New Year means new Salesforce technologies your company needs to adopt⎯is your team ready?
In the early days of 2018, there are still a lot of unknowns, but we can be pretty confident about one thing… The Salesforce ecosystem will continue its massive growth. In fact Salesforce is estimated to create 3.3 million new jobs between now and 2020⎯That’s only 2 years away!
Why the massive growth? 2017 and 2018 have come with a new wave of Salesforce technology, creating a sea of change in which Salesforce skills are deemed most important in 2018 and beyond. As your company looks to adopt these technologies it is just as important to hire a dedicated team to maximize your ROI and ensure your Salesforce will be operating effectively.
So, let’s highlight a few of the major movements in Salesforce technology and what that may mean for your 2018 hiring…
1. Companies need to adopt Salesforce Lightning.
2017 saw a massive push from Salesforce advocating for widespread adoption of its Lightning platform. In fact, very little upgrades have been made to the Classic platform in efforts to push companies to switch⎯leaving behind a lot of bug fixes, and old dashboards and reporting methods.
In March 2018, Classic will stop receiving updates, meaning everyone needs to transition to Lightning sooner rather than later.
Salesforce Lightning offers companies many benefits including vital functionality needed for those using Community Cloud and Service Cloud. The sharp UI, and activity timeline enables users to track daily activities, and allows teams to better visualize things such as a sales pipeline and increase efficiency.
From a hiring perspective, this means that Developers and Administrators who know Lightning are in HIGH demand. Despite using the same basic tools as Classic, coding for Lightning emphasizes significantly different skills and requires heavy development on JavaScript. Some Classic Developers not only lack that skill set, but in some cases Classic Developers dislike working with Lightning.
Here are some options to consider:Whether you plan to make the transition to Lightning or have already made the transition and just need the right talent to support it, you can always invest in your current talent and give them the opportunity to learn all things Lightning⎯keep in mind, however, that they certainly won’t be mastering it overnight! You can also seek out new Salesforce talent that will have the expertise. Give us a call, we have plenty of full time and project based resources.
2. Salesforce Marketing Cloud will continue its explosive growth.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud grew faster than any other Salesforce product in 2017, especially within the marketing automation space. The platform is designed to help B2B and B2C companies lockdown greater ROI on market spending.
The beauty of Marketing Cloud is that it enables marketers to deliver just the right message to prospective customers as they move through the buying journey. They receive targeted emails and other content based on their actual behavior, rather than just market segmentation alone. For example, if a customer recently abandoned a shopping cart they’ll receive an email encouraging them to return (gets me every time).
So, what does this mean for hiring? Traditionally, companies have relied on outside consultants to help them implement and optimize Marketing Cloud. But recently, Salesforce users have found more value from hiring in-house developers. This way your developers will understand your whole business and marketing strategy to tailor the platform to your needs while getting the most out what Marketing Cloud can offer.
3. It’s no secret that Big Data is growing—and it’s affecting the Salesforce ecosystem.
Ah, Big Data… As Salesforce puts it, “Companies know it’s important but most just don’t know what to do with it.”
Think about this way, any interaction a potential customer has with you⎯whether that be visiting your site, looking at your Facebook page, or when they finally buy⎯is collecting data. But where does it go? Who can see it? And most importantly, how can you use it to your advantage?
In 2018 there will be strong demand for developers who can integrate Salesforce with Big Data storage and analytics tools. The advantage in doing so lies in empowering companies to automate critical parts of the customer journey. For example, integrating Big Data and Marketing Cloud can dramatically improve predictive marketing.
Start seeking out Developers who can enable integrations and create customized tools so your company to take full advantage of the Big Data revolution.
4. Salesforce Cloud Specialists will be in high demand.
Salesforce Health Cloud expanded its features greatly in 2017 and is primed for further growth this year, with estimations of doubling in current market share.
The platform is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling patients and practitioners to remain in closer contact, and maintain information in secure environments. For patients it gives them more visibility into their own health records, and for providers there are features that help physicians assess risk more accurately and relay findings among peers. Health Cloud’s capabilities follow recent trends in the healthcare industry, and the idea is that is will continue to allow providers to quickly and easily adapt to future trends as well.
In addition, Commerce Cloud recently turned one year old and has seen unprecedented demand entering 2018⎯not surprising considering the constant increase in demands from online shopping. The platform allows for a seamless customer service experience across channels, as well as the increased individualization of product recommendations through predictive intelligence⎯all in an effort to enable companies to better engage with their ecommerce customers.
If you sit within either of these industries, it could be in your best interest to hire for Salesforce professionals who are specializing on these platforms, or have the desire to as these professionals have a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of the trends with these technologies in 2018, and their distinct background could always benefit future business initiatives.
At the end of the day Salesforce will always have a strong labor market, but the addition of new technologies and more opportunities does not make the job market any less competitive (especially early in the new year). Luckily, TwentyPine works everyday to advise teams on identifying and securing the right talent for their team.
So, who are you looking to hire?