What are the capabilities of Salesforce?
Capax RM are always looking for areas within the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) network to expand their knowledge and whilst Salesforce itself is not classed as an ERP, instead a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), it works in harmony and can be integrated with ERP systems. CRM and ERP systems are both used by businesses to streamline operations and improve efficiency, but they do different things.
An ERP connects businesses finance and operation systems meaning that the day-to-day functions are all in one place. A CRM is, as the name suggests, a platform to manage all customer interactions, existing and potential. Their aim is to make retaining customers and gaining new customers easier, improve professional relationships and help grow a business.
Founded in 1999 Salesforce is currently the #1 CRM platform in the world. As of October 2022, Salesforce has a revenue of $7.84 billion with a growth rate of nearly 15% year on year. Their product is based on a pay-as-you-go subscription model that houses all data on the cloud. It is designed to help teams connect with their customer. It allows entire teams and organisations to view and add information to the same customer data no matter their location or device. It provides a holistic view of every customer interaction meaning that all people involved in winning new business and retaining business is on the same page and has access to the same information. Salesforce can be used on businesses of all sizes and offers different variations of its products depending on the requirements of each business.
There are 3 types of services offered by Salesforce:
The products that Salesforce currently has to offer:
1.????Salesforce Cloud Services: Main focus on the sales component of CRM as well as customer support
2.????Salesforce Marketing Cloud: All marketing channels in one place. Email campaigns can be created and there is analysis of how effective campaigns are
3.????Salesforce Service Cloud:?This has an AI driven customer service and support allowing customers to easily get the solutions and advice that they need
4. Salesforce Experience Cloud: Enables users to create mobile apps, landing pages, portals and help centers that run using Salesforce
5.????Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Unifies a businesses ability to engage with customers over any platform
6.????Salesforce Analytics Cloud: This is a business intelligence platform designed to help users and organisations make data driven decisions
7.????Salesforce App Cloud: Enables developers to quickly create applications that run on the Salesforce platform without the need to write code
8.????Salesforce IoT (Internet of Things*) Cloud:?Turns data generated by customers, smart devices and sensors into useful customer data
9.????Salesforce Financial Services Cloud: Most useful for the companies in the financial service industry, it combines Sales and Service Clouds in one place
10.?Salesforce Health Cloud 2.0:?Improves patient care from first point of contact to medical billing
11.?Salesforce Integration Cloud: Provides a single view of customer data for large businesses and enterprises
12.?Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud:?Enables Operations and Sales departments of manufacturing companies to view and collaborate on customer information
领英推荐
13.?Salesforce Education Cloud:?Specifically for student management and engagement, it provides the technology required to manage the entire life-cycle of students
14.?Salesforce Non-profit Cloud:?Helps non-profit organisations expand their reach and connect to more people
15.?Salesforce Vaccine Cloud:?The latest addition to the products is designed to assist healthcare organisations safely build and manage vaccine programs
What are the benefits to companies using Salesforce?
Time Management: Salesforce makes finding important information easier and less time consuming as it is all available in one place. Additionally, with organisations being able to analyse and have access to so much relevant customer data, organisations can prioritize work and streamline the sales pipeline. This means that leads can more quickly converted into customers. There is also a calendar functionality that allows for meetings, phone calls, follow ups etc. to be planned all in one place so that leads can be more effectively kept on top of.
Accessibility: As mentioned earlier, the information on an organisations Salesforce system is available anywhere, anytime, if you have a login and internet access. This allows business owners and team member that travel a lot to access up to date information on the road. This feature is also becoming a bigger selling point as remote working is the norm for a lot of companies meaning their talent pool can be larger as they can hire across the country or even internationally.
Increased Revenue: With time efficiency being increased by using Salesforce, employees have more time to make a real difference in the company rather than having their time tied up doing administrative work. Salesforce stores data on the cloud that in other cases might have to be sorted and stored manually which would also take time and money. People have time to make new connections, come up with innovative ideas and ultimately increase profits.
Greater Customer Satisfaction: A CRM system allows businesses to understand their customers more and offer them options more tailored to them using the data collected. It also allows them to interact with their customers more to ensure they are satisfied with the product and/or service that is being provided to them. Salesforce allows all employees that have interactions with customers to access their information quickly and easily and to be able to have an overview of the whole customer story ensuring nothing is missed. A happy customer is a lot more likely to recommend you to potential new clients.
Simplicity: Salesforce’s dedication to simplicity makes your employees job easier and ensures there is less room for error. When creating new accounts or adding extras to existing accounts the information you need will already be available to you. When customers get exactly what they ask for they are happier. The simplicity of Salesforce allows you to keep meeting customers needs, solving their problems and keeping an eye on trends.
Reporting: Salesforce keeps data organised and uses customer data to workout customer behaviour and needs. This allows organisations to keep track of all the data collected and use it to enhance their business with the trust that the numbers provided by Salesforce are correct.
Collaboration: Within the software there is a “Chatter” feature allowing for teams to communicate from anywhere. It lets you connect with individual members and full groups within the company. This can help team members all be on the same page and keep projects hitting deadlines and sales made more efficiently.
There are many certifications and training available for Salesforce with over 40 listed on their website. These certifications are greatly sort after by employers. The average salary for a certified Salesforce professional** is between $122,000 and $167,000. With certifications only costing around $500 it is a great way to progress your career.
This is a very brief overview of the capabilities and functions of Salesforce. It is an impressive CRM system and the growth of both the product and the company don’t seem to be stopping soon.
*Internet of things is the collective network of connected devices and the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as the devices themselves.
** this number is taken from survey of Salesforce professionals around the world and may differ in your area