As technology evolves, cross-channel marketing will become even more sophisticated, leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics to deliver hyper-personalized and proactive customer experiences. Businesses that adopt this approach will stay ahead of the curve, fostering stronger customer relationships and achieving long-term success.
A recent survey conducted by Kyruus Health and shared with HealthPayerIntelligence reveals that consumers are demanding more accurate online provider data from payers to enhance access to care. Healthcare solutions from Tectonic and Salesforce improve patient care and trust by improving data accuracy. The survey, fielded by Wakefield Research in April 2024, involved 1,000 healthcare consumers. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) had private health insurance, with Medicare being the second most common form of coverage (18%). The participants represented an even distribution across U.S. regions and age groups, with 57% identifying as women. Payers have historically struggled to maintain up-to-date provider directories, and this survey highlights the significant impact of these challenges. About 30% of consumers reported skipping care due to inaccurate provider information, with 70% of them seeking this data online. Consumers primarily rely on health plan websites or apps for provider information, with 32% naming these platforms as their first resource. Medicaid enrollees were particularly dependent on their plan’s digital resources, with 64% turning to these tools first. Besides health plan websites and apps, consumers also used general internet searches, provider or clinic websites, and healthcare information sites like WebMD. Social media platforms were also popular for care searches, with 77% of users turning to Facebook and 61% to YouTube. The survey also revealed that payers often fail to provide accurate cost predictions. Only 32% of respondents said their health plans offered accurate cost information. Price transparency tools are particularly important to younger generations, with 76% of Millennials and 80% of Gen Z respondents using these tools. However, 40% of Baby Boomers were unsure if their plans even offered such tools. Among those who did use them, 34% found that the tools presented incorrect provider data, with 45% of Gen Z reporting this issue. Inaccurate provider information can lead to significant negative consequences for consumers, including delays in accessing care, difficulties contacting preferred providers, and higher costs. Some consumers even reported accidentally receiving out-of-network care or forgoing care altogether due to these inaccuracies. These experiences not only hinder access to care but also damage consumer trust in their healthcare providers and payers. Overall, 80% of respondents said that inaccurate provider data affected their trust, with 27% losing trust in their health plans and 22% losing trust in their providers. The survey results underscore a clear call to action. Over 60% of consumers, and nearly 75% of Gen Z specifically, want their health plans to provide more accurate data. Tectonic has decades of experience applying Salesforce solutions to health care providers and payers. To address these concerns, the report recommends that health plans take three key steps: First, engage with members through appropriate channels, including social media. Second, unify and validate their provider data to ensure accuracy. Third, introduce self-service capabilities within their digital platforms to empower consumers. Reach out to Tectonic today if your organization needs help applying these three steps. 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
Revolutionizing QA Testing: Top 10 AI Tools for Automation Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming many aspects of our daily lives and professional environments, and its impact on Quality Assurance (QA) testing is particularly groundbreaking. While AI applications in areas like photo-to-anime converters gain attention, its role in automating QA testing processes is truly revolutionary. In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 AI tools that are changing the game in QA automation. AI Tools for Automation. Why Use AI in QA Testing? AI is a game-changer in QA testing, streamlining processes that were once manual and time-consuming. It enhances efficiency by optimizing test scenarios, predicting defects, and automating test creation and execution. Although manual testing remains important, AI tools are becoming crucial for achieving more accurate and efficient QA processes. Top 10 AI Testing Tools Here’s a curated list of the top 10 AI tools for test automation. Choosing the Right AI Tool To select the best AI testing tool for your needs, follow these steps: Conclusion AI is transforming QA testing by reducing preparation time, improving accuracy, and enhancing software quality. By leveraging the AI tools outlined above, you can optimize your testing processes and achieve superior results. For expert QA assistance and a detailed product testing estimate, contact our professional team. 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
Leading provider of branded, designed solutions (laminate) for commercial and residential customers worldwide. The company has been surfacing spaces for 110 years. Client struggled with no real ability to see a 360 degree view of the business.
