business grow. 

Here’s why a part-time Salesforce developer is a must for any small business. 

Get the Help You Need When You Need It

It may seem like you need someone on your team full-time to get all your projects done. In reality, a part-time Salesforce developer can ensure that your projects get done on time, every time. 

Full-time developers can get bogged down with projects and other day-to-day management tasks. If they don’t have enough to keep them busy, you may be paying for your developer to twiddle their thumbs. By hiring a freelance Salesforce developer, you can have someone on hand whenever you need them, without paying them when you’re not ready to take on a new project. 

Outsourcing development can help you do more than you might think. When you hire a part-time Salesforce developer, you can focus on the most important projects and receive a freelancer’s valuable input on what projects would benefit your business. Plus, you can be sure they won’t make decisions based on office politics or other factors outside their purview. 

While you may not have someone fully focused on your development projects, a freelance developer can bring a unique perspective to your projects. A freelancer’s work with other clients can help them bring new ideas and strategies to your business. They will also be incentivized to finish projects quickly and perform well to keep winning work from your business. 

Accomplish More and Save Money With Part-Time Salesforce Developers

When you look at a freelancer’s hourly rate or project rate, it may seem steep. But, compared to a yearly salary and benefits, a part-time Salesforce developer can be a more affordable choice. 

If you’ve been thinking, “Should I hire Salesforce developers?” you’ve probably already started to budget for your development projects. However, trying to hire someone full-time and having them take on a dozen projects at once can fall apart. When your employee has too many open projects at once, there’s no guarantee that anything will get done.

A part-time Salesforce developer can help you focus on high-impact projects. By prioritizing your projects, you can decide which project will make the biggest difference for your business. That means you only move forward with tasks that move the needle.

When you hire a part-time Salesforce developer on a monthly basis or a per-project basis, your projects are also more likely to get done on time. Even with fewer hours, your developer’s focused attention helps you make progress incrementally. By taking on one project at a time, you save money by spacing out your projects and can more easily determine the ROI of each project. 

You can also hire many freelance Salesforce developers that specialize in each type of project. Having an expert ensures that your coding or automation gets done fast, so hiring the right person can save you significant cash in the long run.

Stay on the Cutting Edge

One of the reasons you started with Salesforce was to modernize your business. There are many ways to transform your company with Salesforce, but an insightful developer can help you focus on what will make the greatest difference in your business. The last thing you want is a developer who is stuck in their ways.

Salesforce is always evolving, and you need a developer that’s up to date with the latest and greatest that the Salesforce platform has to offer. Working with a freelance Salesforce developer can ensure you’re getting relevant and timely programming skills. Since your developer is working on various projects for different clients, they can bring inspiration from other clients and offer a new perspective that makes your business better. 

Diverse opinions are imperative when it comes to creating a great platform. Having an expert on hand can mean your developer serves as a freelance Salesforce consultant, too! Their input can guide which projects you take on next, what tasks you choose to automate, and what systems you integrate into your platform. 

A skilled part-time developer brings more than a successful project to your business. As freelancers, they may be more likely to keep up with the industry and improve their skills than a full-time employee is. That means they can bring your business new ways to use the Salesforce platform as your business grows.

Outsourcing Salesforce Development Can Help Your Business Thrive

Every business owner wants to see their business grow, which means their tools must be up to the challenge. Having the right technology as you grow means constantly updating your tools to meet your business needs. Experienced part-time Salesforce developers can help you customize your Salesforce platform so it serves your business at every stage.

Finding the perfect developer doesn’t have to be tough. Even if you’re hesitant about outsourcing, you might be surprised by how much a part-time Salesforce developer can do. Plus, when you hire development help from Cutopia, you always get the best developer for your next project. 

If you’re ready to expand, it’s time to hire a freelance Salesforce developer. Contact us today to get the project support that you need now!

Even when you have a trusty Salesforce administrator on your team, you occasionally need a developer to make Salesforce work well for your small business.

As your team gets accustomed to using Salesforce, you may need more integrations and custom coding to get everything you want out of the platform. With the right Salesforce developer, you can make the platform even more powerful as your business grows. But, hiring a Salesforce developer is no walk in the park. 

Business owners may want to jump in and find a developer right away. However, if you’re still wondering, “Should I hire a Salesforce Developer?” you may be rushing in too soon. There are a ton of mistakes you may miss if you’ve never hired a Salesforce developer before. 

