Sales Archives - gettectonic.com

20Sep

Bye Klarna

Fintech firm Klarna is cutting ties with two major enterprise software providers, opting to automate its services using AI, and hints that more cuts could follow. Klarna co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski discussed the move during a recent conference call, as reported by Seeking Alpha. The company has already stopped using Salesforce, a platform that helps businesses manage sales and marketing data, and has also removed Workday, an HR and hiring platform, from its tech stack, according to a spokesperson from Klarna. This shift towards AI-driven automation is part of a larger strategy at Klarna. “We have multiple large-scale initiatives combining AI, standardization, and simplification that will allow us to eliminate several SaaS providers,” a company spokesperson said, though they did not specify which providers or services might be next. Founded in 2005, Klarna provides payment processing for e-commerce and reports over 150 million active users worldwide. Despite posting a net loss of $241 million last year—down from nearly $1 billion in 2022—the company reported a reduced loss of $32 million for the first half of 2024. With reports suggesting that Goldman Sachs has been tapped to underwrite Klarna’s potential IPO, the company’s focus on AI could strengthen its profitability prospects. This isn’t Klarna’s first AI initiative. Earlier in 2024, the company introduced an AI-powered customer service assistant in collaboration with OpenAI, which reportedly handled 2.3 million interactions in its first month and replaced the work of 700 agents. Klarna was among the early adopters of OpenAI’s enterprise ChatGPT package, and the company claims that 90% of its employees use the tool daily for process automation. Klarna’s decision to drop Salesforce and Workday is part of a broader effort to replace third-party SaaS solutions with internally developed applications, likely built on OpenAI’s infrastructure. Siemiatkowski stated in the August call, “We are shutting down a lot of our SaaS providers as we are able to consolidate.” However, not everyone is convinced. HR technology analyst Josh Bersin questioned whether Klarna could successfully replace a robust platform like Workday. “Workday systems have decades of workflows and complex data structures, including payroll and attendance,” he told Inc.. Bersin warned that developing an in-house system could lead Klarna into a “black hole of features,” with a poor user experience as a result. Many in the tech world share Bersin’s skepticism, with some suggesting the move is more of a PR tactic as Klarna gears up for its IPO. Investors and executives voiced doubts on social media, with financial insights account BuccoCapital posting on X, “Is it actually the best use of capital to rebuild in-house? Feels like a massive distraction,” while Ryan Jones, CEO of Flighty, called the move “free marketing.” Critics also point out that Klarna has downsized its workforce significantly, reducing its headcount by 1,200 over the past year, and Siemiatkowski has hinted at further reductions, suggesting the company could benefit from cutting staff from 3,800 to 2,000 employees. Siemiatkowski remains adamant that AI will allow Klarna to maintain growth despite these cuts. Bersin also noted that many tech giants have struggled to build their own HR platforms, citing examples like Google, which recently abandoned its internally developed HR software, and Amazon, which undergoes similar cycles regularly. “Microsoft,” Bersin added, “spends money on their own products but partners with SAP for HR software.” If Klarna does succeed in developing an in-house HR platform, it would be an achievement where even some of the biggest tech companies have fallen short. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 20, 2024in Salesforce

20Sep

Collaborative Business Intelligence

Collaborative Business Intelligence: Connecting Data and Teams In today’s data-driven world, the ability to interact with business intelligence (BI) tools is essential for making informed decisions. Collaborative business intelligence (BI), also known as social BI, allows users to engage with their organization’s data and communicate with data experts through the same platforms where they already collaborate. While self-service BI empowers users to generate insights, understanding the data’s context is critical to avoid misunderstandings that can derail decision-making. Collaborative BI integrates BI tools with collaboration platforms to bridge the gap between data analysis and communication, reducing the risks of misinterpretation. Traditional Business Intelligence Traditional BI involves the use of technology to analyze data and present insights clearly. Before BI platforms became widespread, data scientists and statisticians handled data analysis, making it challenging for non-technical professionals to digest the insights. BI evolved to automate visualizations, such as charts and dashboards, making data more accessible to business users. Previously, BI reports were typically available only to high-level executives. However, modern self-service BI tools democratize access, enabling more users—regardless of technical expertise—to create reports and visualize data, fostering better decision-making across the organization. The Emergence of Collaborative BI Collaborative BI is a growing trend, combining BI applications with collaboration tools. This approach allows users to work together synchronously or asynchronously within a shared platform, making it easier to discuss data reports in real time or leave comments for others to review. Whether it’s through Slack, Microsoft Teams, or social media apps, users can receive and discuss BI insights within their usual communication channels. This seamless integration of BI and collaboration tools offers a competitive edge, simplifying the process of sharing knowledge and clarifying data without switching between applications. Key Benefits of Collaborative Business Intelligence Leading Collaborative BI Platforms Here’s a look at some of the top collaborative BI platforms driving innovation in the market: Conclusion Collaborative BI empowers organizations by improving decision-making, democratizing data access, optimizing data quality, and ensuring data security. By integrating BI tools with collaboration platforms, businesses can streamline their operations, foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, and enhance overall efficiency. Choosing the right platform is key to maximizing the benefits of collaborative BI. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 20, 2024in Data, Google, Salesforce, Technology

