Salesforce - gettectonic.com - Page 23
Co-opetition
05Sep

Co-opetition

Tech companies frequently partner for mutual benefit-Co-opetition, but in the customer service and contact center sector, the competition is heating up. Established players like Genesys, Five9, and Nice are now facing significant competition from tech giants such as AWS, Microsoft, and Google. To strengthen their positions, longtime partners Genesys and Salesforce introduced a joint platform called CX Cloud earlier this year. This platform combines Salesforce’s advanced Service Cloud and CRM with Genesys’ leading contact center as a service (CCaaS) solution- the very epitome of Co-opetition. It integrates telephony, journey management, and employee-focused workforce engagement management tools to optimize contact center operations and track agent satisfaction. While both companies compete in areas like AI, digital engagement, and generative AI, the CX Cloud partnership exemplifies their “coopetition” strategy. Salesforce runs the desktop interface, while Genesys excels in workforce management. By integrating their technologies, the two companies offer customers a flexible solution, enabling them to use the tools that best suit their needs—whether it’s managing digital channels through Salesforce or Genesys. This collaboration eliminates competition in key areas, with both Salesforce and Genesys sales teams working closely together. The partnership between the two companies is not new; their integration dates back to 2015. However, the recent deeper integration, which now covers not just voice but also digital channels, offers customers a unified view of their data. This allows users to harness customer conversation data across both platforms more effectively, giving them the flexibility to use tools from either Genesys or Salesforce. In addition to competition from one another, both Genesys and Salesforce face challenges from cloud hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, which also offer contact center tools. Despite this, Genesys’ and Salesforce’s CX Cloud collaboration stands out by offering a unified framework that benefits customers through combined capabilities. As an example of this complex tech landscape, AWS is both a competitor and a top partner for reselling Genesys Cloud. Both companies agree that the real focus isn’t on competing with each other, but on helping customers solve challenges around customer engagement in an efficient and cost-effective way. The joint platform also integrates with other technologies, such as Google’s Contact Center AI and AWS tools like Lambda and Polly, making it adaptable to diverse enterprise needs. Both Genesys and Salesforce emphasize the importance of an open platform with pre-built integrations, allowing customers to get more value from both platforms faster than before. CX Cloud has seen adoption across various industries and company sizes, from large enterprises to smaller, faster-moving companies. Smaller businesses, in particular, have been quick to adopt this innovation, as it allows them to access enterprise-level integrations without needing to build custom solutions. Larger enterprises, such as ADP, have also benefitted from CX Cloud by using it to deliver proactive customer experiences, addressing potential issues before they arise. Overall, the partnership between Genesys and Salesforce exemplifies Co-opetition-a collaborative approach in a highly competitive market, enabling customers to leverage the strengths of both platforms for enhanced contact center operations. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 5, 2024in Generative AI
Salesforce Data Quality Challenges and AI Integration
05Sep

