Choosing the right Salesforce administrator for your organization is critical because the administrator is the most important role in making your CRM implementation a success.
From our experience the role of the administrator for a small organization is not necessarily a full-time position. In the initial stages of the implementation, the role will require more concentrated time (about 50 percent of a full time position). After going live, managing Salesforce CRM day to day will require much less time (about 10-25 percent).
Here are some qualities to look for in an administrator:
It doesn’t need to be an “IT person”
Software as a service (SaaS) makes system administration much easier than it was with traditional software. Setting up, customizing the application, maintaining it, training users, and “turning on” the new features that become available with each release—all are just a few clicks away.
Although your administrator does not need to have programming skills, but it could be an advantage, s/he should have:
- A solid understanding of your business processes
- Knowledge of the organizational structure and
culture to help build relationships with key groups - Excellent communication, motivational, and
presentation skills - The desire to be the voice of the user in
communicating with management - Analytical skills to respond to requested changes
and identify customizations - Outstanding project management
skills
Training and Certification
It is always good to have proven professionals on staff. A certified administrator will mean a faster implementation and better use of Salesforce. If you cannot find a certified administrator or if you have a potential administrator for your organization that does not have any formal training, invest in him/her!
Training and certification will insure that your administrator has the knowledge and confidence to take full advantage of
Salesforce. Find the right person for the job and continue to invest in that person’s professional development.
What should an administrator do?
Here is just a sample of relevant duties:
1. Administration
- Continuing customization and
development - User maintenance
- Database de-duping and cleanup
- Development of reports and dashboards
- Ongoing documentation
2.Training
- Develop and implement training for
users - Keep materials up-to-date
- Communicate future Salesforce releases
and enhancements
3. Grow
- Design and manage ongoing development
of the system to meet the organization’s mission.
4. Manage Vendors
- Managed outsourced Salesforce
implementation partners and ongoing relationships with Salesforce employees.
Cannot find the right person?
We can help you with our remote administration program. Contact us today to talk about the advantages of outsourcing your Salesforce administration to Cloud for
Good.
