Salesforce’s Agentforce: A CRM with Conversation-Based Pricing?

Salesforce has taken a bold step in?reshaping?its approach to AI with the launch of Agentforce, an?evolution?of the Einstein Copilot. This announcement from Dreamforce 2024 introduces a major shift not only in the technology itself but in how it’s priced—offering?new opportunities for businesses to increase efficiency while aligning?costs?more closely with value-driven activities.

Agentforce?enables companies to deploy autonomous AI agents that do more than just?interact; they act on received inputs, making?decisions?and taking actions that support business functions. With the integration of “agency” into its functionality, Agentforce can now?assist?with tasks like sales?development, customer support, and upselling,?potentially?reducing the need for direct human involvement in certain?workflows. But beyond these capabilities, the new pricing model may be the most transformative aspect for businesses seeking a?return?on their Salesforce investment.

A Game-Changer in Pricing: Moving from Licenses to Conversations

Traditionally,?Salesforce?operated on a licensing model, where costs were based on user licenses from the moment of provisioning. This meant businesses had to?budget?for Salesforce costs upfront, often before they began to see any tangible returns. Agentforce breaks from this model by introducing?conversation-based pricing?a shift designed to tie costs more directly to usage and business outcomes.

The new model charges?$2?per agent-initiated conversation, with potential volume discounts. This approach means that companies only incur costs when the AI agents?engage?in conversations that replace or supplement?human interactions, allowing companies to focus on scaling usage in ways that yield measurable business value.

This pricing paradigm is expected to change how companies approach Salesforce investments, offering advantages like:

??Lower Entry Barriers: Businesses can now test Agentforce in smaller, controlled scenarios without a major licensing commitment, reducing financial risk.

??Clearer Business Cases: Each conversation-driven interaction is tied directly to revenue or cost-saving activities, making ROI easier to measure.

??Predictable Cost Forecasting: Cost progression is more linear, aligning closely with actual usage, making it simpler to align costs with growth.

Business Impacts of Agentforce’s Conversation-Based Model

1.?Reduced Financial Barriers to Implementation

With conversation-based pricing, companies can initiate small-scale trials without heavy upfront investment. This encourages innovation, allowing teams to test Agentforce’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios with minimal financial exposure.

2.?Direct Revenue and Efficiency Linkages

Unlike standard CRM functions that support indirect benefits, Agentforce conversations can be mapped directly to revenue-generating or cost-saving activities. For instance, conversations supporting sales outreach, customer support, or cross-selling provide tangible outcomes that can be monitored and optimized for greater business impact.

3.?Improved Cost Forecasting

With a clear per-conversation fee, businesses can align forecasting more closely with actual demand. This model allows for more straightforward budgeting, akin to forecasting sales or customer retention, rather than traditional CRM ROI estimations which often require indirect assumptions.

How Does This Compare to Consumption-Based Pricing?

Agentforce’s conversation-based model may?resemble?other consumption-based Salesforce offerings like Data Cloud, which charges based on credits. However, while both models?scale?with usage, there are key?differences. Data Cloud, for instance, operates on prepaid credits monitored internally by teams, whereas Agentforce costs are calculated based on each?conversation, which could be internal or customer-facing.

With?Agentforce, companies have less upfront control over usage volume but can focus on?strategic?deployment—positioning agents where their?conversations?replace or enhance high-value interactions. By targeting processes with tangible business impacts, companies may find it easier to justify any?incremental?conversation costs as they contribute to?revenue?generation or customer satisfaction.

Potential Questions and Considerations

Agentforce?is still in its infancy, and several questions remain?regarding?the full scope of this offering. For instance, Salesforce may?introduce?a unique agent license, similar to integration user licenses, as well as monitoring tools for tracking conversation volume and?spending. Additionally, businesses will need to strategize on?deploying?Agentforce in ways that balance conversation volume with cost efficiency.

Final Thoughts

Salesforce’s introduction of Agentforce and its conversation-based pricing marks a new era in?AI?deployment within CRM. By aligning costs directly with?value-adding?interactions, Salesforce is not only making AI more?accessible?but also allowing businesses to see a more immediate and tangible ROI. This evolution in pricing and functionality offers a promising future for organizations looking to?scale?autonomously driven, value-centric processes in an?efficient?and financially sustainable way.

As Agentforce gains traction, we anticipate a new standard in the AI-driven CRM landscape—one where intelligent agents do not just support but actively drive business growth.