A Look Ahead: Salesforce's Plans for the Future According to Its Top Executors: CEO MARC BENIOFF AND COO BR TAYLOR

Companies using intelligent workflows in Salesforce to meet customer demands during a pandemic rely on products like Lightning Flow to automate business processes.

They use industry solutions to rapidly identify and initiate high-value customer experience initiatives, using Customer 360 data profiles and analytics for personalized engagement.

1. AI & Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence, or machine learning, refers to creating machines that mimic human thought and action. It encompasses various technologies and applications - like natural language processing on Apple devices (Siri) or computer vision (allowing computers to recognize images). One popular practical use for AI today is customer relationship management (CRM), where companies leverage it for data analysis and predictive analytics.

Salesforce has developed artificial intelligence-powered solutions to empower their customers and increase sales, marketing efficiency and customer service response times. Salesforce Einstein, for instance, is an all-encompassing AI engine which automates processes like tracking interactions with prospects or autodialing after meetings, as well as offering insights and recommendations for follow up - helping sales teams close more deals faster than ever.

Machine Learning, one subcategory of Artificial Intelligence (AI), involves teaching computers how to learn from data by itself and identify patterns and trends. Machine Learning technology has emerged rapidly over time; with two key breakthroughs leading to its rise.

Machine learning has quickly become an essential tool in numerous industries to increase marketing and sales effectiveness, customer engagement and security. Transportation companies use it for route planning and traffic forecasting purposes while healthcare organizations such as HCA use it to improve clinical efficiency, boost diagnostic accuracy and enhance patient outcomes - its predictive analytics product uses machine learning to predict and treat sepsis as one example. Experts estimate that by 2025 40% of enterprises will adopt AI/ML implementation - even though implementation may seem like a complex endeavor at first. There are ways you can get started: here are 5 strategies you can implement AI/ML immediately: 1.

2. Analytics

Salesforce's recent acquisition of Tableau Software marks another step in their drive to democratize enterprise analytics and data-driven business intelligence. This shift has been hastened by COVID-19 pandemic, which has overwhelmed traditional business intelligence tools.

One such change was the recent implementation of an "Analytics" app page within Salesforce Sales app, making it easier for all TCRM plus users to access datasets, dashboards, lenses and lenses without having to leave the platform. Furthermore, Salesforce is taking steps toward enabling end-users to develop their own analytical models and visualizations within this same app.

Salesforce's increased focus on user-driven analytics is an essential element in improving its ability to serve its customers better. By aligning CRM data with revenue forecasting processes, customers will be able to increase revenue visibility while furthering the value of Salesforce within their organization.

Salesforce is continually working to adapt their CRM offerings to industry-specific needs, taking advantage of AI and machine learning to solve specific business issues. One such AI-powered feature available through Sales Cloud Einstein provides predictive insights from real data in your CRM to reduce time, resource and opportunity costs while improving time to market and competitiveness.

As with other innovations discussed here, these changes require organizations to invest in upskilling their teams and developing new workflows in order to take full advantage of what these features have to offer. For colleges and universities this means finding ways to leverage Salesforce across departments so students, alumni, fundraising teams can use one trusted platform for managing data; an excellent solution would be Whatfix which offers in-app training as well as guided usage of Salesforce features so employees can begin using them immediately upon onboarding.

3. Mobility

Mobility is at the core of modern sales teams' digital sales experiences, so Salesforce has strived to make its mobile platform as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible. They offer various mobile apps that enable sales managers to manage sales activities on the go while they also offer a platform where custom apps can be developed with little coding knowledge required.

Salesforce has long touted their "Customer 360" vision of unifying all their sales tools into one platform that gives marketers and sales reps an all-knowing, 360 degree view into customers. In pursuit of that aim, MuleSoft was acquired; but Genie could either be seen as acknowledging that many systems still operate separately, or just an updated present wrapped with fancy ribbon.

Though Salesforce continues to expand in the CRM market, revenue growth has slowed significantly compared to prior years due to an uncertain macroeconomic environment that encourages businesses to keep cash on hand for longer and invest less, which in turn reduces growth and profit margins for companies like Salesforce.

Salesforce remains a firm investment for investors despite lower than usual growth rates. It still leads the Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms and boasts a proven record of innovation, as well as its renewed focus on core business areas that could save customers both time and effort in work efficiency. With an eye on automation features to save customers both time and effort.

4. Automation

Salesforce specializes in automating processes to help sales reps perform their duties more efficiently, eliminate manual errors in repetitive tasks and free up time for more complex activities. They have developed a suite of cloud applications enabling customers to connect their data and automate workflows: Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud and Commerce Cloud are just a few examples.

Salesforce's automation technology aids salespeople by helping them make better decisions and enhance the effectiveness of their processes, ultimately increasing revenue and customer satisfaction. For instance, Einstein Conversation Insights automatically transcribes voice and video calls to identify potential leads - saving sales managers time from manually tracking and analyzing leads themselves.

Additionally, the company's automated systems enable users to easily monitor and track their marketing campaigns - providing them with an invaluable insight into the impact of their investments on revenue and conversion rates. It also enables them to develop more targeted and personalized campaigns for their target audiences.

Longer term, it is expected that Salesforce will introduce data science and big data capabilities into their platforms, creating automated customer service tasks (through Service Cloud) as well as predictive and targeted marketing opportunities (via Marketing Cloud).

As the workforce becomes more mobile, remote, and collaborative, Salesforce has responded with new features to meet various business needs. This includes adding industry-specific depth to CRM software as well as expanding their ecosystem of ready-to-install apps and solutions on AppExchange.

5. Integrations

As CRM platforms transition into enterprise applications, application integration will become ever more crucial for enterprises looking to act on data stored wherever it may be without taxing internal IT resources or incurring high point-to-point solutions costs.

Salesforce stands out in this area too. Their new platform, Lightning Experience, features preloaded dashboards that allow users to visualize sales data in various ways and an artificial intelligence technology called Einstein that assists organizations with sales performance management.

Salesforce has also made strides toward remote work with tools such as Salesforce anywhere and the Lightning for iOS mobile app, while expanding into marketing with its Salesforce Marketing Cloud, offering automation features and seamless integrations with Slack communication tools.

Higher education is one of the industries where Salesforce has already made a lasting impression. Institutions rely on Salesforce integration tools to connect data between back office systems like Student Information System (SIS), Financial Aid, and Admissions with student records on Salesforce's Student Database System (SD). Data updates remain accurate with every use.

Salesforce's recent acquisition of MuleSoft will likely have an enormous impact on how it integrates with other applications in the future. CPO Bret Taylor has promised to maintain existing integration patterns as well as support the legacy network created by MuleSoft; this should provide peace of mind to institutions using both platforms simultaneously, giving them confidence that their systems will connect smoothly in future.