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MC Personalization Tips and Tricks

MC Personalization Tips and Tricks

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Personalization, formerly Interaction Studio, offers incredible power for personalization. MC Personalization Tips and Tricks below will help you level up your game. Einstein Recipes: Enhancements and Challenges Multiple Dimensional Variations for Products in Einstein Recipes Einstein Recipes offer powerful and flexible tools for creating recommendations. However, the fourth step, Variations, falls short compared to other options. Currently, you can configure only a single Dimensional Variation. While multiple Item Types are available, once you select one, you cannot limit recommended products to specific numbers per category or brand. This limitation hinders control over product recommendations, especially for e-commerce sites with diverse catalogs. Unlike Dimensional Variations, multiple Boosters or Exclusions of the same type can be configured differently, which would be a valuable feature to add for Variations. Department Variation for Products in Einstein Recipes Einstein Recipes allow Dimensional Variations at the Category level, but only for primary categories. There is no option for Department (master category) level, which is limiting for e-commerce sites with broad category trees, such as: Recommendations with Category Variation set can still be dominated by similar products due to similar primary categories. Two solutions could address this: Price Reduction Ingredient in Einstein Recipes Triggered Campaigns in Journey Builder can target various events, including Catalog Triggers. Some triggers, like Product Expiring Soon, are available for Web with Einstein Recipes Ingredients. However, there is no Ingredient for the common e-commerce use case of Price Reduction. Marketing Cloud Personalization (Interaction Studio) has the required price and listPrice attributes for Triggered Campaigns. A workaround involves calculating price reductions externally and passing this information to a Related Catalog Object. More efficient solutions would be: Rating Count in Recipe’s Rating Exclusion Marketing Cloud Personalization offers Exclusions/Inclusions on Recipes to fine-tune recommendations. One option is to exclude/include items based on their rating, with an optional zero rating capture. It would be beneficial to include an option to filter based on rating count, allowing for: Currently, such filters can only be applied on the server side in the Template, which can limit recommendations. Having this feature at the recipe level would be more powerful. Abandoned Cart Retention Setting Marketing Cloud Personalization captures cart information for Einstein Recipes recommendations. However, cart content remains indefinitely unless managed proactively. A workaround involves a Web Campaign that checks cart age and pushes a clear cart action if necessary. A better solution would be a configurable option in MCP settings to automatically remove old cart data. Catalog Enhancements Full MCP Category Hierarchy Support for ETL Marketing Cloud Personalization can create a hierarchical tree of categories with automatic summing of views and revenue. However, this is currently possible only under specific conditions, such as having one Category per product and using a Sitemap format. This limitation is problematic, as ETL is often a better way to manage it. The Category ETL already provides detailed information using department and parentCategoryId attributes, but this data does not replicate the drill-down hierarchy in the Catalog UI or pass data from the bottom Category up. Ensuring feature parity between Sitemap and ETL would be beneficial. Segmentation Enhancements MCP Action Name Management Marketing Cloud Personalization captures actions from multiple sources but does not allow managing created actions. An option to view and remove unnecessary actions would improve user experience by reducing the number of options in the segmentation/targeting picklists. An even better solution would be to merge existing actions, preserving behavioral data after refactoring action names. MCP Hourly-Based Segmentation Rules Currently, segmentation rules in Marketing Cloud Personalization are based on days, limiting on-site campaign targeting. For example, to display an infobar for abandoned cart users, the current segmentation can only show users who have not performed a Cart Action today. Hourly-based segmentation rules would allow more precise targeting, showing users who have not performed a Cart Action in the last hour. Adding a picklist to choose between day or hour-based rules would enhance segmentation capabilities. Full MCP Catalog Export Marketing Cloud Personalization supports manual catalog export but only with limited data. The current export file lacks complete catalog data (e.g., promotable and archived attributes), making it unsuitable for ETL sources. An option to export the full catalog data, matching the ETL schema and including hidden items, would greatly benefit debugging and batch-modifying items for subsequent ETL import. Full MCP Catalog Metadata Visibility Marketing Cloud Personalization supports viewing custom attribute metadata in the Catalog but is limited to ETL updates. Extending this to built-in attributes and including origin and lastUpdated values for all sources (Sitemap, Mobile App, Manual update, API) would simplify debugging Catalog metadata issues, reducing admin/developer work and support tickets. ETL Enhancements External Email Campaign ETL Experience Name & ID External Email Campaign ETL allows passing behavioral data but is limited to Campaign ID and Campaign Name. To fully leverage this data in segmentation, it should also support Email ID and Email Name. Adding Experience ID and Experience Name fields to the ETL would enable targeted personalization, allowing segmentation on entire campaigns or specific emails within campaigns. External Email Campaign ETL Send Segmentation External Email Campaign ETL passes Send, Click, and Open data but does not support segmentation based on Send events. Enabling segmentation rules for Send events would unlock use cases like targeting Web or Push campaigns to users who received an email campaign but did not open it, fully leveraging cross-channel and real-time personalization. External Email Campaign ETL Unsubscription Event Type External Email Campaign ETL passes Send, Click, and Open data but cannot pass unsubscriptions. Including the Unsubscribe event would enable targeted campaigns like surveys about unsubscription reasons, win-back campaigns, or replacing email subscription prompts with other channel recommendations. By addressing these enhancements and challenges, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Personalization (Interaction Studio) can further improve its capabilities and provide more precise, effective, and user-friendly tools for personalized marketing. Reporting Enhancements: Direct Attribution at the MCP Campaign Level Current Reporting in Marketing Cloud Personalization (MCP) Marketing Cloud Personalization (Interaction Studio) offers various reports based on Activity, Results, and Visits. However, it

