AGI Archives - gettectonic.com - Page 31
Constituent Service Toolkit in Public Sector Solutions

Constituent Service Toolkit in Public Sector Solutions

Explore the array of tools and components tailored for caseworkers, case managers, and other professionals to comprehend constituents’ needs and deliver exceptional customer service. Constituent Service Toolkit in Public Sector Solutions Public Sector Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of components, tools, and features designed to enhance the efficiency of caseworkers and other staff in addressing constituents’ concerns and issues. These tools provide valuable context for interactions with constituents and streamline actionable tasks, offering flexibility for customization to address diverse scenarios. Constituent Service Toolkit in Public Sector Solutions Whether handling inquiries about business license applications, social service benefits, or managing complaints and child welfare concerns, these tools empower users to efficiently navigate and resolve constituent service issues. Public Sector Solutions goes a step further by presenting a curated selection of these tools on a dedicated Lightning record page, facilitating a seamless start for users in utilizing these resources. Customize the page according to your agency’s specific needs, with limitless possibilities. Constituent Service Toolkit: Elevate customer service for constituents by providing tools that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of caseworkers, case managers, and other users. Complete Common Service Tasks in Context with Action Launcher: Empower intake agents, caseworkers, and other users to access common service tasks through the Action Launcher Lightning web component. This tool allows users to perform tasks such as identity verification, referral intake, email communication, or call logging with a simple menu selection. Tailor the Action Launcher to meet specific needs and integrate it into frequently accessed record detail pages for quick and context-aware responses to constituent concerns. Protect Constituent Privacy and Reduce Fraud with Identity Verification and Audit Trail: Prioritize constituent privacy by implementing a flow to verify their identity before sharing sensitive information. Agents and service representatives can initiate this flow during phone calls, through messaging channels, or in person. Utilize the Audit Trail to monitor engagement interactions, analyze patterns, and detect potential fraud associated with identity verification. Receive Alerts on Records That Need Action: Stay informed about account and application records requiring attention with the Record Alerts component. Caseworkers, application reviewers, and other users receive notifications about person accounts, business accounts, or individual application records that demand action. The component organizes alerts by categories like type, priority, and severity, allowing users to dismiss or snooze alerts as needed. Deliver Service to Constituents from a Dedicated Account Lightning Record Page: Enhance caseworkers’ efficiency by providing relevant information and service tools through a dedicated Lightning record page for accounts. Key details about constituents are showcased through the Account card and Timeline component. The Action Launcher and Alerts components enable users to initiate common service actions and address pending record alerts. The Interaction Summary tab allows users to document notes from conversations and engagements with constituents. Create Start-to-Finish Automation to Address Service Requests from Constituents with Service Process Studio: Leverage Service Process Studio to design automated processes that efficiently respond to service requests from constituents, from intake to resolution. Utilize data attributes, OmniScript forms, Apex classes, and record-triggered flows to create automation for processing service requests, including tasks like updating a constituent’s address. Integration definitions enable seamless connectivity between service processes and external systems. 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

Read More
Slack and Salesforce

AI in Slack

Introducing AI in Slack If you are unfamiliar with the Slack collaboration tool, learn more here. Incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Slack marks a significant milestone, one that is a real gamechanger. Slack’s ability to consolidate projects, data, and conversations into one platform has been a time saver for businesses, fostering collaboration and enhancing productivity. Now, with the introduction of native AI features, users can leverage their collective knowledge more efficiently than ever before. “For the past decade, Slack has transformed the way we work, facilitating seamless integration of people, apps, and systems. With Slack AI, we’re poised to elevate this transformation further. These new AI capabilities empower our customers to tap into the wealth of knowledge within Slack, enabling smarter work processes, faster decision-making, and more focus on innovation and growth.” Denise Dresser, CEO of Slack Enhancing Work Efficiency with AI The traditional approach to work often comes with productivity challenges, particularly when employees lack access to critical, time based information. Studies reveal that nearly half of digital workers struggle to find necessary information, leading to suboptimal decision-making. By integrating AI features into Slack, users can instantly access contextual information related to any project or policy within their organization’s history. This streamlines workflows and enables teams to make better-informed decisions efficiently. Slack’s Commitment to Simplified Work Processes Slack has always aimed to simplify work processes, bringing conversations, automation, and productivity tools into one unified platform. From channel-based discussions to real-time collaboration and process automation, Slack offers a comprehensive solution for teams. Moreover, Slack seamlessly integrates with popular tools like Salesforce, Workday, and Google Drive, facilitating smoother business operations and accelerating task completion. AI in Slack With Slack’s channel-based model serving as the foundation, users can create a centralized repository of information. Every message, canvas, and clip contributes to this repository, forming a searchable database of collective knowledge. Intelligent search functionality further enhances accessibility, enabling users to retrieve relevant information effortlessly. AI-powered features, such as channel recaps, thread summaries, and search answers, revolutionize how teams interact with information. Channel recaps provide key highlights from discussions, allowing users to catch up quickly and make informed decisions. Thread summaries condense lengthy conversations, facilitating faster comprehension and decision-making. Additionally, search answers offer concise responses to queries, leveraging relevant Slack messages to provide valuable insights. Embracing AI for Future Growth As businesses recognize the potential of AI to drive efficiency and productivity, Slack’s AI features offer a seamless transition. By embedding AI tools directly into the Slack workspace, users can harness the power of AI effortlessly, without the need for complex configurations or separate applications. Overall, Slack AI empowers teams to reach their full potential by leveraging corporate knowledge effectively. With AI-driven insights at their fingertips, teams can save time, make better decisions, and drive meaningful outcomes for their organizations. AI in Slack 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