Salesforce Data Quality Challenges and AI Integration

Salesforce Data Quality Challenges and AI Integration Salesforce is an incredibly powerful CRM tool, but like any system, it’s vulnerable to data quality issues if not properly managed. As organizations race to unlock the power of AI to improve sales and service experiences, they are finding that great AI requires great data. Let’s explore some of the most common Salesforce data quality challenges and how resolving them is key to succeeding in the AI era. 1. Duplicate Records Duplicate data can clutter your Salesforce system, leading to reporting inaccuracies and confusing AI-driven insights. Use Salesforce’s built-in deduplication tools or third-party apps that specialize in identifying and merging duplicate records. Implement validation rules to prevent duplicates from entering the system in the first place, ensuring cleaner data that supports accurate AI outputs. 2. Incomplete Data Incomplete data often results in missed opportunities and poor customer insights. This becomes especially problematic in AI applications, where missing data could skew results or lead to incomplete recommendations. Use Salesforce validation rules to make certain fields mandatory, ensuring critical information is captured during data entry. Regularly audit your system to identify missing data and assign tasks to fill in gaps. This ensures that both structured and unstructured data can be effectively leveraged by AI models. 3. Outdated Information Over time, data in Salesforce can become outdated, particularly customer contact details or preferences. Regularly cleanse and update your data using enrichment services that automatically refresh records with current information. For AI to deliver relevant, real-time insights, your data needs to be fresh and up to date. This is especially important when AI systems analyze both structured data (e.g., CRM entries) and unstructured data (e.g., emails or transcripts). 4. Inconsistent Data Formatting Inconsistent data formatting complicates analysis and weakens AI performance. Standardize data entry using picklists, drop-down menus, and validation rules to enforce proper formatting across all fields. A clean, consistent data set helps AI models more effectively interpret and integrate structured and unstructured data, delivering more relevant insights to both customers and employees. 5. Lack of Data Governance Without clear guidelines, it’s easy for Salesforce data quality to degrade, especially when unstructured data is added to the mix. Establish a data governance framework that includes policies for data entry, updates, and regular cleansing. Good data governance ensures that both structured and unstructured data are properly managed, making them usable by AI technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). The Role of AI in Enhancing Data Management This year, every organization is racing to understand and unlock the power of AI, especially to improve sales and service experiences. However, great AI requires great data. While traditional CRM systems deal primarily with structured data like rows and columns, every business also holds a treasure trove of unstructured data in documents, emails, transcripts, and other formats. Unstructured data offers invaluable AI-driven insights, leading to more comprehensive, customer-specific interactions. For example, when a customer contacts support, AI-powered chatbots can deliver better service by pulling data from both structured (purchase history) and unstructured sources (warranty contracts or past chats). To ensure AI-generated responses are accurate and contextual, companies must integrate both structured and unstructured data into a unified 360-degree customer view. AI Frameworks for Better Data Utilization An effective way to ensure accuracy in AI is with frameworks like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). RAG enhances AI by augmenting Large Language Models with proprietary, real-time data from both structured and unstructured sources. This method allows companies to deliver contextual, trusted, and relevant AI-driven interactions with customers, boosting overall satisfaction and operational efficiency. Tectonic’s Role in Optimizing Salesforce Data for AI To truly unlock the power of AI, companies must ensure that their data is of high quality and accessible to AI systems. Experts like Tectonic provide tailored Salesforce consulting services to help businesses manage and optimize their data. By ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and governance, Tectonic can support companies in preparing their structured and unstructured data for the AI era. Conclusion: The Intersection of Data Quality and AI In the modern era, data quality isn’t just about ensuring clean CRM records; it’s also about preparing your data for advanced AI applications. Whether it’s eliminating duplicates, filling in missing information, or governing data across touchpoints, maintaining high data quality is essential for leveraging AI effectively. For organizations ready to embrace AI, the first step is understanding where all their data resides and ensuring it’s suitable for their generative AI models. With the right data strategy, businesses can unlock the full potential of AI, transforming sales, service, and customer experiences across the board. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 5, 2024in Generative AI
Salesforce Foundations Announced
05Sep

Salesforce Foundations Announced

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

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September 5, 2024in Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Focuses Resources
04Sep