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Hubspot vs Salesforce

Hubspot vs Salesforce

HubSpot began as a marketing automation solution tailored for small businesses, but it has since grown into a comprehensive Enterprise CRM, integrating marketing, sales, CMS, and service functionalities. While Salesforce continues to be a popular choice for CRM, more teams are increasingly turning to HubSpot for its marketing automation capabilities. HubSpot is a leading platform in CRM, marketing, sales, and customer service software, with a clear mission: to empower companies to optimize their sales processes and drive growth. HubSpot offers a range of resources centered around its five main products or “Hubs,” with the Marketing Hub and Sales Hub being the most prominent. HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Key Differences Salesforce is known for its robust reporting and extensive customization options. In contrast, HubSpot offers a smoother learning curve, a more intuitive interface, and a comprehensive suite of marketing and sales tools, all available at an accessible price point, including a free tier. Integrating HubSpot with Salesforce Integrating HubSpot with Salesforce allows you to streamline operations, creating a seamless and efficient connection between the two platforms without the need for complex technical setup. Key Benefits of HubSpot-Salesforce Integration: Enhanced Data Management The HubSpot-Salesforce integration simplifies and accelerates data management by eliminating manual data transfers and reducing the risk of errors. Syncing all relevant business data to HubSpot in just a few clicks provides deep insights into customer interactions and preferences, enabling you to deliver personalized experiences that boost engagement and foster customer loyalty. Empowering Sales Teams The integration enables seamless bi-directional synchronization, giving your sales team critical lead intelligence. By customizing record syncing and providing lead scores from HubSpot to Salesforce, sales teams can prioritize their outreach efforts more effectively, ultimately leading to increased deal closures. Bridging the Gap Between Marketing and Sales Close the gap between marketing and sales by using Salesforce data to personalize emails, segment databases, and send emails on behalf of sales representatives. The integration eliminates the need for manual exporting and importing of lists and campaign responses, while also allowing you to track revenue from closed-won deals in HubSpot, attributing campaigns directly to the revenue they generate. 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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Improve Customer Experience

Shifting Trends in Customer Experience

Shifting Trends in Customer Experience Technology Amid Economic Challenges The customer experience technology market has expanded significantly over the past decade. However, the current economic climate is causing a slowdown in sales for this previously unstoppable industry. This shift reflects changes in how decision-makers approach purchasing customer experience software today. The Rise and Current State of CCaaS In recent years, there has been a surge in the adoption of CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) within the customer experience technology stack. CCaaS is a cloud-based customer service solution that allows companies to operate a contact center without maintaining physical infrastructure or extensive on-premises equipment. Many leaders in CCaaS companies describe their current sales cycles as “weird,” indicating that inflation and global economic instability have finally impacted customer experience technology. Challenges in the Sales Process Brian Millham, Salesforce’s Chief Operating Officer, noted that Salesforce is experiencing “elongated deal cycles, deal compression, and high levels of budget scrutiny.” This means that getting a B2B sales prospect to say “yes” takes longer, clients are paying less, and more people are involved in the decision-making process, causing further delays. This results in frustration for software sales teams, uncertainty for marketing budgets, and broader impacts on related industries. Impact on Other SaaS Providers Workday, a SaaS application business, has lowered its revenue forecasts for the year, citing that larger customers are taking longer to finalize deals in a wavering economy. CEO Carl Eschenbach highlighted that although win rates remain strong, there is increased deal scrutiny compared to previous quarters. This sentiment is echoed across vendors selling customer experience or employee experience software. Marketing Budget Constraints Marketing leaders at customer experience software companies have described the current situation as a “tin-can” scenario when looking for marketing budgets. Despite many companies claiming that their customers are their top priority, economic anxiety leads to cuts in customer experience technology investments. Leaders are questioning the critical need for such technology, and many industries are answering with caution, reflecting a shift in technology purchasing decisions. The Role of AI in Customer Experience There were high expectations for new AI additions to software products, but the results have been mixed. Cosimo Spera, founder of Minerva CQ, noted that many companies testing AI solutions to improve customer experience have reported slow adoption by agents, resulting in increased agent handling time and costs without significant improvements in customer satisfaction or net promoter scores. Joe Fernandez, who founded Klout and is now building AllUp, remarked that companies are in a “wait and see” mode regarding AI, preferring to see stable outcomes before investing heavily in new products. Customer Experience Declines A recent WSJ article reported that customer experience in the U.S. has declined for the third year in a row, based on a Forrester report analyzing consumer perceptions. Consumers are skeptical, feeling that higher prices are not yielding better experiences. This global trend impacts various industries, underscoring the interconnected nature of today’s economy. Rethinking Contact Center Strategies Contact center consultant Michele Crocker, who has nearly 30 years of industry experience, advises companies to rethink their contact center operations rather than making sweeping cuts. She suggests optimizing organizational design and staffing, eliminating unnecessary recurring subscriptions, renegotiating vendor prices, auditing IT expenses, and considering more shared services. Crocker emphasizes the need for a leadership talent assessment to ensure the right leaders are in place to implement strategic growth agendas. She also highlights the potential savings in software costs through renegotiations and the importance of closely monitoring software licenses to avoid waste. A Contrarian Approach In times of economic downturn, a contrarian approach might be beneficial. Despite the slowdown in B2B spending, doubling down on customer experience initiatives could yield significant long-term benefits. Superior customer experiences lead to higher retention rates, increased word-of-mouth referrals, and greater customer loyalty. As many companies cut back on customer experience programs, those that maintain or enhance their efforts will be well-positioned to excel once the economy stabilizes. 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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Einstein 1 Unveiled