Slack for Manufacturing and Automotive Enhance productivity, reduce costs, and provide exceptional experiences with a consolidated perspective of your customer data. Streamline diverse systems, teams, and processes effortlessly through automation. Forge connections with external partners to integrate your entire ecosystem seamlessly. As manufacturing, automotive, and energy organizations transition to developing new powertrains and digital products for innovative service and revenue models, Slack offers an efficient platform for innovation. Pioneering Enterprise Security Setting the standard in enterprise security, Slack ensures data encryption in transit and at rest. It boasts comprehensive compliance and assurance programs, along with features such as audit logs, data loss prevention, and single sign-on. As the productivity platform for manufacturing, automotive, and energy, Slack ensures a secure environment. Utilizing Slack AI for Smarter Work Engage with a Slack sales representative or join the waitlist to experience the empowering capabilities of Slack AI throughout your organization. Leverage AI-powered search for swift answers, summarize conversations effortlessly, and rest assured with secure data handling by Slack AI. Explore Slack’s pivotal role in accelerating innovation across manufacturing, automotive, and energy sectors. Empowering Software Developers Discover how Slack empowers teams to introduce novel digital products and services, driving revenue and transforming customer experiences. For software developers, Slack accelerates the delivery of high-quality code, making it a preferred choice for the world’s leading producers of software, hardware, and services. Explore Slack’s webinar to uncover its potential for your team. Revolutionizing Fleet Management with Automile Challenges abound for businesses managing fleets, particularly in integrating solutions seamlessly with existing toolsets for increased productivity. Automile aims to disrupt the billion fleet management market by introducing a mobile-first API-centric solution. With REST-based JSON APIs and SDKs for PHP, Java, and C# .NET, Automile simplifies fleet management, offering web and mobile apps. Slack Integration with Automile Automile is set to release new features in March, including integrations such as Slack. By submitting the app to Slack’s App Directory, Automile aims to provide businesses with a streamlined fleet management experience within Slack. The upcoming Slack App supports Slash Commands, Interactive Messages, and Incoming Webhooks. Security First Approach Automile prioritizes security with the new Slack App, ensuring that authorized Slack team members have access. The app supports Slash Commands, enabling users to achieve specific tasks, such as checking out drivers and locating vehicles. The admin can control user access to these commands for added security. Fleet Management Commands Automile’s Slack App introduces Slash Commands for drivers and vehicles. The Driver command allows fleet managers to search for drivers, check their status, and interact with them directly from Slack. Similarly, the Vehicle command provides information on vehicle location, status, and enables task assignment. Driving Field Service Efficiency with Slack and Salesforce Service Cloud Witness how manufacturers harness the combined capabilities of Slack and Salesforce Service Cloud to empower field employees and enhance customer satisfaction. Slack’s Continued Impact Slack continues to thrive globally, supporting businesses of all sizes in achieving growth and skyrocketing productivity. Acquired by Salesforce in 2021, Slack remains an influential force in the business communication and collaboration landscape. 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
Defence Technology Solutions from Salesforce: Enabling Secure, Mission-Critical Operations Salesforce provides defense organizations with powerful technology solutions to deliver on their missions quickly and securely. By increasing IT flexibility, enhancing productivity, and safeguarding sensitive data in a secure, compliant cloud environment, Salesforce empowers defence organizations to achieve mission success with confidence. Salesforce Solutions for Defense. Modernizing Personnel Operations Salesforce streamlines workforce management and accelerates employee operations, providing a unified view of personnel and fast, digital workflows. Public sector organizations can transform hiring, recruiting, HR actions, IT requests, and employee services within a trusted operational hub. How It Works: Salesforce enhances productivity and digitizes government employee tasks throughout their lifecycle, from hire to retirement. Maximizing IT Agility Salesforce enables defence organizations to unlock data from legacy systems, cloud applications, and third-party platforms with an API-led approach, securely bridging on-premises and cloud environments. Rapid application development, consolidation, and system access become seamless with Salesforce’s low-code/no-code tools. How It Works: Salesforce compresses development cycles and increases flexibility, enabling defense organizations to deliver on mission objectives faster. Salesforce Solutions for Defense Delivering Successful Case Outcomes Salesforce supports the full case management lifecycle by integrating critical data points from multiple systems into a single, unified view. Defense organizations can empower caseworkers with purpose-built tools, ensuring successful case outcomes while reducing information silos and providing clients with the necessary support. How It Works: Salesforce creates a single source of truth for case management, enabling defense organizations to streamline workflows and improve service outcomes. By leveraging Salesforce’s defense technology solutions, organizations can modernize operations, maximize agility, and ensure successful case management outcomes, all while maintaining the highest levels of security and compliance. Salesforce Solutions for Defense from Tectonic. 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
Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) with Revenue Cloud empowers businesses to drive profitable growth by automating the entire product-to-cash process. From managing product catalogs and pricing to order fulfillment and billing, RLM streamlines operations and accelerates revenue generation. Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle. Here’s how businesses can leverage RLM for efficient revenue lifecycle management: Additionally, RLM is available in Lightning Experience and requires a Revenue Lifecycle Management license in Sales Cloud and Service Cloud for Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions. Key features of RLM include: As businesses navigate the subscription economy, RLM offers a scalable, flexible, and efficient omni-channel platform for transacting revenue. By addressing growth, churn reduction, and profitability gains, RLM empowers organizations to scale and grow, leveraging modular components and APIs to support various sales motions and use cases. With ongoing innovation and industry expertise, Salesforce and partners like Tectonic are committed to helping subscription companies achieve profitable and efficient growth with Revenue Cloud and Revenue Lifecycle Management. 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
Supporting the development of AI design patterns that demonstrate trustworthiness not only enhances user experiences but also serves as an enabling tool for informing more effective policy and compliance measures. Patterns for AI Security. By prototyping patterns, teams can effectively communicate complex policies, illustrating how they could function within industries and for users. This approach also facilitates the testing of patterns, enabling teams to swiftly identify trade-offs and challenge assumptions, thereby accelerating the establishment of industry standards for best practices. Ultimately, this iterative process leads to the creation of better policies and services that yield superior outcomes for both individuals and organizations. Patterns for AI Security For instance, consider the pattern of “watermarking,” mandated by China’s Cyberspace Administration and poised to be adopted by the USA and EU. Through exploration of this pattern, the team at IF highlighted the inherent challenges associated with implementing watermarking for users and businesses. Another design pattern is the AI query router. A user inputs a query, that query is sent to a router, which is a classifier that categorizes the input. A recognized query routes to small language model, which tends to be more accurate, more responsive, & less expensive to operate. If the query is not recognized, a large language model handles it. LLMs much more expensive to operate, but successfully returns answers to a larger variety of queries. In this way, an AI product can balance cost, performance, & user experience. Moreover, investing in trustworthy solutions not only addresses immediate challenges but also positions businesses for long-term success. As reliance on AI systems becomes ubiquitous, the complexities of trust, collaboration, and robustness will only intensify. Stakeholders, both in the private and public sectors, increasingly expect organizations to deliver responsible solutions that prioritize user value without compromising on privacy. This is particularly evident among Gen Z individuals, who demand technology that understands and anticipates their needs while upholding privacy standards. Gen Alpha will be even moreso inclined. Organizations that recognize the significance of trustworthiness and proactively invest in differentiating their products and services accordingly stand to gain a competitive advantage in the evolving landscape. By prioritizing trustworthiness, businesses can not only meet the expectations of their stakeholders but also foster lasting relationships built on transparency, reliability, and integrity. We all anchor to some tried and tested methods, approaches and patterns when building something new. This statement is very true for those in software engineering, however for generative AI and artificial intelligence itself this may not be the case. With emerging technologies such as generative AI we lack well documented patterns to ground our solution’s. Here are a handful of approaches and patterns for generative AI, based on evaluation of countless production implementations of LLM’s in production. The goal of these patterns is to help mitigate and overcome some of the challenges with generative AI implementations such as cost, latency and hallucinations. List of Patterns Like Related Posts 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 Salesforce Artificial Intelligence Is artificial intelligence integrated into Salesforce? Salesforce Einstein stands as an intelligent layer embedded within the Lightning Platform, bringing robust Read more Salesforce’s Quest for AI for the Masses The software engine, Optimus Prime (not to be confused with the Autobot leader), originated in a basement beneath a West Read more
AI technologies are redefining cloud management by automating IT systems, improving security, optimizing cloud costs, enhancing data management, and streamlining the provisioning of AI services across complex cloud ecosystems. With the surging demand for AI, its ability to address technological complexities makes a unified cloud management strategy indispensable for IT teams. Cloud and security platforms have steadily integrated AI and machine learning to support increasingly autonomous IT operations. The rapid rise of generative AI (GenAI) has further spotlighted these AI capabilities, prompting vendors to prioritize their development and implementation. Adnan Masood, Chief AI Architect at UST, highlights the transformative potential of AI-driven cloud management, emphasizing its ability to oversee vast data centers hosting millions of applications and services with minimal human input. “AI automates tasks such as provisioning, scaling, cost management, monitoring, and data migration,” Masood explains, showcasing its wide-ranging impact. From Reactive to Proactive Cloud Management Traditionally, CloudOps relied heavily on manual intervention and expertise. AI has shifted this paradigm, introducing automation, predictive analytics, and intelligent decision-making. This evolution enables enterprises to transition from reactive, manual management to proactive, self-optimizing