Here are the 5 mistakes to avoid when you’re hiring a Salesforce developer. 

1. Hiring a General Developer

As a small business owner, you probably aren’t an expert in different coding languages. That’s okay—no one expects you to be! But, if you hire just any developer to handle your Salesforce platform, you may end up sorely disappointed. 

Knowing what makes a Salesforce developer different is the key to making a smart hire. So, what is a Salesforce developer, and what do they do?

Every developer writes code in particular languages, and Salesforce developers specialize in Apex and Javascript. Knowing how to customize the platform for your business needs is what an expert Salesforce developer excels at. That’s only part of why you need someone beyond your run-of-the-mill dev. 

A dedicated Salesforce developer can also help you simplify your business practices. The right developer can make creative solutions to automate your business processes, build out useful dashboards, and create applications to your exact specifications. Even if you’re not sure exactly what you need, a freelance Salesforce developer will guide you to create the tool your business needs. 

If you hire just any developer, they may not be able to help you actualize your vision. Avoid this mistake by looking for Salesforce-specific technical skills and thought leadership in your interview.  

2. Trying to Save Money With a New or Inexperienced Developer

Between accessible coding boot camps and free Salesforce training, you may have many developers answering your job posting. However, that doesn’t mean every applicant is the best choice for your Salesforce needs. 

Some business owners may try to save on budget by hiring a less experienced Salesforce developer. While you don’t need to break the bank to get exceptional work, hiring the least expensive (and likely least skilled) is a common mistake for small business owners. 

Before you hire a Salesforce developer, ask for a portfolio to see their past work. While it may seem smart to hire someone with a ton of certifications, they may not have real-world development experience to showcase. If they are charging by the hour, that may mean you end up paying a ton more than you expected for development changes. 

In many cases, a small business does not need the most experienced or most expensive developer to meet its goals. However, a newbie developer may not cut it for your dev projects, either. Finding a skilled, knowledgeable developer is one of the easiest ways to ensure your platform is designed to fit your business needs, even as you grow. 

3. Looking for a Full-Time Developer Right Away

When you need a new team member, it may seem natural to hire someone full-time. However, a part-time Salesforce developer may be a better choice for your organization.

Many small business owners jump to hire a full-time developer and find they don’t have enough work to keep them busy! Plus, after a pricy implementation, adding a new salary to your payroll may be out of the question. While this mistake is common for small businesses, it’s also a big error you’ll definitely want to avoid. 

Building out your platform and automating your processes are crucial to take full advantage of Salesforce. However, that doesn’t mean you need to create every automation right away! Salesforce grows with your business, so it’s important to have access to a developer when you need them… and only when you need them. 

A freelance Salesforce developer is a great choice for rapidly expanding businesses that need development help. Having a part-time Salesforce developer available to you can help you tackle the projects you need without searching for extra tasks to justify your hire. 

4. Hiring Someone With Outdated Practices

Technology evolves quickly. Some business owners want to hire a developer with years of experience with a business just like theirs. We don’t blame you! 

However, if a Salesforce developer worked for one company in-house, they may not be the most up to date on the latest programming practices. Salesforce is always making improvements and introducing new features, so it’s important to have a developer that tries new things and creates cutting edge solutions to your business problems. 

A freelance Salesforce developer can help you create modern, relevant solutions that use the latest Salesforce features. Plus, a part-time developer’s experience in different industries can help bring a new perspective to your platform. 

5. Getting One Person to Do it All

Trying to hire the perfect person is always a downfall when you’re looking for a Salesforce developer. When your budget is limited, it’s tempting to hire someone who can wear as many hats as possible. However, this approach can be a mistake when you hire someone who can’t focus exclusively on development. 

Different development projects can call for different talents and insights. Having just one developer to rely on means you may not get the same quality of work on every project. If you hire a full-time developer, they are bound to have strengths and weaknesses, but they may be resistant to outsourcing projects they aren’t experienced in handling. 

When you work with a part-time Salesforce developer, you can always have the right person for the job. Unfortunately, that means you have to find the right person for each project. Getting a freelance Salesforce developer from Cutopia can ensure you always have the right dev for any job.

Don’t Make a Mistake When Hiring a Salesforce Developer

If you’ve been wondering, “Do I need a Salesforce developer?” it’s time to hire someone. However, the wrong Salesforce developer can cost your small business a lot of time and money. When you’re hiring a Salesforce developer, don’t forget to keep these common mistakes in mind to make the best hire.

