Agent Builder Archives - gettectonic.com - Page 2
Agentforce to the Team

Salesforce has officially launched Agentforce

Agentforce goes beyond traditional chatbots and copilots, leveraging advanced reasoning to perform tasks like resolving customer issues, qualifying leads, and optimizing marketing campaigns—all without human intervention. Triggered by data changes, business rules, automations, or API signals, Agentforce executes actions independently. Companies like OpenTable, Saks, and Wiley are already harnessing Agentforce to enhance employee productivity, expand their workforce, and elevate customer experiences.

Read More
AI Agent Rivalry

AI Agent Rivalry

Microsoft and Salesforce’s AI Agent Rivalry Heats Up The battle for dominance in the AI agent space has escalated, with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff intensifying his criticism of Microsoft’s AI solutions. Following remarks at Dreamforce 2024, Benioff took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Microsoft for what he called “rebranding Copilot as ‘agents’ in panic mode.” The AI Agent rivalry winner may be determined not by flashy features but by delivering tangible, transformative outcomes for businesses navigating the complexities of AI adoption. AI Agent Rivalry. Benioff didn’t hold back, labeling Microsoft’s Copilot as “a flop”, citing issues like data leaks, inaccuracies, and requiring customers to build their own large language models (LLMs). In contrast, he touted Salesforce’s Agentforce as a solution that autonomously drives sales, service, marketing, analytics, and commerce without the complications he attributes to Microsoft’s offerings. Microsoft’s Copilot: A New UI for AI Microsoft recently unveiled new autonomous agent capabilities for Copilot Studio and Dynamics 365, positioning these agents as tools to enhance productivity across teams and functions. CEO Satya Nadella described Copilot as “the UI for AI” and emphasized its flexibility, allowing businesses to create, manage, and integrate agents seamlessly. Despite the fanfare, Benioff dismissed Copilot’s updates, likening it to “Clippy 2.0” and claiming it fails to deliver accuracy or transformational impact. Salesforce Expands Agentforce with Strategic Partnerships At Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce unveiled its Agentforce Partner Network, a global ecosystem featuring collaborators like AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, and Workday. The move aims to bolster the capabilities of Agentforce, Salesforce’s AI-driven platform that delivers tailored, autonomous business solutions. Agentforce allows businesses to deploy customizable agents without complex coding. With features like the Agent Builder, users can craft workflows and instructions in natural language, making the platform accessible to both technical and non-technical teams. Flexibility and Customization: Salesforce vs. Microsoft Both Salesforce and Microsoft emphasize AI’s transformative potential, but their approaches differ: Generative AI vs. Predictive AI Salesforce has doubled down on generative AI, with Einstein GPT producing personalized content using CRM data while also providing predictive analytics to forecast customer behavior and sales outcomes. Microsoft, on the other hand, combines generative and predictive AI across its ecosystem. Copilot not only generates content but also performs autonomous decision-making in Dynamics 365 and Azure, positioning itself as a comprehensive enterprise solution. The Rise of Multi-Agent AI Systems The competition between Microsoft and Salesforce reflects a broader trend in AI-driven automation. Companies like OpenAI are experimenting with frameworks like Swarm, which simplifies the creation of interconnected AI agents for tasks such as lead generation and marketing campaign development. Similarly, startups like DevRev are introducing conversational AI builders to design custom agents, offering enterprises up to 95% task accuracy without the need for coding. What Lies Ahead in the AI Agent Landscape? As Salesforce and Microsoft push the boundaries of AI integration, businesses are evaluating these tools for their flexibility, customization, and impact on operations. While Salesforce leads in CRM-focused AI, Microsoft’s integrated approach appeals to enterprises seeking cross-functional AI solutions. In the end, the winner may be determined not by flashy features but by delivering tangible, transformative outcomes for businesses navigating the complexities of AI adoption. AI Agent Rivalry. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
Cohere-Powered Slack Agents