cloud environments. Masood underscores that this shift allows cloud systems to self-manage and optimize with minimal human oversight. However, organizations must navigate challenges, including complex data integration, real-time processing limitations, and model accuracy concerns. Business hurdles like implementation costs, uncertain ROI, and maintaining the right balance between AI automation and human oversight also require careful evaluation. AI’s Transformation of Cloud Computing AI has reshaped cloud management into a more proactive and efficient process. Key applications include: “AI enhances efficiency, scalability, and flexibility for IT teams,” says Agustín Huerta, SVP of Digital Innovation at Globant. He views AI as a pivotal enabler of automation and optimization, helping businesses adapt to rapidly changing environments. AI also automates repetitive tasks such as provisioning, performance monitoring, and cost management. More importantly, it strengthens security across cloud infrastructure by detecting misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and malicious activities. Nick Kramer of SSA & Company highlights how AI-powered natural language interfaces simplify cloud management, transforming it from a technical challenge to a logical one. With conversational AI, business users can manage cloud operations more efficiently, accelerating problem resolution. AI-Enabled Cloud Management Tools Ryan Mallory, COO at Flexential, categorizes AI-powered cloud tools into: The Rise of Self-Healing Cloud Systems AI enables cloud systems to detect, resolve, and optimize issues with minimal human intervention. For instance, AI can identify system failures and trigger automatic remediation, such as restarting services or reallocating resources. Over time, machine learning enhances these systems’ accuracy and reliability. Key Applications of AI in Cloud Management AI’s widespread applications in cloud computing include: Benefits of AI in Cloud Management AI transforms cloud management by enabling autonomous systems capable of 24/7 monitoring, self-healing, and optimization. This boosts system reliability, reduces downtime, and provides businesses with deeper analytical insights. Chris Vogel from S-RM emphasizes that AI’s analytical capabilities go beyond automation, driving strategic business decisions and delivering measurable value. Challenges of AI in Cloud Management Despite its advantages, AI adoption in cloud management presents challenges, including: AI’s Impact on IT Departments AI’s growing influence on cloud management introduces new responsibilities for IT teams, including managing unauthorized AI systems, ensuring data security, and maintaining high-quality data for AI applications. IT departments must provide enterprise-grade AI solutions that are private, governed, and efficient while balancing the costs and benefits of AI integration. Future Trends in AI-Driven Cloud Management Experts anticipate that AI will revolutionize cloud management, much like cloud computing reshaped IT a decade ago. Prasad Sankaran from Cognizant predicts that organizations investing in AI for cloud management will unlock opportunities for faster innovation, streamlined operations, and reduced technical debt. As AI continues to evolve, cloud environments will become increasingly autonomous, driving efficiency, scalability, and innovation across industries. Businesses embracing AI-driven cloud management will be well-positioned to adapt to the complexities of tomorrow’s IT landscape. 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
Salesforce Service Cloud users are set to receive more Einstein 1 generative AI tools in June and October. A key development is the expansion of automated customer conversations across more sales and marketing platforms. Generative AI and Service Cloud family of tools is growing. This insight aims to uncover the numerous use cases of generative AI in the modern contact center. We’ll help you understand how generative AI can fast track your contact center’s efficiency, improve data analysis capabilities, streamline QA and coaching processes, and make customers’ experiences better. Today, Salesforce launched Unified Conversations for WhatsApp, which automates bot responses to customer inquiries related to targeted marketing messages on the popular messaging app. Additionally, Salesforce plans to extend support to Line, a messaging app popular in Japan, later this year. These services are built on Salesforce’s Einstein 1 generative AI platform. The platform’s bots aggregate structured and unstructured CRM, product, service, and other data through Salesforce Data Cloud to generate personalized responses. These new features enable conversations to be routed to the digital channels where a Salesforce user’s customers are the most active. And to move omnichannel as customers needs change. Salesforce is also introducing a “bring your own channel” connector to support digital channels not natively covered by the platform. Current examples might include TikTok, Discord, and South Korea’s KakaoTalk, according to Ryan Nichols, Chief Product Officer for Salesforce Service Cloud. Generative AI and Service Cloud “It’s about getting data from all your conversations with customers from Service Cloud into Data Cloud and using that to not just deliver excellent customer service, but also grow your business,” Nichols said. Salesforce Einstein Conversation Mining, a Service Cloud feature currently in beta, aggregates conversations across customer channels to surface insights on the topics customers need help with. This aims to turn inbound customer service from a cost center into a revenue center, a goal long pursued at conferences like Dreamforce and ICMI. This massive change drives more than revenue, it drives ROI. Performance metrics such as time-to-answer and hold-time reduction have traditionally pressured agents to minimize call duration to retain their jobs. Now Salesforce is going to help them. While some skeptics question if generative AI can achieve this ambitious goal, Constellation Research analyst Liz Miller suggests it might be possible. Having previously managed a contact center herself, Miller recognizes the transformative potential of generative AI. With the aid of data, bots, and copilot counterparts assisting humans, agents could save time and access the right information to upsell customers during service engagements. Here are some of the ways Generative AI will change customer service forever. 