Sales Archives - gettectonic.com

17May

Sales Prospecting Tools

The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting Tools Sales prospecting tools: Two men examining a touchscreen displaying dashboards and charts. With the right tools, you can spend more time building relationships that convert prospects into loyal customers. Learn how technology can help you identify and engage the right prospects more efficiently. Selling has become more challenging, with 69% of sales professionals agreeing that their jobs are harder now. That’s why sales prospecting tools are crucial—they streamline the process, making it faster and more accurate. When equipped with the right tools, you can focus more on nurturing customer relationships, turning prospects into long-term clients. In this guide, we’ll explore what sales prospecting tools are, key features to look for, and the biggest benefits they provide. What Are Sales Prospecting Tools? Sales prospecting tools are software solutions designed to help sales teams identify, engage, and convert potential customers. These tools enhance the sales prospecting process, enabling sales reps to quickly and effectively reach new buyers. They often integrate with existing platforms, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and email marketing systems, to optimize outreach and engagement. Typically, prospecting tools focus on outbound marketing, helping sales reps connect with potential customers who may not yet be familiar with the company or product. Types of Sales Prospecting Tools Selecting the right sales prospecting tool depends on your current prospecting methods and future goals. Below are the most common categories of prospecting tools: Lead Generation Tools Lead generation tools help sales teams identify prospects who are ready to purchase. These tools streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and flag potential buyers based on their online activity. For example, they might alert a rep when a prospect searches for solutions related to your product or service. Some lead generation tools also enable mass outreach, such as power dialers that allow sales reps to call multiple prospects simultaneously. Choosing the right lead generation tool depends on how your target customers prefer to engage. For instance, if you have better results from social media interactions than phone calls, a power dialer may not be the best fit. Evaluate your analytics and future goals to determine which tool will maximize your success. CRM Software CRM software manages all customer and prospect interactions across sales, service, marketing, and more. Acting as a single source of truth, CRM platforms centralize all sales activity in one location, allowing leaders to assign prospects and track progress more effectively. With AI-powered features, CRM tools can guide reps on the next best steps and personalize workflows, improving conversion rates. CRMs also provide critical insights for targeting prospects more likely to convert. Social Media Prospecting Tools Social media has become a powerful channel for sales prospecting. Specialized tools scrape social platforms for data to help sales reps identify prospects ready for outreach. For instance, they can track user activity related to the business problem your product solves and notify reps when users engage with relevant content. The integration of AI in social media prospecting tools has further boosted their effectiveness. As AI continues to evolve, expect more sophisticated features in this space. Why Are Sales Prospecting Tools Important? In today’s competitive market, your prospects are also being contacted by your competitors—most of whom are using advanced sales prospecting tools. If you’re not using similar tools, you risk falling behind. Sales prospecting tools help level the playing field by streamlining research and outreach, allowing reps to connect with the right prospects at the right time. However, these tools must be used strategically. Simply contacting more people won’t guarantee more sales. Personalization and targeting remain key. Using the insights provided by these tools, sales reps can tailor their messages and approaches, making each outreach effort more effective. Benefits of Using Sales Prospecting Tools When fully integrated into your sales processes, prospecting tools can deliver substantial benefits, including: Key Features to Look for in Sales Prospecting Tools To ensure your sales prospecting tool adds value to your business, consider the following features: Compliance Keeping up with constantly changing rules around prospecting—especially across different channels—can be daunting. A good prospecting tool automates compliance, ensuring your emails, calls, and social media outreach meet best practices and regulations. Ease of Use Your prospecting tool should simplify your workflow, not complicate it. Look for intuitive interfaces and tools that can automate repetitive tasks, such as dialing multiple numbers or sending emails in bulk. AI-Powered Analytics Tools with AI capabilities can generate valuable insights, such as identifying the best time to call a prospect or suggesting which channel is most likely to yield a response. System Integration Your prospecting tool should seamlessly integrate with existing systems, such as CRMs and marketing automation platforms, to ensure data flows smoothly and insights are actionable across your entire workflow. Customizable and Scalable Your sales process is unique to your business. Opt for customizable and scalable tools that can adapt as your needs change, ensuring you get maximum ROI from your investment. Make Prospecting Work for Your Business Without the right tools, your team is at a disadvantage compared to competitors using advanced sales prospecting technologies. Finding a tool with the right features and customizing it for your specific needs—such as pricing structures and campaign strategies—can empower your team to prospect more efficiently, yielding better results in less time. Content updated October 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more 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