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Focuses Resources

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is currently exploring how to harness the AI capabilities within Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud to enhance its mission-driven services. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Focuses Resources allowing PanCan to focus on cancer. Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 12.8% in the U.S. Despite accounting for only 3.3% of new cancer cases, it is responsible for 8.5% of all cancer-related deaths, making it the third leading cause of cancer mortality after lung and colon cancer. Founded in 1999, PanCAN is dedicated to researching this devastating disease and advocating for patients nationwide. The organization also provides critical information and resources to help patients make informed decisions, thereby supporting a community of patients and their families. One of PanCAN’s key services is connecting patients with specialists in their area. Julie Fleshman, President, CEO, and PanCAN’s first employee, emphasizes the importance of this program: “Our patient service program, particularly our call center, is the cornerstone of what we offer. When someone is diagnosed, they are understandably scared. Our trained case managers provide support and recommend that each patient sees a specialist. We maintain a database of specialists across the U.S. and can provide a list of surgeons or oncologists based on how far patients are willing to travel.” This case management system allows patients and their families to work with the same case manager consistently, ensuring a seamless, free-of-charge service and simplifying the information-gathering process. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Focuses Resources PanCAN also helps patients find clinical trials in their area, an essential service given the current state of treatment for pancreatic cancer. Nonprofit Cloud focuses on technical resources allowing PanCAN to focus on patient services. Fleshman explains: “Clinical trials often offer the most cutting-edge treatments, which is why we recommend patients consider them. We maintain a database of trials and can quickly inform patients of their options during phone consultations. This allows them to discuss potential trials with their physician and determine the best course of action.” Evolving Technology to Better Serve Patients PanCAN’s initial case management system was developed in-house about a decade ago. As it neared the end of its life, searches could take up to two hours, prompting the organization to seek a more efficient solution. PanCAN enlisted a Salesforce consulting partner to evaluate options and develop a technology strategy aligned with its goals. In June, a new system based on Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud Person Accounts module was launched. The new system has significantly reduced the time required to search for information, enabling case managers to assist more patients daily—a crucial improvement given the projected 66,440 new pancreatic cancer diagnoses in the U.S. this year alone. Additionally, the system’s user-friendliness has led to higher job satisfaction among employees. Fleshman stresses the importance of involving a multifunctional team in the implementation process: “It’s essential to be clear about your objectives from the start, but it’s equally important to include the right people. If we had only involved the patient services team and not the tech team responsible for maintenance and security, or the finance team whose system needed to integrate with ours, the project would have been siloed and incomplete.” Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Focuses Resources and Solutions for Nonprofits The updated system includes advanced features like the OmniStudio process automation tool, which has streamlined the patient questionnaire process, and an integrated data processing engine capable of saving multiple records simultaneously. Leveraging AI to Enhance Impact Looking ahead, PanCAN is assessing how to leverage the AI capabilities within Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud to further enhance its services. Fleshman outlines the next steps: “Providing information and resources to patients is crucial, but we also need to use data to optimize our programs and allocate our resources effectively. We hope AI will help us analyze data to better understand our impact and patient experiences. For instance, AI could reveal trends in how often we refer patients to specific doctors or studies, identify gaps in our services, or highlight areas where we should focus more of our efforts. Understanding these factors will help us allocate our time, energy, and resources more efficiently.” Despite the benefits, managing change has been key to addressing employee concerns about AI potentially threatening their jobs. Fleshman notes: “While there was excitement about getting a faster, more efficient tool, there was also anxiety about job security. Our focus was on demonstrating how AI could enhance our ability to provide better reports and insights rather than replacing jobs. We believe that even the best tools are useless if people aren’t trained to use them effectively.” A Vision for the Future PanCAN has developed a five-year technology roadmap that includes upgrading its grant management and financial systems, as well as introducing marketing applications to better understand its target audience, improve outreach, and personalize interactions. As Fleshman concludes: “Our executive team recognizes that without cutting-edge technology, we won’t achieve our ambitious goals. In our sector, technology often gets deprioritized, but updating systems allows us to deliver our mission more productively and efficiently, ultimately better serving those we’re here to help.” Our Take According to Salesforce’s sixth Nonprofit Trends Report, many charities view AI with a mix of optimism, curiosity, and caution. PanCAN’s approach to adopting AI—focusing on its potential to optimize resources and better support patients—demonstrates the organization’s forward-thinking and commitment to its mission. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 4, 2024in Salesforce for Nonprofits, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
Data Integration with AWS Glue
04Sep

Data Integration with AWS Glue

The rapid rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions has led to data silos across different platforms, making it challenging to consolidate insights. Effective data analytics depends on the ability to seamlessly integrate data from various systems by identifying, gathering, cleansing, and combining it into a unified format. AWS Glue, a serverless data integration service, simplifies this process with scalable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for unifying data from multiple sources. By using AWS Glue, organizations can streamline data integration, minimize silos, and enhance agility in managing data pipelines, unlocking the full potential of their data for analytics, decision-making, and innovation. This insight explores the new Salesforce connector for AWS Glue and demonstrates how to build a modern Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) pipeline using AWS Glue ETL scripts. Introducing the Salesforce Connector for AWS Glue To meet diverse data integration needs, AWS Glue now supports SaaS connectivity for Salesforce. This enables users to quickly preview, transfer, and query customer relationship management (CRM) data, while dynamically fetching the schema. With the Salesforce connector, users can ingest and transform CRM data and load it into any AWS Glue-supported destination, such as Amazon S3, in preferred formats like Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi, and Delta Lake. It also supports reverse ETL use cases, enabling data to be written back to Salesforce. Key Benefits: Solution Overview For this use case, we retrieve the full load of a Salesforce account object into a data lake on Amazon S3 and capture incremental changes. The solution also enables updates to certain fields in the data lake and synchronizes them back to Salesforce. The process involves creating two ETL jobs using AWS Glue with the Salesforce connector. The first job ingests the Salesforce account object into an Apache Iceberg-format data lake on Amazon S3. The second job captures updates and pushes them back to Salesforce. Prerequisites: Creating the ETL Pipeline Step 1: Ingest Salesforce Account Object Using the AWS Glue console, create a new job to transfer the Salesforce account object into an Apache Iceberg-format transactional data lake in Amazon S3. The script checks if the account table exists, performs an upsert if it does, or creates a new table if not. Step 2: Push Changes Back to Salesforce Create a second ETL job to update Salesforce with changes made in the data lake. This job writes the updated account records from Amazon S3 back to Salesforce. Example Query sqlCopy codeSELECT id, name, type, active__c, upsellopportunity__c, lastmodifieddate FROM “glue_etl_salesforce_db”.”account”; Additional Considerations You can schedule the ETL jobs using AWS Glue job triggers or integrate them with other AWS services like AWS Lambda and Amazon EventBridge for advanced workflows. Additionally, AWS Glue supports importing deleted Salesforce records by configuring the IMPORT_DELETED_RECORDS option. Clean Up After completing the process, clean up the resources used in AWS Glue, including jobs, connections, Secrets Manager secrets, IAM roles, and the S3 bucket to avoid incurring unnecessary charges. Conclusion The AWS Glue connector for Salesforce simplifies the analytics pipeline, accelerates insights, and supports data-driven decision-making. Its serverless architecture eliminates the need for infrastructure management, offering a cost-effective and agile approach to data integration, empowering organizations to efficiently meet their analytics needs. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 4, 2024in Salesforce
Salesforce to Acquire PredictSpring
04Sep

