Sales Archives - gettectonic.com - Page 17
Generative AI for Match Commentary
05Oct

Generative AI for Match Commentary

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Companies are exploring the use of artificial intelligence for sports commentary, showcasing one of the many innovative applications of this technology in the sports arena. ABC7 reporter J.R. Stone recently got a firsthand look at IBM’s integration of Generative AI to analyze and enhance playing abilities during a demonstration at Dreamforce 2024 in San Francisco. This same technology has also been implemented at prestigious events like Wimbledon and the US Open. “This year marks the introduction of Generative AI for match commentary, which utilizes data collected during the games to create real-time analysis and match summaries,” explained Nick Otto from IBM. In a related segment, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff revealed a new AI system called “Agent Force,” while Senator Scott Wiener introduced a bill focused on AI safety. The AI tracks various metrics, including average ball and swing speeds, as well as performance on forehand and backhand shots. To put the technology to the test, Stone faced off against Otto in a ping-pong match, where Otto emerged victorious with a score of 11-7. After the match, the AI generated an entertaining summary: “Nick’s arm must have felt like a whirlwind, spinning the ball at an average speed of 8.45 mph. J.R. tried to keep up, but his 30 forehand shots and 5.56 mph swing speed were no match.” While the advancements in AI are exciting, UCLA Professor Ramesh Srinivasan emphasizes the need for caution. “This technology is both incredible and concerning because it raises questions about the future of human journalists and commentators,” he noted. 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

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October 5, 2024in Artificial Intelligence, Data, Generative AI, Salesforce, Technology
Salesforce for K-12 and Higher Education
04Oct

Technology to Showcase the Value of Education

How Can Technology Convince Students of the Value of Higher Education? With fewer high school graduates choosing college, technology has a unique role in reigniting students’ belief in higher education. Imagine a high school student eagerly checking the mail and finding an acceptance letter from their dream college, ready to start a journey filled with opportunities, lifelong friends, and a promising future. Just a couple of decades ago, that was a common story. Today, many high schoolers aren’t looking for acceptance letters at all, uncertain if college is the best or even most practical path to success. Higher education now faces a new challenge: proving its worth to students who are increasingly weighing their options. Universities no longer simply wait for students to apply—they need to actively demonstrate that the investment will pay off. Enrollment Data Signals a Shift Away from College Once seen as a distinctive achievement, college attendance has become less of a given. In 1980, only 49% of high school graduates went on to higher education. By 2009, that number had surged to over 70%, but has since declined; by 2022, just 62% of graduates were heading straight to college. Now, with the “enrollment cliff”—a projected decrease in college-aged students due to lower birth rates—looming, colleges face intense competition to attract students. Personalization Is Key to Connecting with Students The days of “Dear applicant” are over. Today’s digital-native students want a personalized approach that speaks directly to them. If they don’t feel personally addressed through email, text, video, or even traditional mail, they may tune out and explore other options. Universities must build meaningful connections to engage students and keep their attention through every stage of the student journey. Student lifecycle management platforms, like Salesforce’s Education Cloud, have become essential tools for higher education institutions. By tracking and analyzing a student’s data—academic performance, extracurricular interests, and social behaviors—these platforms create personalized experiences that engage students from admission to graduation. Salesforce Education Cloud, for example, uses AI and robust data analytics to create a comprehensive student profile, enabling colleges to send tailored communications, schedule regular check-ins, and even reach out to parents. This personalized approach fosters a sense of connection that encourages students to enroll and stay engaged throughout their academic journey. Comprehensive Lifecycle Management and Student Support Beyond admissions, student lifecycle platforms offer extensive features that address other critical areas, from helping students who are academically struggling to managing alumni relationships and fundraising. With years of experience in supporting institutions nationwide, CDW Education partners with colleges to implement these technologies, strengthening their ability to attract, engage, and retain students. In an era when students have more educational choices than ever, colleges must actively communicate the value of a college degree and make that message resonate with each individual. By investing in technology that personalizes the student experience, higher education institutions can create a compelling case for the unique value they offer. 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

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October 4, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce Education Cloud, Technology
Competitive Landscape of Retail
04Oct

Navigate the Competitive Landscape of Retail

A shorter shopping season, the rise of Chinese shopping apps, and value-conscious consumers are expected to result in modest growth this holiday season. According to Salesforce’s 2024 holiday shopping forecast, U.S. holiday sales (Nov. 1 – Dec. 31) are projected to grow 2% year-over-year, reaching $277 billion. Global sales are also predicted to increase by 2%, totaling .19 trillion. This reflects softer growth compared to 2023, when global holiday sales rose by 3%. Challenges Ahead Salesforce warns that the 2024 holiday season may be difficult for retailers, with consumers having less spending power, a shortened 26-day shopping window between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 43% of shoppers carrying more debt than last year. Additionally, 47% of surveyed shoppers plan to spend the same as in 2023, while 40% intend to spend less. New data from Salesforce’s Shopping Index shows that two-thirds of global consumers say price will dictate their shopping choices, while less than a third will prioritize product quality. Impact of Chinese Shopping Apps Salesforce predicts that 21% of holiday purchases will come from Chinese apps like Temu, Shein, AliExpress, and TikTok, with 35% of consumers reporting increased use of these apps. TikTok, in particular, saw a 24% increase in purchases since April 2024, highlighting the growing influence of Chinese platforms on holiday shopping. Retail Strategies To navigate the competitive landscape, Salesforce recommends retailers use strategic discounts and AI-powered tools to improve efficiency, enhance customer relationships, and boost profit margins. “This season will be competitive and focused on pricing strategies,” said Caila Schwartz, Salesforce’s director of strategy and consumer insights. “Leveraging AI and customer data is essential to guide marketing campaigns and holiday promotions.” Key Findings Salesforce’s insights are based on data from 1.5 billion global shoppers across 64 countries, focusing on 12 key markets, including the U.S., Canada, and U.K. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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October 4, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Salesforce Marketing Automation, Salesforce Sales Cloud
Commerce Cloud and Agentic AI
04Oct