Einstein 1 Unveiled

Salesforce Unveils Einstein 1: Enhancing Productivity and Fostering Customer Trust through Data, AI, and CRM-Einstein 1 Unveiled In September, Salesforce introduced the Einstein 1 Platform, a groundbreaking advancement that merges the capabilities of Salesforce Data Cloud with Einstein AI. This innovative platform harnesses a trusted metadata framework, enabling companies to effortlessly connect data and build AI-driven applications with minimal coding, thereby revolutionizing CRM experiences. Why it Matters: With customer data scattered across an average of 1,061 applications and limited integration, Salesforce addresses the challenge of fragmented customer data stacks. The metadata framework bridges this gap by offering a unified view of enterprise data, allowing organizations to customize user experiences across low-code platform services like Einstein for AI predictions, Flow for automation, and Lightning for user interfaces. Data Cloud Integration: The Einstein 1 Platform now seamlessly integrates with Data Cloud, a real-time hyperscale data engine processing 30 trillion transactions per month and harmonizing various data sources to create unified customer profiles. This integration unlocks siloed data, facilitating rich customer profiles and enabling new CRM experiences. Scalability and Automation: The platform supports thousands of metadata-enabled objects per customer and can handle up to 20,000 events per second. It enables the integration of massive data volumes from various sources, triggering flows and interactions with enterprise systems, including legacy ones. Analytics Offerings: Salesforce provides a suite of analytics solutions, including Reports and Dashboards, Tableau, CRM Analytics, and Marketing Cloud Reports. The common metadata schema and access model of the Einstein 1 Platform allow these solutions to operate on the same data, delivering comprehensive insights. Free Access to Data Cloud: Customers with Enterprise Edition or above can now access Data Cloud at no cost, empowering them to ingest, harmonize, and explore their data, thereby accelerating their AI journey. Einstein’s Conversational AI Assistant: The next generation of Einstein introduces Einstein Copilot, an out-of-the-box conversational AI assistant embedded in every Salesforce application. Copilot enhances productivity by responding to natural language queries with secure, proprietary company data from Data Cloud. It also proactively suggests actions and options to users. Einstein Copilot Studio: Companies can develop custom AI-powered apps with Einstein Copilot Studio, which facilitates the creation of AI models for various business tasks, making it adaptable for consumer-facing channels and messaging platforms. Einstein Copilot and Einstein Copilot Studio operate within the secure Einstein Trust Layer, ensuring data privacy and security. Salesforce’s Einstein 1 Platform represents a significant milestone in AI-powered CRM, providing companies with a seamless way to leverage AI, streamline processes, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. By Tectonic Salesforce Marketing Architect, Shannan Hearne 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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Salesforce Education Cloud Explained

