Ever since cloud computing came into the picture, companies have become conscious of every business process that can leverage it. Using cloud services has given many benefits to enterprises, including reduced costs, an increase in sales, better management of resources, and scalability. But what about using cloud computing in the field of customer relationship management (CRM)? Are cloud services proving to be fruitful in this domain as well? When you look for the answers, you’ll first come across the term ‘Salesforce.’
Simply put, Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM software that aims to bring business and customers together by offering a 360-degree view of the customers. Overcoming the drawbacks of traditional ways of storing customer information, Salesforce allows all of the customer information to be stored at a centralized location and all the teams, like marketing, sales, or customer service, can access it to offer a personalized experience to each customer. Many companies today rely on Salesforce to get an end-to-end CRM solution and certified professionals who are well-versed in using the platform. No wonder Salesforce certifications, like the Salesforce administrator certification, are one of the top credentials professionals seek if they wish to get ahead in this field.
This article particularly focuses on a career as a Salesforce administrator and how can you become certified. But first, let us know more about Salesforce and what does it offer.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is the world’s number one CRM tool and provides companies the fastest and most complete way to put their customers at the center of every task they take up. The fact that all of the customer information and interactions are stored in one centralized location helps in moving deals faster and more insightful decisions can be made. Clients can access Salesforce entirely over the internet and need not worry about any infrastructure to be purchased or installation and maintenance costs but just log in and start working.
The ability to sell faster and smarter, managing customer support across every channel, and using artificial intelligence (AI) to give personalized user experience are some of the top reasons Salesforce has become a CRM platform of choice for companies across the world. KFC, DTDC, Edelweiss, Godrej, and HCL are the top brands that have harnessed the power of Salesforce to make their business strategy more successful. Fortune, in fact, rated Salesforce as the world’s most admired companies for six years consecutively.
If you too want to enter the field of customer relationship management, there is nothing better than Salesforce certifications. Salesforce offers a variety of certifications that are based on different job roles like developer, administrator, consultant, architect, marketer, and more. Salesforce Administrator certification is one of the most popular credentials in the market and one can definitely try to achieve it for better career growth.
Salesforce Administrator Certification
The Salesforce Administrator credential focuses on the features and functionality used to maintain a Salesforce implementation. Candidates applying for the certification should be able to maintain a Salesforce organization, understand common business requirements and respond to them, and perform administrative functions using different features of Salesforce.
The Salesforce Administrator exam consists of 60 multiple choice/multiple-select questions and the time allowed is 105 minutes. Candidates need to score at least 65 percent to pass the exam. The exam tests your knowledge in the following domains:
- Organizational Setup – 3%
- User Setup – 7%
- Security and Access – 13%
- Standard and Custom Objects – 14%
- Sales and Marketing Applications – 14%
- Service and Support Applications – 13%
- Activity Management and Collaboration – 3%
- Data Management – 10%
- Analytics- Reports and Dashboards – 10%
- Workflow/Process Automation – 8%
- Desktop and Mobile Administration – 3%
- AppExchange – 2%
Some Important Exam Tips
Your journey towards becoming a certified Salesforce Administrator isn’t going to be an easy one. Going through all the study materials may be a daunting task. There are some tips, however, which can help you qualify for the exam in a single try.
- Know all the details of the exam – Firstly, you need to thoroughly check the syllabus and understand what is expected from the candidate. Go through all the domains and gather the related study materials.
- Create a study plan – Whatever preparation time you have decided for the exam, create a plan of what you’ll cover each day. Try to stick to the target and mark the important concepts to be revised later.
- Explore Developer.org – Apart from the theoretical knowledge, it is recommended to practice it by using the Developer.org platform. Salesforce provides free access to it and you can use all of the features that are available on the Lightning platform. Sometimes, the questions are related to typical features and the one who has hands-on experience of using the platform can only answer it.
- Enroll in a training program – There are many reputed training providers who offer online courses specifically designed for aspiring Salesforce administrators. If taking out time and doing self-study along with an ongoing job isn’t your cup of tea, then an online course is what can prepare you for the exam.
- Verify your knowledge – It is important to test whether you have gained a firm grasp of all the concepts or not. Mock tests can help you do so; it consists of questions that are quite similar to the ones asked in the actual exam. Attempting it will let you understand your strengths and weakness in different domains.
Salesforce administrators are in high demand today. By becoming a certified Salesforce Administrator, you can open your doors to many challenging job opportunities available in the job market. With better credibility, cracking an interview would be far more comfortable.