Finding a fool-proof part-time Salesforce developer is easy with Cutopia! Contact us today to find the right developer for your small business. 

Imagine getting high-quality sales leads for your business without working hard. It sounds impossible, but it can happen with the best small business CRM.

You can use Salesforce for a small business, and you can hire a Salesforce consultant for help. It doesn’t matter if you have a few employees or 30-40.

Keep reading to learn how to launch Salesforce and if you need a freelance Salesforce administrator.

Consider Your Goals

Before you set up and launch Salesforce for a small business, you should think about why you want to use it. Many companies need a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, but you can do a lot with Salesforce.

You can keep track of customer data and organize it all. And you can manage contact information.

Another benefit is that you can use Salesforce to help with your social media marketing. You can view customer social profiles right in Salesforce, so you can grow your online audience.

Salesforce also lets you provide customer service. And if you hire a freelance Salesforce administrator, you can have help with all of it.

Choose the Right Plan

Salesforce offers four different CRM plans that you can use for your small business marketing. The Essentials plan is great for basic sales and customer service tools, and it’s a good place to start.

If you have a bigger small business CRM budget, you can get the Sales Professional plan. It works well for sales teams of any size, whether you have a single employee or a team of 40.

The Service Professional plan has similar pricing to the Sales Professional plan, but this one is perfect for customer service You can use it with any number of employees in your small business.

If you want more marketing automations, you can use the Pardot Growth plan. It works with any size team and can support up to 10,000 contacts. You can hire a freelance Salesforce developer for more assistance on any plan.

Take Advantage of Training

If you want to use Salesforce for a small business, it can be hard to get started. Luckily, Salesforce created Trailhead, which is a free training website. You can use it to learn the basics of the CRM.

Then, you can understand how it works. Even if you decide to hire a Salesforce administrator, you should know the basics.

And since Trailhead is free, you can work through a few of the lessons or courses. Choose a couple that make the most sense for your business.

If you have questions, you can ask your freelance Salesforce consultant. Then, you can make sure you’re using Salesforce efficiently.

Document Your Processes

As you set up Salesforce for a small business, make sure you document each step you take. When you need to repeat those steps for new customers, you can follow those steps to streamline the process.

Your documentation doesn’t have to be long or have a ton of detail. But consider listing out any settings you change and what tools you use to organize and enter customer data.

If you ever forget the steps or need to have a part-time Salesforce administrator, the documents should provide the essential information. You can use a document or spreadsheet to log everything.

It can also help to document the process of setting up accounts for users. If you ever hire a new part-time Salesforce developer, you can use that document to create their profile.

Add Your Company Information

As you set up Salesforce for a small business, you should add some basic company information. Include your company name, address, phone, and email to your profile.

You can also add your timezone to help with your small business marketing. That way, you won’t send an email to your customers when they’re all asleep.

Adding your company’s fiscal year can also help you with contact management. If you only want to contact customers a certain number of times per year, you can use your fiscal year to track that.

Include as much information as you feel comfortable with in Salesforce. Then, you can use it for everything from social media marketing to customer service.

Verify Security Settings

Before you start using Salesforce for a small business, you should secure everything. You can use Health Check to verify that your passwords, networks, and sessions are as strong as possible.

To go to Health Check, go to Setup in Salesforce. Then, you can search for the feature and edit your settings.

Health Check will tell you which settings are the most vulnerable, such as weak passwords. You can change your password to something stronger to help.

Go through each of the options and make them more secure. Have your part-time Salesforce consultant and other employees do this with their passwords and settings as well.

Create a Sandbox

Another thing you should do when setting up Salesforce for a small business is to create a Sandbox. In Salesforce, a Sandbox is a copy of your production organization.

You can use the Sandbox to try new settings and features. Any changes you make in the Sandbox won’t affect the live version of your Salesforce account.

So if you make a mistake or don’t like your changes, you don’t have to worry about fixing them. If you do like what you changed, you can apply them to your production org when you are comfortable.

Set Up Reports

Salesforce is the best small business CRM because it offers a couple of different ways to create reports. First, you can use Power of One, which is a formula that can summarize data.

Case Safe ID is also a great formula, and you can use it to change record IDs in reporting tools that don’t recognize case-sensitivity. You can view the alpha-numeric record ID to more easily import and export data.

Using formulas can help you and your Salesforce consultant view reports and track your small business marketing. Then, you can make sure you reach all of your company goals.

