CRM Archives - gettectonic.com - Page 15
Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs
22Jun

Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs

Oracle announced last week that it is exiting the advertising business and will sunset its adtech by September 30. While the announcement is not surprising given the massive layoffs in 2022 affecting Oracle Advertising teams, the rapidity of Oracle Advertising’s decline is a clear indicator of how swiftly the digital advertising landscape can evolve. This move is likely just the first of many significant Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs. What happened? Oracle Advertising faced challenges beginning in 2018 and never managed to recover. Several forces related to data deprecation adversely impacted the business: Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs Retooling its acquisitions to function in a consent-driven and regulated environment would have required significant investment from Oracle. Given its track record with privacy law compliance, this would have been a daunting task, necessitating both rapid innovation and market trust in its solutions. What does this mean for the advertising ecosystem? Oracle’s exit from adtech marks a significant shift in the advertising ecosystem. The sharp decline in advertising revenue from $2 billion in 2022 to $300 million in 2024 suggests a major miscalculation by Oracle. Without demand- or supply-side platforms (unlike Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) and lacking a large audience base (unlike Meta, Disney, and Netflix), Oracle’s benefits as an adtech partner or acquirer were unclear. The key question now is whether Oracle’s intellectual property will find new ownership and continue in some form. What does this mean for the marketing ecosystem? The broader marketing ecosystem is likely to see more shifts as major players adapt to the new landscape. Leading martech vendors like Adobe and Salesforce have already transitioned from DMPs to CDPs. Adobe Real-Time CDP and Salesforce Data Cloud for Marketing are gaining market share, while Oracle has struggled in the B2C martech space. Oracle’s decision to cut investments in martech and adtech has significantly impaired its B2C market efforts, with products like Responsys failing to gain the traction that Eloqua has in the B2B space. Oracle also announced it will sunset related B2C marketing products like Oracle Maxymiser in the coming months. These changes are just the beginning of a broader transformation in digital advertising, driven by evolving privacy standards, consumer expectations, and technological advancements. This marks the dawn of a new era in which agility and compliance will be key to success in the digital advertising and marketing landscapes. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 22, 2024in Salesforce Data Cloud
21Jun

