Customer Service and Support Archives - Salesforce https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/topics/customer-service-and-support/ Get the latest Salesforce press releases, announcements, stories, and media contacts. See today’s CRM news. Wed, 20 Nov 2024 13:39:41 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/10/salesforce-icon.png?w=32 Customer Service and Support Archives - Salesforce https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/topics/customer-service-and-support/ 32 32 218246402 The Force Behind Agentforce: How Data Cloud Fuels the Customer 360 Platform and the Next Era of AI https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/how-data-cloud-powers-agentforce/ Wed, 20 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=83412 Last month, Salesforce announced the general availability of Agentforce, marking a significant milestone in the creation of autonomous agents for business. Agentforce is an integrated AI solution on the Salesforce Platform designed to build, deploy, and scale AI agents. Agentforce goes beyond chatbots and copilots, using advanced reasoning abilities to make decisions and take action, like resolving customer cases, qualifying sales leads, and optimizing marketing campaigns. Data, however, is the lifeblood that fuels AI. Clean, integrated, and contextual data is what deepens Agentforce’s understanding of our customers.

Salesforce Data Cloud is the heart of Agentforce’s next-generation capabilities. A hyperscale data engine on the Salesforce Platform, it provides all of the data and metadata Agentforce needs to produce actionable insights that are grounded in customer records. This simply isn’t possible with other agents or copilots because they cannot access the data needed to provide a complete view of a customer. More importantly, Data Cloud overcomes many of the issues enterprise customers face when trying to integrate their agents and customer data, including: 

  • Data Silos: Businesses struggle to create seamless customer experiences with data distributed across different systems, with much of this data stored in unstructured formats — like customer and employee interactions in Slack, PDF, Google documents, videos, and support tickets. As such, retrieving relevant information quickly and effectively has been particularly difficult, limiting the ability of support teams to respond to customer needs in real time. 
  • Lack of Trusted Context: To make more informed decisions, agents need a thorough understanding of the customer journey, interactions, and preferences, which requires a unified data foundation. Unstructured data is growing at a rate of 55% to 65% each year. According to IDC, in 2022, 90% of data generated by organizations was unstructured, yet only 18% of organizations can take advantage of unstructured data. Scattered enterprise data and knowledge that can’t be integrated and governed results in disjointed insights. This makes it nearly impossible to generate contextually aware and trusted intelligence that understands business and customer needs. 
  • Poor Actionability: Insights are valuable, but being able to quickly do something with them is what makes them priceless. Many organizations face delays and bottlenecks in moving from insights to action, preventing them from responding to market demands as well as employee and customer needs. For AI to generate reliable insights, it needs trustworthy and governed data. Without precision, context, accuracy, and regulatory compliance, do-it-yourself (DIY) AI models and copilots end up producing incomplete or unreliable results that ultimately erode user trust. 

The Data Cloud advantage for Agentforce

With Data Cloud, Agentforce not only has access to every relevant piece of trusted enterprise knowledge (files, videos, images, websites, tickets) and data (across systems, lakes, warehouses, and Customer 360), but also understands its context, enabling it to make intelligent, actionable, and trusted recommendations in real time. That’s where Agentforce becomes incredibly powerful.

Data Cloud enables this by going beyond traditional CDPs to address challenges with data integration, contextual intelligence, and automated actions in real time. As a hyperscale data platform, it serves as the trusted data foundation for Agentforce and the broader Salesforce Platform. Data Cloud drives hyperpersonalized experiences across the entire Customer 360 by seamlessly integrating structured and unstructured data, data lakes, warehouses, and CRM data. An open and extensible platform, it’s also integrated with Salesforce’s Zero Copy Partner Network ecosystem, so data can be actioned in Agentforce and across the Salesforce Platform. FedEx, for instance, is creating customer journeys to improve customer experiences and grow revenue by connecting all Salesforce clouds with Data Cloud. FedEx trusts Salesforce’s end-to-end data platform to seamlessly integrate with its existing data lakes — without duplicating data — thanks to zero copy. 

Data Cloud represents an ambitious vision to provide a centralized data asset encompassing data management, warehousing, workflow, and AI capabilities that connect the federated Salesforce ecosystem.

Forrester, The Forrester Wave™: Customer Data Platforms For B2C, Q3 2024, September 2024, authored by Joe Stanhope

Data Cloud maximizes the potential of Agentforce by safely grounding agents in an organization’s proprietary customer data using industry-leading Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and hybrid search capabilities. Data Cloud’s built-in RAG capabilities add real-time insights and context from unstructured data like past emails, support tickets, product photos, voicemails, and other sources, while its hybrid search identifies the right knowledge article based on customer context to help Agentforce resolve issues accurately. 

Data Cloud can also activate data for AI, automation, and analytics, driving actions seamlessly within the flow of work. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts improved handle times, revenue per agent, and customer satisfaction by giving service teams a unified view of guest profiles, thanks to connected reservation, loyalty, and CRM data in Data Cloud.

Finally, with Data Cloud, teams can build trust with customers through a governed and secure platform that natively manages data access, security, and compliance.

Salesforce made a compelling case for elevating Data Cloud as the critical component for building agents. Whether Agentforce retrieves context, accurate information; evaluates user queries for clarity and relevance; DC ensures that the action plan is grounded on trusted data & is critical to its success.

Tapan Patel, IDC, Dreamforce 2024: Salesforce Data Cloud Lays the Data Strategy Foundation Needed for Agentforce, October 2024

How Salesforce Data Cloud powers Agentforce

Data Cloud is central to Agentforce’s capabilities, bringing together structured and unstructured data from a multitude of sources in real time. By providing the Customer 360 with deep platform integration, trusted contextual data for Agentforce, and autonomous actions in the flow of work, Data Cloud ensures Agentforce has access to the most comprehensive customer view. 

Customer 360 with deep platform integration

Data Cloud surfaces trusted customer data in all Salesforce Customer 360 applications, creating a foundation for personalized customer experiences and real-time analytics, triggering data-driven actions and workflows, and safely driving AI across all Salesforce apps. With its zero-copy technology and MuleSoft connectors, Data Cloud can ingest data from hundreds of diverse data sources, including data lakes and warehouses. Its native vector database converts various data formats‌ — ‌PDFs, texts, calls, voicemails, videos, and images that are often trapped in 90% of customer data‌ — ‌into readily usable data and harmonizes it with structured data to create comprehensive customer profiles that are stored as metadata (data about data, such as area codes or loyalty program numbers) in a unified data foundation. Because it’s fully integrated in the Salesforce Platform, this metadata can flow seamlessly into any Salesforce application based on set governance policies. This gives every team a 360-degree view of the customer to power trusted AI and drive automation and analytics across every touchpoint without compromising data security.

Salesforce believes in an open ecosystem and extensibility at every layer. For years, it has fostered an ISV and customer development ecosystem via the AppExchange. Now, this work is going even further with bring your own (BYO) AI models and zero copy. Indeed, today, customers and partners have ultimate flexibility — whether building a custom connector to ingest a particular data source through to feature extensibility and beyond.

“Data Cloud has been instrumental in helping us streamline operations across all of our [different] divisions to help inform strategic decision-making in one simple system, instead of switching between technology platforms,” said Tony Gondick, Senior Manager, IT Business Strategy, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., Engines Division. “We see firsthand the value of Data Cloud in surfacing insights [from] our unstructured data. So much so that we became an Agentforce pilot customer to ensure our [team members] were powered with rich, contextual information to help solve problems faster, uncover more opportunities, and integrate more seamlessly with third-party systems to ensure we are more responsive to customer needs and can predict customer behavior.”

To further augment unstructured data integration and fuel next-generation enterprise knowledge for Agentforce, Salesforce recently acquired Zoomin, a leading data management provider whose technology now augments unstructured content capabilities in Data Cloud. Augmenting enterprise knowledge in Data Cloud can power new use cases for customers across multiple touchpoints and contextual enterprise knowledge by grounding agents in all enterprise unstructured data, such as Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, YouTube video, website, and content management system files. This integration accelerates how customers unlock unstructured data to maximize the potential of Agentforce and gives service teams a more contextually-aware understanding of their customers.

“In the testing environment, we drastically cut down the time needed to pull together information for service responses, for the ads side of our business,” said Amir Weingrod, Senior Manager, Business Systems, Unity Technologies. “The main challenge we faced was having to search across multiple sources and knowledge articles, then tailoring the response for each customer. With Zoomin and Salesforce, our knowledge is now centralized and will be directly available to Agentforce, bringing relevant, personalized answers right in front of the user. This integration has transformed our knowledge into a powerful productivity boost and a key driver of revenue.”