19Sep

Salesforce AI Agents and New Data Cloud Features

Salesforce has announced several major updates to its Data Cloud at the annual Dreamforce conference, aimed at enhancing data analysis and boosting the capabilities of its new AI agents, Agentforce. These updates include support for unstructured data in audio and video formats, 50 new data connectors, and a low-latency pipeline to ensure faster AI responses. Salesforce describes Data Cloud as a customer data platform designed to unify data from various sources, providing actionable insights for sales, service, and marketing teams. The latest features will further improve this functionality, according to Rahul Auradkar, Salesforce’s General Manager of Unified Data Services and Einstein. Key Updates 1. Unstructured Data Support: Audio and Video Formats Salesforce has introduced the ability to process unstructured audio and video data. This allows enterprises to analyze information from sources like customer calls, training sessions, product demos, and webinars. The unstructured data can enrich customer profiles, provide deeper insights into behavior, and enhance the performance of AI agents within Agentforce by improving response accuracy. IDC’s Hayley Sutherland highlighted that vectorization of this content enables retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), enhancing the use of large language models (LLMs) to generate more effective and context-aware responses. 2. 50 New Data Connectors Salesforce has expanded its connector library with 50 new options, raising the total to 200. This helps businesses integrate diverse data sources, facilitating improved personalization and decision-making. These connectors are also critical for feeding data to AI agents, enabling them to generate more accurate insights. 3. Sub-second Data Layer for Real-time Responses A new sub-second data layer has been rolled out, allowing enterprises to ingest, unify, analyze, and act on data in real time. This layer powers Einstein Personalization, enabling instant AI-driven recommendations and analytics. It’s especially important for the low-latency needs of Agentforce’s autonomous AI agents, ensuring faster, more accurate customer interactions. 4. Governance and Security Enhancements Salesforce has introduced AI tagging and classification features for unstructured data, automating labeling and organization to ensure secure access. Policy-based governance will offer granular control over data access based on tags, metadata, and user attributes. Additionally, customer-managed encryption keys ensure data security, while the newly available private connect feature allows secure data sharing between Data Cloud and public cloud environments. 5. Data Cloud One and Hybrid Search Data Cloud One, a new feature, will allow enterprises to connect multiple Salesforce accounts across different departments or regions into a single instance, simplifying data management. The hybrid search feature, which combines vector and keyword search, is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of finding industry-specific information. Other updates include Tableau Semantics, which helps organize data based on its meaning, and a new data community platform to foster collaboration among data professionals. These updates reflect Salesforce’s commitment to enhancing data-driven decision-making and delivering powerful AI capabilities for enterprises. 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