May 17, 2024in Data, Marketing Automation, Technology

17May

AI Design Beyond the Chatbot

As AI continues to advance, designers, builders, and creators are confronted with profound questions about the future of applications and how users will engage with digital experiences. AI Design Beyond the Chatbot. Generative AI has opened up vast possibilities, empowering people to utilize AI for tasks such as writing articles, generating marketing materials, building teaching assistants, and summarizing data. However, alongside its benefits, there are challenges. Sometimes, generative AI produces unexpected or biased responses, a phenomenon known as hallucination. In response, approaches like retrieval augmented generation (RAG) have emerged as effective solutions. RAG leverages a vector database, like SingleStore, to retrieve relevant information and provide users with contextually accurate responses. AI Design Beyond the Chatbot Looking ahead, the evolution of AI may lead to a future where users interact with a central LLM operating system, fostering more personalized and ephemeral experiences. Concepts like Mercury OS offer glimpses into this potential future. Moreover, we anticipate the rise of multimodal experiences, including voice and gesture interfaces, making technology more ubiquitous in our lives. Imran Chaudhri’s demonstration of a screen-less future, where humans interact with computers through natural language, exemplifies this trend. However, amidst these exciting prospects, the current state of AI integration in businesses varies. While some are exploring innovative ways to leverage AI, others may simply add AI chat interfaces without considering contextual integration. To harness AI effectively, it’s crucial to identify the right use cases and prioritize user value. AI should enhance experiences by reducing task time, simplifying tasks, or personalizing experiences. Providing contextual assistance is another key aspect. AI models can offer tailored suggestions and recommendations based on user context, enriching the user experience. Notion and Coda exemplify this by seamlessly integrating AI recommendations into user workflows. Furthermore, optimizing for creativity and control ensures users feel empowered in creation experiences. Tools like Adobe Firefly strike a balance between providing creative freedom and offering control over generated content. Building good prompts is essential for obtaining quality results from AI models. Educating users on how to construct effective prompts and managing expectations regarding AI limitations are critical considerations. Ultimately, as AI becomes more integrated into daily workflows, it’s vital to ensure seamless integration into user experiences. Responsible AI design requires ongoing dialogue and exploration to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape effectively. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more 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

May 17, 2024in Generative AI, Salesforce Einstein

16May

AI Agents and Open APIs

How AI Agents and Open APIs Are Unlocking New Rebundling Opportunities While much of the 2023-24 excitement surrounding AI has focused on the capabilities of foundational models, the true potential of AI lies in reconfiguring value creation across vertical value chains, not just generating average marketing content. The Vertical AI Opportunity Most AI hype has centered on horizontal B2C applications, but the real transformative power of AI is in vertical B2B industries. This article delves into the opportunities within vertical AI and explores how companies can excel in this emerging space. Short-Term and Long-Term Strategies in Vertical AI In the short term, many vertical AI players focus on developing proprietary, fine-tuned models and user experiences to gain a competitive advantage. These niche models, trained on domain-specific data, often outperform larger foundational models in latency, accuracy, and cost. As models become more fine-tuned, changes in user experience (UX) must integrate these benefits into daily workflows, creating a flywheel effect. Vertical AI companies tend to operate as full-stack providers, integrating interfaces, proprietary models, and proprietary data. This level of integration enhances their defensibility because owning the user interface allows them to continually collect and refine data, improving the model. While this approach is effective in the short term, vertical AI players must consider the broader ecosystem to ensure long-term success. The Shift from Vertical to Horizontal Though vertical AI solutions may dominate in specific niches, long-term success requires moving beyond isolated verticals. Users ultimately prefer unified experiences that minimize switching between multiple platforms. To stay competitive in the long run, vertical AI players will need to evolve into horizontal solutions that integrate across broader ecosystems. Vertical Strategies and AI-Driven Rebundling Looking at the success of vertical SaaS over the last decade provides insight into the future of vertical AI. Companies like Square, Toast, and ServiceTitan have grown by first gaining adoption in a focused use case, then rapidly expanding by rebundling adjacent capabilities. This “rebundling” process—consolidating multiple unbundled capabilities into a comprehensive, customer-centric offering—helps vertical players establish themselves as the hub. The same principle applies to vertical AI, where the end game involves going vertical to later expand horizontally. AI’s Role in Rebundling The key to long-term competitive advantage in vertical AI lies not just in addressing a single pain point but in using AI agents to rebundle workflows. AI agents serve as a new hub for rebundling, enabling vertical AI players to integrate and coordinate diverse workflows across their solutions. Rebundling Workflows with AI Business workflows are often fragmented, spread across siloed software systems. Managers currently bundle these workflows together to meet business goals by coordinating across silos. But with advances in technology, B2B workflows are being transformed by increasing interoperability and the rise of AI agents. The Rebundling Power of AI Agents Unlike traditional software that automates specific tasks, AI agents focus on achieving broader goals. This enables them to take over the goal-seeking functions traditionally managed by humans, effectively unbundling goals from specific roles and establishing a new locus for rebundling. Vertical AI Players: Winners and Losers The effectiveness of vertical AI players will depend on the sophistication of their AI agents and the level of interoperability with third-party resources. Industries that offer high interoperability and sophisticated AI agents present the most significant opportunities for value creation. The End Game: From Vertical to Horizontal Ultimately, the goal for vertical AI players is to leverage their vertical advantage to develop a horizontal hub position. By using AI agents to rebundle workflows and integrate adjacent capabilities, vertical AI companies can transition from niche providers to central players in the broader ecosystem. This path—going vertical first to then expand horizontally—will define the winners in the AI-driven future of business transformation. 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