With Zoomin and Salesforce, our knowledge is now centralized and will be directly available to Agentforce, bringing relevant, personalized answers right in front of the user. This integration has transformed our knowledge into a powerful productivity boost and a key driver of revenue.

Amir Weingrod, Senior Manager, Business Systems, Unity Technologies

Trusted, contextual data for Agentforce

With industry-leading RAG and built-in capabilities like vector database, hybrid search, and no-code retrievers, Data Cloud ensures Agentforce has access to search and summarize valuable contextual insights. RAG retrieves the right data from the appropriate source, augments user prompts, and extracts value from the large language model (LLM). With RAG, users can search both structured and unstructured enterprise data ingested into Data Cloud. With hybrid search, organizations can find the most relevant information in the company’s knowledge base by combining the semantic capabilities of vector search with the exact match capabilities of keyword search, a critical capability for dealing with specific domain terms like product names or acronyms. 

Now generally available, Data Cloud’s no-code retrievers also empower admins and business users to implement customized RAG capabilities for both structured and unstructured data with a simple, click-based setup. Once data is ingested and indexed in Data Cloud, no-code retrievers bring the data directly into Prompt Templates and Flow automations, enabling Agentforce to access essential details from unstructured data sources like PDFs, knowledge articles, and call transcripts. This makes it easy for Agentforce to ground on specific use cases through filters — like articles within a specific category and firmware updates — without writing vector query code. Despite being no-code, users can still tailor the retrieval process by defining filters, ranking algorithms, and specifying the desired level of detail for the retrieved data. Data Cloud no-code retrievers provide a next-generation experience unlocking accessibility, faster development time, and improved data quality.

“Salesforce Data Cloud has seen tremendous growth and now powers Agentforce. Our new no-code retrievers and the integration of  Zoomin’s unstructured content capabilities represent a breakthrough for our customers,” said Rahul Auradkar, EVP and GM of Salesforce Data Cloud. “By removing the technical barriers to building and deploying contextually-aware insights for Agentforce, we are enabling enterprises to harness the complete set of enterprise data with unprecedented ease. Now, teams can quickly create context-rich, intelligent Agentforce interactions that deliver real impact — all while significantly reducing the costs associated with data integration and retrieval.”

Now, teams can quickly create context-rich, intelligent Agentforce interactions that deliver real impact — all while significantly reducing the costs associated with data integration and retrieval.

Rahul Auradkar, EVP and GM of Salesforce Data Cloud

Data Cloud transformation, indexing, search, and semantic capabilities are deeply integrated with the Atlas Reasoning Engine. Through the power of Data Cloud and the Atlas Reasoning Engine, agents can also decipher insights through nuanced questions married with complex unstructured data to return simple, successful, and relevant answers to customers. The Atlas Reasoning Engine can produce contextual richness that other DIY AI bots and copilots cannot because they do not have a complete view of customer data. For example, Agentforce can use part numbers found in customer-sent photos to pull up relevant knowledge articles for that product category and help support representatives resolve customer issues faster.

The ability to work with unstructured data is one of Data Cloud’s most significant differentiators, and it’s critical for equipping agents with the knowledge they need to deliver effective responses and outcomes. 

Autonomous actions in the flow of work

Delivering timely and personalized customer experiences means ensuring that business users, data teams, and technical users have easy access to actionable data. Data Cloud unifies customer profiles, enabling sales teams to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities, service teams to proactively address customer needs, and marketing teams to personalize campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences. By democratizing data, Salesforce empowers every team to harness insights that drive smarter, more targeted customer interactions across the organization.

Data Cloud enables organizations to transform insights into autonomous actions. With integrated analytics and action layers, insights are no longer passive but serve as immediate calls to action, whether through automation, analytics or real-time suggestions to Agentforce. With our sub-second E2E real-time layer, enterprises can ingest, transform, index, perform hybrid search, RAG, and govern data in real time across Salesforce. This powers Einstein Personalization, now built on Data Cloud, along with real-time AI recommendations, analytics, and automations to enable faster decision-making and instant personalization across customer touchpoints.

Data Cloud enables automation through data-triggered workflows, advanced analytics, and AI-powered applications built on trusted data. With both low-code and pro-code tools, it empowers everyone in the organization to access and act on data, fostering self-service, informed decision-making, and innovation across teams. Agentforce uses machine learning (ML) and generative AI insights from Data Cloud to deliver personalized recommendations. From tailored in-store promotions to cross-channel offers, Agentforce delivers real-time engagement backed by sub-second data ingestion and harmonization, with instant notifications in Slack and insights available in Tableau.

Getting started with Data Cloud and Agentforce

Agents are most successful when they’re able to tap the power of data, AI, automation, and humans. Data Cloud, as the foundation of the Salesforce Platform and Agentforce, brings all of those elements together so businesses can build intelligent, responsive agents that address diverse needs‌ — ‌from streamlining customer support to empowering employee workflows‌ — ‌creating more personalized, efficient, and effective interactions. 

More information:

  • To unlock the full potential of your data, explore how Salesforce Data Cloud can elevate AI and Agentforce capabilities to create customer and employee experiences that truly set you apart. 
  • Join Salesforce at Agentforce World Tour to learn more
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New Research Shows How AI Agents Can Step In as Consumer Trust Slips https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/ai-customer-research/ Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=82847 Salesforce’s latest State of the AI Connected Customer research reveals consumer trust in companies is at a record low and that AI is raising the stakes for brands. 

Today, 74% of UK consumers and 69% of Irish consumers believe that advances in AI make trust even more important. And with AI agents on the rise, the findings point to real opportunities for companies to win back consumers with trustworthy AI agents this holiday season. This opportunity is greatest with Generation Z, with almost a third of UK Gen Z consumers (28%) saying they’d be comfortable having an AI agent shop for them. Irish consumers were almost twice as likely to trust AI with their shopping, with over half of respondents (51%) agreeing with this statement. 

Why it matters: Faced with a challenging holiday shopping season and shrinking consumer trust, brands can’t afford to get AI wrong – especially as more than $200 billion in global online sales will be influenced by AI this holiday season. 

AI agents, or intelligent software that understands and responds to customer inquiries without human intervention, can help companies drive higher margins and keep consumers buying by delivering incredible customer service. From alleviating clunky purchase experiences to difficult return processes, there’s an agent for that. But to build trusted customer relationships, brands need trusted AI agents that are grounded in transparency and the right data.

Key findings of the AI Connected Customer research include:

Consumers trust less, expect more 

Consumer trust is at its lowest point in recent years, and advances in AI make earning that trust more critical than ever.

  • 84% of UK consumers and nearly three-quarters (74%) of Irish respondents trust companies less than they did a year ago.
  • The majority of consumers in these markets (73% in the UK and 61% in Ireland) also feel companies are reckless with customer data.

It’s not just about trust; consumers also expect best-in-class experiences.

  • Over 75% of UK and Irish (UKI) consumers expect consistent interactions across departments.
  • 70% of UK and 65% of Irish consumers prefer using fewer touchpoints to get information or complete a task.

While better deals are a top driver for consumers to switch to a new brand, customer service experience, convenience, and consistent product or service quality drive more long-term brand loyalty.

  • 59% of consumers in the UK and 48% in Ireland say poor customer service experience will stop them from making a repeat purchase from a company or brand.
  • More than 40% of UKI consumers say that inconvenience, such as a difficult return process or clunky purchase experience, will cause brands to lose them.

Younger consumers are most open to AI agents

The research shows Gen Z and millennials are more willing than older generations to use AI agents to improve their customer experience.

Younger generations, in particular, hold companies to a higher standard when it comes to adapting to and anticipating their needs – 61% of Gen Z respondents from Ireland and 43% from UK in the same age group say AI raises the bar for customer experiences compared to just a third of baby boomers in Ireland (32%) and only 18% in the UK Gen Z and millennial consumers are also more likely than older generations to consider the benefits provided by agents.

Transparency is key to building consumer confidence in the AI agent era

Despite the promise of young shoppers, many consumers haven’t made up their minds on AI yet. Nearly half of consumers are neutral about AI’s impact on their lives (45% in the UK and 43% in Ireland), whether personal or professional.

In fact, many consumers feel a mix of suspicion (58% in the UK and 41% in Ireland) and curiosity (36% and 34% respectively) about the future of AI — revealing a ripe opportunity for companies to help consumers see and understand the benefits of AI agents.

  • About a third of consumers would work with an AI agent instead of a person to avoid repeating themselves.
  • A third of Irish consumers and a quarter of respondents from the UK would work with an AI agent instead of a person for faster service. This figure rises to nearly half of Gen Z consumers across the UK and Ireland (50% and 43% respectively), indicating that the younger generation is more open to collaborating with AI agents.
  • Almost a third of Irish consumers — and almost half of Gen Z respondents (47%) in this market – would share their personal information with an AI agent so it can better anticipate their needs. In the UK, this figure was significantly lower, with 18% of all respondents and a third of Gen Z agreeing with this statement. 