September 19, 2024in Data, Enterprise, Salesforce

19Sep

Vonage Premier for Salesforce Service Cloud Voice

HOLMDEL, N.J., Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation and a part of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), is one of the first contact center providers to join Salesforce’s Bring Your Own Channel for Contact Center as a Service (BYOC for CCaaS) pilot program. With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage Premier for Salesforce Service Cloud Voice customers will have the ability to integrate Vonage omnichannel and AI-powered capabilities into their existing contact center solutions, including voice, SMS, chat, social messaging apps like WhatsApp, and more – delivering faster resolution times and creating a more native, personalized and meaningful experience for customers by connecting with them on their channel of choice. “We are very excited to have Vonage, a leading Salesforce Service Cloud Voice partner, take this very important step to expand its deep Salesforce integration through BYOC for CCaaS, delivering the omnichannel capabilities – and the APIs to enable them – that create the kind of customer experiences that drive meaningful engagement,” said Tony Flores, Senior Director of Product Management for Salesforce. With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice customers will now be able to connect with customers across various communications channels, as well as access data insights and AI-based agent productivity tools, to create a better overall customer journey and a more productive and efficient agent experience. The solution’s single routing and agent capacity model also increases contact center capacity, leading to more customer interactions being resolved better and faster. Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) is also provided through Vonage’s seamless integrations with leading WEM solutions Verint, Calabrio Teleopti, Playvox and injixo, ensuring optimum planning, scheduling, tracking, and management of the contact center workforce. “Today’s contact center agents play a vital role in support of the businesses they represent and in meeting the increasing demands of tech-savvy customers who want to connect from anywhere, on their preferred communications channels,” said Reggie Scales, Acting Head of Applications for Vonage. “These agents are also frequently working from anywhere and need the tools to access critical information to troubleshoot common customer issues and provide real-time customer support. Having all of these capabilities in a single user interface – omnichannel modes of communication coupled with a 360 view of customer information and key knowledge bases – this is the contact center of the future.” A key differentiator for Vonage as a pilot partner in this program is its ability to source a single AI-based Virtual Agent solution for self-service automations across voice and digital channels using Vonage AI studio – while also leveraging Salesforce for all Live Agent Assist and Analytics needs. Vonage can also integrate its own Vonage Communications APIs to power pre-built programmable capabilities for voice, SMS, social and chat, directly into the contact center – all on one combined Salesforce and Vonage platform. This singular view also enhances efficiency by keeping agents and supervisors in a single Salesforce desktop to eliminate application switching and the need to toggle between screens. “Modern contact centers are experiencing increasing pressure and demand to deliver better, more personalized, omnichannel interactions, as well as quicker and more accurate responses to customer issues,” said Jim Lundy, CEO, Founder & Lead Analyst, Aragon Research. “With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage aims to address the increasing demand for a unified and customizable customer experience across all communication channels, leveraging existing Salesforce platforms and AI-powered insights and automation.” Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice is currently available on the Salesforce AppExchange with Salesforce BYOC for CCaaS integrated capabilities now available for customers to pilot. To find out more about Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice, visit www.vonage.com. Salesforce, AppExchange, Service Cloud Voice, Einstein and others are among the trademarks of Salesforce, inc. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage’s Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage’s fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely – providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements. Vonage is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), and a business area within the Ericsson Group called Business Area Global Communications Platform. To follow Vonage on X (formerly known as Twitter), please visit twitter.com/vonage. To follow on LinkedIn, visit linkedin.com/company/Vonage/. To become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage. SOURCE Vonage Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 19, 2024in Data, Salesforce Service Cloud

19Sep

Salesforce and OpenAI Advances in AI

With investor enthusiasm for AI beginning to fade, Salesforce is shifting focus to its next AI wave, “Agentforce,” which will be showcased at the Dreamforce customer conference. This announcement comes at a time when Salesforce stock has underperformed, with revenue growth slowing and expectations building that AI-related revenue may not materialize until 2025. Salesforce and OpenAI Advances in AI. The Agentforce platform will be featured at Dreamforce, running from Sept. 17 to Sept. 19, and aims to automate routine business tasks while offering real-time insights and guidance. CEO Marc Benioff noted in a Sept. 12 briefing that Agentforce represents the third wave of AI, moving beyond conversational chatbots to more autonomous agents. Early adopters of the platform include Walt Disney, Kaiser Permanente, Fossil, Wiley, and OpenTable. Meanwhile, Salesforce faces stiff competition. Microsoft is hosting its own AI event, Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, which focuses on business productivity features powered by generative AI. Like Salesforce, Microsoft’s AI tools have yet to demonstrate significant revenue impact, as customers are still testing the technologies. Salesforce is pushing Agentforce as an evolution of its previous Einstein copilot, which integrates conversational AI within its apps. Agentforce aims to take this further by reducing human oversight and improving efficiency in sales, marketing, and customer service roles. The product is scheduled for an October rollout, with a pricing model based on usage—potentially $2 per interaction for complex queries. Analysts have mixed opinions on Agentforce’s potential. Truist Securities sees the AI platform driving future subscription growth, while Barclays believes it could gain more traction than previous AI tools due to its fully autonomous nature. However, others, like Monness Crespi Hardt & Co., remain cautious, noting concerns about Salesforce’s slowing revenue growth in a challenging macroeconomic environment. Salesforce Agentforce PlatformIn its second-quarter earnings call, Salesforce shared promising results from an Agentforce trial, where the platform resolved 90% of patient inquiries for a large healthcare customer. Analysts like Morgan Stanley’s Keith Weiss see Agentforce as a key differentiator for Salesforce, enabling customers to leverage AI at scale with reduced complexity and cost. Despite this optimism, Salesforce still faces challenges. Competitors such as Meta’s AI Studio and ServiceNow are also advancing AI agent technologies. ServiceNow, for instance, emphasizes the need for strict human oversight of AI actions, a sentiment echoed by Salesforce’s chief ethical and humane use officer, Paula Goldman. As the tech industry races to enhance AI autonomy, concerns about the technology’s limitations—such as bias, hallucinations, and decision-making risks—remain central. Experts warn that while AI agents hold great potential, they must be carefully regulated to prevent unintended consequences. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 19, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Generative AI