AI and Consumer Goods Cloud

Salesforce’s latest “rolling thunder” of AI enhancements brings significant innovations to Consumer Goods Cloud, leveraging the power of the Einstein AI platform already integrated into Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. These enhancements are designed to optimize planning and execution for consumer goods companies. Salesforce Consumer Goods Cloud is an industry-specific solution that helps consumer goods companies streamline their route-to-market processes. By unifying trade promotion management and retail execution capabilities on a single platform, it enables seamless collaboration between headquarters and field teams. Utilizing Salesforce’s core CRM functionality and the Einstein AI platform, Consumer Goods Cloud empowers companies with data-driven insights and intelligent automation to drive profitable growth. “Consumer goods companies are laser-focused on profitable growth. With the latest Salesforce innovations for Consumer Goods Cloud, they can unify consumer and customer data to plan promotions precisely, equip every field rep with tools to increase sales and reduce downtime, and integrate trusted AI into every service agent’s workflow to solve problems and upsell more frequently,” explained Rob Garf, VP and GM of Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce. “In short, every consumer goods company can now transform into an AI Enterprise.” What’s New in Consumer Goods Cloud The latest updates in Consumer Goods Cloud focus on integrating Salesforce’s Data Cloud with Einstein generative AI capabilities, enhancing three key areas: Data Cloud for Consumer Goods: Account managers can now unify account and industry data to build rich customer profiles, segment accounts to the individual store level, and design hyper-localized assortment and promotion plans. For instance, a soft drink distributor can identify which citrus-flavored sodas are most popular in specific Mexican convenience stores and optimize replenishment accordingly. Einstein Copilot Account Summarization: Within the service console, agents can access AI-generated account summaries, eliminating the need to switch between screens and knowledge articles. Summaries include last interactions, order history, satisfaction scores, and promotion details, enabling agents to resolve inquiries quickly and upsell intelligently. Consumer Goods Cloud Einstein 1 for Sales: This AI-powered enhancement package provides sales managers, field reps, merchandisers, and delivery drivers with productivity and revenue-boosting insights. Real-time notifications and recommendations on stock levels, replenishment, special handling needs, and payment collection keep field teams responsive and effective. The Salesforce Embedded AI Difference Salesforce’s strategy of embedding AI via a unified Einstein platform offers several advantages: Consistency: With Einstein already integrated into Sales and Service Clouds, Salesforce can efficiently extend proven AI tools to industry-specific use cases, benefiting users with familiar interfaces and interaction paradigms. Completeness: Embedding AI at the platform level allows Salesforce to enhance the entire workflow from planning to execution. Consumer goods companies can apply intelligent insights to both back-office processes like promotion management and field activities like stock checks and payment collection. Continuous Innovation: The Einstein platform enables rapid deployment of Salesforce’s latest generative AI advancements across all clouds, ensuring customers always have access to state-of-the-art capabilities. Mars Snacking, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, is already benefiting from Salesforce’s AI-powered industry cloud. “At Mars Snacking, we are on an ambitious journey to rewire and almost double the size of our business by 2030,” said Bartek Kononiuk, Global Head of Product – Trade Promotion Management. “Consumer Goods Cloud and Trade Promotion Management will enable us to improve our business processes, data availability, and user experience in critical growth-enabling areas.” AI Innovation Comes at a Cost As the consumer goods industry strives to meet rapidly evolving buyer expectations, Salesforce’s embedded AI solutions for Consumer Goods Cloud offer timely advantages. By democratizing access to generative AI and data management capabilities, Salesforce enables companies of all sizes to optimize decision-making, boost field productivity, and drive profitable growth. However, these advanced functionalities come with significant costs. Salesforce’s Einstein AI enhancements often have substantial per-user surcharges, sometimes exceeding $100 per month. For large deployments involving thousands of employees, these expenses can quickly escalate. Consumer goods companies must carefully evaluate the productivity and revenue gains against the added licensing costs. Additionally, while Salesforce is leading the way in enterprise generative AI, the technology is still maturing. Early adopters may encounter instances where the AI delivers suboptimal results. Salesforce’s Trust Layer aims to mitigate these risks, but companies should approach generative AI with a clear understanding of its current limitations. The ongoing enhancements in Salesforce’s Einstein portfolio present a promising yet costly opportunity for customers to evolve into full-fledged AI Enterprises. As the costs and benefits become clearer, consumer goods companies will need to strategically decide where and how aggressively to deploy these advanced capabilities. Those that find the right balance could gain a significant competitive edge in the rapidly changing digital 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 21, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI, Salesforce
DPD Salesforce AI Enhancements
20Jun

DPD Salesforce AI Enhancements

DPD’s AI Integration: Enhancing Customer and Employee Experience DPD has ambitious plans to integrate AI throughout its Salesforce platform, aiming to automate tasks and significantly enhance the experiences of both customers and employees. DPD Salesforce AI Enhancements. Adam Hooper, Head of Central Platforms at DPD, explains that with over 400 million parcels delivered annually, maintaining robust customer relationships is crucial. To this end, DPD leverages a range of Salesforce technologies, including Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Mulesoft. AI-Powered Customer Service In Salesforce’s latest update on DPD: Financial and Operational Efficiency Targeted Marketing Spreadsheets to Salesforce At the Salesforce World Tour event in London, Ben Pyne, Salesforce Platform Manager at DPD, elaborated on their current usage and future AI plans. Pyne’s team acts as internal consultants to optimize organizational workflows. As he explains: “My role is essentially to get people off spreadsheets and onto Salesforce!” He noted that about 40 departments and teams within DPD use Salesforce, far beyond the typical Sales and CRM applications. Custom applications within Salesforce personalize and enhance user experiences by focusing on relevant information. Using tools like Prompt Builder, Pyne’s team recently developed a project management app within Salesforce, streamlining tasks like writing acceptance criteria and user stories. Pyne emphasized: “I want our guys to focus on designing and building, less on the admin.” AI Use Cases When considering AI and generative AI, DPD sees significant potential to reduce operational tasks. Pyne highlighted case summarization as an obvious application, given the millions of customer service cases created each year. Rolling Out Generative AI DPD adopts a cautious approach to rolling out new technologies like generative AI. Pyne explained: “It’s starting small, finding the right teams to be able to do it. But fundamentally, starting somewhere and making slow progressions into it to ensure we don’t scare everybody away.” Ensuring Security and Trust Security and trust are paramount for DPD. Pyne noted their robust IT security team scrutinizes every implementation. Fortunately, Salesforce’s security measures, such as data anonymization and preventing LLMs (Large Language Models) from learning from their data, provide peace of mind. Pyne concluded: “We can focus on what we’re good at and not worry about the rest because Salesforce has thought of everything for us.” Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 20, 2024in Generative AI, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Salesforce Einstein
Salesforce and MySQL
18Jun