May 16, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Technology

16May

Mastercard Salesforce Integration Announced

As consumers seek easier and safer shopping experiences, Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) today announced a new integration to enhance trust across the ecosystem, helping customers speed up the resolution of transaction disputes, and reduce costs associated with resolving them. Mastercard Salesforce Integration. Disputes and chargebacks, where a consumer notices a transaction they don’t recognise and requests a chargeback from their bank, represent a significant challenge to the entire payments industry. Projections suggest that by 2026 there could be 337 million chargebacks annually, an increase of 42% from 2023 levels1. The integration will streamline the way issuers, like banks and other financial institutions, view and manage transaction data, such as disputes and decisions. It will enable a quicker, more efficient and transparent response to dispute inquiries. The partnership will integrate Salesforce’s Financial Services Cloud (FSC) with Mastercard’s dispute resolution services, providing a powerful one-stop-shop for intake, managing disputes, reporting and preventing chargebacks. Mastercard’s services include Ethoca Alerts, which provides near real-time notifications when a financial institution raises a chargeback and Ethoca Consumer Clarity, enabling the provision of rich merchant and purchase insights to issuer back-office teams. The data from these services is now being fed into FSC so that every bank agent and team member working on a dispute has more visibility from start to finish and delivers the best customer experience. FSC is powered by the Einstein 1 Platform, which unifies customer relationship management (CRM), AI, merchant and consumer data, development and security capabilities into a single, comprehensive platform. Johan Gerber, Executive Vice President, Security and Cyber Innovation at Mastercard said: “Technology is helping to speed up and improve the checkout experience, especially when shopping online. However, every disputed transaction can create stress for the consumer as well as resource pressures and increased costs for merchants and financial institutions. Through this partnership, we are adding to the tools that make it easier and faster for banks and merchants to resolve disputes, further enhancing trust in the ways they choose to pay.” Eran Agrios, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Financial Services at Salesforce said: “Our partnership with Mastercard is a testament to our shared vision of using trusted data and innovative technology to streamline processes and deliver great customer experiences through the Einstein 1 Platform. Together with the Mastercard team, we’re reimagining the entire transaction dispute process, bringing together the power of Salesforce’s CRM, data, and AI with Mastercard’s dispute resolution, to deliver an end-to-end solution that will benefit both our joint customers.” Availability The integration is available today for Salesforce FSC customers. More information about the Transactions Dispute Management offering is available on salesforce.com. Information on Mastercard’s Ethoca solutions is available on ethoca.com. 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

May 16, 2024in Einstein 1 Platform, Salesforce, Salesforce Einstein, Salesforce Optimization

14May

MuleSoft and Healthcare

Driving Innovation in Healthcare Through Data Interoperability Healthcare organizations are navigating an unprecedented surge in patient data, which is critical for communication, research, and management. This data plays a pivotal role in modernizing healthcare and improving outcomes, particularly with the shift toward a Value-Based Care Model. However, 81% of IT leaders report that much of this data remains trapped in silos, hindering innovation and negatively impacting patient satisfaction. The Importance of Interoperability in Healthcare Improving Patient Outcomes and Managing RiskLeading healthcare organizations understand that achieving interoperability—seamless data exchange across clinical and non-clinical systems—is vital. Beyond supporting Value-Based Care, interoperability drives patient satisfaction, loyalty, and cost-efficiency. By enabling accurate data sharing, healthcare providers can: Interoperability also supports proactive preventative care, reducing long-term healthcare costs and boosting life expectancy. Regulatory Mandates: The Interoperability and Patient Access Final RuleSince May 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have mandated interoperability through the Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule. This legislation holds U.S. healthcare providers accountable for: Non-compliance can result in significant fines and public reporting of violations, further emphasizing the criticality of achieving interoperability. The Challenge of ImplementationDespite its clear benefits—improved patient outcomes, compliance, and cost savings—achieving interoperability poses challenges. Technological complexities and siloed data structures hinder seamless integration. This is where MuleSoft, a Salesforce company, provides a powerful solution. How MuleSoft Enables Interoperability in Healthcare Breaking Down Silos with API-Led IntegrationMuleSoft is a trusted partner for leading healthcare organizations, offering secure, scalable solutions to eliminate data silos. Recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for iPaaS, MuleSoft empowers providers with its HIPAA-compliant Anypoint Platform, facilitating interoperability through API-led integration. Key Features and Benefits Transforming Healthcare with MuleSoft The digital transformation of healthcare is accelerating, driven by evolving regulations, patient expectations, and a dynamic global environment. MuleSoft stands at the forefront of this shift, empowering healthcare organizations to: By partnering with MuleSoft, healthcare organizations can embrace innovation and build healthier connections—one integration at a time. Contact Tectonic today to get started. 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