Read More

Public Sector Solutions Record Aggregation

Public Sector Solutions Record Aggregation to Simplify Information Access for Caseworkers Caseworkers often need to review benefit applications and associated benefits for household members to determine eligibility. However, this process can be complex due to the indirect relationship between benefit assignments and party relationship groups. Caseworkers must navigate through multiple objects to access this information, which can be time-consuming and inefficient. Record aggregation offers a solution to this challenge by allowing caseworkers and other users to easily access information from two unrelated objects. With record aggregation, records from one object (e.g., benefit assignments) are aggregated and linked to records of another unrelated object (e.g., party relationship group). This consolidated view helps users quickly access relevant information without navigating through multiple layers of data. Setting Public Sector Solutions Record Aggregation To implement record aggregation: Benefits of Record Aggregation Record aggregation enables: By leveraging record aggregation, public sector organizations can streamline processes for caseworkers and enhance efficiency in benefit application reviews. This approach ensures that relevant information is readily available, ultimately improving service delivery and decision-making. 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

Read More
Salesforce for Travel, Transportation, and Hospitality

Hotel Salesforce CRM for Hospitality

Salesforce offers hospitality professionals the tools to address marketing, sales, and customer support needs through the Marketing, Service, and Sales Cloud. Hotel Salesforce CRM for Hospitality. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software tailored for hotels assists in engaging guests, managing reservations, coordinating projects, and streamlining communications. Hotel CRM software simplifies operations within the hospitality sector. Salesforce for Hospitality Customer Experience In the travel industry, particularly in hotels, customer experience reigns supreme. Hotels serve as temporary homes for guests, making their experience pivotal in determining future patronage. However, with the surge in travel and advancements in technology, the demand for personalized experiences has escalated. Meeting these expectations is essential not only for standing out in a competitive market but also for maintaining a positive online reputation. As travel becomes more accessible and prices decrease, managing a large volume of customers while delivering personalized experiences presents a significant challenge. Hotels must deepen their understanding of customers to avoid losing them amid the crowd. This is where CRM comes into play. CRMs for Hospitality CRM entails managing customer expectations, interactions, and loyalty to provide the most personalized journey possible. Modern CRM solutions, often cloud-based and mobile-compatible, leverage AI and big data to comprehend customers better and deliver proactive solutions, ensuring timely and relevant interactions. Hotel CRMs are specifically designed to address the unique needs of the hospitality industry. They assist in monitoring online reviews and social media chatter, enabling prompt responses to maintain a positive online reputation. Quick problem-solving is crucial in hotels, and CRM tools streamline issue resolution by providing relevant customer information promptly. Moreover, hotel CRMs enhance guest experiences by facilitating personalized journeys from initial contact to post-stay interactions. Mobile access is essential for guests, and many CRM platforms offer tools for building mobile apps and portals to enhance convenience. Hotel Salesforce CRM for Hospitality Ultimately, CRM systems empower hotels to manage customer loyalty effectively, offering better communication, multi-channel advertising, and useful employee tools. For hotels seeking these benefits, choosing the right CRM is crucial. Salesforce stands out as a top platform for hotel CRM, providing comprehensive solutions to meet diverse industry needs. In today’s travel and hospitality industry, efficiency and exceptional guest experiences are paramount. To achieve this, companies must focus on automating routine tasks, unifying data, and leveraging AI for insights. Exceptional experiences remain the best way to attract and retain customers, driving efficient growth even in challenging times. If your hotel or hospitality destination is looking to increase guest satisfaction, contact Tectonic about Salesforce today. 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

