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Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Nicole Pomponio, Director of Delivery Management and Operations at SaltClick.
Join us as we chat about how admins can unlock the full potential of Slack in Salesforce. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Nicole Pomponio.
If you’re planning on coming to Dreamforce this year (or catching it at home), you’re probably going to hear a lot about new ways of combining Agentforce and Slack. That’s why I’m excited I got a chance to sit down with Nicole for this episode and have a conversation about her Dreamforce presentation.
Nicole is the Director of Delivery Management and Operations at SaltClick, a consultancy for Salesforce and Slack, so she’s eager to find new ways to get the most out of both platforms. The ever-deepening integration between Salesforce and Slack means there are all sorts of new ways to connect users with data.
As Nicole explains, all this means that the entire idea of what an admin can do is becoming more and more expansive.
If your organization isn’t using Slack, how do you get the buy-in you need to overcome inertia? And if you are using Slack, how do you get the most out of it?
Nicole is an admin, but she’s also a decision-maker at SaltClick, and when she puts on her leadership hat, she wants to hear about business problems and possible solutions. So the key to getting buy-in is to reposition Slack from something that sends messages to something that can solve real business problems.
“I think the magic of Slack is that when you’re using it and when you’re using it right, it’s easily adopted,” Nicole says, “you don’t have to sell it because when you use it, you showcase it.” For example, identify how many meetings can be eliminated with a dedicated channel on Slack, or show how much you can simplify your team’s workflow with the Jira integration.
As Nicole explains, it’s helpful to establish some rules of the road for how your organization will use Slack. Here are a few tips to get started:
Make sure to check out Nicole’s Dreamforce presentation, in-person or online. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode.
Mike:
In addition, Nicole shares her journey from accidental admin to leadership, and she gives us some insight into building intentional channel structure, integrating external platforms, like Jira, and reshaping the admin role in this new very connected era. So whether you’re Slack-curious or already swimming in salty channels, you’re going to walk away with some ideas you can use.
And with that, let’s get Nicole on the podcast.
So Nicole, welcome to the podcast.
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
My day-to-day life right now, I manage delivery and operations over at SaltClick. We’re a consultancy for Salesforce and Slack, so I get to work with very bright people building out super fun solutions for customers and ourselves, and that’s Salesforce and Slack together, which also gets me very excited.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So from my perspective, we’re starting to see a really close merge of Slack, this communication powerhouse, with Salesforce and having the ability to understand and navigate both right now is going to be such an amazing opportunity, and I think it starts to rewrite the narrative of what an admin is.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
And now it’s merging more with other platforms. As a Salesforce admin, I need to also understand connected platforms, how to maybe connect to different systems. So over the course of, I think rapidly the past three years, what an admin has been I think is no longer just those foundational Salesforce elements. It’s really starting to evolve. So I see that happening too with Slack, so bridging the gap a little bit, expanding out to other systems. So I do think it’s shifting, and Slack has helped shaping that.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
But also our teams. We talk about Slack being our work operating system and wanting to do more in the flow of work, all these buzzwords and phrases we hear. What does that really mean? It’s bringing those systems in, whether it’s just the data or it’s actually actions and connecting out too.
So I think the example that is top of mind for me, because I’m in it constantly, is Jira. So I want to connect with Jira through Slack so that I can create issues, I can update issues. I just get things done faster with pulling in those external systems, the data, but now the actions too, right?
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I love to spend my time with people. So I know that was a long way from connecting systems and bringing things in, but it becomes my favorite question because we can start to do so much when we connect systems that we’re using every day and when we’re actioning in those systems too.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
But I will say when I started at SaltClick, it was almost three years ago, time flies, it was already heavily being used, and one of my predecessors was really starting to push on what is Slack, how can we use it? And I really gravitated toward that, so I just started to pick that up, training sessions for folks, really empowering people and pushing them to Slack’s help articles because they’re amazing. So it just became a natural conversation for us.