May 14, 2024in Data, Mulesoft, Salesforce

13May

Public Sector Approval Process Queue

Share the workload effectively by establishing queues in Public Sector Solutions to enable reviewers to access ready-to-process applications. This involves creating queues with assigned members based on user roles, such as a queue for application reviewers managing initial approval steps. Multiple queues, like those for compliance officers handling onsite inspections, can be created. During the approval process, the queue takes ownership of the application record, allowing any member to advance the approval steps. In Salesforce, a public sector approval process queue allows multiple approvers to manage a backlog of applications. The queue owns the application record during the approval process, and any member of the queue can take action to complete a step. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a queue: To enhance communication, create an email template and enable email approval responses in Setup’s Process Automation Settings. Now, your reps can efficiently manage activities through the Cadences tab, where details and targets for each cadence are visible. Cadences in Salesforce guide reps through prospecting steps, streamlining outreach and ensuring timely logging of activities. To create a branched cadence for varied outreach based on call or email outcomes, utilize the Cadence Builder. This tool enables the addition of email, call, wait periods, or custom steps. Branching is achieved through call or listener branch steps, ensuring tailored outreach steps based on outcomes. Finally, Salesforce users can activate cadences after creation, and both reps and managers can add prospects directly from lead, contact, or person account detail pages. The Sales Engagements component on these pages enhances visibility, allowing reps to act on the next sales step conveniently. In summary, Salesforce’s Cadence Builder Classic streamlines prospecting and opportunity nurturing, while queues optimize workload distribution in Public Sector Solutions. Effective use of cadences and queues contributes to a well-organized and responsive sales process. 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

May 13, 2024in Public Sector Solutions

13May

Why Education Cloud

Salesforce Education Cloud is a comprehensive solution designed for higher education institutions, offering powerful tools to manage every aspect of the student lifecycle—from recruitment and admissions to student success and alumni engagement. However, to fully maximize the benefits of Salesforce Education Cloud, institutions need a partner that understands the unique challenges and needs of higher education. Our team specializes in implementing Salesforce Education Cloud, ensuring that your institution has the right tools to drive success at every stage of the student journey. Student 360 Customization We can help tailor Salesforce’s Student 360 to fit your institution’s specific needs, providing a unified, comprehensive view of each student. By integrating all your data sources seamlessly, we empower your staff with actionable insights that enhance student success and support. Customized Solutions for Your Institution Our Tectonic team focuses on delivering custom configurations aligned with your institution’s unique processes and goals. This tailored approach ensures you have the precise tools needed to support and optimize every stage of the student lifecycle. Continuous Optimization As your institution evolves, so should your Salesforce Education Cloud solution. We’re committed to helping your system grow with you, optimizing it to meet changing demands and driving ongoing success and improvement. AI and Automation to Streamline Processes From automating admissions workflows to using predictive analytics for student retention, Salesforce’s AI and automation features keep your institution ahead of the curve. We collaborate closely with your team to streamline repetitive tasks, set up AI-driven insights, and ensure your staff can leverage these tools to improve efficiency and make data-informed decisions. Alumni Engagement and Fundraising Salesforce Education Cloud offers advanced tools to foster alumni relationships and manage donor relations. We help you customize these tools to segment alumni databases, execute targeted outreach campaigns, and strengthen fundraising efforts, ensuring lasting engagement with graduates. By partnering with Tectonic, your institution will harness the full potential of Salesforce Education Cloud, driving student success and strengthening alumni connections for the long term. Content updated August 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more 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

