Let's be real: being the sole Salesforce admin in an enterprise org isn't a promotion—it's a survival test. I've navigated this alone across healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, and I've seen too many admins drown in the chaos. Here’s how I’ve kept my org from imploding while wearing every hat.
First: Stop Pretending You Know Everything
That "simple" report you inherited? It’s likely using 20 deprecated fields. That "quick fix" for a sales team request? It’s broken the lead assignment flow. I learned this the hard way when a "minor" permission set change caused a $200K revenue leak. Your first move: document everything. Not just "Salesforce is awesome," but exactly how every process works. Use Salesforce’s built-in documentation features, not just sticky notes. When a VP asks why "opportunities aren’t closing," you’ll have the audit trail to trace it to a bad workflow rule you thought was harmless.
Automate or Die
Manual work is your enemy. In a previous healthcare org, I spent 10 hours weekly manually updating patient records after a CRM integration. I wrote a simple Apex trigger that ran nightly, reducing errors by 90% and freeing up 40 hours/month. Your priority: find the 3-5 most repetitive tasks and automate them. Start small:
Use Flow to auto-assign leads based on territory rules instead of manual routing
Build a scheduled Apex job to clean up stale data (e.g., leads inactive for 90 days)
Replace manual reports with Einstein Analytics dashboards for real-time visibility
Know Your Org’s Weak Spots (Before They Break)
Don’t wait for the "critical" issue. Proactively scan for risks. For example, I discovered a client’s org had 12,000+ inactive custom objects—eating into API limits and slowing everything down. A quick SOQL query caught it:
SELECT Id, DeveloperName, NamespacePrefix FROM CustomObject WHERE IsActive = false LIMIT 500
Then, I built a cleanup script to archive them. Another time, I found a "hidden" workflow rule on Opportunities that was resetting stages for 15% of deals. Using Setup Audit Trail and Process Builder Debug Logs, I traced it to a forgotten consultant’s config. You need these tools—ignore them at your peril.
Build Your Support Network (Even If You’re Solo)
Being the only admin means you’re isolated. But you’re not alone. Join the Salesforce Admin Community, attend local meetups, and always have a trusted peer to bounce ideas off. I once spent 3 days debugging a complex permission set issue until I messaged a colleague from a different org. They spotted a typo in a profile name I’d missed for hours. Pay it forward: when someone asks a question on the Trailblazer Community, answer it. It’s your lifeline.
Prioritize Like a CEO (Not a Doormat)
Every "urgent" request isn’t actually urgent. In manufacturing, a production team begged me to add a field to 500+ production orders yesterday. I said no. Instead, I asked: "What problem does this solve?" It was a vanity metric for a manager. I redirected them to an existing report. Now, I use a simple framework:
Will this impact revenue or compliance? (Yes → Do it)
Can it be fixed with a config change? (Yes → Do it)
Is it a "nice-to-have" for a single user? (No → Delay or decline)
Surviving as a solo admin isn’t about being the hero—it’s about being the strategist. Document relentlessly, automate ruthlessly, scan proactively, lean on your community, and say "no" to the noise. Your org will thank you when the next crisis hits.
Still feeling overwhelmed? Get a free Org Health Scan—I use it monthly to catch the hidden risks before they break. No fluff, just actionable insights to keep your org running smoothly.
📚 Recommended Resource: Salesforce for Dummies — great for anyone learning Salesforce.
📚 Recommended Resource: The Phoenix Project — great for anyone IT management.
📚 Recommended Resource: NIST Cybersecurity Framework Guide — great for anyone security frameworks.
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