Dreamforce

08Sep

Slack Expands AI Features

Slack is introducing several new AI-driven features, including the integration of AI-powered agents from Salesforce and other leading partners across the platform. The Big Picture: As part of its evolution, the Salesforce-owned company aims to position Slack as a hub where humans collaborate seamlessly with an increasing number of bots and AI agents. Key Updates: Ahead of Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, Slack announced its support for agents from partners such as Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Perplexity, Writer, and more, alongside Salesforce’s own Agentforce. Additionally, Slack is enhancing its AI capabilities, expanding its AI-driven transcription features to include informal video chat sessions, known as “huddles.” Why It Matters: This move aligns with Salesforce’s broader strategy of leveraging generative AI to power autonomous agents that can take independent action, moving beyond the traditional role of AI as a co-pilot merely assisting humans. What They’re Saying: “Slack’s vision of becoming an AI-powered work operating system fits perfectly with the growing role of agents in the workplace,” said Slack CEO Denise Dresser in a statement to Axios. While Dresser didn’t disclose how many paying customers have adopted Slack’s AI features, it’s worth noting that these features require a separate monthly fee. Initially, Slack planned to require companies to pay for AI features for all users or none, but the company later shifted this approach following customer feedback. And Slack Expands AI Features with New Agent Integrations Slack is introducing several new AI-driven features, including the integration of AI-powered agents from Salesforce and other leading partners across the platform. The Big Picture: As part of its evolution, the Salesforce-owned company aims to position Slack as a hub where humans collaborate seamlessly with an increasing number of bots and AI agents. Key Updates: Ahead of Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, Slack announced its support for agents from partners such as Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Perplexity, Writer, and more, alongside Salesforce’s own Agentforce. Additionally, Slack is enhancing its AI capabilities, expanding its AI-driven transcription features to include informal video chat sessions, known as “huddles.” Why It Matters: This move aligns with Salesforce’s broader strategy of leveraging generative AI to power autonomous agents that can take independent action, moving beyond the traditional role of AI as a co-pilot merely assisting humans. What They’re Saying: “Slack’s vision of becoming an AI-powered work operating system fits perfectly with the growing role of agents in the workplace,” said Slack CEO Denise Dresser in a statement to Axios. While Dresser didn’t disclose how many paying customers have adopted Slack’s AI features, it’s worth noting that these features require a separate monthly fee. Initially, Slack planned to require companies to pay for AI features for all users or none, but the company later shifted this approach following customer feedback. 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