Salesforce and MySQL

Salesforce CRM houses a wealth of customer data, encompassing interactions, leads, and purchase histories. However, without proper organization, these insights risk being lost in the shuffle. Get a handle on data with Salesforce and MySQL. MySQL, a free, open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) that acts as a digital filing cabinet for structured data, including customer information. Integrating Salesforce CRM with MySQL presents a compelling solution by establishing a seamless bridge between the two systems. This integration enables businesses to efficiently transfer customer data from Salesforce into MySQL, ensuring centralized, accessible, and analyzable data. Imagine having all customer data neatly organized within a single, searchable database, facilitating holistic insights that empower informed decision-making and personalized marketing campaigns. Let’s explore the significant benefits of integrating Salesforce CRM and MySQL, and how this synergy can revolutionize your business operations. Benefits of Integrating Salesforce CRM and MySQL How to Integrate Salesforce CRM and MySQL Integrating Salesforce CRM with MySQL involves leveraging Salesforce APIs for secure data communication and synchronization. Here’s a step-by-step approach: Common Challenges and Solutions Conclusion Integrating Salesforce CRM with MySQL represents a transformative approach to streamline data management and enhance operational efficiency. By combining Salesforce’s robust CRM capabilities with MySQL’s flexible database management, businesses can unlock real-time insights, improve customer engagement, and drive strategic growth initiatives seamlessly. Embrace the power of Salesforce CRM and MySQL integration to stay competitive in today’s data-driven landscape effortlessly. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 18, 2024in Salesforce
Metrics That Matter in Field Service
17Jun

Metrics That Matter in Field Service

To gauge success in field service management, it’s crucial to measure key metrics, ranging from tactical aspects to customer satisfaction. Establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for field service can significantly contribute to the efficiency and revenue growth of your business. This guide outlines straightforward fixes and capabilities to achieve positive results in field service and attain faster time-to-value. If your company has recently invested in AI-powered field service management, you’re already taking steps to future-proof your business. The next essential move is to integrate your field service management solution with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. This connection provides a comprehensive customer view, highlighting operational efficiency and areas for improvement. By connecting these systems, you gain insights into crucial field service metrics, spanning from tactical elements like first-time fix rate and time to site to the paramount field service KPI: customer satisfaction. If improvements are not evident in these areas, consider implementing simple fixes and capabilities to yield positive outcomes for both customers and operational costs. Customer Satisfaction: Employee and Contractor Turnover: Overall Costs: Sales Leads: If your field service operation shows room for improvement in these core metrics, consider taking a guided course on field service basics to maximize the potential of your field service management solution. Transform your business by incorporating AI-powered field service management, setting up your teams for success and achieving increased revenue, productivity, and cost savings. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 17, 2024in Salesforce
Salesforce Essentials and Salesforce Professional
16Jun