May 13, 2024in Salesforce Education Cloud

10May

Salesforce and Loop

Loop, the premier returns and reverse logistics platform, has extended its acclaimed returns management software to merchants using Salesforce Commerce Cloud, marking a significant expansion beyond Shopify’s realm. This integration offers enterprise merchants on Salesforce Commerce Cloud access to Loop’s renowned returns management solution, effectively easing the complexities associated with customer returns. Merchants leveraging Salesforce Commerce Cloud will now have the advantage of Loop’s user-friendly returns management software, facilitating streamlined reverse logistics processes. This integration aims to bolster profit margins by reducing the costs associated with returns and providing customers with a modern, exchange-centric returns experience. Key benefits for merchants include: Jonathan Poma, CEO of Loop, expressed enthusiasm about extending Loop’s acclaimed returns solution to Salesforce Commerce Cloud merchants, citing the increasing demand from brands outside the Shopify ecosystem. He highlighted Loop’s commitment to delivering a seamless experience characterized by ease of use, operational efficiency, and cost savings. Loop’s integration with Salesforce Commerce Cloud enables merchants to effortlessly manage item exchanges, synchronize order data, automate returns processes, leverage analytics for continuous improvement, and more. Merchants operating on Salesforce Commerce Cloud can explore early adoption opportunities by scheduling a demo with Loop’s team. Loop will also be present at Salesforce Connections 2024 in Chicago, inviting interested parties to schedule meetings to discover how Loop can streamline reverse logistics processes and reduce costs associated with returns. About Loop: Loop is a leading post-purchase platform specializing in returns, exchanges, and reverse logistics for over 3,500 renowned brands worldwide. With innovative features like Workflows, Instant Exchanges, Shop Now, and Bonus Credit, Loop empowers brands to unlock cost savings, enhance customer lifetime value, and retain more revenue. Having processed over 40 million returns to date, Loop continues to redefine post-purchase experiences. Learn more at www.loopreturns.com. 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

May 10, 2024in Salesforce Commerce Cloud

09May

MuleSoft Certifications Now Unified with Salesforce Certifications

MuleSoft Certifications Now Unified with Salesforce Certifications As of May 6, 2024, MuleSoft certifications have been officially integrated into the Salesforce Certification program, with management now handled through Webassessor. This move simplifies the certification process, enabling professionals to manage both their Salesforce and MuleSoft credentials within a single platform, streamlining maintenance and tracking. This article delves into the merging of MuleSoft certifications with Salesforce’s Trailhead platform, highlighting what this means for professionals in both ecosystems. The update offers a significant improvement in managing certifications, particularly for those working across both platforms, as Salesforce has owned MuleSoft since 2018. We’ll cover what this change entails for current certification holders, key dates in the transition, and the new opportunities this unified platform brings—including new certifications. What is MuleSoft? MuleSoft is a leading integration platform that enables businesses to connect applications, data, and devices seamlessly. As an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), MuleSoft facilitates the integration of cloud-based and on-premise applications, ensuring smooth workflows across various systems. Acquired by Salesforce in 2018, MuleSoft powers the integration layer of the Salesforce ecosystem, playing a crucial role in enabling businesses to unify their systems and create connected experiences. With the increasing demand for digital transformation and connected systems, MuleSoft expertise is becoming ever more valuable in the job market. MuleSoft Certifications and Training MuleSoft certifications validate expertise in designing, building, and managing integrations using the Anypoint Platform. Prior to this transition, MuleSoft certifications were handled through the MuleSoft Training portal, which was separate from Salesforce’s broader certification system. While this independent platform was functional, it required separate accounts and processes, making exam registration and certification management more cumbersome. By integrating MuleSoft certifications into Trailhead, Salesforce has simplified this process, offering a unified, more user-friendly experience for managing certifications. Transition Timeline The following key dates marked the transition: What This Means for Current MuleSoft Certification Holders For those already certified through MuleSoft, the migration to Salesforce’s certification system should have occurred automatically. MuleSoft credentials were transferred to their Trailblazer profiles for anyone with existing Webassessor accounts. A confirmation email was sent to ensure that the transition was successful. For those without a Webassessor account, one was created on their behalf, with login details provided via email by April 2024. Certification Maintenance MuleSoft certification holders with maintenance pending as of January 1, 2024, are not required to complete additional tasks through the old system. The expectation is that certification holders will have ample time to familiarize themselves with the new Trailhead process before maintenance requirements are introduced in 2025. New Certifications on Trailhead With the migration, certifications such as the MuleSoft Certified Catalyst Specialist and MuleSoft Certified Hyperautomation Specialist have also been integrated into Trailhead. Though not entirely new, these certifications were part of the legacy MuleSoft program, originally launched in late 2022 and early 2023. Summary The integration of MuleSoft certifications into Salesforce’s Trailhead platform marks a significant step towards a unified, more efficient credentialing process. This transition simplifies certification management, making it easier for professionals to stay current across both platforms. By merging these certifications, Salesforce is empowering professionals to fully leverage the combined capabilities of Salesforce and MuleSoft, further enhancing their skill sets in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. Content updated September 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more 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