To build confidence in the agent experience, businesses need to bridge the trust gap through more transparency.

  • Over 75% of consumers in the UK and Ireland want to know if they’re communicating with an AI agent.
  • Over half are more likely to use an AI agent if there’s a clear escalation path.
  • Half of Irish consumers and 41% of Brits are more likely to use an AI agent if its logic is clearly explained.

Salesforce perspective: “Retailers face a much more competitive shopping season this year, as they look to deliver higher margins in the midst of increasing customer demands. AI agents can help brands deliver consistent, personalized experiences for shoppers across every channel – deepening customer loyalty and ultimately driving more sales.” – Michael Affronti, SVP and general manager of Commerce Cloud, Salesforce

AI agents can help brands deliver consistent, personalized experiences for shoppers across every channel – deepening customer loyalty and ultimately driving more sales.

Michael Affronti, SVP and general manager of Commerce Cloud, Salesforce

Customer perspective: “Since introducing Agentforce at Saks, we are beginning to see the real potential for its autonomous AI agents to augment our teams’ ability to provide personalized and efficient customer support. Agentforce will streamline routine tasks, such as order tracking, enabling our service teams to prioritize more meaningful customer interactions and focus on delivering a high-touch, tailored customer experience. We’re excited to continue enhancing our luxury shopping experience and exploring new ways Agentforce can continue to further elevate our service.” – Mike Hite, Chief Technology Officer, Saks Global

Go deeper:

Methodology: Data is from a double-blind survey of 15,015 consumers conducted between July 16 and August 16, 2024. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, UK, and U.S. adults (aged 18+). The survey was carried out online by YouGov.

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Salesforce’s Agentforce Is Here: Trusted, Autonomous AI Agents to Scale Your Workforce https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/press-releases/2024/10/29/agentforce-general-availability-announcement/ Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?post_type=sf_press_release&p=82804 Agentforce delivers fully customizable autonomous AI agents that can connect to any enterprise data and take action across sales, service, marketing, and commerce

Agent Builder enables users to build an agent to automate any business process in any industry using existing Salesforce Platform tools like workflows, Apex code, and prompt templates

Customers like The Adecco Group, BACA Systems, OpenTable, Saks, and Wiley are choosing Agentforce Service Agents to drive faster, more personalized responses to customers and build efficiencies across their business


SAN FRANCISCO – October 29, 2024 Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, today announced the general availability of Agentforce, a new layer on the Salesforce Platform that enables companies to build and deploy AI agents that can autonomously take action across any business function. Agentforce goes beyond chatbots and copilots, using advanced reasoning abilities to make decisions and take action, like resolving customer cases, qualifying sales leads, and optimizing marketing campaigns. Agentforce doesn’t depend on human engagement to get work done; these agents can be triggered by changes in data, business rules, pre-built automations, or signals via API calls from other systems. Companies like OpenTable, Saks, and Wiley are using Agentforce today to augment their employees, expand their workforce, and improve customer experiences.

In addition, Agentforce includes out-of-the-box agents that are easy to customize and deploy with low-code or no-code tools and that work around the clock across any channel. Agentforce Service Agent, the first generally available out-the-box agent, outperforms traditional chatbots by handling a wide range of tasks, from simple to complex, with pre-built topics and actions for customer support. Users can customize pre-built agents to serve any industry and any use case, like retail with order management topics, or financial services with billing and payment support topics. 

​​​​“Agentforce is redefining what’s possible in business and beyond, ushering in a new era of AI abundance and limitless workforces that augment every employee, build deeper customer relationships and drive unprecedented growth and profitability,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce. “Built on Salesforce’s trusted, fully customizable platform — seamlessly integrating enterprise data, metadata, AI models, workflows, security and applications — Agentforce is what AI was meant to be.”

Built on Salesforce’s trusted, fully customizable platform — seamlessly integrating enterprise data, metadata, AI models, workflows, security and applications — Agentforce is what AI was meant to be.

Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce

With Agentforce, there’s no need to DIY (do it yourself) your AI. Unlike other agent platforms that require complex data integration and custom automation builds, Agentforce is already built into the Salesforce Platform. Customers can instantly turn their existing Flows, prompt templates, Apex, and APIs into agent actions, seamlessly connecting to enterprise data, security models, and automations‌ — ‌with the added power of native tools like Data Cloud, Slack, and MuleSoft. The all-new Agent Builder enables Salesforce admins and developers to use natural language to create instructions and guardrails for their agents. 

At Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce customers brought Agentforce to life by building over 10,000 autonomous agents designed to tackle specific business challenges. They learned that “if you can describe it, Agentforce can do it.” With Agentforce, customers can create an on-demand digital workforce that operates without constraints, allowing them to quickly and easily build and deploy agents using the Salesforce tools and language they already know.

Why this Matters: 

New Salesforce research shows that U.S. consumers can spend up to nine hours interacting with customer service trying to resolve a single issue. On average, 67% of consumers are frustrated when customer service can’t resolve their issues instantly and choose to walk away from roughly one-third of customer service interactions. This presents a huge opportunity to improve the customer experience with agents. 

“Piloting Agentforce made a noticeable difference during one of our busiest periods — back-to-school season. It’s been exciting to go live with our first agent, and we’ve seen a more than 40% increase in case resolution, outperforming our old bot. Agentforce helps to manage routine responsibilities and free up our service teams for more complex cases.” – Kevin Quigley, Director, Process Improvement, Wiley

What’s New:

The following solutions are now generally available to all customers: 

  • Agentforce Service Agent — Now available, Agentforce Service Agent is a customer-facing autonomous AI agent that helps customers deliver self-service with accurate, always-on support across any channel — like voice, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and websites. Agentforce Service Agent can be set up in minutes with pre-built topics and actions for key service use cases, such as case management, reservation management, order inquiries, account management, delivery issues, and general FAQs. Escalations and hand-offs to human reps are seamless, with the full context of interactions instantly shared in the support representative’s service console. For example, a rep wraps up their morning global support call, and before they can even grab a cup of coffee, a team of AI agents has automatically helped hundreds or even thousands of customers simultaneously, ranging from troubleshooting an issue with personalized advice to automatically scheduling field service appointments.
  • Agent Builder — Also now available, Agent Builder makes the set-up and activation of an agent simple. Agent Builder enables users to customize out-of-the-box agents or build new agents for any role, any industry, or any use case. Using low code, or no code, Agent Builder brings in structured and unstructured data from Data Cloud and uses existing tools like Flows, Prompts, Apex, and MuleSoft APIs to configure an agent. Starting with the Agent Wizard, users are guided in the selection and setup of the agent. Next, users can create a job to be done for their agent by defining topics, writing natural language instructions within that topic, and creating a library of actions for it to choose from. Users can also easily observe an agent’s plan of action and test its responses in Agent Builder. 

Go deeper:

The Agentforce layer is deeply integrated into the Salesforce Platform, powered by data, AI, and Salesforce’s ecosystem of Customer 360 apps, all built on a trusted foundation. The Salesforce Platform expands the boundaries of agents, enabling infinite capacity, proactive actions across any role or channel, and context of every customer interaction with powerful capabilities, including: 

