If you have already implemented Salesforce, or are planning to, the real question is: what are you trying to achieve with Salesforce? What do you actually need from it?
That is where the decision becomes important. Is an in-house admin enough for what you need, or would a Salesforce Consulting Partner make more sense?
Honestly, there is no universal answer. It depends on what your team needs, how you use Salesforce and the kind of work you expect it to handle.
So, how do you know when an in-house admin is enough, and when it is time to bring in a Salesforce Consulting Partner?
When is an in-house Salesforce admin enough?
An In-house Salesforce Admin is pretty much enough, when your Salesforce requirements are to include adding and managing users, setting permissions, updating fields, maintaining reports and dashboards, making routine configuration changes and dealing with day-to-day questions from your team.Â
However, this can change when the work goes beyond routine administration. If your team is planning a major Salesforce implementation, connecting Salesforce with other systems, redesigning processes or making significant changes to the platform, your in-house admin may not have the expertise to handle everything. .
Practically, one person may not be enough to manage larger Salesforce projects alongside their day-to-day responsibilities. These projects can involve different areas of expertise and may require a wider team to plan, implement and manage the work properly.
If you’re unsure whether your business needs dedicated Salesforce support, find out when you should hire a Salesforce Administrator and what factors to consider before making the decision.
Where can a Salesforce Consulting Partner add value?
Salesforce consulting partner will look at how your business currently works and what you are trying to achieve. This can help determine how Salesforce should support your processes.
For example, you may be restructuring your existing Salesforce setup as your business grows. You may need to decide how Salesforce should fit around your existing sales processes, connect it with other systems, organise or migrate data, customise the platform, or make larger changes to how your teams use it.
This is where a Salesforce Consulting Partner can be useful, particularly when a project requires a wider team with specific expertise.
There is also the experience that comes from working on similar Salesforce projects. A consulting partner may have encountered problems, integration requirements or implementation decisions that your internal team have not had to deal with before. That experience can be useful when deciding how to approach a project and what needs to be considered before changes are made.
Your Salesforce admin may be able to manage the existing system, but restructuring it to support a larger sales operation is a different kind of setup. It can require more time, planning and expertise than day-to-day administration.
Once the project is complete, your in-house admin can continue managing the day-to-day Salesforce environment.
Do you need an in-house admin, a consulting partner, or both?
To be precise, you do not necessarily have to choose between an in-house Salesforce administrator and a consulting partner. In some cases, having both can make more sense.
Your in-house admin can take care of the day-to-day Salesforce environment, including user management, routine configuration, reports, dashboards and internal support, while a Salesforce Consulting Partner can provide additional support for complex integrations, data migration or significant changes to your existing setup.
If you’re planning to hire a Salesforce Consulting Partner
What should you look for in a Salesforce Consulting Partner?
When you’re planning to hire a Salesforce consulting partner or in the process of hiring one, it’s important to note how they approach your existing setup. A good starting point should be, they should be able to understand what is already working, where your team is facing problems and what needs to change. You should also be able to understand why a particular solution is being recommended, rather than simply being told what needs to be configured.
At UTDS Optimal Choice, we take this structural approach with all of our Salesforce projects. We start by understanding your requirements and existing setup before deciding where our team can add value. Whether you need support with a larger Salesforce project or additional expertise alongside your in-house admin, the focus is on solving the requirement rather than recommending a service simply because it is available.