19Sep

Salesforce Free AI Training

Salesforce Expands Access to Free AI Training to Address Global Skills Gap SAN FRANCISCO — September 18, 2024 – Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the #1 AI-powered CRM, has announced a significant expansion of its AI skilling initiatives. Starting today, Salesforce will offer its premium AI courses and certifications free of charge to anyone via its online learning platform, Trailhead, through the end of 2025. This initiative aims to help bridge the growing AI skills gap by providing accessible education for individuals across industries. To further support these efforts, Salesforce will open new physical training spaces at its San Francisco headquarters, including a pop-up AI Center offering in-person community courses and a dedicated AI skilling floor for employees. This investment, valued at over $50 million, is designed to empower the workforce with essential AI skills as the demand for AI talent surges globally. Research from Slack highlights a growing urgency among executives to integrate AI into business operations, with interest increasing sevenfold in the last six months. However, more than two-thirds of workers have yet to engage with AI tools, and only 15% feel they possess the necessary training to use them effectively. “The advent of AI and agents represents the biggest technological shift of our generation and will radically change how people work,” said Brian Millham, President and Chief Operating Officer at Salesforce. “We need to ensure everyone has the skills to succeed in this new AI-driven world.” Expanding AI Training Opportunities Salesforce has already helped thousands of professionals acquire technical skills through premium, instructor-led training and certifications. With these new offerings, the company aims to reach an additional 100,000 learners, empowering every Trailblazer to become an “Agentblazer” in this evolving AI landscape. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars in AI education for yourself or your workforce. Salesforce has it at your fingertips for free. Trailhead now offers a wide range of AI-specific courses, covering topics like AI fundamentals, ethical AI use, and prompt engineering. Since June 2023, learners have earned over 2.6 million AI and data badges, helping unlock critical skills for the future of work. Creating Spaces for Hands-on AI Learning In addition to expanding its online offerings, Salesforce is building AI training spaces around the globe. After launching its first AI Center in London, the company will open a pop-up AI Center at its San Francisco headquarters in 2025, with plans for additional locations in Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney. These centers will host in-person Trailhead courses and bring together experts, partners, and customers to advance AI innovation. Introducing Agentforce — A Groundbreaking AI Suite As part of its ongoing AI revolution, Salesforce is also upskilling its 72,000-strong workforce through quarterly AI learning days and immersive experiences at the newly created AI Knowledge Center in San Francisco. The centerpiece of this initiative is Agentforce, an innovative suite of AI agents designed to enhance productivity in service, sales, marketing, and commerce. By automating repetitive tasks, these agents allow employees to focus on higher-value work. Since the launch of Slack AI in February, Salesforce employees have saved nearly 3 million work hours through AI-driven tools that summarize information, find answers, and generate new ideas. Nearly 40% of the AI and data badges earned on Trailhead belong to Salesforce employees, demonstrating the company’s commitment to internal skilling and innovation. “AI will transform the workforce, creating new roles and opportunities. It’s our responsibility as employers to provide training that prepares workers for the future,” said Nathalie Scardino, President and Chief People Officer at Salesforce. “Grounded in our values, we’re leveraging Salesforce’s full power to help everyone succeed in this AI-driven era.” Related Resources For more information about Salesforce, visit www.salesforce.com or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE. About SalesforceSalesforce is the world’s leading AI-powered CRM, helping organizations of all sizes reimagine their business for the AI age. Powered by its trusted platform, Agentforce, Salesforce brings humans and AI agents together to drive customer success through data-driven insights and actions. Salesforce is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices globally, and trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “CRM.” Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 19, 2024in AI Tools, Data

