After a 2-year hiatus, the Salesforce World Tour returned to London on Thursday! Full of news, demos, products and case studies, it was worth the wait. The event was also a reunion. As we adapt to the ‘new normal’ following Covid, it was great to see so many faces old and new and experience the buzz of an in-person Salesforce event!
For those unable to attend, or want a brief recap, here are some of the key take-homes. Bear in mind that Safe Harbor applies; there can be forward looking statements!
Keynote
Zahra Bahrololoumi (Salesforce CEO, UK and Ireland) hosted a great keynote session. It covered a number of topics. For example, the ongoing commitment to the UK&I market, giving back to the community, product enhancements & demos. These include changes to Sales Cloud Unlimited (see below), Net Zero Cloud and Web3. It is well worth a watch on Salesforce+.
New: sales Cloud Unlimited
Sales Cloud Unlimited is getting an upgrade. Several features which were add-ons are now included. For example:
- Einstein Conversation Insights.
- Salesforce Inbox.
- Sales Engagement.
- Einstein Lead Scoring.
- Einstein Opportunity Scoring.
- Einstein Automated Contacts.
- Forecasting.
- Pipeline Inspection.
- Premier Success remains included.
Subscription Management
Salesforce’s subscription management offering is now generally available. This helps businesses more readily adopt a cross-channel subscription-based selling model, within Salesforce. Pascal Yammine (SVP & GM, Revenue Cloud, Salesforce) discusses this more here.
Slack: Digital HQ
Since Salesforce’s acquisition of Slack for $27.7B in 2020, the ‘Digital HQ’ has continued to evolve. This seeks to unify all “data, operations, conversations and collaborations… online” (source: Salesforce).
The case study by Deloitte Digital shows how Slack can breakdown silos, promote flexibility and openness. In short, empowering teams regardless of locale to work towards common goals.
Of course, technology is only an enabler. It requires adoption and buy-in (more on this below). Nonetheless, as someone who has not had much exposure to Slack, I can see its benefits. The demo showcased features such as Channels, clips and huddles, as well as how repetitive tasks can be automated. The presentation hosted by Stuart Templeton (Head of UKI Sales, Slack, Salesforce) and is available on Salesforce+
Case Studies
The World Tour is always full of success stories. It is impossible to see everything in a day! Here’s a few notes on some of the case studies:
- Vitality. Adoption is essential for any Salesforce org. This session provided useful tips to aid adoption. For example, user surveys, maintain communication with key stakeholders and adopt co-design principles. The key is to actively engage stakeholders, truly understand user needs and involve them in the journey.
- Currys. Salesforce is at the heart of their ‘phygital’ (combining physical, in-store experiences and digital) approach. Alongside integrating their business functions and legacy infrastructure, the case study shows how Currys empowers its instore colleagues. This recognises the importance of understanding end-user needs and providing the tools to deliver excellent customer service. You can watch the 11 minute keynote demo by Hannah Rose (Principle Solutions Engineer, Salesforce) here.
Customer Success Expo
The World Tour also provides a great opportunity to explore the latest and greatest offerings from the ecosystem. Whether Salesforce’s own stands, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), or consulting partners, there is always plenty to see.
Inspiration
Another great thing about the World Tour is the opportunity to hear about stories which inspire. This year was no exception! For example, Evaldas Zaranka (Salesforce Administrator, Just Eat) earned a Golden Hoodie. His story is inspirational. It exemplifies how persistence, determination and hard work pays off. You can read or hear from Evaldas here.
4x British Paralympic skiing medallist, Millie Knight’s talk ‘Learn from a Paralympian: Building a Fearless Culture‘ was also inspiring. For me, the main take home was the importance of trust and communication in a team. These principles apply in all facets of life.
Lastly, the Fireside Chat with Benedict Cumberbatch was illuminating. He has played so many iconic roles, such as Doctor Strange, Sherlock, Phil Burbank and Alan Turing, to name but a few. It was a pleasure to gain insight into his work. When asked about superpowers, he highlighted the importance of empathy.
Empathy is such an important skill. Whether in building equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in teams, relating to customers, colleagues, friends, family or our community, being mindful and respectful of the needs of others is essential. Taking time to truly listen, understand and support the needs of others can make such a difference. As such, it was a really key point.
Summary
There is always so much to see and do at the Salesforce World Tour. Hopefully this brief summary of some of my take homes from the day help. Most of all, I hope it encourages you to attend Salesforce events in future too! Whether it be for generating ideas, learning from others or networking, the World Tour has so much to offer. Thank you Salesforce for hosting this event! Hopefully see you next year!
Bonus Penguin Fact 🐧
Have you ever wanted to own a piece of art, made by a penguin? Well, check out how Squidge at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary had the news in a flap last week about his artistic talents. Click here to learn how this penguin is using his artistic skills to help to raise funds to safeguard and improve his home for years to come.
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