ONC Archives - gettectonic.com
Agentforce for Retail
21Jan

Agentforce for Retail

Salesforce Introduces Agentforce for Retail: A Sector-Specific Skills Library for AI Innovation Salesforce has unveiled Agentforce for Retail, an industry-specific skills library designed to empower retailers to develop AI agents tailored to their unique business needs. This release provides tools for retailers to enhance customer service, assist store associates, and engage customers in innovative ways. For example, AI agents can now automate and streamline processes like order management, guided shopping, and appointment scheduling. While Salesforce had previously launched 100 preconfigured, industry-specific AI agents for the core Agentforce platform, this new retail-focused release represents a shift toward providing specialized tools that enable retailers to build AI agents with greater precision and flexibility. Driving Seamless, Unified Retail Experiences Nitin Mangtani, SVP & GM of Retail at Salesforce, described the vision behind Agentforce for Retail: “Salesforce is helping retailers deliver seamless, unified shopping experiences across both the physical and digital realms of retail, driving productivity advancements and business growth across their entire enterprise.” This move aligns with Salesforce’s broader commitment to delivering sector-specific AI innovations, expanding the Agentforce offering into targeted solutions that meet the distinct demands of industries like retail. Agentforce for Retail: Core Capabilities Commerce Skills for Order Management These skills empower retailers to offer self-service order support, helping reduce costs while boosting customer loyalty. Customers can: Commerce Skills for Guided Shopping Using natural language, customers can receive personalized product recommendations based on behavior, inventory, and operational data. They can also: Field Service Skills for Appointment Scheduling Service representatives can use AI-powered tools to streamline the scheduling of deliveries, installations, or consultations. Real-time availability updates improve efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. Marketing Skills for Loyalty Promotion Creation Marketers can use conversational prompts informed by shopper data, point-of-sale (POS) insights, and segmentation to design loyalty campaigns. These tools also assist in creating personalized email content and subject lines to drive higher engagement. Retail Cloud with Modern POS: A Complementary Innovation In addition to Agentforce for Retail, Salesforce announced the Retail Cloud with Modern POS, a cloud-based point-of-sale solution designed to unify online and offline shopping experiences. Key features include: The POS system also incorporates AI capabilities such as: Shoppers benefit from flexible fulfillment options, including buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) and omni-exchanges. Each cart item can have unique fulfillment methods, optimizing supply chain costs while enhancing convenience. Mangtani noted, “Together, AI-fueled digital labor and a modern POS can unlock a new scale of operational capacity for retailers.” The Evolution of Agentforce: A Platform for Digital Labor In late 2024, Salesforce launched Agentforce 2.0, branding it as “The Digital Labor Platform.” This expanded version introduced enhanced capabilities aimed at helping businesses streamline operations and adopt AI-driven automation on a larger scale. Agentforce for Retail builds on this foundation, offering retailers the tools to reimagine customer engagement, boost efficiency, and drive business growth. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 21, 2025in Agentforce Platform, Data, Enterprise, Salesforce0 Comments
HIPAA
21Jan

Salesforce HIPAA Compliance

Compliance plays a critical role in managing sensitive information, especially under regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Salesforce HIPAA Compliance. Enacted in 1996, HIPAA establishes national standards for safeguarding sensitive health information. Organizations and individuals who store, manage, or transmit healthcare data are subject to these regulations, which prioritize the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient information. While Salesforce provides tools to support HIPAA compliance, the responsibility for ensuring compliance ultimately lies with the data-processing organization or individual—not solely the platform itself. This insight explores Salesforce’s role in HIPAA compliance, key features for safeguarding electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), and best practices for adhering to regulatory requirements. Understanding HIPAA Salesforce’s flexibility as a CRM platform allows it to serve industries that require HIPAA compliance, particularly healthcare and life sciences. At its core, HIPAA protects Protected Health Information (PHI)—any patient-identifiable information in medical records. PHI extends beyond traditional medical data to include names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and more. When PHI is managed or transmitted electronically, it’s classified as electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), which is subject to additional safeguards. Entities Covered by HIPAA HIPAA applies to several types of entities: While Salesforce is classified as a Business Associate, organizations using the platform remain responsible for adhering to HIPAA’s security requirements. Salesforce and the Business Associate Agreement (BAA) As a Business Associate, Salesforce must enter into a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with healthcare organizations and other Covered Entities to define responsibilities and security measures for handling ePHI. The BAA outlines the Salesforce features and services eligible for HIPAA compliance. Notably: Without a signed BAA, organizations face significant penalties for HIPAA violations, even in the absence of a data breach. HIPAA-Compliant Salesforce Solutions Salesforce offers various solutions and features to support HIPAA compliance. These are categorized into platform security measures and specific compliant services: Key Security Features HIPAA-Compliant Services It’s important to note that not all Salesforce features are HIPAA-compliant, and proper configuration is critical to ensure compliance. Restrictions and Challenges While Salesforce offers robust security tools, some limitations and risks exist: Additionally, some Salesforce services, like certain social or mobile features in Health Cloud, are not compliant by default and require explicit mention in the BAA to be used with ePHI. Best Practices for HIPAA Compliance To maximize HIPAA compliance with Salesforce, organizations should: HIPAA Compliance Checklist Here’s a concise checklist to guide your HIPAA compliance efforts: Leveraging Third-Party Tools Solutions like GRAX can enhance HIPAA compliance in Salesforce by adding capabilities such as data backup, archiving, and recovery. GRAX’s security features include: However, integrating third-party solutions requires careful vetting to avoid compliance risks. Salesforce HIPAA Compliance Salesforce is a powerful tool for healthcare organizations, but achieving HIPAA compliance requires understanding its capabilities and limitations. A well-configured Salesforce environment, combined with diligent user management and third-party tools, can help organizations meet regulatory requirements while safeguarding patient data. By embracing best practices and staying informed about shared responsibilities, organizations can ensure HIPAA compliance, avoid penalties, and build trust with patients and stakeholders. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 21, 2025in Data, Hyperforce, Salesforce, Salesforce Health Cloud, Salesforce Shield0 Comments
AI Agent Rivalry
19Jan