September 8, 2024in Generative AI

05Sep

Salesforce Foundations Announced

Salesforce Inc. today introduced Salesforce Foundations, a new suite of features designed to help large enterprises operating across multiple industries unify their sales operations. As a prelude to Dreamforce this free Salesforce upgrade allows customers to combine data and functionality from Salesforce products in a single, new portal. Available at no cost to all Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud users, Salesforce Foundations consolidates functionality from the company’s Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Data Cloud platforms. The goal is to create a more cohesive experience across departments, breaking down silos to enable seamless collaboration. In addition to these core features, Salesforce Foundations offers trial-based access to a variety of third-party applications available on the AppExchange marketplace. This initiative comes in response to a recent study revealing that 55% of Salesforce customers feel disconnected when interacting with different departments within their organization. The lack of integration between sales data and workflows in various departments has often created a fragmented customer experience. Bringing Departments Together Salesforce Foundations aims to eliminate these silos by providing a unified platform for all departments, ensuring a consistent view of an organization’s complete sales operations. Foundational Features for All The platform provides users with access to essential functionality from each of Salesforce’s key cloud products, along with free trials of top partner apps. These features are made available through a customizable user interface with a guided setup experience. As a result, features like email campaigns (previously exclusive to Sales Cloud), secure payment links (from Commerce Cloud), and targeted segmentation (Data Cloud) are now accessible to all Sales Cloud and Service Cloud users. The main advantage of Salesforce Foundations is its ability to harmonize customer data across departments. For example, Sales Cloud users can now access data previously available only to Data Cloud users. By providing access to this unified data, Salesforce believes it can offer numerous benefits to customers. Driving Revenue and Collaboration One of the most significant benefits of Salesforce Foundations is its potential to drive revenue by fostering collaboration across sales, service, and marketing teams. With a unified data set, teams can gain superior insights into customer behavior. Marketing teams, for instance, will be able to track customer interactions with the service department and use this information to craft more targeted advertising campaigns. Sales teams will also benefit from the ability to turn quotes into cash more quickly. They can now access secure payment links, a feature previously exclusive to Commerce Cloud, allowing them to bill customers directly without waiting for instructions from the commerce department. Service teams, in turn, can assist marketing efforts by accessing sales quoting tools and secure payment links, enabling them to upsell products and services more effectively. AI and Partner Integration Salesforce Foundations also supports artificial intelligence applications by grounding them in more contextualized customer data. For example, marketing teams can use AI to create more targeted segmentation lists based on service case histories or sales pipeline stages, data that was previously unavailable to them. In recent years, Salesforce has been actively transforming the data architecture of its applications, with many now built on the Salesforce Data Cloud’s metadata-driven foundation. This allows Salesforce Data Cloud to house not only the data but also the context (metadata) that surrounds it. As a result, businesses can more easily establish relationships between data tied to the same customer or user across various software solutions. These software solutions primarily include Salesforce products like Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, but they also extend to third-party applications that integrate with the Data Cloud. Now, with the introduction of Salesforce Foundations, customers can visualize this data within a unified portal, apply filters, and even trigger actions such as upsell opportunities. To further enhance productivity, Salesforce is offering free trials of third-party applications from the AppExchange, including Webex by Cisco, DocuSign, and RingCentral. These “launch partner apps” are designed to improve collaboration, streamline document management, and lower operational costs for customers. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 5, 2024in Salesforce Sales Cloud

29Aug

Salesforce Climbs on Back of AI

Shares of Salesforce (CRM.N) climbed approximately 4% on Thursday as investors responded positively to the customer relationship management software maker’s strong quarterly performance and its strategic focus on artificial intelligence to fuel growth. Salesforce has been making significant investments to integrate AI technologies into its existing products, including its messaging platform Slack, to enhance functionality and attract more customers. “We continue to see Salesforce as an underappreciated AI winner due to its unique data and early success in developing and deploying GenAI agents,” noted Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan. Despite concerns from Wall Street that reduced cloud spending might impact Salesforce in a challenging economy, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) company exceeded expectations with better-than-anticipated revenue, profit, and margins in the second quarter. Additionally, Salesforce raised its profit forecast for the fiscal year ending January 2025, as margins continue to improve, largely due to restructuring efforts undertaken last year. The stock is currently trading at 24.49 times Wall Street’s profit expectations, compared to 52.11 for SaaS peer ServiceNow and 13.30 for cloud contact center firm Five9 (FIVN.O), according to LSEG data. If the gains hold, Salesforce could add about billion to its market capitalization, bringing its valuation to 8 billion as of Wednesday’s close. However, Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow cautioned, “We think these results alone are not sufficient to drive a sustainable rally from here. For that, we need additional catalysts, which could come with the new AI solutions,” set to be unveiled at Dreamforce and launched in October. Some analysts suggest that ongoing growth in the coming quarters may be driven by Salesforce’s customer support platform, Agentforce, which has yet to be commercially released. 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

August 29, 2024in Salesforce

11Aug

Rubrick and Salesforce

According to Gartner®, by 2028, 75% of enterprises will view the backup of SaaS applications as a critical necessity, up from just 15% in 2024. Salesforce, a key CRM tool for many of the world’s largest organizations, plays a pivotal role in driving business operations and accelerating revenue growth. Given its central role as the single source of truth for many financial applications, Salesforce users must safeguard against costly downtime caused by accidental errors or cyber events, which can have a cascading impact on interconnected systems. To support these organizations, Rubrik is launching Salesforce Data Protection. Rubrik’s Data Protection Capabilities The new Salesforce Data Protection solution by Rubrik leverages robust security features from Rubrik Security Cloud—a unified platform that integrates data protection across SaaS, cloud, and on-premises environments. This advanced offering builds on Rubrik’s existing data protection solutions for SaaS tools like M365 and Jira. Key Features of Rubrik’s Salesforce Data Protection: Rubrik’s Salesforce Data Protection is now available on the AppExchange and will be showcased at Dreamforce 2024, scheduled for September 17-19 in San Francisco. 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