18Sep

CXM

XM Software Providers Set to Replace Point Solutions with Multifunction Suites By 2028, Enterprises Will Transition to Comprehensive CXM Solutions, According to New ISG Research According to new research from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), companies are expected to shift from various customer experience (CX) point solutions to comprehensive, cross-functional suites by 2028. This transition aims to manage CX at the enterprise level more effectively. Keith Dawson, Director of Customer Experience Research at ISG, explains, “Enterprises recognize the need for platforms that manage the entire customer lifecycle. We are witnessing the rise of tools that integrate communication components with analytic assessments of customer value, loyalty, and intent, marking a significant shift in the marketplace.” The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Customer Experience Management (CXM) defines CXM as a suite of applications on a unified platform that provides a comprehensive view of customer activity and enables management of that activity across departments. The report notes that the mix of applications in a software provider’s suite often reflects their historical expertise and origins. CXM addresses the limitations of traditional Customer Resource Management (CRM) software, which has been more departmental and application-centric. In contrast, CXM focuses on the customer journey and interactions across all channels. The report highlights challenges in comparing similar offerings from different providers due to their varied origins and expertise. The range of functionality across CXM products often reflects their diverse components, users, and use cases. ISG identifies five core areas of platform functionality in CXM software: knowledge management, resource management, automation, analytics, and customer journey management. However, CXM software is still developing, and it is uncommon to find a single solution that excels in all five areas. Many providers start with their core strengths and expand their capabilities over time. The ISG Buyers Guide evaluates CXM software providers based on support for analytics, customer journey management, knowledge management, CRM platform support, operational resource management, and process control and optimization. To be included in the CXM Buyers Guide, products must cover at least three of the four areas: resource management, automation, analytics, and customer journey management. Separate guides on Customer Journey Management (CJM) and Knowledge Management (KM) are available for more specific analysis. For its 2024 Buyers Guides, ISG assessed 19 providers, including Adobe, eGain, Emplifi, Freshworks, Genesys, HubSpot, Microsoft, Nextiva, NICE, Oracle, Qualtrics, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, Sprinklr, SugarCRM, Verint, Zendesk, and Zoho. The top three software providers in each category are: Mark Smith, Partner at ISG Software Research, notes, “Managing customer experience is crucial for every organization, yet many lack the technology to orchestrate the customer journey across channels. The Buyers Guide for CXM offers insights to help businesses understand, optimize, and select software providers that move beyond the limitations of traditional CRM systems.” The ISG Buyers Guides for CXM, CJM, and KM are based on over a year of market research. The research is independent and not influenced by software providers, aiming to help enterprises optimize their software investments. For more details, visit the ISG Buyers Guides to read executive summaries and request full reports. About ISG Software Research ISG Software Research, formerly Ventana Research, delivers expert market research and analysis on business and IT software. The firm provides consulting, advisory, research, and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. For more information and to join the community, visit Ventana Research. About ISG ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a global technology research and advisory firm specializing in digital transformation services. With a client base of over 900 organizations, ISG helps clients achieve operational excellence and growth. The firm’s expertise spans AI and automation, cloud and data analytics, sourcing advisory, and more. Founded in 2006 and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs 1,600 professionals in over 20 countries. For more information, visit ISG. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 18, 2024in Salesforce

18Sep

Pendo Salesforce and Productivity

Increasing productivity is an ongoing challenge for businesses. A recent McKinsey study reveals that over half of employees feel they are relatively unproductive at work. This widespread issue underscores a deeper problem. Historically, productivity was seen as a measure of individual employee performance—high performers versus low performers. But with the growing reliance on software for daily tasks, leading companies now view productivity differently. While employees remain essential, productivity increasingly hinges on process efficiency. To boost employee productivity, businesses need to focus on optimizing workflows and processes, ensuring they are well-designed, intuitive, and easy to execute. The key to achieving this? An intelligent digital adoption solution. Why optimizing processes boosts productivity Effective workflows are critical for achieving consistent service delivery, maintaining data integrity, enhancing efficiency, and supporting scalability. By streamlining processes, businesses can unlock productivity gains across the board. Pendo’s intelligent digital adoption platform integrates analytics, data, automation, and AI to drive optimized work outcomes, surpassing the capabilities of traditional digital adoption platforms (DAPs). Enhancing workflows with AI-powered analytics Pendo’s platform is designed to help employees work smarter by leveraging comprehensive analytics. For instance, revenue operations teams using Pendo can gain insights into how tasks are performed in Salesforce, identify common bottlenecks, and discover alternative approaches employees might take. The platform’s AI capabilities further enhance this process. Pendo’s machine learning model analyzes both quantitative and qualitative data from user feedback and analytics to offer AI-driven recommendations for workflow improvements. As the AI learns from user interactions, its suggestions become increasingly effective. Providing targeted support at the right time Understanding workflow challenges is only the first step. Employees may face different issues based on their roles or experience. For example, a customer success representative may require different support in Salesforce compared to a regional sales rep. Pendo’s platform can cater to these diverse needs by creating in-app guides and tooltips that offer tailored support based on user metadata and behavior. This allows high performers and superusers to work independently while providing targeted help where needed. Teams can monitor progress through Pendo Analytics, tracking metrics like workflow completion rates and time to completion. This data helps refine in-app guidance and enhance effective strategies. Empowering employees for greater achievement Industries such as media, retail, non-profit, and financial services often struggle with visibility into their sales processes and potential breakdowns. Pendo’s platform enables IT and product teams to identify operational gaps in software usage, leading to more satisfied, productive employees and improved business outcomes. As digital adoption advances, Pendo remains at the forefront of driving a smarter, more efficient future. Explore how Pendo can enhance workflow completion and efficiency in Salesforce. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 18, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Technology

18Sep

Connect Salesforce and Power BI

Hello, Im trying to connect a filtered case list (https://company.lightning.force.com/lightning/o/Case/list?filterName=blahblah) containing customer reviews in the case description into a Power BI table and connect it to my AI Hub custom prompt bot that categorises text. Ideally, when new cases get added to that filtered list – the Power BI table automatically refreshes with the case id, subject, description and an additional column where the categorised text gets added in. eg) Case ID Case Subject Case description Category 332432 AAAA blah blah customer complaint 4243242 BBBB something product quality 424234 CCCC bleh customer praise Thanks! You might find it helpful to follow these steps: 1. Connect Salesforce filtered case list to Power BI. 2. Use Power Apps AI Builder to categorise case descriptions: 3. Configure Power BI to automatically refresh for the latest classification results. 4. Displaying Classified Data in Power BI Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 18, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce User Questions