Commerce Cloud and Agentic AI

Recognizing the demand from both B2B and B2C buyers for seamless, consistent commerce experiences across online and offline channels, Salesforce has introduced an AI-powered, unified commerce version of its Commerce Cloud platform. Salesforce, a leader in merging ecommerce and CRM software, has taken a significant step toward unified commerce with this next-generation update to Salesforce Commerce Cloud. This move aligns with the expectations of both B2B buyers and consumers, who increasingly seek integrated and personalized interactions. The company states that Commerce Cloud now “natively connects all aspects of commerce—B2C, direct-to-consumer, and B2B commerce; order management; and payments—with sales, service, and marketing, all on a single platform.” This integration offers businesses a complete view of the customer journey through a shared catalog and user profile. By unifying elements like catalogs, pricing, orders, and marketing segments, companies can deliver personalized interactions, boost customer loyalty, and drive revenue across all touchpoints. Unified Commerce: A $1.5 Trillion Opportunity Salesforce cites research from Adyen, which indicates that adopting unified commerce strategies could present a $1.5 trillion opportunity for retailers globally. In North America, 76 of the top 2000 online retailers use Salesforce’s ecommerce platform. In 2023, these retailers generated over 6 billion in web sales. Salesforce’s B2B clients include major companies such as Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE Renewable Energy, and Chambers Gasket. AI-Powered Commerce Cloud Salesforce emphasizes that AI powers key aspects of its next-generation Commerce Cloud, enabling the platform to autonomously manage tasks like product recommendations and order lookups by leveraging data from digital and in-store interactions, orders, inventory levels, customer reviews, unified profiles, and CRM information. The AI-backed “Agentforce” agents are designed to assist employees in delivering personalized interactions, strengthening customer relationships, and improving profit margins. According to Justin Racine, Principal of Unified Commerce at Perficient, Salesforce’s efforts to unify the commerce experience across its broad range of products align with the needs of both B2B buyers and consumers. He notes that modern buyers expect brands to connect and communicate with them based on their previous behaviors, preferences, and purchases. Unlocking Revenue with Agentforce Michael Affronti, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Commerce Cloud, highlights that this new version embodies unified commerce by providing businesses with a single, integrated platform. The platform consolidates the entire commerce journey, with AI-powered Agentforce agents unlocking new revenue streams and delivering personalized experiences across every channel. Furniture designer and manufacturer MillerKnoll has already benefited from the unified platform. Frank DeMaria, Vice President of Digital Engineering & Platforms, mentions that the integration of sales, service, marketing, and other functions has helped the company offer personalized experiences and improve online sales and customer satisfaction across its portfolio of brands, including HermanMiller. Key Features of the New Commerce Cloud Racine adds that Salesforce’s new release unifies its product suite under a cohesive platform, providing marketers and business users with a comprehensive 360-degree view of the customer. This enables brands to build experiences and ordering workflows that are predictive rather than reactive. The integration of Agentforce represents a breakthrough, blending AI with brand interactions to unlock potential gains for merchandisers and buyers, and Racine is excited to see how these technologies enhance revenue and customer loyalty. 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

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October 4, 2024in Data, Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce and FedEx
03Oct

Salesforce and FedEx

FedEx has officially launched its e-commerce platform, fdx, which is now available to U.S. customers. Originally introduced in January and accessible to select shippers through a private preview, fdx is designed to help online businesses increase demand, optimize fulfillment, and streamline returns management. The platform integrates with major providers like Shopify, Etsy, Salesforce, and others, and supports multiple carriers beyond FedEx, including UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, and DHL. Dive Insight: The fdx launch marks FedEx’s continued efforts to strengthen its partnerships with e-commerce merchants and create smarter supply chains, as highlighted by President and CEO Raj Subramaniam. FedEx showcased how fashion brand Z Supply saw revenue growth after adopting fdx, and noted rising interest from other sectors, including healthcare and beauty. Key features of fdx include more accurate delivery timeframes, which FedEx believes can encourage customer purchases. The company uses data from over 15 million daily shipments to improve delivery date estimates. The platform also offers FedEx Sustainability Insights for forecasting future emissions, customizable order tracking pages, and a centralized hub for managing returns. According to Brie Carere, EVP and Chief Customer Officer, fdx enables retailers, brands, and merchants to handle returns, manage exchanges and inventory, and integrate branded tracking and customer communications directly on their websites, calling it a “powerful offering.” Despite the platform’s potential, some experts question its ability to stand out in a crowded market of e-commerce solutions providers. However, FedEx indicated that fdx will continue evolving with additional features and enhancements over time. 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Salesforce
Sales Incentives Can Boost Morale and Performance
03Oct