1. Monitor and Ensure Compliance Maintaining compliance is crucial for fostering customer trust, preserving a positive brand image, and avoiding hefty privacy and compliance fines. In a contact center, compliance mistakes can quickly escalate into costly lawsuits and revenue losses. Generative AI allows your compliance team to proactively manage compliance by quickly identifying trends and addressing issues in real time. Instead of waiting for a compliance issue to escalate, you can fine-tune your AI model to provide compliance insights whenever necessary. For instance, you can ask: This approach offers more comprehensive insights than scorecards, which often lack context and accuracy. Generative AI’s analytical capabilities provide actionable insights to improve compliance across your contact center. 2. Get Insights About Your Call Center Performance at a Glance Generative AI language models make it easier than ever to gain insights into your contact center’s performance. Simply ask the model for the information you need. For example, you can inquire about the real-time average handling time (AHT) by asking, “What is the average handling time today?” But that’s just the beginning. With an advanced language model, you can compare metrics across different quarters or generate ideas for coaching plans by asking for each agent‘s strengths and weaknesses and suggestions for improvement. 3. Automate Post-Call Work Generative AI assistants can act as real-time notetakers, summarizing 100% of calls and freeing agents from manual note-taking. This automation makes after-call work effortless, generating comprehensive and compliant notes with a single click. 4. Capture Coachable Moments Easily Incorporating real-world coachable moments into your sessions is essential for tangible performance improvements. Generative AI can identify areas where agents typically struggle without requiring hours of call listening and note-checking. Traditional methods mean compromising on the specificity of coaching due to time constraints, especially when managing large teams. Generative AI solutions, however, enable call center managers to obtain detailed insights about each agent’s performance quickly. This allows for personalized coaching plans that address individual shortcomings efficiently. You can ask: 5. Improve Decision Making With Efficient Root-Cause Analysis Effective decision-making can transform your contact center. However, many managers struggle to identify the root causes of performance issues. Generative AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data and customer interactions, uncovering patterns and trends in customer and agent behavior. These insights help pinpoint the issues most impacting performance and customer satisfaction, allowing you to make informed decisions. The process is nearly fully automated, freeing your team from time-consuming data collection tasks. 6. Reduce Manual Work and Focus on Improvement Improving contact center performance requires extensive data, which is resource-intensive to collect manually. Generative AI simplifies this by analyzing customer interactions and providing actionable insights on demand. This saves time and money, allowing you to focus on improvements that deliver a higher ROI. 7. Scale What Works Discovering and scaling best practices is essential for team-wide success. Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) models can analyze customer interactions to identify effective strategies and coaching opportunities. For example, if a representative handles challenging situations well, AI can generate tips for other team members based on these successful interactions. Generative AI can identify top-performing agents and analyze their calls to extract best practices, providing a more comprehensive approach than focusing on a single agent. Queries you might use include: 8. Generate Agent Scripts Generative AI enables you to draft and fine-tune agent scripts for various customer interactions. Instead of relying
Is It Time to Upgrade Your Web Analytics? For years, you might have relied on free web analytics tools, thinking they do the job or resigning yourself to an “it is what it is” mindset. But what if there’s a better way to truly understand your customers and supercharge your marketing efforts? Upgrading to a premium analytics solution could be a game changer for your brand and your peace of mind. What is the Cost of Free Analytics? It’s time to move beyond those so-called free tools (which aren’t really free when you factor in hidden costs) and invest in a robust analytics solution. The right tool can transform your approach—imagine saying goodbye to the hassle of patching together data or juggling disparate reports. With clear, comprehensive insights into customer interactions, you’ll make smarter, data-driven decisions across your business. The Pitfalls of Free Analytics Tools While free analytics tools might seem like a cost-effective choice, they come with significant drawbacks. They often offer limited functionality, delayed or incomplete data, siloed reporting, and compliance risks. Relying on these tools can lead to guesswork and errors, resulting in costly mistakes. Limited Functionality Free analytics tools barely skim the surface of what’s possible with data collection and reporting. They depend on third-party cookies and route your data through their servers, providing you with only partial insights. Essential features like persistent digital identity tracking, profile building, journey mapping, predictive analytics, and machine learning capabilities are typically missing. In contrast, premium tools leverage advanced algorithms and machine learning to unearth valuable data patterns and insights. For instance, a premium tool might reveal that users who view a product page after watching a related video are significantly more likely to make a purchase—information that could greatly influence your marketing strategy. Subpar Data Quality Free tools often lag in delivering real-time data, giving