Generative AI in CX

Generative AI in CX: Opportunities and Challenges Generative AI offers the promise of transformative efficiency and innovation in customer experience (CX). However, businesses face significant hurdles in adopting the technology, including budget constraints, compliance challenges, and internal alignment issues. A Growing Gap Between Innovation and AdoptionCX technology vendors often outpace their customers in releasing advanced features. With generative AI, this gap feels wider than ever. For example, Zendesk’s CX Trends 2025 report revealed that over 25% of surveyed businesses have delayed AI adoption due to budgetary, knowledge, or organizational support barriers. Similarly, an October survey by NTT Data found that more than half of senior IT decision-makers had yet to align generative AI strategies with business goals. While only 39% of respondents reported significant investments in generative AI, most companies remain in early phases, such as pilots and trials. Some businesses, however, have no plans to invest at all. Early Adoption in CXDespite these challenges, early adopters are exploring generative AI applications in customer service and contact centers. AI-powered bots, or “agents,” are proving effective in summarizing answers and improving efficiency. However, deploying these agents requires substantial preparation, such as organizing customer data and defining roles and processes—a significant task for many IT teams. John Seeds, CMO at TTEC Digital, emphasized the importance of using generative AI internally first:“We start by addressing inconsistencies and cleaning up data. Once that’s done, businesses can present it effectively to reduce inbound calls and enhance self-service in contact centers.” Expanding Beyond Customer ServiceGenerative AI is also being embraced by marketing and e-commerce teams. Platforms like Salesforce, Google, and Sitecore have introduced tools that assist with campaign ideation and content creation. While these tools don’t always produce polished outputs, they serve as powerful starting points for creatives. The Generative AI RevolutionAI has been a staple in CX for years, powering analytics, natural language processing, and automation. But the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022 revolutionized the field. John Ball, SVP at ServiceNow, noted:“Generative AI has removed the need for handcrafting every dialogue or intent model. It opens up possibilities for chat and email recommendations without requiring as much manual setup.” Similarly, Salesforce AI executives, including Silvio Savarese, highlighted the technology’s unprecedented adoption:“It was incredible to see how quickly generative AI captured global attention,” Savarese said. Questions of Autonomy and TrustThe rise of AI agents introduces questions about trust and autonomy. Can bots make decisions that keep customers happy? What happens if they make mistakes? As companies explore these possibilities, many are focusing on augmenting human workflows rather than replacing them entirely. For example, Trimedx plans to use ServiceNow’s generative AI to automate report generation for its clinical hardware in hospitals. This application aims to save time while supporting human decision-making. Similarly, Siemens has deployed its own AI “bionic agent” to handle tasks like supply chain management, with generative AI accelerating customization and productivity. Regulatory and Ethical ConsiderationsAs adoption grows, so do concerns around compliance and copyright. The Biden administration’s recent CX-related regulations, including a ban on junk fees, could influence how AI is integrated into business processes. Additionally, initiatives like Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative aim to ensure transparency in AI-generated content by providing tools to verify the origins and editing history of digital assets. The Road AheadGenerative AI holds immense potential to transform CX by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and driving innovation. However, businesses must address challenges in data readiness, compliance, and ethical usage to fully realize its benefits. While early adopters are making strides, widespread success will depend on thoughtful implementation and alignment with organizational goals. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 19, 2025in Data, Generative AI, Google, Salesforce, Technology0 Comments
18Jan

From Generative AI to Agentic AI

Understanding the Coming Shift: From Generative AI to Agentic AI Large Language Models (LLMs), such as GPT, excel at generating text, answering questions, and supporting various tasks. However, they operate reactively, responding only to the input they receive based on learned patterns. LLMs cannot make decisions independently, adapt to new situations, or plan ahead. Agentic AI addresses these limitations. Unlike Generative AI, Agentic AI can set goals for itself, take initiative by itself, and learn from its experiences. It is proactive, capable of adjusting its actions over time, and can manage complex, evolving tasks that demand continuous problem-solving and decision-making. This transition from reactive to proactive AI unlocks exciting new possibilities across industries. In this insight, we will explore the differences between Agentic AI and Generative AI, examining their distinct impacts on technology and industries. Let’s begin by understanding what sets them apart. What is Agentic AI? Agentic AI refers to systems capable of autonomous decision-making and action to achieve specific goals. These systems go beyond generating content—they interact with their environments, respond to changes, and complete tasks with minimal human guidance. For example: What is Generative AI? Generative AI focuses on creating content—text, images, music, or video—by learning from large datasets to identify patterns, styles, or structures. For instance: Generative AI acts like a creative assistant, producing content based on what it has learned, but it remains reactive and task-specific. Key Differences in Workflows Agentic AI employs an iterative, cyclical workflow that includes stages like “Thinking/Research” and “Revision.” This adaptive process involves self-assessment, testing, and refinement, enabling the system to learn from each phase and tackle complex, evolving tasks effectively. Generative AI, in contrast, follows a linear, single-step workflow, moving directly from input to output without iterative improvements. While efficient for straightforward tasks, it lacks the ability to revisit or refine its results, limiting its effectiveness for dynamic or nuanced challenges. Characteristics of Agentic AI vs. Generative AI Feature Agentic AI Generative AI Autonomy Acts independently, making decisions and executing tasks. Requires human input to generate responses. Behavior Goal-directed, proactively working toward specific objectives. Task-oriented, reacting to immediate prompts. Adaptation and Learning Learns from experiences, adjusting actions dynamically. Operates based on pre-trained patterns, without learning. Decision-Making Handles complex decisions, weighing multiple outcomes. Makes basic decisions, selecting outputs based on patterns. Environmental Perception Understands and interacts with its surroundings. Lacks awareness of the physical environment. Case Study: Agentic Workflow in Action Andrew Ng highlighted the power of the Agentic Workflow in a coding task. Using the HumanEval benchmark, his team tested two approaches: This illustrates how iterative methods can enhance performance, even for older AI models. Conclusion As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives and workplaces, understanding the distinction between Generative AI and Agentic AI is essential. Generative AI has transformed tasks like content creation, offering immediate, reactive solutions. However, it remains limited to following instructions without true autonomy. Agentic AI represents a significant leap in technology. From chatbots to today. By setting goals, making decisions, and adapting in real-time, it can tackle complex, dynamic tasks without constant human oversight. Approaches like the Agentic Workflow further enhance AI’s capabilities, enabling iterative learning and continuous improvement. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

