Salesforce, a leader in cloud-based technology, is challenged by the growing scarcity of qualified technology professionals worldwide. The technical talent and skills shortage is leaving many businesses scrambling to find qualified individuals to fill important roles.
Salesforce itself is no exception; the company's reliance on tech workers has made them acutely aware of this global workforce concern. The company's annual earnings call last week revealed that its headcount growth has slowed, in part due to the difficulty in finding enough qualified workers.
At this year's Partnerforce annual event, it was clear that the availability of Salesforce talent was on everyone's minds. With 1.5 million new jobs projected for North America by 2026, it's no surprise that companies are competing for exceptional Salesforce experts to help drive their businesses forward.
Due to this current and ongoing scarcity, the available pool of potential candidates is small, and the competition for these roles is high. As a result, salaries and total compensation for salesforce CRM roles are extremely high.
Even when companies do manage to find and hire qualified candidates, they may not be able to retain them for the long term due to active poaching or better offers from outside companies, stealing away their best talent.
This has led many companies to consider "building" their own Salesforce talent by training existing employees who are familiar with the Salesforce platform, or by hiring untrained employees who want to take on the responsibility of learning Salesforce as part of their job duties.
Here are some considerations for building your own in-house Salesforce talent:
1. Training Existing Employees
If you have employees who are already familiar with Salesforce, you can provide training to help them become certified administrators or developers. This can be a cost-effective solution; however, it is important to note that training employees can be very time-consuming and may not be feasible for all companies.
In addition, the ROI may not be worthwhile for companies that need results quickly. Learning and becoming a skilled Salesforce administrator or developer can take months to get the basics down, and years to master the more advanced capabilities of the platform.
It's no simple task and should not be taken lightly, especially when the trainees you expect results from already have a full plate with their existing roles and responsibilities.
2. Hiring New Untrained Employees
Another option is to hire new employees who are willing to learn Salesforce, whether via company-sponsored training (the better option) or via self-guided training (the lesser option--for companies who simply don't have the resources to provide training). While this may take a bit more time and effort to find the right candidate, it can be worth it in the long run.
3. A Hybrid Approach
A hybrid approach may be the best strategy for some companies. This involves both training existing employees and hiring new ones. This way, you can have a mix of employees who are familiar with Salesforce and those who are willing to learn, growing your in-house talent pool.
Building your own talent can be a good option if you have the time and resources to invest in it. However, it can also be a risky proposition. If your training program is not successful, you could end up with employees who are not qualified and who are not interested in the position. Time wasted. Money wasted. Productivity wasted.
Hiring highly qualified and well-trained Salesforce talent can be the more expensive option, but it is also often the more reliable option. These top individuals have made learning Salesforce their mission, and they know the platform well, which allows them to drive the highest ROI.
Hiring top-tier Salesforce experts can be done in several ways:
1. Using a staffing agency that specializes in Salesforce talent to find qualified candidates.
This option comes at a premium due not only to the high salary you must offer the candidates but also due to the recruiting fees you must pay the staffing agency.
2. Hiring a Salesforce consulting partner.
This option gives you access to a broader team of expert resources that should cover a wide range of Salesforce-related needs (such as administration, development, project management, business analysis, and feature-specific expertise).
This also comes at a premium, with typical consulting rates often being around $150 to $250 per hour, depending on who you work with.
3. Salesforce Managed Services.
This is the "Best of Both Worlds" option, which gives you access to an extended team of resources who serve as a natural extension of your in-house team. They stay dedicated and engaged with your business for the duration of your Managed Services contract. All costs are made simple and convenient through a standard monthly pricing plan.
The need for Salesforce Managed Services is on the rise globally because this service model often yields the best results, the highest ROI, and the least capital risk.
People in general are used to paying monthly subscription fees for all kinds of services, and now businesses are catching on to the fact that they can do this too. It is growing increasingly common for businesses to look at CRM Managed Services, IT Security Managed Services, Cybersecurity Managed services, and more.
If you are considering Salesforce Managed Services or Consulting for your business, contact us today. We'll be happy to discuss your specific needs and see how we can help.
Tailwind is a global provider of managed IT services and cybersecurity solutions, offering industry-leading support, cybersecurity, cloud, salesforce, infrastructure, and compliance services. As one of the top MSPs, Tailwind's 24/7/365 US-staffed support team designs technology solutions to accelerate business and reduce IT risks.