you an outdated snapshot of customer interactions. Timely data is crucial for agile marketing—without it, you risk missing out on opportunities and wasting ad spend. Stale data leads to missed chances and inefficiencies. Reporting Silos and Inaccuracies Free analytics solutions typically don’t integrate data across your organization, resulting in fragmented and siloed information. Different teams may have access to unaligned reports, often requiring multiple tools to piece together insights. This lack of a unified source of truth makes it impossible to get a comprehensive view of customer interactions across various touchpoints. Organizational Inefficiencies Managing free tools can be resource-intensive. They often require extensive tagging and manual upkeep, leading to increased costs and the risk of inaccurate data due to broken or altered tags. This inefficiency can impact long-term business decisions and strategic planning. Compliance Risks Free tools often involve sending your data to external servers, raising concerns about data loss, latency, and compliance with privacy regulations. These tools process your digital engagement and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) on their servers, complicating the task of maintaining regulatory standards and ensuring data security. The True Cost of Free Tools The reality is, “free” isn’t really free. The hidden costs and risks associated with free analytics tools can outweigh their benefits. While premium analytics solutions may seem expensive at first glance, they offer superior insights and performance improvements that provide a competitive edge. With accurate, real-time data and advanced features, investing in a premium tool is a decision that pays off. Remember, the old adage “nothing’s free” rings true—don’t jeopardize your brand’s success with subpar tools that end up costing more in the long run! 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
The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting Tools Sales prospecting tools: Two men examining a touchscreen displaying dashboards and charts. With the right tools, you can spend more time building relationships that convert prospects into loyal customers. Learn how technology can help you identify and engage the right prospects more efficiently. Selling has become more challenging, with 69% of sales professionals agreeing that their jobs are harder now. That’s why sales prospecting tools are crucial—they streamline the process, making it faster and more accurate. When equipped with the right tools, you can focus more on nurturing customer relationships, turning prospects into long-term clients. In this guide, we’ll explore what sales prospecting tools are, key features to look for, and the biggest benefits they provide. What Are Sales Prospecting Tools? Sales prospecting tools are software solutions designed to help sales teams identify, engage, and convert potential customers. These tools enhance the sales prospecting process, enabling sales reps to quickly and effectively reach new buyers. They often integrate with existing platforms, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and email marketing systems, to optimize outreach and engagement. Typically, prospecting tools focus on outbound marketing, helping sales reps connect with potential customers who may not yet be familiar with the company or product. Types of Sales Prospecting Tools Selecting the right sales prospecting tool depends on your current prospecting methods and future goals. Below are the most common categories of prospecting tools: Lead Generation Tools Lead generation tools help sales teams identify prospects who are ready to purchase. These tools streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and flag potential buyers based on their online activity. For example, they might alert a rep when a prospect searches for solutions related to your product or service. Some lead generation tools also enable mass outreach, such as power dialers that allow sales reps to call multiple prospects simultaneously. Choosing the right lead generation tool depends on how your target customers prefer to engage. For instance, if you have better results from social media interactions than phone calls, a power dialer may not be the best fit. Evaluate your analytics and future goals to determine which tool will maximize your success. CRM Software CRM software manages all customer and prospect interactions across sales, service, marketing, and more. Acting as a single source of truth, CRM platforms centralize all sales activity in one location, allowing leaders to assign prospects and track progress more effectively. With AI-powered features, CRM tools can guide reps on the next best steps and personalize workflows, improving conversion rates. CRMs also provide critical insights for targeting prospects more likely to convert. Social Media Prospecting Tools Social media has become a powerful channel for sales prospecting. Specialized tools scrape social platforms for data to help sales reps identify prospects ready for outreach. For instance, they can track user activity related to the business problem your product solves and notify reps when users engage with relevant content. The integration of AI in social media prospecting tools has further boosted their effectiveness. As AI continues to evolve, expect more sophisticated features in this space. Why Are Sales Prospecting Tools Important? In today’s competitive market, your prospects are also being contacted by your competitors—most of whom are using advanced sales prospecting tools. If you’re not using similar tools, you risk falling behind. Sales prospecting tools help level the playing field by streamlining research and outreach, allowing reps to connect with the right prospects at the right time. However, these tools must be used strategically. Simply contacting more people won’t guarantee more sales. Personalization and targeting remain key. Using the insights provided by these tools, sales reps can tailor their messages and approaches, making each outreach effort more effective. Benefits of Using Sales Prospecting Tools When fully integrated into your sales processes, prospecting tools can deliver substantial benefits, including: Key Features