Outsourcing Salesforce Administration is proving more and more popular as a cost effective and efficient way of having a Salesforce Admin on your team without the need for a full time employee. But how can you be sure you are looking in the right places and spending on the right resource? To make sure you are getting the best out of outsourcing here are 6 best practices when looking to gain outside help:
Qualifications and experience
There are a range of Salesforce qualifications to be earned on many Salesforce products. When looking for a consultancy or individual to be your Admin, ask about their Salesforce Certifications and experience on the platform you need. It is easier to have a range of experience from a consultancy as they will mostly cover all bases, however some individuals will be highly skilled in certain areas that could benefit you most so make sure you do your research and enquire about past experiences.
Don’t offshore
Although you’re looking to find help outside your company you shouldn’t go too far afield. A lot of outsourced Salesforce administration is often offshored and many issues can arise from this. Sending work abroad can often mean there is a middle man involved, meaning it often ends up being more expensive than you expected. You may also find sometimes other countries have different regulations, meaning the work you receive is not up to the standard you might be expecting. If you can help it, make sure you are outsourcing within the same area.
Ensure they can work with and train your team effectively
When bringing in an external person it can sometimes be difficult for them to work well with your team, but as your Salesforce Admin will have a lot of responsibility and will have to work to assist your team when needed, you must make sure they are a good fit. When communicating and training with your team you need to be certain your Admin is both listened to and trusted by your team. Training may need to be altered for different levels of experience and your Admin should be able to adapt to accommodate. Your Salesforce Admin should be making your day to day life easier not more complicated.
Determine the amount of support you need
Before you start looking to outsource it is a good idea to have a solid plan for the help you need. Some outsourcing Salesforce services have different packages and levels of support depending on requirements so make sure you are choosing the one that is best suited to your business. Not all support is the same and if you’re going to be paying for it, you should be sure you are getting all the help you need and when you need it, so make sure you have worked out what this is before.
Have a main in-house decision maker
Although you are expecting your Salesforce Admin to just run with what you need, too much freedom can be a bad thing. Make sure there is still an internal team member that is in charge of Salesforce and knowing how best to personalise the system to your needs. They should liaise with your Admin on a regular basis to make sure progress is not disjointed from your company. This person should work as the middle man between your external resource and your internal team to make sure they are working in sync. Someone internal will have a much better grip on your day to day struggles and know your company well, so they should be the one feeding information and potential changes to the Admin frequently.
Often better off with a consultancy rather than one person
For most Admin needs you may be better off hiring a consultancy to do the work, rather than an independent Admin. With a consultancy there is often a team with mixed skill sets, meaning if one person can’t answer your question, odds are someone else can. With a single Admin you are limited to only their knowledge and experience. There is also the added bonus of someone always being there to pick up the query as the whole team shouldn’t be on holiday or sick all at the same time.
If you’re still unsure if outsourcing your Salesforce Admin is even for you, check out our other blog post on benefits to outsourcing to help you decide. If you would like any more information on outsourcing or want to know how we can help, take a look at our outsourcing MyAdmin support options or speak to a member of our team.