Exploring the Future of Salesforce
When it comes to cloud computing and CRM there is typically one name that comes to mind first, and for good reason. Salesforce is a behemoth in CRM, leading competitors by a large margin with its 19.7% market share. This dominance is owed not only to the impact of Salesforce tools on a business, but also to the fact that Salesforce is constantly looking ahead at technological advancements and improvements. It’s why Forbes has named Salesforce as one of the world’s most innovative companies six years in a row.
With so much advancement coming out of its San Francisco headquarters, it’s important for current and potential Salesforce users to take a look at what the most recent innovations mean, and to explore the future of Salesforce offerings.
Artificial Intelligence: Einstein
In the handful of months since it was announced, it’s been hard for anyone even thinking about the cloud or CRM to avoid hearing about Salesforce’s new Einstein artificial intelligence initiative. Far and away its most ambitious and significant innovation to date, Salesforce went one step further by officially partnering with IBM and its Watson AI platform. This has set the stage for additional increases to the already robust capabilities of Salesforce’s offerings.
Created by 175 Data Scientists, Einstein AI will positively impact every area of Salesforce, making everything from sales, to marketing, to analytics more efficient. No longer just a distant idea, 2017 is set to see AI make tangible differences at all levels of a business. For sales departments, leads will instantly be better prioritized according to how likely they are to positively respond to a phone call. Productivity is increased when Einstein captures activity, keeps records up-to-date, and creates future reminders and appointments automatically depending on an interaction with a customer. In other words, a salesperson spends less time sifting through information and more time talking to strong leads.
In marketing initiatives, Einstein can use AI and machine-learning to segment audiences for a campaign, provide detailed social insights, and examine the customer journey to identify patterns and predict optimum advertising channels. With analytics, the new initiative can mine mountains of data for insight, automatically examining every variable combination without the need for trial and error. Additionally, organizations can harness Einstein in any apps they build. Suddenly the power of artificial intelligence can be written into their own products, all without having to hire internal data scientists.
No small tool, AI can truly revolutionize a business. Salesforce’s Einstein can effectively grant organizations previously unable to afford AI investments instant access to the technology. While initial benefits are clear, artificial intelligence of this nature is a drastically deep tool that has set the stage for the future of Salesforce offerings.
Internet of Things Cloud: Thunder
Not to be overshadowed is the Salesforce Internet of Things cloud offering, Thunder. Unveiled in late 2015, it was created in direct response to the increasing number of internet-connected gadgets in use around the world, expected to amount to over 30 billion devices by 2020. With so much data being generated via these instruments by customers, partners, and employees, Thunder offers a dedicated way to capture these new and large quantities of data. The addition of AI and Einstein will only serve to strengthen this area of Salesforce over time.
Beyond 2017
The future of Salesforce and what it means for business owners is ultimately tied to how Salesforce sets itself apart. As a trusted advisor, Salesforce does more than just sell a product to businesses. Assembling an elite team of strategists has helped in constantly looking for ways to improve and to determine how to further refine their tools. Using their Ignite process, Salesforce gets to know a company and learns to best craft technology to assist them in their goals.
What’s next after 2017? Given the ability to harness data like never before through Einstein and Thunder, security will be a natural area to address more deeply. While Salesforce boasts excellent security in general, their dedicated Shield security tool is nearly two years old. With the rapid speed of innovation and growing consumer concerns of privacy, expect to see overhauled and amplified security measures on the horizon.
Exploring the Future of Salesforce
With so many current offerings and continuous adaptation to technological advancements, navigating the future of Salesforce alone can be intimidating for both new and old users alike. CyberSearch has proven experience working directly with Salesforce to deliver SFDC-certified consultants for implementation, testing, troubleshooting, and support at client sites across the country. Our consultants are deeply knowledgeable, helping maintain a comprehensive sales ecosystem that will drive any business forward.