Cohere-Powered Slack Agents

Salesforce AI and Cohere-Powered Slack Agents: Seamless CRM Data Interaction and Enhanced Productivity Slack agents, powered by Salesforce AI and integrated with Cohere, enable seamless interaction with CRM data within the Slack platform. These agents allow teams to use natural language to surface data insights and take action, simplifying workflows. With Slack’s AI Workflow Builder and support for third-party AI agents, including Cohere, productivity is further enhanced through automated processes and customizable AI assistants. By leveraging these technologies, Slack agents provide users with direct access to CRM data and AI-powered insights, improving efficiency and collaboration. Key Features of Slack Agents: Salesforce AI and Cohere Productivity Enhancements with Slack Agents: Salesforce AI and Cohere AI Agent Capabilities in Slack: Salesforce and Cohere Data Security and Compliance for Slack Agents FAQ What are Slack agents, and how do they integrate with Salesforce AI and Cohere?Slack agents are AI-powered assistants that enable teams to interact with CRM data directly within Slack. Salesforce AI agents allow natural language data interactions, while Cohere’s integration enhances productivity with customizable AI assistants and automated workflows. How do Salesforce AI agents in Slack improve team productivity?Salesforce AI agents enable users to interact with both CRM and conversational data, update records, and analyze opportunities using natural language. This integration improves workflow efficiency, leading to a reported 47% productivity boost. What features does the Cohere integration with Slack AI offer?Cohere integration offers customizable AI assistants that can help generate workflows, summarize channel content, and provide intelligent responses to user queries within Slack. How do Slack agents handle data security and compliance?Slack agents leverage cloud-native DLP solutions, automatically detecting sensitive data across different file types and setting up automated remediation processes for enhanced security and compliance. Can Slack agents work with AI providers beyond Salesforce and Cohere?Yes, Slack supports AI agents from various providers. In addition to Salesforce AI and Cohere, integrations include Adobe Express, Anthropic, Perplexity, IBM, and Amazon Q Business, offering users a wide array of AI-powered 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
AI Agent Revolution

AI Customer Service Agents Explained

AI customer service agents are advanced technologies designed to understand and respond to customer inquiries within defined guidelines. These agents can handle both simple and complex issues, such as answering frequently asked questions or managing product returns, all while offering a personalized, conversational experience. Research shows that 82% of service representatives report that customers ask for more than they used to. As a customer service leader, you’re likely facing increasing pressure to meet these growing expectations while simultaneously reducing costs, speeding up service, and providing personalized, round-the-clock support. This is where AI customer service agents can make a significant impact. Here’s a closer look at how AI agents can enhance your organization’s service operations, improve customer experience, and boost overall productivity and efficiency. What Are AI Customer Service Agents? AI customer service agents are virtual assistants designed to interact with customers and support service operations. Utilizing machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), these agents are capable of handling a broad range of tasks, from answering basic inquiries to resolving complex issues — even managing multiple tasks at once. Importantly, AI agents continuously improve through self-learning. Why Are AI-Powered Customer Service Agents Important? AI-powered customer service technology is becoming essential for several reasons: Benefits of AI Customer Service Agents AI customer service agents help service teams manage growing service demands by taking on routine tasks and providing essential support. Key benefits include: Why Choose Agentforce Service Agent? If you’re considering adding AI customer service agents to your strategy, Agentforce Service Agent offers a comprehensive solution: By embracing AI customer service agents like Agentforce Service Agent, businesses can reduce costs, meet growing customer demands, and stay competitive in an ever-evolving global market. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
Third Wave of AI at Salesforce