Salesforce Education Cloud Explained

It’s back to school time. And there is no better time to discuss Salesforce Education Cloud! Powering the Learner Lifecycle with Pre-Built Apps Boost productivity with ready-to-use, customizable apps tailored for every stage of the learner journey. Instant Analytics and Intelligence Gain real-time insights to deliver personalized support for prospects, students, and alumni, right at your fingertips. Learner-Centric Data Foundation Accelerate your start with education-specific objects, logic, and automation built on the world’s leading CRM platform. Core Capabilities for Your Entire Institution Enhance the impact of faculty and staff with versatile features like scheduling and case management, adaptable across any department. Education Cloud: The AI-Driven CRM for Education Transform the educational experience with the #1 AI-powered CRM designed for learner and institutional success. Discover the key features of Education Cloud, which accelerates time to value for institutions of all sizes, making it easier to create personalized experiences for every lifelong learner. The Impact of Education Cloud Source: Forrester Total Economic Impact Report How Education Cloud Works Education Cloud offers comprehensive tools for various institutional needs, from managing households and relationships to scheduling appointments and supporting academic operations. Core Capabilities of Education Cloud Education Cloud is designed with flexibility to meet the evolving needs of your institution. Built on a learner-centric data foundation, it scales with your growth and provides each department with essential capabilities to maximize impact across the entire institution. Featured Capabilities 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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Google Search Goes AI

Google Search Secrets

Google is a veritable plethora of information. It likely doubles weekly. But getting the best search results occasionally requires knowing some Google search secrets. There are times when a story needs to be prefaced by a story. This is one of those times. I’m old. I’m so old that I remember card catalogs and going to a physical library to do research. I also remember phones hardwired to walls and a quarter being sufficient to call someone who cares. But I digress. I began using the internet as a research tool in 1992. Let me tell you, folks, in 1992 you didn’t “tell” a search engine what you were looking for an it auto-completed your query and found you results. Very often you did your searching using Boolean search. Boolean search is a structured search process that uses words and symbols to limit, broaden, or define search results. These words and symbols are called Boolean operators, and the most common ones are AND, OR, and NOT. Boolean search can be used in search engines and databases to produce more relevant and accurate results. Sounds pretty simple, right? But if I’m looking for resumes of Oracle DBAs who don’t work at Oracle, never worked at IBM, either graduated from Yale or Dartmouth, and are currently in the job market I’m writing one heck of a Boolean search string. I won’t bore you with what that looks like, my point is just that search and search engines have come a long way. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite Google search secrets. You can narrow your search by file type. If you only want to see spreadsheets or pdfs, you can add filetype:excel or filetype:pdf to your query. Then your search results only include the desired file type. What if you only want to cite resources from before a certain date? Use ‘before” to find results before a certain date. You can do this in a year-month-day or year only format. Add before:2024 to your search string. Likewise if you only want to see results after a specific date you can use the same logic with after:2024 in your search string. You might even use both if you were layering your resources by time period such as year or decade. Or you can actually search by date range. Use ‘..’. Oracle DBA 2019..2024. You can ask Google to provide results only from one specific website. If you don’t want to see everything everyone wrote about Salesforce, and only want to see a Tectonic resource add site:gettectonic.com to your search query. More and more Google is using some fuzzy logic. Essentially this means it is infering what it thinks you want to know. Just like the auto-complete feature when you begin typing in a query, that fuzzy logic will question your selection if there is a typing error or misspelling, or even if Google just thinks it is smarter than you. You can create your own variation of fuzzy logic with the OR operator. In the example above of our DBA resume we would type Yale OR Dartmouth. You can also use a wild card in your search. If you aren’t sure about a word that might be in your search phrase, you can replace ith with ‘*’. Maybe I’m looking for who makes 5G phones. I might search for 5G cell phone by *. When you want results meeting an exact search term, add quotation marks. Such as “Tectonic Solution Architects” to only see solution architects at Tectonic. Good old AND from the Boolean days still is around. If you want to see results that combine two search topics use AND in your search. Such as Solution Architect AND Tectonic AND Salesforce. What if after you run your Google search you find a lot of information you weren’t looking for? You can use ‘-‘ to signify a negative word you don’t want to see in the results. Going back to our resume example, you can use the negative operator to deal with not currently working at Oracle and never having worked at IBM. If you’ve ever read or written an IT resume you recognize that Oracle and/or IBM may very well exist other than as employment. What are your favorite Google search secrets? Comment below. Written by Tectonic Salesforce Architect, Shannan Hearne. 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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can-spam act