Sales Incentives Can Boost Morale and Performance

Showing up to work is one thing, but bringing genuine enthusiasm to the job is another. How can you motivate your team to meet and exceed their goals? Sales incentives are a powerful tool to ignite motivation, but they aren’t one-size-fits-all. Figuring out the best structure for your team can lead to more energized, results-driven reps. In this Tectonic insight, we’ll explore different types of sales incentives, how they motivate teams, and best practices for implementing an effective incentive program that drives real results. What are Sales Incentives? Sales incentives are rewards given to sales reps, in addition to their base compensation, for exceptional performance. This often means hitting or exceeding sales targets. While financial bonuses are the most common, incentives can come in many forms, all designed to motivate specific behaviors or outcomes. Types of Sales Incentives Here are five common types of sales incentives to consider: How Sales Incentives Motivate Your Team Sales incentives help reinforce desired behaviors, offering a clear path to rewards. They provide a mutual win: your company increases sales, while reps enjoy additional rewards. Many sales professionals are naturally driven by competition, but incentives give everyone, competitive or not, something tangible to work toward. Incentives also boost employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and show that you value hard work. This can save your organization the cost and hassle of recruiting and onboarding new talent. Sales Incentives That Actually Work While money is the most popular reward, mixing in creative incentives can add excitement to your program. Consider these options: Best Practices for Implementing Sales Incentives To create an effective sales incentive program, keep these points in mind: Measuring the Impact of Sales Incentives on Performance To assess the effectiveness of your incentive program, track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: Sales Incentives Can Boost Morale and Performance The key to a successful sales incentive program is simplicity and transparency. By crafting a plan that’s easy to understand and aligned with your team’s motivations, you can drive better performance and improve job satisfaction at the same time. 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Technology
Salesforce 2024 outage
03Oct

October 2024 Outage

On October 1st, 2024, Salesforce experienced a significant outage impacting over 80 instances, causing core services to slow to a crawl. The outage, which began around 6:30 UTC, remained unresolved over 8.5 hours later, with the root cause still unknown at that time. The outage has been particularly damaging, as Salesforce emphasizes trust as one of its core values, promoting transparency and reliability in its service delivery. While the Salesforce Trust website, which provides real-time system status updates, remained operational, some users reported difficulty accessing it when they needed outage details, adding to their frustration. This disruption has been a major blow to organizations that depend on Salesforce for essential business functions such as customer relationship management (CRM), sales pipelines, and workflow management. Key Facts About the Outage Am I Affected by the Salesforce Downtime? If you’re unsure whether your instance is affected, you can check the real-time list of impacted cases on the Salesforce Trust website. To do this, identify your organization’s instance (e.g., NA54, EU13) and compare it to the affected list. However, the Trust site itself has experienced intermittent outages during the incident. Customers have reported issues such as: If you’re encountering these problems, your Salesforce instance is likely impacted. How Salesforce is Responding Salesforce has initiated an emergency release in phases, with the first phase nearly complete. Afterward, validation checks will be performed to assess system stability. While some customers have reported that their instances have recovered, others continue to experience severe issues. Salesforce Support has provided general troubleshooting advice, such as using alternative browsers or clearing caches, but many users have found this ineffective, as the root cause lies within Salesforce’s infrastructure, not user-side configurations. What to Do Now Looking Ahead Although the root cause of the outage remains undetermined, Salesforce has committed to providing regular updates. Customers are encouraged to monitor the Salesforce Trust website and communicate with support teams. Once the cause is identified, Salesforce plans to release a detailed report on the incident and how they will prevent future occurrences. Conclusion Salesforce’s outage on October 1st has caused widespread disruption for businesses globally. While emergency updates are underway and some instances are recovering, full resolution may take time. In the meantime, staying updated and preparing for intermittent issues is critial for those who rely on Salesforce for their daily operations. Stay tuned for further updates as Salesforce continues working to restore full functionality across all affected instances. 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

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October 3, 2024in Salesforce
Tableau Einstein Alliance to Help Partners Drive Success in the Agent Era
03Oct