  • Data CloudData Cloud and the Zero Copy Partner Network allow organizations to harmonize all their enterprise data — both structured and unstructured — no matter where it resides. Data Cloud connects, unifies, and harmonizes customer data and metadata, giving agents access to the exact information they need to deliver precise, contextual responses. Data Cloud makes structured and unstructured data – including emails, transcripts, and PDFs – easily digestible by large language models (LLMs). Now, with new Data Cloud retrieval augmented generation (RAG) functionality, users can also upload files and URLs as data sources for their agent. Data Cloud provides the vital customer data that grounds Agentforce, making agents more contextually aware, knowledgeable, and adaptable to customer needs. For example, when a frustrated customer contacts Agentforce, Data Cloud’s built-in RAG capabilities add real-time insights and context from past emails, support tickets, product photos, voicemails, and other sources as defined by governance policies to help the agent better understand the customer’s perspective. Data Cloud’s hybrid search then identifies the right knowledge article based on customer context to help agents resolve the issue accurately. As customer requests evolve, Data Cloud enables the agent to determine the next-best steps, like automating follow-up emails. 
  • Atlas Reasoning Engine — The Atlas Reasoning Engine, the brain inside Agentforce, autonomously analyzes data, makes decisions, and completes tasks, providing reliable and accurate results. This is what allows Agentforce to act, not just assist. Agentforce doesn’t depend on human prompts or struggle with complex, multistep tasks like now-outdated chatbots and copilots. Atlas is built on a proprietary system designed to simulate how humans think and plan. It starts by evaluating user queries and refining them for clarity and relevance. Then, it retrieves the most relevant data and builds a plan for execution. The process then refines the plan further, ensuring it’s accurate, relevant, and grounded in trusted data. Created by the Salesforce AI Research team, the Atlas Project initially involved a select set of customers but grew considerably after research showed the results Agentforce could deliver were twice as relevant and 33% more accurate than other available solutions. Salesforce AI Research continues to push what’s possible in the agentic AI space, incubating with strategic customers and bringing innovation to the edge of the roadmap.
  • Trust & Security Built-in — The Einstein Trust Layer protects customer data through robust security features and guardrails like zero data retention, toxicity detection, secure data retrieval, and dynamic grounding — improving the safety and accuracy of outputs while ensuring the responsible use of AI agents across the Salesforce ecosystem. For example, the Audit Trail feature empowers customers with the necessary data to track AI agent actions and outputs, ensuring AI usage complies with their organization’s security, privacy, regulatory, and AI governance policies. Additionally, Salesforce has released a new set of principles and ethical controls, known as trust patterns, to enhance the reliability of the AI agents and ensure a seamless partnership between humans and AI. These patterns include hallucination reduction with topic classification, opt-out functionality, and design decisions to ensure proper human oversight. 
  • Customer 360 — Agentforce is deeply integrated with Salesforce Customer 360, leveraging the full power of applications like sales, service, marketing, and commerce. It provides a complete view of the customer, enabling seamless hand-offs to human agents with the full conversation history.
  • MuleSoft capabilities — MuleSoft is an industry-leading integration, automation, and API management platform, managing 205 billion integration flow monthly executions and 331 billion automation flow monthly executions. MuleSoft can extend Agentforce capabilities by enabling Salesforce developers and admins to leverage their APIs and bring in third-party data.  
  • Salesforce Flow capabilities — Customers have been building workflow automations in Flow Builder since 2019, with an estimated 4 trillion flows built annually and 5.6 billion hours saved, according to Salesforce research. Agentforce can take action by invoking any existing process flow created in Flow Builder, such as elevating a priority of a customer case ticket.
  • Slack — Slack empowers every employee with agentic skills in the flow of work, making it the best place to deploy Agentforce for employee-facing use cases. Users can build and customize employee agents, tap into better context with more relevance, and work side-by-side with agents right where work is already happening in Slack.

Agentforce Industry Examples: 

The flexibility of the Agentforce platform is critical to tailoring each agent to serve a specific use case or industry. Customers can expect agents in the following sectors:

  • Communications A billing resolution agent provides faster customer support around billing inquiries and resolves issues faster to boost team productivity and improve customer experiences. For example, if a customer ‌submits a complaint or question about a specific charge on their account, the agent can analyze past monthly bills, identify the issue, and validate dispute requests to arrive at a solution  based on business rules.
  • Education A recruitment services agent provides immediate, personalized assistance to prospective students, 24/7. Instead of receiving repetitive or reactive responses from a chatbot or having to wait for support from staff, prospective students will get the tailored information they need in real time. The agent will be able to engage in a dynamic conversation and answer multiple questions on financial aid, specific majors, and other topics while providing helpful recommendations for students.  
  • Banking A banking service agent provides faster responses to customer service inquiries and automates complex manual tasks like facilitating transaction disputes. For example, the agent can autonomously retrieve recent transactions from an account, coordinate with customers to identify unauthorized charges, notify merchants of disputed charges, and issue provisional credits to customers — all before a human agent needs to intervene.
  • Insurance — An insurance service agent helps insurance brokerages automate time-intensive processes, such as plan year renewals, and identify potential retention risks. For example, the agent can proactively analyze client data, detect gaps in client coverage, and create action plans with recommendations for potential plan adjustments or additional coverage options to fill the gaps.
  • Healthcare A patient services agent answers inquiries and helps schedule the best physician for a given patient based on their needs. For example, the agent will be able to review coverage benefits, generate medical history summaries, and approve care requests.
  • Life Sciences — A medical sales agent proactively manages inventory and generates contracts with hospital systems. For example, the agent will be able to curate promotional content based on clinical studies and an HCP’s specialty. 
  • Manufacturing A proactive maintenance agent monitors the vast amount of data being generated by connected assets — including machinery, industrial equipment and vehicles, appliances, and devices — in real time. For example, the agent will be able to identify declining performance or potential failures, proactively alert customers to the issue, and help them set up a service appointment. It will also be able to provide detailed summaries so customer service representatives and technicians can quickly understand case history to better serve customers.
  • Public Sector — ‌A DMV help agent helps answer questions about registration, licenses, and appointments. For example, the agent will be able to help provide guidance to someone selling their vehicle to ensure everything is properly reported to the state.
  • Media — ​​An advertising proposal agent helps advertising sales teams respond faster to campaign briefs and requests for proposals (RFPs). For example, the agent will be able to suggest the right combination of ad products, target audience, and placement details that fit the campaign’s needs and KPIs, and help kickstart a comprehensive media plan on behalf of an ad sales team.
  • Retail — ​​A personal shopper agent acts as a digital concierge for online shoppers, using generative AI to provide personalized assistance on ecommerce sites, chat, or messaging apps like WhatsApp. Unlike basic chatbots that are limited to answering predefined questions, it taps into a retailer’s catalog and product data, learning from shoppers’ behavior and preferences. This allows shoppers to use natural language search, get conversational responses, and quickly add items to their cart for instant checkout. 

Customer & Analyst Quotes 

“Since introducing Agentforce at Saks, we are beginning to see the real potential for its autonomous AI agents to augment our teams’ ability to provide personalized and efficient customer support. Agentforce will streamline routine tasks, such as order tracking, enabling our service teams to prioritize more meaningful customer interactions and focus on delivering a high-touch, tailored customer experience. We’re excited to continue enhancing our luxury shopping experience and exploring new ways Agentforce can continue to further elevate our service.” Mike Hite, Chief Technology Officer, Saks Global 

“Every year, OpenTable helps 60,000 restaurants fill 1.7 billion seats. With Agentforce, we are able to automate routine tasks like reservation changes and loyalty point redemptions, freeing up our support team to focus on more complex customer inquiries. Saving just two minutes on a 10-minute call lets our service reps focus on strengthening customer relationships. The seamless integration with Service Cloud gives us a unified view of each diner’s preferences and history, allowing us to deliver personalized, high-quality service. It’s not just about solving problems faster — it’s about creating better, more meaningful interactions with our diners and restaurants. With Agentforce, we can meet growing global demand while maintaining the exceptional service our customers expect.” – George Pokorny, Senior VP of Global Customer Success, OpenTable

“After great early success with Salesforce, we are focused on the next era of AI to transform the future of staffing, consulting, and business services across the 100,000 clients we support on any given day. By harnessing Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Salesforce’s AI capabilities, including Agentforce, we’re unlocking the full power of our data to accelerate decision-making, boost efficiency, and reimagine how we serve clients.” Caroline Basyn, Chief Digital & IT Officer, The Adecco Group 

“Agentforce will help ezCater transform the way workplaces order and manage food. With Agentforce, we will be able to effectively streamline everything from last-minute order changes to managing dietary preferences through AI-powered agents. Agentforce will also ensure we can seamlessly transition to human assistance if a more complex issue arises. This blend of AI and human interaction ensures that our customers always have the best experience, no matter what their needs may be.” Erin DeCesare, CTO, ezCater

“Agentforce isn’t just another AI platform that requires months of customization. At BACA Systems, we saw how it enabled us to launch powerful generative AI experiences in days — no AI engineers needed. For customers with larger admin teams, the impact could be even greater. Unlike other platforms, Agentforce prioritizes data privacy, building on the trust we expect from Salesforce, and these virtual coworkers become invaluable assets. We started our journey with employee-facing use cases where our team members were saving multiple hours a week, and now, with Agentforce, we see even more opportunity to drive efficiencies and better serve our customers.” Andrew Russo, Salesforce Architect, BACA Systems

“We can’t wait to start utilizing Agentforce to completely reimagine the recruitment and enrollment processes at Unity Environmental University. Instead of traditional forms or even chatbots, our students will soon have the convenience of interacting with an autonomous recruitment agent directly on our website, which will offer personalized support around the college application process.” Dr. Melik Khoury, President & CEO, Unity Environmental University