Salesforce Essentials and Salesforce Professional

Salesforce offers two primary CRM solutions: Salesforce Essentials and Salesforce Professional, each tailored to different business needs. Salesforce Essentials: Salesforce Essentials is designed for small businesses, offering fundamental CRM tools at an affordable price. It’s ideal for teams of up to five members and provides a unified view of customer interactions across multiple channels, including email, chat, social media, and phone. This platform simplifies customer support with a consolidated help center for common inquiries. Priced at $25 per month, Essentials is budget-friendly and easy to set up, making it suitable for startups and small teams looking for a straightforward CRM solution. Salesforce Professional: On the other hand, Salesforce Professional targets larger businesses with more complex CRM requirements. It extends beyond basic CRM functionalities to include advanced features such as lead management, customizable sales processes, and comprehensive reporting capabilities. Key attributes of Professional include forecasting tools, Einstein Activity Capture for enhanced productivity insights, and a mobile app with full offline functionality. Priced at per user per month, Professional caters to businesses needing extensive customization options and deep data analysis capabilities to manage complex sales processes and customer relationships effectively. Comparison: Salesforce Essentials Salesforce Professional Price $25 per month $80 per user, per month User limit Up to 5 users Unlimited users Reporting and Dashboards Basic reporting capabilities Customizable reports and dashboards Mobile App Functionality Limited Full offline functionality Email Integration Basic email integration Advanced integration with Outlook and Gmail Customization Limited customization options Extensive customization options Customization The customization options in Essentials are limited, which is often sufficient for smaller businesses that don’t need complex customization. Extensive customization options in Professional allow larger businesses to tailor the CRM to their specific processes and needs, a critical feature for complex business structures. Salesforce Essentials is widely considered a beneficial instrument for small enterprises, providing essential features for customer relationship management, sales, and marketing automation. It is valued for its accessibility, user-friendly interface, and all-in-one platform. Strong choices for customer service are provided, and it connects effectively with other corporate tools and is expandable. The software has a learning curve for certain users, and you can’t access advanced functions unless you pay more. A reliable internet connection is necessary for the often intricate setting and customization. Concerns are also raised about reporting functionality and extra costs for premium services that exceed the basic subscription charge. Users of Salesforce Professional recognize the platform’s extensive features and ease of use. They also commend it for its ability to integrate with other platforms, like WhatsApp. Some people do, however, feel that the UI could be more contemporary and intuitive. There is disagreement over the frequency of updates and the unresponsiveness of various parts of the customer support. Users value the tool’s capacity to enhance workday routines, its intuitive design, and its simplicity in integrating with lead generation and sales channels. The cost is observed to be greater than that of comparable suppliers, and third parties are frequently needed for the implementation phase. Can Salesforce Essentials scale with my growing business? Salesforce Essentials is tailored for small businesses and startups and while it offers essential CRM tools, it has limitations in scalability due to its user cap and basic feature set. For businesses anticipating significant growth, transitioning to Salesforce Professional or another higher-tier Salesforce product might be necessary. Conclusion: Choosing between Salesforce Essentials and Salesforce Professional depends on the size of your business, your budget, and the complexity of your CRM needs. Essentials is suitable for small teams and startups looking for an affordable, easy-to-use CRM solution. In contrast, Professional is geared towards larger businesses that require advanced features, customization options, and robust reporting capabilities to manage complex sales operations effectively. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 16, 2024in Salesforce
Automated LinkedIn Prospecting
16Jun

Automated LinkedIn Prospecting

Salesflow, an award-winning LinkedIn outreach automation platform, announces native integrations with a range of popular CRM systems. London, United Kingdom – June 14, 2024 —Automated LinkedIn Prospecting The automated LinkedIn lead generation tool now offers seamless integration with HubSpot, Zapier, Salesforce, and PipeDrive, with further additions expected in the coming months. The firm states that it now takes less than five minutes for clients to begin using LinkedIn automation through their existing CRM platform, allowing them to continue using familiar tools and workflows. More details can be found at https://salesflow.io/automation-software-improve-pipeline/ Salesflow explains that the new CRM integrations have applications for sales teams, small companies, and LinkedIn-as-as-Service agencies. The firm’s award-winning software is designed to automate multiple stages in the LinkedIn lead generation process, allowing teams to focus their energies on the most attractive prospects. According to LinkedIn’s own statistics, over 80% of B2B marketers say that they achieve the greatest results when social selling through the platform, when compared to other social media networks. However, creating an outreach campaign that retains a personal element can be a time-consuming task, which can limit its usefulness for smaller organizations. Salesflow is designed to create highly automated LinkedIn campaigns, while still offering the ability to include unique keywords that make messages more personal. With the new CRM integrations, the firm has progressed the automation several steps further, with the goal of making the process as fast and efficient as possible. “Salesflow is a cloud-based automation tool using static IPs to ensure a secure prospecting outreach while running on autopilot,” a company representative explained. “You can also now set up integrations to get data from LinkedIn sent directly into your CRM system, and you can begin to see new leads filtering through almost immediately.” About Salesflow Peer-to-peer software review site G2 identified Salesflow as a “High Performer” in the lead generation automation category for the spring and summer of this year, and recently upgraded that rating to “Leader” for both the European and US markets. The system is now used by several major organizations, including HubSpot, Verizon, and Visyond. “Salesflow is awesome and is a must-have for B2B social selling,” one company director recently stated. “This brilliant platform saves us a huge amount of time and money on lead generation, it reduces stress, and gets us connected to relevant prospects across our target industries. Best of all, it does all of that really fast.” Interested parties can find more information by visiting https://salesflow.io/automation-software-improve-pipeline/ Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 16, 2024in Salesforce
Salesforce Spiff
14Jun