Using Salesforce for a Small Business

If you want to improve your customer relations and contact management, you should use Salesforce for a small business. The CRM tool offers many benefits and features to help you.

Be sure to consider how to safely set everything up, though. You can hire a Salesforce consultant to help you through the process. Then, you can launch it without any problems.

Do you want to hire a Salesforce developer? Contact us today.

When you’re not deeply familiar with Salesforce, hiring an administrator can seem daunting. If your team is slow to adopt the new system, your first thought might be to hire a full-time admin before your employees lose interest. However, jumping into hiring might not be the wisest choice for your company. 

Many businesses make the mistake of hiring a full-time Salesforce admin they don’t need. Don’t let panic get the best of you! There are some important preparation steps you should take before you hire a Salesforce administrator. 

Keep reading to discover how to find the best Salesforce expert for your needs. 

Understand What a Salesforce Administrator Does

Your IT department may be begging you to hire a Salesforce administrator, but if you’re not sure what that person will do, it’s tough to find the right hire. If no one on your team specializes in Salesforce administration, then you may not know what type of administrator you need. What is a Salesforce administrator, and what can they do?

A Salesforce administrator makes sure that your team is using Salesforce to its full potential. They can help with permissions, custom coding, reporting, user training and adoption, and more. An administrator can also maintain your Salesforce platform so your business runs seamlessly.

Finding the right admin goes beyond hiring someone with a Salesforce administrator certification. With six certification tracks and dozens of specialized credentials, requesting a Salesforce certification can bring you many kinds of technology professionals! While an admin may have the credentials, they still might not be a good fit to help you reach your goals. 

This is why you need to dive into your original implementation goals. 

How did you envision that Salesforce would make your business better? If you want to create automated workflows that help your business run more smoothly, you may be better off with a part-time Salesforce expert. If you need day-to-day help training your team and managing permissions, you may want someone full-time but you probably don’t need to hire an Apex coder with deep technical knowledge.

Understanding your specific needs can make finding the right administrator a lot easier. Once you feel clear on what type of assistance you need, reviewing Salesforce administrator job descriptions (with a trusted member of your IT team close at hand) can help you narrow down what type of specialist you’re looking for

Ask Your Implementation Team for Advice

Many business owners start considering hiring an admin before their implementation is even finished. In fact, your implementation team may even ask you about your plans for Salesforce administration when they’re done! 

You might be surprised to learn that your implementation team won’t be handling your ongoing administration. Despite their rollout and training programs, you will likely need ongoing assistance to get the most use out of Salesforce. Your implementation team knows you’ll probably be looking to hire soon, so don’t forget to ask them for guidance on making a good hire! 

Your consultants may be able to help you narrow down what you’re looking for in an admin. They can explain where an admin’s skills might be necessary to support what they’ve developed. Discussing your long-term Salesforce plans can offer some insight into who you should hire. 

Keep in mind, while your implementation team wants to set you up for success, they may not want to recommend that you hire a Salesforce developer to expand what they just developed! Their opinions may be biased, but they can offer the right language and priorities to help you start looking for a new hire. 

While you may not need to hire an administrator until your Salesforce platform is fully built, it’s crucial to start thinking about your hiring needs long before your implementation team rolls off. Keeping a close eye on the implementation timeline can help prepare you for when you need to start looking for a Salesforce admin. 

Examine Your Hiring Budget

Hiring a full-time Salesforce administrator can be a budget breaker, especially after a costly implementation. Choosing the person with the most experience may seem like a smart move, but your finance team may think otherwise. 

Before you start posting job listings, talk with your HR team to anticipate the salary requirements for a full-time Salesforce administrator. You might find that hiring a new senior admin stretches beyond your current budget constraints. 

It might make more sense to hire a Salesforce consultant or contract team member. Working with a Salesforce administrator can give you the help you need without breaking the bank. Plus, you may be able to get more guidance on how to move forward from a freelance Salesforce consultant instead of an employee. 

You may also need to consider your administrator’s role in your organization. Who will they report to? How will they fit in the company structure?

Before you hire an administrator, get clear on what support your IT department needs. You may have an existing team member that can support a part-time Salesforce expert and be trained to manage day-to-day tasks. However, your IT manager may still need a freelance Salesforce consultant for customization, workflows, or platform development.

From there, you can create a realistic budget to build out your Salesforce platform and get the support you need. 

