March, 2024 - gettectonic.com
WhatsApp Integration Brings Service and Marketing Together
31Mar

WhatsApp Integration Brings Service and Marketing Together

Salesforce has announced the general availability of Unified Conversations for WhatsApp, transforming one-way marketing promotions and service requests into dynamic, two-way conversations from a single WhatsApp number. WhatsApp Integration Brings Service and Marketing Together. Now, instead of managing separate threads for promotions and support, customers can receive personalized opt-in marketing promotions and individual support all within a single WhatsApp chat. This unified approach allows companies like Agibank to leverage Salesforce data from over 900 hubs within WhatsApp to deliver personalized loan proposals, resolve issues faster, and better support customers in a single conversation. Why It Matters A significant 79% of customers expect consistent interactions across departments, and 75% prefer to communicate with brands through messaging. However, businesses often fail to meet these expectations, with disconnected experiences being a top customer frustration. Salesforce Perspective “With over two billion people using WhatsApp, Salesforce’s Unified Conversations for WhatsApp enables brands to connect with customers in a unified, trusted manner,” said Steve Hammond, EVP and GM of Salesforce Marketing Cloud. “This helps brands break down internal barriers and build stronger relationships throughout the customer journey, ensuring personalized engagement at the right time and context.” Go Deeper Unified Conversations for WhatsApp is powered by Salesforce Data Cloud, allowing companies to consolidate data into Salesforce and create a unified customer profile. This shared profile provides marketers and service agents with the relevant context to deliver trusted experiences in a single chat thread. Innovation in Action Unified Conversations for WhatsApp combines marketing and service conversations, enabling: Customer Perspective Matheus Girardi, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at Agibank, shared, “Our customers rely on WhatsApp to engage with us. Unifying our data in Salesforce for WhatsApp has improved our user experience by personalizing loan proposals, resolving concerns, and supporting customers. Salesforce’s previous integration with WhatsApp tripled our digital sales, and we are excited to do more.” Roberto Maia, Chief Information Officer at YDUQS, added, “WhatsApp is the preferred messaging app for our students across Brazil. We look forward to utilizing Unified Conversations to better engage and serve them and convert leads faster.” Availability Unified Conversations for WhatsApp is now generally available. More Information Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 31, 2024in Salesforce Data Cloud, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Salesforce Optimization, Salesforce Service Cloud
Legacy Salesforce URL Redirection Retires
31Mar

