Salesforce is a leading organization when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM). The company offers different certifications to sustain its solid and sound product portfolios. There is hardly any industry that does not use Salesforce servicesandproducts. Industries ranging from retail to healthcare, to automotive, to retail, non-profit, finance, and communications are benefitting from the wealth of quality products and services offered by Salesforce. The organization initially set out offering automation software; but today it has become a well-known company for its amazing Intelligent Customer Relationship Platform. It offers cloud solutions for communities,marketing, sales, analytics, service, apps, platform, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT(the Internet of Things).
Salesforce offers different products based on cloud for sale. There is the Heroku product which is a strategic platform as a service (PaaS) solution. There is also Force.com which is a more customized form of PaaS. It is designed to combine custom applications with the organization’s clouds. Other products in the stable of Salesforce include Data.com (a business directory that is cloud-based), Pardot (designed for business-to-business marketing), and Desk.com (a help desk system for SMEs that iscloud-based).
SalesforceCertification Overview
The Salesforce certifications center on different job roles that are common among IT professionals in the field of Salesforce. The credentials offered by this company cover job roles, such as Consultants, Implementation Specialists, Developers, App Builders, Administrators, Architects, Marketers, and Pardot Experts in different areas. There are over twenty certificates offered by Salesforce with most of them targeting Architects and Specialists. The most popular credentials are:
- SalesforceArchitectCertifications
Beginning from 2016, Salesforce refurbished its Architect credentials to align them closely to emerging needs of clients. There are currently nine certifications offered in this category, they are:
- Salesforce Certified Technical Architect
- Salesforce Certified Data Architecture and Management Designer
- Salesforce Certified Application Architect
- Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visibility Designer
- Salesforce Certified System Architect
- Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer
- Salesforce Certified Integration Architecture Designer
- Salesforce Certified Identity and Access Management Designer
- Salesforce Certified Mobile Solutions Architecture Designer
To learn more about each of these certifications, visit the FAQ of Salesforce Architect Program.
- SalesforceConsultantCertifications
There are six distinct certifications that are available for Salesforce specialists involved in customer relationship roles. They are also recommended for specialists who develop and execute solutions in their areas of expertise. The Salesforce Consultant certificates that are available are as follows:
- Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant: It evaluates the knowledge and skills of professionals who design solutions for contact centres and analytic solutions.
- Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant: It is designed to evaluate specialists’ abilityto design and execute Sales Cloud solutions, such as interface and application design. It also evaluates individuals who manage and design analytics for tracking intentions.
- Salesforce Certified Pardot Consultant: It is designed to validate the knowledge and competence of specialists who review organization requirements, design, execute, and sustain Pardot solutions.
- Salesforce Certified Community Cloud Consultant: It is aimed at specialists who implement Salesforce Communities applications, help customers manage and configure communities, as well as troubleshoot platform problems.
- Salesforce Certified Field Service Lightning Consultant: It is aimed at validating specialists who create and develop Salesforce solutions for clients, configure and administer Salesforce applications on client premises.
- Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Consultant: It evaluates a candidate’s capability to implement and configure Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email application tools.
- SalesforceDeveloperCertifications
There are three certificates available in this category. These include Salesforce Certified Commerce Cloud Digital Developer (candidates should have the knowledge to use Commerce Cloud Digital to evolve an e-commerce solution), Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I (individuals should have the expertise and skills to create software andcustom declarativeapplicationson the Force.com platform.), andSalesforce Certified Platform DeveloperII (applicants should prove their thorough knowledge of the software capabilitiesof the Force.com platform to exercisecomplex business interfacesandlogic). To learn more about these credentials, visit the certification page.
- Salesforce Administrator Certifications
Certifications in this category comprise the Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator and Salesforce Certified Administrator credentials. The Certified Administrator certificateis designed to evaluate the skills and competence of a professional who is responsible for managing dashboards, building reports, security, workflows, usersanddata, and sustaining Salesforce apps. The Advanced Administrator credential aims at validating the experience and knowledge of Salesforce administrators on Salesforce apps and ability to control application features for best output.
- Salesforce Pardot Certifications
Pardot specialists,certified by Salesforce,are able to use their knowledge in the field of marketing automation to transform the business-to-business responsibility. These credentials include two levels that verifyone’s knowledge and experience using Pardot in different roles and contexts. The levels are Salesforce Certified Pardot Consultant and Salesforce Certified Pardot Specialist.
- Salesforce App Builder Certification
There is a single credential for this group that it is designed for specialists who develop apps. It is specifically aimed at individuals who work on the Force.com platform. These are specialists who design, build, customize, and deploy Force.com applications.
Salesforce Certification Exams
To earn Salesforce certifications, you only need to pass a single 60-question multiple choice examination in most cases. The duration of this exam is dependent on the type of certification test you are sitting for. The examination lasts anything between 90 and 120 minutes. Certification exams for App Builders, Consultants, Administrators, Developers, CPQ Specialists, and Pardot Experts cost $200 on the first attempt, and $100 for retakes. Many other tests for Architects in the Architect Specialization category cost $400 and $200 for the retakes, respectively. It is important to mention however that the height of the Architect certification, which is the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect, costs $6,000 for the certificate package, and $3,000 for retake. It is essential to point out that this credential requires the vetting of a special Review Exam Board.
When it comes to preparing for a Prep Away Salesforce Admin ADM-201 certification exam, training is not really required. However, to enhance your chances of success, it is recommended that you take some training courses. Salesforce certificates have little or no prerequisites, and in situations where you need to meet certain requirements, they are usually other Salesforce credentials. There are two options of taking certification examinations: you can take an online exam from home, or a proctored exam at an examination location. However, before you take any Salesforce certification test, you need to sign up for the examination via Webassessor.