“For first-generation college students, the 1:385 coach-to-student ratio makes receiving individualized guidance difficult. By integrating Agentforce into our platform, we are implementing cutting-edge solutions to better support students. Agents empower our coaches to focus on high-touch, personalized experiences — real connection and guidance — while Agentforce manages vital tasks like sharing deadlines and answering common questions at any time day or night.” Siva Kumari, CEO, College Possible

“Agentforce provides organizations the unique opportunity to transition from incremental gains to exponential ROI with agents by automating customer interactions, improving outcomes, and reducing costs. By integrating data, flows, and user interfaces, it mitigates risk and accelerates time to value. The agentic platform approach enables businesses to harness the full potential of AI, transforming how they engage with customers and setting the stage for exponential growth.” Rebecca Wettemann, CEO and principal analyst at industry analyst firm Valoir

“Autonomous agents powered by Salesforce’s Agentforce are transforming the customer experience by delivering fast, accurate, and personalized support around the clock. By harnessing advanced AI to make decisions and take action autonomously, businesses can resolve customer issues more quickly and at scale, leading to more meaningful interactions and enhanced customer satisfaction. This innovation empowers companies to redirect their human workforce toward more complex tasks, ultimately driving individual productivity and business growth that scales. Agentforce sets a new standard for consistent, seamless sales, service, marketing, and commerce interactions across multiple channels, reinforcing its role as a leader in customer experience.” – Michael Fauscette, CEO and Chief Analyst, Arion Research LLC

Additional Agentforce Resources:

  • Try Agentforce for Free with Foundations — Customers can now try Agentforce for free with Salesforce Foundations, a $0 add-on for Enterprise Edition and higher. Announced last month, Foundations helps businesses prepare to get ready for AI by extending their CRM capabilities with additional key features from sales, service, marketing, commerce, and Data Cloud. Foundations now includes credits to power the first 1,000 conversations with Agentforce Service Agent, allowing companies to try its capabilities before buying.
  • Agentblazer Community — The new Agentblazer Community makes it easy for professionals in any line of business or industry to learn about AI agents, get hands-on with Agentforce technology, connect with Salesforce product experts and community members, grow their careers, and shape the future of their organizations. 
  • Salesforce Accelerator — Agents for ImpactAgents for Impact is a new accelerator designed to help nonprofits harness Agentforce. Agents for Impact will provide technology, funding, and expertise to help nonprofits build and customize AI agents, enabling them to improve operational efficiency and scale community impact in the AI-driven future. 
  • Access to experts on demand: Salesforce Professional Services is a team of over 10,000 Salesforce consultants and architects built to help customers strategize, implement, and innovate on Salesforce; more than 95% of Salesforce Professional Services customers have reported innovating faster on Salesforce. Agentforce Activator, now available through both Salesforce Professional Services and certified partners, connects customers with Agentforce experts who can quickly build and deploy agents tailored with actions, data, and guardrails aligned with business goals and values.
  • Get more done, faster: The Agentforce Partner Network empowers enterprises to customize out-of-the-box AI agents, build new ones, or deploy partner-built agents for specific industries and functions ‌via Salesforce AppExchange. Leading Global Systems Integrators (GSIs) like Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, PwC, and Slalom are available to help accelerate adoption; customers on average report a 31% faster rollout of emerging tech after working with a consulting partner.* Systems Integrators (SIs) are also using their domain expertise to help customers define, deploy, and build AI agents. For example, NeuraFlash, a leading Salesforce implementation partner, collaborated with a large smart home security and automation provider to meet customers where they are by streamlining troubleshooting, accelerating response times, and significantly reducing the need for human intervention in support cases. 

How Customers Get Agentforce

Agentforce Service Agent and Agent Builder are now generally available. Agentforce Service Agent pricing starts at $2 per conversation; standard volume discounts apply.

Get Started

  • Realize the value of Agentforce sooner by working with the experts from Salesforce Professional Services and certified partners through Agentforce Activator.
  • Build Your First Agent with the #BuiltWithAgentforce Quest. The first 1,000 Trailblazers to complete the Quest are eligible to receive an exclusive Agentforce T-shirt.

Resources

*Source: 2023 Salesforce Partner Value / AppExchange Customer Success Survey. 2023 survey based on n=1,000 customers across AMER, EMEA, LATAM and APAC.

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Salesforce Helps Carnegie Learning Streamline Sales and Customer Service with AI https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/carnegie-learning-streamlined-sales-service/ Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=81080 Carnegie Learning, a leading provider of K-12 education technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions, is augmenting its sales and service teams with Salesforce AI. Since implementing the technology, Carnegie Learning has increased productivity, built deeper relationships with customers, and seen a remarkable sevenfold increase in revenue. 

The challenge: Carnegie Learning continues to grow, and now has over 600 employees and a revenue that is eight-fold its 2016 amount, with new product verticals in literacy, world languages, professional learning, and high-dosage tutoring, as well as a Canadian headquarters. With this growth, its legacy systems were struggling to keep up with the surge in sales and customer service demands.

The impact: Carnegie Learning consolidated its technology vendors and turned exclusively to Salesforce apps, data, and AI capabilities — including CPQ, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Einstein Copilot, and Prompt Builder — to streamline its sales and service operations. This shift has helped Carnegie improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its teams by reducing administrative burdens like quoting and forecasting, and allowed them to automate and scale operations to support the company’s rapid growth.

Go deeper: With Salesforce, Carnegie is:

  • Enhancing the sales process: Sales Cloud and Salesforce AI help Carnegie Learning representatives optimize daily business operations by providing immediate, data-driven insights. Built-in AI capabilities surface these insights to team members at different stages of the sales process, for example, by automatically scoring leads based on probability of conversion or revenue potential. This enables sales reps to concentrate on the most promising prospects, leading to increased win rates and faster deal cycles for the company.
  • Improving personalization: Sales Cloud AI, a customizable, conversational, generative AI assistant, allows Carnegie sales reps to use natural language prompts in the flow of work to generate customized communications. The AI-generated output is grounded in trusted customer data and metadata with security guardrails, enabling reps to send customers highly personalized emails with the click of a button. Prompt Builder helps Carnegie Learning build prompts used by Einstein Copilot to generate emails using a large language model (LLM) with the relevant information. These emails are not only based on Carnegie Learning information and products, but also from insights gleaned from the prospect’s website.
  • Transforming customer support: Carnegie Learning’s service team has implemented Service Cloud’s AI-driven tools that automatically surface relevant information during live interactions with customers. For example, sharing applicable articles with sales representatives based on similar cases. This access to quick, relevant information reduces response times between sales reps and customers and provides more personalized and seamless experiences through a single view of a customer, ultimately improving customer satisfaction.
  • Eliminating manual tasks: Implementing Salesforce CPQ, a solution that makes pricing and quoting quick and seamless, dramatically reduced the quoting process timeline from multiple days to just minutes. Removing time spent on manual quoting saved Carnegie Learning’s sales team significant time and resources, and allowed them to focus more on strategic priorities like building relationships with customers.

Fast fact: Carnegie Learning has been at the forefront of integrating AI into education for over 25 years, continuously refining its education products with insights gleaned from millions of customer data points. 

Customer perspective: “AI is — and has always been — the foundation of how our company succeeds, so it only made sense for our sales and service teams to leverage Salesforce’s suite of AI products. The insights and time we’ve gained by using the technology has allowed us to grow rapidly and continue to innovate in ways that were unimaginable before partnering with Salesforce,” said Marissa Scalercio, Vice President of Sales Operations, Carnegie Learning

The insights and time we’ve gained by using the technology has allowed us to grow rapidly and continue to innovate in ways that were unimaginable before partnering with Salesforce.

Marissa Scalercio, Vice President of Sales Operations, Carnegie Learning

Salesforce perspective: “Salesforce has worked with Carnegie Learning since 2016, and we are thrilled to see the impact our AI-powered products are having on their organization, especially as it relates to their significant upswing in revenue. Carnegie’s commitment to scaling their operations with AI continues to create new inroads for innovation, and supercharges their talented human teams to work with AI to drive customer success together,” said Ketan Karkhanis, EVP and GM of Sales Cloud

More information:

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Salesforce Introduces AI-Powered Service Cloud Innovations to Accelerate Successful Customer and Employee Case Resolutions https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/service-cloud-dreamforce-24/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=80920 Salesforce today detailed how it’s continuing to expand its complete package of AI-powered Service Cloud solutions to ensure customers, employees, and HR professionals can access the information they need 24/7 and resolve cases more quickly and cost-effectively. New innovations were released to provide step-by-step resolution plans for service representatives, help them track customer sentiment, and get AI-based recommendations to improve customer experience.

Why it’s relevant: Eighty-three percent of service decision makers expect to increase their AI investments in the coming year, and 95% of IT leaders plan to consolidate technology investments this year. By delivering critical AI service capabilities on a single platform, Salesforce is helping companies deliver every type of service at scale. 