Legacy Salesforce URL Redirection Retires

Legacy Salesforce URL Redirection Retires – Salesforce Announcement Security Notification At Salesforce, we understand that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data is vital to your business, and we take the protection of your data very seriously. We’re writing to remind you that redirections for some of your Salesforce orgs’ URLs stop in the Winter ’25 release, starting in August 2024 for sandboxes and in September 2024 for production orgs. We highly encourage you to test for this change and update all references to your previous URLs before those redirections stop. Security Notification Why the Change? To comply with the latest browser and security standards, Salesforce recently required that customers deploy enhanced domains. This feature updated the hostname formats for the domains that serve Salesforce orgs. To reduce the impact of this change, your previous hostnames are redirected by default. However, to meet Salesforce security standards, some of the previous domains will be retired in 2024. The corresponding redirections stop in the Winter ’25 release. Why the Change? Actions Required Review the affected hostnames and how you can disable the redirections for testing. For details, see Prepare for the End of Redirections for Non-Enhanced Domains in Salesforce Help. Additional Resources Salesforce Enhanced Domains FAQSalesforce Help: Prepare for the End of Redirections for Non-Enhanced DomainsSalesforce Help: Log My Domain Hostname RedirectionsSalesforce Help: Enhanced Domains TimelineTo ask questions about enhanced domains, visit our monitored My Domain and Enhanced Domains group in the Trailblazer Community.We appreciate your trust in us as we continue to make your success and security our top priorities. Additional Resources Legacy Salesforce URL Redirection Retires Prepare for the End of Redirections for Non-Enhanced Domains After enhanced domains are deployed, your previous non-enhanced hostnames are redirected. Those redirections stop in Winter ’25, starting in August 2024 for sandboxes.. Review the affected hostnames and how you can disable the redirections to test before Salesforce disables them. REQUIRED EDITIONS Available in: both Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs) and Lightning Experience Available in: Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions After enhanced domains are deployed, Salesforce redirects two categories of non-enhanced hostnames. To see if redirections are in place for a previous My Domain, check the Redirections section of the My Domain Setup page. NOTE My Domain URL redirections help prevent disruption, but they’re not intended as a permanent solution. Not all services work well with redirections, and a redirection adds a step to the process of loading the final web page. When you deploy enhanced domains, we highly recommend that you disable redirections during testing and update all references to your old URLs. Track the Source of Redirections You can search the metadata for your org to determine where the impacted URLs are used in Salesforce, but discovering all the other places that your URLs are used can be more complex. For example, site URLs and content URLs can be used on your website, social media pages, marketing materials, and templates such as email signatures and automated responses. To help you identify these locations outside of Salesforce, the Hostname Redirects log includes the referrer and origin sent with each request that Salesforce redirects. For more information, see Log My Domain Hostname Redirections. Notify Users During Redirections To help your users update outdated links and bookmarks, display a brief message during the redirection that provides the current URL. See Manage My Domain Redirections. Previous *.force.com Site Hostnames When you enable and deploy enhanced domains, the hostname formats change for your Experience Cloud sites and Salesforce Sites. To minimize potential disruption, the *.force.com hostnames that Salesforce hosted for your sites are redirected to your current site hostnames. Those redirections remain in place until Winter ’25 or until you disable these redirections. To disable these redirections for testing purposes, use an option in the Redirections section of the My Domain page and test. For more information, see Disable Redirections for Your Previous Force.com Site URLs. For the replacement format for each of these hostnames, see My Domain URL Format Changes When You Enable Enhanced Domains. To better understand the purpose of each hostname type and whether it applies to you, see My Domain Hostnames. Here are the *.force.com site hostnames for a production org that are temporarily redirected after you enable and deploy enhanced domains. Here are the .*force.com site hostnames for a sandbox that are temporarily redirected after you enable and deploy enhanced domains. Other Non-Enhanced My Domain Hostnames When you enable and deploy enhanced domains, your other previous non-enhanced My Domain hostnames are redirected. Those redirections remain in place until Winter ’25 or until you disable these redirections. For the type and the replacement format for each of these hostnames, see My Domain URL Format Changes When You Enable Enhanced Domains. To better understand the purpose of each hostname type and whether it applies to you, see My Domain Hostnames. NOTE If you deploy another My Domain change after you enable and deploy enhanced domains, these hostnames are no longer redirected. For more information, see Understand Redirections for Previous My Domain Hostnames. To disable the redirections of these non-enhanced My Domain hostnames for testing purposes, you can temporarily disable your previous My Domain. For more information, see Disable or Remove Your Previous My Domain. Here are the non-enhanced hostnames for a production org that are temporarily redirected after you enable and deploy enhanced domains. Here are the non-enhanced hostnames for a sandbox that are temporarily redirected after you enable and deploy enhanced domains. 1 If your installed package is unmanaged, the package name is c. Instanced URLs Without My Domain If your org was created before October 2020, you didn’t get a My Domain by default. In that case, your users accessed Salesforce with these hostnames that contained your instance name but not your My Domain name. These hostnames are redirected if the Instanced URL setting in the Redirections section on the My Domain Setup page is set to Redirect to the same page within the domain

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March 31, 2024in Hyperforce, Salesforce, Salesforce Experience Cloud
AI Then and Now
30Mar