Read More
January 18, 2025in Agentic AI, Data, Generative AI, Technology0 Comments
Python-Based Reasoning
17Jan

Python-Based Reasoning

Introducing a Python-Based Reasoning Engine for Deterministic AI As the demand for deterministic systems grows reviving foundational ideas for the age of large language models (LLMs) is here. The Challenge One of the critical issues with modern AI systems is establishing constraints around how they validate and reason about incoming data. As we increasingly rely on stochastic LLMs to process unstructured data, enforcing rules and guardrails becomes vital for ensuring reliability and consistency. The Solution Thus a company has developed a Python-based reasoning and validation framework inspired by Pydantic, designed to empower developers and non-technical domain experts to create sophisticated rule engines. The system is: By transforming Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and business guardrails into enforceable code, this symbolic reasoning framework addresses the need for structured, interpretable, and reliable AI systems. Key Features System Architecture The framework includes five core components: Types of Engines Case Studies 1. Validation Engine: Mining Company Compliance A mining company needed to validate employee qualifications against region-specific requirements. The system was configured to check rules such as minimum age and required certifications for specific roles. Input Example:Employee data and validation rules were modeled as JSON: jsonCopy code{ “employees”: [ { “name”: “Sarah”, “age”: 25, “documents”: [{ “type”: “safe_handling_at_work” }] }, { “name”: “John”, “age”: 17, “documents”: [{ “type”: “heavy_lifting” }] } ], “rules”: [ { “type”: “min_age”, “parameters”: { “min_age”: 18 } } ] } Output:Violations, such as “Minimum age must be 18,” were flagged immediately, enabling quick remediation. 2. Reasoning Engine: Solving the River Crossing Puzzle To showcase its capabilities, we modeled the classic river crossing puzzle, where a farmer must transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river without leaving incompatible items together. Steps Taken: Enhanced Scenario:Adding a new rule—“Wolf cannot be left with a chicken”—created an unsolvable scenario. By introducing a compensatory rule, “Farmer can carry two items at once,” the system adapted and solved the puzzle with fewer moves. Developer Insights The system supports rapid iteration and debugging. For example, adding rules is as simple as defining Python classes: pythonCopy codeclass GoatCabbageRule(Rule): def evaluate(self, state): return not (state.goat == state.cabbage and state.farmer != state.goat) def get_description(self): return “Goat cannot be left alone with cabbage” Real-World Impact This framework accelerates development by enabling non-technical stakeholders to contribute to rule creation through natural language, with developers approving and implementing these rules. This process reduces development time by up to 5x and adapts seamlessly to varied use cases, from logistics to compliance. 🔔🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn 🔔🔔 Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 17, 2025in Salesforce0 Comments
Salesforce Foundations
17Jan