May 9, 2024in Data, Mulesoft, Salesforce

08May

Salesforce-Powered Nonprofit Events

Salesforce has cemented its position as the #1 CRM, becoming an essential tool for businesses improving their marketing, sales, and support processes. But there’s another powerful feature you should explore: managing events directly within Salesforce. Salesforce’s versatility allows you to organize a successful event of any size, whether it’s online, offline, or a hybrid meeting. However, like any business endeavor, a well-thought-out strategy is crucial to ensure your event planning turns into a major success. In this insight, you’ll learn how events contribute to a business’s lifecycle, how to manage them effectively, and the essential tools you’ll need for successful event management in Salesforce. The Role of Events in Nonprofits If your company hasn’t yet ventured into event organization, it’s time to reconsider. Events are a great way to fuel engagement, foster data-driven decisions, and build a thriving community. On a larger scale, event planning offers a range of business benefits, including: Common Event Management Challenges Even with the best intentions, event planning comes with challenges that can derail your efforts if not addressed. Let’s review some common challenges and how Salesforce can help: How Salesforce Elevates Event Management Salesforce brings significant advantages to event planning, offering: Your Salesforce Event Planning Checklist To ensure your event management with Salesforce is effective, follow this simple checklist: Our Thoughts Building a robust event management process with Salesforce is not only a logical choice but a strategic one. It ensures smooth event execution, supports business growth, and boosts your brand’s equity. By leveraging the right tools, such as Salesforce, your event planning process becomes more efficient, data-driven, and ultimately more successful. For expert support in managing Salesforce-powered events, consider reaching out to a partner like Tectonic to guide you through the process. 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

May 8, 2024in Salesforce Einstein, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Salesforce for Nonprofits, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

07May

AI Data Foundation

In the era of AI, the Data Foundation is crucial for empowering AI-driven customer experiences. Data Cloud emerges as a unifying force, seamlessly integrating data to fuel transformative AI encounters and elevate customer-centricity. Beyond mere data management, Data Cloud represents a significant advancement, enabling profound insights by harmonizing diverse data sources with CRM data from the Salesforce platform. This convergence facilitates the unlocking of actionable insights critical for informed decision-making. In a strategic collaboration, Salesforce and AWS extend their partnership to enhance AI capabilities. AWS AI services are integrated into Salesforce’s Einstein Trust Layer, empowering Data Cloud with seamless access to AWS data services and compute resources. Additionally, Data Cloud and other Salesforce offerings are now accessible through the AWS Marketplace, streamlining procurement processes. This insight explores how Data Cloud unifies vast and varied business data with CRM data from the Salesforce Einstein Platform. It serves as a robust foundation for AI-powered customer experiences, providing businesses with unprecedented insights into their data universe. With Data Cloud, businesses can seamlessly combine CRM data with diverse sources, including transactional data, IoT device data, and social media interactions. This consolidation fosters a single source of truth, enhancing decision-making and the relevance of AI models. Unlike traditional approaches that involve laborious data movement, Data Cloud operates on AWS infrastructure, enabling seamless data connectivity and preparation without the need for ETL processes. Leveraging Apache Iceberg and Salesforce’s contributions, Data Cloud ensures data consistency, flexibility, and interoperability, essential for AI-driven insights. Moreover, Data Graphs offer a novel approach to assemble and rapidly access data collections from disparate sources, facilitating grounded AI experiences. Through Model Builder and Einstein Copilot Studio, businesses can seamlessly access Data Cloud data in Amazon SageMaker for custom AI model creation without ETL overheads. This partnership between Salesforce and AWS represents a paradigm shift in data management and AI integration. By combining Salesforce’s customer-centric approach with AWS’s scalable infrastructure, Data Cloud empowers businesses to harness AI as a practical tool for growth and innovation in the digital era. 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

