•

Salesforce Summit Partner

Search Website
Customer Support Login
Score My Salesforce
Contact Us

Tag: Salesforce

  • Seven Steps to Sunsetting Legacy Tech

    Seven Steps to Sunsetting Legacy Tech

    In the world of enterprise technology, the term “legacy” is often used as a polite euphemism for “the thing that keeps the CTO up at night.”

    As a Salesforce consultancy, we see this daily. Organisations are tethered to ageing, monolithic systems that were cutting-edge when installed but have since become anchors, slowing innovation and draining IT budgets.

    Phasing out legacy technology is not just a technical upgrade; it is a strategic necessity. However, the “rip and replace” approach is often too risky. The most successful transitions follow a disciplined, phased programme that balances business continuity with modern agility.

    Step 1: The Audit

    Before a single line of code is moved, we must understand the current state of our ecosystem. Many legacy systems survive because their full range of dependencies is unknown. Before proceeding with the migration, we must:

    • Inventory Every Dependency: Identify and document which apps, databases, and third-party tools pull data from the legacy system.
    • Identify Business Logic: Document the unique rules and workflows embedded in the old system. Often, these rules result from years of specific business requirements that must be translated into the new environment.

    Step 2: Strategic Triage

    Not every piece of legacy tech needs to be treated the same way. We recommend categorising your assets using the “Retire, Retain, or Replace” framework.

    StrategyActionBest For
    RetireDecommission entirely and archive data.Redundant systems or manual processes.
    RetainMove to the cloud with minimal changes.Systems that are functional but need better hosting.
    ReplaceTransition to a modern SaaS (e.g., Salesforce).Core business functions requiring agility and AI.

    Step 3: The Data Cleansing Ritual

    Data is the most valuable asset in your legacy system, but it is also likely the messiest. Moving “dirty” data into a clean, modern platform like Salesforce is like putting an old, leaking engine into a brand-new car. Data cleansing consists of three core steps:

    1. Classification: Categorise data based on its functional importance and regulatory requirements (GDPR/SOX).
    2. Deduplication: Remove the thousands of duplicate records that have inevitably accumulated.
    3. Archiving: Do you really need twenty years of transaction history in your active CRM? Move historical records to a low-cost, secure data lake where they remain accessible for audits but don’t clutter your new environment.

    Step 4: To Scream or Not to Scream

    The “Scream Test”, the correct approach or a horror movie waiting to happen? 

    The “scream test” is a blunt-force method of infrastructure management where a server or service is intentionally disabled to see if any users or dependent systems “scream” in protest (an apt taxonomy). While effective at identifying forgotten dependencies in a chaotic environment, it is inherently disruptive and can carry significant risk to business continuity. 

    Modern, data-driven organisations are increasingly moving away from this “trial by fire” approach in favour of observability and automated discovery.

    By leveraging Automated Monitoring and Resource Usage Analysis through tools like Azure Advisor or Datadog, IT teams can identify “zombie” resources based on actual traffic patterns rather than guesswork. 

    For those who still require a validation step, a “Soft” Shutdown – such as disabling network connectivity or stopping a specific application pool – provides a safety net, allowing for near-instant restoration if a critical dependency is revealed. 

    Furthermore, Data-Driven Discovery through service-mapping tools such as Faddom or ServiceNow ensures that dependencies are mathematically mapped before a single switch is flipped. 

    Ultimately, shifting toward a slightly less excitingly named Policy-Based Management approach, where “Cliff Edge,” preemptive announcements and mandatory owner tagging are the norm, replaces the panic of a scream test with a predictable, transparent decommissioning process. See below for our soft shutdown checklist. 

    The Brownout Checklist 

    Pre-Shutdown: The “Safety Net”

    • [ ] Baseline Performance Logs: Record current traffic and connection counts. This provides a “normal” benchmark to compare against after the shutdown.
    • [ ] Identify Stakeholders: Notify department heads of the scheduled brownout window. Clearly define the “Scream Window” (e.g., 4 hours) where IT will be on high alert.
    • [ ] Verify Rollback Credentials: Ensure that at least two administrators have local access and the necessary permissions to instantly re-enable services or network ports.
    • [ ] Snapshot/Backup: Perform a final virtual machine snapshot or full data backup. Even though you aren’t deleting data yet, a soft shutdown can sometimes trigger unexpected “fail-close” states in connected apps.