to Look for in Sales Prospecting Tools To ensure your sales prospecting tool adds value to your business, consider the following features: Compliance Keeping up with constantly changing rules around prospecting—especially across different channels—can be daunting. A good prospecting tool automates compliance, ensuring your emails, calls, and social media outreach meet best practices and regulations. Ease of Use Your prospecting tool should simplify your workflow, not complicate it. Look for intuitive interfaces and tools that can automate repetitive tasks, such as dialing multiple numbers or sending emails in bulk. AI-Powered Analytics Tools with AI capabilities can generate valuable insights, such as identifying the best time to call a prospect or suggesting which channel is most likely to yield a response. System Integration Your prospecting tool should seamlessly integrate with existing systems, such as CRMs and marketing automation platforms, to ensure data flows smoothly and insights are actionable across your entire workflow. Customizable and Scalable Your sales process is unique to your business. Opt for customizable and scalable tools that can adapt as your needs change, ensuring you get maximum ROI from your investment. Make Prospecting Work for Your Business Without the right tools, your team is at a disadvantage compared to competitors using advanced sales prospecting technologies. Finding a tool with the right features and customizing it for your specific needs—such as pricing structures and campaign strategies—can empower your team to prospect more efficiently, yielding better results in less time. Content updated 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 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
Driving Innovation in Healthcare Through Data Interoperability Healthcare organizations are navigating an unprecedented surge in patient data, which is critical for communication, research, and management. This data plays a pivotal role in modernizing healthcare and improving outcomes, particularly with the shift toward a Value-Based Care Model. However, 81% of IT leaders report that much of this data remains trapped in silos, hindering innovation and negatively impacting patient satisfaction. The Importance of Interoperability in Healthcare Improving Patient Outcomes and Managing RiskLeading healthcare organizations understand that achieving interoperability—seamless data exchange across clinical and non-clinical systems—is vital. Beyond supporting Value-Based Care, interoperability drives patient satisfaction, loyalty, and cost-efficiency. By enabling accurate data sharing, healthcare providers can: Interoperability also supports proactive preventative care, reducing long-term healthcare costs and boosting life expectancy. Regulatory Mandates: The Interoperability and Patient Access Final RuleSince May 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have mandated interoperability through the Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule. This legislation holds U.S. healthcare providers accountable for: Non-compliance can result in significant fines and public reporting of violations, further emphasizing the criticality of achieving interoperability. The Challenge of ImplementationDespite its clear benefits—improved patient outcomes, compliance, and cost savings—achieving interoperability poses challenges. Technological complexities and siloed data structures hinder seamless integration. This is where MuleSoft, a Salesforce company, provides a powerful solution. How MuleSoft Enables Interoperability in Healthcare Breaking Down Silos with API-Led IntegrationMuleSoft is a trusted partner for leading healthcare organizations, offering secure, scalable solutions to eliminate data silos. Recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for iPaaS, MuleSoft empowers providers with its HIPAA-compliant Anypoint Platform, facilitating interoperability through API-led integration. Key Features and Benefits Transforming Healthcare with MuleSoft The digital transformation of healthcare is accelerating, driven by evolving regulations, patient expectations, and a dynamic global environment. MuleSoft stands at the forefront of this shift, empowering healthcare organizations to: By partnering with MuleSoft, healthcare organizations can embrace innovation and build healthier connections—one integration at a time. Contact Tectonic today to get started. 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
Share the workload effectively by establishing queues in Public Sector Solutions to enable reviewers to access ready-to-process applications. This involves creating queues with assigned members based on user roles, such as a queue for application reviewers managing initial approval steps. Multiple queues, like those for compliance officers handling onsite inspections, can be created. During the approval process, the queue takes ownership of the application record, allowing any member to advance the approval steps. In Salesforce, a public sector approval process queue allows multiple approvers to manage a backlog of applications. The queue owns the application record during the approval process, and any member of the queue can take action to complete a step. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a queue: To enhance communication, create an email template and enable email approval responses in Setup’s Process Automation Settings. Now, your reps can efficiently manage activities through the Cadences tab, where details and targets for each cadence are visible. Cadences in Salesforce guide reps through prospecting steps, streamlining outreach and ensuring timely logging of activities. To create a branched cadence for varied outreach based on call or email outcomes, utilize the Cadence Builder. This tool enables the addition of email, call, wait periods, or custom steps. Branching is achieved through call or listener branch steps, ensuring tailored outreach steps based on outcomes. Finally, Salesforce users can activate cadences after creation, and both reps and managers can add prospects directly from lead, contact, or person account detail pages. The Sales Engagements component on these pages enhances visibility, allowing reps to act on the next sales step conveniently. In summary, Salesforce’s Cadence Builder Classic streamlines prospecting and opportunity nurturing, while queues optimize workload distribution in Public Sector Solutions. Effective use of cadences and queues contributes to a well-organized and responsive sales process. 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