Salesforce Foundations

We are excited that Agentforce Service Agents are now live! Agentforce Service Agent is the autonomous conversational AI assistant to help your customers with their service and support needs. What does this mean for Foundations Customers?Salesforce Foundations is required for all customers in order to try or buy Agentforce. Additionally, customers who have Foundations can try Agentforce Agents for free with a limited number of credits to test a use case or deploy a proof of concept. Salesforce Foundations is not a product or add-on. It’s a multi-cloud feature set that will be added to Sales and Service Cloud — no integration needed, with no additional upfront cost for our customers. It includes foundational features from Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Data Cloud. Salesforce Foundations provides a 360-degree view of your customer relationships across sales, service, marketing, and commerce through integrated applications and unified data. It also boosts productivity with streamlined, visually friendly user interface improvements, that you can turn on or off per your requirements. If you’re a Salesforce Sales Cloud or Service Cloud customer, you’ve become accustomed to the power, convenience, and full-featured functionality of our trusted CRM. Adding the additional functionality and engagement capabilities of a new Salesforce Cloud is exciting, but it’s also a big change for your organization to consider when you’re not sure about the value it brings. So, what if you could use essential features in the most popular Salesforce Clouds and turn them on when you’re ready? Now you can with Salesforce Foundations. Salesforce Foundations is a new, no-cost addition to your existing CRM that equips you to expand your business reach. The suite gives Salesforce customers on Enterprise, Unlimited, and Einstein 1 editions the power of Data Cloud, and access to essential Salesforce sales, service, Agentforce, marketing, and commerce capabilities. This suite is built into your existing CRM, and provides new functionality to give you a more robust 360-degree view of your customers. This chart shows the Salesforce Foundations features you get with your current Sales Cloud or Service Cloud package. You get Sales for Salesforce Foundations You get Service for Salesforce Foundations You get Marketing for Salesforce Foundations You get Commerce for Salesforce Foundations You get Data Cloud for Salesforce Foundations You get Agentforce for Salesforce Foundations If you already have Sales Cloud * Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes If you already have Service Cloud Yes * Yes Yes Yes Yes If you already have Sales & Service Clouds * * Yes Yes Yes Yes *Your current Salesforce product. Benefits of Salesforce Foundations The features you get with Salesforce Foundations open doors to all sorts of new ways your teams can work more efficiently and engage with your customers on a more personal level. The benefits listed below are only a few of the ways Salesforce Foundations can help your business grow and thrive. Check out Discover Salesforce Foundations to see the full list of capabilities included with Salesforce Foundations. With Salesforce Foundations, your organization benefits from: Sales features that help you take care of your entire sales pipeline, from prospecting to closing. You can manage your leads, opportunities, accounts, and contacts in the preconfigured Sales Console. Service features that make it easy to provide proactive, personalized support to your customers through the preconfigured Service Console. Omni-channel case routing makes sure the most qualified agents work each case, Knowledge Management helps agents provide accurate and relevant help articles to customers, and macros help agents complete repetitive tasks with a single click. Agentforce brings the power of conversational AI to your business. Try out an intelligent, trusted, and customizable AI agent and help your users get more done with Salesforce. Agentforce’s autonomous apps use LLMs and context to assist customers and human agents. Marketing features that allow you to join data from disparate sources, better understand and analyze your customers, and choose how to connect with your audiences. You can create customized marketing campaigns powered by Salesforce Flows to send at the right time. Commerce features that help boost sales with a Direct to Customer (D2C) online storefront. You can define customer experiences like search, carts, and checkout. Pay Now lets you generate secure payment links for customers when opportunities close, so you get paid faster. Data Cloud functionality that creates unified profiles by aggregating data from all of your data sources into a single view so you can better understand your customers. Create customer segments to more accurately target campaigns, analyze your customers, and manage consent data. Data Cloud also powers features so you can send online store order confirmation emails and marketing messages. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 17, 2025in Data, Enterprise, Salesforce, Salesforce Flow, Salesforce Foundations, Salesforce Sales Cloud0 Comments
salesforce agentforce rapid deployment
14Jan

Agentforce: Your Partner in Seamless Customer Experiences

Building Deeper Customer Relationships with Agentforce In today’s competitive landscape, building meaningful relationships with customers is no longer optional—it’s essential. Customers expect brands to know them, anticipate their needs, and deliver seamless, personalized experiences across every interaction. While data and AI have the potential to help marketers achieve these goals, many organizations struggle to realize their full potential. In fact, only 32% of marketers report being completely satisfied with how they use customer data to create relevant experiences, according to our State of Marketing report. So, how can marketers close this gap? Meet Agentforce—a proactive, autonomous application designed to provide specialized, always-on support for employees and customers alike. With Agentforce, marketers can strengthen relationships through personalized conversations, proactive engagement, and seamless customer experiences. 1. Automate Personalized, Two-Way Conversations on WhatsApp Interacting one-on-one with every customer responding to a promotional campaign on WhatsApp has historically been a challenge. Limited chatbot capabilities or a complete lack of response options often resulted in missed opportunities. Agentforce changes the game by introducing a customer-facing AI agent that acts as a personal concierge directly within WhatsApp. Imagine a customer receiving an exclusive offer for a product they’ve shown interest in. They reply with a question, and the agent instantly provides tailored product recommendations, current promotions, or details about complementary products. If the customer decides to make a purchase, the agent guides them through the entire checkout process—from completing the transaction to sending real-time order updates. For more complex needs, the agent seamlessly transfers the conversation to a human service representative, ensuring continuity. Why it matters: This approach not only increases conversions but also builds customer satisfaction and loyalty through timely, relevant responses. By reducing the workload on support teams, Agentforce delivers a consistent brand experience that feels personal and effortless. 2. Create Personalized Agendas for Event Attendees Events are powerful tools for fostering customer connections and delivering value. However, ensuring attendees find the most relevant sessions and resources can be daunting. Self-guided experiences often result in missed opportunities or abandoned registrations. Agentforce for Marketing solves this by providing personalized, 1:1 assistance to every visitor on your event website. The agent recommends sessions based on visitor interests and helps attendees create personalized agendas. Leveraging past attendance and engagement data, Agentforce curates agendas tailored to each attendee’s priorities, from keynote presentations to breakout sessions. For repeat attendees, it suggests new content based on their history, completing the registration process with their customized agenda. Why it matters: Personalized agendas enhance the event experience, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. By making the registration journey seamless, Agentforce reduces bounce rates and builds long-term engagement with your events. 3. Capture and Qualify Leads Effortlessly on Your Website Visitors often abandon self-guided website experiences before converting into leads. With Agentforce, you can proactively engage them by providing tailored product recommendations, exclusive content offers, and opportunities to share contact information. Depending on visitor behavior, the agent might suggest gated assets like case studies or demo videos—or even register them for an event or webinar. For highly engaged prospects, the agent can schedule follow-up meetings with sales reps, ensuring visitors receive immediate value without friction. Why it matters: Automated lead capture accelerates qualification and increases conversions. By guiding visitors to the right solutions and reducing friction, Agentforce nurtures leads naturally, creating higher-quality opportunities and loyal customers. 4. Improve Customer Journeys with Intelligent Reprioritization Balancing customer engagement with respect for their communication preferences is critical. Before customers hit their communication limit, Agentforce can dynamically reprioritize their journey based on both their interests and your business goals. For example, if a customer is close to their communication cap, the agent can prioritize sending a VIP event invitation or product announcement over less relevant messages. This ensures high-value content is delivered at the right time, without overwhelming the customer. Why it matters: Intelligent reprioritization improves conversion rates, reduces unsubscribe rates, and strengthens customer relationships. By ensuring every interaction is timely and relevant, Agentforce helps keep customers engaged without feeling inundated. 5. Reduce Churn with Proactive, Personalized Promotions Retaining customers is just as important as acquiring new ones. Agentforce can identify at-risk customers using churn indicators—such as low engagement or declining purchase frequency—and automatically send tailored promotions. For instance, if a customer’s churn score nears a threshold, the agent can proactively offer a loyalty discount or renewal incentive. It can guide the customer through the redemption process, rekindling their interest before they decide to leave. Why it matters: Proactive retention strategies powered by AI increase customer lifetime value, reduce churn, and foster loyalty. With minimal effort, Agentforce ensures that marketers stay connected to customers who might otherwise disengage. Agentforce: Your Partner in Seamless Customer Experiences More than just an automation tool, Agentforce is an essential partner for delivering the personalized experiences your customers expect. By implementing these use cases, marketers can: Ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level? With Agentforce, meaningful customer relationships are within reach. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 14, 2025in Agentforce Platform, Agentic AI, Data0 Comments
Statement Accuracy Prediction based on Language Model Activations
14Jan