Hire a Salesforce Administrator That’s Right for You

Finding the right Salesforce admin doesn’t have to be tricky, but it does require some planning. When it’s time to hire a Salesforce administrator, you want to feel confident knowing you have the right team member for the job. That’s how Cutopia can help. 

Having a Salesforce expert available can ensure that your implementation is a success. However, that doesn’t mean you have to hire someone full-time right away. Our experienced part-time Salesforce administrators can offer the support you need at a price you can afford. 

Ready to get started? Contact us today to see if a part-time Salesforce consultant is right for your business!

Transitioning to Salesforce is a big implementation, even for small businesses with only a few users. After investing in a new platform, you may not be thinking about who you need to hire to support your Salesforce platform. But, once your implementation teams rolls off, it’s important to have a Salesforce expert available for ongoing support. 

You might be surprised to learn that most small businesses don’t need a full-time administrator! A part-time Salesforce administrator can be a cost-effective way to get the support your company needs. But how much does it cost to hire a freelance Salesforce administrator? 

Here’s everything you need to know about how much to pay for a part-time Salesforce consultant. 

Does My Company Even Need a Salesforce Administrator? 

As your Salesforce integration rolls out, your team may be asking if you’ve hired an administrator yet. Some small businesses think they don’t need someone to support their employees. But, without a Salesforce administrator, your implementation can fall short of expectations and become a pricy mistake. 

A Salesforce administrator does more than giving new users access. Essentially, your administrator makes sure your team is using Salesforce to its full potential. That often takes some ongoing management or development on the backend. 

No matter how big or small your business is, your business needs a Salesforce administrator to succeed. But, that doesn’t mean you need a full-time admin in your IT department. An admin’s $68,000 average salary may seem overwhelming after a major implementation. 

Thankfully, there is another option. Part-time Salesforce administrators can offer the skills you need at a price you can afford. Hiring someone part-time helps you take advantage of Salesforce without breaking your budget. 

Is a Part-Time Salesforce Administrator in Our Budget?

Even if your implementation team trained your IT department, you will still need a Salesforce expert on hand from time to time. Managing users, developing workflows, and customizations may go beyond your current team’s experience. A freelance Salesforce consultant can help you plan how to use Salesforce and make the platform work for your company.

But, finding the right Salesforce administrator for your needs can be tricky. Salesforce professionals can specialize in different areas, so you might need to hire a Salesforce administrator to onboard new employees, a developer to customize your platform, or a consultant to build out automated workflows. For businesses new to Salesforce, making a smart hire can seem overwhelming. 

While a new hire might not be in the budget, a freelance Salesforce administrator can be a better fit for small and medium-sized businesses. If your business has under 300 users, a part-time admin is likely to be the perfect fit. Rather than hiring someone internally, you can outsource many Salesforce tasks to freelancers. 

Hiring a freelance administrator for a fixed number of tasks is a great way to preserve your budget. Paying for monthly support can keep costs predictable without finding a new freelancer for each project. Knowing pricing upfront and paying monthly instead of hourly can make Salesforce support more realistic for your budget. 

How Much Should I Pay a Part-Time Salesforce Administrator?

Freelance Salesforce administrators’ rates can vary significantly. But, as with most freelancers, cheaper is not always better. 

Even if your budget seems tight following implementation, you will still need help to get the user adoption you’re aiming for. Reliable Salesforce support can make sure you get a solid return on your investment.

You may be able to find affordable, part-time Salesforce consultants on gig websites for low hourly rates. However, when you don’t know how long a task will take, you could end up paying much more than you accounted for. If you do not have a pre-established relationship with a freelance administrator, you can experience expensive delays on your projects, too. 

It’s important to find a Salesforce administrator that you trust. Since your administrator may be managing permissions and employee onboarding, they may have access to employee information you may not want just anyone to have. Working with a credible Salesforce administrator can ensure your security measures are maintained. 

Having a reliable, part-time team member doesn’t have to be expensive. When you work with a company like Cutopia, you can pay a flat rate to have all the Salesforce expertise you need. In fact, you can easily get ongoing support for as little as $1,000 a month!

With an average hourly wage of $32, hiring a full-time Salesforce administrator can be far beyond what you’re ready to pay. Typically, a developer will charge closer to $44, and the hours of work needed may be less predictable. It helps to keep these numbers in mind when you hire a Salesforce developer or administrator from any source.