Third Wave of AI at Salesforce

The Third Wave of AI at Salesforce: How Agentforce is Transforming the Landscape At Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce unveiled several exciting innovations, with Agentforce taking center stage. This insight explores the key changes and enhancements designed to improve efficiency and elevate customer interactions. Introducing Agentforce Agentforce is a customizable AI agent builder that empowers organizations to create and manage autonomous agents for various business tasks. But what exactly is an agent? An agent is akin to a chatbot but goes beyond traditional capabilities. While typical chatbots are restricted to scripted responses and predefined questions, Agentforce agents leverage large language models (LLMs) and generative AI to comprehend customer inquiries contextually. This enables them to make independent decisions, whether processing requests or resolving issues using real-time data from your company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. The Role of Atlas At the heart of Agentforce’s functionality lies the Atlas reasoning engine, which acts as the operational brain. Unlike standard assistive tools, Atlas is an agentic system with the autonomy to act on behalf of the user. Atlas formulates a plan based on necessary actions and can adjust that plan based on evaluations or new information. When it’s time to engage, Atlas knows which business processes to activate and connects with customers or employees via their preferred channels. This sophisticated approach allows Agentforce to significantly enhance operational efficiency. By automating routine inquiries, it frees up your team to focus on more complex tasks, delivering a smoother experience for both staff and customers. Speed to Value One of Agentforce’s standout features is its emphasis on rapid implementation. Many AI projects can be resource-intensive and take months or even years to launch. However, Agentforce enables quick deployment by leveraging existing Salesforce infrastructure, allowing organizations to implement solutions rapidly and with greater control. Salesforce also offers pre-built Agentforce agents tailored to specific business needs—such as Service Agent, Sales Development Representative Agent, Sales Coach, Personal Shopper Agent, and Campaign Agent—all customizable with the Agent Builder. Agentforce for Service and Sales will be generally available starting October 25, 2024, with certain elements of the Atlas Reasoning Engine rolling out in February 2025. Pricing begins at $2 per conversation, with volume discounts available. Transforming Customer Insights with Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Dreamforce also highlighted enhancements to Data Cloud, Salesforce’s backbone for all cloud products. The platform now supports processing unstructured data, which constitutes up to 90% of company data often overlooked by traditional reporting systems. With new capabilities for analyzing various unstructured formats—like video, audio, sales demos, customer service calls, and voicemails—businesses can derive valuable insights and make informed decisions across Customer 360. Furthermore, Data Cloud One enables organizations to connect siloed Salesforce instances effortlessly, promoting seamless data sharing through a no-code, point-and-click setup. The newly announced Marketing Cloud Advanced edition serves as the “big sister” to Marketing Cloud Growth, equipping larger marketing teams with enhanced features like Path Experiment, which tests different content strategies across channels, and Einstein Engagement Scoring for deeper insights into customer behavior. Together, these enhancements empower companies to engage customers more meaningfully and measurably across all touchpoints. Empowering the Workforce Through Education Salesforce is committed to making AI accessible for all. They recently announced free instructor-led courses and AI certifications available through 2025, aimed at equipping the Salesforce community with essential AI and data management skills. To support this initiative, Salesforce is establishing AI centers in major cities, starting with London, to provide hands-on training and resources, fostering AI expertise. They also launched a global Agentforce World Tour to promote understanding and adoption of the new capabilities introduced at Dreamforce, featuring repackaged sessions from the conference and opportunities for specialists to answer questions. The Bottom Line What does this mean for businesses? With the rollout of Agentforce, along with enhancements to Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud, organizations can operate more efficiently and connect with customers in more meaningful ways. Coupled with a focus on education through free courses and global outreach, getting on board has never been easier. If you’d like to discuss how we can help your business maximize its potential with Salesforce through data and AI, connect with us and schedule a meeting with our team. Legacy systems can create significant gaps between operations and employee needs, slowing lead processes and resulting in siloed, out-of-sync data that hampers business efficiency. Responding to inquiries within five minutes offers a 75% chance of converting leads into customers, emphasizing the need for rapid, effective marketing responses. Salesforce aims to help customers strengthen relationships, enhance productivity, and boost margins through its premier AI CRM for sales, service, marketing, and commerce, while also achieving these goals internally. Recognizing the complexity of its decade-old processes, including lead assignment across three systems and 2 million lines of custom code, Salesforce took on the role of “customer zero,” leveraging Data Cloud to create a unified view of customers known as the “Customer 360 Truth Profile.” This consolidation of disparate data laid the groundwork for enterprise-wide AI and automation, improving marketing automation and reducing lead time by 98%. As Michael Andrew, SVP of Marketing Decision Science at Salesforce, noted, this initiative enabled the company to provide high-quality leads to its sales team with enriched data and AI scoring while accelerating time to market and enhancing data quality. Embracing Customer Zero “Almost exactly a year ago, we set out with a beginner’s mind to transform our lead automation process with a solution that would send the best leads to the right sales teams within minutes of capturing their data and support us for the next decade,” said Andrew. The initial success metric was “speed to lead,” aiming to reduce the handoff time from 20 minutes to less than one minute. The focus was also on integrating customer and lead data to develop a more comprehensive 360-degree profile for each prospect, enhancing lead assignment and sales rep productivity. Another objective was to boost business agility by cutting the average time to implement assignment changes from four weeks to mere days. Accelerating Success with