    Execution: The “Soft” Disruption

    • [ ] Isolate the Network: Instead of a hard power-off, disable the specific Virtual LAN (VLAN) or firewall rule. This simulates a server failure for users but keeps the server’s internal state active for easy diagnosis.
    • [ ] Stop Application Pools: If it’s a web server, stop the IIS or Apache service first. This allows the OS to remain reachable for pings/management while the “service” appears down to users.
    • [ ] Monitor Connection Refusals: Watch your load balancer or firewall logs. An immediate spike in “Connection Refused” errors from a specific internal IP address identifies a hidden service account or API dependency.

    Post-Shutdown: Validation and Triage

    • [ ] Monitor Helpdesk Tickets: Designate a specific tag in your ticketing system (e.g., #LegacyMigration) to catch reports related to the shutdown immediately.
    • [ ] The “Wait and See” Period: Maintain the soft shutdown for a full business cycle (usually 24 to 48 hours) to account for daily or overnight batch jobs that only run once a day.
    • [ ] Document “The Scream”: If someone complains, don’t just turn it back on. Use the disruption to identify the exact service, user, or process that was missed in the audit phase and document it in your CMDB.

    Final Decommissioning

    • [ ] Final Sunset: If no “screams” occur after a full week of network isolation, proceed to a hard power-down.
    • [ ] Physical/Logical Purge: After 30 days of “Hard Off” with no issues, you can safely reclaim the hardware resources or delete the VM.

    Phase 5: The Incremental Migration (The “Strangler” Pattern)

    The biggest mistake companies make is the “Big Bang” rollout. Instead, we advocate for the Strangler Fig Pattern. Much like the vine that grows around a tree and eventually replaces it, you should gradually migrate functional modules one by one.

    • Start with a “Quick Win”: Choose a single high-impact but low-complexity process, such as lead management or customer service ticketing.
    • Build an Integration Layer: Use APIs or middleware to allow the new system and the legacy system to “talk” to each other during the transition.
    • Sync in Real-Time: Ensure that as users move to the new system, their data is reflected back in the legacy database (and vice-versa) until the old system is ready to be switched off.

    Phase 6: Change Management and Adoption

    Transforming technology is (or should be) straightforward when the right processes are in place; transforming people and ways of working is the hard part. Legacy systems often have “super-users” who know every obscure shortcut. Replacing their familiar tool can lead to resistance. For successful, sustainable transformation, leaders must incorporate the following on their roadmap:

    • Hands-on Training: Do not just provide manuals. Host workshops where users can see how the new system speeds up their repetitive daily tasks and/or enhances their work.
    • User Feedback Loops: Involve end-users in the testing phase. If you are involved in building the new system, you are far more likely to champion its adoption.

    Phase 7: Logical and Physical Decommissioning

    Once the new system is fully operational and the data has been verified, it is time to pull the plug.

    • Final Validation: Perform a final backup and ensure that every business object has been accounted for.
    • Deactivate Access: Disable user logins first, followed by the server infrastructure.
    • Contract Wind-down: Coordinate with procurement to end maintenance and licensing agreements, finally realising the cost savings promised at the start of the project.

    In Summary

    Phasing out legacy technology is a marathon, not a sprint. By moving away from monolithic, high-maintenance systems toward flexible, API-driven platforms like Salesforce, organisations can finally stop spending 80% of their budget on maintenance and start investing in growth.

    The goal isn’t just to have a “new” system; it’s to have a system that is capable of evolving as fast as the market does.

    Ready to Modernise?

    If your legacy systems are holding your business back, you don’t have to navigate the transition alone. We specialise in helping organisations move from technical debt to digital agility. Need guidance on your transformation? Get in touch with our experts today.

    References

  • Data 360: Revamp or Rebrand? 

    Data 360: Revamp or Rebrand? 

    Navigating the Evolution of Salesforce’s Data Powerhouse

    In the rapidly shifting landscape of enterprise technology, names often change faster than the code behind them. Salesforce, a titan of the Data and CRM space, is no stranger to this phenomenon. The platform that began as a Marketing Customer Data Platform (CDP) and evolved into the powerhouse known as “Data Cloud” has undergone yet another significant transformation – this time emerging as Data 360.

    But for business leaders and IT architects, the question remains: Is this merely a cosmetic rebrand designed to refresh marketing materials, or is it a fundamental revamp of how enterprises handle information? To understand where we are, we must look at where we’ve been and why the shift to Data 360 represents a pivotal moment in the “Era of AI.”

    From CDP to Data 360: The Journey of Evolution

    The lineage of Data 360 is a testament to the growing complexity of customer data. It started as a Customer Data Platform (CDP), primarily focused on helping marketers unify first-party data for better email targeting. In 2022, it was briefly introduced as Genie, emphasising real-time capabilities. Soon after, it became Data Cloud, signalling its pivotal role as the data backbone for the entire Salesforce ecosystem.