Go deeper: New AI self-service, contact center, and employee service capabilities unveiled today are powered by Einstein AI and are grounded in employee and customer records through Data Cloud, enabling the delivery of more accurate, personalized, and contextual results. Specific Service Cloud innovations include:

  • Agentforce Service Agent: Businesses will be able to offload or “deflect” and resolve customer cases 24/7 with an autonomous agent that’s powered by generative AI. The recently announced Agentforce Service Agent is grounded in trusted data, like a company’s knowledge base, so it can have accurate, fluid conversations with customers, and escalate cases to human representatives when circumstances call for it.
  • Service Planner: Companies can automatically create detailed, multi-step plans for service reps using generative AI. These plans are based on the current case context and help new service reps resolve cases faster and more accurately with step-by-step directions aligned to company policies and procedures.
  • Customer Experience (CX) Intelligence: Service teams can track customer sentiment in real time with an intelligent analytics application. And, they can uncover insights based on data from customer surveys and conversations and watch Einstein AI recommend ways to improve CSAT based on that data. 
  • Employee Service: With Employee Service, workers can access an AI-powered  Employee Portal to find fast answers to their HR-related questions, like “what is my PTO balance?” Meanwhile, HR service reps can use an AI-fueled HR Service Console to efficiently serve their employees. The portal and console integrate with Workday and Einstein for Service to deliver accurate, personalized results based on the latest employee data.
  • Agentforce Service Agent deflects and resolves customer cases 24/7 with an autonomous agent that’s powered by generative AI.
  • Service Planner automatically creates detailed, multi-step plans for service reps using generative AI.
  • Customer Experience (CX) Intelligence is an an intelligent analytics application that tracks customer sentiment in real time.
  • The Employee Service AI-powered portal allows workers to quickly find answers to their HR-related questions, like “what is my PTO balance?”

The Salesforce perspective: “Service Cloud is now your complete AI support platform! With the addition of Agentforce Service Agent, we’re bringing together humans with AI agents across self-service, contact center support, employee service, and field service onto one comprehensive AI platform. This empowers our customers to cut costs and boost productivity across their entire organization.” – Kishan Chetan, EVP & General Manager, Service Cloud

Service Cloud helps us achieve that vision with AI technologies that are intuitive for our employees and customers, allowing us to boost productivity, increase resolution rates, and deliver best-in-class customer service.

Mac Munsayac, Head of Customer Experience at Philippine Airlines

The customer perspective: “Our vision is to provide effortless, personalized experiences for every passenger. Service Cloud helps us achieve that vision with AI technologies that are intuitive for our employees and customers, allowing us to boost productivity, increase resolution rates, and deliver best-in-class customer service.” – Mac Munsayac, Head of Customer Experience at Philippine Airlines

Availability:

  • Agentforce Service Agent will be generally available in October 2024. 
  • Service Planner is expected to be in pilot in October 2024.
  • Customer Experience (CX) Intelligence will be generally available in November 2024.
  • The Employee Service Self-Service Portal, HR Service Console, and Workday integration will be generally available in October 2024. 
  • Employee Service Agent will be generally available in 2025.

Learn more:

Any unreleased services or features referenced here are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available.

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Salesforce Announces AI-Driven Field Service Innovations for Peak Efficiency and Enhanced Customer Experiences https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/field-service-dreamforce-24/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=80948 Salesforce today announced new AI-driven field service capabilities to help dispatchers, technicians, and field service leaders expedite time-consuming processes and increase operational efficiency. Built on the Salesforce Platform and grounded in a company’s own trusted data through Data Cloud, these latest innovations will also help teams deliver more proactive and satisfying customer experiences. 

Why it’s relevant: Field service teams spend just 32% of their time interacting with the people they serve — the remaining 68% is spent on tasks like manually entering case notes. Field Service leaders want to save their teams time by eliminating the operational tasks that bog them down. They see AI as an answer — 78% of field service workers in organizations with AI say it saves them time on the job.

Go deeper: Salesforce today unveiled the following AI-driven innovations for Field Service:

  • Agentforce for Dispatchers empowers dispatchers to quickly address urgent appointments — like ones that involve delays, cancellations, or absences — using a conversational interface. The AI assistant presents a Gantt chart so the dispatcher can easily identify risks and adjust appointments on a single screen, streamlining decision-making and increasing productivity. 
  • Field Service Operations Home equips dispatchers and supervisors with an AI-powered home page experience that uses real-time data to surface key insights. This home page unifies data with Data Cloud and uses Einstein to identify patterns and critical trends, allowing users to quickly see what’s important and take immediate action.
  • Multi-Modal Field Tech Support helps technicians complete tasks faster using AI text and image recognition. Technicians can photograph their issue with the Field Service Mobile application, and Einstein will interpret the image and provide effective troubleshooting steps that are generated using the on-device large language model (LLM). This LLM allows Einstein to generate accurate responses even when the device is offline.
  • Data Capture enables technicians to quickly collect field data with dynamic forms in the Field Service Mobile App — online or offline. Users enter data using drop-down menus, images, and files, with forms adjusting dynamically to ensure only relevant details are entered. This saves valuable time on every entry. 
  • Asset Service Prediction lets field service organizations proactively address issues for assets before problems occur. Using an AI model that analyzes historical service data from Data Cloud, Asset Service Prediction can identify the time of — and reason for — a likely asset failure, enabling technicians to avoid downtime and costly truck-rolls. 
  • Agentforce for Dispatchers empowers dispatchers to easily identify risks and adjust appointments using a conversational interface.
  • Field Service Operations Home is an AI-powered home page experience that uses real-time data to surface key insights.
  • Multi-Modal Field Tech Support helps technicians complete tasks faster using AI text and image recognition.
  • Data Capture enables technicians to quickly collect field data with dynamic forms in the Field Service Mobile App — online or offline.
  • Asset Service Prediction lets field service organizations proactively address issues for assets before problems occur.

The Salesforce perspective: “The future of field service centers on the seamless integration of AI, data, and human expertise. Anticipating customer needs and acting quickly is now critical for every organization. Our new AI-powered capabilities enable dispatchers, technicians, and operations leaders to work with unmatched efficiency and precision, setting new standards in productivity and service delivery.” – Paul Whitelam, GM & SVP, Salesforce Field Service

With Salesforce Field Service, we’re harnessing these technologies to unlock unprecedented efficiency, keeping our teams ahead of the curve, and delivering exceptional service every time.

Rudi Khoury, Chief Digital Officer at Fisher & Paykel

The customer perspective: “Embracing AI and data-driven insights isn’t just progress — it’s a leap into the future of field service. With Salesforce Field Service, we’re harnessing these technologies to unlock unprecedented efficiency, keeping our teams ahead of the curve, and delivering exceptional service every time.” – Rudi Khoury, Chief Digital Officer at Fisher & Paykel

Availability 

  • Agentforce Assistant for Dispatchers and Field Service Operations Home will be generally available in October 2024. 
  • Data Capture is in beta starting October 2024.
  • Multi-Modal Field Tech Support is in pilot starting December 2024.
  • Asset Service Prediction is in beta starting October 2024.

Learn more:

  • Join the new Serviceblazer Community on Slack, where service and field service professionals connect with their peers, learn new skills, and grow their careers — all in real time
  • Check out the latest Service Cloud innovations
  • Attend Dreamforce September 17 – 19, 2024 in-person or on Salesforce+
    • On September 18, watch the Service Keynote at 11 a.m. PT and the Field Service Main Breakout at 2:45 PT
    • Stop by the Service Lodge at Dreamforce to experience cutting-edge solutions for field service, including an Apple Vision Pro demo enabling remote experts to guide technicians through complex scenarios

Any unreleased services or features referenced here are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available.

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Einstein Copilot In-Depth: What It Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/about-einstein-copilot/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=75595 Salesforce released Einstein Copilot, a customizable, conversational, generative AI assistant, and we’re answering the big questions about what it is and what it can do for businesses. 

What is Einstein Copilot?

Einstein Copilot combines the power of Salesforce CRM with the convenience of an AI assistant that interacts with users in a conversational way. 

Unlike other AI assistants or copilots that lack adequate company data to generate useful responses, Einstein Copilot utilizes an organization’s own unique data and metadata to produce powerful customer insights and recommendations, while maintaining privacy and data governance and without requiring costly AI model training.

It can answer questions, summarize content, create new content, interpret complex conversations, and dynamically automate tasks for users — all from a consistent conversational UI across Salesforce’s #1 AI CRM applications. Marketers can use Einstein Copilot to build more effective digital storefronts. Customer service agents will be able to quickly handle requests, from generating replies to suggesting activities. And sales professionals can employ it to understand customers more deeply and close deals. 