CAN-SPAM Act

Do you use email for your business? The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that regulates commercial email, sets requirements for these messages, grants recipients the right to stop receiving emails, and imposes significant penalties for non-compliance. The FTC enforces the CAN-SPAM Act and the associated CAN-SPAM Rule. Contrary to what its name might suggest, the CAN-SPAM Act isn’t limited to bulk email. It applies to all commercial messages, which are defined as any electronic mail message primarily intended to advertise or promote a commercial product or service, including emails that promote content on commercial websites. The law also applies to business-to-business email, meaning every email, such as one announcing a new product line to former customers, must adhere to CAN-SPAM regulations. Each individual email that violates the CAN-SPAM Act can result in penalties of up to $51,744, making compliance crucial. Fortunately, following the law is straightforward. Here’s an overview of CAN-SPAM’s key requirements: Frequently Asked Questions: Q: How do I know if the CAN-SPAM Act applies to the emails my business sends? A: The law applies based on the “primary purpose” of the message. An email can contain three types of content: If the message’s primary purpose is commercial, it must comply with CAN-SPAM. If it’s transactional or relationship-based, it must still avoid false or misleading routing information but is otherwise exempt from most CAN-SPAM requirements. Q: How can I determine if an email is a transactional or relationship message? A: An email is transactional or relationship-focused if it: These categories are interpreted narrowly, so be careful when assuming that any message sent to subscribers or members is transactional or relationship-based. Consider whether a reasonable recipient would view the email’s primary purpose as fitting into one of these categories. If not, the email must comply with CAN-SPAM. Q: What if an email combines commercial and transactional/relationship content? A: When an email includes both commercial and transactional/relationship content, the primary purpose determines its status. If the subject line leads a recipient to believe the message is primarily commercial or if the transactional/relationship content isn’t prominent at the beginning, the email is considered commercial and must comply with CAN-SPAM. Need More Information? For more detailed guidance on CAN-SPAM compliance, refer to the full CAN-SPAM Act or consult the FTC’s resources. Q: What if a message contains both commercial content and content classified as “other”? A: If a message includes both commercial content and other types of content, the CAN-SPAM Act applies if the primary purpose of the message is commercial. This determination is made if: Factors that influence this interpretation include the placement of the commercial content (e.g., whether it appears at the beginning of the message), the proportion of the message dedicated to commercial content, and how elements like color, graphics, and text style are used to emphasize the commercial aspects. Q: What if an email includes content from more than one company? Who is responsible for CAN-SPAM compliance? A: When an email promotes the products, services, or websites of multiple marketers, the responsible “sender” under the CAN-SPAM Act is typically determined by agreement among the marketers. The designated sender must: If the designated sender fails to meet these obligations, all marketers involved may be held liable as senders. Q: My company sends emails with a “Forward to a Friend” feature. Who is responsible for CAN-SPAM compliance for these forwarded messages? A: Whether a seller or forwarder is considered a “sender” or “initiator” under the CAN-SPAM Act depends on the situation. Typically, the Act applies if the seller offers an incentive for forwarding the message, such as money, discounts, or sweepstakes entries. In such cases, the seller is likely responsible for compliance. If a seller provides any benefit in exchange for forwarding an email or generating traffic, they are likely subject to CAN-SPAM regulations. Q: What are the penalties for violating the CAN-SPAM Act? A: Each email that violates the CAN-SPAM Act can result in penalties of up to $51,744, with the possibility of multiple parties being held responsible. Both the company whose product is promoted and the company that sent the message can be liable. Additionally, emails that contain misleading claims may be subject to other laws, like Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive advertising. The CAN-SPAM Act also includes aggravated violations that could lead to additional fines and even criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for: Civil penalties may also require restitution to consumers under Section 19 of the FTC Act, covering not just what consumers paid, but also the value of their lost time. Q: Are there specific rules for sexually explicit marketing emails? A: Yes, the FTC has rules under the CAN-SPAM Act for emails with sexually explicit content. These emails must start with “SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT:” in the subject line. The body of the email must initially display only this warning and the standard CAN-SPAM information: the message’s commercial nature, the sender’s physical address, and an opt-out method. No images or graphics are allowed in this part of the message, ensuring that sexually explicit content isn’t viewable without an affirmative action, like scrolling or clicking. This requirement doesn’t apply if the recipient has previously given consent to receive such messages. About the FTC The FTC is dedicated to preventing fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair practices affecting businesses and consumers. You can report scams and unethical business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For guidance on legal compliance, visit business.ftc.gov. Understanding and fulfilling your compliance obligations is smart business practice, regardless of your organization’s size or industry. For updates on cases and initiatives, subscribe to the FTC’s Business Blog. Your Opportunity to Comment The National Small Business Ombudsman and 10 Regional Fairness Boards collect feedback from small businesses regarding federal compliance and enforcement activities. The Ombudsman evaluates these activities annually and rates each agency’s responsiveness to small businesses. Comments can be submitted without fear of reprisal by calling 1-888-REGFAIR (1-888-734-3247) or visiting www.sba.gov/ombudsman. Content updated January 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a

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Salesforce Success Story

Case Study: Service Cloud Experience Cloud Federal Nonprofit Talent Acquisition

Military congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that sustains and equips the armed forces. Client employs nearly 170,000 professionals to support and sustain the global mission of the armed forces. Service Cloud Experience Cloud Federal Nonprofit Talent Acquisition. Industry: Federal – Military Process Gaps: Client’s lack of a digital processes for talent acquisition hindered their ability to find and develop top-tier employees. The repository was incomplete, inaccurate, disconnected from other departments within the business ecosystem with no checks & balances in place – resulting into inefficient talent acquisition lifecycle that could not be tracked. Implemented : Technologies integrated : Our solution? Tectonic assisted with the successful implementation of Salesforce Sales Cloud, Experience Cloud, API Integrations and Advanced SF Security. Key activities included: Results: With Salesforce Public Sector Solutions, you can improve the provision of public services, expedite processes, and promote community trust and well-being. These solutions, which are specifically designed for government enterprises, use state-of-the-art technology to streamline workflows, guarantee compliance, and expedite operations. Discover the revolutionary potential of Salesforce in the areas of emergency program Salesforce offers digital transformation technology for government and public sector industries. If you are considering a Salesforce recruiting solution, 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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Generative AI Regulations