Statement Accuracy Prediction based on Language Model Activations

When users first began interacting with ChatGPT, they noticed an intriguing behavior: the model would often reverse its stance when told it was wrong. This raised concerns about the reliability of its outputs. How can users trust a system that appears to contradict itself? Recent research has revealed that large language models (LLMs) not only generate inaccurate information (often referred to as “hallucinations”) but are also aware of their inaccuracies. Despite this awareness, these models proceed to present their responses confidently. Unveiling LLM Awareness of Hallucinations Researchers discovered this phenomenon by analyzing the internal mechanisms of LLMs. Whenever an LLM generates a response, it transforms the input query into a numerical representation and performs a series of computations before producing the output. At intermediate stages, these numerical representations are called “activations.” These activations contain significantly more information than what is reflected in the final output. By scrutinizing these activations, researchers can identify whether the LLM “knows” its response is inaccurate. A technique called SAPLMA (Statement Accuracy Prediction based on Language Model Activations) has been developed to explore this capability. SAPLMA examines the internal activations of LLMs to predict whether their outputs are truthful or not. Why Do Hallucinations Occur? LLMs function as next-word prediction models. Each word is selected based on its likelihood given the preceding words. For example, starting with “I ate,” the model might predict the next words as follows: The issue arises when earlier predictions constrain subsequent outputs. Once the model commits to a word, it cannot go back to revise its earlier choice. For instance: In another case: This mechanism reveals how the constraints of next-word prediction can lead to hallucinations, even when the model “knows” it is generating an incorrect response. Detecting Inaccuracies with SAPLMA To investigate whether an LLM recognizes its own inaccuracies, researchers developed the SAPLMA method. Here’s how it works: The classifier itself is a simple neural network with three dense layers, culminating in a binary output that predicts the truthfulness of the statement. Results and Insights The SAPLMA method achieved an accuracy of 60–80%, depending on the topic. While this is a promising result, it is not perfect and has notable limitations. For example: However, if LLMs can learn to detect inaccuracies during the generation process, they could potentially refine their outputs in real time, reducing hallucinations and improving reliability. The Future of Error Mitigation in LLMs The SAPLMA method represents a step forward in understanding and mitigating LLM errors. Accurate classification of inaccuracies could pave the way for models that can self-correct and produce more reliable outputs. While the current limitations are significant, ongoing research into these methods could lead to substantial improvements in LLM performance. By combining techniques like SAPLMA with advancements in LLM architecture, researchers aim to build models that are not only aware of their errors but capable of addressing them dynamically, enhancing both the accuracy and trustworthiness of AI systems. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 14, 2025in Data, Salesforce0 Comments
Marketing Cloud Admins
14Jan

Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) Connector

The Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) is a robust digital marketing platform designed to empower marketers with tools for automating campaigns across multiple channels. By integrating assets with SFMC, organizations can streamline workflows, accelerate campaign launches, and ensure consistent brand messaging. This integration eliminates process inefficiencies, enabling marketers to deliver personalized, engaging content quickly across diverse channels—keeping pace with the increasing demand for dynamic marketing strategies. Preparation Before Integration To ensure a smooth setup, verify the following: Installing and Setting Up the SFMC Connector Once installed, this connector allows seamless access to assets directly within SFMC, helping marketers drive efficiency and deliver impactful campaigns. 🔔🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn 🔔🔔 Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 14, 2025in Salesforce Marketing Cloud0 Comments
Amazon Q Business
12Jan

