Salesforce best practices: 6 points every administrator should keep in mind

The use of CRM software by companies is becoming more and more common. One of the most popular is Salesforce, which has become a complete platform for customer management, marketing campaigns, and other vital tasks. But the truth is that, like every tool, the proper functioning of Salesforce depends, in part, on its administrator. That is why following Salesforce admin best practices is crucial today. In the following article, we review some of the most important points that cannot be overlooked by the technician responsible for CRM in a company.


Salesforce administrators must follow a few best practices if they want their work to be a success. In the following sections, we will discuss some tips to achieve this.

Although we will focus on Salesforce best practices, due to its popularity, many of these tips can be applied to similar tools.

 

1. Putting users at the center of everything

A good CRM administrator does not forget that the user is at the center of everything.

For this reason, he or she strives to implement training programs to improve the team’s productivity when using CRM software. In addition, the administrator ensures that employees make proper use of the solutions offered by Salesforce.

Obviously, the administrator needs to engage the users to prevent them from feeling powerless due to the overwhelming number of options the software offers.

So what do you get with a good Salesforce training program? Keeping the entire CRM team trained has both short and long-term benefits. For example, the implementation of the tool will be shorter.

In addition, users will understand Salesforce’s potential better and will contribute new ideas of great value to the administrator.

Ultimately, recognizing that the user is at the center of everything allows companies to use the software more effectively and expedite business growth.

 

2. The importance of quality data

Sales admin best practices inevitably, include maintaining data quality.

For this reason, the administrator must take responsibility for cleaning customer information that is stored. It is also necessary for the administrator to take action to standardize data and avoid inconsistencies.

CRM users are also responsible for maintaining the quality of the information.

The administrator should work closely with employees in the sales team and other departments to help them maintain a clean, quality database.

In this way, users will be able to identify potential input errors and correct them. In turn, other departments that use the data will also benefit.

 

3. Salesforce admin best practices: Never stop learning

Regardless of whether they are certified, good Salesforce administrators should never stop learning. They must always keep up with new techniques and features.

Salesforce updates are not just about bug fixes and small changes. Sometimes, there are significant new features, and the administrator needs to be aware of them.

Why is this so important? An out-of-date administrator may stop your company from staying up to date. As a consequence, sales and process efficiency may suffer. In short, ongoing Salesforce administrator training is critical.

Following Salesforce admin best practices is crucial for the proper functioning of the CRM of the company
A great administrator should check regularly the “health status” of the CRM. Salesforce offers several options to help admins detect errors, apply corrections if needed, and improve the overall performance.

 

4. Beware of neglecting performance

The good performance of software focused on a work environment is closely related to higher productivity.

Salesforce, of course, adheres to this premise. The administrator must ensure that the CRM is kept in good health. This will allow the employees to access it to perform their tasks more quickly.

Salesforce has included in its applications some tools that allow the administrator to improve performance and detect errors.

The Health Check section allows administrators to check the health status of the CRM and correct any faults detected. It is also possible to refer to the documentation provided by Salesforce to optimize the CRM.

 

5. Manage changes wisely, a crucial point in Salesforce admin best practices

The administrator should strive to build a fluid relationship with users. This will help him or her to implement training programs and maintain data quality. This will also help communicate any CRM changes in advance.

Other corporate collaboration channels, such as Slack or Teams, can be used for this purpose.

Another point that the administrator must take into account when implementing changes is to do so in test environments. In this way, before the implementation is final, he or she will be able to identify possible failures and reverse them without consequences.

 

6. Solving incidents in the right way

Administrators are also responsible for any errors experienced by users. In this case, it is essential that administrators know how to deal with the various issues reported.

If they have made an effort to maintain a good relationship with the team, it will be much easier for them to request a screenshot of the error in question.

In the same way, the administrator can check whether the issue is system-related or stems from the employee’s lack of experience. In the latter case, the administrator should take the opportunity to provide appropriate training to avoid similar errors in the future.

Good practices are not incompatible with asking for help. The CRM manager should be aware that Salesforce provides high-quality documentation and a high-quality support team.

Taking advantage of these resources will ensure the early resolution of any errors.

 

Understanding Salesforce admin best practices

As a great Salesforce administrator, you must be clear that his/her work directly influences the company’s performance and results. For this reason, it is very important to implement initiatives such as those mentioned in this article. Administrators that follow Salesforce best practices can have a very positive effect on the company.

At Nuvolar, we have over 12 years of experience developing custom applications on the Salesforce platform and are a Salesforce Certified Partner.

For more information on any Salesforce aspects, please feel free to contact our team of Salesforce experts.

GDPR & Cookies: How Salesforce can help you to easily comply

GDPR & Cookies: How Salesforce can help you to easily comply

GDPR and cookie policy, as well as the treatment of personal data are issues that Salesforce users can solve without complications. This leading CRM platform understands the importance of this legislation and helps its customers to comply with it. Throughout this article, we’ll explain how to set your marketing tools in accordance with European regulations.