Get the Support You Need at a Price You Can Afford

Hiring someone new can seem daunting, especially when you can’t predict what help you’ll need down the line. But, finding a Salesforce expert that you can consistently afford doesn’t have to be hard!

Having support on hand ensures that your Salesforce implementation is an ongoing success. A part-time Salesforce administrator is the perfect way to get the help you need at the right price. A consistent monthly fee can offer you support based on your business size and your unique needs. 

Get the expertise you need month after month with Cutopia! We’ve got the part-time Salesforce experts that you need to succeed.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to get the right part-time Salesforce consultant for your company!

Have you recently invested in Salesforce for your business, but unsure of where to start? Has your business had the CRM for a while but never enforced your staff to use it effectively? If so, then you need to consider hiring a freelance Salesforce consultant.

Doing so can help you figure out the CRM software, understand it, and identify ways to maximize its features with your business model. If you hire a Salesforce consultant, you can enjoy the experience of a trained professional.

See below for several ways that a freelance Salesforce consultant can help your company thrive with its CRM software usage.

1. Cost-Efficient Solution

Did you know that, on average, you should expect to pay 1.4 times the salary of any full-time employee that you hire for your staff? So if you pay someone a salary of $50,000, you should actually expect to pay somewhere close to $70,000 after benefits.

That’s not an expense that most small businesses can afford to make. While you realize the need for a Salesforce consultant, you can’t afford to hire one in-house.

By hiring a freelance Salesforce consultant, you can pay for years of experience and know-how without breaking the bank. You pay them for the work they do, not a collective salary.

This can help ensure that you get more bang for your buck. If you want them to lead a training session for your staff, you can pay them by the hour. If you need them to implement new campaigns in your CRM, you can pay them for their workload.

You’ll have more peace of mind, knowing that you have a Salesforce solution that fits within your company’s budget. Better yet, the results you get from hiring a freelancer will generate revenue for your company for years to come. Be sure to reach out and inquire.

2. Step by Step Guidance

Even though Salesforce is a relatively simplistic software, one of the most difficult aspects of it is memorizing the cadence for using a feature.

For example, say one of your sales associates wants to make note of a phone conversation they had with a client. They would need to remember to find that client’s account, press “log a call”, enter in the fields of information, then save it.

Is that overly difficult? No. Is it difficult to visualize if you’ve never done it before? Yes.

Having a freelance Salesforce consultant can help you with these cadences in two ways:

1. They can offer you step by step guidance on how to use all of the Salesforce features that your company needs to capitalize on.
2. They can teach you shortcuts to cut the time your staff wastes on mind-numbing tasks, such as the previously mentioned “log a call” process.

With every step, they’ll explain what’s happening on the backend. Why does Salesforce have you do it that way? Why should you customize your dashboards a certain way? How can you create a new call campaign for your employees?

The more you understand the process, the easier it will be to remember certain features and when to use them during the workday.

3. Effective Troubleshooting 

Like any other form of software, Salesforce can sometimes hit a wall. You might experience a few technical issues that affect the work of your employees who are relying on it to work.

Here are a few  of the most noteworthy issues that companies have had with Salesforce:

• Dashboards not working or showing recent data
• Problems with user permissions
• Data is slow to integrate into your Salesforce software
• Trouble with customization
• Poor customer support from Salesforce’s team

All of the above can be solved by a freelance Salesforce consultant. They can use their knowledge of the software to troubleshoot any dilemma you’re having and fix it with relative ease. 

Once the problem is fixed, they’ll show you how they went about fixing it, just in case you need it for future reference.

4. Adds Experience to Your Team

Imagine buying a car for yourself, but not knowing how to drive. This is essentially what you’re doing with Salesforce if you purchase the CRM software without proper knowledge of it.

Not only will you get very little use of it, but it will also be ineffective or catastrophic if you try to use it without proper training and practice.

A freelance Salesforce consultant can add the experience to your team that you desperately need. To become one, they have to pass a Salesforce certification program and keep up with the latest technologies daily.

5. Flexibility

Truth be told, to hire a full-time Salesforce developer would be a waste of money for most small businesses that are just starting. There would be times where that developer would be twiddling their thumbs at their desk, getting paid for doing nothing.

A freelance Salesforce developer gives you more flexibility. You only pay for them when you need them most. 

Not to mention that outsourcing to a freelancer is more scalable. As your business grows and your needs get more plentiful, you can give the freelancer more work. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!

Hire a Freelance Salesforce Consultant for Your Needs

Now that you have seen all of the different ways that a freelance Salesforce consultant can help your growing business, it’s time to find the right fit for your needs.

