CRM, data, and AI are the three core ingredients of the Salesforce recipe. The secret binder that makes the mayonnaise stick is the data cloud. During the Salesforce World Tour, we learn how companies are using the data explosion to their advantage.

When you come to a Salesforce event, you can be sure of one thing: you won’t get bored. Salesforce is not a company for rigid conferences, but likes to create a bit of a spectacle. The World Tour Essentials meeting at Tour & Taxis is no exception. Loud, rhythmic drums accompany us into the keynote room and the iconic Salesforce mascots are also present.

So nothing but happy faces, not least from Lien Ceulemans and Gianni Cooreman, who, as captains of the Belgian Salesforce department, are allowed to open the debates. “We want to inspire and motivate companies today to increase their productivity. Digital transformation should be a top priority for every company. ‘ Ceulemans tells us after her opening speech.

“For us, this is a pinnacle of our culture,” adds Cooreman. “I’d rather close the door, go outside and let our customers inspire each other. They use our technology every day.” A highlight of the show occurs during his keynote speech, when a packet of fries suddenly comes onto the stage. Thankfully, the attacker has the happy news that those who stay to the end will be rewarded with some of our national pride.

The Holy Grail

The editors of ITdaily sum up many conferences and in the last few months there has been one constant: AI. At Salesforce, too, it doesn’t take long for Lien Ceulemans to take the floor in the welcome speech. “AI has brought about greater change than anyone could have predicted. Businesses need to change. AI is not there to replace us, but to help us.”

This adaptation does not go smoothly for every organization. Salesforce released a study earlier this year that showed companies aren’t realizing the potential of their data. Cooreman examines the underlying cause:

“Many companies still have a product-centric mindset. This vision encourages silos: you work with so many separate systems that you don’t have a big picture of your customer. Today’s customers expect more from companies than ever before: They want a personalized experience across all touchpoints. Businesses need to evolve towards a customer-centric approach; Your customers are the reason you exist as a company,” says Cooreman.

No AI without data, Salesforce leaves no doubt about that. Ceulemans: “There is an attitude that AI can do everything.” But the quality of the output depends on the input.”

Companies believe that AI can do everything. However, the quality of the output depends on the input.

Lien Ceulemans, Country Manager Salesforce BeLux

360 degrees

Fortunately, we also get to hear the solution to the problem. Maarten Lauwkes, solution engineering architect, reveals Salesforce’s secret recipe: the data cloud. By this term we should understand a central data hub where all interactions with a customer converge. “Every click by a customer generates data. A data cloud gives you a 360° view of the customer,” says Lauwkes.

Isn’t a data cloud just a trendy term for one? customer data platform? Cooreman likes to refute this statement. “A CDP only includes transactional data. On this basis, a customer profile is created in order to be able to send personal advertisements. But that’s how silos are created, because transactions only tell part of the story. And why bother collecting data just for advertising purposes? This data is also useful for your sales and marketing teams.”

So the purpose of a data cloud is to think outside the box of advertising. Cooreman continues, “You have data in the Salesforce platforms, in data lakes and so on. All these different data sources are brought together in a data cloud in order to obtain the most comprehensive possible picture of each customer. It is also important that everyone for whom the data is relevant has access to it. We enable our customers to do this flexibly, depending on their organizational structure.”

With Salesforce having so much data, moving towards AI was sort of a natural thing. The company took a big step in 2016 with the launch of Einstein and recently we were introduced to EinsteinGPT. “With EinsteinGPT we can go much further than other generative AI solutions because it also has access to contextual data. We have unique data that a ChatGPT, for example, does not have,” Cooreman dares to make a bold statement.

So we can already check off data and AI, but to let the mayonnaise be taken, no ingredient must be missing. Salesforce wouldn’t be Salesforce if it forgot CRM, the company’s roots. Cooreman: “Ultimately, you want to be able to turn that data into conversions. The more data you have about a customer, the more relevant you can make the service.”

Together with Slack

Salesforce has not only pointed all noses in the same direction on a technological level. Today the company has several subsidiaries and took all of the youngsters with them to the event. One subsidiary seems to be getting a little more attention than others, notably Slack, the business communications app Salesforce launched in 2020.

“I think it’s great that you stand out like that,” says Ceulemans. “Slack is central to the way we want to work. It’s a great productivity tool, so the acquisition fits Salesforce’s mission.” It also put to rest any rumors that Slack was a rebellious teenager.

Adds Cooreman, “It shows that we’ve grown a lot over the years and are also reaching out to people outside of the sales and marketing teams.” “Expectations and technology may have changed, but our mission is still the same: do business in new ways to connect with their customers,” he concludes.

During the breakout sessions, the various stages also fill up. Attendees are clearly excited to get to know the Salesforce family a little better. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to redeem the promised fries treat. Hopefully we’ll still have them next time we visit Salesforce.

EinsteinGPT has unique data that ChatGPT does not have.

Gianni Cooreman, Director Industry Solution Advisors Salesforce

This is an editorial in partnership with Salesforce. More information about the company’s solutions can be found here.