AI Then and Now

AI: Transforming User Interactions and Experiences Have you ever been greeted by a waitress who already knows your breakfast order? It’s a relief not to detail every aspect — temperature, how do you want your eggs, what kind of juice, bacon or sausage, etc. This example encapsulates the journey we’re navigating with AI today. AI Then and Now. This article isn’t about ordering breakfast; it’s about the evolution of user interactions, particularly how generative AI might evolve based on past trends in graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and emerging trends in AI interactions. We’ll explore the significance of context bundling, user curation, trust, and ecosystems as key trends in AI user experience in this Tectonic insight. From Commands to Conversations Let’s rewind to the early days of computing when users had to type precise commands in a Command-Line Interface (CLI). Imagine the challenge of remembering the exact command to open a file or copy data. This complexity meant that only a few people could use computers effectively. To reach a broader audience, a shift was necessary. You might think Apple’s creation of the mouse and drop down menues was the pinnacle of success, but truly the evolution predates Apple. Enter ELIZA in 1964, an early natural language processing program that engaged users in basic conversations through keyword recognition and scripted responses. Although groundbreaking, ELIZA’s interactions were far from flexible or scalable. Around the same time, Xerox PARC was developing the Graphical User Interface (GUI), later popularized by Apple in 1984 and Microsoft shortly thereafter. GUIs transformed computing by replacing complex commands with icons, menus, and windows navigable by a mouse. This innovation made computers accessible and intuitive for everyday tasks, laying the groundwork for technology’s universal role in our lives. Not only did it make computing accessible to the masses but it layed the foundation upon which every household would soon have one or more computers! The Evolution of AI Interfaces Just as early computing transitioned from the complexity of CLI to the simplicity of GUIs, we’re witnessing a parallel evolution in generative AI. User prompts are essentially mini-programs crafted in natural language, with the quality of outcomes depending on our prompt engineering skills. We are moving towards bundling complex inputs into simpler, more user-friendly interfaces with the complexity hidden in the background. Context Bundling Context bundling simplifies interactions by combining related information into a single command. This addresses the challenge of conveying complex instructions to achieve desired outcomes, enhancing efficiency and output quality by aligning user intent and machine understanding in one go. We’ve seen context bundling emerge across generative AI tools. For instance, sample prompts in Edge, Google Chrome’s tab manager, and trigger-words in Stable Diffusion fine-tune AI outputs. Context bundling isn’t always about conversation; it’s about achieving user goals efficiently without lengthy interactions. Context bundling is the difference in ordering the eggs versus telling the cook how to crack and prepare it. User Curation Despite advancements, there remains a spectrum of needs where users must refine outputs to achieve specific goals. This is especially true for tasks like researching, brainstorming, creating content, refining images, or editing. As context windows and multi-modal capabilities expand, guiding users through complexity becomes even more crucial. Humans constantly curate their experiences, whether by highlighting text in a book or picking out keywords in a conversation. Similarly, users interacting with ChatGPT often highlight relevant information to guide their next steps. By making it easier for users to curate and refine their outputs, AI tools can offer higher-quality results and enrich user experiences. User creation takes ordering breakfast from a manual conversational process to the click of a button on a vending-like system. Designing for Trust Trust is a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of generative AI. To build trust, we need to consider factors such as previous experiences, risk tolerance, interaction consistency, and social context. Without trust, in AI or your breakfast order, it becomes easier just to do it yourself. Trust is broken if the waitress brings you the wrong items, or if the artificial intelligence fails to meet your reasonable expectations. Context Ecosystems Generative AI has revolutionized productivity by lowering the barrier for users to start tasks, mirroring the benefits and journey of the GUI. However, modern UX has evolved beyond simple interfaces. The future of generative AI lies in creating ecosystems where AI tools collaborate with users in a seamless workflow. We see emergent examples like Edge, Chrome, and Pixel Assistant integrating AI functionality into their software. This integration goes beyond conversational windows, making AI aware of the software context and enhancing productivity. The Future of AI Interaction Generative AI will likely evolve to become a collaborator in our daily tasks. Tools like Grammarly and Github Copilot already show how AI can assist users in creating and refining content. As our comfort with AI grows, we may see generative AI managing both digital and physical aspects of our lives, augmenting reality and redefining productivity. The evolution of generative AI interactions is repeating the history of human-computer interaction. By creating better experiences that bundle context into simpler interactions, empower user curation, and augment known ecosystems, we can make generative AI more trustworthy, accessible, usable, and beneficial for everyone. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 30, 2024in Generative AI, Salesforce Einstein
Technologies for Field Services
29Mar

Technologies for Field Services

Technologies for Field Services are fast evolving. Here are the four technologies shaping the future of field service: In summary, these technologies are revolutionizing field service operations by enabling predictive maintenance, seamless communication, and smarter decision-making, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and driving business success. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 29, 2024in Salesforce Asset Management, Salesforce Manufacturing Automotive Energy, Salesforce Service Cloud
Why Use Marketing Cloud Mobile Connect
28Mar