Salesforce, Data Science, and Generative AI

Is Salesforce utilized in the field of data science? Salesforce data science and Generative AI Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS) democratizes access to machine learning through the Salesforce Data Management Platform, enabling widespread adoption of data science capabilities. Utilizing Salesforce for Data Science Empowerment: The integration of Salesforce into data science represents a transformative endeavor aimed at democratizing machine learning through Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS). By leveraging the Salesforce Data Management Platform, the objective is to empower individuals across various domains with the potential of data science. Democratization of Data Science: DSaaS introduces a versatile workbench that capitalizes on machine learning to refine segmentation, enhance activation strategies, and uncover deeper insights. Through robust analytics tools, users can gain profound insights into individual customer behaviors. Supported by a formidable 20-petabyte analytics environment and a real-time big data infrastructure, data-driven analytics are taken to unprecedented levels. Harnessing Modeling Resources: Data owners enjoy the flexibility to harness their data, algorithms, and models either within the Salesforce Data Management Platform or within their independent environments. Spearheading this initiative is the Salesforce Unified Intelligence Platform (UIP) team, constructing a centralized data intelligence platform aimed at enriching business insights, enhancing user experience, improving product quality, and optimizing operational efficiency, all while upholding the core value of trust embedded in the Salesforce platform. Salesforce Data Science and Generative AI Emphasizing Security and Design: Security stands as a cornerstone of the Salesforce platform, with the UIP’s evolution tracing back to a transition from a colossal Hadoop cluster to UIP in public clouds. The architectural journey prioritized data classification early on, engaging in meticulous reviews with legal and security experts to classify data intended for storage within UIP. Adopting the “zero-trust infrastructure” principle, the architecture is fortified against both internal and external threats, ensuring robust defense mechanisms against potential data breaches. Unlocking Data Science Potential through DSaaS: DSaaS serves as a catalyst in democratizing machine learning through the Salesforce Data Management Platform, spotlighting the pivotal role of data science in fostering generative AI and cultivating trustworthy AI. Data scientists play a critical role in ensuring data quality and organization to steer clear of issues such as biased or irrelevant outcomes. Navigating Data Science Challenges: Despite the transformative potential of data science, businesses encounter various challenges including managing diverse data sources, scarcity of skilled professionals, data privacy and security concerns, data cleansing complexities, and effectively communicating findings to non-technical stakeholders. Proposed Solutions: Addressing these challenges involves leveraging data integration tools, investing in the upskilling and reskilling of data professionals, implementing robust data privacy measures, employing data governance tools for data cleansing, and honing communication skills for reporting findings to non-technical stakeholders. The success of generative AI hinges on well-organized data, and data science is pivotal in achieving this. Whether utilizing AI tools built with the expertise of data scientists or building a data science team, businesses can navigate the evolving landscape of AI and data science with confidence. Content updated March 2024. 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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Salesforce Service Cloud