Tableau Einstein Alliance to Help Partners Drive Success in the Agent Era

Salesforce Unveils Tableau Einstein Alliance to Empower Partners in the AI-Driven Agent Era Salesforce today announced the launch of the Tableau Einstein Alliance, a new partner community designed to create and deliver AI-driven solutions and analytical agents for Tableau Einstein. Built on the Salesforce platform and integrated with Agentforce, this initiative aims to help partners accelerate success in the emerging AI landscape. Tableau Einstein Alliance to Help Partners Drive Success in the Agent Era The Tableau Einstein Alliance offers partners a range of exclusive benefits, including early access to Salesforce’s product roadmaps, in-house AI experts, marketing support, and co-selling opportunities. Through the Alliance, partners will be able to develop agents, apps, and AI-driven solutions, enabling customers to navigate the autonomous AI revolution and rapidly extract value from their data and AI investments. The Alliance is set to launch in February 2025 with 25 founding members, including Tectonic, Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM, and Slalom. Solutions developed within the Alliance will be available on both the Salesforce AppExchange and the forthcoming Tableau Marketplace, offering developers a platform to create, share, and monetize analytical assets. Why It Matters:Partner ecosystems have been crucial in advancing major technological innovations, from cloud computing to software-as-a-service. With the rise of Agentforce, building a dynamic partner community is more critical than ever to drive the next wave of AI and analytics adoption. Salesforce’s Perspective: “Tableau’s success is deeply rooted in our partners’ commitment to our customers. Now, we’re investing in the Tableau Einstein Alliance to cultivate an ecosystem of visionary and innovative partners who will integrate Agentforce into every facet of analytics. The future of data and analytics is here, and our partners are essential to this journey.”— Ryan Aytay, CEO, Tableau Industry Perspectives: “Atrium has championed the vision of unified analytics since Tableau joined the Salesforce ecosystem. We’ve seen the incredible potential of Data Cloud and Tableau Cloud together, and we’re thrilled to help bring Tableau Einstein to market. Its integrated features will offer customers unprecedented productivity.”— Chris Heineken, CEO, Atrium “Tectonic’s “Insight to Action” methodology (i2a) is directly improved by the launch of the Tableau Einstein Alliance. By utilizing automated AI-solutions to power data-driven insights, we are able to deliver additional value to our customers.”— Dan Grossnickle, Tectonic “Tableau Einstein represents the next step in Salesforce’s data platforms and generative AI products. The value for clients from these data-driven insights is immense. We’re excited to help lead the way through the Tableau Einstein Alliance.”— Jean-Marc Gaultier, Head of Group Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Capgemini “Deloitte has long benefited from Tableau’s capabilities, and we’re excited to see how this next iteration will further empower our teams with data to drive growth. Integrating key features into tools like Salesforce and Slack will unlock even greater potential for us.”— Moritz Schieder, Tableau Alliance Leader and Director, Deloitte Germany “IBM is eager to leverage Tableau Einstein to deliver more value to our customers, regardless of where they work. As a strategic Agentforce partner and Salesforce customer, we are excited to be part of the next generation of analytics alongside Salesforce.”— Mary Rowe, Global Head of IBM Consulting Salesforce Practice Tableau Einstein Alliance to Help Partners Drive Success in the Agent Era and Tectonic, an insights 2 actions company, is excited to be a part of the innovation. 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Generative AI, Salesforce, Salesforce Development Services, Salesforce Tableau
Agentforce Unveiled
03Oct

Agentforce Unveiled

Salesforce Unveils ‘Agentforce’ to Empower a Billion AI Agents by 2025 Salesforce has introduced Agentforce, a revolutionary suite of autonomous AI agents aimed at transforming service, sales, marketing, and commerce sectors. With Agentforce, companies can rapidly scale their operations, boost efficiency, and elevate customer satisfaction by leveraging intelligent agents that handle routine tasks and complex workflows. The Agentforce Atlas Reasoning Engine powers these agents, autonomously analyzing data, making decisions, and completing tasks. This engine enables organizations to easily build, customize, and deploy their own agents using intuitive low-code tools. In addition, the Agentforce Partner Network allows customers to integrate pre-built agents from industry leaders like AWS, Google, IBM, and Workday, offering even more flexibility. Real-world impact Companies like OpenTable, Saks, and Wiley are already deploying Agentforce within their existing systems to enhance workforce capabilities and scale operations. Agentforce works autonomously, retrieving the right data on demand, building action plans, and executing them without human intervention. However, when needed, it can seamlessly hand off tasks to human employees, providing an overview of interactions, customer details, and suggested next steps. For example, Wiley has reported a 40% increase in case resolution after implementing Agentforce to handle routine inquiries. During busy seasons, like back-to-school, Agentforce has helped Wiley streamline operations, freeing up employees to handle more complex cases. Saks is also leveraging Agentforce to elevate its personalized customer experiences, empowering employees with real-time insights to deliver exceptional service. A new era of AI-driven customer success Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is confident that Agentforce represents the third wave of AI, surpassing traditional chatbots and copilots with its fully autonomous capabilities. “Agentforce is a revolutionary and trusted solution that seamlessly integrates AI across every workflow, embedding itself deeply into the heart of the customer journey. This means anticipating needs, strengthening relationships, driving growth, and taking proactive action at every touchpoint,” Benioff said. Unlike its predecessors, Agentforce operates independently, adapting to changing conditions using real-time data. Whether responding to a customer service inquiry, qualifying sales leads, or optimizing marketing campaigns, Agentforce makes timely, relevant decisions based on an organization’s custom settings. When more human oversight is required, the platform provides detailed summaries and recommendations to assist employees in making informed decisions. Agentforce’s scalability and future Salesforce’s ambitious goal is to empower one billion AI agents by the end of 2025. This bold vision stems from the understanding that 41% of employee time is often spent on repetitive, low-impact work, according to the Salesforce Trends in AI Report. By automating these tasks, Agentforce allows employees to focus on more strategic, high-value initiatives, creating a hybrid workforce that is more effective and adaptable. Benioff noted, “While others require you to DIY your AI, Agentforce offers a fully tailored, enterprise-ready platform designed for immediate impact and scalability. Our vision is bold, and this is what AI is meant to be.” As businesses worldwide continue to explore AI’s potential, Agentforce positions Salesforce as a leader in the next wave of AI innovation, where autonomous agents enhance every facet of business operations. With over 1,000 agents already active, the future of work is a dynamic blend of human expertise and AI-powered agents, enabling organizations to thrive in an increasingly competitive 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