May 7, 2024in Data, Einstein 1 Platform, Salesforce, Salesforce Einstein

06May

Outcome Based Selling

Unleash the Power of Outcome Based Selling: Focus on Future Outcomes, Not Just Products Outcome-based selling is akin to painting a vision of the future for your customers. It involves understanding their goals deeply and presenting your offering as the means to help them achieve those objectives. It’s a bit like asking the customer not what they expect the purchase to cost, but how much it is worth, so they cannot afford not to close the deal. Getting to the core of your customers’ desires requires more than just asking about their business goals. It involves delving deeper into their aspirations and challenges. This is where outcome-based methods of selling comes into play, enabling you to guide buyers towards envisioning a brighter future. Outcome-based selling is a sales strategy that centers on understanding a customer’s needs and desired outcomes. It prioritizes presenting your product or service as the key to achieving those outcomes, rather than merely focusing on its features and immediate benefits. Unlike traditional product-based selling, which emphasizes unique specifications, outcome-based selling revolves around demonstrating how your offering can contribute to the customer’s long-term success. How is outcome-based selling different from solution selling? While both approaches aim to address customer goals and pain points, outcome-based selling goes beyond solving a specific problem. Instead, it focuses on illustrating how your product or service can help customers achieve their broader business objectives. Solution selling, on the other hand, often involves addressing a specific challenge without necessarily considering the larger context of the customer’s goals. Why is outcome-based selling important, and what are the benefits? Outcome-based selling fosters trust and credibility by aligning your offerings with customer goals. This trust is crucial in today’s sales environment, where buyers expect sales reps to act as trusted advisors. When customers perceive you as a partner invested in their success, it increases the likelihood of closing deals and opens doors for upselling opportunities and referrals. Some key benefits of outcome-based selling include: Increased deal value: By focusing on customer outcomes, you may uncover additional selling opportunities that add value to the deal. Accelerated sales velocity: Prioritizing outcomes encourages buyers to provide critical information early in the sales process, speeding up deal progression. Long-term relationships: Demonstrating commitment to customer success builds trust and lays the foundation for future sales opportunities and referrals. Challenges of outcome-based selling Despite its benefits, outcome-based selling poses several challenges: Longer time commitment: Understanding customer goals requires in-depth discussions and may involve multiple meetings, making it a time-intensive process. Rep training: Shifting from a product-focused to an outcome-oriented mindset may require additional training and resources for sales reps to adapt successfully. Implementing outcome-based selling: A practical example Let’s walk through a hypothetical sales scenario involving La Familia Panaderia, a local bakery: Understanding the problem: Through open-ended questions, uncover Daniela Lopez’s concerns, such as payroll accuracy and comfort with new technology. Offering a solution: Highlight how your accounting software addresses Daniela’s needs, such as automating payroll and providing user-friendly features. Closing the deal: Present your software as the solution that fulfills Daniela’s desired outcomes, reassuring her with a demonstration and support resources. Tips for successful selling with an outcome-based focus Be a trusted advisor: Approach customer conversations with a consultative mindset, focusing on how you can help them achieve their goals. A subject matter expert provides advice in the customer’s best interest, not just the seller’s. Ask the right questions: Use open-ended questions to uncover customer pain points and desired outcomes, actively listening for opportunities to delve deeper. Articulate value: Clearly communicate how your product or service contributes to the buyer’s desired outcomes, backed by case studies and data. It is really about a method of selling that hinges on putting the customer first and guiding them towards achieving their goals. While it requires patience and understanding, the long-term benefits of building trust and fostering lasting relationships make it a worthwhile approach for sales professionals. 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 Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

May 6, 2024in Salesforce Sales Cloud

06May

Salesforce Unified Knowledge

Salesforce Introduces Unified Knowledge: Empowering Service Excellence with Integrated Organizational Insights Salesforce has unveiled Unified Knowledge, a groundbreaking solution designed to integrate organizational knowledge from diverse third-party systems directly into Salesforce. This innovation aims to enhance the efficiency of service agents, enabling them to resolve customer cases more swiftly and effectively. Unified Knowledge, coupled with customer data from Salesforce Data Cloud, leverages this aggregated knowledge to generate precise and personalized AI-driven content. This capability ensures faster and more tailored customer experiences. Why It Matters In today’s service landscape, 79% of organizations are investing in AI to bolster their support capabilities. However, 76% of executives face challenges in scaling AI effectively due to fragmented systems and isolated data sources. Enhancing Service with AI: Einstein for Service Built on the Einstein Trust Layer, Einstein for Service harnesses AI to elevate service team productivity and enhance customer experiences. Historically, this capability has relied on structured and unstructured customer data within Data Cloud. Unified Knowledge: Integrating Comprehensive Data Sources Unified Knowledge enriches AI models by incorporating Salesforce knowledge articles and information from external platforms such as SharePoint, Confluence, Google Drive, and corporate websites. This holistic data foundation empowers Einstein for Service with robust generative AI capabilities, ensuring agents and AI assistants deliver timely and accurate solutions. Strategic Partnership with Zoomin Powered by a strategic collaboration with Zoomin, Unified Knowledge amplifies service capabilities through: Expansion Across Salesforce Ecosystem Unified Knowledge extends beyond Service Cloud to integrate seamlessly with Salesforce Field Service, Sales Cloud, Health Cloud, and Financial Services Cloud, ensuring comprehensive data utilization across various operational domains. Salesforce Perspective “In service, enhanced knowledge and context lead to superior outcomes for both agents and customers. Unified Knowledge complements Data Cloud’s customer insights by integrating external organizational data, facilitating widespread adoption of generative AI and enabling faster, more meaningful customer engagements.” – Kishan Chetan, EVP and GM, Service Cloud Customer Reaction “Unified Knowledge enables us to deliver proactive, predictive, and preventive service to our customers. By unifying our extensive resources through a single system, our agents can swiftly provide solutions, ensuring consistent service delivery and boosting organizational productivity.” – Dharam Rai, VP, Global Customer Success & Experience, Sonos Availability Unified Knowledge is available in open beta today for Salesforce customers using Service Cloud Unlimited Edition, Einstein 1 Service Edition, or the Knowledge Add-On. Knowledge Answers in Bots will be generally available in June 2024, while Einstein Copilot for Mobile Workers and Search Answers are available now. This strategic initiative underscores Salesforce’s commitment to enhancing service excellence through integrated, AI-driven solutions that empower organizations to deliver exceptional customer experiences. 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