Back Up Service Cloud

Preventing Permanent Data Loss – Back Up Service Cloud Activate automatic daily backups of your Salesforce data to shield against unexpected system glitches and human errors. Ensuring Seamless System Upgrades Regular backups offer reassurance by enabling restoration to a stable state in the event of any issues during data modifications. Mitigating the Impact of Cyberattacks Restore data affected by security breaches to a backup prior to the incident, mitigating the fallout. Back Up Service Cloud Meeting Compliance and Legal Requirements Securely store data to meet industry data regulation standards, ensuring availability for audits or legal purposes. Statistics and Challenges 78% of CISOs report wielding 16 or more tools in their security portfolios, making data tracking, security, and recovery challenging. Additionally, 94% of organizations experiencing severe data loss fail to recover. Evolving Data Protection Challenges As AI adoption surges, data becomes an even more crucial strategic asset, necessitating protection against internal mishaps and external threats for seamless business continuity and customer trust. Salesforce Backup Salesforce Backup offers more than just data protection—it promises swift data restoration, top-tier performance, and robust resilience, safeguarding against data loss and corruption while preserving customer trust. There is a prevalent misconception that cloud platforms like Salesforce do not require backup solutions. While it’s true that cloud service providers manage disaster recovery scenarios, such support does not extend to everyday usage. Even in a cloud environment, data can still be inadvertently deleted or overwritten by users, necessitating an effective backup strategy. Previously, Salesforce offered a disaster recovery service as a last-resort option; however, this was discontinued effective July 31, 2020. In response, Salesforce introduced its native Backup & Restore service in 2022. Despite this, it’s generally advisable to have a third-party backup provider for enhanced data security, as Salesforce Backup & Restore is not included in the list below. Causes of Data Loss Data loss can occur due to various scenarios, including human error, erroneous data imports, workflow rule mishaps, or malicious user activity. Data vs. Metadata It’s crucial to differentiate between data and metadata. Data refers to stored values, while metadata encompasses configuration data specific to an organization, such as custom fields, layouts, and rules. Backup Methods Salesforce offers several options for simple backups, including manual data export, data export via reports, Data Loader import/export, and metadata backup via the Package Manager. Additionally, a full sandbox provides a complete mirror of the production instance, suitable for organizations heavily involved in Salesforce development. For organizations with development teams, managing metadata through development tools like IntelliJ or MavensMate enables effective versioning and backup on source code management systems like Git. Furthermore, mirroring Salesforce object data as a relational database using tools like Heroku or cData is an option, albeit without backing up metadata. Specialized backup tools offer the best solution, particularly for organizations using Salesforce extensively. These tools provide comprehensive backup solutions tailored to individual needs. Salesforce Backup Mechanics Salesforce backup solutions function as advanced data import/export tools rather than file-based backup/restore systems. They access data via APIs, necessitating the temporary disabling of triggers and workflows for effective restoration. Top Backup Solutions for Salesforce Several backup solutions are available for Salesforce, each offering unique features and benefits. Notable options include OwnBackup, AvePoint, CloudAlly, Odaseva, Spanning, and Skyvia. Restoring Salesforce Data vs. Relational Databases Restoring data in Salesforce differs from relational databases due to auto-generated IDs and names. Backup packages can handle lookup fields but may encounter challenges with auto-generated fields. Additional Benefits of Backup Tools Backup tools for Salesforce offer additional features like alerting, diff generation, cross-instance restoration, and anonymization, enhancing Salesforce administration capabilities. Conclusion Despite Salesforce being a cloud-based platform, implementing a backup strategy remains crucial. It should be an integral part of the overall Salesforce development strategy to ensure data security and continuity. 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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Salesforce Success Story

Case Study: Google Cloud and Tableau Ecommerce Success

An industry leader in lifesciences research and ecommerce, is tasked with integrating recent acquisitions, standardizing processes, and improving marketing return-on-investment. Ecommerce company moves to the cloud and adopts Google Cloud and Tableau to improve sales and operational efficiency. Google Cloud and Tableau Ecommerce Success to the rescue. Industry: Lifesciences and Biotechnology Research Problem: Leadership requested help driving an improved culture of proactive decision-making, rather than reactive. Implemented : Our solution? Results: Salesforce offers customized solutions for the ecommerce industry, assisting companies in this field to provide outstanding customer experiences, optimize workflows, and spur growth and brand loyalty. Salesforce offers digital transformation technology for life sciences, ecommerce, and biotechnology research industries. If you are considering a Salesforce health and life sciences 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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Salesforce Automation Guide

