Tips for Salesforce Admins to Streamline Organizations

Here are 5 signs your Salesforce Org is a mess (and how to fix it) 1. You’ve got no clear change management process. People are making changes directly to production, and no one knows how to ask for enhancements. 2. Fields and objects that aren’t used. 3. Automaton that constantly fails. Users have built workarounds and don’t report bugs. 4. No clear SF super user . Maybe there was a lady who knew Salesforce once, but she was laid off 5. Random people have Salesforce admin access, security is non-existent. Fixes 1. Define a change management process. Create a dedicated sandbox for development and for testing. Schedule periodic refreshes. Then, put someone in charge of intaking requests and someone in charge of approving requests. 2. Run the Salesforce Optimizer App and get a report of all unused fields and objects. 3. Setup your process automation user, make sure they’re set to receive email notifications when automation fails. Then, provide a way to capture and triage bugs. 4. Assign a Salesforce product owner. This person owns Salesforce. Also, give them a raise and a copy of Jodi Hrbek’s Rock Your Role as a Salesforce Admin 5. Run a Salesforce security health check, then reevaluate your sharing rules, login policies - and for god sake , please implement MFA. Is you SF Org a mess? What’s your plan? #salesforceadmin #awesomeadmin #salesforce

Yesterday, I spent two hours picking up tree branches and clearing brush behind my house. There was no immediate gratification like I get when I plan my annual flower beds each Spring. Since moving in last year, I've steered clear of there. Having confronted it, I now recognize there's work ahead, even at the expense of planned backyard projects that would be much more fun. I need to know what’s going on back there. Is it usable space? I need to ensure it’s safe, considering the neighbor's kids play there. Plus, clearing the debris allows the plants and trees room to grow. Yep, you know where I’m going with this.  It’s like the dead stuff hiding in your org. You get no stakeholder love for cleaning it out; they might even fight you for the time you take. But it’s critical to a healthy org. If yours is messy enough, particularly if it’s causing instability in the org, make a case and get ‘er done. Otherwise, do a little each week until you’re finished.  (Spoiler alert: you’re never finished.) What say you, #Salesforce peeps? ⬇️ Are you actively removing the dead wood or avoiding looking over the fence? PS) A massive shout-out to my teammates for their ongoing effort to keep our house in order.  Here’s what’s on the chopping block in this week’s deployment: • Defunct fields: 125+ • Inactive Validation Rules: 30 • AppExchange Apps: 2 • Unused Javascript buttons: 20 • Retired objects: 2 plus several more that will have Z_ appended to their label while we research the implications Phew, don’t you feel better already? 😀 #SalesforceAdmin #TechDebt

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." That popular refrain rings true, especially in the #salesforce space. Admins and their teams continually deal with user frustration and low #adoption amidst ongoing system changes. My first Salesforce project involved confronting poor adoption head-on. After many years and projects, I have heard (and voiced) ample complaints - although most users are hesitant to directly voice them, their perspective is crucial. Ignoring adoption barriers severely impacts productivity and ROI, much like when technology fails or systems lag behind users' needs and expectations. Thinking through all my experiences, these adoption blockers are most prevalent: 1️⃣ Overly Complex Configurations: Excessive features and convoluted system configurations overwhelm less technical staff. When interfaces become too confusing, it hinders daily work. Targeted onboarding, training, and role-based simplification are key. 2️⃣ Inefficient Workflows: Frankenstein-like workflow processes with too many clicks disrupt user productivity. Some custom elements create unnecessary hassle versus streamlining work. Leaders must pare down bloated steps that do not align with role needs. 3️⃣ Restricted Data Access: Many teams desire improved visibility through cross-departmental reporting, advanced analytics, and intuitive data visualization. Building more inclusive and transparent data access can prevent dangerous internal silos. In essence, leaders must not only allow space for users to provide feedback, but then listen and respond to it by proactively addressing the voiced concerns. This is accomplished through change management planning, role-specific configuration, simplified workflows, expanded data sharing, performance testing, and integration support. What particular issues create the most productivity or satisfaction problems among your users? What constructive action can leadership take? Please share your insights and experiences below. #trailblazercommunity #awesomeadmins #crm #ux