August 11, 2024in Salesforce

03Aug

State of AI

With the Dreamforce conference just a few weeks away, AI is set to be a central theme once again. This week, Salesforce offered a preview of what to expect in September with the release of its “Trends in AI for CRM” report. This report consolidates findings from several Salesforce research studies conducted from February last year to April this year. The report’s executive summary highlights four key insights: The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) An intriguing statistic from Salesforce’s “State of Data and Analytics” report reveals that 77% of business leaders feel a fear of missing out on generative AI. This concern is particularly pronounced among marketers (88%), followed by sales executives (78%) and customer service professionals (73%). Given the continued hype around generative AI, these numbers are likely still relevant or even higher as of July 2024. As Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih puts it: “The majority of business executives fear they’re missing out on AI’s benefits, and it’s a well-founded concern. Today’s technology world is reminiscent of 1998 for the Internet—full of opportunities but also hype.” Shih adds: “How do we separate the signal from the noise and identify high-impact enterprise use cases?” The Quest for ROI and Value The surge of hype around generative AI over the past 18 months has led to high expectations. While Salesforce has been more responsible in managing user expectations, many executives view generative AI as a cure-all. However, this perspective can be problematic, as “silver bullets” often miss their mark. Recent tech sector developments reflect a shift toward a longer-term view of AI’s impact. Meta’s share price fell when Mark Zuckerberg emphasized AI as a multi-year project, and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai faced tough questions from Wall Street about the need for continued investment. State of AI Shih notes a growing impatience with the time required to realize AI’s value: “It’s been over 18 months since ChatGPT sparked excitement about AI in business. Many companies are still grappling with building or buying solutions that are not overly siloed and can be customized. The challenge is finding a balance between quick implementation and configurability.” She adds: “The initial belief was that companies could just integrate ChatGPT and see instant transformation. However, there are security risks and practical challenges. For LLMs to be effective, they need contextual data about users and customers.” Conclusion: A Return to the Future Shih likens the current AI landscape to the late 90s Internet boom, noting: “It’s similar to the late 90s when people questioned if the Internet was overhyped. While some investments will not pan out, the transformative potential of successful use cases is enormous. Just as with the Internet, discovering the truly valuable applications of AI may require experimentation and time. We are very much in the 1998 moment for AI now.” 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