Salesforce Automation Guide

Salesforce Automation Guide. I cannot lie. There was a time when I thought the greatest thing about Salesforce was that it prevented leads from falling through the cracks. I was a marketing opps person. There was a time I thought readily available information at your fingertips and integration with an email platform was the greatest thing. I was in sales management. Today, as a Solutions Architect, I think Salesforce Automation Guide is the best. Automation provides the tools necessary to automate repetitive processes and daily tasks for your business, such as creating follow-up tasks, sending reminder emails, or updating records. Automations help users save critical time and reduce errors by creating automated processes to complete repetitive tasks. Below, you’ll find resources to help you decide which automations to use depending on your needs. An Intro to Salesforce Automation Before determining which automation best suits your business’s needs, you must first understand what automation means. These resources will help paint a clear picture of what the automation of processes, approvals, and tasks can look like for your organization. They aren’t just time savers. They can be game changers. Why Should You Love Automation?Check out this article highlighting the positive global impact of automation across different industries and countries. Review the customer story on how automation helped digitize an approval process during a time of especially high-volume requests. After reading this, you will understand why automation is so beneficial! Intro to AutomationExplore this documentation to get a high-level overview of the different automation methods. Automation Tools Salesforce provides multiple automation tools depending on the level of complexity needed to achieve your goals. These resources will help you understand which automation tool will best help you reach your business objectives. Automation Tool: FeaturesScroll down within this article to check out the matrix for a breakdown of all the features and actions supported within each automation tool: Approvals, Flow Builder, Einstein Next Best Action, and Apex. Automation Tool: Which One to UseView this video from one of the leading cloud experts that walks you through each automation tool and when and why to use each one. Architect Decision GuideThe Architect Decision Guide will help you evaluate the pros and cons of the different automation tools. Get recommendations from Salesforce product teams on which tools best address different use cases. Automation Implementation A hands-on approach is the best way to learn how to implement automation tools. Dig right in by exploring guided Trailhead modules that will help you understand the steps to enable these tools. Flow BasicsGet to know Flow Builder, the primary tool for creating flows. Learn when to use flows to automate business processes. Automate ApprovalsLearn how you can automate simple approval processes using Flow Builder. Automation Deep Dive As you begin to think about your automation journey, it is useful to study use cases to help guide your automation strategy and energy. Check out these resources to learn how to take your automations even further than you imagined to streamline your business processes. Building a Simple FlowExplore this video to learn how to build a simple visual flow using Flow Builder for a donation request example via an input screen, fields, and choices to collect required customer information. Five Pro Tips for Salesforce FlowFollow these quick tips to get up and running with Salesforce Flow. Troubleshooting Resources Before rolling out your automations to users, make sure you validate and test them just like any other customization. Should you encounter a bug while validating, don’t worry! These resources will guide you through troubleshooting tips if you run into any blockers during the validation process. Troubleshooting Flow Errors Using the Debug ButtonCheck out this helpful Salesforce video on how to fix errors using the Debug button in Flow Builder. Flow TroubleshootingFurther your education with this Trailhead module to learn how to diagnose and fix common flow issues. Go Further with Automation Manage ProductivityDetermine how much time you’re saving your team with the Process Automation Tracker in Salesforce AppExchange. Flow OrchestrationStreamline complex workflows with Flow Orchestration. Our experts will guide you on rolling out multi-step processes that interact with multiple users. Join the Customer Success CommunityConnect with Salesforce experts and other Trailblazers like you. The community is a great place to ask questions, get answers, and share your experiences. Become a TrailblazerConsider blazing your own trail by completing the Trailhead superbadge on process automation. Automation Use Case StridePride makes comfortable sneakers, designed and customized for its customers. The company’s online retail business has grown rapidly in the past year domestically; as a result, they have decided to use Salesforce to help launch their sneakers in international markets. Linda Rosenson, StridePride’s admin, needed to quickly set up Salesforce to create sales processes for all of the additional international markets. As Linda was creating these processes, the Sales Leaders asked her to include a discount on the sneakers if certain criteria were met to help promote sales for the new markets. The tricky part was, each market had its unique set of criteria and rules before the discount could be applied. After mapping out each region’s unique criteria for the discounts, Linda determined that tracking this all manually or on a document for sales reps would be a logistical nightmare. Linda began thinking of automation. She was determined to find a more efficient way to automatically apply the discounts if criteria were met, lessening the chance for human error or missteps. Her goal was to make the process as seamless and efficient as possible. Because Linda had already reviewed the resources on choosing the right automation tool, she knew that Salesforce Flow made the most sense for her use case. This flow would help automate the discount by evaluating criteria based on customer inputs and then automatically applying the discount if applicable. She could even create or update records, create quotes, and send emails through flow elements. She teamed up with StridePride’s business analyst to create a Salesforce Flow. Together, they had it up and running

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Salesforce JSON

Salesforce JSON

Today we are diving into JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and exploring why it’s a crucial concept for you to understand. JSON is a data representation format widely used across the internet for APIs, configuration files, and various applications JSON Class Contains methods for serializing Apex objects into JSON format and deserializing JSON content that was serialized using the serialize method in this class. Usage Use the methods in the System.JSON class to perform round-trip JSON serialization and deserialization of Apex objects. Roundtrip Serialization and Deserialization Use the JSON class methods to perform roundtrip serialization and deserialization of your JSON content. These methods enable you to serialize objects into JSON-formatted strings and to deserialize JSON strings back into objects. What does JSON serialize do in Salesforce? JSON. serialize() accepts both Apex collections and objects, in any combination that’s convertible to legal JSON. String jsonString = JSON. What is the difference between JSON parse and JSON deserialize? The parser converts the JSON data into a data structure that can be easily processed by the programming language. On the other hand, JSON Deserialization is the process of converting JSON data into an object in a programming language. What is the difference between JSON and XML in Salesforce? JSON supports numbers, objects, strings, and Boolean arrays. XML supports all JSON data types and additional types like Boolean, dates, images, and namespaces. JSON has smaller file sizes and faster data transmission. XML tag structure is more complex to write and read and results in bulky files. Which is more secure XML or JSON? Generally speaking, JSON is more suitable for simple and small data, more readable and maintainable for web developers, faster and more efficient for web applications or APIs, supports native data types but lacks a standard schema language, and is more compatible with web technologies but less secure than XML. What is Salesforce JSON heap size limit? Salesforce enforces an Apex Heap Size Limit of 6MB for synchronous transactions and 12MB for asynchronous transactions. How to store JSON data in Salesforce object? If you need to store the actual JSON payload in Salesforce for audit purposes, Tectonic would recommend just using a Long Text Area field to store JSON content. You wouldn’t have any performance impacts when interacting with records, and if required you could add this to the layout of the child object storing this data. 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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