5 Essential Qualities to look for in a Salesforce Consultant
Thousands of organizations are realizing that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) plays a critical role, not only in the way they serve and delight customers, but also in how they themselves grow and succeed.
Salesforce is the CRM of choice for many of these companies.
But often, the process of customizing and implementing Salesforce can be overwhelming. And even though Salesforce’s Software-as-a-Service model does not require extensive IT resources to run efficiently, companies still need knowledge experts along the way.
Here’s where a Salesforce consulting company can make the difference between chaos and Salesforce CRM nirvana! A good consultant will help you with Salesforce Development and ensure that you make the most of your investment.
But how do you select a good Salesforce consulting company?
What are the qualities that determine whether you should hire a particular consultant for their Salesforce consulting service?
#1 Experience
Your Salesforce consultant should help implement or enhance your use of Salesforce to meet the specific needs of your organization. They should discuss options, make suitable recommendations, take care of development and implementation, and remain in close contact until the completion of the project. Ideally, they should also provide post-implementation support and training for your staff.
To do all of this, a consultant should have relevant experience and a solid client base.
While hiring a consultant for their Salesforce development services, ask:
- Have they worked on similar projects in the past?
- Can they provide a demo?
- Do they have any documentation?
- How many departments have they interacted with? Sales, Marketing, Operations, etc?
#2 Technical expertise
This is another important quality to gauge in a Salesforce consultant. Check their certification and area of expertise.
Are they Salesforce administrators, developers or implementation specialists?
Are they experts in design?
Do they have thorough know-how of specific Salesforce areas like Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud or Service Cloud?
Your choice will depend on your particular requirements as well as on what they can offer.
#3 Salesforce certification
Plenty of people call themselves Salesforce consultants or Salesforce experts. However, you will probably be better off hiring a consultant with a valid Salesforce consultant certification.
A certification is like Salesforce’s stamp of approval. So when you hire a certified professional, you have greater assurance that you will receive quality Salesforce services. Experienced and certified professionals are more likely to focus on your needs, provide post-project support and resolve your problems in a timely and efficient manner.
#4 Communications skills
This a ‘soft’ skill that can be the critical differentiator between an average Salesforce consultant and a competent one.
In addition to their technical and business management skills, they must be able to:
- Convey their ideas
- Understand client inputs
- Discuss business strategies, challenges and goals
- Help clients with decision-making
- Train your staff on how to use Salesforce for their requirements
- Ensure proper information flow between various departments
These requirements cannot be fulfilled unless the Salesforce consultant has strong communication skills.
#5 Business understanding
A Salesforce consultant may have the right experience, expertise, certification and skills; but if they don’t understand their client, they are unlikely to help you achieve success with your Salesforce implementation project.
A competent Salesforce consulting company should understand your requirements and find innovative solutions designed specifically to meet them. They should also be able to advise you on best practices.
Ask about their previous experience working on similar projects. If required, you can even talk to their previous clients to get a handle on their reputation for trustworthiness and accountability.
A final word
It’s a competitive world out there and Salesforce can help you stay ahead in the game. That’s why finding a good Salesforce consulting partner is critical. A good place to start looking for them is Salesforce AppExchange, an online directory for businesses operating in the Salesforce ecosystem. You can also talk to your Salesforce Account Executive or leverage your own network for recommendations.
SaaSnic Technologies is a registered Salesforce consulting company with close to a decade’s experience with Salesforce implementation. If you have a Salesforce Development project you’d like to discuss, get in touch!