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October 3, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Salesforce Einstein, Salesforce Optimization
Salesforce and the Customer-Centric Dealership
03Oct

Salesforce and the Customer-Centric Dealership

Building Blocks for a Customer-Centric Dealership For a dealership to thrive, it must be truly customer-centric. As a Salesforce Implementation Partner, we at Tectonic know the key to success lies in prioritizing customer needs at every step. Growth, profitability, and market expansion come from consistently putting customers at the center of your strategies. Tectonic can help you implement Salesforce and the Customer-Centric Dealership. Customers as the Ultimate Scorekeepers Your customers are the true measure of your dealership’s success. Their evaluations extend far beyond pricing—they assess every touchpoint, from your website’s ease of use to the cleanliness of your parking lot, from your voicemail system to post-sale follow-ups. Each interaction shapes their perception. A single negative encounter, such as a poor experience with a parts associate, may not drive them away, but it certainly won’t motivate them to return. Creating positive, seamless interactions is crucial. Optimizing Customer-Centric Processes Are your processes truly serving your customers? Are they complimenting your dealership’s efficiency? Take something as routine as monthly statements. While they may be straightforward for your team, have you considered your customers’ perspectives? They may not even want a statement, or they might need quicker, more accessible responses to their inquiries. As customer expectations rise due to experiences with brands like Amazon and Starbucks, your dealership must ensure its processes meet or exceed those standards. A Customer portal like Salesforce Experience Cloud can put resources at your customers’ fingertips with the click of a button. Treating Customer Data as a Strategic Asset Customer data is one of your dealership’s most valuable assets. Yet, many dealerships struggle to fully utilize this resource. Are you effectively visualizing and leveraging your customer data? This data, gathered over years of operation, can drive strategic decision-making. To maximize its potential, it’s crucial to have a dedicated role—perhaps a Chief Data Officer—focused on managing, updating, and safeguarding this information. A well-managed data strategy unlocks insights that fuel customer-centric improvements. Letting Data Shape Your Processes With Salesforce, you can use customer data to quickly identify inefficiencies and enhance processes. Streamlined operations lead to happier customers and a more engaged team. For instance, if your manufacturer can deliver most parts within 24 hours, why maintain an overstocked inventory? By analyzing your inventory data, Salesforce can help you identify which parts are essential and which are surplus, allowing you to optimize stock levels and ensure smoother operations. Aligning your inventory with actual demand ensures your dealership functions efficiently, keeping both your customers and staff satisfied. Expert Guidance in Leveraging Salesforce for Growth Adopting a customer-centric approach and utilizing Salesforce to analyze and act on your data can transform your dealership. As your Salesforce Implementation Partner, we’re here to help you integrate these solutions to meet and exceed customer expectations while driving growth and profitability. Together, we can build a dealership that not only competes but thrives in today’s competitive market. With the future of AI, the connected car, and more; there has never been a betrter time to add Salesforce to your customer-centric tool box. Reach out to schedule an introductory call and start your journey toward a more customer-centric future. 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Google, Salesforce, Salesforce Experience Cloud
Scale and AI Influence Shape Partner Ecosystems
03Oct