May 6, 2024in Generative AI, Salesforce Data Cloud, Unified Knowledge

04May

Discover Service Capabilities with My Service Journey (Beta)

Discover Service Capabilities with My Service Journey Take your Service Cloud implementation from good to great with My Service Journey. Get the Salesforce point of view on achieving your business goals in various Service areas, such as the Help Site or Agent Console. With My Service Journey, you can explore Service Cloud capabilities tailored to your business goals, edition, new features, Einstein functionalities, and more. Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise and Unlimited editions. NOTE: This feature is a Beta Service. Customers may opt to try this Beta Service at their discretion. Any use of the Beta Service is subject to the applicable Beta Services Terms provided at Agreements and Terms. How: Launch My Service Journey from the App Launcher. Every day, your customers interact with your brand across multiple channels, forming service journeys that shape opinions, loyalty, and future purchase intent. My Service Journey details the full feature set of Service Cloud, helping you quickly determine how Salesforce can further your business goals. Accessible to all users, My Service Journey lists cloud functionalities, referred to as capabilities. Available in the App Launcher, My Service Journey filters capabilities by the business area most relevant to you, the ones available in your Salesforce edition, or the newest ones. You can also identify Quick Wins—capabilities with no or low implementation barriers—to get started right away. If you find a relevant capability, you can save it or share it with team members. If you discover a capability you need but don’t have access to, reach out to Salesforce account executives directly in My Service Journey. Einstein for Feedback Management Get Insightful Perspectives from Summaries of Survey Responses Unlock a comprehensive understanding of your survey data with generative AI summarizing responses and providing nuanced insights. Use data maps to create or update records with these summaries, which offer a thorough grasp of your audience’s perspectives. For example, you can create summaries of responses from your customer base, partners, and prospects. These summaries are tailored to the survey question types, providing a comprehensive overview of audience insights. Get Deeper Insights from Survey Responses Access the comprehensive Natural Language Processing Insights dashboard for a detailed analysis of survey results based on sentiments, extracted entities, and key phrases. Use this analysis to assess trends and monitor frequently appearing key phrases and entities in survey responses. 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

May 4, 2024in Generative AI

04May

Slack Fuels Productivity

In today’s fast-paced marketing landscape, organizations are navigating a dynamic environment characterized by automation, advanced technology tools, and readily available data. These resources enable businesses to gain deeper insights into customer needs and engage with them effectively across various touchpoints. However, technological advancements, coupled with increasing acquisition costs, necessitate a reimagining of interactions both internally and with customers throughout the buyer journey. Slack Fuels Productivity of marketers worldwide. This insight addresses how. Enterprises leverage Slack to streamline their marketing efforts and accelerate time-to-market. By harnessing the power of Slack, Salesforce marketers enhance productivity and collaboration within their teams. According to Salesforce’s State of Marketing report, 90% of CMOs emphasize the importance of ongoing innovation to maintain competitiveness in the market. Slack empowers marketers in several ways: At Salesforce, marketing is a collaborative effort involving creative leads, field marketing managers, product marketers, and campaign specialists. From content creation to sales enablement and event planning, seamless cross-functional collaboration is essential for driving messaging and demand for the business. Slack serves as the intelligent productivity platform for unifying team members and accelerating work across the entire marketing organization. By leveraging automation and integrations, Salesforce marketers focus on strategic initiatives rather than daily tasks. Slack’s Workflow Builder enables teams to automate routine tasks, freeing up time for more impactful work. Moreover, channels in Slack serve as a central hub for aligning marketing teams, facilitating brainstorming, decision-making, and collaboration. Slack Fuels Productivity by connecting the teams and the processes. Slack’s upcoming AI features, including channel recaps and search answers, will further empower teams to make informed decisions efficiently. By centralizing knowledge and facilitating communication, Slack plays a pivotal role in driving alignment, improving productivity, and fostering stronger partnerships within the marketing ecosystem. Slack revolutionizes marketing operations by providing a platform for seamless collaboration, automation, and knowledge sharing. Salesforce’s use of Slack exemplifies how organizations can leverage intelligent productivity tools to stay agile, drive innovation, and achieve marketing success in today’s 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

May 4, 2024in Mulesoft, Salesforce, Salesforce Slack

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