Salesforce is the first global developer of cloud solutions to offer tools to protect users’ data. Specifically, Salesforce CRM uses binding corporate standards for data processors that have been approved by the European authorities.

Moreover, Salesforce worked closely with European legislators, EU data protection authorities, and industry associations during the GDPR drafting and approval processes.

As a result, the company undertook a commitment to full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation in providing services to its customers.

This obligation extends to ensuring that users of its solutions can continue to use them while also complying with legal requirements.

However, this compliance requires close collaboration between Salesforce and its customers. Below we will see how this solution can help companies that use it to proceed according to legal guidelines.

Salesforce features cover key aspects of GDPR & cookie policies

As previously mentioned, Salesforce is committed to complying with GDPR and cookie policies as a cloud processor. Here are some of the Salesforce features and tools that address the most common GDPR requirements:

1. Rights of users in relation to the processing of their data

In 2018, Salesforce introduced the Individual Object into its applications. This provides an easy way to store the simple consent of prospects. It is possible to enable the Individual Object in the “Company Settings and Data Protection & Privacy” menu.

Here, users can find a check box that allows data protection details to be available in the records. In both standard and custom fields, it is possible to register preferences related to:

  • Storage, use, and permission to share data.
  • Monitoring of geolocation data and web activity.
  • Deletion of logs and linked personal data.

In addition, Salesforce ensures that all of its cloud applications are compliant with GDPR requirements and have standard functionality for:

  • Deleting preferences or activities (right to be forgotten, article 17).
  • Exporting data (right of portability, article 20).
  • Managing consent in general and within its limitations.

On the other hand, Salesforce allows users to manage all the overall consent (data restriction, data erasure, data portability, and more).

2. Security & Architecture

Article 24 of the GDPR requires the data controller to implement “appropriate technical and organizational measures in order to ensure and be able to demonstrate that the processing is in compliance…” with the legal instrument in question.

Further on, Article 32.2 indicates that these measures must be appropriate to the level of risk posed by the processing of the information and to protect against unauthorized processing, access, and disclosure; as well as accidental loss, destruction, or alteration.

In this regard, Salesforce has consistent security and privacy programs with the highest standards in the market. The multi-tenant architecture under which Salesforce services operate is designed to classify and restrict access to data based on business needs.

This architecture provides a logical and efficient separation of data from the company’s different customers by means of specific unique identifiers., allowing access privileges via client and user roles.

Likewise, Salesforce implements planned procedures to ensure that data processing is carried out in accordance with the customer’s instructions throughout the entire chain of activities.

3. Safety controls and certifications

Salesforce Services has a set of security policies, controls, and procedures that support data security conditions.

These are described in the platform’s security, privacy, and architecture documentation.

Thanks to this focus on security, Salesforce has been awarded multiple certifications and audit reports Legal transfer of data outside the EU, vital to comply with GDPR and cookies policy

Salesforce provides its users with data processing with strong privacy commitments that few cloud providers can match.

These privacy add-ons include data transfer parameters that ensure the transmission of personal data to Salesforce outside the European Union in a fully legal manner, based on binding rules assumed by the organization or standard contractual clauses.

This is in accordance with Chapter V (Articles 44 to 50) of the Regulation in question.

Let’s take a look at how Salesforce performs such data transfers:

4. Binding Corporate Rules

Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) are company-level data protection policies approved by European data protection authorities. Such measures facilitate transfers of personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA) to third countries.

The BCRs are based on rigorous privacy principles established by the authorities, with whom intensive consultation is essential for their implementation. Salesforce was the first software developer in the world to obtain approval for binding corporate rules for data processors.

5. Standard Contractual Clauses

SCCs are legal contracts between parties transferring personal data from Europe to third countries. The European Commission approved the Standard Contractual Clauses reflecting detailed obligations related to the protection of personal data.

6. Training Program

It is true that Salesforce provides a number of tools in its applications to support GDPR compliance. However, the involvement of the customer and its partners is essential.

Any organization subject to European regulation can take steps to ensure full compliance. Through its Trailhead resources, Salesforce offers an interesting GDPR compliance readiness program for users of the tool.

Nuvolar customizes Salesforce CRM, ensuring compliance with GDPR and cookie policies

Nuvolar is a technology company specialized in Salesforce CRM customization, on whose platform it has years of experience developing applications.

This in-depth knowledge of the leading brand in Customer Relationship Management solutions allows Nuvolar to adapt Salesforce products to the characteristics and needs of any company, regardless of the industry in which it operates. Having a knowledgeable partner is crucial when verifying and enhancing specific functionalities for GDPR compliance.

Nuvolar’s staff of multidisciplinary professionals is specialized in advising on all the details related to such customization and executing it in the agreed time.

Contact us and get to know more about all our services in the development of customized solutions based on SalesForce!