    The transition to Data 360 is the latest chapter. While “Data Cloud” described what it was (a cloud-based data repository), “Data 360” describes what it does: it provides a holistic, 360-degree view of the customer across every touchpoint – sales, service, marketing, commerce, and beyond.

    What Has Changed?

    The move to Data 360 isn’t just a name change; it’s an expansion of scope. Key technical and structural updates include:

    1. Metadata-Driven Architecture: Unlike traditional data lakes that store data, Data 360 transforms raw information into Salesforce metadata-driven objects. This allows the data to be used natively within Salesforce interfaces without complex translation.
    2. Zero-Copy Integration: One of the most significant “revamp” features is the ability to connect to external data warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, and Databricks without actually moving or duplicating the data. This “zero-copy” approach reduces storage costs and security risks.
    3. Unstructured Data Support: Data 360 can now ingest and process unstructured data – like PDFs, emails, and call transcripts – which is essential for grounding modern AI agents.

    Why the Change? The Driving Force of AI

    The primary driver behind this evolution is the rise of Generative AI and Agentic Workflows. AI is only as good as the data it can access. Without a unified, real-time data layer, AI “hallucinates” or provides generic answers.

    Salesforce rebranded and revamped this tech into Data 360 to serve as the “grounding” layer for Agentforce. By providing a single-source-of-truth record of a customer, Data 360 ensures that AI agents have the full context – past purchases, recent support tickets, and even real-time website browsing behavior – before they take an action.

    Why Leading Companies are Rushing to Adopt Data 360

    In a world where customers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions, the business case for Data 360 is clear:

    • Eliminating Data Silos: Most enterprises have customer data scattered across dozens of systems (ERP, POS, CRM, Legacy Databases). Data 360 acts as the glue that binds these disparate sources.
    • Real-Time Activation: Traditional data warehouses are built for historical analysis (what happened last month?). Data 360 is built for operational engagement (what is happening right now?).
    • Security and Trust: With built-in data masking and zero-retention policies for AI models, Data 360 allows companies to use their data for innovation without compromising privacy.

    Industry Use Cases: Data 360 in Action

    1. Retail and E-commerce

    A global retailer uses Data 360 to bridge the gap between in-store and online behaviour. If a customer abandons a cart online but then enters a physical store, the sales associate can receive a real-time notification on their mobile device with a personalised discount for the items in that abandoned cart.

    2. Financial Services

    In banking, Data 360 unifies mortgage applications, credit card usage, and customer service calls. This allows banks to predict “life events.” For example, if a customer’s spending patterns change to include nursery furniture, the bank’s AI agent can proactively offer information on college savings plans.

    3. Healthcare and Life Sciences

    Providers use Data 360 to create a unified patient profile. By integrating clinical data with wearable device data and appointment history, care coordinators can provide more proactive outreach, ensuring patients stick to their treatment plans and reducing readmission rates.

    4. Manufacturing

    Manufacturers use Data 360 to connect IoT (Internet of Things) data from factory machinery with their service contracts. When a machine shows signs of imminent failure, Data 360 triggers an automated service case and alerts the customer, shifting the business model from reactive repair to proactive maintenance.

    Conclusion: A Revamp for the Future

    So, is Data 360 a revamp or a rebrand? The answer is both. It is a rebrand that aligns the product with Salesforce’s “Customer 360” vision, and a revamp that introduces the high-scale, zero-copy architecture required for the next generation of AI.

    As data becomes the most valuable asset in the enterprise, the ability to unify, harmonise, and activate that data in real time is no longer a luxury – it is a competitive necessity. Whether you are looking to streamline your marketing or deploy autonomous AI agents, Data 360 provides the foundation for success.

    Ready to Build Your Data Strategy?

    Navigating the complexities of Data 360, from identity resolution rules to zero-copy integration, requires a clear roadmap. Don’t leave your data transformation to chance.

    Book an Action Plan Call with our Experts Today to learn how to unlock the full potential of Data 360 for your business.

    References 

    Gearset (2025) Understanding Salesforce Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) architecture, capabilities, and benefits. Available at: https://gearset.com/blog/understanding-salesforce-data-cloud/ (Accessed: 22 January 2026).

    Salesforce (2024) What is Data Cloud?. Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/products/data-cloud/overview/ (Accessed: 22 January 2026).

    White, H. (2025) ‘The Evolution from CDP to an enterprise platform’, Gearset Blog, 4 November.

