Salesforce is the world’s leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that boasts over 150,000 enterprise customers worldwide. The platform provides several technologies to manage business processes, customer interactions, and operational efficiency.
But behind every Salesforce implementation is a very crucial role that acts as a bridge between the platform and business needs: the Salesforce Administrator. Salesforce Admins are the individuals who steer the platform to make the CRM platform a competitive advantage for an enterprise.
However, there is an ambiguity about what a Salesforce Admin is and what they actually do despite their indispensable function.
This article aims to demystify the role of a Salesforce Admin by explaining its responsibilities, the essential skills required, and how to become a certified Salesforce System Administrator.
What is a Salesforce Administrator?
A Salesforce Administrator, simply referred to as a Salesforce Admin, customizes, maintains, and optimizes the Salesforce CRM to align with the user’s requirements. They are not just simple technical or IT staff; rather, they are a liaison who translate business requirements into practical Salesforce solutions.
It is a dynamic role that is both operational and strategic, which makes Salesforce Admins problem-solvers for businesses using the platform.
If you hire a Salesforce Administrator, you can trust them to:
- Configure and maintain your CRM platform.
- Help your technical and non-technical teams use Salesforce.
- Keep you on board with the latest upgrades and new features.
What does a Salesforce Admin do?
Salesforce Admin responsibilities are diverse, and businesses employ them differently. But they can be broadly categorized into a few core areas that cover both technical and strategic business support.
Here is what you’re likely to see on a Salesforce Administrator job description posting:
1. User management
Admins are required to create and manage user accounts, define permission sets, and ensure secure, role-appropriate access to data.
2. Customization and automation
The Salesforce platform comes with several tools that need customization to deliver maximum results. Therefore, Salesforce Admins are expected to build custom tools and then use them to automate tasks and workflows within the Salesforce CRM.
3. Data management
CRM platforms use vast amounts of data, which need maintenance and cleaning over time. Salesforce administrators use import/export tools and validation audits to maintain data integrity and governance.
4. Analytics and reporting
Admins provide stakeholders with actionable insights through custom reports and dashboards. They utilize Salesforce’s capabilities to track KPIs and help businesses make informed decisions.
5. Training and support
Different departments within a business all use Salesforce. Whether it’s sales, marketing, or technical teams, they need training and support to use the platform.
Salesforce Admins create training materials for this purpose and conduct workshops to ensure every user can use the CRM effectively.
6. Security and maintenance
System maintenance is a core part of Salesforce administrator roles and responsibilities. Admins monitor platform health, conduct security audits, apply updates, and ensure the instance stays in line as the platform evolves.
Required skills of a Salesforce Admin
As mentioned earlier, Salesforce Administrator is a hybrid role. The ideal candidate for a Salesforce Admin role should have a mix of technical and non-technical skills. In fact, many companies combine an administrator’s role with other functions in their Salesforce admin job description.
Here are the essential skills that you need proficiency in to land a Salesforce System Administrator job:
1. Communication
As an administrator, you’ll be interacting with different departments and stakeholders. Therefore, you must have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Good communication is required by admins to understand business needs and articulate complex ideas to relevant leadership.
2. Problem solving
You must have strong problem-solving skills to succeed as an admin. That means a keen eye for details, analytical thinking, and precision in designing solutions within the platform.
3. Design awareness
Having a strong design and UI/UX sense helps a Salesforce Admin to create user-friendly experiences within the CRM. Salesforce is a complex tool, and it is your responsibility as an admin to make it human-centric and easy to use.
4. Data analysis
Admins must have knowledge about data analytics principles and tools. They are responsible for creating reports and dashboards to present information in a clear and meaningful way to support decision-making.
5. Project management
Salesforce Admins are tasked with the timely completion and delivery of entire CRM projects. This means you must have skills in project management to keep up with the pace of Salesforce implementations in enterprise settings.
6. Process automation
Salesforce offers tools like Flow, Process Builder, and Workflow Rules to automate repetitive tasks in the platform. As an admin, you must know how and when to use these tools to automate workflows to make the whole process faster and smoother.
7. Security management
Businesses store valuable and often sensitive client data on Salesforce. Protecting that data is very critical, and admins must have the skills to proactively handle access control, encryption settings, and data visibility to safeguard information.
8. Business acumen
Understanding how businesses work is a bonus skill to have in a Salesforce Admin. If you have that ability, you can effectively guide a company on why they need Salesforce and how it should be configured to meet their goals.
Salesforce Admin career paths
The role of a Salesforce Administrator opens different pathways to progress your career in the Salesforce ecosystem. An IDC report projects that there will be 9.3 million Salesforce-based jobs globally by 2026.
While the Salesforce Administrator certification establishes a single role, the day-to-day realities splinter the role of a Salesforce Admin into multiple types.
Depending on the engagement model and their function with an organization, Salesforce Admins are of the following types:
1. Technical Admin
The Technical Admin is the architect of the entire Salesforce setup. They work in tandem with developers and IT teams to make the whole system fit together.
Their common responsibilities are:
- Designing multi-object data structures
- Building advanced Flows for automation
- Managing platform security and integrations
2. Support Admin
This is the admin that most end users interact with and rely on. Support Admins are focused on handholding users with an excellent user experience. They help sales reps reset passwords, guide marketers through reports, and ensure that permissions and page layouts make sense to the people using them.