Salesforce Spiff

Incentive Compensation Management Boost seller motivation and performance with incentive compensation management software that offers real-time commission visibility. Salesforce Spiff. Automate commission calculations, reduce administrative tasks, and improve departmental alignment with compensation plans geared for revenue growth. Automate Commissions and Motivate Sellers Enhance collaboration across departments and align go-to-market priorities with effective incentive compensation management. Customized Rep Statements Empower sellers by providing commission statements, tracking progress against goals, and estimating potential earnings. Use commission tracing functionality to eliminate confusion and align organizational priorities with seller motivations. In-App Comments and Notifications Manage questions, comments, and disputes efficiently within a single platform. Promote cross-organizational collaboration through real-time comments and notifications. Commission Estimator Allow sellers to predict future earnings by providing data-driven insights into incentive estimates early in the sales process. This helps sellers and managers focus on high-impact deals. Flexible Setup Quickly set up incentive compensation plans, adapting to changes in team structure or compensation complexity. Track all plan adjustments with an audit log. Powerful Automation and Workflows Automate complex commission structures, including accelerators, tiers, and triggers. Calculate thousands of statements in seconds to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Seamless Integrations Integrate CRM, ERP, HCM, payroll, or other systems to create a real-time, single source of truth for all commission needs. Data Accuracy Use machine learning to automatically match records, eliminating manual errors and providing a reliable single source of truth. Deep Audit Trail Add effective dates to any user, plan, or logic, and lock historical statements to maintain accuracy. Manage one-off changes without concern. Automated Expense Reporting Maintain compliance under ASC 606 and IFRS 15 with automated, audit-ready expense reports. Use an intuitive interface to manage exceptions, fringe benefits, and varied commission types. Salesforce and Spiff: A Strategic Acquisition After pausing mergers and acquisitions over the past year, Salesforce acquired Spiff at the end of 2023. Previously an AppExchange partner, Spiff provided robust incentive compensation management functionality, calculating commissions for sales based on closed-won deals. Integration into Sales Cloud Salesforce has integrated “Salesforce Spiff” into Sales Cloud, emphasizing the importance of Incentive Compensation Management (ICM) for high-performing companies. With 90% of top-performing companies using incentive programs, this acquisition enhances Salesforce’s offerings. Growth and Market Presence Before the acquisition, Spiff had 1,000 customers and was growing at 100% year-over-year. Salesforce’s market share of approximately 23% in the Sales CRM market indicates significant growth potential for ICM. The Importance of ICM ICM software addresses the complexity of commission calculations, including various percentages for new sales, renewals, bonuses for new customers, accelerators, and team incentives. Accurate calculations across large sales teams are crucial for maintaining motivation and performance. This is a huge time saver. From Excel to Cloud Technology While Excel spreadsheets have been a traditional solution for ICM, Spiff’s cloud technology offers greater functionality and user-friendliness. And it interfaces directly with Sales Cloud. How Salesforce Spiff Works Available as an add-on for Sales Cloud customers from May 2024, Salesforce Spiff offers: Enhanced User Experience The low-code builder simplifies the creation of commission plans, saving time compared to Excel. Real-time commission visibility allows sales users to see potential earnings, motivating them to pursue lucrative opportunities. Final Thoughts Sales roles are essential for driving business revenue. Tools like Spiff provide transparency into potential earnings, significantly impacting sales teams’ motivation and performance. Integrating Spiff into Sales Cloud enhances Salesforce’s value proposition, helping businesses optimize their sales processes and achieve better results. Availability Salesforce Spiff will be available as an add-on for Sales Cloud customers in May 2024. Non-Salesforce customers can also purchase the product from Salesforce.com/salesforcespiff starting May 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 Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 14, 2024in Salesforce
Salesforce Driving Change
11Jun