Why Use Marketing Cloud Mobile Connect

Understanding Mobile Connect in Marketing Cloud: Why Use Marketing Cloud Mobile Connect Why Use Marketing Cloud Mobile Connect? Mobile Connect serves as Marketing Cloud’s SMS and MMS messaging tool. It enables the sending of mass text messages either to its standard Mobile Contact list or through established Data Extensions. For Data Extensions, ensure the presence of a Phone field and a Locale field. How does Mobile Connect Work? Mobile Connect simplifies the user experience by verifying the end user through their mobile phone number. This process allows users to confirm their identity online and authorize transactions, sharing only essential personal data required for completing the transaction securely. Getting Started with Mobile Connect: Guidelines and Resources for Mobile Connect: MobileConnect Features: Why Use Marketing Cloud Mobile Connect SMS is the most underrated channel. If we consider the success rates of SMS deliverability, open rate and click rate over the past years you would understand why. Countless companies are going back to SMS in order to maintain a high frequency of engagement with their customers and reach tough geographic markets. Even with the promising future of SMS, the questions are always the same: is it easy/budget-friendly to use this channel in my marketing campaigns? Which use cases are best suited for my business objectives? Is an SMS a medium that can deliver commercial benefits, or just a transactional one? MobileConnect doesn’t actually send messages directly to the subscriber’s mobile phone, however. In order to send messages, MobileConnect pushes a message to partners, known as Aggregators, who then push the message out to the local phone Carriers via their SMS gateways, for the final delivery to the subscriber’s mobile phone. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 28, 2024in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Salesforce Bot Planning
27Mar

Salesforce Bot Planning

Careful Planning: Key to an Effective Bot and Happy Customers When building your bot, thoughtful planning is essential to ensure it efficiently serves customers and meets their needs. Supported Editions Technical Planning Voice and Tone Planning Careful planning in these areas will help ensure your Einstein Bot delivers a smooth, efficient experience for your customers. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 27, 2024in Enterprise
Salesforce government and public sector solutions
27Mar

License Training Requirements in Public Sector Solutions

License Training Requirements in Public Sector Solutions. Get the most of your license and permitting Salesforce solution. Set up the training courses, course offerings, and exams that individuals must complete to qualify for professional and occupational licenses. To issue professional or occupational licenses, many regulatory authorities require that licensees first complete a course of study or pass an exam. Licensing tests assess a test taker’s knowledge of the health and public safety measures that protect consumers within their scope of practice. The tests ensure that licensees understand the basic skills required to work safely and not harm a consumer. For example, barbers and hair stylists must pass a written examination. Certified public accountants, licensed clinical social workers, pharmacists, registered dental hygienists, and other professionals must complete board-approved education courses and pass an examination. In Public Sector Solutions, these objects represent training and testing requirements for professional and occupational licenses. Training Course A course that’s required for an individual to complete to qualify for an occupational or professional license. Includes the course name, a description, and total credits and hours. Course Offering An instance of a training course, including its name, a description, the location, and the start and end dates. Examination Information about authorized examinations that qualify an individual for a professional or occupational license or permit, including the name, description, and status. Training Course Participant A training course completed by a person. Includes details such as the participant’s name, the course offering ID, the name of the institution that offered the training, and the result. Personal Education Information about the professional education for a person who’s applying for a professional or occupational license or permit. Includes the person’s contact ID, the name of the degree and the educational institution, the education level, graduation date, and status. Personal Examination Information about an examination taken by a person who’s applying for a professional or occupational license or permit. Includes the person’s contact ID, the name of the exam and the institution that offered the exam, and the result score, completion date, and effective to and from dates. License Training Requirements in Public Sector Solutions Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 27, 2024in Public Sector Solutions, Salesforce, Salesforce Sales Cloud
Einstein Copilot - A Valued Team Member
27Mar