Einstein Copilot comes with a library of pre-programmed capabilities, automated responses, and business tasks that the AI can perform for users when prompted. Actions can be combined to execute dynamic multi-step plans. 

How do Einstein Copilot, Data Cloud, and Einstein 1 Platform fit together?

Einstein Copilot is part of Salesforce’s Einstein 1 Platform, which integrates the user interface, a variety of AI models, and data in a single metadata-driven platform. A trusted AI platform for customer companies, Einstein 1 Platform gives companies the ability to safely connect any data to build AI-powered apps with low code and deliver entirely new CRM experiences.

How does Einstein Copilot work?

AI is only as good as the data it’s trained upon, and that’s why grounding Einstein Copilot in Data Cloud makes it so powerful. Data Cloud connects, federates, and harmonizes any data type from any product and system, and connects it back to the Salesforce applications that business users need to use every day, to deliver a comprehensive, 360-degree view of customers and power CRM, AI, automation, and analytics across any business process.

BYOL (Bring Your Own Lake) means companies can integrate any system with Data Cloud, accessing all of their trapped data from data lakes like AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, Databricks, and Snowflake within Salesforce. They also no longer need to move data across platforms because of Data Cloud’s zero-ETL integration, and it connects to external predictive models for seamless use in Salesforce workflows.

Also, for the approximately 80% of data that is unstructured, semantic search and vector embeddings in Data Cloud unlock a brand new way to interact with data. Einstein Copilot Search enhances Einstein Copilot, providing sales, customer service, marketing, commerce, and IT teams with an AI assistant capable of solving problems and generating content by accessing real-time unstructured and structured business data.

With Data Cloud, all the relevant, trusted customer and business data — structured and unstructured, within and beyond Salesforce, across many disparate data lakes — can be unified and made available for use by every team and workflow. 

How does Einstein Copilot empower teams to work faster?

How does Einstein Copilot empower teams to work faster?

Einstein Copilot brings together an intuitive interface for interacting with AI, world-class AI models, and deep integration of the data and metadata needed to benefit from AI. 

Einstein Copilot is the only copilot with the ability to truly understand what is going on with your customer relationships.

Marc Benioff, Chair & CEO, Salesforce

All of this means Einstein Copilot, which is integrated with all Salesforce CRM applications, will provide a significant productivity boost, improve customer experiences, and increase margins.

  • Sales professionals can accelerate deal closures by summarizing records or generating customized communications to provide more personalized client engagement.
  • Service teams can streamline case resolution and boost customer satisfaction by surfacing relevant answers, offers, and data from disparate systems.
  • Financial service companies can simplify client onboarding and craft personalized financial plans by automating data collection and analysis, enabling advisors to dedicate more time to client relationships and strategic advice. 
  • Marketing pros can simplify the development of new campaigns, create website landing pages based on personalized consumer browsing and buying preferences, and easily create contact forms that populate based on unified customer profile data from across the Salesforce platform. Following online purchases, Einstein Copilot can also automatically generate customer surveys, which help businesses increase long-term engagement and encourage future orders.
  • Ecommerce retailers can tap Einstein Copilot for step-by-step assistance in building high-converting digital storefronts as well as customize and design different storefront components simply through conversation. Users can have Einstein Copilot automate complex tasks like managing multi-product catalog data and with the power of generative AI, Einstein Copilot can develop product descriptions in multiple languages, personalized product promotions, and SEO metadata that help drive conversions.
  • Developers can supercharge their productivity by prompting Einstein Copilot using natural language to generate Apex code, suggest more effective and accurate code, and proactively scan for any code vulnerabilities — all from within the developer environment.
  • Data analysts working in Tableau can enjoy productivity gains. Using the conversational interface, analysts can go from raw to actionable insights with just a few prompts. Einstein Copilot helps perform faster data exploration, build relevant visualizations based on best practices, automate repetitive tasks, and promote efficient data curation.

How can companies customize Einstein Copilot?

How companies can customize Einstein Copilot for their business.

Users can customize Einstein Copilot and seamlessly embed AI prompts and actions across any CRM app with Einstein 1 Studio, a set of low-code tools deeply integrated with Data Cloud.

  • Prompt Builder: A low-code prompt management tool that helps users create custom, reusable AI prompts in the flow of work, broadening the use of generative AI beyond conversational interfaces. 
  • Copilot Builder: A library of actions, or capabilities, that users can choose from to customize their AI assistant. For example, users can use it to configure their AI assistant to perform tasks like updating an account record or getting a shipping update. 
  • Model Builder: A capability that allows users to ‘bring your own LLM’ — including those from Anthropic, Hugging Face, Google, and OpenAI — to power custom Einstein Copilot functionality.

How does Salesforce ensure trust in Einstein Copilot?

How do we deploy conversational AI that we can trust? 

Trust couldn’t be more important to today’s businesses. In fact, Salesforce research found the likelihood of business buyers using AI to improve their experiences declined in 2023 compared to the previous year. Another study found that most people (57%) do not trust AI

Einstein Copilot addresses such concerns by serving up trusted AI interactions with privacy and security measures provided by the Einstein Trust Layer. Every AI interaction passes through the Einstein Trust Layer, part of Salesforce’s Einstein 1 Platform, which can perform functions like masking personally identifiable information (PII), scoring outputs for toxicity, and helping to protect information from unauthorized access and data breaches through zero-data retention from Salesforce’s LLM partners. 

New to the Einstein Trust Layer is customer-configured data masking, enabling admins to select the fields they want to mask, providing greater control. Additionally, the audit trail and feedback data collected from AI prompts and responses is now stored in Data Cloud, where it can be easily reported on or used for automated alerts through Flow and other Einstein 1 Platform tools. 

Salesforce believes trusted AI needs a human at the helm. Instead of asking humans to intervene in every individual AI interaction, Salesforce is designing more powerful, system-wide controls that let humans focus on the high-risk items that really need their attention. In other words, humans let the AI row the boat but remain very much in charge of steering the ship. This means customers can get the very best from both human and machine intelligence. 

How will Einstein Copilot shape the future of CRM? 

Copilot is the first glimpse into a future where people primarily interact with software using conversational interfaces rather than clicking buttons, and will fundamentally change the way people use technology.

By integrating Einstein Copilot into Salesforce’s Einstein 1 Platform, businesses of all sizes can take full advantage of generative AI. 

Just by asking a question or giving an instruction, Einstein Copilot can free up time for more strategic work by automating repetitive tasks and providing users with easy access to information. Copilot also analyzes data to provide insights that would be difficult or time-consuming for humans to uncover. These insights can help businesses make better decisions about everything, ranging from sales and marketing strategies to product development and customer service.

New Einstein Copilot capabilities, such as the customization available through Einstein 1 Studio, allow businesses to build and customize their own AI assistants with skills and prompts that fit their needs. 

How can customers get Einstein Copilot?

Customers can access Einstein Copilot by purchasing Einstein 1 Editions or by adding it on to Enterprise or Unlimited Editions. Detailed pricing information is available here

Einstein Copilot is available globally now for Sales Cloud and Service Cloud and will be available in Marketing Cloud later in 2024. Additionally, Einstein Copilot for Tableau will be launching in the second half of this year. Tableau currently supports generative AI capabilities with Tableau Pulse and Tableau Copilot (now in Beta). Einstein Copilot initially supports data residency in the United States and the English language. 

Go deeper:

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Salesforce Integrates Apple Business Messaging and Augmented Reality to Enhance Customer Service Solutions https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/apple-service-partnership/ Wed, 13 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://wp-bn.salesforce.com/news/?p=73390
  • Apple Messages for Business in Service Cloud allows customers to get AI-assisted support, schedule appointments, complete purchases, and more
  • Apple’s ARKit in the Salesforce Field Service mobile app brings augmented reality capabilities to field technicians, helping them resolve service issues more efficiently

Today, Salesforce announced an expansion of its partnership with Apple to bring Apple innovations into Service Cloud and Field Service for customers, service agents, and field technicians.

“We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with Apple, further integrating the world’s #1 AI CRM with Apple’s incredible business devices and apps,” said Ryan Nichols, Chief Product Officer of Service Cloud, Salesforce. “These features are helping companies implement cutting-edge technology and augmented reality in a practical way, improving every interaction a company has with its customers.”

We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with Apple, further integrating the world’s #1 AI CRM with Apple’s incredible business devices and apps.

Ryan Nichols, Chief Product Officer of Service Cloud, Salesforce

Why it matters: 

  • There are over 2 billion active Apple devices in the world, and over half of the American population uses iPhones.
  • Messaging — including chat, email, and text messages — is the preferred customer service channel among consumers ages 18-34, and over 50% of app users are more likely to interact with a business if they can message it.