And now it’s people coming to me saying, hey, can we do this with Slack? I just posted something about Gearset and getting notifications and then linking out to pull requests to understand what’s being validated, what’s failing. That wasn’t my idea. Shout out to Jacob on my team because he knows that we can use Slack for many different things, and he wants to make his own life easier.
So it’s become a natural conversation for us. What can we do in Slack, and how can we do it? People come to me with half-baked ideas. I love it, and then I just help get it to the finish line. I might have an idea I reach out to somebody about, but it is really all hands in on Slack.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I think as leaders we tend to see problems and we have potential solutions, but we really want input and buy-in from the people that are using the tools, right?
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So that’s what comes to mind for me when I think, how do I reposition this tool that might just be seen as a way to send messages to something that can actually solve some business problems for us.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So for me in leadership, it’s been very powerful because I can understand how we can use our systems to really solve our business needs. And again, SaltClick gives me the opportunity to continue to do the things that bring me joy.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So from the Slack community lens, the engagement there is really answering questions that come in. Sometimes you’re going to get a meme. Sometimes you’ll get some help articles and some directions and a path forward. And it’s really posting consistently there to help people understand that you’re there for them, that you can bring them information in the flow of their lives that’s going to help them.
On the SaltClick side, it really is about trying to organize because I did some kind of research pretty recently to understand how many channels are we in, how many messages and files and all kinds of stuff are we sending around. It’s a lot. I think on average people are in 100 or 200 channels, so the noise can become pretty robust. You want to try and organize that and make it meaningful. So really helping navigate with channel descriptions. What are we even doing in this channel, what’s our goal, what can you expect? Letting people know that they don’t have to be in a channel. They can exit it. They can leave. They can set their own notifications. I really like to advocate for not only the way that we have our channels set up, but the way that they can help themselves in that experience as well.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
And then we did develop a standard naming convention for our project channels because again, we are Slack-first. So we are running our projects through Slack, and then we have our customers in Slack channels as well. So we wanted to define what those naming conventions were so that we could organize ourselves a lot more efficiently.
And then we also think about too what should go in that channel. Should there be a canvas or not? So not only are we thinking about standard naming conventions for channels, we’re also thinking about what would add value right there in the channel. So if I have a canvas for a project, what should I have in that canvas? If I have a canvas and a DM with one of my direct reports, what should I have in that canvas to make it meaningful?
So in my mind, it’s definitely thinking about the structures of the channels, how we’re using Slack, what our etiquette is for each other. And even things like defining the emojis that you use. A thumbs up or thumbs down could mean something else to someone.
I like to give the example of my parents texting one another back and forth. My mom sent a long paragraph to my dad, and then his response was a thumbs up, but we probably had a good five-minute conversation around what his thumbs up meant. Was it a good thumbs up? Was it a sarcastic thumbs up? So defining what your emojis mean could avoid some confusion down the line.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I think it is the perfect opportunity. I was at TDX and started to hear a lot of Salesforce people asking, what’s up with Slack, what can we do there? A lot of people are starting to join the Slack community. It’s the perfect time. And I think with how fast things are changing, I don’t want anyone to get left behind. I don’t want them to feel like they’re being left behind, certainly not anyone’s company.
So I think, for me, it’s really, really being at this point of being able to understand both and connect them.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Now I know not everybody’s headed to Dreamforce, but if you are, I hope this session got you excited for some of the content that’s out there. If you’re not, that’s okay. There is a ton of content on Slack, on both Trailhead, on our YouTube channels. You’re not going to miss out. We’ll also broadcast a whole bunch of this. I do believe Nicole’s session will probably also be online, so I’ll just let that out as a sneak peek.
Now, if you learned something new or you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor, share it with somebody, promote it on social, spread the word.
Let other admins find some of this great content that you enjoy listening to.
And with that, until next time, I’ll see you in the cloud.
The post Slack Is Redefining the Salesforce Admin Role appeared first on Salesforce Admins.