Salesforce to Acquire PredictSpring

Salesforce to Acquire PredictSpring, Enhancing Omnichannel Capabilities Last month, Salesforce finalized an agreement to acquire PredictSpring, a leading provider of point-of-sale (POS) software. PredictSpring, known for its omnichannel commerce solutions, offers a suite of mobile POS systems along with clienteling, inventory management, and order management tools tailored for the retail sector. Insights from Industry Analysts In a recent episode of CX Today’s BIG News Update, key analysts shared their perspectives on the acquisition, highlighting three major points. Filling a Critical Gap Rebecca Wetteman, CEO & Principal Analyst at Valoir, noted that while Salesforce has effectively assisted many B2B clients, such as Fiserv and Peloton, in transitioning to B2C strategies, one crucial component was missing: order management. PredictSpring’s solutions address this gap, enhancing Salesforce’s data strategy and providing a more comprehensive customer view. Wetteman stated, “This addition is a significant move for Salesforce, strengthening their position beyond B2B and bridging the B2B to B2C divide.” Advancing Omnichannel Retail Simon Harrison, Founder & CEO at Actionary, emphasized that the acquisition represents a major step forward in delivering effective omnichannel solutions. PredictSpring’s technology promises to solve challenges associated with integrating in-store and digital experiences, enhancing overall customer interactions. Harrison praised the investment, stating, “This is a smart move, addressing real-world issues and increasing value for both staff and customers in today’s dynamic retail environment.” Expanding Market Reach Martin Schnieder, VP and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, pointed out that acquiring PredictSpring aligns with Salesforce’s strategy to expand its total addressable market (TAM). He highlighted retail as a sector with unique challenges and opportunities, where Salesforce’s Data Cloud and platform can create impactful vertical-specific solutions. Schnieder noted, “Retail offers a different model with constrained margins, and Salesforce can leverage its platform to provide substantial value.” Michael Fauscette, Founder, CEO, and Chief Analyst at Arion Research, observed that Salesforce is strategically acquiring startups to fill gaps in its vertical offerings. He remarked, “Salesforce’s approach involves identifying startups that address specific needs and integrating them into their ecosystem. This strategy has proven effective and allows Salesforce to go to market directly with these partners, a practice not always seen among enterprise vendors.” Conclusion Salesforce’s acquisition of PredictSpring is a strategic move to enhance its omnichannel capabilities and address key gaps in its offerings. By integrating PredictSpring’s advanced POS solutions, Salesforce aims to strengthen its position in the retail sector and continue its growth trajectory in both B2B and B2C markets. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 4, 2024in Salesforce
Autonomous AI Sans Human
04Sep