Scale and AI Influence Shape Partner Ecosystems

Hyperscalers’ Scale and AI Influence Shape Partner Ecosystems Despite their seemingly saturated networks, the largest cloud vendors continue to dominate as top ecosystems for service providers, according to a recent survey. Hyperscalers are playing a critical role in partner alliances, a trend that has only intensified in recent years. A study released by Tercera, an investment firm specializing in IT services, highlights the dominance of cloud giants AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure in the partner ecosystem landscape. More than 50% of the 250 technology service providers surveyed by Tercera identified one of these three vendors as their primary partner. This data comes from Tercera’s third annual report on the Top 30 Partner Ecosystems. The report emphasizes the “gravitational pull” of these hyperscalers, attracting partners despite their already vast networks. Each of the major cloud vendors maintains relationships with thousands of software and services partners. “The hyperscalers continue to defy the law of large numbers when you look at how many partners are in their ecosystems,” said Michelle Swan, CMO at Tercera. The Shift in Channel Alliances The emergence of cloud vendors as top partners for service providers has been evident since at least 2021. That year, a survey by Accenture of 1,150 channel companies found that AWS, Google, and Microsoft accounted for the majority of revenue for these partners. This represents a significant shift in channel economics, where traditionally large hardware companies occupied the top spots in partner alliances. AI’s Role in Partner Ecosystem Growth The rise of generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping alliance strategies, as service providers increasingly align themselves with hyperscalers and their AI technology partners. For instance, AWS channel partners interested in GenAI are likely to work with Anthropic, following Amazon’s $4 billion investment in the AI company. Meanwhile, Microsoft partners tend to collaborate with OpenAI, as Microsoft has committed up to $13 billion in investments to expand their partnership. “They have their own solar systems,” Swan remarked, referencing AWS, Google, Microsoft, and the AI startups within their ecosystems. Tiers of Partner Ecosystems Tercera categorizes its top 30 ecosystems into three tiers. The first tier, known as “market anchors,” includes AWS, Google, Microsoft, and large independent software vendors (ISVs) such as Salesforce and ServiceNow. The second tier, “market movers,” features publicly traded vendors with evolving partner ecosystems. The third tier, “market challengers,” is made up of privately held vendors with a partner-centric focus, such as Anthropic and OpenAI. Generative AI Ecosystem Survey A 2024 generative AI survey conducted by TechTarget and its Enterprise Strategy Group supports the idea that the leading cloud vendors play a central role in AI ecosystems. In a poll of 610 GenAI decision-makers and users, Microsoft topped the list of ecosystems supporting GenAI initiatives, with 54% of respondents citing it as the best ecosystem. Microsoft’s partner, OpenAI, followed with 35%. Google and AWS ranked third and fourth, with 30% and 24% of the responses, respectively. The survey covered a wide range of industries, including business services and IT, further reinforcing the dominant role hyperscalers play in shaping AI and partner ecosystems. 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Enterprise, Generative AI, Google, Hyperforce, Salesforce, Technology
Paradigm Shifts That Changed Marketing
03Oct

Marc Benioff Interviewed

Salesforce, now one of the most influential companies in tech history, was founded by Marc Benioff after his successful tenure at Oracle. Having witnessed the potential of the internet, Benioff realized it would usher in a new era for delivering enterprise software through the cloud. However, this new approach demanded a complete overhaul of traditional business models, marketing strategies, and software development practices. Salesforce would embody this transformation, evolving over the decades into a platform supporting a diverse array of enterprise applications. Today, Salesforce’s flagship initiative is Agentforce, a pioneering wave of AI agents built on the Salesforce platform. This initiative, which I covered in detail earlier this month, exemplifies Benioff’s forward-thinking vision for AI. He passionately argues that Salesforce is well-positioned to lead in this space, and his insights on AI and its potential are as compelling as they are thought-provoking. Before diving into Agentforce and Benioff’s views on AI, it’s important to explore his early life and the founding of Salesforce. Benioff’s path to becoming the CEO of one of the most powerful software companies in the world was shaped by an early interest in technology. His first foray into software development was creating an app called “How to Juggle,” which he sold for $75 to CLOAD Magazine in Goleta, California. This early success marked the beginning of a long career in tech. Benioff went on to establish an Atari game company called Liberty Software and later wrote assembly code for the Mac as part of an internship. Despite his success as a software developer, he transitioned to a leadership role after realizing his interest in the broader business of technology. He credits his time at Oracle, where he learned the intricacies of sales, marketing, and customer communication, as critical to shaping his vision for Salesforce. Oracle, during Larry Ellison’s prime, was an ideal place to hone these business skills, which Benioff would later apply to revolutionize the enterprise software space. With this foundation, Benioff founded Salesforce, a company that has fundamentally changed the way businesses engage with technology. The company’s success lies not just in its cloud-based software, but in its ongoing evolution to address new challenges, including the AI-powered Agentforce initiative, which stands at the forefront of Salesforce’s future growth. Benioff’s journey, from a young programmer to the CEO of a global tech giant, is a testament to his visionary approach and adaptability in an ever-changing tech landscape. Marc Benioff’s early entrepreneurial instincts were evident even before he fully embraced the title of entrepreneur. From a young age, he knew he wanted to build something of his own, though he hadn’t yet honed the full set of skills needed to succeed in business. He had a knack for technology, excelling as a programmer working in assembly code, but his mentors, including university professors and colleagues at Apple, recognized that being an entrepreneur required more than just technical ability. They encouraged him to develop his sales, marketing, and business acumen. His early exposure to these lessons was pivotal in shaping his future trajectory. Benioff’s transition from a programmer to a business leader began when he sought advice from Bill Jost at Apple, who connected him with Gary Gibson, an Oracle executive. After a memorable and unexpected interview, Benioff joined Oracle, starting with a role answering calls at the company’s 800-number. He quickly moved into sales and marketing, eventually working directly with Larry Ellison, who would become a significant mentor over the next 13 years. Benioff’s success at Oracle set the stage for his eventual departure to start Salesforce in 1999. In the mid-1990s, while at Oracle, Benioff had an epiphany while using a web browser. The internet was transforming how software could be delivered, and Benioff saw the potential for a new business model based on cloud computing. At this time, Oracle was focused on the network computer—a vision Benioff did not fully share. After discussing his ideas with Larry Ellison and taking some time off for reflection and research, Benioff recognized that the world was on the cusp of a major shift in technology. He felt compelled to create something new that would leverage the internet, offering software over the web through a subscription model. During his time off, Benioff traveled to Hawaii, reflecting on the future of the tech industry and contemplating ideas. He also experimented with domain names, purchasing You.com and later gifting it to a friend who turned it into a search and AI company. Benioff returned to Larry Ellison to share his vision of a cloud-based business model and later found inspiration from spiritual gurus during a trip to India, who reminded him that success in business should also be grounded in positive values. Benioff’s experience led to the founding of Salesforce with its revolutionary 1-1-1 Model—dedicating 1% of equity, profit, and employee time to philanthropy. Salesforce also embraced emerging technologies such as social, mobile, and AI, and created a new business model through subscription-based services. This combination of technological innovation and a strong sense of social responsibility has set Salesforce apart, attracting both admiration and emulation from other companies. Benioff’s Career Benioff’s career is a testament to the power of surrounding oneself with great people, continuing to learn, and having a clear vision. His leadership at Salesforce has been guided by values he believes are crucial to the company’s success and its ability to make a positive impact on the world. His insights on the Innovator’s Dilemma, a concept popularized by Clayton Christensen, highlight the challenges companies face as they evolve with changing technologies. While Salesforce’s core principles remain intact, the company has continued to adapt to new technology paradigms, ensuring it remains at the forefront of innovation in the software industry. Marc Benioff (MB) recently shared his excitement about the future of AI and its potential to revolutionize business and technology. He explained that, from a business perspective, this is the most thrilling moment in his career. AI, according to him, will transform how enterprises operate, making them more