What’s new:  

  • Apple Messages for Business in Service Cloud gives customers the ability to easily connect with customer support, get personalized shopping recommendations, schedule appointments, complete purchases with Apple Pay, track shipments, and more‌ — ‌all within the Messages app. Agents can efficiently manage these conversations in Service Cloud and access customer data for fast resolution. For example, a retail customer can chat directly with a business for personalized, AI-driven product recommendations and to inquire about sizing, inventory status, returns, and more. Unlike live chat experiences, the chat session will continue even if the customer navigates away and then returns.
  • Apple’s ARKit enables field service teams with augmented reality capabilities within the Salesforce Field Service Mobile App. With the ARKit, field technicians can easily create detailed 3D renderings of large areas, measure spaces, and map objects using simple image capture — streamlining processes and marking a technological shift in the field service industry. For example, a technician can plan an installation space to ensure a new refrigerator fits through the door and can be installed without any issues, increasing the efficiency and success of installation services.
  • The Salesforce Field Service iOS widget gives field service technicians a quick view of key account information such as upcoming appointments, work order details, and directions to their worksite directly on their iPhone home screen, saving them clicks and valuable time.

What they’re saying:

  • “We are excited to explore the new augmented reality capabilities in the Salesforce Field Service Mobile App. Throughout Pella’s nearly 99-year history, we’ve embraced powerful new tools that have enabled installers to enhance their service delivery. With AR capabilities built into the Salesforce Field Service App, installers will be able to visualize and complete their work faster and safer, helping us deliver on our mission of providing customers access to the latest innovation and a world-class service experience.” – Emily Stroup, Strategic Implementation Manager, Pella
  • “Customers want seamless and painless interactions with service agents and field technicians. Technology is key to delivering on both ends, from reaching customers where they are and on their preferred communications platforms, to leveraging capabilities like augmented reality to complete onsite work faster and safer. By further integrating Apple’s business software into Service Cloud and Field Service, Salesforce is providing businesses with the technology and capabilities needed to deliver high-quality customer service and satisfaction.” – Mary Wardley, VP of Customer Service and Contact Center Applications, IDC

Zoom out: Today’s news builds on Apple and Salesforce’s ongoing relationship. 

  • The companies first announced their strategic partnership at Dreamforce 2018, enabling Salesforce to redesign its app for a native mobile platform with exclusive features on iOS. 
  • Since then, the partners have provided tools and resources for millions of Salesforce developers to build native apps with a new Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS and launched an iOS app development course on Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform.

Availability:

  • Apple Messages for Business in Service Cloud is generally available today with Service Cloud Digital Engagement.
  • ARKit will be available in the Salesforce Field Service Mobile app in the summer of 2024.
  • The Salesforce Field Service iOS widget will be available in the summer of 2024.

Go deeper:

  • Learn how Salesforce is using trusted AI to transform the customer experience during World Tour Chicago on December 6 and World Tour NYC on December 14
  • Find out how Salesforce is creating connected customer experiences on the Einstein 1 Platform
  • Read how Salesforce is powering the future of customer service and field service with AI 
  • Tune into a webinar on December 19 at 11 a.m. PT to learn how to provide the best service experiences with new Apple and Service Cloud integrations

Any unreleased services or features referenced here are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available.

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Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Airkit.ai https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-airkit-ai/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:05:00 +0000 https://www.salesforce.com/?p=68924 Editor’s Note: Salesforce completed its acquisition of Airkit.ai on October 16, 2023. We’re excited to welcome the incredible Airkit.ai team to the Salesforce family!

Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Airkit.ai, a creator of AI powered customer service applications and experiences. Airkit.ai enables Fortune 500 and fast growing businesses to build flexible, omni-channel customer engagement applications, and AI-based customer service agents.

Upon close of the acquisition, Airkit.ai will become a part of Service Cloud and continue to be led by Adam Evans, Co-Founder and CTO of Airkit.ai. Prior to Airkit.ai, Adam was the Co-Founder and CTO of RelateIQ, acquired by Salesforce in 2014, and became a key part of Sales Cloud Einstein.

“The future of customer engagement will be powered by a new set of AI-driven customer experiences,” said Bill Patterson, EVP & General Manager of C360 Applications at Salesforce. “Adam and team have a strong understanding of the Customer 360 Platform and are some of the best technologists we have worked with in helping Salesforce customers connect with their own customers in a whole new way.  We are excited to bring the Airkit.ai team back to Salesforce where they have a strong track record of innovation and a focus on customer success.”

The future of customer engagement will be powered by a new set of AI-driven customer experiences

Bill Patterson, EVP & General Manager of C360 Applications at Salesforce

The addition of Airkit.ai to Salesforce will also help Service, Sales, Marketing and Commerce teams move faster into the future of customer engagement in the era of AI.

“In the world of Generative AI, it’s clear we need new types of experiences that provide opportunities to transform the engagement experience,” said Adam Evans, Airkit.ai Co-founder and CTO. “At Airkit.ai, we’ve been doing this since our inception, and view Salesforce, the customer company, as a perfect fit for Airkit.ai, the experience company.” 

In the world of Generative AI, it’s clear we need new types of experiences that provide opportunities to transform the engagement experience.

Adam Evans, Airkit.ai Co-founder and CTO

Airkit.ai is a Salesforce AppExchange partner and a Salesforce Ventures portfolio company.  Salesforce looks forward to welcoming the Airkit.ai team to Salesforce upon the close of the acquisition, which is expected to occur in the second half of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. 

We are not disclosing any other details of the acquisition at this time. This transaction does not result in any change to our current financial guidance previously provided on August 30, 2023.

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Global Trading Platform eToro Invests in Salesforce Data, AI, and CRM https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/etoro-customer-service/ Mon, 18 Sep 2023 23:00:00 +0000 https://www.salesforce.com/?p=68885 Salesforce today announced that trading and investing platform eToro is using Service Cloud with Einstein, Marketing Cloud, Mulesoft, and Tableau to enhance its customer service with secure and centralized data.

Why it’s important: Nearly all (96%) of customers say excellent customer service builds trust, according to Salesforce research.

  •  As a regulated financial services company serving clients across multiple geographies and regulations, trust is critical to eToro.

Driving the news: eToro, which has over 32 million registered users globally, is one of the first organizations to combine Salesforce’s AI-powered Service Cloud and Einstein to drive customer and business success.

Leveraging the power of Einstein AI, eToro is able to boost efficiency and satisfaction among service reps and customers. Chat replay recommendations, for example, assist service agents by proposing actions live during engagement with customers.

In addition:

  • Service Cloud enables eToro to serve its customers in an effective and standardized way across regions, utilizing digital channels such as Chat, Einstein Bots, and WhatsApp, and is an important collaboration tool across its organization.
  • With Marketing Cloud, eToro can segment and distribute personalized communications with customers at scale.
  • eToro has a large volume of data transactions which require robust integration solutions. With Mulesoft, eToro is able to bring its transactional customer data into Salesforce to enable a 360-degree view and better experience for every customer.
  • Tableau is eToro’s business intelligence system. The dashboard is embedded in customers’ account pages and provides a live customer data visualization for eToro’s account managers, enabling teams to provide the best customer service possible.

The customer perspective: “Excellent service comes from understanding our customers’ needs and desires, and building and maintaining trust. This means putting the customer at the center of everything we do,” said Miri Avihoo, Business Operations Process Manager at eToro.

  • “The pace at which Salesforce can provide innovative solutions coupled with their easy-to-use interface and excellent connectivity between products means that we can seamlessly make meaningful improvements to the way we operate and serve customers,” added Avihoo.

The trust factor: “The most attractive element of Salesforce’s Einstein for eToro is its trust layer, which ensures that customers’ personal information remains safe while we bring generative AI into our operations,” said Avihoo.

The most attractive element of Salesforce’s Einstein for eToro is its trust layer, which ensures that customers’ personal information remains safe while we bring generative AI into our operations.

Miri Avihoo, Business Operations Process Manager, eToro

The Salesforce perspective: “As AI and automation revolutionize how businesses interact with customers today, they need a digital strategy that builds resilience and drives greater efficiency and productivity. They also need a vision for the future — to keep pace as all industries evolve to meet growing customer expectations,” said Itai Margalit, AVP Sales, Salesforce Israel. “eToro is at the forefront of a watershed moment for financial services. We are excited to be their digital partner and bring trusted generative AI to their enterprise,” added Margalit.

Learn more:

  • Learn more about Salesforce AI here
  • Read more news and stories from Dreamforce 2023
  • Read more Salesforce customer stories here
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