So you have your Salesforce login credentials and now you’re ready to take Salesforce for a spin. Excellent news!
Like many who came before you, working with a new CRM system can feel overwhelming, maybe even leave you worried about your progress.
High CRM adoption rates are more important than you might think. In a negative scenario, inadequate use of the CRM can end up slowing us down instead of speeding us up. But on the flip side, if the system is set up to support you – you can end up exceeding the targets faster than ever!
We bring you three tips on how to navigate your learning path as a beginner user and skip any confusion in the process.
3 steps to learning Salesforce as a beginner user
- Take it one step at a time
Lead, contact, account, opportunity… There are many moving parts within the Salesforce CRM platform, which means that focus is essential. As a beginner user, you don’t have to learn everything at once, but you should know what’s vital for your role right now. For example, if you are a sales rep – create a feedback loop from early on between the sales and marketing departments. This way, you will ensure everybody agrees on when to convert leads to opportunities. Also, establish the right approach between the departments because storing the data will, later on, affect important metrics, like the Campain ROI. Keep in mind; the goal is to increase the benefits of the platform going forward, so the more you understand what you wish to get out of the CRM, the better you can set it up.
- Adjust the platform according to your needs
Salesforce is made to be customised. To give an example, for a sales manager based out of the UK, creating an interactive filter in reports that specifically shows geographic data relevant for him might be a good idea. Additionally, you can summarise and group your data, perform specific calculations, and create more advanced data visualisations via dashboards.
Creating a custom Home page is something to consider in the beginning as well, as it will unveil further Salesforce functionalities. For instance, monitoring key performances will help you understand the key metrics and highlights of the business and how they are reflected on the platform.
- Create a practice with Salesforce Super Users
Super Users are employees who embrace the Salesforce platform enthusiastically, ask questions from the start and give ideas on how to improve processes. Every organisation has employees with similar characteristics, and it’s a good idea to use them as Salesforce messengers of your company. Create a practice where all company Super Users can share feedback, attend CRM meetings, and weigh in on the Salesforce roadmap.
If you are looking for more specific information, or want to connect to other Salesforce users – get in touch with us or head over to the Salesforce Trailblazer Community, where you can ask questions, discuss particular topics or join groups to learn further.
Final thoughts
As Salesforce helps its users every step of the way, we advise beginner users to utilise that support. For starters, you can leverage the Trailhead platform to get yourself familiar with the CRM functionalities. Specifically for beginner users, Trailhead has prepared a trail named Salesforce user basics, that explains the fundamentals.
Another option is to get in touch with our team of experts here at Cloud Orca to help you understand your blind spots better and steer you in the right direction.
