Why is the Salesforce administrator role so crucial?

The Salesforce administrator role is a highly sought-after position in the IT world. According to the Mason Frank Salary Survey for 2018-19, the most earned Salesforce accreditation was the Administrator certification. It is regarded within most organizations as a position of considerable responsibility, with influence over how business innovations and processes are implemented.

However, those in the Salesforce administrator role are expected to maintain knowledge in a number of competencies. They are de facto business analysts, trainers and advisers to upper management, tasked with coordinating communication and activity between business and IT. They are also expected to have expertise in CRM, to have mastery of the Salesforce ecosystem and to be able to communicate that expertise to team members.

While generally not in program management roles, Salesforce admins are nonetheless program facilitators, supplying knowledge and input where needed. They begin by translating business objectives into IT processes and then streamlining those processes for efficiency and ease of use.

Administrators may work on a team or individually: Many organizations have one Salesforce admin covering all Salesforce projects, while others have several teams, each with its own point person.

People in the Salesforce administrator role are also expected to provide a significant amount of leadership, staying up to date on the platform's newest features and recommending their application as needed, coordinating with stakeholders throughout the enterprise.

It is also not uncommon for certified Salesforce Administrators to be certified as Salesforce Developers.