Autonomous AI Sans Human

Rise of Autonomous AI: Less Human Control and Increasing Adoption A recent Salesforce study reveals that nearly half of employees in Switzerland (46%) are either using or experimenting with AI technologies. While there is a general comfort with AI when it complements human efforts, many employees still prefer human oversight for tasks like training, data security, and onboarding. Despite this, the data indicates that increased investment in education and training could enhance trust in autonomous AI systems. Switzerland’s AI Adoption Compared to Other Countries Switzerland shows a higher openness to AI compared to other nations. In Germany, only 28% of respondents use AI confidently, compared to 46% in Switzerland. The UK (17%) and Ireland (15%) show even more skepticism. Conversely, India has the highest AI confidence, with 40% of respondents showing strong support. In Switzerland, however, 24% of employees are reluctant to use AI at work, and 25% are not keen on Generative AI. Sector-Specific AI Usage Trends The study also highlights significant sector differences. In the communications industry, 69% of employees are willing to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini without hesitation. This contrasts with the life sciences and biotechnology sectors, where 72% of respondents are resistant to AI adoption. In the public sector, while there is general willingness, 56% express reservations due to a lack of expertise and guidelines. Notably, 39% of public sector respondents are completely opposed to using AI tools. Generational Insights on AI Proficiency Among different generations, Millennials and Gen X exhibit the highest proficiency and comfort with AI technology. In contrast, Gen Z appears more critical of AI, with 82% of this group avoiding AI assistants like IBM Watson or Microsoft Copilot. Millennials are more engaged, with 39% actively experimenting with or fully integrating AI assistants into their work routines. Gregory Leproux, Senior Director of Solution Engineering at Salesforce Switzerland, notes, “Our study reflects our customer experience: AI is widely used in Swiss companies, but human intervention remains prevalent. To fully leverage the benefits of AI, there is a need for robust control mechanisms and policies for responsible AI use, allowing for systematic review rather than piecemeal assessment. Thoughtfully designed AI systems can merge human and machine intelligence, marking the beginning of an exciting new era.” The survey, conducted by Salesforce in partnership with YouGov, took place from March 20 to April 3, 2024, with nearly 6,000 full-time employees from various industries and countries, including Switzerland (265 participants). The online survey covered nine countries: the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany, India, Singapore, and Switzerland. Source: www.salesforce.com Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 4, 2024in Generative AI
Salesforce Data Migration
03Sep

Salesforce Data Migration

In today’s era of rapid digital transformation, efficient data migration has become increasingly important as cloud adoption gains momentum. Foundry’s research indicates that 63% of IT leaders have accelerated their cloud migrations, but 90% encounter challenges, often related to budget constraints. This emphasizes the need for meticulous planning and strategic execution. This insight focuses on Salesforce data migration, outlining why it’s essential and providing a nine-step plan for a successful migration. Additionally, we look into data preparation solutions and highlight Salesforce data migration tools, turning potential challenges into growth opportunities. Salesforce Data Migration Checklist Why is Data Migration Important? In 2011, we faced the challenge of transferring data from an old phone to a first smartphone. The contacts were especially important, but the outdated phone lacked any data transfer capabilities. Unwilling to manually re-enter everything, we researched extensively and discovered a method to extract the data into a CSV file. Converting it into vCard format, we successfully migrated all contacts. This personal experience illustrates the significance of data migration, not just for businesses but for everyday scenarios as well. For organizations, having a structured data migration plan is critical when transitioning from legacy systems to modern platforms like Salesforce. It enhances efficiency, scalability, and accessibility, supporting business growth through better data management, cost savings, and improved decision-making. Data migration also ensures integrity and security, aligning IT capabilities with evolving business needs and driving innovation in a fast-changing technological landscape. Learn how we helped Cresa migrate over 8,000 records to Salesforce with 100% accuracy. What is Salesforce Data Migration? Salesforce data migration refers to the process of transferring information from external systems—such as legacy CRM platforms or local databases—into Salesforce. This process not only preserves data integrity but also supports better decision-making, enhances customer service, and enables business growth. A well-planned Salesforce data migration strategy is critical for unlocking the full benefits of the platform and ensuring a seamless transition. Salesforce Data Migration Plan: 9 Key Steps Need Help with Data Migration to Salesforce?We offer consulting services to help you navigate your data migration challenges, from auditing to strategy execution. Contact Tectonic today. Practical Salesforce Data Migration ExampleUsing Data Loader, here’s a step-by-step guide to migrating a list of companies. After logging into Salesforce and selecting the Accounts object, you map fields from your CSV file, execute the migration, and review the logs to ensure accuracy. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 3, 2024in Data
License and Permitting Management for Businesses
03Sep

