Transitioning from Salesforce Admin to Consultant

Jack Cheng joined Trigg in 2022 as a Salesforce consultant. After experiencing the transition from an ‘admin’ role to that of a ‘consultant’, he is keen to share his experiences with those going through similar changes…

If you’ve been involved with anything Salesforce, then you’ve probably heard these two titles mentioned on a regular basis: Salesforce Admin and Salesforce Consultant. Typically, you are one or the other, but there are instances where you find yourself acting as both. As someone who has come from an admin background and, until recently, has only dipped their toes in the role of consultancy, taking a full plunge into the latter was quite a daunting prospect! So, to help anyone going through a similar role change in the future, I thought I’d share a few of the things I have learned during the transition…

Wider Thinking

As an admin, my technical versatility was challenged daily; I would receive a myriad of issues and requests, which could range from something as simple as resetting a user’s password to figuring out why a piece of automation wasn’t working “like how it was yesterday”. It can be intensive and demanding, but very rewarding when you manage to solve problems for your users. Now, as a consultant, this is no longer my main responsibility, but rather a small part of a much bigger picture. I need to know where and how the admin fits in the project, how much time is required from them, and the type of work that they should be expecting. In a way, the role has reversed, and the work is now coming from me.

Managing Expectations

As an admin you have to manage the expectations of your customers, just as a consultant would. You could implement the most technically sound change and marvel at your own piece of work, but if your customer thought they were going to get something different, the conversation with them will not be a good one. With budgets and time in the mix, you have to make absolutely sure that you and the customer are on the same page. Just before I embarked on my journey as a consultant, I was introduced to a term that has floated around in my mind ever since: sign-off. Making sure that your customer is aware of what is being delivered, and ensuring you have their name on that list of requirements is absolutely vital. This is for the benefit of both parties down the line. Let’s say your customer suddenly wants to start adding requirements – as an admin, my first instinct would be saying yes. As a consultant, I need to understand the consequences of saying yes. How will this affect the scope? How much time would this add? Are we still on track to finish? If I were to say no to the new requirements, the key here is to communicate that this is not because we cannot do it, but because this is not what was mutually signed and agreed. Making sure we communicate this well to the customer will save us from failing on the scope and timings agreed for the project!

Without a doubt, transitioning from a Salesforce admin to a consultant has been a challenge for me. My priorities, responsibilities and the expectations others have of me have changed drastically… But I have enjoyed every second! I hope that sharing my experiences can help others stepping into a new role, particularly a consultancy role, in the future.