Read More
Ethical and Responsible AI

Ethical and Responsible AI

Responsible AI and ethical AI are closely connected, with each offering complementary yet distinct principles for the development and use of AI systems. Organizations that aim for success must integrate both frameworks, as they are mutually reinforcing. Responsible AI emphasizes accountability, transparency, and adherence to regulations. Ethical AI—sometimes called AI ethics—focuses on broader moral values like fairness, privacy, and societal impact. In recent discussions, the significance of both has come to the forefront, encouraging organizations to explore the unique advantages of integrating these frameworks. While Responsible AI provides the practical tools for implementation, ethical AI offers the guiding principles. Without clear ethical grounding, responsible AI initiatives can lack purpose, while ethical aspirations cannot be realized without concrete actions. Moreover, ethical AI concerns often shape the regulatory frameworks responsible AI must comply with, showing how deeply interwoven they are. By combining ethical and responsible AI, organizations can build systems that are not only compliant with legal requirements but also aligned with human values, minimizing potential harm. The Need for Ethical AI Ethical AI is about ensuring that AI systems adhere to values and moral expectations. These principles evolve over time and can vary by culture or region. Nonetheless, core principles—like fairness, transparency, and harm reduction—remain consistent across geographies. Many organizations have recognized the importance of ethical AI and have taken initial steps to create ethical frameworks. This is essential, as AI technologies have the potential to disrupt societal norms, potentially necessitating an updated social contract—the implicit understanding of how society functions. Ethical AI helps drive discussions about this evolving social contract, establishing boundaries for acceptable AI use. In fact, many ethical AI frameworks have influenced regulatory efforts, though some regulations are being developed alongside or ahead of these ethical standards. Shaping this landscape requires collaboration among diverse stakeholders: consumers, activists, researchers, lawmakers, and technologists. Power dynamics also play a role, with certain groups exerting more influence over how ethical AI takes shape. Ethical AI vs. Responsible AI Ethical AI is aspirational, considering AI’s long-term impact on society. Many ethical issues have emerged, especially with the rise of generative AI. For instance, machine learning bias—when AI outputs are skewed due to flawed or biased training data—can perpetuate inequalities in high-stakes areas like loan approvals or law enforcement. Other concerns, like AI hallucinations and deepfakes, further underscore the potential risks to human values like safety and equality. Responsible AI, on the other hand, bridges ethical concerns with business realities. It addresses issues like data security, transparency, and regulatory compliance. Responsible AI offers practical methods to embed ethical aspirations into each phase of the AI lifecycle—from development to deployment and beyond. The relationship between the two is akin to a company’s vision versus its operational strategy. Ethical AI defines the high-level values, while responsible AI offers the actionable steps needed to implement those values. Challenges in Practice For modern organizations, efficiency and consistency are key, and standardized processes are the norm. This applies to AI development as well. Ethical AI, while often discussed in the context of broader societal impacts, must be integrated into existing business processes through responsible AI frameworks. These frameworks often include user-friendly checklists, evaluation guides, and templates to help operationalize ethical principles across the organization. Implementing Responsible AI To fully embed ethical AI within responsible AI frameworks, organizations should focus on the following areas: By effectively combining ethical and responsible AI, organizations can create AI systems that are not only technically and legally sound but also morally aligned and socially responsible. Content edited October 2024. 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 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 Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

Read More
AI Then and Now

AI Then and Now

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

Read More
Salesforce Bot Planning

Salesforce Bot Planning

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

Read More
Where Will AI Take Us?

Where Will AI Take Us?

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

Read More
Create a Service Provider Portal in PSS

Create a Service Provider Portal in PSS

Develop a provider portal for certified service providers to manage constituent referral requests, track service delivery, update their information, and collaborate with agencies and constituents effectively. Create a Service Provider Portal in PSS to easily track and manage referral requests. Caseworkers often lack direct insight into the progress of constituents’ benefits and their interactions with service providers, relying on providers to keep them informed. Conversely, providers struggle to maintain updated credentials, contract renewal status, and other information for agencies. To tackle these challenges, establish a portal to aid service providers in managing and monitoring their services while granting agencies and constituents real-time visibility into provider data and processes. This collaborative platform fosters efficient and transparent partnerships. While Public Sector Solutions does not offer a custom template, any Experience Cloud site template, such as the Build Your Own (LWR) template, can be utilized to create the portal for service providers. With the Provider Management for Partner permission set, providers gain access to Provider Management objects and features. Consider the following access-related requirements for the portal: Create a Service Provider Portal in PSS Service providers can leverage the portal in various ways, including: 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