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October 3, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Data, Enterprise, Google, Hyperforce, Salesforce, Salesforce Data Cloud, Snowflake, Technology
What Makes a True AI Agent
03Oct

What Makes a True AI Agent

What Makes a True AI Agent? Rethinking the Pursuit of Autonomy Unpacking the Core Traits of AI Agents — And Why Foundations Matter More Than Buzzwords The tech industry is enamored with AI agents. From sales bots to autonomous systems, companies like Salesforce and HubSpot claim to offer groundbreaking AI agents. Yet, I’ve yet to encounter a truly autonomous, agentic experience built from LLMs. The market is awash with what I call “botshit,” and if the best Salesforce can do is improve slightly over a mediocre chatbot, that’s underwhelming. What Makes a True AI Agent? But here’s the critical question everyone is missing: even if we could build fully autonomous AI agents, how often would they be the best solution for users? To explore this, let’s consider travel planning through the lens of agents and assistants. This use case helps clarify what each trait of agentic behavior brings to the table and offers a framework for evaluating AI products beyond the hype. By the end of this piece, you’ll be able to decide whether AI autonomy is a worthwhile investment or a costly distraction. The Spectrum of Agentic Behavior: A Practical Framework There’s no consensus on what truly defines an AI “agent.” Instead of relying on a binary classification, I suggest adopting a spectrum framework with six key attributes from AI research. This approach is more useful in today’s landscape because: Using the example of a travel “agent,” we’ll explore how different implementations fall on this spectrum. Most real-world applications land somewhere between “basic” and “advanced” tiers across the six traits. This framework will help you make informed decisions about AI integration and communicate more effectively with both technical teams and end users. By the end, you’ll be equipped to: What Makes a True AI Agent The Building Blocks of Agentic Behavior 1. Perception The ability to sense and interpret its environment or relevant data streams. An agent with advanced perception could, for instance, notice your preference for destinations with excellent public transit and factor that into future recommendations. 2. Interactivity The ability to engage with its environment, users, and external systems. LLMs like ChatGPT have set a high bar for interactivity. However, most customer support bots struggle because they need to integrate company-specific data and backend systems, prioritizing accuracy over creativity. 3. Persistence The ability to store, maintain, and update long-term memories about users and interactions. True persistence requires systems that not only store data but also evolve with each interaction, much like how a human travel agent remembers your favorite seat on a plane. 4. Reactivity The ability to respond to changes in its environment in real time. For example, a reactive system could suggest alternative travel dates if hotel prices surge due to a local event. 5. Proactivity The ability to anticipate needs and offer relevant suggestions unprompted. True proactivity requires robust perception, persistence, and reactivity to offer timely, context-aware suggestions. 6. Autonomy The ability to operate independently and make decisions within defined parameters. Autonomy varies by the level of resource control, impact scope, and operational boundaries. For example: The more complex the task and the greater the impact of a mistake, the more safeguards and precision the system needs. Proactive Autonomy: A Future Frontier The next step is proactive autonomy — the ability to modify goals or parameters to achieve overarching objectives. While theoretically possible, this introduces new risks and complexities, bringing us closer to the scenarios seen in sci-fi, where AI systems operate beyond human control. Most companies are nowhere near this level, and prioritizing foundation work like perception and persistence is far more practical for today’s needs. Agents vs. Assistants: A Useful Distinction An AI agent demonstrates at least five of the six attributes and exhibits autonomy within its domain. An AI assistant excels in perception, interactivity, and persistence but lacks autonomy or proactivity. It primarily responds to human requests and relies on human oversight for decisions. While many AI systems today are labeled “agents,” most function more like assistants. A Roomba, for example, is closer to an agent, autonomously navigating and adapting within a predefined space. On the other hand, tools like GitHub Copilot serve as powerful assistants, enhancing user capabilities without making independent decisions. Foundations Before Flash: The Role of Data Despite all the AI buzz, few companies today have the data foundations to support meaningful agentic behavior. For instance, most customer interactions rely on nuanced, unwritten information that is hard to automate. Missing perception foundations and inadequate testing lead to the “botshit” plaguing the industry. The key is to focus on building strong foundations in perception, interactivity, and persistence before tackling full autonomy. Start with the Problem: Why User-Centric AI Wins Before chasing the dream of autonomous agents, companies should start by asking what users actually need. Many organizations would benefit more from developing reliable assistants rather than fully autonomous systems. Real user problems, like those solved by Waymo and Roomba, offer clear paths to valuable AI solutions. The Path Forward: Align Data, Systems, and User Needs When deciding where to invest in AI: By focusing on foundational pillars, companies can build AI systems that solve immediate problems, laying the groundwork for more advanced capabilities in the future. Whether you’re developing agents, assistants, or indispensable tools, aligning solutions with real user needs is the key to meaningful progress. Contact Tectonic for assistance answering the question What Makes a True AI Agent work for my business? 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

