Why Are Salesforce Consultants In Such High Demand
In today’s day and age, a successful company must use a system that integrates all business processes and allows departments and collaborators to interact without too much red tape. That’s why a solution like Salesforce (a Customer Relationship Management platform or CRM) holds over 20% of the market share.
Salesforce provided business owners everywhere with an easy-to-use platform that connects every team in the organization and allows them safe access to resources. As a result, companies that use Salesforce see improvements in productivity and efficiency. Their business processes run smooth and collaboration is encouraged without too much effort. Plus, it allows remote access and workers, which fits right into the Work From Home (WFH) trend.
So, it’s easy to see why companies are looking for people with Salesforce experience, right? Still, there is another line of work that seems to be getting traction lately – that of Salesforce consultants. Today, we’ll take a look at why Salesforce consultants are in such high demand and the skills that make you a great candidate (in case you decide to follow this career path).
As Part of an Implementation Team
The implementation of a CRM (in general) is time-consuming and requires team effort. Plus, it’s highly recommended that businesses hire implementation specialists that have experience with Salesforce implementation since the platform is complex and offers plenty of customization possibilities.
Therefore, Salesforce consultants are in high demand for companies that perform such implementations. Here are a few scenarios that require the assistance of an experienced consultant:
The Pre-Implementation Phase
Before you can even sketch the implementation plans for a platform like Salesforce, you need valuable insight from within the company. Data such as the type and number of employees, the inner structure of the company, standard business processes and flow, are all important to understand how the organization works and what are its vital parts.
While companies will provide the implementation team with some data and insight, some things can’t be understood until they are witnessed by a trained eye. This is where the Salesforce consultant steps in and analyzes the environment. That’s why, as a consultant, you need skills like attention to detail, logical thinking, communication, and problem-solving.
During the Implementation
Consultants play an important role during the actual implementation as well. They are the bridge between technicians (who install the software, bring the devices, and take care of the technical side) and the company. Their job is to keep both parties talking to each other and make sure everything is well understood.
After the Implementation
The work is not done until the customer starts seeing results. After all, the technical aspect of the implementation is just the core. Once this is completed, the implementation team also has to train the future users of the platform. This is another task that’s usually assigned to a Salesforce consultant. And, as you can imagine, it requires good presentation skills, teamwork, and an energetic personality.
Plus, every platform requires maintenance and improvements from time to time. It is a consultants’ job to stay in touch with the customer and keep track of their maintenance schedule. Also, any requests for improvement will go through the consultant who has to assess the situation and discuss the project with the team.
As part of a Company
Salesforce consultants also work in companies that don’t do implementations. These are regular businesses that use the Salesforce platform and need one or two consultants to supervise the process.
In this scenario, their job is to ensure the system works within optimal parameters and that users understand it. Plus, they’ll also be looking for methods to improve customer experience through the use of the platform and make sure teams continue to talk to each other.
Lastly, the consultant also has to be up to date with the latest development in the Salesforce online community (one of the strongest) and keep track of any updates. They also monitor the business trends and stay informed on business methods and techniques that may help increase productivity while using a strong CRM solution.
Overall, as long as Salesforce continues to be one of the top CRM solutions on the market, the position of Salesforce consultant will be in high demand.
