What is a Salesforce Admin? 6 Characteristics of a Superstar
Does your organization have a Salesforce Admin? If you use Salesforce or are in the process of implementing it, the role of Salesforce Admin is crucial to making all the great benefits that Salesforce promises actually happen. This important member of your team is in charge of championing the entire implementation process, training your staff, and managing your Salesforce Org. In a nutshell, they are the force that drives your Salesforce success.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to filling this position:
- Hire an outside consultant who is a Certified Salesforce Admin.
- Promote someone within your organization to take on the role.
Either way, this person will be the force that drives Salesforce adoption and grows your platform. Be choosy. Not sure where to start? These 6 characteristics of a superstar Salesforce Admin are traits you’ll want in your admin.
1. Knowledgeable about Your Business
First and foremost, your admin needs to have deep knowledge of your business and sales processes. As the person in charge of making implementation run smoothly, he or she will need to know how your sales funnels work and what pain points your Salesforce solution is going to solve. After all, if you can’t identify what you’re working towards with Salesforce, you’ll be left using the program with no real direction or focus.
2. Empowered
Your Salesforce Admin needs to be as passionate about your success as you are. She is the lynchpin between your employees, your executive team, and your customers. Not only will she be charged with making sure everyone on the team is successful, she is also the voice of your user. When concerns and suggestions are raised anywhere in your organization, your Salesforce Admin will communicate these concerns and then work on solutions.
A good Salesforce Admin is someone who is a highly motivated self-starter, not someone who needs to be micromanaged. Beyond data management and user adoption, a successful admin takes the initiative to research new features or improvements. She should always look for ways to enhance the user experience and to provide your team with best practices.
3. People Person
There’s a lot of handholding involved in Salesforce Administration. Your admin is responsible for building relationships between users and vendors and is in charge of training your teams. He needs to be passionate about training and helping people learn and succeed.
4. Excellent Communicator
Communication skills are important for a Salesforce Admin. As a relationship builder, she is your connection between end users and management. She’ll also be constantly communicating concerns, changes, and processes to all users, from contractors to employees to vendors. So, you’ll want someone who is articulate and who is good at explaining even the most complex of instructions and concepts.
5. Analytical
Your Salesforce Admin doesn’t need to be in IT, but you do want someone who is comfortable working with technology. More specifically, you want someone who can analyze problems and identify solutions. Can the person you’re thinking of to be your admin assess how Salesforce is working within your sales and business processes – and then make improvements as needed? If the answer is “yes,” then he should do well making changes you need and identifying customizations to grow the platform.
6. Process Oriented
Finally, your Salesforce Admin needs to either have project management experience or be process oriented in order to manage the ins and outs of implementation. Can your admin break things down in such a way that others can easily understand how to use the program? There’s a lot of multitasking involved in implementing Salesforce and in keeping up with the database.
In other words, don’t underestimate what it takes to successfully fulfill the role of Salesforce Admin. This person should love to problem solve and be willing and able to take initiative. Your admin is the person you’re going to trust to be in charge of keeping Salesforce up and running, user maintenance, driving adoption, and translating your business processes. In short, he or she is a major driver in your business.
Struggling to find someone effective to help with your Salesforce implementation? Or need help getting your admin up to speed? Give us a shout!
