My Journey with Salesforce — from beginner to certified.
By Tasnim Begum
I’m Tasnim, I’ve been part of the Tech and Digital Early Careers Programme at Global for 18 months now. Initially, I spent my first 6 months on the Podcast team before finding my forever home in the Salesforce team. Global’s ECP gives you the space to explore different teams and areas within Tech and Digital until you find where you belong. In this blog I talk about my experience in the first few months on the Salesforce team and how I navigated this new world.
What is Salesforce and what is Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a technology used to manage interactions with customers and potential customers (known as leads). CRM is used by businesses to provide a centralised place to manage and analyse customer interactions, sales leads, marketing campaigns, and even customer service enquires. Salesforce is cloud based and enables seamless collaboration between teams and it is unique to each business! Salesforce is customisable and is tailored to the specific business needs which makes it more efficient and productive. Furthermore, Salesforce is used to make data driven decisions ultimately driving sales growth and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Why is CRM helpful and how is it used at Global?
Salesforce serves as the starting point of our customer journey, where our sales representatives gather potential leads and manage all outdoor and radio advertising sales. However, Salesforce is more than a place to store customer data. It acts as a collaborative hub, enabling various teams to seamlessly facilitate the customer journey. From drafting agreements and creative briefs to managing requests for specific opportunities, obtaining finance approvals, processing refunds, and sharing information with GPlan, Salesforce plays a central role in streamlining these processes.
My introduction to Salesforce and how Trailhead helped
When I joined Global, I had no idea what awaited me in the realm of customer relationship management — to be honest I didn’t even know customer relationship management was a thing!
Regardless I was armed with a hunger for knowledge and to get more ‘technical’ as I delved into the Salesforce ecosystem aided by Trailhead. So, what is Trailhead, you might ask?
Salesforce Trailhead is a free online platform which has learning modules for anyone using Salesforce from beginners to platform developers. This is a great way to learn technical skills and business skills which will help you through your Salesforce journey. On Trailhead you can also earn badges, super badges, complete projects, and trails (which are a group of modules). Doing all of this helps build your trailblazer profile.
With each Trailhead project I completed It felt as though I was unlocking new layers of understanding and insight. Little did I know, this journey would redefine my understanding of technology and ignite a passion for mastering the Salesforce ecosystem.
Trailhead was my stepping stone into the Salesforce world where I was able to learn about the different roles and career paths Salesforce can take me on. After looking into some of the beginner Salesforce trails combined with my inherent need for short term goals, I set my sights on acquiring my first Salesforce certification — the ‘Salesforce Associate Certification’.
Preparing for this certification gave me a huge push in Salesforce knowledge and a solid foundation in the fundamentals including navigating the platform, understanding basic functionalities, and working with data. Alongside working toward this first certification, I was slowly learning to use Service Now and action escalated Salesforce Issues. Initially, delving into Service Now and tackling complex Salesforce issues felt daunting, especially considering my relatively basic knowledge from Trailhead. However, this process proved to be instrumental in catapulting my comprehension of the Global Media Salesforce Org and its intricacies. It offered me invaluable insights into how Salesforce is leveraged at Global and enabled me to navigate our organisational setup with confidence.
Salesforce London World Tour
When I first started the team, I also had the exciting opportunity to attend the Salesforce London World Tour at the Excel Centre. At the event I had the chance to witness insightful demos and discover the diverse range of products and businesses that exist within the Salesforce ecosystem. One particularly fascinating aspect was attending a talk that shed light on how Salesforce is utilised at Heathrow Airport. It was a pivotal moment for me, as I realized the ubiquitous presence of Salesforce across industries.
At Heathrow Airport, Salesforce serves as a powerful tool for capturing passenger interactions from multiple channels in real time, enabling seamless data sharing among relevant teams. By integrating customer service, marketing, and ecommerce interactions, Heathrow has been able to anticipate passenger needs, thereby enhancing the overall airport experience. Additionally, the use of the Marketing Cloud has contributed to an increase in average transaction value and spend per visit for passengers, while ensuring timely access to essential services.
Reflecting on my experience at the Salesforce London World Tour, I gained a profound understanding of the far-reaching impact of Salesforce across various companies, each with unique objectives and scales of operation. Moreover, I felt a sense of belonging within the vibrant community of ‘trailblazers’, as I interacted with those who shared a passion for Salesforce innovation and success. Overall, the event served as a testament to the transformative potential of Salesforce and its pivotal role in driving business excellence and community engagement.
Getting Certified
After attending the London World Tour Salesforce event, I found a renewed sense of motivation and purpose in my current role. Inspired by the insights and innovations shared at the event, I set my sights on conquering the Salesforce Admin exam.
As I delved into preparing for the admin exam, I also actively engaged in the day-to-day tasks within my team, eagerly taking on Jira tickets and progressively enhancing my skills and understanding of our workflow. This hands-on experience not only bolstered my confidence but also deepened my knowledge of Salesforce and its practical applications in our work environment.
For anyone who is interested in embarking on their Salesforce journey my advice would be to just get stuck in and learn as much as you can. Here are some steps:
- Create a Trailhead account — I recommend signing up with your personal email as your trailhead account is yours and not linked to the company you are working for. Here you will be able to create a personal Sandbox (you won’t be able to break anything!)
- Explore the different roles and paths you can go down with Salesforce https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/credentials/administratoroverview/
- Get stuck in! This is the trailmix which helped me get stuck in, so it should be a good place to start! https://trailhead.salesforce.com/users/strailhead/trailmixes/prepare-for-your-salesforce-certified-associate-credential
