Top 5 Things We’re Excited About From Salesforce Connections '24

We’re finally able to breathe after digging out of a landslide of emails and meetings to reflect on the most recent developments coming out of Salesforce Connections ‘24 in the Windy City of Chicago. 

Last week, Salesforce promised and delivered on Connections being the largest AI learning event of the year. Among the dozens of newsworthy changes to our favorite CRM, here are our collective “Top 5” developments:

1. Einstein Copilot. (Not a nickname for an 80’s fighter pilot wearing aviators. Though, an excellent marketing opportunity.) Salesforce has been tapping into the power of AI as a tool with analytical and predictive capabilities, so the addition of generative versions is a logical and exciting step. Copilot is slated to be available on every cloud, supporting everything from commerce, marketing, service, and any other industries and applications you can think of. It’s as easy as asking a question or providing an instruction to the prompt with no code required, making it accessible for all - user, admin or dev alike.
   
   The content of generative AI can get a little bit… complex or interesting, to say the least. But, there’s a lot of confidence in Salesforce’s implementation because of their very strict requirements on security and trust.
   
   Einstein Copilot works within the Einstein Trust Layer, keeping all customer data contained within the org, and any prompts used to generate an output isn’t saved or used to train the LLM, and any generated responses will be grounded on the data available within the organization and not outside or self-generated sources that might induce “AI hallucinations”.
   
   
2. Unified records. Data Cloud is shaping up to be a powerhouse in the customer data platform (CDP) sphere, thanks in large part to its approach to creating a truly unified view of each customer, powered by the data you already have in your org.
   
   Imagine the possibilities when you can see all the accumulated data of your customers in one place! And with the benefits of near-real-time data, these customer profiles can evolve and change as the customer goes through their journey with your brand. Speaking of…
   
   
3. Greater personalization. It has been proven that personalization can drive value and trust between businesses and their customers. The evolution of a unified record for customers within Data Cloud unlocks the potential for even greater personalization, and this isn’t just limited to marketing endeavors, though those are certainly my favorite.
   
   Imagine a salesperson being able to see every product a customer, client, or account  has purchased, their reviews on those products, or any active tickets they have with the service department. When used correctly, this could curate the interaction, drive a positive customer experience, and further build loyalty.
   
   The potential in commerce spaces is even grander. For example: a website curating what it shows each shopper based on their prior purchases, or predict what they may want. You may have experienced this before, now imagine building this upon the foundation of your org’s data.
   
   
4. Streamlined marketing. Integrating Data Cloud into an org has incredible potential to streamline the processes that go into creating and launching a marketing campaign.
   
   Demos at Salesforce Connections displayed some powerful tools that layered in generative AI to segment audiences, write email copy, design and build emails with available creative images, and even supply product recommendations with dynamic content. The process of building the desired audience and designing emails could see a drastic improvement in productivity with the aid of the unified records and AI support available with Data Cloud.
   
   
5. Maybe it sounds a little cliche, but we’re excited about the people we met! It was exhilarating to meet and chat with folks at all points in their Salesforce journey, whether they were new to the platform or were seasoned professionals. Want a reason to go to Connections? (Other than the chance to meet cool folks like us?)
   
   In classic Salesforce fashion, experts were available to answer all of our questions around Data Cloud, Einstein AI, Slack, and anything else of interest regarding Salesforce and how we can best use it to benefit our customers.
   
   
6. Bonus: Speaking of Slack, interacting with the devs in the Campground did provide us with significant news: there’s no limit to the number of emojis you can add to your Slack instance. As Slack emojis are core to archiving the moments in time and lore of Digital Mass, this is a welcome relief as we approach the 400 emoji threshold. (390+!)
   

We had an amazing time learning all about Salesforce’s AI advancements and the increasing capabilities of the Data Cloud platform. In isolation, each of these developments can have a significant impact on customer experience. Together, unified data and streamlined marketing are the advantages a user, admin or Salesforce developer should look to implement in 2024. Not to forget, Einstein Copilot is a flexible partner to support complex business strategies and growth models. 

Are you looking for a copilot to help you implement all of these new techs from Salesforce Connections? Have a unique business model that needs special attention? Give us a (virtual) ring.