If you see the little ⚙️ in the upper right-hand corner of #salesforce and you don't understand the difference between a 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 & a 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲... please listen You've been given something that you shouldn't have. It's not your fault. But it is now your responsibility to do the right thing. Relinquish this great power for the betterment of the org. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁.. ✅ Should have Admin permissions: • Certified Salesforce Professionals • 1 member of the executive team, preferably the CFO, for assigning certified pros with admin permissions and general Account management (licenses, contract renewals, etc.) ❌ Shouldn't have Admin permissions: • Everyone else 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 👇 Most of the issues I see are entirely preventable, but it's the lack of coordination and education of the folks making changes that cause the pain. This is why having a dedicated #businesssystems / #revops team is so crucial. Not being able to view a report is not a good enough reason to assign Admin permissions. ➡️ Fix the sharing settings on report & dashboard folders instead. Not being able to bypass exit/entry criteria on an Opportunity is not a good enough reason either. ➡️ Learn how to properly move a deal through the buying process or partner with a SFDC Admin to change the enforced rules. Not being able to integrate/authenticate another system with Salesforce is ALSO not a good enough reason. ➡️ Work with certified, technical experts to integrate new tools to avoid the inevitable data mess you're about to create. 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

I've seen dozens of Salesforce orgs. I wish I could unsee some of them. Small issues here and there might seem harmless… But they add up. And it can cost your company thousands of $$. Here are some of the most common issues I keep running into: 1️⃣ Siloed processes that don’t scale → Each team builds its own workflows, independent of others. → No standardization. No big-picture thinking. → This leads to technical debt, making future changes costly and time-consuming. 2️⃣ No naming conventions → Fields with confusing names (Weight/Final Weight instead of Net Weight/Gross Weight). → Automations labeled "Update Minutes Case" (not related to Cases at all). → If you can’t tell what something does at a glance, it slows you down. 3️⃣ Unintuitive UI → Too many clicks to complete a simple task. → Screens cluttered with unnecessary fields. → Users get frustrated, and adoption suffers. 4️⃣ No data governance → Text fields where picklists should be. → No data input validation = inconsistent data. → Duplicate records everywhere, making reports unreliable. 5️⃣ Lack of security measures → Too many system admin users. → Sensitive objects accessible org-wide. → All fields are editable. A disaster waiting to happen. A well-optimized Salesforce org is clean, scalable, user-friendly, and secure. But too often, I see the opposite. What’s the biggest issue you’re experiencing in your Salesforce org? --- Found this helpful? Like 👍 | Comment ✍ | Repost ♻️

You’re not a Salesforce org caretaker You’re a software product owner It’s not too soon to start acting like one “Our Salesforce is a total mess” “Why?” “Things don’t really work well together” “How did that happen?” “Well… after 5 years of just ‘doin stuff’ that everyone wanted, well here we are” This can happen to anyone because it sneaks up on you. 1 You start ‘helping out’ with Salesforce 2 You take care of day-to-day 3 You start building things (it’s so easy!) 4 You learn some more 5 You build more things (I’m an expert!) 6 [loop back to 2 and repeat] A few years later… 2 apps that do the same thing—almost Stuff we don’t use but can’t get rid of All those users with Sys Admin profile! Users seeing records they shouldn’t Apex code to do what OOB can do 100s of report folders. 1000 reports 100 record types—on one object That creaking sound? It’s your Salesforce structural beams bending under their own weight Avoid this by thinking like a commercial product software manager: Learn the business outcomes needed (Product Value Proposition) Talk to users about their wants, needs (Product Market Validation and Fit) Develop a Salesforce org future vision (Product Vision) Create a forward-looking feature plan (Product Roadmap) Establish some solution standards (Product framework) Think about scale, support, upgrades (Product Lifecycle) These are the things that product managers of commercial software think about. Why? Because if they don’t, the product doesn’t hit the mark or it becomes too costly and too hard to support. It doesn’t make money. Then it whithers and dies. Most of us don’t have to “make money” with our Salesforce org. But making it streamlined, extensible, upgradeable, and supportable is actually achieving the same thing: it drives your businesses’ productivity higher, which helps the bottom line So start thinking like an owner today—a software product owner Where to start? Create a desired product feature and function roadmap for the next 12 months by quarter Why? Because that old saying is true: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do”