Amazon Q Business

Amazon Q Business: Revolutionizing Enterprise Productivity with Generative AI and Plugins Amazon Q Business is a generative AI-powered assistant that empowers employees by solving problems, generating content, and offering actionable insights from across enterprise data sources. In addition to its robust search capabilities across indexed third-party services, Amazon Q Business enables real-time access to dynamic data like stock prices, vacation balances, and location tracking through its plugins. These plugins also allow employees to perform direct actions—such as prioritizing service tickets—within enterprise applications, all through a single interface. This eliminates the need to toggle between systems, saving valuable time and increasing productivity. This insight delves into how Amazon Q Business plugins seamlessly integrate with enterprise applications through built-in and custom configurations. We’ll explore: Simplifying Enterprise Tasks with Plugins Amazon Q Business enables users to access non-indexed data—such as calendar availability, stock prices, or PTO balances—and execute actions like booking a meeting or submitting PTO using services like Jira, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Fidelity, Vanguard, ADP, Workday, and Google Calendar. This unified approach streamlines workflows and minimizes reliance on multiple apps for task completion. Solution Overview Amazon Q Business connects to over 50 enterprise applications using connectors and plugins: Plugins are categorized into two types: Built-in Plugins Amazon Q Business supports more than 50 actions across applications: Category Application Sample Actions Ticketing ServiceNow Create, update, delete tickets Zendesk Suite Search, create, update tickets Project Management Jira Cloud Read, create, update, delete issues Smartsheet Search and manage sheets and reports CRM Salesforce Manage accounts, opportunities, and cases Communication Microsoft Teams Send private or channel messages Productivity Google Calendar Find events, list calendars Salesforce Plugin Example The Salesforce plugin allows users to: Configuration Steps: Custom Plugins For scenarios not covered by built-in plugins, custom plugins enable seamless integration with proprietary systems. For example: HR Time Off Plugin Example This plugin allows employees to: Setup Steps: End-to-End Use Cases 1. Salesforce Integration Sam, a Customer Success Manager, retrieves high-value opportunities using the Salesforce plugin. She creates a new case directly from the Amazon Q interface, enhancing efficiency by reducing application switching. 2. ServiceNow Ticket Management Sam uses Amazon Q Business to resolve a laptop email sync issue. After referencing indexed IT documentation, she creates a ServiceNow ticket and escalates it directly through the plugin interface. 3. HR System Integration Sam checks her PTO balance and submits a vacation request using the HR Time Off custom plugin, ensuring seamless task completion without switching to another app. Impact on Workflow Efficiency Amazon Q Business plugins simplify workflows by: Conclusion Amazon Q Business plugins represent a transformative step in automating enterprise workflows and enhancing employee productivity. From preconfigured integrations to custom-built solutions, these plugins provide unparalleled flexibility to adapt to diverse business needs. How can Amazon Q Business transform workflows in your organization? Whether through built-in integrations or custom solutions, explore the power of Amazon Q Business plugins to unlock new levels of efficiency. Share your feedback and use cases to inspire innovation across enterprises! Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 12, 2025in Data, Enterprise, Generative AI, Google, Salesforce0 Comments
Salesforce Spring ’25 Release
09Jan

Salesforce Spring ’25 Release

Salesforce Spring ’25 Release: Key Features and Enhancements Salesforce delivers triannual updates—Spring, Summer, and Winter—to introduce new features, enhancements, and fixes to the platform. These updates are applied automatically to Salesforce environments, ensuring all users benefit from the latest innovations without needing manual upgrades. The Spring ’25 functionality is now available in Preview Developer Orgs, allowing users to explore and test upcoming features before the general release. Preview Developer Orgs: Exploring the Future Preview Developer Orgs provide sandbox environments or developer editions equipped with new release functionality during the preview window. These allow admins and developers to: With access to a Preview Org, you can explore the following cutting-edge features: 1. Reactive Screen Actions Enhanced Screen Flow Reactivity: This feature enables screen flow components to update dynamically in real-time based on changes in other components. Users no longer need to navigate away or manually refresh to see updates, ensuring smoother, more interactive experiences. New in Spring ’25:You can now create an autolaunched flow to fetch data reactively from the database and display it immediately on the screen, eliminating the need for an action button. Use Case:When creating an Opportunity, the ZIP code of the associated Account determines the follow-up owner based on a reference table stored in a custom object. With reactive screen actions, selecting an Opportunity row dynamically displays the Account, Owner, and Assigned Person without additional clicks. 2. Progress Indicator for Flow Stages Salesforce introduces a built-in Progress Indicator for screen flows, providing users with a visual tracker of their progress through multi-step flows. Key Features: Limitations:The progress indicator does not yet support user-driven navigation through stages. 3. Immediate Input Validation in Screen Flows Validation functionality in flows has been upgraded to support real-time error detection. What’s New: 4. Email Action Attachment Support Email Action Enhancements: Spring ’25 introduces the ability to attach files to emails directly within flows. How It Works: Note: Files do not need to be made public for attachments, as long as the flow user has access to the files. 5. Get Records with a Specified Limit The LIMIT operator, commonly used in SOQL, is now available in flows. Benefits: 6. New Flow Modal Enhancements Salesforce has redesigned the Flow Type Picker modal, making it easier for users to select the right automation type. What’s New: 7. UI and Accessibility Improvements Conclusion The Salesforce Spring ’25 release is packed with features designed to enhance efficiency, usability, and innovation. From reactive screen flows and real-time validation to email action attachments and improved UI elements, this release sets a new standard for how users interact with the Salesforce platform. Stay ahead by leveraging Preview Developer Orgs to test these enhancements and ensure a smooth transition to the production environment. As Salesforce continues to innovate, these updates are just the beginning of a more seamless, intelligent platform experience. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 9, 2025in Data, Salesforce0 Comments
Apple's Privacy Changes: A Call for Email Marketing Innovation
09Jan

