A Salesforce technical writer creates copies that explain how Salesforce’s customer relationship management software works. But besides presenting the product to end-users, technical writers also have other responsibilities.
The article will explore what a technical writer does at Salesforce, the benefits, the average salary, and what it takes to become a Salesforce technical writer. Let’s start.
What Does a Salesforce Technical Writer Do?
A Salesforce technical writer writes copies that straightforwardly communicate complex product details. Technical writers write content for both the end-user and coworkers inside the company.
The most common types of content are:
- How-to manuals
- Technical reports
- Release notes
- Case studies
- Technical datasheets
- Implementation guides
What sets a Salesforce technical writer apart from other industry writers, such as copywriters, is that while copywriting aims to sell, technical writing aims to inform. Salesforce wants their customers to use their product effectively since the more usability the customer gets, the greater the revenue. Technical writers ensure that customers attain familiarity with the product efficiently.
To do that, writers need a specific skillset. Besides stellar writing, they also need to have a technical understanding. Since tech writers at Salesforce communicate between developers and consumers, they need the developer’s knowledge and the copywriter’s textual engagement.
For that reason, many technical writers are previous developers or engineers who decided to change careers. Tech writers work closely with product managers and other writers while helping create detail-oriented copies.
Salesforce Technical Writer Qualifications & Responsibilities
Since Salesforce spreads across multiple states, you can find different open positions in other cities. Based on candidate experience, you can land jobs as an associate, senior, lead, or staff technical writer. No matter what position you decide to join Salesforce, you’ll focus on customer success.
Besides helping users understand the product, you’ll also help them see the benefits. For example, just because a person knows how to drive a car doesn’t mean they understand how a car benefits them. The correlation is even more obscure with software documentation.
Many startups and small companies struggle with customer engagement and customer retention. While they likely know about customer relationship management solutions, they usually lack time to engage with one.
If you’re running a company, you likely don’t have much time to learn something new, no matter how helpful it might be. In other words, if a technical writer can save even a single hour from the user’s time required to experience benefits, it means a lot to Salesforce.
As such, Salesforce offers equal pay and various inclusive benefits and inclusive programs for its employees, but what does it take to get the job?
Qualifications
Qualifications vary depending on your experience. For example, if you want to apply as an associate technical writer, you need 2+ years of experience, while a lead tech writer needs 10+. While qualified applicants don’t need any formal education, it likely helps to have a college degree in communication, English language, or a tech writing certificate.
You can boost your hiring chances even further if you have experience with AI, machine learning, and similar fields. Note that you don’t do machine learning as a writer, but you need the understanding to write about the topic.
Besides the specifics, here are some general requirements:
- Fantastic research and writing skills
- Communication skills
- Project managing skills
- XML tools experience
If you have experience creating content but lack technical knowledge, you can still land the job. Salesforce offers a vibrant work environment to help you evolve as a technical writer. Part of your job is working with different teams. Meaning, as long as you’re capable of absorbing new knowledge and putting it into practical use, you stand a chance.
With requirements in place, let’s check some of the responsibilities you might have.
Responsibilities
Since the core of any CRM solution is to simplify customer engagement, Salesforce users must understand the platform and services as quickly as possible. If a customer has trouble understanding how to benefit from the service, it automatically reflects on the CRM’s core functionality. If Salesforce can’t effectively explain their product, then likely, the product itself isn’t straightforward either.
Although it might sound simple to explain a product such as CRM or its updates, it’s more than meets the eye. We as users have trouble accustoming to something new, and it takes a while to go from a product being a nuisance to a valuable commodity. Technical writers are here to make that trip painless.
As a technical writer, you’ll create tech documents and copies that help users understand the product. As such, you’ll work with other writers, product teams, product managers, and the marketing team.
Naturally, your responsibilities will grow the higher your position is. Still, as an associate tech writer, you’ll mainly focus on writing, while lead tech writers need to develop solutions and content plans.
Besides classic copies, you’ll help create in-app help manuals, release notes, and videos.
Technical Writer Salary at Salesforce
The average annual compensation for a technical writer at Salesforce is $102,300, including the base salary and bonus. This makes it above the national average of $74,650.
Remember that the average considers different tech writing jobs inside the company. As an associate technical writer, your salary will be $59,936 and grow as you move up the ranks.
Although technical writers make more than junior product managers, they earn less than product managers, marketing, and other senior product positions.
Finally, the annual compensation is the same based on gender and ethnicity.
Salesforce Employee Benefits
Before exploring the benefits, it’s worth mentioning that Salesforce has several employee resource groups. To make the experience more than just a job, job category products at Salesforce allow employees to join different resource groups and drive equality depending on their core values.
By offering an equal employment opportunity, Salesforce welcomes candidates no matter their gender perception, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability status.
According to Comparably, benefits at Salesforce have an A+ rating, and 91% say that they are satisfied. Here are the core benefits you get as an employee:
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Gym membership
- 401K retirement plan
- Stock purchase plan
- Paid holidays
- Maternity/paternity leave
Now that you are familiar with benefits, let’s check average job salaries at Salesforce.
Final Note
What’s great about the Salesforce technical writer position is that you don’t need a decade worth of tech writing experience. You can apply even if you’re starting your tech writing career.
Nevertheless, you still need some experience. One way to gain knowledge is by taking technical writer online courses. Not only do they create a solid foundation, but some also offer certifications as proof of your capabilities. Although not essential, certificates usually provide the necessary edge to stand out amongst other candidates.
SaaS is a booming industry for technical writers, so it’s always a good idea to start sooner than later. Good luck.
FAQ
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about technical writers.
Is a technical writer a good career?
More and more companies are looking for capable writers to help them present their products or service to their users. The overall market scene is vastly different than it was three decades ago. While previously, a business would rely on benefits to sell a product, today, the product is the sales pitch. That means creating clear communication between the company and users, making the tech writing a possibly fruitful career choice.
What does a technical writer do?
Generally speaking, technical writers create informative copies that help users understand how to use a product and get the benefits as instantly as possible. Depending on the company’s niche, technical writers create how-to manuals, reports, science papers, press releases, etc. But overall, it’s the technical writer’s job to simplify the communication between the product creators and the general audience, including users and other employees.
What makes a good technical writer?
A good technical writer can inform and educate using as few words as possible. Experienced technical writers know that their job isn’t to sell but to educate. They need to use a friendly tone, vocabulary and avoid complex phrasing. Finally, a good technical writer usually specializes in a specific industry, and besides improving writing skills, they are constantly learning about the specialized industry.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) solution that helps companies engage and interact with customers. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Salesforce is a global leader in CRM. Besides CRM, Salesforce also creates applications for marketing and analytics.
If you are new to technical writing and are looking to break-in, we recommend taking our Technical Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of being a technical writer, how to dominate technical writer interviews, and how to stand out as a technical writing candidate.