Be sure to read this article for more information on the 5 powerful benefits of hiring a part-time Salesforce Administrator for your business.

For more inquiries, please be sure to reach out via our contact us page and we will be happy to assist you further.

Small businesses make up the majority of American enterprises. In fact, there are 30.7 million in the U.S., accounting for 99.9 percent of businesses and almost half of the employees.

That is a lot of competition for each and every customer. Research shows the future battleground for them won’t be over price or even product features. Instead, 89 percent of businesses expect to compete mainly on customer experience.

How are you supposed to do that exactly? This is where CRM for small businesses can prove its worth.

You need to be able to see your entire customer cycle to identify growth opportunities and uncover weak points where you might lose customers.

A CRM such as Salesforce can help you do this.

What Can Small Business Do With a CRM

If you think a customer relationship management system is just about sales, think again.

The key element of CRM often forgotten is “relationship”. This means managing relationships with customers, past, current, and potential. Which in turn means managing every touchpoint of your marketing, sales, and customer service funnel.

A CRM is far more than a database to help you remember client birthdays. The software has developed into a complete customer experience machine, taking prospects from curiosity to contact to customer to repeat customer.

The data you collect can help you determine why people buy from you and if there are consistent service or product issues you need to address. You can slice and dice your customer list to identify which are the highest value clients and which you should consider firing.

When choosing a CRM for a small business, you want to ensure you’ll have access to standard features such as lead generation, contact and opportunity management, sales forecasting, and workflow automation.

But start to think beyond the standard to a system that gives you one-stop customer experience management and coordinates the efforts of your employees from all customer-facing departments.

There are many options out there for small businesses. So what makes Salesforce the small business CRM of choice for them? Here’s a rundown of a few reasons that make it the number one CRM today.

Salesforce CRM for Small Businesses

Wait, isn’t Salesforce for big companies? It’s true that the powerful platform is used by 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies. But that is actually one of the biggest benefits for small businesses that choose Salesforce.

Salesforce is the market leader thanks to its highly customizable system, integration options, add-on applications, and regular upgrades and innovations. You can count on it to provide all the interaction tracking, reporting, and marketing tools you need just like it does for the big companies.

So what specifically makes it a top CRM for small business?

Grow with Me

Salesforce has a variety of levels and pricing packages that make it affordable for a small business now. As that small business grows, the use of the CRM can grow and morph with it.

You start with the best CRM tools for small business right from the beginning. Some you might not use or need right away. But as your company grows, they will be there to help maintain that growth trajectory. Despite its reputation as a big company solution, Salesforce is often ranked as the best CRM for growing businesses.

Set-up and Training

The top CRM for small business doesn’t help you much if you struggle to use it. Salesforce is known for being highly customizable to your specific needs and offer very robust training and support to help you meet those needs.

Once customized, Salesforce offers an intuitive interface you’ll find easy to work with. And its Trailhead online training environment and help you as you learn your way around. You might still benefit from having an expert administrator to work with on bigger questions, but overall, Salesforce is one of the easier CRM options to get going with.

Compatibility with Third-Party Apps

You’ve already invested a lot of time and money into the applications you currently use. Fortunately, Salesforce can connect with other systems to extend its capabilities through its AppExchange store.

Integration is important as it makes your CRM system your go-to resource for all information about your customers and business. You need it to be able to pull data from other sources such as social media accounts as well as connect with your e-commerce solution. The more connections you make, the more automation you can take advantage of.

AI Automation

Just about any CRM is going to do a decent job of interaction tracking and sales management. But smaller software players can’t give you the advantages of artificial intelligence and machine learning to make you smarter about how you use that information.

Salesforce calls its AI Einstein. It interprets gathered data to boost sales and productivity in ways you might not think of on your own. Machine learning is being used by big companies to reduce customer churn and identify more profitable customers.

With Salesforce, data science can score leads, so you know which to respond to the quickest. The system can let you know when it is important to escalate a customer service issue or automate a task. These kinds of CRM tools for small business help you figure out what to do next.

Get Started With Salesforce

Ready to up your customer experience game and stand out from the crowd? Salesforce is a friendly choice of CRM for small businesses to do just that. Its extensive features can meet the needs of a developing company with power and functionality that can scale with you over time.