Their common responsibilities are:
- Training and onboarding new users
- Managing users, roles, profiles, and permissions
- Timely responding to internal Salesforce support tickets
3. Developer Admin
These admins are hybrid admins-developers, having usually no-code/low-code abilities. Developer Admins use Salesforce’s declarative tools to write Apex triggers, build Lightning Web Components, and own parts of the development pipeline.
Their common responsibilities are:
- Integrating Salesforce with third-party tools
- Building custom, scalable automation solutions
- Overseeing the Salesforce validation rules and approval processes
4. Data Admin
Data is the most valuable asset in the Salesforce ecosystem, and Data Admins keep that data clean and meaningful. Their job is to protect, optimize, and interpret data to drive every decision with clear, structured insight.
Their common responsibilities are:
- Importing and exporting large datasets
- Cleansing duplicates and managing data quality
- Building reports and dashboards for leadership
5. Outsourced Admin
Outsourced Admins are third-party resources or contractors hired to manage a company’s Salesforce instance without being on their payroll. Companies usually bring them in when they lack in-house Salesforce expertise or when they need short-term admin support for a specific project.
Their core responsibilities are:
- System audits and cleanup
- Consulting and advising on best practices
- Migrations or organization-wide consolidation
6. Virtual Admin
A Virtual Admin is your dedicated remote Salesforce partner, either full-time or part-time. These admins manage Salesforce remotely but deliver the same results as an on-site Admin. Virtual Admins have gained popularity because many companies work based on the follow-the-sun model.
Their core responsibilities are:
- Training remote users and documenting processes
- Day-to-day admin support
- Platform monitoring and release testing
How to become a Salesforce Admin?
Pursuing a future as a Salesforce Administrator is an interesting and promising career. And the bright side is you don’t need a background in Salesforce technologies or technical fields to become a Salesforce Admin.
The only things you need are an internet connection, the Salesforce Administrator certification, and hard work. Salesforce has an official free online learning platform, Trailhead, that is designed to teach users everything about Salesforce from scratch.
You can begin your learning on Trailhead to pass the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam. This exam is the industry’s benchmark to validate a candidate’s understanding of the platform.
Here are some details about the exam:
- It consists of multiple-choice and multiple-select questions.
- There are 60 such questions that you have to complete in 105 minutes.
- You need a passing score of 65% to qualify for the certification.
- You can take the exam both online with a proctor or at a physical testing centre.
- Salesforce recommends 115–125 hours of study before undertaking the exam.
- You need to pay a fee to take and retake the exam.
Apart from Trailhead, you can use other online learning resources like Udemy’s Salesforce Course. The Salesforce Community is also a great platform to directly engage with Salesforce users and professionals to learn more about the platform.
How much do Salesforce Administrators earn in the US?
In the United States, the salary for a Salesforce Admin varies based on your experience, expertise, and the location of your employer within the country.
| Experience Level | Job Title | Median Annual Salary |
| Entry (0–2 years) | Jr. Salesforce Admin | $65K–$85K |
| Mid (2–5 years) | Salesforce Admin | $85K–$110K |
| Senior (5+ years) | Sr. Salesforce Admin | $110K–$135K |
Top 5 US States by Salesforce Admin salaries
The best thing about the United States is that it offers so many opportunities to explore. As a Salesforce Admin, some US states offer you higher-than-average pay with a similar experience level to that in other states.
For example, Salesforce Admin salaries in California are among the highest in the country. The average salary for a junior admin in the state was reported at $75,000 per year.
Based on data from several online employment websites, these are the top 5 US States for the highest Salesforce Admin salaries:
- California
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- New York
- Florida
Average salaries outside of the US
If you’re based outside of the US, the average salaries for admin roles vary according to your region. Countries like Australia, the UK, and Ireland offer better salaries than other parts of the world.
Countries like Pakistan are great for working as a Virtual Admin through international contracting; however, local Salesforce jobs may offer lower salaries comparatively.
How to level up as a Salesforce Admin
The first step to advancing as a Salesforce Administrator is to progress in your role as an admin and gain experience. If you start off working in a small- or medium-sized company, work to shift to a bigger enterprise to move up in the ladder.
Gaining specific skills and qualifying for additional Salesforce certifications will further raise your earning potential. The more certifications you have, the more you’ll stand apart from the competition. Industry figures report that those with four or six Salesforce certifications earn almost $10,000 more than those with same experience level.
These are some of the additional Salesforce certifications that will boost your career in Salesforce Administration.
- Salesforce Advanced Administrator
- Salesforce Platform App Builder
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud Administrator
- Salesforce CPQ Specialist
Conclusion
Salesforce Administrator is the critical force behind how the data moves, how teams work, and how businesses grow using the CRM platform. They are business strategists who influence how modern companies operate and grow.
The value of a skilled Salesforce Admin is only rising in the market. And it’s a career that rewards curiosity, technical proficiency, and continuous learning. If you’re a business that wants to double down on your profits, a Salesforce Admin should be the centre of your digital operations.
Xavor is a certified Salesforce Consulting partner with over a decade of experience in delivering CRM solutions to Fortune 500 companies, SMEs, and startups from around the world. Our Salesforce Administrators can manage and customize your Salesforce ecosystem to meet your exact business objectives.
Ready to scale your CRM platform? Contact us at [email protected] to talk to our experts.