Salesforce is a widely-used, powerful customer relationship management (CRM) solution. Business News Daily describes it as "an all-in-one, cloud-based solution that has everything you need in a CRM software," with options for companies of all sizes, from enterprise operations to small businesses. If you work with Salesforce, you'll be glad to learn there are a number of great podcasts you can rely on for the training you need to make the most of this powerful system.
5 Top Podcasts for Salesforce Training
Choose the podcast that best meets your needs based on the way you interact with Salesforce. Whether you work for a private or nonprofit organization or function as a developer or administrator, you're sure to find one or more of these five podcasts to be helpful. Each option presented here is free for your listening enjoyment.
1. Code Coverage
Designed specifically for Salesforce developers, the Code Coverage podcast comes highly recommended by Francis Pindar on the Cloud Architecture blog and by Gaurav Kheterpal on his The Salesforce Mobile Guy! blog. Hosted by long-time expert Salesforce developers Steven Herod and Matt Lacey, this podcast provides training focused on helping listeners truly hone their skills. If you want to learn just enough to get by, their show might go a bit deeper than you would prefer, but if you're looking for substantive, developer-focused information, it's a great option for you.
They don't host a new episode every month, and their broadcasts aren't a set length, but you can bet that when a new podcast is made, it'll provide you with quality insights specific to the interests of developers. Most episodes feature interviews with other expert Salesforce developers. Episodes typically run between 30 minutes and an hour. You can subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes. You can also listen directly from CodeCoverage.org.
2. The Salesforce Admins Podcast
As the name would suggest, the podcast offers training specific to administration concerns. It focuses on the needs of users who administer Salesforce at their companies rather than developers, so the solutions posed are click-based rather than code-based. It is recommended on the Cloud Architecture blog, where Pindar (a developer) describes it as a great tool "to keep up to date on the declarative side of Salesforce."
New podcasts are held each week and feature training tips and suggestions from real-world admins in a talk-show format. You can listen to the podcast at Admin.Salesforce.com. It is also available on iTunes, where reviewers rate it very highly, and Stitcher. One iTunes user states, "This is the best way to keep on top of all that's happening on Salesforce." Another brags, "Mike and Gillian continue to knock it out of the park with every episode."
3. CloudFocus
Recommended by Salesforce MVP Jitendra Zaa on his blog as well as Pindar's Cloud Architecture blog, CloudFocus is a great podcast for developers and administrators seeking training on Salesforce, as well as other aspects related to cloud computing. It is hosted by Justin Edelstein and Jason Atwood, both Salesforce MVPs with significant experience implementing cloud-based computing in companies of all sizes across a variety of industries. No matter what you want to learn about Salesforce, chances are they have an episode with training information you'll find beneficial.
This weekly podcast has more than 240 episodes, with new ones being added every week. Episodes typically last 30 minutes to an hour. Rather than bringing in an interviewee every week, the hosts directly share their expertise with listeners. Topics range from Salesforce architecture, to managing leads in the system, to new developments.
You can listen directly from their website (arkusinc.com/cloudfocus-weekly) or told through iTunes or Stitcher. Reviewers on iTunes praise the hosts for their relaxed delivery style and expertise and say there is value in every episode, all the way back to the beginning of the podcast.
4. Wizardcast
Also recommended on the blogs of Zaa and Pindar, Wizardcast is a newer podcast that is focused specifically on Salesforce. According to the WizardCast website, its target audience is "Salesforce professionals everywhere," so no matter how you use the system, you're likely to find each episode to be filled with helpful information. The hosts, Mark Ross and Brian Kwong, are both Salesforce MVPs, so they know their stuff. This is a host-driven podcast (rather than interview-driven), and the podcasters encourage listeners to send in questions and resources.
You can listen directly from their website, or opt to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Android, email, or RSS. The podcast just started in February of 2016, so there aren't a lot of episodes yet - but the ones available are rated highly. Reviewers on iTunes indicate the hosts are entertaining, and the information provided is helpful to developers.
5. Cloud TNT
Salesforce can be an effective tool for nonprofit organizations to cultivate donor relationships, but the system and training needs are unique from private sector businesses in some ways. The Cloud TNT podcast is designed especially for nonprofit organizations that utilize Salesforce, making it an excellent training option for users focused on fundraising. There are three personalities behind this podcast - Jonie Martin and Tim Lockie of Now IT Matters and Tracy Kronzak of Bright Step Partners, each with expertise in both the nonprofit sector and technology, as well as Salesforce.
They generally hold two or three podcasts per month, each one featuring a guest who discusses a particular aspect of using Salesforce in the nonprofit sector. Episodes vary in length, typically lasting less than an hour. Episodes are available through iTunes, where a reviewer highly recommends the podcast by stating, "The interviews are always a blast to listen to and I always learn something new." You can also visit their website to listen to episodes.
Mastering Salesforce
No matter how you work with Salesforce, podcast training is a viable option to get the information you need to advance your skills. Choose one - or more - of these great resources for your listening pleasure, and you'll be on your way to enhancing your skills with this powerful system in no time at all.