Salesforce Driving Change

Sony Honda Mobility Leverages Salesforce Technology to Enhance Customer Relationships Sony Honda Mobility, a mobility tech startup, is utilizing Salesforce solutions—including Automotive Cloud, Data Cloud, Tableau, and MuleSoft—to deepen its customer relationships through enhanced data and insights. Sony Honda Mobility Inc. is a Japanese joint venture automotive company established by Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor Company in 2022 to produce battery electric vehicles. The company will market its vehicles under the Afeela brand. Why It Matters: A significant 81% of business leaders report challenges with data fragmentation and silos. This disconnected, disjointed information often leads to immaterial and generic customer interactions, which is problematic as 80% of customers expect superior experiences given the extensive data companies collect. Key Developments: Sony Honda Mobility plans to launch its first electric vehicle in the United States in 2025, followed by Japan in 2026. To scale globally and stand out in the market, the company is empowering its service team with real-time data and insights on customer interactions with its products and services. How Is Salesforce Driving Change Data Cloud: A unified data platform that consolidates application, workflow, and data lake records, making it easier to train AI models, gain business insights, and improve customer relationships. Sony Honda Mobility is leveraging Data Cloud to integrate disparate data seamlessly across applications. MuleSoft API Integration: This integration connects data from Sony Honda Mobility’s vehicle and customer platform to Salesforce, ensuring a cohesive data flow. Automotive Cloud: Inside Automotive Cloud, Sony Honda Mobility now maintains a comprehensive profile of each customer and their vehicle, based on data from Data Cloud. This integration allows for personalized service and experiences at every touchpoint. The platform also streamlines contact center management, query handling, internal FAQ creation, web actions, and ongoing service support for incident and customer information management. Tableau: With Tableau’s visualizations of vehicle operation conditions and service usage status, Sony Honda Mobility can make quicker, more informed decisions about each customer’s needs. Customer Perspective “We aim to elevate our customer service and experiences to new heights. We are confident we can achieve this with Salesforce’s global expertise and proven track record in CRM, trusted AI, and data analytics,” said Yasuhide Mizuno, Chairman and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility. Salesforce Perspective “We are thrilled that Sony Honda Mobility has chosen the scalability, reliability, and expertise of Salesforce technology. By integrating their customer data on a single and trusted platform, we are excited to support Sony Honda Mobility as they scale excellent service to customers worldwide,” said Shinichi Koide, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Salesforce Japan. The Result By harnessing Salesforce’s advanced technology, Sony Honda Mobility is poised to revolutionize its customer service and experience, ensuring a more connected, efficient, and personalized interaction for its customers globally. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 11, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Salesforce Data Cloud, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Manufacturing Automotive Energy, Salesforce Tableau
AI-Powered Smarter Media
10Jun

AI-Powered Smarter Media

Transforming Retail Media: Personalization and Faster Monetization with Smarter Media Dentsu, a leading growth and transformation partner, has announced a strategic collaboration with Salesforce, the world’s #1 AI-powered CRM, to launch Smarter Media—an innovative solution designed to accelerate retail media monetization through personalized buying experiences powered by AI. Why Smarter Media Matters With shifting consumer priorities, personalized retail experiences are more critical than ever. Salesforce research highlights that: Smarter Media addresses this growing demand by enabling retailers to quickly adapt, offering tailored buying experiences that strengthen customer loyalty while driving revenue. What is Smarter Media? Smarter Media combines the power of Salesforce’s ecosystem—including Media Cloud, Sales Cloud, and Marketing Cloud Engagement—to deliver an end-to-end retail media solution. The platform assesses a brand’s retail media maturity, identifies gaps, and creates a roadmap to optimize media, technology, and skills. The solution simplifies access to advanced media technology, empowering brands to connect with customers 24/7, expand their customer base, and nurture long-term relationships. Key Features and Benefits 1. Comprehensive Assessment 2. AI-Powered Personalization 3. Built for Retail Media Success 4. Quick and Easy Adoption How Smarter Media Works Smarter Media combines Salesforce Sales Cloud’s leading sales and pipeline management tools with Media Cloud’s Advertising Sales Management application. The result is a solution that seamlessly supports both simple and complex retailer models: Real-World Value Across Retail By addressing challenges like fragmented media strategies and inaccessible technology, Smarter Media delivers transformative value for retailers: Driving Innovation Together Paul Lynch, Integrated Solutions Lead for Commerce and Retail at Dentsu UK&I, shared: “Smarter Media will democratize cutting-edge technology for brands by providing a one-stop solution to create personalized buying experiences. In today’s experience economy, maintaining compelling customer relationships has never been more vital.” Christopher Dean, SVP and GM for Communications, Media & Entertainment at Salesforce, added: “By combining Salesforce Media Cloud’s industry-specific solutions with Dentsu’s creative retail media expertise, we’re making advanced media technology accessible for retailers, helping them thrive in a competitive market.” The Future of Retail Media Smarter Media from Dentsu and Salesforce offers a transformative approach to retail media, empowering brands to deliver personalized experiences, improve customer loyalty, and accelerate revenue growth—all while leveraging cutting-edge AI and automation. With its ability to deliver value in just six months, Smarter Media is the ultimate solution for retailers looking to succeed in today’s fast-paced, customer-centric market. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 10, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce Media Cloud, Technology
Salesforce Customers Take On AI Hallucinations
09Jun