Liar Liar Apple on Fire

Apple Developing Update After AI System Generates Inaccurate News Summaries Apple is working on a software update to address inaccuracies generated by its Apple Intelligence system after multiple instances of false news summaries were reported. The BBC first alerted Apple in mid-December to significant errors in the system, including a fabricated summary that falsely attributed a statement to BBC News. The summary suggested Luigi Mangione, accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself, a claim entirely unsubstantiated. Other publishers, such as ProPublica, also raised concerns about Apple Intelligence producing misleading summaries. While Apple did not respond immediately to the BBC’s December report, it issued a statement after pressure mounted from groups like the National Union of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, both of which called for the removal of Apple Intelligence. Apple assured stakeholders it is working to refine the technology. A Widespread AI Issue: Hallucinations Apple joins the ranks of other AI vendors struggling with generative AI hallucinations—instances where AI produces false or misleading information. In October 2024, Perplexity AI faced a lawsuit from Dow Jones & Co. and the New York Post over fabricated news content attributed to their publications. Similarly, Google had to improve its AI summaries after providing users with inaccurate information. On January 16, Apple temporarily disabled AI-generated summaries for news apps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. The Core Problem: AI Hallucination Chirag Shah, a professor of Information Science at the University of Washington, emphasized that hallucination is inherent to the way large language models (LLMs) function. “The nature of AI models is to generate, synthesize, and summarize, which makes them prone to mistakes,” Shah explained. “This isn’t something you can debug easily—it’s intrinsic to how LLMs operate.” While Apple plans to introduce an update that clearly labels summaries as AI-generated, Shah believes this measure falls short. “Most people don’t understand how these headlines or summaries are created. The responsible approach is to pause the technology until it’s better understood and mitigation strategies are in place,” he said. Legal and Brand Implications for Apple The hallucinated summaries pose significant reputational and legal risks for Apple, according to Michael Bennett, an AI adviser at Northeastern University. Before launching Apple Intelligence, the company was perceived as lagging in the AI race. The release of this system was intended to position Apple as a leader. Instead, the inaccuracies have damaged its credibility. “This type of hallucinated summarization is both an embarrassment and a serious legal liability,” Bennett said. “These errors could form the basis for defamation claims, as Apple Intelligence misattributes false information to reputable news sources.” Bennett criticized Apple’s seemingly minimal response. “It’s surprising how casual Apple’s reaction has been. This is a major issue for their brand and could expose them to significant legal consequences,” he added. Opportunity for Publishers The incident highlights the need for publishers to protect their interests when partnering with AI vendors like Apple and Google. Publishers should demand stronger safeguards to prevent false attributions and negotiate new contractual clauses to minimize brand risk. “This is an opportunity for publishers to lead the charge, pushing AI companies to refine their models or stop attributing false summaries to news sources,” Bennett said. He suggested legal action as a potential recourse if vendors fail to address these issues. Potential Regulatory Action The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may also scrutinize the issue, as consumers paying for products like iPhones with AI capabilities could argue they are not receiving the promised service. However, Bennett believes Apple will likely act to resolve the problem before regulatory involvement becomes necessary. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 9, 2025in Generative AI, Google, Laws, Technology0 Comments
Generative AI Energy Consumption Rises
09Jan

Generative AI Tools

Generative AI Tools: A Comprehensive Overview of Emerging Capabilities The widespread adoption of generative AI services like ChatGPT has sparked immense interest in leveraging these tools for practical enterprise applications. Today, nearly every enterprise app integrates generative AI capabilities to enhance functionality and efficiency. A broad range of AI, data science, and machine learning tools now support generative AI use cases. These tools assist in managing the AI lifecycle, governing data, and addressing security and privacy concerns. While such capabilities also aid in traditional AI development, this discussion focuses on tools specifically designed for generative AI. Not all generative AI relies on large language models (LLMs). Emerging techniques generate images, videos, audio, synthetic data, and translations using methods such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), diffusion models, variational autoencoders, and multimodal approaches. Here is an in-depth look at the top categories of generative AI tools, their capabilities, and notable implementations. It’s worth noting that many leading vendors are expanding their offerings to support multiple categories through acquisitions or integrated platforms. Enterprises may want to explore comprehensive platforms when planning their generative AI strategies. 1. Foundation Models and Services Generative AI tools increasingly simplify the development and responsible use of LLMs, initially pioneered through transformer-based approaches by Google researchers in 2017. 2. Cloud Generative AI Platforms Major cloud providers offer generative AI platforms to streamline development and deployment. These include: 3. Use Case Optimization Tools Foundation models often require optimization for specific tasks. Enterprises use tools such as: 4. Quality Assurance and Hallucination Mitigation Hallucination detection tools address the tendency of generative models to produce inaccurate or misleading information. Leading tools include: 5. Prompt Engineering Tools Prompt engineering tools optimize interactions with LLMs and streamline testing for bias, toxicity, and accuracy. Examples include: 6. Data Aggregation Tools Generative AI tools have evolved to handle larger data contexts efficiently: 7. Agentic and Autonomous AI Tools Developers are creating tools to automate interactions across foundation models and services, paving the way for autonomous AI. Notable examples include: 8. Generative AI Cost Optimization Tools These tools aim to balance performance, accuracy, and cost effectively. Martian’s Model Router is an early example, while traditional cloud cost optimization platforms are expected to expand into this area. Generative AI tools are rapidly transforming enterprise applications, with foundational, cloud-based, and domain-specific solutions leading the way. By addressing challenges like accuracy, hallucination, and cost, these tools unlock new potential across industries and use cases, enabling enterprises to stay ahead in the AI-driven landscape. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 9, 2025in AI Tools, Data, Enterprise, Generative AI, Google, Snowflake0 Comments
Scope of Generative AI
07Jan

