At this year’s Dreamforce, Hero Digital had an expert team on the ground in downtown San Francisco with a keen eye on using Salesforce’s latest innovations to drive significant ROI and operational efficiency.
According to our experts, three prominent themes emerged: Agentforce, Data Cloud’s evolution beyond a traditional CDP, and the combined power of Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud.
These three themes are set to redefine how businesses approach digital transformation over the coming quarters. Here’s a recap of why each theme matters for enterprise leaders looking to scale with Salesforce.
Agentforce: Scaling ROI with Intelligent Automation
Agentforce—the star of Dreamforce 2024—is Salesforce’s groundbreaking AI-driven automation tool that promises to revolutionize business operations across industries. Formerly known as Einstein Copilot, Agentforce offers advanced agentic AI capabilities that go far beyond conventional chatbots.
The beauty of Agentforce lies in its ability to tap into Salesforce’s vast data network, interpret that data, and make real-time decisions based on predefined rules. What makes this platform stand out is its accessibility. With Agentforce, businesses can create sophisticated agents with simple English commands, making automation possible without the need for deep technical knowledge.
Powered by the Atlas Reasoning Engine, Agentforce offers real-time data access, enabling organizations to deploy AI-driven agents for functions spanning customer service, sales, and marketing. These agents can use both real-time and historical data, execute pre-programmed workflows, and deliver personalized customer interactions at scale.
The promise of ROI comes from the system’s ability to operate autonomously while continuously learning from every interaction, reducing human error, and scaling operations more efficiently than ever before.
Early adopters are using Agentforce not just in customer service but also in sales and marketing roles, using the platform’s ability to access customer data, execute workflows, and manage tasks autonomously.
Hero Digital’s team got hands-on with Agentforce at Dreamforce and recommends that companies interested in experimenting get hands-on starting with the trailhead.
For a compelling 8-minute demonstration of Agentforce in a real-world scenario where we would expect human and AI agents to work in concert we recommend starting at the 22-minute mark of this on-demand Financial Services keynote.
Data Cloud: Beyond the CDP
Salesforce’s Data Cloud, initially considered by some analysts as a Customer Data Platform (CDP), has evolved into something far more powerful.
At Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce announced that Data Cloud would now support unstructured data, such as audio, video, and documents, opening new avenues for businesses to use this data for operational insights. This marks a significant step in helping organizations move beyond traditional structured data to gain deeper operational intelligence.
Data Cloud’s expansion into handling unstructured data will be a game-changer for industries that rely on real-time, multimedia interactions, such as healthcare, education, and retail. Imagine the potential for AI-driven insights derived from customer service calls, video interactions, or product demonstrations.
The ability to pull actionable data from these previously untapped sources offers unparalleled opportunities for operational efficiency. This is further amplified by the introduction of new pre-built connectors, real-time sub-second data processing capabilities, and enhanced security features.
What sets Data Cloud apart is its seamless integration with existing data sources in the enterprise (via Zero Data Copy and BYO Lake) as well as other Salesforce products. For instance, by combining Data Cloud with Agentforce, companies can use real-time data to power autonomous agents that adapt to shifting customer needs, effectively turning data into actionable insights. This level of integration and flexibility is driving Data Cloud to become one of Salesforce’s fastest-growing products.
In fact, with over 130% year-over-year growth in paid customers and a 147% increase in processed records, Data Cloud is quickly becoming the backbone of cross-functional enterprise data strategies.
The flexibility can be intimidating. If you’re looking to understand how to make a value case for change based on foundational anchor use cases with ROI payback in < 6 months, consider watching Hero’s 30-minute webinar on Data Cloud Activation.
Commerce and Marketing Cloud Combined
Dreamforce 2024 highlighted the impressive collaboration between Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud, demonstrating how the combined power of these two platforms produces results greater than the sum of their parts.
If you’re looking to create seamless customer journeys, this duo provides the ability to integrate customer data across marketing, commerce, and service touchpoints—an essential feature for personalized customer experiences.
Commerce Cloud’s latest features, such as the integration of Amazon’s “Buy with Prime” and new AI-driven tools for eCommerce managers, are helping businesses optimize their digital storefronts for better performance and engagement.
Meanwhile, Marketing Cloud’s advanced capabilities in campaign automation and customer segmentation, powered by Salesforce’s Data Cloud, allow companies to deliver hyper-targeted campaigns that drive higher conversion rates. When these two platforms work together, businesses can create a unified digital strategy that delivers personalized, relevant experiences to customers at every stage of the buying journey.
The integration of these platforms enables businesses to understand customer behavior better, respond faster to market changes, and create a more cohesive customer experience, all of which contribute to better business outcomes. The powerful combination of these clouds helps businesses capture more sales and build lasting customer relationships through data-driven marketing and engagement.
Check out Commerce and Marketing Agents on this on-demand video at the 30-minute mark.
Connect with the Salesforce Experts
As a Salesforce Ridge partner with experience across 150+ Salesforce implementations and a 5/5 AppExchange CSAT, Hero Digital is committed to helping businesses use Salesforce to drive ROI, operational efficiency, and superior customer experiences.
Drawing from years of Technology, CX, and Performance Marketing experience, we have refined a templated initial Value Strategy and Assessment Engagement that takes companies one level deeper below the Salesforce Data Cloud and Einstein Accelerator.
To get started quickly, schedule a consultation with one of our Hero Digital problem solvers to review and help your company decide: What’s next for you with Salesforce?