August 3, 2024in Generative AI

23Jul

AI Trust and Optimism

Building Trust in AI: A Complex Yet Essential Task The Importance of Trust in AI Trust in artificial intelligence (AI) is ultimately what will make or break the technology. AI Trust and Optimism. Amid the hype and excitement of the past 18 months, it’s widely recognized that human beings need to have faith in this new wave of automation. This trust ensures that AI systems do not overstep boundaries or undermine personal freedoms. However, building this trust is a complicated task, thankfully receiving increasing attention from responsible thought leaders in the field. The Challenge of Responsible AI Development There is a growing concern that in the AI arms race, some individuals and companies prioritize making their technology as advanced as possible without considering long-term human-centric issues or the present-day realities. This concern was highlighted when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman presented AI hallucinations as a feature, not a bug, at last year’s Dreamforce, shortly after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff emphasized the vital nature of trust. Insights from Salesforce’s Global Study Salesforce recently released the results of a global study involving 6,000 knowledge workers from various companies. The study reveals that while respondents trust AI to manage 43% of their work tasks, they still prefer human intervention in areas such as training, onboarding, and data handling. A notable finding is the difference in trust levels between leaders and rank-and-file workers. Leaders trust AI to handle over half (51%) of their work, while other workers trust it with 40%. Furthermore, 63% of respondents believe human involvement is key to building their trust in AI, though a subset is already comfortable offloading certain tasks to autonomous AI. Specifically: The study predicts that within three years, 41% of global workers will trust AI to operate autonomously, a significant increase from the 10% who feel comfortable with this today. Ethical Considerations in AI Paula Goldman, Salesforce’s Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer, is responsible for establishing guidelines and best practices for technology adoption. Her interpretation of the study findings indicates that while workers are excited about a future with autonomous AI and are beginning to transition to it, trust gaps still need to be bridged. Goldman notes that workers are currently comfortable with AI handling tasks like writing code, uncovering data insights, and building communications. However, they are less comfortable delegating tasks such as inclusivity, onboarding, training employees, and data security to AI. Salesforce advocates for a “human at the helm” approach to AI. Goldman explains that human oversight builds trust in AI, but the way this oversight is designed must evolve to keep pace with AI’s rapid development. The traditional “human in the loop” model, where humans review every AI-generated output, is no longer feasible even with today’s sophisticated AI systems. Goldman emphasizes the need for more sophisticated controls that allow humans to focus on high-risk, high-judgment decisions while delegating other tasks. These controls should provide a macro view of AI performance and the ability to inspect it, which is crucial. Education and Training Goldman also highlights the importance of educating those steering AI systems. Trust and adoption of technology require that people are enabled to use it successfully. This includes comprehensive knowledge and training to make the most of AI capabilities. Optimism Amidst Skepticism Despite widespread fears about AI, Goldman finds a considerable amount of optimism and curiosity among workers. The study reflects a recognition of AI’s transformative potential and its rapid improvement. However, it is essential to distinguish between genuine optimism and hype-driven enthusiasm. Salesforce’s Stance on AI and Trust Salesforce has taken a strong stance on trust in relation to AI, emphasizing the non-silver bullet nature of this technology. The company acknowledges the balance between enthusiasm and pragmatism that many executives experience. While there is optimism about trusting autonomous AI within three years, this prediction needs to be substantiated with real-world evidence. Some organizations are already leading in generative AI adoption, while many others express interest in exploring its potential in the future. Conclusion Overall, this study contributes significantly to the ongoing debate about AI’s future. The concept of “human at the helm” is compelling and highlights the importance of ethical considerations in the AI-enabled future. Goldman’s role in presenting this research underscores Salesforce’s commitment to responsible AI development. For more insights, check out her blog on the subject. 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

July 23, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Einstein Insights, Generative AI, Salesforce Einstein

Refund the Police

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has called for San Francisco to “refund the police,” stating this on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. As the largest private employer in San Francisco, Salesforce’s stance carries significant weight. In his detailed tweet, Benioff emphasized the need for the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to be fully staffed and funded. “San Francisco must REFUND the Police not continue to DEFUND the Police. Our Police need to be empowered now — not this new terrible decision to end pretext stops. Our SFPD and Sheriffs are the absolute key to a safe and clean San Francisco every day,” he wrote. The Defund The Police movement, which gained traction in 2020, led San Francisco Mayor London Breed to reallocate $120 million from law enforcement to support the city’s Black community. However, Breed’s current budget plan includes funding to add 200 new officers to the SFPD by the end of the year. Benioff argued that the SFPD should have more than 2,000 officers, noting that the number had fallen below 1,400. According to the SFPD’s website, there are currently 1,862 sworn officers. Benioff outlined several other goals for the city, emphasizing the following points: Mayor Breed responded Thursday night, expressing agreement with Benioff’s statements and highlighting measures her office has implemented, including increasing the police budget and raising starting pay for SFPD officers. Benioff has previously voiced concerns about public safety in San Francisco, even threatening to move the 2023 Dreamforce conference out of the city if attendee safety could not be guaranteed. 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