Salesforce Customers Take On AI Hallucinations

Earlier this month, CRM specialists Salesforce hosted the latest edition of its World Tour Essentials event in Johannesburg. This event provided Salesforce with an opportunity to engage more personally with businesses in the region and showcase the AI-powered solutions it is developing, including the Einstein 1 platform. Now Salesforce Customers Take On AI Hallucinations. Einstein 1 is designed for AI-focused enterprises, leveraging existing CRM applications from Salesforce, along with data cloud and AI-powered tools. This platform aims to address key business challenges, one of which is the issue of generative AI hallucinations—where AI generates false information due to data gaps. A notable example of this issue was seen with Google’s Gemini, which produced bizarre and potentially harmful suggestions, like advising users to put epoxy glue on pizza. This occurred because the AI lacked sufficient data to generate accurate responses. While some companies continue to use the internet to train their platforms to avoid such hallucinations, businesses, particularly in the CRM field, cannot afford these inaccuracies. Salesforce has introduced a tool called Einstein 1 Studio to combat this problem. This tool allows business engineers and developers to create prompts and refine the overall experience of conversational platforms like Slack AI. During a media roundtable at the World Tour Essentials Johannesburg event, Linda Saunders, Salesforce’s Director of Solutions Engineering Africa, explained how Einstein 1 Studio helps mitigate AI hallucinations. “If you ask Einstein an ungrounded prompt like, ‘Please summarize the case for me,’ it may not know which case you’re referring to. By pulling metadata elements into the prompt and using certain word triggers, we can provide a much richer and more accurate AI response,” Saunders highlighted. She added that once a setup is built, it can be activated across multiple use cases, creating a consistent and efficient deployment process. Saunders also emphasized the importance of the trust layer within Einstein 1, which includes data grounding, audit trails, data masking, and mechanisms to prevent hallucinations. “The trust layer is integral to Einstein 1. Whether you build it or use the out-of-the-box capabilities, the trust layer ensures grounded data, audit trails, and other critical features,” Saunders explained. She also pointed out that Einstein 1’s building tools can address localization and tailor experiences to specific markets, like South Africa. “South African customers have unique needs compared to those in the US. This tool allows for prompt customization to better suit local business requirements,” Saunders noted. The configuration engine on top of Copilot functionality allows businesses to refine prompt engineering, ensuring that AI interactions are more tailored and effective. As AI integration becomes more widespread in business operations, addressing issues like AI hallucinations is crucial. According to Salesforce, Einstein 1 is designed with these considerations in mind, ensuring a reliable and accurate AI experience. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 9, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI
AI for Marketing and Retail
09Jun

AI for Marketing and Retail

Salesforce Expands AI Capabilities for Marketing and Retail with Einstein Copilot Salesforce is making waves in the marketing and retail sectors by enhancing its Einstein Copilot feature, bringing advanced AI tools even closer to its users. AI for Marketing and Retail. For those unfamiliar with Salesforce, it offers Einstein 1, a comprehensive platform integrating AI and machine learning across its various applications. Einstein Copilot, a part of this platform, functions as an AI-powered assistant designed to provide real-time assistance, automate tasks, and deliver contextual insights to boost productivity. New Additions: Einstein Copilot for Marketers and Merchants Salesforce has recently announced two exciting additions: Einstein Copilot for Marketers and Einstein Copilot for Merchants. Einstein Copilot for Marketers: Einstein Copilot for Merchants: Availability Einstein Copilot for Marketers is set to be generally available this summer, while Einstein Copilot for Merchants will enter the beta stage in the autumn. Leadership Insight “With the Einstein 1 Platform, we’re giving organizations the power to unify all of their data on one trusted platform,” said Ariel Kelman, President and CMO of Salesforce. “This is the key to getting results from generative AI that are actually useful in driving your business forward.” About Salesforce Founded in 1999, Salesforce is a cloud-based software company renowned as one of the best CRM software providers. With over 72,000 employees globally and an annual revenue of .49 billion, Salesforce continues to lead in innovation and customer satisfaction. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 9, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI
Consumer Chatbot Technology
07Jun

