The Ultimate Guide to a Career as a Salesforce Functional Consultant

Salesforce Consultants are experts in the Salesforce CRM platform and its capabilities. There are many different types of Salesforce Consultants including Salesforce Functional Consultants, Salesforce Technical Consultants, Salesforce Presales Consultants, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Consultants, Salesforce Service Cloud Consultants and Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultants. Each of these Salesforce careers requires unique skills, interests and responsibilities.

In this instance, Salesforce Functional Consultants are the individuals responsible for understanding the business requirements of the client and translating them into technical solutions using the Salesforce platform. They are the ones who focus on the functional aspects of Salesforce and ensure that the software you are implementing fits the business needs. Think of them as translators, taking business problems and translating them into technical requirements.

Becoming a Salesforce Functional Consultant offers a rewarding career with numerous opportunities for growth and advancement. By gaining the necessary skills, certifications and experience you can become a Salesforce consultant and enjoy a fulfilling career in Salesforce.

Salesforce Functional Consultants Work with end-users, stakeholders, and project managers to ensure the system functions smoothly. They focus on business processes and user needs, working to bridge the gap between business and technology. A Salesforce Functional Consultant’s daily tasks vary but generally include understanding business needs, system configuration, training teams on the system’s functionality, testing the system and providing continuous support to teams.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the roles and responsibilities of a Salesforce Functional Consultant:

• Understanding business needs – the Salesforce Functional Consultant will spend time with business leaders and users to understand what they need in the software and aid in figuring out how the system should work to address business problems.
• System configuration – based on what the business requires, Salesforce Functional Consultants can work on configuring the system to that requirement.
• Training and support – the Salesforce Functional Consultant will help train the team on the systems functionality after setting it up.
• Testing and validation – the Salesforce Functional Consultant will help test the system, checking through and ensuring that everything works correctly.
• Continuous support – they will provide continuous support after the systems are live and working.

During the interview process for a Functional Salesforce Consultant role, you will often be required to present a solution to a business scenario to a panel of people. In these instances, you are being vetted for your client-facing skills, ability to perform well under pressure and talk about technical solutions with non-technical people.

In terms of hard skills, a Salesforce Functional Consultant must possess a deep understanding of the Salesforce platform, including its clouds, features and capabilities. This includes knowing how to configure, customise and manage Salesforce to meet specific business needs. Being proficient in data analysis and reporting will also allow you to help clients gain valuable insights from their data to make informed business decisions.

Organisations will look for Salesforce consultants that possess a number of skills including ‘soft’ skills. Soft skills for Functional Salesforce Consultant jobs include exceptional spoken and written communication skills and presentation skills because the role is largely client-facing. Other desirable skills include analytical skills, project management skills and problem-solving skills.

In addition to having experience in Salesforce, employers will also look for Salesforce certifications. Salesforce also offers a range of certifications that allow consultants to specialise and advance their careers. Key certifications for this role include Salesforce Advanced Administrator Certification, Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant Certification, Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant Certification.

The helpful team at Resource On Demand offer personal Salesforce career strategy consultations to help you get closer to landing your dream job.

A Salesforce careers salary can vary based on experience, location and certifications. On average in the UK, entry-level Salesforce Functional Consultants earn between £65,000 to £80,000 annually, with Senior Salesforce Functional Consultants earning a salary of around £80,000 to £90,000 because of their greater experience level and specialised skills.