The biggest challenge for companies that have recently implemented Salesforce is understanding the skill sets they need within their organization to get the most out of the investment. There are tons of different skill sets within Salesforce, so immediately after implementation, you should start figuring out how to build an internal team.
What is a Salesforce Consultant?
Job titles in the world of Salesforce can be confusing, so let's start with defining the role of a Salesforce Consultant.
This is a bit of a catch-all term referring to a Salesforce Professional that helps companies implement and optimize the Salesforce platform. By definition, a Salesforce Consultant does not work as an employee of your organization - they are either employed full-time by a Salesforce Consulting Partner or they are an Independent Salesforce Contractor (i.e. a Freelancer).
An individual with the official job title of Salesforce Consultant includes a range of skill sets, though. A Salesforce Administrator can still be called a Salesforce Consultant. Same goes for Salesforce Developers or Architects - as long as they are an external resource focused on Salesforce projects then this job title is applicable.
When to hire a Salesforce Consultant
In our opinion, the only time it makes sense to hire a Salesforce Consultant or Implementation Partner is during the initial deployment of Salesforce within your organization.
Even in those instances, if the project isn't large enough to require a team of 10+ Salesforce Consultants, you are better off engaging a team of Independent Contractors.
Salesforce Freelancers offer a range of benefits, so it's worth rethinking when to hire a Salesforce Implementation Partner.