Read More
Zendesk Launches AI Agent Builder

Zendesk Launches AI Agent Builder

Zendesk Launches AI Agent Builder and Enhances Agent Copilot Zendesk has unveiled its AI Agent Builder, a key feature in a series of significant updates across its platform. This new tool enables customer service teams to create bots—now referred to as “AI Agents”—using natural language descriptions. For example, a user might input: “A customer wants to return a product.” The AI Agent Builder will recognize the scenario and automatically create a framework for the AI Agent, which can then be reviewed, tested, and deployed. This framework might include essential steps like checking the order number, verifying the items for return, and cross-referencing the return policy. Matthias Goehler, CTO for EMEA at Zendesk, explains, “You can define any number of workflows in the same straightforward manner. The best part is that business users can do this without needing to design complex flowcharts or decision trees.” However, developers may still need to consult an API when creating AI Agents that interact with multiple third-party applications. Other Enhancements to Zendesk’s AI Agents The AI Agent Builder simplifies the automation of customer interactions that involve multiple steps. For more straightforward queries, Zendesk can connect a single AI Agent to trusted knowledge sources, allowing it to autonomously provide answers. Recently, the vendor has expanded this capability to email and strengthened its partnership with Poly.AI to integrate conversational AI capabilities into the voice channel. Goehler remarked, “When I first heard a Poly bot, I thought it was a human; it even had subtle dialects and varied pacing.” This natural-sounding voice, combined with real-time data processing, enables the bot to understand customer intent and guide them through various processes. Zendesk aims to help customers automate up to 80 percent of their service inquiries. However, Goehler acknowledges that some situations will always require human intervention, whether due to case complexity or customer preferences. Therefore, the company continues to enhance its Agent Copilot, which now includes several new features. The “Enhanced” Zendesk Agent Copilot One of the most exciting new features in Agent Copilot is its “Procedure” capability. This allows contact centers to define specific procedures for the Copilot to execute on behalf of live agents. Users can specify these procedures in natural language, such as: “Do this first, then this, and finally this.” During live interactions, agents can request the Copilot to carry out tasks like scheduling appointments or sending shipping labels. The Copilot can also proactively suggest procedures, share recommended responses, and offer guidance through its new “auto-assist” mode. While the live agent remains in control, they can approve the Copilot’s suggestions, allowing it to handle much of the workload. Goehler noted, “If the agent wants to adjust something, they can do that, too. The AI continues to suggest steps and solutions.” This feature is particularly beneficial for companies facing high staff turnover, as it allows new agents to quickly adapt with consistent, high-quality guidance. Zendesk has also introduced Agent Copilot for Voice, making many of its capabilities accessible during customer calls. Agents will receive live call insights and relevant knowledge base content to enhance their interactions. Elsewhere at Zendesk 2024 has been a transformative year for Zendesk. The company has entered the workforce engagement management (WEM) market with acquisitions of Klaus and Tymeshift. This follows the integration of Ultimate, which laid the groundwork for the new Zendesk AI Agents and significantly enhanced the vendor’s conversational AI expertise. Additionally, Zendesk has developed a customer messaging app in collaboration with Meta, established a venture arm for AI startups, and announced new partnerships with AWS and Anthropic. Notably, Zendesk has gained attention for introducing an “industry-first” outcome-based pricing model. This move is significant as many CCaaS and CRM vendors, facing pressure from AI solutions that reduce headcounts, have traditionally relied on seat-based pricing models. By adopting outcome-based pricing, Zendesk ensures that customers only pay more when they achieve desired outcomes, addressing a key challenge in the industry. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
AI All Grown Up