Read More
AI Project Planning by Data

AI Project Planning by Data

Starting with Data Step 1: Identify Core Data Stores Begin by listing the primary data sources tied to the business functions you are investigating. While it may be unrealistic to catalog every possible data source within the company, the task becomes manageable by narrowing the focus to specific departments (e.g., customer service, marketing, legal) or broader goals (e.g., “increasing manufacturing efficiency” or “improving customer loyalty and cart value”). Step 2: Align Data with Business Processes For each data set, hypothesize how it might enhance or streamline business workflows. Consider questions like: By linking the data to these business use cases, you start to uncover the potential value of integrating data into key workflows. Step 3: Validate Business Cases with Experts Once you’ve identified how data could be valuable, collaborate with data scientists and subject matter experts (SMEs) to review and refine your hypotheses. Create a formal list of use cases that clearly outline how data, algorithms, and business workflows could come together to add value or automate a process. This ensures a practical approach for leveraging data to drive business outcomes. 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

Read More
End of Support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder

End of Support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder

Every month Salesforce announces retirement and sundowning of products and features. For long-time Salesforce power users, this one feels like the end of an era. Salesforce has announced the end of support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder in 2025. Scheduled Paths are a replacement for Scheduled Actions in Process Builder and Time-Based Workflow Rules. And they even have some new and improved features like support for minutes! Flows can now call other sub-flows, a much-longed-for replacement for Process Builder’s ability to call Flows. End of Support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder Salesforce will no longer be supporting Workflow Rules and Process Builder on December 31, 2025, and we recommend that you migrate your automation to Flow Builder by that time. Have you taken advantage of all the powerful features of Flow? Not yet? Have no fear, and go with the Flow! We’ve curated a comprehensive guide of resources to take you from zero to hero on your journey with us to migrate your organization from Workflow Rules and/or Process Builder onto the newer and more powerful engine of Flow! Why move to Flow? What’s happening with Workflow Rules and Process Builder? Salesforce is starting the process of moving away from Workflow Rules and Process Builder, and transitioning to the more feature-rich functionality of Flow. You’re also probably wondering why Salesforce is retiring Workflow Rules and Process Builder. Salesforce wants to focus development on a modern, extensible, low-code automation solution in Flow Builder, which led to retire the previous features. What does this change mean for me?  If you have active Workflow Rules or Process Builder processes running after 2025, they will no longer receive customer support or bug fixes. What action can I take? We recommend implementing a plan to migrate any active rules or processes to Flow Builder before the deadline. Depending on the complexity of your org, this migration may take a significant amount of time and testing, so we recommend starting now. To assist in the migration process, we have a Migrate to Flow tool and extensive support resources available. What happens if I don’t take action? After December 31, 2025, Workflow Rules and Process Builder may continue to function and execute existing automation, but customer support will not be available, and bugs will not be fixed. How do I identify affected users? You can identify whether you have active workflow rules by going to Setup | Process Automation | Workflow Rules and sorting the Active column for checkmarks. You can identify whether you have active Process Builder processes by going to Setup | Process Automation | Process Builder and sorting the Status column for Active. If you have more questions, open a case with support via Salesforce Help. To view all current and past retirements, see Salesforce Product & Feature Retirements. What does the transition to Flows entail? The transition is set to take place in multiple phases. The first phase began with the Winter ’22 release, wherein the ability to create net-new Workflow Rules was turned off. In Summer ‘23 release the ability to create net-new processes in Process Builder will be disabled. In the last phase, Workflow Rules and Process Builder will go away entirely, and any platform automation will be leveraging Flow. This phased approach will allow administrators ample time to transition to Flow with as minimal effort as possible. What changed in the Winter ’22 release? As of Winter ’22, we’ve blocked the creation of Workflow Rules. You can still activate, deactivate, and edit any existing Workflow Rules. To test and create Workflow Rules for use in managed packages, developer orgs still allow you to create Workflow Rules. Process Builder has remained unaffected during this period. For new automation, use Flow. Link to Release Notes What changed in the Summer ’23 release? Starting in Summer ’23, Salesforce began blocking the creation of Process Builder Processes. Much like workflow rules above, you can still activate, deactivate, and edit any existing Processes. For new automation, use Flow. How can existing Workflow Rules & Processes be transitioned to Flow? A tool called “Migrate to Flow” allows you to covert existing Workflow Rules & Processes to Flow in an org, at the click of a button. More information about this tool can be found here. There are a few considerations to keep in mind as we roll out this tool. If your organization relies heavily on existing Workflow Rules or Process Builder, please consider starting the migration process today using the Migrate to Flow tool, rather than when the deadline approaches. This will also allow you to test the migrated Flows in small batches to ensure your organization’s needs are adequately met. How can I get started in Flow? For those with limited exposure to Flows, tinkering in a trailhead playground, demo org, or other non-production org is a great way to explore the capabilities of Flows. Once ready, admins can try creating any new automation needed in their organization in Flows rather than in Process Builder. Trailhead – The best place to start! Build Flows with Flow BuilderRecord-Triggered FlowsAutomate Your Business Processes with Salesforce Flow Automation Home Page – Watch videos, read blog posts, or explore other Trailhead offerings related to Flows. Trailhead Community Topics – Join the discussion!#Flow#Automation What about feature parity between Workflows/Processes and Flows? During the last few releases, many of the biggest parity gaps between Workflow Rules/Process Builder and Flow have been addressed already, including: Additionally, more and more gaps are being addressed with each new release. What about Approval Processes, Email Alerts, and other functionality operating on the workflow engine? There are no plans to retire any of these auxiliary features; however, each of them can be leveraged through flow (or Flow Orchestrator, in the case of approval processes), without the need to use processes or workflow rules at all. Flow Trailhead – Click Here 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

