OREANDA-NEWS. January 22, 2016. Salesforce can be the backbone to your organization and its infrastructure, but like any great ship, it needs an experienced captain. This means the mighty Salesforce Admin has more potential impact than ever.

Working in the AppExchange, I hear stories of the perils abound, so in the latest guide from the AppExchange and Apttus, Habits, Hacks and Helpful Hints: The Salesforce Admin’s Guide to Steering a Successful Salesforce Ship, there’s a wealth of information to help admins overcome these issues, so they can stake their claim as office captain. Hold onto your pirate hats, here’s a look at some of the highlights. 

Watch, learn, teach

The best way to learn how Salesforce is being used in your office is pretty straightforward: Ask coworkers how it’s going. Give them tips. See if they have questions for you. Oftentimes, Salesforce users have questions; however, they don’t take time to ask. Take your expertise to them.

Get inspired on the AppExchange

The AppExchange is adding apps every single day for every industry and department, all built to address common challenges and opportunities. Visit the AppExchange regularly to learn and get better at your job. For instance, X-Author from Apttus transforms the familiar Microsoft Excel experience into a fast and secure interface for Salesforce.

Share with the Salesforce Admin Community

From stories of new apps to stories
 of life at sea, the information in the Salesforce Admin community is there to share the latest app tales. Give the world your tips and tricks in an admin group. Does one of your users make you say “Yo ho ho!” as a result of your help? Share the success story not only in your internal Chatter group, but with other admins out there. 

Read release notes like a treasure map

New releases — whether seasonal updates from Salesforce or an app implementation from you — can be ugly as a scallywag if you’re not prepared. Though it may require a lot of reading, you need to study those Salesforce release notes and communicate the most relevant changes to the users who are depending on you. That goes for your internal changes as well. Always test internal changes in your sandbox and then demo them to your users. You can do demos live or via a video posted in your Chatter user group.

Get certified!

Salesforce certifications aren’t just about showing what you know or going for a raise. It’s also about how your users, stakeholders, managers, and other crew members feel about you. And it’s about how YOU feel about you. It instills confidence in your ability to get the job done. Certifications say that you’re passionate about your job, you’ve got what it takes, and that there is smooth sailing ahead. Bottom line: certifications are undisputed proof that you rock, and give you the right to dress like a pirate to work.