July 22, 2024in Salesforce

08Jul

Salesforce Agentforce Platform

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has hinted at the upcoming launch of a new AI and automation platform geared towards customer support. Salesforce Agentforce Platform. In anticipation of September’s Dreamforce event, Benioff used X, formerly Twitter, to offer a sneak peek into the platform, specifically highlighting its customer-facing “Einstein Service Agent.” In his post, Benioff underscores the essential features of the virtual agent, emphasizing how it will seamlessly blend digital and human-assisted support to expedite case resolutions. This blended experience appears to build upon the technology integrated into Salesforce following its acquisition of Airkit.ai in 2023. Airkit.ai provides a low- to no-code bot-building platform that empowers businesses to orchestrate AI-driven conversational experiences. Primarily used for service automation, Airkit enables firms to design and automate complex cross-platform workflows, enhancing automated customer interactions across Salesforce applications. The Einstein Service Agent, positioned within Salesforce’s broader Einstein 1 vision, leverages Data Cloud to create a unified, cross-functional data ecosystem. Benioff hints at the agent’s capability to span service, sales, marketing, and commerce functionalities, underscoring its pivotal role within the Salesforce ecosystem. Expanding on Airkit.ai’s foundational capabilities, Salesforce has integrated Mulesoft to enable insights triggering cross-platform automations, alongside real-time data harmonization within Data Cloud. Moreover, the platform now incorporates generative AI (GenAI), enhancing its ability to interpret text, images, and audio/video for diverse customer engagement scenarios. Despite these advancements, Benioff acknowledges that no virtual agent, even with GenAI augmentation, can resolve every customer query alone. Salesforce ensures omnichannel transfers and human handoffs to address more complex issues effectively. In an era where many vendors offer similar conversational AI capabilities, Salesforce distinguishes itself through ecosystem integration and orchestration. Benioff emphasizes the value of low- to no-code workflow orchestration, democratizing AI technology for non-programmers and fostering an inclusive AI revolution. Expect Benioff to elaborate further on these themes and unveil more details about the Agentforce Platform during his keynote at the 2024 Dreamforce event. 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

July 8, 2024in Generative AI, Mulesoft

23Feb

Virtual Event Management Plan

Have You Recently Attended an Information-Packed Webinar? Think back to your experience: from how you first learned about the event to its promotion and eventual execution. It might seem like organizing a webinar is straightforward, but… Virtual event management requires meticulous planning, from the initial concept and promotion to post-event tasks. Read on to discover how you can plan your online events in Salesforce with ease and what you’ll need for success. What is Virtual Event Management Plan in Salesforce? Virtual event management encompasses all the activities needed to ensure your online event runs smoothly. It’s how you prepare to share your insights—or those of other experts—virtually. Why plan your events in Salesforce? All your data stays integrated within your CRM, allowing you to manage every aspect of your event, from registration and ticketing to marketing and attendee engagement, without the hassle of multiple tools or disorganized planning. Types of Virtual Event Management Plans in Salesforce Choosing the right virtual event format can be overwhelming, but here are some common options: How to Plan Virtual Events in Salesforce: A 4-Step Guide 1. Create a Virtual Event Concept When planning a virtual event, don’t treat it like an in-person one. Virtual events require their own set of strategies. Start by answering these questions: Remember, seasonal holidays or other events can impact attendance. Avoid scheduling events during low-attendance periods, like the summer or late December. 2. Select an Event Management Tool You need the right technology to manage online events effectively. Salesforce offers robust functionality for this. When selecting a tool for Salesforce event management, look for these features: 3. Outline Content and Strategy Crafting a virtual event that resonates with your audience requires more than just setting a date and topic. You need a compelling content strategy. Here’s how to make it work: 4. Design an Event Microsite Like in-person events, virtual ones benefit from a dedicated event page or microsite. On your Salesforce Experience Cloud site, you can: The Ultimate Virtual Events Checklist Final Thoughts Virtual event management isn’t daunting if approached wisely. With a clear plan, engaging content, and the right tools, success is within reach. Follow these steps, and your next virtual event will be a breeze. 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

February 23, 2024in Data, Enterprise, Marketing Automation, Salesforce, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Technology

22Dec

Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced Editions

While Growth Edition is tailored to small businesses looking to get started with robust marketing automation, Advanced Edition caters to companies that need more sophisticated tools to scale personalization efforts, improve customer engagement, and streamline workflows. It offers additional features, including real-time journey testing, predictive AI for customer scoring, and advanced SMS capabilities, allowing businesses to enhance every touchpoint with their customers.