AI All Grown Up

If you thought Salesforce had fully embraced AI, think again. The company has much more in store. AI All Grown Up and Salesforce is the educator! Alongside the announcement of the new Agentforce platform, Salesforce has teased plans to offer free premium instructor-led courses and AI certifications throughout 2025, reflecting a bold commitment to fostering AI skills and expertise. We’ve talked quite a bit over the last year about the need for AI education, and lo and behold here comes Salesforce to the rescue! AI All Grown Up Ah, they grow up so fast. Once just a baby cradeled in our arms with endless possibilities and potential. It was just like a year or so ago we heard of ChatGPT. Prior to that most people’s main exposure to artificial intelligence was their smart phones, which today we realize weren’t reall that smart. Generative, predictive and agentic AI have barreled down the pipeline increasing our vocabulary, and understanding, of what artificial intelligence can do. From generative content to sounds and images, AI continued to amaze us. Then predictive AI did our calculations faster than we could have imagined. Then agentic AI did nearly everything imaginable. AI All Grown Up. Like a very proud mentor of the process, I want to talk about Salesforce’s major contribution. Addressing the AI Skills Gap: Salesforce’s $50 Million Investment As the veritable plethora of AI tools rapidly expands, Salesforce is taking proactive steps to address the growing AI skills gap by investing $50 million into workforce upskilling initiatives. The company aims to ensure that businesses and individuals are prepared to utilize their new wave of AI tools effectively. While the full details have yet to be released, Salesforce has revealed that its premium AI courses and certifications will be made available for free via Trailhead by the end of 2025. This could mean certifications such as AI Associate and AI Specialist, which currently cost $75 and $200 respectively, may soon be offered at no cost. Gratis. Free, Salesforce has also mentioned “premium instructor-led training,” sparking speculation that AI-focused, instructor-led Trailhead Academy courses could become accessible to everyone in the Salesforce ecosystem. Expanding AI Education with Global AI Centers Salesforce’s AI upskilling push is part of a broader initiative to establish “AI Centers” across the globe. Following the opening of its first center in London in June, Salesforce is planning to launch additional AI hubs in cities like Chicago, Tokyo, Sydney, and even a pop-up center in San Francisco. These centers will host in-person premium courses and serve as gathering spaces for industry experts, partners, and customers. This initiative benefits not only the Salesforce ecosystem by increasing AI knowledge where expertise is scarce, but also aligns with Salesforce’s strategy of bringing AI-driven solutions to market through new products like Copilot Studio, Data Cloud, and the newly launched Agentforce platform. Agentforce: Salesforce’s Third Wave of AI On August 28, 2024, Salesforce introduced Agentforce, a suite of autonomous AI agents that marks a significant leap in how businesses engage with customers. Described as the “Third Wave of AI,” Agentforce goes beyond traditional chatbots, providing intelligent agents capable of driving customer success with minimal human intervention. What is Agentforce? Agentforce is a comprehensive platform designed for organizations to build, customize, and deploy autonomous AI agents across various business functions, such as customer service, sales, marketing, and commerce. These agents operate independently, accessing data, crafting action plans, and executing tasks without needing constant human oversight. It is like Artificial Intelligence just graduated highschool and is off to a world of new adventures and growth opportunities at college or university! Key Features of Agentforce: The Technology Behind Agentforce At the core of Agentforce is the Atlas Reasoning Engine, a system designed to mimic human reasoning. Here’s how it works: Customization Tools: Agent Builder Agentforce provides tools like Agent Builder, a low-code platform for customizing out-of-the-box agents or creating new ones for specific business needs. With this tool, users can: The Agentforce Partner Network Salesforce’s partner ecosystem plays a key role in Agentforce’s versatility, with contributions from companies like AWS, Google, IBM, and Workday. Together, they’ve developed over 20 agent actions available through the Salesforce AppExchange. As proud parents we watch our Artificial Intelligence child venture into the world making friends along the way. Learning social skills. Benefits and Impact of Agentforce Early Adopters and Success Stories Several companies are already benefiting from Agentforce: Availability and Pricing of Salesforce’s AI All Grown Up Agentforce for Service and Sales will be generally available on October 25, 2024, with some components of the Atlas Reasoning Engine launching in February 2025. Pricing starts at $2 per conversation, with volume discounts available. The Future of AI and Work Salesforce’s ambitious vision is to empower one billion AI agents with Agentforce by the end of 2025. This reflects their belief that the future of work will involve a hybrid workforce, where humans and AI agents collaborate to drive customer success. AI All Grown Up and We Couldn’t Be Prouder Our amazing AI child has graduated college and ventured out into the workforce. Agentforce vs. Einstein Bots: What’s the Difference? Conclusion Agentforce represents a major leap forward in AI-powered customer engagement. By providing autonomous, intelligent agents capable of managing complex tasks, Salesforce is positioning itself at the forefront of AI innovation. As businesses continue to explore ways to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, Agentforce could redefine how organizations interact with customers and streamline their operations. If this is the Third Wave of AI, what will the fourth wave bring? Written by Tectonic’s Solutions 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