4.7
200200 ratings
Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Nicole Pomponio, Director of Delivery Management and Operations at SaltClick.
Join us as we chat about how admins can unlock the full potential of Slack in Salesforce. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Nicole Pomponio.
If you’re planning on coming to Dreamforce this year (or catching it at home), you’re probably going to hear a lot about new ways of combining Agentforce and Slack. That’s why I’m excited I got a chance to sit down with Nicole for this episode and have a conversation about her Dreamforce presentation.
Nicole is the Director of Delivery Management and Operations at SaltClick, a consultancy for Salesforce and Slack, so she’s eager to find new ways to get the most out of both platforms. The ever-deepening integration between Salesforce and Slack means there are all sorts of new ways to connect users with data.
As Nicole explains, all this means that the entire idea of what an admin can do is becoming more and more expansive.
If your organization isn’t using Slack, how do you get the buy-in you need to overcome inertia? And if you are using Slack, how do you get the most out of it?
Nicole is an admin, but she’s also a decision-maker at SaltClick, and when she puts on her leadership hat, she wants to hear about business problems and possible solutions. So the key to getting buy-in is to reposition Slack from something that sends messages to something that can solve real business problems.
“I think the magic of Slack is that when you’re using it and when you’re using it right, it’s easily adopted,” Nicole says, “you don’t have to sell it because when you use it, you showcase it.” For example, identify how many meetings can be eliminated with a dedicated channel on Slack, or show how much you can simplify your team’s workflow with the Jira integration.
As Nicole explains, it’s helpful to establish some rules of the road for how your organization will use Slack. Here are a few tips to get started:
Make sure to check out Nicole’s Dreamforce presentation, in-person or online. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode.
Mike:
In addition, Nicole shares her journey from accidental admin to leadership, and she gives us some insight into building intentional channel structure, integrating external platforms, like Jira, and reshaping the admin role in this new very connected era. So whether you’re Slack-curious or already swimming in salty channels, you’re going to walk away with some ideas you can use.
And with that, let’s get Nicole on the podcast.
So Nicole, welcome to the podcast.
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
My day-to-day life right now, I manage delivery and operations over at SaltClick. We’re a consultancy for Salesforce and Slack, so I get to work with very bright people building out super fun solutions for customers and ourselves, and that’s Salesforce and Slack together, which also gets me very excited.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So from my perspective, we’re starting to see a really close merge of Slack, this communication powerhouse, with Salesforce and having the ability to understand and navigate both right now is going to be such an amazing opportunity, and I think it starts to rewrite the narrative of what an admin is.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
And now it’s merging more with other platforms. As a Salesforce admin, I need to also understand connected platforms, how to maybe connect to different systems. So over the course of, I think rapidly the past three years, what an admin has been I think is no longer just those foundational Salesforce elements. It’s really starting to evolve. So I see that happening too with Slack, so bridging the gap a little bit, expanding out to other systems. So I do think it’s shifting, and Slack has helped shaping that.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
But also our teams. We talk about Slack being our work operating system and wanting to do more in the flow of work, all these buzzwords and phrases we hear. What does that really mean? It’s bringing those systems in, whether it’s just the data or it’s actually actions and connecting out too.
So I think the example that is top of mind for me, because I’m in it constantly, is Jira. So I want to connect with Jira through Slack so that I can create issues, I can update issues. I just get things done faster with pulling in those external systems, the data, but now the actions too, right?
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I love to spend my time with people. So I know that was a long way from connecting systems and bringing things in, but it becomes my favorite question because we can start to do so much when we connect systems that we’re using every day and when we’re actioning in those systems too.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
But I will say when I started at SaltClick, it was almost three years ago, time flies, it was already heavily being used, and one of my predecessors was really starting to push on what is Slack, how can we use it? And I really gravitated toward that, so I just started to pick that up, training sessions for folks, really empowering people and pushing them to Slack’s help articles because they’re amazing. So it just became a natural conversation for us.