December 22, 2023in Data, Enterprise, Marketing Automation, Salesforce, Salesforce Data Cloud, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Marketing Automation, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Technology

15Sep

Data Cloud Free Licenses

Salesforce Announces Data Cloud Free Licenses at Dreamforce 2023 At Dreamforce 2023, Salesforce announced that free Data Cloud licenses are now included for all Enterprise Edition or above customers to help them familiarize themselves with new capabilities and develop use case ideas. Starting September 19th, 2023, Enterprise Edition and above customers can get started with Data Cloud Provisioning at no cost by signing up under Your Account. Data Cloud Provisioning includes: Unlimited Plus Edition customers will get access to 2,500,000 Data Service credits. Two Tableau Creator licenses are a separate line item and can be quoted by your Salesforce Account Executive. Salesforce has been focusing on large data and AI tools for several years, acquiring Tableau, accelerating their Einstein AI tools, and significantly extending the Data Cloud product. Data Cloud allows you to easily harmonize data, analyze it in Tableau, and make it actionable across marketing, sales, and service. What Can I Do with Data Cloud? Data Cloud enables customers to start with one of three use cases: Across these use cases, customers can ingest data from multiple sources, unify data with identity resolution, calculate insights, visualize data in Tableau (with the provisioning of the Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud SKU), and view consolidated data on the contact record. Differences Between Data Cloud and Data Cloud Provisioning Functionality: Data Cloud Provisioning includes all the features of the existing Data Cloud offerings, except Segmentation and Activation. Credits for Segmentation and Activation can be purchased as add-ons through Marketing Cloud account teams. Capacity: Both include 1 TB of data storage, 1 Data Cloud admin, 100 internal Data Cloud identity users, 1,000 Data Cloud PSL, and 5 integration users. Entitlement: Data Cloud Provisioning entitlement is the same for all Enterprise Edition and above customers. Additional Information Sandbox Availability: Data Cloud is not available in Sandbox orgs; it can only be provisioned to an existing production org. Professional Edition Access: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available to Professional Edition customers. Existing Data Cloud or CDP Customers: Those with an existing Data Cloud or CDP tenant cannot sign up for Data Cloud Provisioning. Unlimited Edition Plus Bundle Customers: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available, as the bundle includes a Data Cloud tenant. Edition Information: Check your Salesforce org’s edition in Setup > Company Information > Organization Edition. Government Cloud: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available. Non-Profit Customers: Data Cloud Provisioning is available. Industry Cloud Customers: Industry Cloud customers with Enterprise Edition and above are eligible. ISV Partners: Data Cloud Provisioning is not accessible via Your Account in ISV Enterprise Edition orgs. ISV Partners need to create a support case with the Partner Ops team to request provisioning. Existing Tableau Customers: Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud is intended to provision a new Tableau tenant (aka site). Multiple Instances: Only one Data Cloud Provisioning instance is allowed per account/tenant. Access to Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud: To get access, you must have or include on the same quote any of the following: 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

September 15, 2023in Salesforce Data Cloud

14Sep

Salesforce Net Zero Enhancements

Salesforce AI Innovations Boost ESG Reporting in Net Zero Cloud Powered by Einstein, Net Zero Cloud’s generative AI capabilities will suggest reliable, auto-generated responses for ESG reports – Salesforce Net Zero Enhancements CSRD Report Builder automates reporting, and Materiality Assessment empowers ESG managers to identify most relevant ESG topics Global sports brand Rossignol Group uses Net Zero Cloud to track its carbon footprint; joins 1t.org with commitment to plant 100,000 trees Today at Dreamforce 2023, Salesforce unveiled new Einstein features for Net Zero Cloud to make corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting easier for companies as they navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Beginning in 2024, approximately 50,000 companies — including many large, multinationals based in the United States — must comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This includes disclosing both climate-related financial risks and societal impact, along with scope 3 or the emissions generated by a company’s supply chain. The company also introduced two new capabilities for Net Zero Cloud — CSRD Report Builder and Materiality Assessment. The Report Builder automates CSRD report generation, and Materiality Assessment helps organizations determine what is material – both to their business and broader societal impact, the “double materiality” assessment that is a requirement of CSRD. Integrate a complete sustainability management solution into your organization 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