Read More

Agentforce Autonomous Agents

Agentforce: Transforming Business Operations with Autonomous Agents Agentforce empowers organizations to create and manage autonomous agents that streamline tasks across various business departments. These include Sales Agents, Service Agents, Marketing Agents, Commerce Agents, and Platform Agents—truly delivering on the vision of “an Agentforce in every app.” But how does Agentforce work, and what are the building blocks for configuring these agents? Salesforce emphasizes that Agentforce is built with clicks, not code, making it highly accessible to users. This claim was validated by many attendees at the ‘Agentforce Launchpad’ during Dreamforce, who noted that the tool is as declarative and user-friendly as Salesforce promised. The Building Blocks of Agentforce 1. Agent Builder The journey begins with the Agent Builder within Agentforce Studio. This configuration tool allows users to define their agent’s attributes, such as the avatar, name, and description, using natural language inputs—essentially describing the agent in conversational terms. Salesforce describes it as: “If you can dream it, Agentforce can do it.” The Agent Builder interface comprises: Salesforce also provides out-of-the-box agents, such as Sales Agents, which can be enabled via guided setup. 2. Agent Topics Topics are the foundational building blocks that determine an agent’s scope of work. For example, a topic like “Order Management” grants the agent access to data such as order histories and product specifications. In the Dreamforce keynote, Saks’ service agent demonstrated the importance of topics by resolving customer queries tied to its assigned topics. However, queries outside the defined topics were flagged as “guardrails,” ensuring the agent stayed within its designated scope. 3. Topic Actions Actions, tied to topics, define what an agent can do. These actions are often flows, such as querying a CRM database or triggering automated processes. Users can assign existing actions or create new ones by referencing Apex, Flow, prompts, or MuleSoft APIs. For example, integrating external data sources requires defining a new Agentforce action tied to a MuleSoft API. This allows the agent to query data just as human users would. Testing Agents with the Atlas Reasoning Engine Agentforce’s Atlas Reasoning Engine powers agents with advanced capabilities. Users can test agents within the Agent Builder interface, following the reasoning process step-by-step: Once configured, agents are ready to operate across their assigned communication channels (e.g., email, WhatsApp, voice). Omni Supervisor: Real-Time Agent Monitoring Omni Supervisor, originally a Service Cloud feature, now extends to monitoring agents. It provides insights into overall trends, allows real-time oversight of interactions, and even enables listening to recent conversations. The Role of Data Cloud in Agentforce Data powers Agentforce, enabling agents to provide highly contextual responses. The Data Cloud processes both structured data (e.g., Salesforce records) and unstructured data (e.g., emails, voice memos) using its Vector Database for advanced processing. 1. Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Salesforce employs RAG to enhance the accuracy of agent responses. RAG integrates the Atlas Reasoning Engine with Data Cloud, creating a feedback loop. Data Cloud enriches user prompts by retrieving relevant data, making agent responses more contextual and informed. 2. New Data Streams To enhance Agentforce capabilities, data can be ingested into the platform in three ways: For instance, connecting an order management system like Snowflake is streamlined via Salesforce’s prebuilt connectors. 3. Data Graphs Data Graphs visualize relationships between Data Model Objects (DMOs), enabling users to ensure all necessary data is available for optimal agent performance. Real-time Data Graphs enhance identity resolution, segmentation, and action execution for seamless data flow. Inside Prompt Builder Prompt Builder allows users to create or refine prompts that power Agentforce actions. Low-code tools guide users through the process, offering features such as previewing results and assessing feedback toxicity ratings. Search Index in RAG The Search Index is a critical component of RAG. It retrieves relevant data from Data Cloud to enhance agent reasoning. Search parameters can be configured in three ways: Tectonic’s Thoughts Agentforce, powered by Data Cloud and advanced AI tools like the Atlas Reasoning Engine, represents a new era of automation and efficiency for businesses. Whether through Sales, Service, or Marketing Agents, organizations can leverage this technology to streamline operations, personalize customer experiences, and achieve better outcomes. With over 5,200 customers implementing Agentforce in their sandboxes within the first two days of Dreamforce, the platform is already proving its transformative potential. By 2025 over a billion agents had been created! Agentforce isn’t just about improving efficiency; it’s about redefining what’s possible for business operations. Content updated January 2025. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
AI Agents and Work