Einstein Copilot – A Valued Team Member

What Can Salesforce Einstein Copilot AI Really Do? Einstein Copilot – A Valued Team Member To find out, let’s virtually attend a live demo of the service March 2024. The short answer to the question is “whatever your business needs,” but with a common caveat in AI demos: beware of hallucinations. Keeping Data SafeLet’s rewind a bit. Back in September, Salesforce unveiled Einstein Copilot at Dreamforce, emphasizing customer data safety as a key selling point. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated, “Your data isn’t our product.” Then, in February, the product entered public beta. Salesforce re-emphasized that the Einstein Trust Layer, designed to protect customer data, was a critical reason why customers could trust the responses and actions of Salesforce Einstein Copilot. At the demo safety was again a primary focus. Salesforce Product Management leads Gary Brandeleer and Jaswinder Rattanpal highlighted that Einstein is designed to differentiate between sensitive and non-sensitive data and to verify if the end-user has appropriate access rights for their query. These measures prevent leaks of confidential information and also minimize the impact of any potential “hallucinations” by compartmentalizing data. Rattanpal offered a word of caution: “While we have these amazing tools, be careful because we are not at a stage when they can be 100% trusted. Always have a human in the loop, especially when dealing with information that may become public.” Maximizing EfficiencySalesforce’s emphasis on data safety is wise, and its more than 150,000 customers worldwide will appreciate it. However, the real appeal of Einstein Copilot lies in the efficiency it offers. This efficiency stems from two key principles that drive Salesforce’s approach to AI. The first principle is that AI copilots fundamentally change how humans interact with software. Instead of navigating through clicks and menus, users can ask questions and receive answers directly, making software interaction more conversational. This shift can potentially transform software development and reduce the time required to complete tasks, particularly in sales, marketing, and customer service. Users can access Einstein across Salesforce’s interface. One click launches the assistant, which can execute tasks while the user attends to other duties. This reduces the time spent sifting through information to find answers. During the demo, Rattanpal showcased how Einstein could summarize an account’s financial history and populate different fields with data from a single prompt. Customization and AvailabilityThe second principle is the mix of customization and availability. Salesforce aims to allow users to deploy Einstein Copilot across any desired modules and to customize these deployments to suit each customer’s specific needs. Recognizing that its vast customer base has diverse requirements, Salesforce makes Einstein flexible yet grounded in a safety-first approach. Admins can customize Einstein using Copilot Builder, Prompt Builder, and Model Builder, each offering different levels of customization. Standard actions, like “write an email,” require minimal development, while custom actions typically involve more intricate setups. More Than a Copilot: A CoworkerThese capabilities often make Einstein feel more like a valued team member than a mere copilot. During the demo, Brandeleer showed how Einstein could determine whether a sales opportunity was worth pursuing—a subjective query that Einstein backed with a dozen data-driven reasons. This level of analysis, which would take a human hours or days to compile, underscores Einstein’s potential to exceed human efficiency and objectivity. When an AI can provide better answers to subjective questions than a human, it transcends being a simple tool. If it can effectively manage hallucinations, the question becomes: what can’t Einstein do? Salesforce Einstein Copilot stands out not only for its robust data safety measures but also for the significant efficiency and customization it offers. With its advanced capabilities, Einstein has the potential to revolutionize how businesses handle routine and complex tasks, making it an invaluable asset for any organization. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 27, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Salesforce
Where Will AI Take Us?
26Mar

Where Will AI Take Us?