September 14, 2023in Generative AI, Salesforce

13Sep

The Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce

Understanding The Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce At this year’s Dreamforce, AI is the star of the show, but two essential supporting actors are data and integration. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the importance of unifying their diverse data sources for effective analysis and swift action, and the race to harness AI makes this integration even more critical. Integration is key not only for merging data but also for automating end-to-end processes, enabling organizations to move faster and deliver better outcomes to customers. Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce. It’s no surprise that MuleSoft, acquired by Salesforce five years ago, is now a major contributor to Salesforce’s growth. Brian Millham, President and COO at Salesforce, highlighted this during the company’s recent Q2 earnings call: “In Q2, nearly half of our greater than $1 million deals included MuleSoft. As customers integrate data from all sources to drive efficiency, growth, and insights, MuleSoft has become mission-critical and was included in half of our top 10 deals.” Breaking Down Silos Param Kahlon, EVP and General Manager for Automation and Integration at Salesforce, recently discussed the investments customers are making in data and integration. He emphasized the importance of breaking down operational silos: “We are in the business of breaking silos across systems to ensure that data can travel seamlessly through multiple systems and people for processes like order-to-cash or procure-to-pay. Our technology connects these dots.” The surge in AI interest has increased the urgency to act, as Kahlon explained: “Creating data repositories for AI algorithms requires real-time data across silos, driving significant demand for our integration solutions.” Consolidating Data Enterprises have long struggled with data consolidation due to monolithic application stacks with separate data stores. This has been a challenge even within Salesforce’s own products. Last year, Salesforce introduced a Customer Data Platform (CDP) called Data Cloud, which includes a real-time data layer named Genie. Kahlon elaborated on its significance: “Data Cloud’s strength lies in its understanding and storage of Salesforce metadata. This native integration allows for real-time actions within Salesforce, enhancing the ability to aggregate, reason over, and act on data.” For example, when a customer contacts a bank, Data Cloud can compile their ATM usage, website interactions, and recent support cases, providing the agent with a comprehensive view to better assist the customer. Leveraging Metadata for AI Salesforce’s metadata layer, which has been fine-tuned over two decades, gives it a distinct advantage. Kahlon noted: “This metadata-based architecture allows us to create meaningful AI algorithms that are natively consumed within Salesforce, enabling visualization and action based on real-time data.” This is crucial for training the underlying Large Language Model (LLM) accurately, ensuring generated content is contextually grounded and trustworthy. Kahlon emphasized: “The trust layer is essential. We need to ensure no hallucination or toxicity in the LLM’s responses, and that communications align with our company’s values.” Real-Time Data and API Management Data Cloud’s ability to connect to other data sources like Snowflake without duplicating data is a significant benefit. Kahlon commented: “Duplicating data is not desirable. Customers need real-time access to the actual source of truth.” On the integration front, APIs have simplified connecting applications and data sources. However, managing API sprawl is crucial. Kahlon explained: “Standardizing API use and publishing them in a centralized portal is essential for reusability and consistency. Low-code platforms and connectors are becoming increasingly relevant, enabling business users to access data without relying on IT.” Automation and AI The demand for automation is growing, and low-code tools are vital. Instead of integration experts being overwhelmed, organizations should establish Centers for Excellence to focus on creating reusable connectors and automations. Kahlon added: “Companies need low-code tools to involve more business users in the transformation journey without slowing down due to legacy applications.” In the future, AI may further ease the workload on integration specialists. MuleSoft recently introduced an API Experience Hub to make APIs discoverable, and AI might eventually help monitor execution logs and manage APIs more effectively. Kahlon concluded: “AI could help developers find and use APIs efficiently, enhancing security and governance while simplifying access to data across the organization.” 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