License and Permitting Management for Businesses

Citizens and residents today are more connected than ever and expect to interact with government just as they do with other industries—through a variety of modern channels with swift response times. License and Permitting Management for Businesses is an innovative solution. Public Sector Solutions for License and Permit Management for businesses empowers government entities to engage more effectively with residents, fostering economic growth and thriving communities. Digital Experiences: From a resident building a new home to an entrepreneur opening a new business, every constituent can easily identify the necessary licenses and permits for their project through a single online platform. Applications: Applicants can swiftly complete all necessary forms, which dynamically update based on user input, making the entire process straightforward and efficient. Automation Tools: Salesforce automation tools ensure that once an application is submitted, the constituent receives an automated email confirmation, and the reviewer is notified of the new application, streamlining communication. Kanban Employee View: Seamless handoffs for application review and approvals are facilitated by a Kanban-style dashboard where government reviewers can view all applications ready for review in one centralized location. Reviewers can also track the status of applications, ensuring the right colleague reviews and moves them forward. Service Console: When a reviewer accepts an application, they can access a comprehensive view of all essential details, such as status, guided actions, and uploaded files, all in one place. This clarity ensures that employees know the next steps in the review process, such as scheduling a required inspection before final approval. Collaboration: If additional information is needed, reviewers can easily collaborate with applicants in real-time, with all communications documented in one place. Applicants can view updates and messages when they log back into the portal, ensuring transparency and efficiency. Distributing Licenses and Permits: After final approval, the license or permit is generated and automatically emailed to the applicant. It is also made available in the constituent’s portal for easy access. This process keeps constituents informed with clear visibility into every step of the application approval process, while government employees are equipped to support community growth through enhanced collaboration with constituents and other departments. Dashboards and Analytics: Salesforce Analytics provides senior executives with a comprehensive view of agency and department-level permit statuses, including details by geography, type, status, and more, offering a holistic perspective on applications and active licenses and permits. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 3, 2024in Public Sector Solutions
Salesforce for Public Loan Management
03Sep

Salesforce for Public Loan Management

Public Loan Management Solutions: Optimized with Salesforce Technology In the dynamic world of financial services, public loan management has become increasingly important as organizations aim to improve efficiency, transparency, and borrower satisfaction. Leveraging cutting-edge technology is key to achieving these goals, and Salesforce offers a powerful platform for optimizing public loan management. This article explores how Salesforce’s capabilities can streamline and enhance various aspects of public loan management. The Role of Loan Boarding in Public Loan Management Loan boarding is a critical step where approved loans are entered into the system. This process typically includes data entry, document verification, and compliance checks. Salesforce’s customizable objects and automation features simplify this process by automating workflows, ensuring all necessary documents are collected and verified before the loan is boarded. Integrating external systems allows real-time data updates, minimizing errors and reducing manual intervention. Streamlining Handoff and Approval Processes Loan applications often require multiple approvals from stakeholders, which can be time-consuming and prone to delays. Salesforce facilitates efficient communication and collaboration through tools like Chatter, which allows instant messaging and file sharing. This ensures all stakeholders stay informed about application status changes, eliminating the need to switch between different platforms and speeding up the approval process. Disbursement Efficiency Timely fund disbursement is vital for maintaining borrower trust. Salesforce can automate disbursement processes by integrating payment gateways, accelerating fund transfers while providing borrowers with real-time updates on their disbursements. This enhances transparency and improves borrower satisfaction. Effective Management of Amortization Schedules Amortization schedules detail the repayment of loans over time, including both principal and interest. Salesforce’s reporting tools, combined with custom formulas, enable organizations to generate accurate, customized amortization schedules. These schedules can be easily updated if loan terms change, ensuring borrowers and lenders have up-to-date information. Simplifying Repayment Schedules Repayment schedules are essential for managing loan payments. Salesforce’s task management features allow organizations to automate reminders for upcoming payments, while borrowers can access personalized portals to view their schedules, promoting transparency and accountability. Customizable Loan Templates In public lending, creating flexible yet standardized loan templates is essential. Salesforce allows organizations to design customizable templates that meet both organizational policies and borrower needs, reducing onboarding time and improving efficiency. Comprehensive Document Management Managing loan-related documents is often challenging due to regulatory requirements and varying documentation needs. Salesforce’s integrated document management tools, such as Files and Content Libraries, provide secure storage and easy retrieval of documents, ensuring compliance and simplifying audits. Automating Interest Accruals and Invoicing Interest accruals require accurate tracking to ensure transparency for both lenders and borrowers. Salesforce’s invoicing automation ensures that billing cycles align with interest accruals, reducing administrative overhead and improving financial accuracy. Efficient Payment Processing and Waterfall Management Payment processing is essential for collecting repayments and adhering to waterfall structures, which determine how funds are allocated (e.g., to principal vs. interest). Salesforce integrates with NACHA/ACH for seamless payment processing and offers batch import capabilities for external payment records, improving cash flow management. Portfolio Management and Risk Assessment Managing a large portfolio of loans involves monitoring performance and assessing risks. Salesforce’s real-time analytics, reports, and dashboards provide managers with insights into portfolio performance, enabling data-driven decisions regarding portfolio adjustments, repayment patterns, and borrower risk. Enhancing Borrower Communication Consistent, clear communication is vital throughout the loan lifecycle, from initial inquiry to final repayment. Salesforce automates alerts and task assignments to ensure no critical communications are missed, keeping borrowers engaged and informed at every stage. Conclusion Salesforce technology offers a transformative approach to public loan management by enhancing operational efficiency, improving borrower experiences, and streamlining processes. Whether through automating document management, optimizing approval workflows, or managing payment cycles, Salesforce provides public lending organizations with the tools they need to deliver reliable, transparent, and efficient loan services to their constituents. By adopting Salesforce for public loan management, organizations not only improve internal operations but also elevate the borrower experience, ultimately contributing to community development and financial inclusion on a national scale. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 3, 2024in Salesforce Financial Services Solutions, Salesforce Optimization
Converting 15-Character IDs to 18-Character in Salesforce
02Sep

