Inside Out: hiring an internal Salesforce administrator vs. hiring a consultant
When it comes to getting help with your instance of Salesforce, you have a lot of options. If you’re looking for a long-term solution, the main choices are between hiring an in-house Salesforce admin or hiring an external consultant to be your dedicated resource. Are you struggling to determine which option best suits your company or nonprofit’s needs? Wondering where to begin looking? Here’s a breakdown on the pros and cons of both so you can compare it to your internal requirements and goals.
What and who are you looking for?
Understanding the various roles involved in the design, setup, and maintenance of a CRM is the first step in determining what you’re really looking for. Just as you wouldn’t hire a plumber to design an office building, you probably shouldn’t hire an in-house Salesforce administrator to custom code your instance of Salesforce.
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Solutions/Technical Architect: Similar to building a structure from the ground up, designing a CRM database requires a unique set of skills, which is why this design role is typically assumed by a Technical or Solutions architect.These folks are experts in assessing the technical needs of an organization and prescribing solutions that address the underlying problems. They communicate their plans to the relevant stakeholders and provide a framework for how they envision it all coming together. However, the Solutions Architect typically doesn’t do the bulk of the construction.
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Developer: The person who makes sure the foundation holds and the frame doesn’t buckle is the Developer. They engineer the database and keep the overarching vision in line with what is reasonably achievable. It’s their keystrokes and programming language that shape the database the end user will be working with on a daily basis.
Unless you’re part of a larger organization with numerous tech-related projects underway, hiring a full-time Solutions Architect and/or Developer is probably above and beyond what you need. They are commonly brought on as consultants for one-off projects that can’t be handled by your admin and IT team. If you’re looking to hire or train one person on your team to fill a specific Salesforce role, you’re likely looking for an admin.
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Administrator: The Salesforce administrator ensures the users get the most out of their database. The administrator should be able to run reports, clean up duplicates, conduct trainings, and help other users. While having a user in your organization serve double duty as your Salesforce administrator may be the only option available, it’s sort of like asking your handyman uncle to finish your basement; they’ll likely be able to get it done, but it might take more time and require more resources than you initially expect. That being said, there are tons of content available for the accidental administrator to help get them up to speed.
Once you’ve figured out what and who you need, it’s time to determine the capacity in which you want them on board. Many people think a contractor is cheaper than a full-time employee, but that’s not always the case. A great deal depends on how much work needs to be done. And this is largely determined by several factors:
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Number of users
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Salesforce configuration (out-of-the-box vs. a customized instance)
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Future build-outs
What do you need done?
A good rule of thumb is that if your instance of Salesforce is relatively straightforward (referred to as being out-of-the-box), you can probably get away with hiring an admin on an as-needed basis. If you’ve had a lot of customization done within your system, or if there are a number of complex syncs and integrations, you’ll likely need someone on hand to ensure everything is working as it should.
You wouldn’t hire a full-time building manager to oversee your single-family home. It’s probably equally unnecessary to hire a full-time Salesforce admin for your boutique firm or small NPO and you may be able to get away with hiring a consultant on an as-need basis. Everything depends on the complexity of your configuration.
Plans for the future should also factor into these decisions. Continuity is important when you executing a change, and if you’re planning a big project, you’ll want to make sure the deck is stacked in your favor. When you hire a consulting firm to fill the bench with Solutions Architects and Developers for the big projects, having a full-time Salesforce Administrator on hand to bridge the gap between your office and theirs will be incredibly helpful. Likewise, if business is booming and forecasted growth is exponential, it might be a good idea to add a couple administrators to the payroll to prepare for what’s in the pipeline (speaking of payroll, the salary of an internal admin is also difficult to iron out. You can take a look at the Salesforce.org Hub job board to give yourself a sense of what’s out there, or look your city up on this site to see who’s paying what for these skills).
If you already have a full-time Salesforce administrator, supplementing their expertise with a consultant who can provide support, offer new ideas and practices, and assist you through an upgrade or deployment could be the best use of resources.
The takeaway
There’s no one-size fits all answer. So much depends on budget, needs, and structure of an organization. One litmus test to figure out whether you need to hire a full-time Salesforce admin is if you can imagine surviving without one. Consultants build up organizational knowledge, set you up for success, and can even be available on an as-need basis for help when you get stuck, but they’re an expensive solution for day-to-day tasks and troubleshooting. If the thought of seeing your consultant leave gives you separation anxiety, it might be time to hire a more permanent solution. That way, when they come back to help on your next big project, you’ll have someone who’s been there all along to catch them up on everything they’ve missed.
Do you have more questions about budgeting for your CRM or wonder what the hourly breakdown is for an admin, architect or developer? Download our whitepaper on how to budget for your CRM or contact us with any further questions.