Exploring Generative AI

Like most employees at most companies, I wear a few different hats around Tectonic. Whether I’m building a data model, creating and scheduing an email campaign, standing up a platform generative AI is always at my fingertips. At my very core, I’m a marketer. Have been for so long I do it without eveven thinking. Or at least, everyuthing I do has a hat tip to its future marketing needs. Today I want to share some of the AI content generators I’ve been using, am looking to use, or just heard about. But before we rip into the insight, here’s a primer. Types of AI Content Generators ChatGPT, a powerful AI chatbot, drew significant attention upon its November 2022 release. While the GPT-3 language model behind it had existed for some time, ChatGPT made this technology accessible to nontechnical users, showcasing how AI can generate content. Over two years later, numerous AI content generators have emerged to cater to diverse use cases. This rapid development raises questions about the technology’s impact on work. Schools are grappling with fears of plagiarism, while others are embracing AI. Legal debates about copyright and digital media authenticity continue. President Joe Biden’s October 2023 executive order addressed AI’s risks and opportunities in areas like education, workforce, and consumer privacy, underscoring generative AI’s transformative potential. What is AI-Generated Content? AI-generated content, also known as generative AI, refers to algorithms that automatically create new content across digital media. These algorithms are trained on extensive datasets and require minimal user input to produce novel outputs. For instance, ChatGPT sets a standard for AI-generated content. Based on GPT-4o, it processes text, images, and audio, offering natural language and multimodal capabilities. Many other generative AI tools operate similarly, leveraging large language models (LLMs) and multimodal frameworks to create diverse outputs. What are the Different Types of AI-Generated Content? AI-generated content spans multiple media types: Despite their varied outputs, most generative AI systems are built on advanced LLMs like GPT-4 and Google Gemini. These multimodal models process and generate content across multiple formats, with enhanced capabilities evolving over time. How Generative AI is Used Generative AI applications span industries: These tools often combine outputs from various media for complex, multifaceted projects. AI Content Generators AI content generators exist across various media. Below are good examples organized by gen ai type: Written Content Generators Image Content Generators Music Content Generators Code Content Generators Other AI Content Generators These tools showcase how AI-powered content generation is revolutionizing industries, making content creation faster and more accessible. I do hope you will comment below on your favorites, other AI tools not showcased above, or anything else AI-related that is on your mind. Written by Tectonic’s Marketing Operations Director, Shannan Hearne. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 7, 2025in AI Tools, Data, Enterprise, Generative AI, Google, Technology0 Comments
Salesforce Implementation Help
06Jan

How to Make Workloads More Manageable

How to Make Workloads More Manageable: 6 Useful Tips for Salesforce Admins Being a Salesforce Administrator is both rewarding and challenging. The role involves managing a platform that evolves continuously while addressing a business’s ever-changing needs. From resolving cases to managing system updates, user configurations, and deployments, the list of responsibilities can often feel overwhelming. Here are six actionable tips to help Salesforce Admins stay on top of their workload and avoid burnout. 1. Integrate Data Quality into Salesforce Data Projects Maintaining data quality should be a cornerstone of every Salesforce project. A clear and structured approach to data can prevent errors, improve efficiency, and reduce time spent troubleshooting. 2. Break Down Tasks Admins often face long to-do lists, sometimes with 50 or more actionable items. Breaking down the workload into manageable segments can help: Once segmented, estimate the time required for each task to better plan days, weeks, or months. This process makes it easier to identify whether the workload is manageable. 3. Prioritize Effectively Not all tasks carry equal weight. Prioritization should consider both the value of the task and the time required to complete it. While tasks that yield tangible ROI in time or cost savings are essential, smaller items that improve user experience also hold value. Avoid the trap of prioritizing tasks simply in the order they are received. Collaborating with stakeholders such as business analysts, architects, and leadership ensures each task is assessed on its individual merits. 4. Stay in Scope Scope creep is a common challenge that can quickly derail effective prioritization. Tasks outside the defined scope should not make it onto the to-do list. To scope effectively, clear and well-defined user stories are essential. Admins should ask clarifying questions until they fully understand the requirements. This proactive questioning empowers admins to maintain focus and deliver value efficiently. 5. Streamline Requests Through a Single Channel Managing requests from multiple sources—emails, Slack, meetings, or even casual conversations—can lead to chaos. Establish a single, consistent channel for submitting user stories and feature requests, such as a kanban-style tool like JIRA. Tools with integration capabilities, such as creating tickets directly from Slack, further simplify the process. Without a formal ticket in the system, requests should not be considered valid. 6. Leverage the Right Tools The right tools can make a significant difference in workload management. For example, deploying components like Flows using change sets can be time-consuming and frustrating. Tools designed to streamline deployments, reporting, or configuration management can free up valuable time for more impactful tasks. 🔔🔔  Follow us on LinkedIn  🔔🔔 Finally, Jump on In Admins often face tasks they dread—those long, tedious, boring ones as a thing to be avoided. Delaying difficult tasks can make them grow more daunting over time. Completing them early not only reduces anxiety but also improves productivity and outcomes. Tectonic’s Conclusion With thoughtful strategies, Salesforce Admins can transform overwhelming workloads into manageable, structured tasks. By breaking down responsibilities, prioritizing effectively, staying in scope, streamlining requests, and using the right tools, admins can excel in their roles while maintaining work-life balance. And by jumping right in they can ensure even the most challenging tasks are handled efficiently. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

Read More
January 6, 2025in Data, Salesforce0 Comments

Subscribe to our mailing list. Join our mail list to receive our newsletter

We'll keep you up to date with our latest news, insights, free resources, and much more.
Don't worry, we won't spam you.
gettectonic.com