Consumer Chatbot Technology

The Reality Behind AI Chatbots and the Path to Autonomous AI In the rush to adopt the latest Consumer Chatbot Technology, it’s easy to overlook a fundamental reality: consumer chatbot technology isn’t ready for enterprise use—and it likely never will be. The reason is simple: AI assistants are only as effective as the data that powers them. Most large language models (LLMs) are trained on data from public websites, which lack the specific business and customer data that enterprises need. This means consumer bots can’t adequately assist employees in selling products, marketing merchandise, or improving productivity, as they lack the necessary personalization and business context. To achieve the vision of AI that goes beyond simple chatbots performing basic tasks—like drafting emails, essays, blogs, or graphics—to a more advanced role where AI acts autonomously and addresses business-critical needs, a different approach is needed. This vision involves AI taking action with minimal human intervention, using digital agents to identify and respond to these needs. At Salesforce, we are pursuing a clear path to AI that not only takes action but also automates routine tasks, all while adhering to established business rules, permissions, and context. Instead of relying solely on LLMs, which primarily focus on generating human-like text, future AI assistants will depend on large action models (LAMs) that integrate decision-making and action-taking capabilities. The Journey Toward AI Autonomy Our journey towards this vision began with the Salesforce Data Cloud, a robust data engine built on the Einstein 1 Platform. This platform integrates data from across the enterprise and third-party repositories, enabling companies to activate their data, automate workflows, personalize customer interactions, and develop smarter AI solutions. Recognizing the shift from generative AI to autonomous AI, Salesforce introduced Einstein Copilot, the industry’s first conversational, enterprise-class AI assistant. Integrated across the Salesforce ecosystem, Einstein Copilot utilizes an organization’s data, whether it’s behind a firewall or in an external data lake, to act as a reasoning engine. It interprets user intents, interacts with the most suitable AI model, solves problems, generates relevant content, and provides decision-making support. Expanding the Role of AI in Business Since its launch in February 2024, Salesforce has been expanding Einstein Copilot’s library of actions to meet specific business needs in sales, service, marketing, data analysis, and industries like ecommerce, financial services, healthcare, and education. These “actions” are akin to LEGO blocks—discrete tasks that can be assembled to achieve desired project outcomes. For example, a sales representative might use Einstein Copilot to generate a personalized close plan, gain insights into why a deal may not close, or review whether pricing was discussed in a recent call. Einstein Copilot then orchestrates these tasks, provides recommendations, and compiles everything into a detailed report. The ultimate goal is for AI not only to gather and organize information but also to take proactive action. Imagine a sales representative instructing their digital agent to set up meetings with top prospects in a specific territory. The AI could not only identify suitable contacts but also suggest meeting times, plan travel schedules, draft emails, and even create talking points—all of which it could execute autonomously with the representative’s approval. Tectonic dreams of the day AI is smart enough to interpret our search engine typos and produce the results for what we were actually looking for! The Future of AI Autonomy The possibilities for semi-autonomous or fully autonomous AI are vast. As we continue to develop and refine these technologies, the potential for AI to transform business processes and decision-making becomes increasingly tangible. At Salesforce, they are committed to leading this charge, ensuring that our AI solutions not only meet but exceed the expectations of enterprises worldwide. Salesforce is in a strong position to deliver on all of them because of the volume and breadth of data housed in Data Cloud, the heavy workflow traffic in our Customer 360 CRM, and the fact we’ve delivered an enterprise-class copilot that is rapidly expanding its library of actions. It will not happen overnight. The technology needs to advance, organizations and people have to be able to trust AI and be trained to use it in the right ways, and more work will need to be done to ensure the right balance between human involvement and AI autonomy. But with our continued investment in CRM, data, and trusted AI, we will achieve that vision before too long. Salesforce is in a strong position to deliver on all of them because of the volume and breadth of data housed in Data Cloud, the heavy workflow traffic in our Customer 360 CRM, and the fact we’ve delivered an enterprise-class copilot that is rapidly expanding its library of actions. Jayesh Govindarajan, Senior Vice President, Salesforce AI Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

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June 7, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI, Salesforce Data Cloud

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