Converting 15-Character IDs to 18-Character in Salesforce

In Salesforce, every record is assigned a unique Record ID, which is essential for managing data, writing formulas, and referencing records as an admin or developer. There are two types of Record IDs: a 15-character version and an 18-character version, each suited for different scenarios. Converting 15-character IDs to 18-character ones can be time-consuming when done manually, but several tools and methods can simplify the process, allowing for instant conversion with just a click. Understanding Salesforce Record IDs 15-Character Record ID The 15-character Record ID is case-sensitive and typically used in Salesforce’s user interface for tasks like editing records and generating reports. However, its case sensitivity can create issues with systems that do not recognize differences between uppercase and lowercase letters. 18-Character Record ID To mitigate case sensitivity issues, Salesforce offers an 18-character ID, which is used in APIs and tools such as Data Loader. This ID adds three additional characters to the 15-character version and is always returned by these tools during data exports. When to Use Each ID For consistency, the 18-character ID is preferable, especially when working with external systems. It’s best practice to use the 18-character ID in formulas, API calls, or any data comparisons to avoid errors caused by case sensitivity. Converting IDs Using a Formula Field in Salesforce Salesforce recommends creating a formula field with the CASESAFEID(Id) function to convert the 15-character ID to an 18-character ID. Here are some key points to consider: Implementation Steps: Once completed, this formula field will display the 18-character ID on relevant records. APIs and Software DevelopmentIf you need a more scalable or efficient solution, consider using Salesforce APIs or third-party tools for ID conversion. While online tools may suffice for small tasks, they can become unwieldy when handling hundreds or thousands of records in a CSV or Excel file. Streamlining ID Conversion with Xappex Tools Imagine the frustration of manually copying and pasting IDs! That’s where the XL-Connector and G-Connector from Xappex come into play. These tools work directly in Excel or Google Sheets, simplifying the ID conversion process. Instead of juggling multiple tools or navigating complex processes, you can seamlessly convert Salesforce IDs within your spreadsheet, saving significant time and effort. Using XL-Connector for ID Conversion in Excel Using G-Connector (Google Sheets) for ID Conversion G-Connector is Xappex’s integration tool for Google Sheets and Salesforce. If you haven’t installed it yet, do so and log in to your Salesforce org. The sheet will automatically update with the new 18-character IDs and provide links to open the records directly in Salesforce. Conclusion In summary, managing Salesforce Record IDs doesn’t have to be a hassle. While converting 15-character IDs to 18-character IDs is crucial for consistency, doing it manually can be tedious. With XL-Connector and G-Connector, you can streamline ID conversion with just a click in Excel or Google Sheets, making your workflow much more efficient. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 2, 2024in Data, Google, Salesforce
Slack Automation with New Workflow Features
02Sep

