Salesforce Trailhead Session “Circle of Success” Deemed a Success
“Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.” ― Gina Greenlee
There’s a reason why Salesforce is such a community-driven company. It’s because Salesforce is not a plug and play solution. Taking on this powerful and robust platform on your own can be extremely difficult and frustrating. But, if you have multiple communities and resources at your fingertips, you are more likely to get what you need from Salesforce – and then some.
This past month, RTS Labs hosted a Salesforce Circles of Success and Live Trailhead Session. The attendance was great and the energy in the room that day was incredible. Most people came to learn something new or to network with other Salesforce users – two things everyone in the room seemed to accomplish by the end of the day.
According to RTS Labs front-end developer Rachel Mahan, “We had people from all walks of life: someone in their first year of launching their own consulting business, another person who works to integrate technology education into public education, another developer learning the ropes of Salesforce for his company. It was neat to see how Salesforce is being implemented outside the group of RTS clients we know and work with.”
The Kick-off
We started off the day with group introductions where everyone shared where they were from and what they wanted to get out of the experience. Then, after a few introductory statements, including words from our CEO, Jyot Singh, and RTS Labs Director of Salesforce Services, Adam Marks, we broke out for the Trailhead portion of the day.
This was the first group Trailhead session to be held in Richmond. During the session, we got to work through Trailhead modules with live support from Salesforce MVPs and employees. We separated people based on skill (beginner and advanced) with the goal of making it possible for each group to complete as many modules as they could.
Before we began, we polled the group to see who had the most Trailhead badges. Michael, an employee from CarMax, won a hoodie for having over 130 badges! We also gave a prize at the end to the attendee who earned the most badges while on site. The winner was able to complete four badges and earned her place as a Trailblazer!
Completing the Circle of Success
After lunch, the Circles of Success portion began. There were three tables hosted by Salesforce and three tables hosted by RTS Labs. Attendees got to choose three topics they were interested in. They were divided into groups of 8-10 people at each table. They switched tables three times to cover the topics they chose. The purpose was to gain knowledge about Salesforce from other users. By using this format to share experiences and ask questions, attendees were introduced to solutions and concepts they may not have otherwise been exposed to. For example, Rachel’s biggest takeaway was seeing the end-user perspective.
“As a developer, I bring client requirements to life from behind a computer,” says Rachel. “I have an occasional client meeting or phone conference, but the majority of my time is spent working ‘under the hood’ of the application. Getting to see and interact with our end users was really exciting! They experience these applications from an entirely different perspective. Attending this event was a reminder that many people, not just our clients but all their end users, are impacted by our work. We make our clients’ lives easier and more efficient with technology.”
Travis Miller, an RTS Labs Salesforce developer, also took away some new things from the experience. “As someone new to Salesforce, it was impressive to see how other people are using the platform in interesting ways.”
Adam Marks, who is a Salesforce MVP and also our Director of Salesforce Services, hosted an “Ask an Expert” table. Participants were able to ask open ended questions on how he would approach or solve a problem. According to Adam, the event introduced attendees to new concepts, provided new resources, and was a great networking opportunity.
The Wrap-up
We hope our attendees had as great a time as we did. We can’t wait for the next one! If you missed the event and are looking to join a local Salesforce community, check out the Richmond Salesforce Developers Users Group. You should also make sure you are a member of the Salesforce Success Community. And, if you’re really stuck and need some in-depth Salesforce help, give us a call!
(Photo Credit: @justinbarss)