More than 150,000 organizations use Salesforce as their customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
Given its prevalence and the value it brings to customer-facing teams, there’s little question that you’ll continue to use it for years to come.
The question is: What are some things you can do today to improve your ability to use Salesforce tomorrow?
To find answers that go beyond Trailhead, Salesforce’s guided training program, we followed relevant discussions on Systematic, the largest online community for Business Systems leaders. Read on to learn what we found!
1. Online Courses and Practice Exams Offer an Engaging Way to Support Your Learning
There are numerous online courses and practice tests that can help you hone your Salesforce knowledge.
To help you find the right resources, leaders in Systematic suggested numerous self-paced, virtual options. For videos and practice tests, check out Certified On Demand and Focus on Force. For more help, check out Salesforce trainers such as Mike Wheeler or Salesforce Ben. Here’s a bit more on each of them:
- Certified On Demand has everything you need to become a Salesforce Administrator, including hours of video content, sample exam questions, study guides, and a full-length practice exam.
- Focus on Force provides comprehensive study guides and multiple practice tests for each type of certification.
- Mike Wheeler, along with other trainers on Udemy, offers a series of courses for specific Salesforce certifications and use-cases.
- Salesforce Ben provides practice exams as well as guides and useful tips on each type of certification.
2. Guided Videos Help You Find the Answers You’re Looking for Quickly
There are also many free resources available to teach you how to use Salesforce. For instance, Youtube contains guided videos on how to use Salesforce for specific purposes. To find them, you can search “Dreamforce” along with a specific topic, such as Sales Cloud or Reports & Analytics. Alternatively, you can simply look through Salesforce’s Youtube channel.
Salesforce also hosts many free online events on how to use their product. Check out their webinars to learn more about the certification process and different use cases, including how to prepare for your Platform Developer Certification or Administrator Certification, and how to use Salesforce for data management and actionable analytics.
3. Online Networks and Communities Provide Additional Guidance and Support
Salesforce’s Trailblazers Community is a great place to ask questions and learn from others who are also working on their certification. The community offers answers to FAQs, forums for idea exchanges and collaboration, and additional groups based on location, division, and product.
For live, one-on-one mentorship, take a look at Codementor. One Systematic community member explicitly vouched for it, saying that Codementor is a “flexible, paid option that can accelerate self-paced learning with online resources.” With Codementor, you can get in touch with a Salesforce expert and cater your learning experience to any questions or issues you may have.
BT leaders also recommend utilizing LinkedIn to reach out to your network. With many companies using Salesforce as their CRM, it’s likely that people in your network are certified or are working towards their certification and have their own training recommendations. In addition, you can join Salesforce-related LinkedIn groups to find people who are willing to give advice and share resources that helped them get certified.
While Trailhead is the best place to start, the resources outlined in this page can go a long way in helping you learn about and get comfortable with Salesforce.
Looking to gain additional skills? Check out Automation Institute; our academy offers courses around building integrations and automations that cater to a variety of skill levels.