Slack Automation with New Workflow Features

Salesforce Expands Slack Automation with New Workflow Features Salesforce has introduced new capabilities in Slack, allowing customers to build workflows that automatically trigger when an event occurs in third-party apps like PagerDuty, Asana, Bitbucket, and others. This update also enhances the user experience, making it more intuitive to create workflows in Slack. Users now have access to over 50 plug-and-play templates tailored to common productivity tasks. Additionally, developers gain access to more coding languages and tools for building custom workflows, which can be easily shared with their teams. Why It Matters Key Highlights Workflow Builder, Slack’s no-code automation tool, empowers users to streamline tasks directly within Slack, reducing the burden on IT teams. Salesforce highlights the following new features: From Slack’s Perspective Slack has also made it easier to customize workflows with expanded developer tools. Developers can now build custom steps using open APIs and new developer resources, integrating these steps into Workflow Builder. These tools support additional programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and Java, further enhancing the flexibility of custom workflows. According to Rob Seaman, Slack’s Chief Product Officer, “At Slack, one of our product principles is ‘don’t make me think.’ We’re applying that to automation, making it intuitive and delightful for everyone. These new features empower both developers and end users to automate any business process across their apps seamlessly in Slack.” What This Means for Businesses As companies seek ways to increase productivity without overloading IT teams, automation has become a critical solution. Tools like Slack’s no-code Workflow Builder enable users of any skill level to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work. This is particularly important in an era where skilled workers, especially in data science and programming, are in short supply. The expanded capabilities in Workflow Builder make it easier to create powerful workflows that integrate with third-party systems. In addition, Salesforce has expanded Slack AI, initially launched in April as an add-on for paying customers, to support multiple languages, including Japanese and Spanish. This ongoing development strengthens Slack’s position as a central hub for workplace automation. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 2, 2024in Salesforce
Einstein Knowledge Edits
02Sep

Einstein Knowledge Edits

Get Quick Revisions on Knowledge Articles with Einstein Knowledge Edits (Beta) Enhance your Knowledge articles quickly using Einstein generative AI with predefined revision styles. These styles can help improve grammar, conciseness, and readability. You can also customize these styles using the Prompt Builder to tailor the revisions to your business needs. This allows you to specify what information Einstein includes, how the content is formatted, and adjust the voice and tone. Where: This feature is available in Unlimited and Enterprise editions with the Einstein for Service add-on in Lightning Experience. Important: Einstein Knowledge Edits is currently in beta and is subject to Salesforce’s Beta Services Terms or a written Unified Pilot Agreement if executed by the Customer. Participation in this beta service is at the Customer’s discretion. Who: To access Knowledge Edits, you must have the following enabled: Agents also need the Prompt Template User and Einstein Knowledge Creation permission sets. How: To revise a Knowledge article: Quickly and effectively refine your Knowledge articles to meet your business standards with Einstein Knowledge Edits! Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 2, 2024in Generative AI
Winter 25 Permission Set Groups
02Sep

Winter 25 Permission Set Groups

Salesforce’s Winter ’25 release introduces a host of updates across the platform, with a particular emphasis on security and user management improvements. Among these, the enhancements to Permission Set Groups stand out, offering more efficiency in managing user access and permissions. Let’s take a closer look at these updates and how they can benefit your Salesforce environment. What Are Permission Set Groups? Before diving into the new enhancements, it’s essential to understand Permission Set Groups. Salesforce created these groups to simplify the assignment of permissions to users. Instead of assigning multiple individual permission sets, administrators can bundle them into a Permission Set Group. This approach streamlines the process, making it easier to manage permissions for users with complex roles requiring access to multiple features and objects. What’s New in Winter ’25? The Winter ’25 release brings several key updates to Permission Set Groups, making them more robust and flexible. Here’s a breakdown of the major improvements: Key Benefits of the Winter ’25 Enhancements The Winter ’25 updates to Permission Set Groups offer several advantages for Salesforce admins and organizations: Getting Started To begin utilizing these new features, head to the Permission Set Group settings in Salesforce Setup. Review your current permission sets and explore how these new features can streamline your processes. The expiration date feature, in particular, will be valuable if you manage temporary roles or frequently changing project teams. Winter 25 Permission Set Groups The Winter ’25 Salesforce release delivers significant improvements to Permission Set Groups, equipping admins with enhanced tools to manage user permissions securely and efficiently. By incorporating these features into your Salesforce environment, you can strengthen security, optimize user access management, and ensure your organization operates smoothly. For a deeper dive into these updates, check the Salesforce Winter ’25 release notes or join discussions in Salesforce communities and forums. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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September 2, 2024in Salesforce
Salesforce Revenue Cloud
01Sep

Transition from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud

As organizations look to optimize their revenue processes, Salesforce has been encouraging customers to transition from Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) to Revenue Cloud (Rev Cloud). However, while the advantages of Revenue Cloud are often highlighted, clear, actionable steps to make the migration worthwhile are not always readily available. After consulting with Salesforce teams and partners, it’s evident that many customers remain hesitant due to concerns about cost, disruption, and customization complexities.

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September 1, 2024in Data, Salesforce, Salesforce CPQ, Salesforce Revenue Cloud

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