  • The Living CRM: How Agentic Design is Giving Businesses a Brain

    The Living CRM: How Agentic Design is Giving Businesses a Brain

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the conversation has shifted from passive tools to active partners. We have moved past the era of simple chatbots and “copilots” into the age of the “Agentic Enterprise”. During the most recent Dreamforce and throughout its latest product cycles, Salesforce has placed “Agentforce” at the centre of this revolution.

    But what is Salesforce actually talking about? Is it just another buzzword, or does it represent a fundamental shift in how businesses operate? To stay competitive, we must understand that the Agentic Enterprise is not just about having AI; it is about building a business where humans leverage autonomous agents to work in a seamless, collaborative ecosystem.

    What is an Agentic Enterprise?

    An Agentic Enterprise is a business model where AI agents are integrated into the fabric of the organisation as autonomous team members, rather than just software tools. Unlike traditional AI, which requires a human to “trigger” it with a prompt and then wait for an answer, agentic systems are proactive, goal-oriented, and capable of reasoning.

    Salesforce defines this new era as a shift from “Humans with Tools” to “Humans with Agents.” In an Agentic Enterprise, these AI agents (built on the Salesforce Agentforce platform) possess several key characteristics:

    1. Reasoning and Autonomy: Instead of following a rigid, linear script (e.g., “If customer says X, then do Y”), agentic systems use reasoning to determine the best path to reach a goal. They can understand context, decide which tools to use, and execute multi-step tasks independently.
    2. Integrated Data Access: For an agent to be effective, it needs a “brain” powered by data. In the Salesforce ecosystem, this is facilitated by Data 360 (Data Cloud), which feeds the agent real-time information from across the CRM, external lakes, and legacy systems.
    3. Action-Oriented: While traditional Generative AI might just write an email, an agentic system can actually send the email, update the lead status in the CRM, schedule a follow-up meeting, and notify the sales representative – all without human intervention.

    Why Companies Want to Become Agentic

    The transition to an Agentic Enterprise is driven by more than just a desire for the latest tech; it is a response to the “productivity gap” and the ever-increasing expectations of customers.

    1. Scaling Beyond Human Limits

    Every business faces the “swivel chair” problem – employees spend hours moving data between systems and performing administrative drudgery. In an Agentic Enterprise, agents handle these low-value, high-volume tasks 24/7. This allows a company to scale its customer service or sales operations without a linear increase in headcount costs.

    2. Elevating the Human Experience

    When routine work is delegated to agents, human employees are “unlocked.” Instead of answering “Where is my order?” for the hundredth time, a customer service representative can focus on high-stakes, empathy-driven problem-solving. This shift elevates job satisfaction and allows humans to do what they do best: innovate, strategise, and build relationships.

    3. Hyper-Personalisation at Scale

    Customers today expect businesses to know who they are and what they need instantly. Agents can analyse vast amounts of data in milliseconds to provide personalised recommendations or resolve issues before the customer even realises there is a problem. This level of “anticipatory service” is the new gold standard for loyalty.

    How to Get There: The Roadmap to an Agentic Enterprise

    Becoming an Agentic Enterprise doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a strategic approach to data, trust, and change management. Salesforce outlines several critical steps:

    Step 1: Establish a Unified Data Foundation

    Agents are only as good as the data they can access. You cannot have an agentic enterprise with siloed data. Implementing a solution like Data 360 ensures that your agents have a 360-degree view of the customer, allowing them to make informed, accurate decisions.

    Step 2: Define Clear Guardrails and Governance

    Salesforce emphasises the principle of “Trust” when it comes to anything AI (or business in general). To be truly agentic, companies must ensure that AI agents operate within safe boundaries. This involves setting permissions, ensuring data privacy, and implementing “human-in-the-loop” checkpoints for high-risk decisions.

    Step 3: Identify High-Impact Use Cases

    Don’t try to automate everything at once. Start by identifying “agentic opportunities” – use cases that involve tasks which are repeatable, data-heavy, and time-consuming. Common starting points include:

    • Service Agents: Handling Tier 1 support cases autonomously.
    • Sales Agents: Researching leads and qualifying prospects.
    • Campaign Agents: Optimising marketing spend and campaigns and segmenting audiences in real-time.

    Step 4: Foster a Culture of Collaboration

    The biggest hurdle is often cultural. Leadership must frame agents as “assistants,” not “replacements.” Upskilling your workforce to manage and “coach” these agents is vital. In the Agentic Enterprise, the new skill set is “Agent Orchestration” – knowing how to deploy and refine AI to achieve business outcomes.