AI Agents and Work

With AI tools becoming increasingly prevalent in workplaces worldwide, the focus has shifted from their novelty to optimizing productivity and effectiveness. AI Agents and Work. At Dreamforce 2024, AI agents were a hot topic, particularly with the launch of Salesforce’s new Agentforce platform. However, Slack also made its mark in the AI space, keen to demonstrate its role in transforming the future of work. TechRadar Pro sat down with Slack CEO Denise Dresser to explore how AI is reshaping the platform and why businesses should embrace this transformation. “Work is Broken” “Work, fundamentally, is broken,” Dresser stated, explaining that many workers spend too much time on what she describes as “the work of work.” This often involves switching between disconnected enterprise apps and navigating through data silos just to access the basic information needed to perform their jobs. Dresser emphasized that AI is poised to relieve much of this burden. She highlighted the “incredible wave” of AI adoption across industries, with over 13,000 AI-powered apps built on Slack. “We’re really investing in ensuring AI works for every worker, driving more productivity,” she said, noting that we’re in one of the most significant periods of change in the workplace, full of both opportunity and questions. Slack’s AI-Powered Enhancements With the support of its parent company, Salesforce, Slack has fully embraced AI, offering a broad range of tools designed to improve productivity. Dresser pointed to Slack’s summarization tools, which streamline workflows by surfacing important items from channels and conversations—tools she finds invaluable in her own workday. In addition, Slack’s Huddles—quick, impromptu meetings—now come with AI enhancements, including a new canvas sidebar that generates summaries, notes, and action items in real-time from a live transcript. Slack AI is also integrated into Workflow Builder, allowing users to automate processes using natural language, eliminating the resistance that some workers may feel toward adopting AI. “Slack is the natural place for work,” Dresser said, explaining that the future of work will involve searching, collaborating, and taking action all within the flow of daily tasks. “That vision has never been more true, and never been more real, because this moment is here.” The Era of AI Agents AI agents represent another major step forward for Slack. Dresser noted that third-party integrations with tools like Adobe, Box, and Workday will help facilitate seamless conversations across multiple apps without the need to switch between them. “The era of agents is a big idea, and it’s happening now,” she remarked. However, Dresser stressed the importance of ensuring a smooth transition, noting that onboarding customers effectively will be key to fulfilling this vision. “We think that’s the future.” Looking Ahead: AI at the Core of Work With the technology now in place, the responsibility lies with workers and managers to leverage AI to enhance their daily routines. “What we focus on is making sure we build a product that people love,” Dresser said, adding, “there’s really no one in the world that can offer the breadth of product that can operate across your entire business at the scale we can.” Dresser concluded with optimism about the future of work: “We’re really excited about this innovation meeting this moment. I don’t think there could be a better time for us, and we’re very optimistic about what’s ahead.” Slack’s AI-powered future is designed to break down barriers, streamline workflows, and make work more efficient for everyone. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
AI evolves with tools like Agentforce and Atlas