Read More
Top AI Tools Shaping Business Success

Top AI Tools Shaping Business Success

Top AI Tools Shaping Business Success in 2024 In the dynamic world of business, staying ahead means embracing the latest technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a transformative force that helps businesses operate more efficiently, make smarter decisions, and enhance customer experiences. As we move through 2024, the AI tool ecosystem is rapidly expanding, offering innovative solutions to automate tasks, gain deep insights, and improve customer engagement. Below, we explore the top AI tools that are shaping the future of business. StoryChief is a comprehensive content marketing platform that simplifies the creation and distribution of content through AI. From ideation to optimization, it leverages machine learning to help businesses generate high-quality, engaging content at scale. Key Features: Pricing: Plans start with a free tier, with paid options ranging from $40 to $500 per month. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is a versatile language model capable of generating human-like text. It excels in content creation, customer support, and data analysis. Key Use Cases: Pricing: API access with usage-based pricing. Perplexity AI is an advanced search engine that provides accurate, summarized answers to complex queries using natural language processing (NLP). Key Features: Pricing: Free version available, with Pro version at $20/month offering enhanced features. Zapier connects over 5,000 apps, enabling automation of repetitive tasks across your tech stack with AI-powered tools that simplify complex automations. Key Features: Pricing: Free plan available for up to 100 tasks per month; paid plans start at $19.99/month. Grammarly is an AI-driven writing assistant that enhances the quality of written communication, ensuring clarity, conciseness, and error-free content. Key Features: Pricing: Free version available; Premium plans start at $12/month for individuals and $25/user/month for businesses. Typeframes simplifies video creation with AI, turning scripts or images into professional-quality videos with animations, transitions, and voiceovers. Key Features: Pricing: Plans start at $29/month, with higher-tier options available. Chatbase enables businesses to build intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants that handle a wide range of customer service inquiries. Key Features: Pricing: Free plan available with limited message credits; paid plans start at $19/month. Secta is an AI-powered headshot generator that creates professional-quality headshots from user-submitted photos, ideal for businesses needing polished profile pictures. Key Features: Pricing: Pay-as-you-go at $49 per headshot session. Voicenotes is an AI-driven transcription tool that converts voice memos into concise summaries and action items, perfect for capturing important information efficiently. Key Features: Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $10/month, with lifetime payment options. Notion AI enhances the popular Notion productivity platform with AI-powered writing assistance, content summarization, and database management. Key Features: Pricing: Available as an add-on at $10 per user per month, with discounts for annual plans. Choosing the Right AI Tools for Your Business Selecting the right AI tools involves considering several factors: By evaluating these aspects, you can effectively leverage AI to enhance efficiency, drive growth, and maintain a competitive edge in 2024. 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