Author Jeremy Wagstaff wrote a very thought provoking article on the future of AI, and how much of it we could predict based on the past. This insight expands on that article. Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn. These machines can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. Many people think of artificial intelligence in the vein of how they personally use it. Some people don’t even realize when they are using it. Artificial intelligence has long been a concept in human mythology and literature. Our imaginations have been grabbed by the thought of sentient machines constructed by humans, from Talos, the enormous bronze automaton (self-operating machine) that safeguarded the island of Crete in Greek mythology, to the spacecraft-controlling HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Artificial Intelligence comes in a variety of flavors, if you will. Artificial intelligence can be categorized in several ways, including by capability and functionality: You likely weren’t even aware of all of the above categorizations of artificial intelligence. Most of us still would sub set into generative ai, a subset of narrow AI, predictive ai, and reactive ai. Reflect on the AI journey through the Three C’s – Computation, Cognition, and Communication – as the guiding pillars for understanding the transformative potential of AI. Gain insights into how these concepts converge to shape the future of technology. Beyond a definition, what really is artificial intelligence, who makes it, who uses it, what does it do and how. Artificial Intelligence Companies – A Sampling AI and Its Challenges Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a novel and significant challenge to the fundamental ideas underpinning the modern state, affecting governance, social and mental health, the balance between capitalism and individual protection, and international cooperation and commerce. Addressing this amorphous technology, which lacks a clear definition yet pervades increasing facets of life, is complex and daunting. It is essential to recognize what should not be done, drawing lessons from past mistakes that may not be reversible this time. In the 1920s, the concept of a street was fluid. People viewed city streets as public spaces open to anyone not endangering or obstructing others. However, conflicts between ‘joy riders’ and ‘jay walkers’ began to emerge, with judges often siding with pedestrians in lawsuits. Motorist associations and the car industry lobbied to prioritize vehicles, leading to the construction of vehicle-only thoroughfares. The dominance of cars prevailed for a century, but recent efforts have sought to reverse this trend with ‘complete streets,’ bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and traffic calming measures. Technology, such as electric micro-mobility and improved VR/AR for street design, plays a role in this transformation. The guy digging out a road bed for chariots and Roman armies likely considered none of this. Addressing new technology is not easy to do, and it’s taken changes to our planet’s climate, a pandemic, and the deaths of tens of millions of people in traffic accidents (3.6 million in the U.S. since 1899). If we had better understood the implications of the first automobile technology, perhaps we could have made better decisions. Similarly, society should avoid repeating past mistakes with AI. The market has driven AI’s development, often prioritizing those who stand to profit over consumers. You know, capitalism. The rapid adoption and expansion of AI, driven by commercial and nationalist competition, have created significant distortions. Companies like Nvidia have soared in value due to AI chip sales, and governments are heavily investing in AI technology to gain competitive advantages. Listening to AI experts highlights the enormity of the commitment being made and reveals that these experts, despite their knowledge, may not be the best sources for AI guidance. The size and impact of AI are already redirecting massive resources and creating new challenges. For example, AI’s demand for energy, chips, memory, and talent is immense, and the future of AI-driven applications depends on the availability of computing resources. The rise in demand for AI has already led to significant industry changes. Data centers are transforming into ‘AI data centers,’ and the demand for specialized AI chips and memory is skyrocketing. The U.S. government is investing billions to boost its position in AI, and countries like China are rapidly advancing in AI expertise. China may be behind in physical assets, but it is moving fast on expertise, generating almost half of the world’s top AI researchers (Source: New York Times). The U.S. has just announced it will provide chip maker Intel with $20 billion in grants and loans to boost the country’s position in AI. Nvidia is now the third largest company in the world, entirely because its specialized chips account for more than 70 percent of AI chip sales. Memory-maker Micro has mostly run out of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stocks because of the chips’ usage in AI—one customer paid $600 million up-front to lock in supply, according to a story by Stack. Back in January, the International Energy Agency forecast that data centers may more than double their electrical consumption by 2026 (Source: Sandra MacGregor, Data Center Knowledge). AI is sucking up all the payroll: Those tech workers who don’t have AI skills are finding fewer roles and lower salaries—or their jobs disappearing entirely to automation and AI (Source: Belle Lin at WSJ). Sam Altman of OpenAI sees a future where demand for AI-driven apps is limited only by the amount of computing available at a price the consumer is willing o pay. “Compute is going to be the currency of the future. I think it will be maybe the most precious commodity in the world, and I think we should be investing heavily to make a lot more compute.” Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO This AI buildup is reminiscent of past technological transformations, where powerful interests shaped outcomes, often at the expense of broader societal considerations. Consider early car manufacturers. They focused on a need for factories, components, and roads. AI’s rapid

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March 26, 2024in Generative AI
Salesforce Data Cloud
26Mar

Salesforce Data Cloud Free Edition

Let Tectonic clarify a misconception circulating in the Salesforce community regarding the Salesforce Data Cloud Free Edition. As you may recall, Salesforce unveiled at Dreamforce 2023 that a Data Cloud edition would be accessible at no charge to clients using Sales and Service Cloud Enterprise Edition. This announcement was also reiterated in Salesforce’s February 2024 press release focusing on Marketing Cloud Growth Edition. (Queue the voice in the commercial “some restrictions may apply”.) To dispel any confusion, it’s essential to emphasize there is potential benefit from this offer, but you still require Sales or Service Enterprise Edition. Merely having Marketing Cloud or Account Engagement does not make you eligible. Salesforce Data Cloud Free Edition Considerations For Sales and Service Enterprise Edition Customers wondering about the no-cost Data Cloud offer, the next steps require careful consideration. While the prospect of getting an account provisioned might be exciting, preparation is key. Data Cloud holds the potential to revolutionize your organization, making a well-crafted plan, strategy, and vision imperative. These elements form the basis and foundation of effective change management. Without a comprehensive plan, vision, consensus, and understanding, embarking on Data Cloud implementation could lead to various challenges: Drawing from our experience, diving into Data Cloud without a clear plan often results in these issues. However, before formulating a plan, it’s vital to assess your organization’s readiness based on several key criteria. These factors impact the feasibility of implementing Data Cloud: Data Cloud Readiness Criteria: Respectfully, while the prospect of a no-cost Data Cloud offer is exciting, careful preparation, assessment, and strategic planning are crucial for ensuring a successful and transformative implementation within your organization. Otherwise, it becomes just another unused tool in your martech stack. Like Related Posts 50 Advantages of Salesforce Sales Cloud According to the Salesforce 2017 State of Service report, 85% of executives with service oversight identify customer service as a Read more CRM Cloud Salesforce What is a CRM Cloud Salesforce? Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for Salesforce clients to Read more How Travel Companies Are Using Big Data and Analytics In today’s hyper-competitive business world, travel and hospitality consumers have more choices than ever before. With hundreds of hotel chains Read more Integration of Salesforce Sales Cloud to Google Analytics 360 Announced In November 2017, Google unveiled a groundbreaking partnership with Salesforce, outlining their commitment to develop innovative integrations between Google Analytics Read more