And now it’s people coming to me saying, hey, can we do this with Slack? I just posted something about Gearset and getting notifications and then linking out to pull requests to understand what’s being validated, what’s failing. That wasn’t my idea. Shout out to Jacob on my team because he knows that we can use Slack for many different things, and he wants to make his own life easier.
So it’s become a natural conversation for us. What can we do in Slack, and how can we do it? People come to me with half-baked ideas. I love it, and then I just help get it to the finish line. I might have an idea I reach out to somebody about, but it is really all hands in on Slack.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I think as leaders we tend to see problems and we have potential solutions, but we really want input and buy-in from the people that are using the tools, right?
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So that’s what comes to mind for me when I think, how do I reposition this tool that might just be seen as a way to send messages to something that can actually solve some business problems for us.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So for me in leadership, it’s been very powerful because I can understand how we can use our systems to really solve our business needs. And again, SaltClick gives me the opportunity to continue to do the things that bring me joy.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
So from the Slack community lens, the engagement there is really answering questions that come in. Sometimes you’re going to get a meme. Sometimes you’ll get some help articles and some directions and a path forward. And it’s really posting consistently there to help people understand that you’re there for them, that you can bring them information in the flow of their lives that’s going to help them.
On the SaltClick side, it really is about trying to organize because I did some kind of research pretty recently to understand how many channels are we in, how many messages and files and all kinds of stuff are we sending around. It’s a lot. I think on average people are in 100 or 200 channels, so the noise can become pretty robust. You want to try and organize that and make it meaningful. So really helping navigate with channel descriptions. What are we even doing in this channel, what’s our goal, what can you expect? Letting people know that they don’t have to be in a channel. They can exit it. They can leave. They can set their own notifications. I really like to advocate for not only the way that we have our channels set up, but the way that they can help themselves in that experience as well.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
And then we did develop a standard naming convention for our project channels because again, we are Slack-first. So we are running our projects through Slack, and then we have our customers in Slack channels as well. So we wanted to define what those naming conventions were so that we could organize ourselves a lot more efficiently.
And then we also think about too what should go in that channel. Should there be a canvas or not? So not only are we thinking about standard naming conventions for channels, we’re also thinking about what would add value right there in the channel. So if I have a canvas for a project, what should I have in that canvas? If I have a canvas and a DM with one of my direct reports, what should I have in that canvas to make it meaningful?
So in my mind, it’s definitely thinking about the structures of the channels, how we’re using Slack, what our etiquette is for each other. And even things like defining the emojis that you use. A thumbs up or thumbs down could mean something else to someone.
I like to give the example of my parents texting one another back and forth. My mom sent a long paragraph to my dad, and then his response was a thumbs up, but we probably had a good five-minute conversation around what his thumbs up meant. Was it a good thumbs up? Was it a sarcastic thumbs up? So defining what your emojis mean could avoid some confusion down the line.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
I think it is the perfect opportunity. I was at TDX and started to hear a lot of Salesforce people asking, what’s up with Slack, what can we do there? A lot of people are starting to join the Slack community. It’s the perfect time. And I think with how fast things are changing, I don’t want anyone to get left behind. I don’t want them to feel like they’re being left behind, certainly not anyone’s company.
So I think, for me, it’s really, really being at this point of being able to understand both and connect them.
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Nicole Pomponio:
Mike:
Now I know not everybody’s headed to Dreamforce, but if you are, I hope this session got you excited for some of the content that’s out there. If you’re not, that’s okay. There is a ton of content on Slack, on both Trailhead, on our YouTube channels. You’re not going to miss out. We’ll also broadcast a whole bunch of this. I do believe Nicole’s session will probably also be online, so I’ll just let that out as a sneak peek.
Now, if you learned something new or you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor, share it with somebody, promote it on social, spread the word.
Let other admins find some of this great content that you enjoy listening to.
And with that, until next time, I’ll see you in the cloud.
The post Slack Is Redefining the Salesforce Admin Role appeared first on Salesforce Admins.
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