Generative AI’s Growing Role in Healthcare: Potential and Challenges The rapid advancements in large language models (LLMs) have introduced generative AI tools into nearly every business sector, including healthcare. As defined by the Government Accountability Office, generative AI is “a technology that can create content, including text, images, audio, or video, when prompted by a user.” These systems learn patterns and relationships from vast datasets, enabling them to generate new content that resembles but is not identical to the original training data. This capability is powered by machine learning algorithms and statistical models. In healthcare, generative AI is being utilized for various applications, including clinical documentation, patient communication, and clinical text summarization. Streamlining Clinical Documentation Excessive documentation is a leading cause of clinician burnout, as highlighted by a 2022 athenahealth survey conducted by the Harris Poll. Generative AI shows promise in easing these documentation burdens, potentially improving clinician satisfaction and reducing burnout. A 2024 study published in NEJM Catalyst explored the use of ambient AI scribes within The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG). This technology employs smartphone microphones and generative AI to transcribe patient encounters in real-time, providing clinicians with draft documentation for review. In October 2023, TPMG deployed this ambient AI technology across various settings, benefiting 10,000 physicians and staff. Physicians who used the ambient AI scribe reported positive outcomes, including more personal and meaningful patient interactions and reduced after-hours electronic health record (EHR) documentation. Early patient feedback was also favorable, with improved provider interactions noted. Additionally, ambient AI produced high-quality clinical documentation for clinician review. However, a 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) cautioned that ambient AI might struggle with non-lexical conversational sounds (NLCSes), such as “mm-hm” or “uh-uh,” which can convey clinically relevant information. The study found that while the ambient AI tools had a word error rate of about 12% for all words, the error rate for NLCSes was significantly higher, reaching up to 98.7% for those conveying critical information. Misinterpretation of these sounds could lead to inaccuracies in clinical documentation and potential patient safety issues. Enhancing Patient Communication With the digital transformation in healthcare, patient portal messages have surged. A 2021 study in JAMIA reported a 157% increase in patient portal inbox messages since 2020. In response, some healthcare organizations are exploring the use of generative AI to draft replies to these messages. A 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open evaluated the adoption of AI-generated draft replies to patient messages at an academic medical center. After five weeks, clinicians used the AI-generated drafts 20% of the time, a notable rate considering the LLMs were not fine-tuned for patient communication. Clinicians reported reduced task load and emotional exhaustion, suggesting that AI-generated replies could help alleviate burnout. However, the study found no significant changes in reply time, read time, or write time between the pre-pilot and pilot periods. Despite this, clinicians expressed optimism about time savings, indicating that the cognitive ease of editing drafts rather than writing from scratch might not be fully captured by time metrics. Summarizing Clinical Data Summarizing information within patient records is a time-consuming task for clinicians, and errors in this process can negatively impact clinical decision support. Generative AI has shown potential in this area, with a 2023 study finding that LLM-generated summaries could outperform human expert summaries in terms of conciseness, completeness, and correctness. However, using generative AI for clinical data summarization presents risks. A viewpoint in JAMA argued that LLMs performing summarization tasks might not fall under FDA medical device oversight, as they provide language-based outputs rather than disease predictions or numerical estimates. Without statutory changes, the FDA’s authority to regulate these LLMs remains unclear. The authors also noted that differences in summary length, organization, and tone could influence clinician interpretations and subsequent decision-making. Furthermore, LLMs might exhibit biases, such as sycophancy, where responses are tailored to user expectations. To address these concerns, the authors called for comprehensive standards for LLM-generated summaries, including testing for biases and errors, as well as clinical trials to quantify potential harms and benefits. The Path Forward Generative AI holds significant promise for transforming healthcare and reducing clinician burnout, but realizing this potential requires comprehensive standards and regulatory clarity. A 2024 study published in npj Digital Medicine emphasized the need for defined leadership, adoption incentives, and ongoing regulation to deliver on the promise of generative AI in healthcare. Leadership should focus on establishing guidelines for LLM performance and identifying optimal clinical settings for AI tool trials. The study suggested that a subcommittee within the FDA, comprising physicians, healthcare administrators, developers, and investors, could effectively lead this effort. Additionally, widespread deployment of generative AI will likely require payer incentives, as most providers view these tools as capital expenses. With the right leadership, incentives, and regulatory framework, generative AI can be effectively implemented across the healthcare continuum to streamline clinical workflows and improve patient care. 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
