Salesforce consultant vs salesforce administrator – which one do you need?

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There are already more than 150 thousand organizations that use Salesforce as a cornerstone in their daily operations. Much of the success of CRM in an organization is due to its correct implementation and the professionalism of the team responsible for it. There are several roles within a Salesforce team, however, the roles of Consultant and Administrator tend to generate confusion when delimiting their functions. To clear up any doubts, let's start with the basics: who is who and what are their functions?

Salesforce Administrator vs. Salesforce Consultant: Who's Who?
As we have explained in previous articles, a Salesforce administrator is someone who knows CRM like the back of their hand. They master the essential details of the platform, assuming multiple functions, including general administration, business analysis and professional training support.

There are also those known as “accidental administrators” who, as the name suggests, fall into this role by accident or chance. They are usually people with proven skills and abilities in the IT area who are looking for a change in their role or are eager to learn about Salesforce. They may also have previous experience in CRM management. However, even if they have good qualities, any organization must ensure that this person really knows what they are doing so that they do not cause potential damage to the business.

A consultant, on the other hand, is a person or agency sweden whatsapp lead whose goal is to implement and optimize the Salesforce platform in an organization. They are responsible for the entire platform implementation process: from the conceptualization of the solution to adoption by the organization and its users. During this stage, the consultant is closely involved with the client, must understand their processes and how to materialize them in the CRM, define what can be done with declarative implementation, with the Platform version, and what needs work from developers.

In other words, the consultant controls the functional analysis and implementation of the platform, being able to identify the necessary requirements, provide an adequate technical design of the solution and its correct configuration. This is in order to guarantee the maximum use of Salesforce's potential. To do this, the consultant must participate in the definition of objectives, budget allocation, identification of KPIs, creation of the implementation plan, testing and validation, among other tasks. It is important to note that, in addition to having a vast knowledge of CRM, he must have proven commercial knowledge.

Responsibilities of each role
Although they are described in a general way above, it is good to clarify what we can expect from both a Salesforce administrator and a consultant.

Salesforce Consultant vs Administrator – Responsibilities
Salesforce Administrator
Customize the solution to meet the specific needs of your organization by making configuration changes.
Manages the organization's users.
Generate Salesforce reports and dashboards to make it easy to visualize key information.
Create and manage custom workflows.
Ensures data security, access and protection.
It is part of the training and coaching of novice users on the CRM platform, as well as the organization's support service.
Salesforce Consultant
Identify and analyze the client's needs and the processes necessary to implement.
Provides efficient and innovative solutions.
Develop capabilities regarding Salesforce functional analysis.
Design strategies tailored to the specific requirements of each organization, in order to guarantee the long-term success of the project.
Master business processes.
Learn about the different areas of the platform to create an effective work methodology.
Performs diagnostics and validations.
Required skills
Skills are another point of reference to take into account to differentiate both roles.

Salesforce Consultant vs Administrator – Skills
Administrator
Solid knowledge of the organizational structure of the entity in question and its business logic, in order to build solid relationships with key audiences.
Good project management skills, as well as analytical capabilities to adjust to possible changes and customizations to be introduced.
Excellent presentation, oral communication and gesture skills, seeking a motivational style when dealing with various types of audiences.
Consultant
Knowledge and experience in the design and implementation of Salesforce solutions, as well as pre-sales tasks and presentation of proposals to clients.
Mastering the potential of Salesforce as a CRM and staying up to date on it. In other words, what can be done as standard according to the latest release and what cannot.
Proven IT skills in a creative environment not limited to classic IT functions.
High organizational capacity. Proactivity. Ability to listen actively, communicate assertively and empathize with the client. Also, great leadership skills.
Ability to transfer best practices learned from previous consulting experiences to new clients.
Other differences between both roles
Although the differences between both roles have been outlined throughout the article, here are some other differences that can help you when making decisions.

Destined times

Typically, an administrator works continuously within or with the organization. This leads to a longer business relationship. Salesforce consultants, on the other hand, are usually external to the organization, so relationships usually last as long as the project is being implemented. Unless the organization decides to stay connected to the consulting partner, the relationship is short-lived.

Costs

The length of the organization's relationships with managers and consultants determines the cost. Managers, as ongoing workers, incur the overhead associated with hiring an employee. Consulting partners, on the other hand, are generally only billable for time spent on a specific project, either on an hourly or fixed-term basis.

Knowledge

Administrators are known for having a more general and in-depth knowledge of CRM, as their work is often more specific. Consulting partners, on the other hand, not only have knowledge of the platform, but also master business trends and enterprise technology. This combination optimizes Salesforce's capabilities through the best integrations. Consultants can also choose to specialize in one or more aspects of CRM.

Changes, integrations and customizations

Salesforce is highly dynamic and variable, so changes, integrations, and customizations are frequent during implementation. An administrator is more likely to adapt and execute change quickly on the fly. On the other hand, consultants follow the designed schedule to the letter and may not be prepared for a change in the middle of the implementation.