Tips for Newcomers to the Salesforce Ecosystem

Starting your Salesforce journey as a novice can feel daunting, dare I say terrifying? I’m sure we all feel the pressure to get everything right the first time around but rarely does that happen. Although I am sure there are an elite few who managed to navigate through Salesforce seamlessly, never having to backtrack and undo rookie errors, not all of us can be so lucky. If you are starting your Salesforce career and are hoping to avoid those bumbling errors then this guide is for you.?

What Is the Salesforce Ecosystem?

Starting with the basics, what exactly does the Salesforce Ecosystem comprise of? The Salesforce ecosystem is an interconnected comprehensive network of various applications, communities, services, and partners. Salesforce extends beyond its core CRM capabilities and offers a wide array of tools and resources that your business can use to grow and thrive in today’s fast-paced market environment. I’m sure this is all sounding great so far. Being able to effectively use each Salesforce tool for its designed purpose will save you headaches down the line. Here’s a quick overview of what each tool does:?

Core Products and Services?

• Service Cloud: Enhances your customer support and service management efforts.?
• Sales Cloud: Assists with managing the entire sales process from lead generation to deal closure.?
• Commerce Cloud: Creates e-commerce solutions for both B2B and B2C markets.?
• Analytics Cloud: Provides you with detailed insights into your data and offers business intelligence capabilities.?
• Community Cloud: Platform online communities to connect customers, partners, and employees.?
• Marketing Cloud: Automates your marketing efforts and delivers personalized customer experiences.?

Making sure Salesforce fits into your business and existing frameworks is crucial to ensure that your operations remain functional. The last thing you want is for business to come to a standstill while you implement a new tool. Here’s how you can further improve your Salesforce experience:?

Salesforce Ecosystem Diagram?

• If you are scratching your head, feeling unsure about where to start, you can engage with certified experts. These experts will assist your business in integrating with the Salesforce ecosystem to customize and deploy Salesforce solutions.?
• If your existing systems do not currently integrate with Salesforce, you can implement a middleware solution to facilitate complete integrations to link your platforms.?
• Not finding the right solution for you? Simply build it yourself and never be left wanting again. Developers can use the Lightning Platform to build custom integrations tailored to your custom needs.?

Essential Tips for New Salesforce Users

Ideally, you would start with a solid foundation before you make your first click in Salesforce but alas, we don’t always function within the ideal. A great way to keep track of your processes and enhance them over time is to document everything you do. Documentation is often the last thing on everyone’s mind, we want to click first and type later. And often we assume we’ll just remember what we did the next time (You won’t remember. Trust me. Been there - done that).

I recommend you create living documents and keep them updated every time you find a new and better way to do things. To take this to the next level, host your documentation in a shared location so other Salesforce users can access it (Quip is a great option!). You may learn a thing or two from your team members or even teach them a better method. Encouraging a learning culture within your org is great for team morale as it encourages information sharing and allows Salesforce users to try new ways of doing things. Create separate documents for procedures, tips and tricks, and important business protocols so they don’t become confusing.?

Remember that you can always engage with Salesforce consulting services for tailored training and lessons. The more you know about the platform and engage with it the more you can maximize your company’s investment.?

Salesforce Trailhead

Trailhead should be your Salesforce starting point (it’s FREE!). This gateway to learning offers modules designed to help you get the most out of the platform. When getting started with Trailhead, kick off with the beginner modules which will provide you with foundational knowledge about terminology, navigation, and features. If I could go back, I would learn the terminology first. Thinking that an Account and a Financial Account were the same did me no favors.?

There are challenges to test your knowledge and reinforce understanding, don’t be afraid to come back and retry a challenge to solidify your know-how. Follow the curated learning paths tailored to specific users such as administrators, developers, and end-users (and then go try it out on your own in a dev org!). Modules will also include additional resources that are invaluable to your learning. Ensuring that you engage fully with all the information at hand will help to make the most out of your learning experience.?

Salesforce Events and Webinars

Salesforce hosts a variety of events and webinars throughout the year (though I miss the certification days and hope they return soon!). Offering a valuable opportunity for learning and staying up to date with the latest Salesforce news and developments. Most platform Salesforce events require a simple registration which you can do through the Salesforce or Trailhead website. These webinars and events offer more than just a learning opportunity, you can exchange ideas with other Salesforce users and even network making them an invaluable resource.?

Salesforce Admin Certification

When getting started with Salesforce, you’ll very quickly come across the Salesforce certifications you can achieve. The first one on most people’s list is the admin certification (or it was when I started - now there’s a precursor called the Salesforce Associate cert). The purpose is to validate your skills and knowledge in performing Salesforce administrative tasks. You will be tested on your knowledge of configuring Salesforce, managing user permissions and security, and maintaining data quality. This certification will enhance your career prospects (but isn’t a guarantee of a job!). Make sure you consult the Trailhead website for a list of Salesforce certifications, requirements (some have prerequisites!), and costs before you hit those study materials.?

Salesforce Admin Training

If you are looking at obtaining that Salesforce admin certification, you’re probably wondering what you need to know. Salesforce offers instructor-lead official courses (they aren’t cheap, but may be worth it for you). You can engage with Trailhead and the Trailhead Academy which both cover advanced knowledge and skills you will need to demonstrate when completing the certification exam. Or you can follow a career development program like I did with Talent Stackers. There are others out there as well, but I can’t speak to those since I’ve not engaged with them.

Staying Updated with Salesforce Releases

Going through release notes may sound tedious but they are created to keep you updated on new features, changes, and fixes. Salesforce publishes Release Notes three times a year so it’s easy to stay on top of them (set yourself reminders!). New releases are often announced at events, on social media posts, on the Trailhead platform, and during webinars. Make sure you stay engaged with Salesforce across their various platforms so you never miss out on the latest news.?

Wrapping Up Guidance for New Users in Salesforce

Salesforce is designed to take businesses to new heights. As you start using Salesforce, keep in mind the following takeaways: engage with resources and knowledge bases to stay up to date on the latest Salesforce best practices, take advantage of the customization and automation tools to create tailored processes to enhance your operations, leverage the Salesforce community tools to platform knowledge sharing, and finally, always prioritize your data and security by establishing robust protocols, standards, and user permissions. Your learning journey with Salesforce will be ongoing (which is my favorite part of this ecosystem!) so enjoy the ride and don’t be afraid to make changes to adapt to changing business needs.