Read More
Custom Copilot Actions

Custom Copilot Actions

How to Create a Custom Copilot Action Custom Copilot Actions allow you to extend Copilot’s functionality within Salesforce, enabling users to perform tasks specific to your business needs. By utilizing invocable Apex classes, autolaunched flows, and prompt templates, you can build custom actions tailored to your organization’s requirements. Extend your unified copilot with custom actions. Before You Begin: Steps to Create a Custom Copilot Action: Testing and Deployment: Understanding Einstein Copilot Einstein Copilot is Salesforce’s AI assistant designed to enhance productivity and user experience across various applications and departments. Admins can configure and deploy Copilots to empower users with AI capabilities, streamlining workflows and increasing efficiency. Out-of-the-Box Actions: In the Spring ’24 release, Einstein Copilot offers several out-of-the-box actions, including: Customization and Future Development: Admins can create custom actions to tailor Copilot’s capabilities to their organization’s specific requirements. Custom actions enable tasks such as updating records and integrating with external systems, enhancing productivity and efficiency. When you create a custom action, you build it on top of platform functionality you want to make available in Einstein Copilot, such as invocable Apex classes, autolaunched flows, or prompt templates. Adding custom actions lets you customize your copilot and get more mileage out of your current Salesforce platform capabilities. Access to a custom copilot action depends on the type of Salesforce action it references. For example, if a custom action was built using a flow, the custom action adheres to the permissions, field-level security, and sharing settings configured in the flow. Use Cases and Considerations: Typical Use Cases: Considerations: Building Custom Copilot Actions: Power of Custom Actions: Custom actions extend Copilot’s capabilities, offering a wide range of use cases and functionalities. Actions can be built using flows, prompts, or Apex, providing flexibility and customization options. Descriptive Instructions: Accurate descriptions of actions, inputs, and outputs are essential for Copilot’s understanding and execution. Clear instructions provide context and improve response accuracy. Best Practices: Einstein Copilot, coupled with custom actions, empowers organizations to optimize workflows and drive efficiency. By following best practices and leveraging the full potential of Copilot, Salesforce admins can enhance user experiences and unlock new levels of productivity. Explore these features within your organization to realize the benefits of Salesforce Einstein Copilot Custom Actions. Assign an action to your copilot from the Copilot Actions page, the record page for an action, or the Copilot Action Library tab of the actions panel in the Copilot Builder. Your copilot must be deactivated. To test your action and preview how the output appears in a copilot conversation, open the copilot in the Copilot Builder and start a preview conversation. Enter utterances that you expect to trigger your action, and then make adjustments to the copilot action instructions based on your results. What powers Einstein Copilot custom actions? By facilitating the flow of work through smart, AI-driven actions, Einstein Copilot enhances efficiency and decision-making. Here’s how organizations can harness its power through the design of custom actions, ensuring their operations are as streamlined and effective as possible. 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

Read More
Learning AI

AI Success is a Team Sport

The contemporary workplace is currently experiencing a profound transformation. The Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum predicts that AI will replace approximately 85 million jobs by 2025, while concurrently generating around 97 million AI-related jobs. AI Success is a Team Sport and will require hiring and training people. This significant shift necessitates a reevaluation of work dynamics, introducing new roles that involve collaboration between “humans, machines, and algorithms.” Amidst this transformative period, AI provides opportunities for organizations to reimagine existing roles, offer upskilling opportunities, and design innovative positions to meet evolving needs. For leaders in the data domain, the crucial task is to assess which jobs could benefit from AI. This requires a thorough understanding of organizational tasks, skills, and strategic goals, complemented by a scalable change management process to accommodate the growth of AI initiatives. To pinpoint relevant jobs, the following steps can be taken: Despite 67% of global business leaders considering the use of generative AI, an equal number of IT leaders acknowledge a skills gap among their employees. “I think most business leaders have a good sense of what the key jobs are inside their organizations. Of those key jobs, what are the good candidates for AI? I think it’s important for any executive—data or not—to understand what they are and plan accordingly.” SOLOMON KAHN DATA LEADERSHIP COLLABORATIVE  The implementation of AI necessitates a specialized team, encompassing roles from project managers to domain experts. The composition of the team depends on the project’s complexity, scope, budget, and overall strategic objectives. But to be sure, AI Success is a Team Sport. Key roles for AI initiatives include: AI acts as a disruptor to traditional business practices, and this disruption is viewed positively. The bonuses far outweigh the challenges. The new generation of user-friendly AI technologies, such as generative AI, has moved beyond the hype cycle, offering applications that generate personalized offers and automated chatbots capable of solving complex customer support issues. In this era powered by AI, data leaders play a pivotal role in driving transformative change. 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

Read More
gettectonic.com