18Sep

Salesforce AI Tools for Healthcare

Salesforce to Launch Pre-Built AI Tools for Healthcare in October Salesforce is introducing a new library of out-of-the-box AI tools specifically designed for healthcare operations, available through its Health Cloud. These generative AI features aim to streamline time-consuming tasks by integrating directly into clinician workflows, enhancing both the quality and efficiency of patient care. Key Features and Benefits Part of Salesforce’s broader initiative to address operational challenges across 15 industries, these healthcare-specific AI tools are embedded in each of its industry clouds. The Einstein Copilot, for example, will allow healthcare providers to generate patient summaries in natural language, leveraging new data management capabilities. This could enable care coordinators to view comprehensive patient summaries—such as care plans, prescriptions, and prior authorizations—before appointments. According to Salesforce, these AI-driven services, powered by Einstein prompts, are integrated within Health Cloud’s member accounts, simplifying administrative tasks like sending referrals and booking appointments. Data privacy and security remain a priority, with Einstein’s data masking and zero data retention layer ensuring patient information is protected. Beyond patient care, the new AI features will support business operations, including verifying insurance coverage, determining out-of-pocket costs, and ensuring eligibility—all designed to reduce administrative burdens and improve operational efficiency. Why It Matters Healthcare organizations often lack the resources to build and train their own AI models, a process that can cost upwards of 0 million. Salesforce’s pre-built AI capabilities provide an accessible solution, allowing organizations of all sizes to adopt AI tools tailored to their specific needs. By automating administrative processes, healthcare providers can focus more on patient care, with faster approvals and fewer manual tasks. Salesforce is positioning these tools to help organizations streamline workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and ultimately improve the patient experience. The features will be generally available in October, with pricing based on specific implementations. Industry Impact and Larger Trend The release of these healthcare-specific AI tools is part of Salesforce’s broader push into industry-specific AI. In March, Salesforce launched the Einstein AI Copilot within its Einstein 1 Platform, designed to leverage healthcare organizations’ unique data within its Health Data Cloud. New capabilities, such as patient services and benefits verification, aim to reduce platform switching, enabling faster approvals and supporting clinicians in real-time patient record updates. Salesforce’s investment in industry-specific AI comes at a time when many healthcare organizations are grappling with the rising costs of technology and labor. At the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum in Boston, leaders echoed the challenges of managing expansive technology footprints while balancing the need for AI-driven transformation. Operational workflows, particularly back-office processes, offer a low-risk area for AI deployment, as noted by Lee Schwamm, chief digital health officer at Yale New Haven Health System. On the Record “Organizations of every size and budget can now easily get started with practical AI tools that were purposefully designed to solve their unique challenges,” said Jeff Amann, executive vice president and general manager of Salesforce Industries. Salesforce’s new AI use case library, featuring more than 100 AI capabilities embedded across 15 industry clouds, underscores the company’s commitment to developing industry-specific solutions. For healthcare, these tools include automated patient matching for clinical trials, AI-generated prescriptions, and pre-visit summaries—helping organizations accelerate time to care and improve clinical outcomes. In addition, a new auto-matching tool for life sciences will assist in identifying eligible clinical trial participants, using both structured and unstructured data to reduce assessment time. These features allow healthcare CIOs to easily deploy AI capabilities designed to address their organization’s unique needs. Looking Ahead Salesforce’s latest AI tools for healthcare represent a significant step in the company’s strategy to bring industry-specific AI to market, with healthcare, life sciences, financial services, and retail among its top priorities. By offering pre-built, customizable solutions, Salesforce is making AI accessible to a broader range of organizations, enabling them to deliver value quickly while navigating the complexities of modern healthcare operations. 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

September 18, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI, Salesforce Development Services, Salesforce Einstein, Salesforce Health and Life Sciences Solutions, Salesforce Optimization