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March 26, 2024in Salesforce Data Cloud, Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Einstein
25Mar

Use AI to Prep for Meetings

Sales is fundamentally a relationship-oriented endeavor, where representatives invest substantial time delving into lead interests, needs, and behaviors to fortify connections. What if you could Using AI to prep for meetings? Imagine a tool that assumes this responsibility, endowing you with the ability to swiftly acquaint yourself with pertinent information. Here’s what AI can accomplish: it undertakes the arduous research, analyzing both public and CRM data to succinctly encapsulate vital prospect details essential for pre-meeting preparation. If you have specific queries, just pose a question, and AI promptly provides a powered response. Consider this scenario: A sales representative steps in for a colleague on leave, aiming to catch up on major accounts. They leverage Einstein in Sales Cloud, filtering deals with a revenue exceeding $100,000. Many of these deals boast extensive historical data, a formidable amount to sift through. Einstein streamlines the process by presenting deal summaries encompassing crucial information such as involved parties, recent activities, potential risks, and recommended next steps. How to use AI to prep for meetings Einstein goes a step further, flagging an email from a customer with pricing queries awaiting a response. The rep seeks guidance: “What key information should I know about this customer before addressing the email?” Einstein synthesizes the deal in plain language, offering key account details and insights from past meetings to seamlessly resume the conversation. In other words, Einstein answers the reps question – in seconds. Sales Summaries for Sales Cloud becomes the go-to solution for instant meeting preparation, enabling sellers to navigate meetings with agility. Elevate your selling velocity with integrated AI directly in your CRM. Provide each seller with an AI assistant to turbocharge sales across the cycle, automating tasks, expediting decisions, and steering sellers towards swift closures. Einstein 1 allows effortless customization and integration of AI into various workspaces. Here are some key functionalities: 1. Call Summaries & Exploration: Bid farewell to tedious note-flipping. Ask Einstein to synthesize critical call information swiftly, generating concise summaries or identifying pivotal takeaways and customer sentiment from sales calls. 2. Prospect and Account Research: Streamline research on prospects and accounts. Summarize CRM records to gauge deal viability, competitor involvement, and more. Fetch real-time data updates from the news, and direct Einstein to update lead or opportunity records effortlessly. 3. Call Insights: Identify crucial moments from sales conversations. Instantly recognize objections, pricing attitudes, and questions asked without sifting through entire calls. Accelerate deal progression with conversation insights related to opportunities. 4. Relationship Graphs: Discern relationship networks effortlessly. Grasp prospect and customer networks for each deal, with automatic population of contacts and relevant details to fortify relationships with decision-makers. 5. Relationship Insights: Unearth new relationship insights with support from external data. Gain vital context from diverse sources across the web, seamlessly integrated into your CRM, and automatically update existing records with newfound information. Generative AI for Sales: Generative AI employs straightforward prompts to craft copy (e.g., prospecting emails) and provide recommendations (e.g., suggestions for quick-win deals). It analyzes existing sales and customer data to assist in drafting emails and determining messages or resources that would propel a sales conversation forward. Integration into a CRM, the hub of sales and customer data, is the likely destination for these capabilities. And while we’re at it – Real-Time Improvement of Sales Presentations: Crafting compelling presentations demands significant time and effort. Generative AI, activated through text-based prompts in presentation tools, facilitates the creation of customized decks and pitches within minutes. Early versions of real-time coaching are emerging, where AI-based guidance, embedded in video conferencing tools, evaluates live presentations to ensure they address the prospect’s pain points effectively. This advanced system, triggered by specific keywords, can recommend prospect-specific information, transforming your presentation into a tailored and impactful experience. Like Related Posts Salesforce Artificial Intelligence Is artificial intelligence integrated into Salesforce? Salesforce Einstein stands as an intelligent layer embedded within the Lightning Platform, bringing robust Read more Salesforce’s Quest for AI for the Masses The software engine, Optimus Prime (not to be confused with the Autobot leader), originated in a basement beneath a West Read more How Travel Companies Are Using Big Data and Analytics In today’s hyper-competitive business world, travel and hospitality consumers have more choices than ever before. With hundreds of hotel chains Read more Sales Cloud Einstein Forecasting Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, recently unveiled the next generation of Sales Cloud Einstein, Sales Cloud Einstein Forecasting, incorporating Read more