If you still have questions about whether Salesforce is the right choice for you, our experts would be happy to answer those and help you make your decision. We manage the Salesforce installations of many businesses and can draw from our everyday experience for your specific use case. Contact us today to talk about whether Salesforce is right for you.

As more and more companies become more and more technology-driven, the need to complete online services and use the Cloud platform is increasing. Moving to Cloud offers businesses a more secure way to operate their business, sales, marketing, commerce, and other services.

More than 150,000 small businesses are aware they need to hire a salesforce developer with experience to handle customer experience and relationship (CRM) software. Salesforce is popular for a reason, and who you hire is just as important as the products your business uses. Keep reading to learn the 6 steps you should follow when you want to know how to hire a sales developer. 

1. Be Aware of Qualities You Seek

Before you start looking for people to employ, you want to understand what to look for in a sales developer. What are the qualities you seek and what are the qualities someone which the right experience should have? 

The answer to this question lies in knowing what you want. At a minimum, the right salesforce worker should already be familiar with Force.com, Salesforce’s original platform. They should also understand the Lightning App Builder and how to use the features.

Two other essential apps a salesforce developer should know are Heroku and Fuel. You can weed those who are inexperienced in the field out this way. 

2. Post the Position Online

The only way to get workers is to inform them of the position. The best way to reach out to professional Salesforce workers is to post the job online or directly on your website. You can also post an opening through job websites like Indeed. 

If you have a specific need for workers that often change depending on business needs, it will be better to work with a Salesforce consultant who can offer a customizable service. Words of mouth and referrals can also go a long way in helping you find the right person. 

Take advantage of social media as well. Sites like Linkedin are highly resourceful in finding the perfect candidates. It saves a lot of time too because you are able to view an applicant’s work related-background to see if they are a good fit. 

3. Get Their Resume

Resume screening is one of the most important factors you should always in the job process. This is where you will get detailed information on an applicant and see what credentials they have. A resume will also tell you how many years of experience they have in something. 

They also highlight an applicant’s strengths and will tell you the places they have worked before. If references are important to you, and they should as they help verify experience, be sure to mention you require it.

When you review a Salesforce developer’s experience, they all should have at least a Marketing Cloud, B2C Commerce, or Platform certification. As an option, you can ask for applicants to include a cover letter at their discretion. Cover letters can help you better determine whether or not someone is a good fit for your needs. 

4. Complete a Technical Screening

When you are doing the hiring, you will be in better control and have a better hiring experience when you divide the hiring process into several steps. You should always include technical screening too. Looking at an applicant’s resume alone is not enough. 

If you really want to gauge how competent a Salesforce developer is you want to include a test that will test their technical competencies and skills. It will also inform you of their strengths and weaknesses.

These tests will help you out too as an employer who may not be familiar with the tools and knowledge a Salesforce developer should know. You do not have to get anxious about having to create these tests yourself. There are various sites available that open their platforms for employers seeking coding tests. 

5. Do an Interview

Speaking with the potential Salesforce developer you will hire helps you determine how well they can articulate themselves. It can build a great rapport between the start of an employee-employer relationship. While it is crucial an applicant can understand CRM language and the tools it requires, having great communication skills is a must. 

You want to hire and work with someone who is able to speak about their work and what they are doing in a clear manner. Salesforces developers will need to be able to know how to talk to work well with others or assist someone. 

Personal interviews also allow you to evaluate an applicant on a deeper level. By talking, you are able to better assess their work ethic and determine if their personality fits your work environment. It is also the perfect time for applicants to express themselves and highlight certain qualities about themselves you didn’t see on paper or through technical screening. 

6. Test Their Skills With a Project or Probation

Even when you “hire” a Salesforce developer the hiring process is still not completely over. Before you offer a more permanent position, you want to test their skills first with a project. Alternatively, you can start them off on probation. That probation period could be one month or three months (often the standard). 

Sometimes you will decide to hire someone based on the belief they will improve and do better. Nor everyone will have the exact skills you want and sometimes giving them a chance will allow them to gain the skill and improve from there. If an applicant is a fast learner, for example, hiring them on probation or for a project will let you know if you want to keep them or look for someone else. 

Hire a Salesforce Developer for Your Business Easily 

When you want to hire a salesforce developer, you have to be willing to create a hiring process that involves several steps. Although it will take a while to find the right applicant or applicants, you will be happier with the selection(s) you make.

If you need help finding the perfect Salesforce developer for your business, you can also contact us for help. We can help you find the right package that fits your needs even when it changes.