AI Evolves With Agentforce and Atlas

Not long ago, financial services companies were still struggling with the challenge of customer data trapped in silos. Though it feels like a distant issue, this problem remains for many large organizations unable to integrate different divisions that deal separately with the same customers. Salesforce AI evolves with tools like Agentforce and Atlas. The solution is a concept known as a “single source of truth.” This theme took center stage at Dreamforce 2024 in San Francisco, hosted by Salesforce (NYSE). The event showcased Salesforce’s latest AI innovations, including Agentforce, which is set to revolutionize customer engagement through its advanced AI capabilities. Agentforce, which becomes generally available on October 25, enables businesses to deploy autonomous AI agents to manage a wide variety of tasks. These agents differ from earlier Salesforce-based AI tools by leveraging Atlas, a cutting-edge reasoning engine that allows the bots to think like human beings. Unlike generative AI models, which might write an email based on prompts, Agentforce’s AI agents can answer complex, high-order questions such as, “What should I do with all my customers?” The agents break down these queries into actionable steps—whether that’s sending emails, making phone calls, or texting customers—thanks to the deep capabilities of Atlas. Atlas is at the heart of what makes these AI agents so powerful. It combines multiple large language models (LLMs), large action models (LAMs), and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) modules, along with REST APIs and connectors to various datasets. This robust system processes user queries through multiple layers, checking for validity and then expanding the query into manageable chunks for processing. Once a query passes through the chit-chat detector—which filters out non-relevant inputs—it enters the evaluation phase, where the AI determines if it has enough data to provide a meaningful answer. If not, the system loops back to the user for more information in a process Salesforce calls the agentic loop. The fewer loops required, the more efficient the AI becomes, making the experience seamless for users. Phil Mui, Senior Vice President of Salesforce AI Research, explained that the AI agents created via Agentforce are powered by the Atlas reasoning engine, which makes use of several key tools like a re-ranker, a refiner, and a response synthesizer. These tools ensure that the AI retrieves, ranks, and synthesizes relevant information to generate high-quality, natural language responses for the user. But Salesforce’s AI agents don’t stop at automation—they also emphasize trust. Before responses reach users, they go through additional checks for toxicity detection, bias prevention, and personally identifiable information (PII) masking. This ensures that the output is both accurate and safe. The potential of Agentforce is massive. According to Wedbush, Salesforce’s AI strategy could generate over $4 billion annually by 2025. Wedbush analysts recently increased their price target for Salesforce stock to $325, reflecting the strong customer reception of Agentforce’s AI ecosystem. While some analysts, such as Yiannis Zourmpanos from Seeking Alpha, have expressed caution due to Salesforce’s high valuation and slower revenue growth, the company’s continued focus on AI and multi-cloud solutions places it in a strong position for the future. Robin Fisher, Salesforce’s head of growth markets for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, highlighted two major takeaways from Dreamforce for African businesses: the Data Cloud and AI. Data Cloud provides a 360-degree view of the customer, consolidating data into a single source of truth without requiring full data migration. Meanwhile, Agentforce’s autonomous AI agents will drive operational efficiency across industries, especially in markets like Africa. Zuko Mdwaba, Salesforce’s managing director for South Africa, added that the company’s decade-long AI journey is culminating in its most advanced AI offerings yet. This new wave of AI, he said, is transforming not just customer engagement but also internal operations, empowering employees to focus on more strategic tasks while AI handles repetitive ones. The future is clear: as AI evolves with tools like Agentforce and Atlas, businesses across sectors, from banking to retail, are poised to harness the transformative power of autonomous technology and data-driven insights, finally breaking free from the silos of the past. 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

Read More
gettectonic.com