September 13, 2023in Mulesoft, Salesforce, Salesforce Einstein, Snowflake

19Aug

Difference Between Salesforce Lightning and Hyperforce

Salesforce Lightning Platform and Hyperforce: An Overview The Lightning Platform forms the core infrastructure of Salesforce, while Hyperforce is a new infrastructure model provided by the CRM platform. Salesforce Lightning Salesforce Lightning elevates customization with its modern and flexible framework. It offers a powerful drag-and-drop interface called the Lightning App Builder, enabling users to design custom homepages, record pages, and dashboards effortlessly. Salesforce Hyperforce Introduced at Dreamforce in December 2020 and recently made generally available, Hyperforce is an architectural enhancement to Salesforce’s platform designed for the public cloud. It offers several benefits, including scalability, global reach, and increased control over data residency. As part of the Salesforce Customer 360 platform, Hyperforce brings enhanced flexibility, scalability, and performance to the cloud. Key Benefits of Hyperforce: Hyperforce Migration Migrating to Hyperforce does not require additional costs. Once migrated, organizations will not experience significant changes, and non-Hyperforce services will continue to run. This code-based offering enhances speed, reliability, and global performance. Reasons to Migrate to Hyperforce: Hyperforce and Public Cloud Platforms Hyperforce can run on public cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure, representing a shift from traditional Salesforce-hosted data centers. The Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud are also built on Hyperforce, offering businesses a powerful platform for customer interactions and relationship management. Hyperforce vs. Shield Hyperforce provides volume-level encryption by default for data at rest, while Shield Platform Encryption operates in parallel, offering additional encryption features. Hyperforce Migration: Mandatory Upgrade Migrating to Hyperforce is not optional, as Salesforce has declared this architecture as its future. The migration process will occur over time, and organizations will need to prepare for it. If migration timing is not suitable, businesses should contact their Salesforce account agent. Data Residency and Migration Issues: While Hyperforce is expanding, more countries need to support data residency to have a truly international impact. Some migration issues may include Einstein loading problems, bot disruptions, and glitches with the Smartcomm managed package. Basic troubleshooting can resolve minor issues, but technical considerations like manual endpoint management may be time-consuming and costly. Hyperforce Assistant The Hyperforce Assistant provides a step-by-step guide to upgrade from Salesforce-managed physical data centers to Hyperforce, ensuring admins feel confident about the migration process. By adopting Hyperforce, businesses can enhance their customer data management with innovative solutions, ensuring robust security, scalability, and efficiency in their operations. 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

August 19, 2023in Hyperforce

07Nov

New Salesforce Whatsapp Integrations

Salesforce has unveiled its roadmap for upcoming WhatsApp integrations tailored for marketing and service teams. WhatsApp, a widely-used mobile messaging app with over 2.2 billion monthly active users and a daily message count exceeding 100 billion, has demonstrated remarkable international reach, fostering instant and effective communication across borders without reliance on local telecom providers. New Salesforce Whatsapp Integrations While WhatsApp integration was not previously available as a standard feature in Salesforce, the recent partnership announcement at Dreamforce ’22 prompted swift action. The integration will harness the WhatsApp Business Platform API, a cloud-based service provided by Meta (WhatsApp’s owner) for businesses at no cost in 2022. This API enhances end-to-end experiences, streamlining scalable business processes. For Salesforce + WhatsApp in Service: WhatsApp for Service can be utilized through Digital Engagement, an add-on for Service Cloud. Also Salesforce’s Contact Center for Communications within Communications Cloud. WhatsApp for Service Cloud is expected to be generally available (GA) starting March 16, 2023. For Salesforce + WhatsApp in Marketing: The WhatsApp for Marketing Cloud Rich Media support is anticipated to be generally available (GA) in the second half of 2023. As consumer demand for WhatsApp continues to surge, specialized integrations, like those tailored for Salesforce. By address the growing need for organizations to connect WhatsApp with their business-critical systems. The collaboration underscores Salesforce’s commitment to meeting evolving communication demands and leveraging the popularity of WhatsApp for enhanced customer interactions. Struggling to integrate WhatsApp in your Salesforce ecosystem? Tectonic can help. Like2 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

November 7, 2022in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce Managed Services, Salesforce Sales Cloud

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