18Sep

Pay Per Chat

Salesforce is launching its AI-powered Agentforce platform across its key clouds, including Sales, Service, Marketing, and Commerce. However, a significant question remains: Will enterprises be willing to pay $2 per conversation for Agentforce, especially without volume discounts? The introduction of Agentforce wasn’t unexpected, as CEO Marc Benioff has been discussing autonomous AI agents since the company’s second-quarter earnings call. Leading up to Dreamforce, Salesforce has consistently emphasized agentic AI, with Benioff previously hinting at the $2 per conversation pricing model. Agentforce is part of Salesforce’s ongoing effort to move beyond generative AI copilots to fully autonomous digital agents that can perform tasks independently. Much of this technology stems from Salesforce’s acquisition of Airkit.ai last year. Additionally, the company’s acquisition of Own highlights a strategic, smaller-scale approach to mergers and acquisitions. The core of Salesforce’s AI vision is a blend of human expertise and AI agents. While humans focus on relationship-building, industry knowledge, and goal-setting, AI agents will handle tasks like answering questions, scheduling meetings, and gathering information. Key features of Agentforce include: Pay Per Chat? Salesforce is unifying its clouds under a single platform, with Data Cloud as the common thread connecting Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Tableau. According to Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller, the real story is the infrastructure behind the agents, which will drive innovation in the future of work by enhancing developer velocity and productivity. At Dreamforce, Salesforce also unveiled Einstein Sales Agents, including a Sales Development Representative (SDR) agent and a Sales Coach, designed to improve sales performance. Salesforce highlighted that agents, unlike traditional bots, are dynamic, outcome-driven, and capable of adapting to various situations. Beyond sales, the Agentforce lineup includes: Agentforce is poised to serve as the connective tissue, unifying Salesforce’s various clouds and driving value with ongoing innovations in Data Cloud and AI. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 18, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Generative AI, Mulesoft

17Sep

Salesforce and IBM Partnership

Salesforce and IBM are advancing their longstanding partnership by focusing on transforming sales and service processes with AI, particularly for organizations in regulated industries that seek to leverage enterprise data for automation. The collaboration aims to deliver pre-built AI agents and tools that integrate seamlessly within customers’ IT environments, enabling them to use their proprietary data while maintaining full control over their systems. By merging Salesforce’s Agentforce, a suite of autonomous agents, with IBM’s watsonx capabilities, the partnership will empower businesses to utilize AI agents within their daily applications. IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate will enhance Agentforce with autonomous agents that improve productivity, security, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, IBM customers will have the ability to interact with these agents via Slack, facilitating dynamic conversational experiences. Planned integrations between Salesforce Data Cloud and IBM Data Gate for watsonx will enable access to business data from IBM Z mainframes and Db2 databases, supporting AI workflows across the Agentforce platform. This integration will enhance data analysis and fuel AI-driven processes. Customers will also benefit from a broader range of AI model and deployment options through integration with IBM watsonx.ai. This will include access to IBM’s Granite foundation models, designed for enterprise applications. Enhancing Business Automation with Tailored Autonomous Agents Through the Agentforce Partner Network, businesses can develop and customize AI agents to interact with various enterprise tools and platforms. These agents are designed to perform multi-step tasks, make decisions based on triggers or interactions, and seek user approval for actions beyond their scope. They will help automate routine tasks, increase efficiency, streamline operations, and enhance customer service. IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate will integrate with Salesforce Agentforce to develop new pre-built agents for specific business challenges. These agents will leverage data and AI from both Salesforce and IBM to address various needs: Expanding Data Integration for AI Salesforce and IBM are also advancing data integration strategies through the Zero Copy integration between Salesforce Data Cloud and watsonx.data. This allows data to remain in place while being utilized for AI use cases, without duplication. Joint customers, particularly in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and telecommunications, will leverage this integration to access and use mainframe datasets from IBM Z and Db2 databases on Salesforce’s platform. IBM will be the first Zero Copy partner to facilitate data flow between IBM Z and Salesforce Cloud, offering secure access to critical enterprise data and enhancing AI agent functionality. With IBM Z handling over 70% of global transaction value, this partnership ensures high standards of security, privacy, and compliance. Improving Efficiency with Slack and IBM watsonx Orchestrate IBM customers will now engage with watsonx Orchestrate agents directly within Slack, supporting AI app experiences with a new interface. This integration allows for seamless interaction with AI agents, automating tasks and enhancing collaboration across systems without leaving Slack. Expanding AI Model and Deployment Options with watsonx.ai A new integration with watsonx.ai will enable customers to deploy customized large language models (LLMs) within Salesforce Model Builder. This includes access to a range of third-party models and IBM’s Granite foundation models, which offer transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements. IBM Granite models are expected to be available within the Salesforce ecosystem by October. Partnering with IBM Consulting for Tailored AI Solutions IBM Consulting will leverage its expertise in Salesforce and AI to help joint customers accelerate the implementation of Agentforce. Through IBM Consulting Advantage, the AI-powered delivery platform, businesses will receive support in selecting, customizing, deploying, and scaling AI agents to meet specific industry needs. Customer Perspective Tectonic is transforming its service stations into preferred journey stops with the help of Salesforce and IBM. The collaboration offers unprecedented flexibility in AI utilization, enabling Tectonic to deliver hyper-personalized services through Agentforce and IBM’s watsonx AI, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 17, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Data, Enterprise, Salesforce, Salesforce Data Cloud

