Go to a Salesforce Basecamp event anywhere in the world and you’ll be greeted by friendly park rangers clad in light blue scarfs, boots, and brown ranger hats. The setting is always that of a camp with camping trails, log cabins, trees, and friendly bears. But what stands out is the happy, smiling Salesforce employees (called ‘rangers’), hugging each other and indulging in high-fives, hugs and even spontaneous selfies. And that’s what this reporter witnessed at the Salesforce Basecamp event that was held for the first time in Mumbai, on October 17.
Salesforce is on track to achieve $16.9 billion in revenue for FY20, growing at 19 percent year on year. Its financial year ends in January. Analysts predict revenue of $24 billion by 2022. The 20-year-old company has more than 150,000 customers and a presence in more than 50 countries. It is the no. 1 CRM company in the world. It is also the No.1 employer according to a survey by Great Places to Work. Over the years it diversified into other areas like services, marketing, commerce, integration, and marketing intelligence. And it has a market share of over 40 percent for service cloud. There’s more AI going into Salesforce software too; the company has hired the best data scientists and AI specialists in the world, and also acquired companies specializing in AI. Salesforce hired a top professor from Stanford University to run its AI labs. Its AI platform is called ‘Einstein AI’ and you are going to hear more about it in the months ahead.
Salesforce Customer 360
On stage, Salesforce International President, Miguel Milano is full of zeal and enthusiasm as he tells the audience how his company is helping its customers (‘Trailblazers’) like Kone Elevators, Adidas, Marriott, Nestle, Mahindra and Mahindra, Redbus, Titan, and Bajaj Finserve focus on the demands of their customers.
“It’s all about helping our customers to serve their customers better by remembering customer preferences, choices and tastes. The expectations of customers, buyers, users have never been greater than now. We do that by delivering the Salesforce Customer 360 platform,” said Milano.
Salesforce Customer 360 platform puts the customer in the centre with a common data model or data set. Around that data model there is a set of market leading applications that address every touch point of the customer lifecycle. The platform packs in the applications, business functions (like sales and marketing), commerce, communities, industry domains, APIs, analytics, and skills that are essential for every business. All this is powered by the latest technologies such as mobility, AI, voice, blockchain, IoT, and robust security.
“When it all comes together, you get a complete view of the customer,” he said. “We have so much to offer and we are more than a technology company—we are a platform for change.”
Trailhead
Salesforce also wants its customers to learn how to use its software quickly. For this, it offers the Trailhead platform where anyone can acquire in-demand skills for free, earn points and get badges that they can show their employer. The platform is highly interactive and takes the gamification approach to motivate the learner. Those who complete courses and earn 100 badges earn the title ‘Trailhead Rangers’. The journey towards this title has a series of progressive levels like ‘Scout,’ ‘Hiker,’ ‘Explorer,’ ‘Adventurer,’ ‘Mountaineer,’ and ‘Expeditioner.’ Each level gets you a certain number of points and badges.
According to Milano, a third of all the badges issued are earned by users in the Asia Pacific region, and there are many Trailhead Rangers in India.
Salesforce claims that 1 in 4 Trailhead learners found a new job. It predicts there will be 200,000 certified Salesforce consultants by 2020.
The Salesforce Economy
The company wants to go beyond selling its products and create an expansive ecosystem of innovators and customers—to create jobs and contribute to a country’s economy.
According to market researcher IDC, Salesforce will create 1 million new jobs in India by 2022 and impact $17 billion of India’s GDP.
“We believe that this is the business that will improve the state of the world. Apart from leaving better returns for shareholders, we take a multi-stakeholder approach. So we are more focused on doing good than doing well,” concluded Milano.
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