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March 25, 2024in Einstein Insights, Generative AI, Salesforce Einstein
Salesforce Success Story
25Mar

Case Study: Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack Configuration Correction

A Community Foundation located in the Northwest United States supported by donors / members that provides philanthropic leadership in the Northwest through awarding of grants and sponsorships to nonprofit organizations, student scholarships, and the coordination of collaborative responses to the region’s complex needs had an improperly installed Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack. Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack Configuration Correction case study. Industry: Nonprofit Problem: Nonprofit client uses Salesforce NonProfit Success Pack to maintain member data and associated donation records, but the solution was originally configured incorrectly, resulting in: Implemented : Our solution? Tectonic performed analysis on the existing Salesforce NonProfit Success Pack solution and identified errors and made improvements.  The following activities were performed during the project: Results: Salesforce offers customized solutions for the nonprofit and NGO industries, assisting companies in this field to provide outstanding donor and member experiences, optimize workflows, and spur expansion to further extend the reach of their good works. These solutions make use of the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack to improve communication, organize data, and provide a customized experience. Salesforce offers digital transformation technology for NGO, religious instutions and Nonprofit industries. If you are considering a Salesforce nonprofit implementation, contact Tectonic today. Like2 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 25, 2024in Salesforce, Salesforce for Nonprofits, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Success Stories
Salesforce and Catchlight Integration
24Mar

Salesforce and Catchlight Integration

Leverage data and insights from Catchlight directly in Salesforce Quickly enrich and score your leads based on unique data and insights. With Salesforce and Catchlight Integration. Enrich Leads Through the Catchlight app on Salesforce, you can quickly and easily add data and insights to lead profiles, giving marketing, business development, and advisors a unique view into the background and anticipated needs of your leads.  Lead enrichment data may include estimated investable assets and income, age range, home ownership, education and employment history, life events, personal interests, hobbies, and more.  All of this data can help business development representatives and advisors make more meaningful connections with prospects.  Don’t forget the old saying, its not always who you know but what you know that is important. Route Leads Using Catchlight’s unique profile insights, leads can be routed to the right resource or added to the proper campaign based on existing workflows.  For example, a new lead enters Salesforce and through the Catchlight enrichment process, it is found that the lead is a business owner, nearing retirement, and has $1M+ in investable assets.  This new lead can be routed to the advisor best equipped to help this individual with their specific goals.  Explore Leads Not only will the Catchlight app on Salesforce enrich net new leads, you can also build enriched profiles for existing records. Adding additional data and insights on existing leads can give you a new perspective on old names. You’ll be able to create segments such as HENRYs who have received company stock, or affluent/mass affluent white collar professionals who may be in the market for estate planning.  Defining segments with Catchlight insights can help improve your nurture campaigns helping to ensure that you are delivering the right messages, to the right prospects, at the right time. All enabled by Catchlight.  Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 24, 2024in Salesforce, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud
Communications Cloud Summer 24
24Mar

Communications Cloud Summer 24

Salesforce Communications Cloud Summer ’24 Release: Elevating Business Performance and Workflow Efficiency With its Summer ’24 release, Salesforce Communications Cloud unveils an array of powerful new capabilities designed to elevate business performance and optimize workflow efficiency. In this blog, we’ll explore some of our favorite new features, including Field Service improvements that provide technicians with better insights and user experiences, new TM Forum API integrations, and Enterprise Sales Management (ESM) enhancements. Field Service Field Service for Industries optimizes field operations by equipping service teams with advanced tools, enabling companies to maximize asset lifetime value and enhance customer satisfaction. This release includes unique capabilities tailored for field technicians to help with work order execution and asset management. TM Forum In the latest Summer ’24 release, Salesforce has delivered two additional TM Forum APIs, enabling seamless integration of Communications Cloud instances with external systems. These include the TMF620 outbound Product Catalog Management and TMF651 inbound Agreement Management APIs. Enterprise Sales Management Conclusion The main features in the Summer ’24 release allow businesses to operate more efficiently, enhance user experience, and create an open and flexible platform with TM Forum APIs. There are also many other exciting enhancements such as CPQ API improvements, built-in diagnostic tools for EPC configuration, and more. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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March 24, 2024in Salesforce Communications Cloud

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