17Sep

Copado Unveils AI Agents

Copado Unveils AI Agents to Automate Key DevOps Tasks for Salesforce Applications Copado has introduced a suite of generative AI agents designed to automate common tasks that DevOps teams frequently encounter when building and deploying applications on Salesforce’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. This announcement comes ahead of the Dreamforce 2024 conference hosted by Salesforce. These AI agents are the result of over a decade of data collection by Copado, according to David Brooks, Copado’s vice president of products. The initial AI agents will focus on code generation and test automation, with future agents tackling user story creation, deployment scripts, and application environment optimization. Unlike AI co-pilot tools that assist with code generation, Copado’s agents will fully automate tasks, Brooks explained. DevOps teams will be able to orchestrate these AI agents to streamline workflows, making best DevOps practices more accessible to a wider range of development teams. As AI continues to reshape DevOps, more tasks will be automated using agentic AI. This approach involves creating AI agents trained on a specific, narrow dataset, ensuring higher accuracy compared to general-purpose large language models (LLMs) that pull data from across the web. While it’s unclear how quickly agentic AI will transform DevOps, Brooks noted that in the future, teams will consist of both human engineers and AI agents assigned to specific tasks. DevOps engineers will still be essential for overseeing the accuracy of these tasks, but many of the repetitive tasks that often lead to burnout will be automated. As the burden of routine work decreases, organizations can expect the pace of code writing and application deployment to significantly accelerate. This could lead to a shift in how DevOps teams approach application backlogs, enabling the deployment of more applications that might have previously been sidelined due to resource constraints. In the interim, Brooks advises DevOps teams to begin identifying which routine tasks can be assigned to AI agents. Doing so will free up human engineers to manage workflows at a scale that was once unimaginable, positioning teams to thrive in the AI-driven future of DevOps. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 17, 2024in Generative AI

17Sep

Gearset Buys Clayton

Gearset, a leader in Salesforce DevOps solutions, announced the acquisition of Clayton, a code analysis platform designed specifically for Salesforce. This strategic acquisition is Gearset’s first following years of rapid growth, driven by a $55 million growth investment from Silversmith Capital Partners. During that time, Gearset has launched several products and upgrades, reaching the milestone of surpassing 2,500 customers — four times more than any other Salesforce DevOps vendor. Clayton has a major approach to Salesforce DevSecOps: identify anti-patterns and vulnerabilities early during development and remediate recurring issues with automated code corrections. Clayton helped find and correct thousands of vulnerabilities in some of the world’s largest Salesforce organizations. The integration of Clayton’s technology into Gearset’s DevOps suite will enable Salesforce teams to quickly build secure and well-architected applications. This will underline Gearset’s commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions that optimize the entire DevOps lifecycle, from code quality to secure deployments. For the immediate term, Clayton will continue operating under its brand within the Gearset family, ensuring uninterrupted service for existing users. And as the integration of teams and technologies progresses, customers can expect a unified platform that delivers an even more powerful suite of tools to drive Salesforce DevOps success. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. KEY QUOTES: “Salesforce development teams today need more than just speed — they need confidence in the quality and security of their code as they scale. The acquisition of Clayton allows us to address this need head-on by offering our customers advanced code analysis tools that streamline the development process and improve code quality from the ground up. Clayton’s deep expertise in this area aligns perfectly with our mission to empower teams with the most robust, reliable solutions available, ensuring our customers can focus on innovation for their business, while Gearset takes care of the heavy lifting in DevOps.” -Kevin Boyle, CEO at Gearset “We started Clayton with a true passion: making it easy for teams to write secure, high-quality business apps on Salesforce. We are thrilled to join Gearset. They have built a fantastic DevOps platform that customers love. Together, we can make modern DevSecOps accessible to many more Salesforce teams, making it easier to build secure, well-architected applications at scale.” -Lorenzo Frattini, founder and CEO at Clayton Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 17, 2024in Technology

17Sep

Salesforce has launched Industries AI

Salesforce has launched Industries AI, a comprehensive suite of AI tools tailored for specific industries, including government and related public-sector fields. This initiative integrates AI use case libraries into Salesforce’s 15 industry clouds, covering sectors such as public sector, energy and utilities, healthcare, education, and communications. Kristin Ruiz, Deputy CIO of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, praised the partnership with Salesforce, noting the potential for AI to enhance passenger experiences by providing faster, more intuitive access to information. She emphasized the importance of using AI responsibly to improve security efficiency and safeguard the nation’s transportation system from emerging threats. The initial rollout of Industries AI focuses on three use cases within the public-sector cloud: These tools are scheduled for release in October. Additionally, Industries AI features tools designed to help utilities explain billing changes, streamline college recruitment, and summarize nonprofit program participant case histories. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

September 17, 2024in Salesforce

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