Key Practices to Follow When Hiring a Salesforce Consultant

Hiring a Salesforce consultant for your project is more than just finding someone with technical expertise—it’s about ensuring that your project runs smoothly, stays on schedule, and meets your business objectives. Whether you are implementing Salesforce for the first time, migrating to a new platform, or optimizing an existing system, choosing the right consultant is crucial to your success.

At ARK Digital Studio, we’ve outlined key practices and considerations that will help you evaluate potential Salesforce consultants effectively. These practices go beyond a simple checklist—they are a framework for meaningful conversations and informed decision-making.

Understanding Project Design and Management

Before hiring a Salesforce consultant, you need a clear understanding of how the project will be planned, executed, and managed. While references and past work provide insight, discussing project methodologies and expectations ensures alignment from day one.

Key considerations include:

• Project Overview: Request a detailed document outlining project timelines, milestones, and checkpoints.

• Project Methodology: Ask whether the consultant uses Agile, hybrid Agile, or Waterfall approaches and how these methods will affect your project.

• Client Responsibilities: Review the tasks expected from your team to ensure collaboration and timely progress.

• Initial Preparation: Check if the consultant provides a “homework guide” or pre-meeting documentation, demonstrating thorough preparation and commitment.

• Discovery and Prototyping: Clarify the duration of discovery, prototype reviews, validation, testing, and feasibility study phases.

• Communication Standards: Understand how project escalations, updates, and cross-team communications will be handled.

• Subcontractors and Offshore Resources: Confirm whether any subcontractors are involved, their location, experience, and time zone management.

These steps provide clarity on project structure, accountability, and delivery expectations.

Technical Expertise and Guidance

A Salesforce consultant must not only understand the platform but also anticipate technical challenges and provide strategic guidance. Key questions to ask include:

• Are there scalability or performance issues anticipated later?

• Could user adoption challenges arise, and how would they be mitigated?

• Are there compliance requirements to address upfront?

• Will custom code or third-party integrations be necessary, and to what extent?

• Is there a need for additional cloud computing resources outside Salesforce?

Understanding these technical dimensions ensures your consultant can plan proactively, rather than reacting to challenges after they arise.

Best Technical Practices for Salesforce Consultants

A strong consultant will follow industry best practices and enforce a robust technical framework. Consider:

• Access control and system user policies for project staff

• Backup and configuration management mechanisms

• Recommended debugging tools and coding standards

• Testing practices including APEX test code creation, metrics, and automation for Lightning components

• Sandbox management, including the number of sandboxes and configuration change controls

• Deployment strategies, rollback plans, and release frequency

• Experience with Salesforce Lightning, Classic, and Salesforce1 mobile app

• Use of Process Builder, Flows, and other automation tools in conjunction with APEX

• Data import/export formats and standards

• Documentation and explanation standards for project deliverables

These practices ensure quality, reliability, and maintainability throughout the project lifecycle.

Project Collaboration and Communication

Successful Salesforce projects rely heavily on clear collaboration and communication. Key practices include:

• Requirement Documentation: How will project requirements be captured and tracked after discovery?

• Data Tools: Which tools will be used for validation, transformation, and analysis?

• Support and Issue Resolution: When are issues resolved at no cost, and what situations require additional payment?

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): How will testing be conducted, and which standards will be applied?

• Task and Progress Tracking: Which tools will manage project coordination and reporting?

• Status Updates: Frequency and format of progress reports to the client

• Budget and Scope Guidance: How will the consultant advise on project budget and scope control?

Good communication practices prevent misunderstandings, reduce delays, and ensure that the project stays aligned with business goals.

Knowledge Transfer and Change Management

A competent Salesforce consultant ensures your internal team can maintain and operate the system efficiently after project completion. Key practices include:

• Phased involvement of internal personnel in design, development, deployment, and troubleshooting

• Introducing pilot users to test the system before full deployment

• Defining key metrics to track system readiness and success during and after deployment

• Planning and delivering user training, either online or in-person, with clear educational methodologies

Knowledge transfer ensures long-term success and empowers your team to manage Salesforce confidently.

Final Considerations

Hiring a Salesforce consultant is not just about technical skills. Evaluating their approach, communication habits, project management standards, and alignment with your organization’s culture is equally important. A healthy dialogue with your potential consultant ensures:

• Clarity on project execution and expectations

• Assurance of technical proficiency and best practices

• Confidence in collaboration, knowledge transfer, and training

• Reduced risks and higher likelihood of project success

Remember, no consultant will meet 100% of your criteria. Look for someone who scores highly across critical areas and demonstrates professionalism, transparency, and expertise. With the right approach, your Salesforce consultant becomes a strategic partner who contributes directly to your project’s success.

At ARK Digital Studio, we guide organizations in selecting Salesforce consultants, implementing best practices, and ensuring every project is completed efficiently, securely, and with measurable business impact.