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October 3, 2024in Data, Salesforce
Agentforce to the Team
03Oct

Supercharged Sales and Service Excellence

When sales and service teams are seamlessly aligned, organizations can transform every service interaction into a powerful opportunity to drive revenue and build customer loyalty. By delivering contextual, personalized offers at the right time, businesses can turn each customer touchpoint into a chance to solve problems, create value, and enhance engagement. With the help of real-time data and AI, we move beyond treating customer interactions as isolated events. Instead, we focus on understanding the unique needs and preferences of each customer, whether they’re reaching out for support, visiting a store, or engaging online. Every touchpoint becomes an opportunity to deliver tailored solutions, strengthen loyalty, and increase revenue. These examples are just a glimpse of the solutions we help our clients deploy. With our deep expertise in AI implementation and industry-specific insights, Tectonic is ideally positioned to guide you through activating AI agents that build on your successes. Our extensive experience across diverse sectors enables us to identify the most impactful opportunities for AI, ensuring tailored solutions that align with your business strategy. Tectonic’s proven approach ensures AI agents are deployed efficiently and effectively, driving ROI and delivering measurable results. Agentforce: Open, Extensible, and Transformative Agentforce is designed to foster smooth interactions between agents created on the platform and external agents and applications. With integration into Salesforce Data Cloud, it enables real-time data access for better, faster decision-making. Tectonic can help facilitate this interconnectivity across various channels and platforms, ensuring seamless operations. In a society that prioritizes digital, artificial intelligence is changing sales and service tactics. Adopting AI agents is crucial for business leaders to keep ahead of the competition and develop more effective and efficient methods of customer and employee support. AI agents are not just upgrades—they are transformative forces that redefine what’s possible. They empower organizations to move from envisioning possibilities to realizing a future of enhanced sales performance, streamlined operations, and unmatched customer satisfaction, all powered by AI. Salesforce’s Agentforce: Scaling Your Workforce with Autonomous AI Agents Agentforce provides fully customizable autonomous AI agents that can integrate with enterprise data and take action across sales, service, marketing, and commerce. The Agent Builder allows users to create agents that automate any business process, in any industry, using existing Salesforce tools such as workflows, Apex code, and prompt templates. Leading companies like The Adecco Group, BACA Systems, OpenTable, Saks, and Wiley are already leveraging Agentforce Service Agents to deliver faster, more personalized customer responses while improving operational efficiency. Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, has announced the general availability of Agentforce. This new platform layer enables businesses to create and deploy AI agents that autonomously take action across any business function. Unlike traditional chatbots and copilots, Agentforce agents possess advanced reasoning abilities to make decisions and take actions such as resolving customer issues, qualifying sales leads, and optimizing marketing efforts. These agents operate independently—triggered by changes in data, business rules, pre-built automations, or external signals from APIs. Agentforce includes out-of-the-box agents that can be easily customized and deployed with low-code or no-code tools, working around the clock across any channel. The first of these, the Agentforce Service Agent, outperforms traditional chatbots by handling a wide range of tasks—from simple to complex—using pre-built topics and actions for customer support. These agents are fully customizable to serve various industries, such as retail with order management or financial services with billing and payment support. “Agentforce is redefining business possibilities, ushering in an era of AI-driven abundance and limitless workforces that enhance every employee’s capabilities, strengthen customer relationships, and fuel unprecedented growth,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. “Built on Salesforce’s trusted, fully customizable platform—integrating enterprise data, metadata, AI models, workflows, security, and applications—Agentforce is everything AI was meant to be.” The Power of Agentforce With Agentforce, there’s no need for DIY AI. Unlike other platforms that require complex integrations and custom builds, Agentforce is natively built into the Salesforce Platform. Customers can instantly convert their existing Flows, prompt templates, Apex code, and APIs into agent actions, seamlessly connecting to enterprise data and security models. With the added power of native tools like Data Cloud, Slack, and MuleSoft, Agentforce offers a streamlined and efficient approach to scaling your workforce with AI. The new Agent Builder empowers Salesforce admins and developers to easily create AI agents with natural language instructions and guardrails, enabling even more customization and control. 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

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October 3, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Artificial Intelligence, Data, Enterprise, Google, Hyperforce, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Salesforce Data Cloud

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