    The Risks of Delay

    Particularly in Mid Market and Enterprise, the gap between “Agentic Enterprises” and traditional businesses is now widening. Companies that wait to adopt an agentic strategy risk falling behind in efficiency and customer satisfaction. The complexity of modern business has reached a point where human effort alone is no longer enough to manage the volume of data and interactions required.

    Salesforce isn’t just talking about a product; they are talking about a new way of surviving and thriving in the 21st century. The question for your leadership team is no longer if you will use AI agents, but how you will orchestrate them to lead your industry.

    Ready to Build Your Agentic Roadmap?

    The journey to becoming an Agentic Enterprise can feel daunting, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Our team of Salesforce experts specialises in bridging the gap between vision and execution. We help you identify your highest-value use cases, clean your data foundation, and deploy Agentforce with the necessary trust and safety guardrails.

    Take the first step toward the future of work. Book an Action Plan Call with our experts today to create your customised Agentic Roadmap.

    More on Agentforce:

    Agentforce: Where are we now and where are we headed?

    What is Agentforce Vibes and what does it mean for Salesforce users?

    What if I’m not ready for Agentforce?

    References

    Salesforce (2025) What Is the Agentic Enterprise?, Salesforce. Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/agentforce/agentic-enterprise/ (Accessed: 22 January 2026).

    Salesforce (2025) Agentforce: The World’s First Suite of Autonomous AI Agents, Salesforce News. Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/news/ (Accessed: 22 January 2026).

    Benioff, M. (2024) Keynote Address: Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce+. Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/plus (Accessed: 22 January 2026).

  • What is Salesforce Actually Used For?

    What is Salesforce Actually Used For?

    It’s the world’s most ubiquitous customer relationship management platform, yet “what is Salesforce used for?” is one of the most searched questions. Salesforce has become a central nervous system for modern business operations – from sales to service, marketing, data strategy, and even AI-powered automation. However, we want to know how customers are actually using it in real organisations.

    The Big Picture: Salesforce Adoption at Scale

    • Over 150,000 companies worldwide use Salesforce – from startups and SMBs right up to the biggest global brands. It’s the world’s most widely adopted CRM platform.
    • It’s entrenched in over 90% of Fortune 500 companies.
    • Salesforce holds roughly 23–24% of the global CRM market – more than its next four competitors combined.

    Who Uses Salesforce?

    There are some commonly cited breakdowns of internal usage that give a good sense of where the platform really gets used – beyond the usual “sales, sales, sales” narrative:

    Departmental Usage Estimates

    • Sales teams use Salesforce to manage all customer lifecycle stages from lead capture through pipeline and opportunity forecasting (~40% of usage).
    • Marketing teams build and track campaigns, segment leads, and monitor engagement (~20%).
    • Customer service/support manages cases, issues, SLAs and service histories (~20%).
    • IT/Admin teams handle integrations, security, and configurations (~10%).
    • Finance & HR are used to a lesser extent for billing workflows, reporting and internal HR processes (~5% each).

    This shows that, while Sales Cloud remains the most recognised product, Salesforce isn’t just a sales tool in practice – teams across the business are actively using it.

    Product Usage and Adoption Patterns

    Salesforce itself breaks down product adoption in useful ways:

    Product Adoption Shares

    • Sales Cloud is still the most widely deployed product (~40.6% share of product usage).
    • Service Cloud’s usage is even slightly bigger (~45.3%).
    • Marketing Cloud is growing, but less widely adopted (~14.1%).

    While Sales Cloud gets the headlines (and the name recognition), Service Cloud often has a larger footprint. That’s because many organisations prioritise customer service automation, case management, and support tracking – especially as after-sales experience becomes a key competitive differentiator in the modern business landscape, therefore…

    Salesforce Isn’t (and Shouldn’t) Just Used for Sales

    Despite “Sales” being in the name, the real usage landscape is more varied. If we look at the core suite:

    • Service teams are using Salesforce nearly as much – or more – than sales teams in some setups.
    • Marketing campaigns and customer engagement tracking via Marketing Cloud and its B2B counterpart, Account Engagement, are major use cases, not just add-ons.
    • IT teams play a big role behind the scenes – because Salesforce often becomes the central platform for an organisation’s data, not just a CRM tool.

    Industry makeup shapes how Salesforce is used, for example:

    • In professional services and consulting, CRM is often used for client engagement and project workflows – not just sales pipeline tracking.
    • In financial services, regulatory and security requirements drive Salesforce adoption for compliance, case management, and customer lifecycle tracking.
    • In manufacturing and retail, it’s used not just for sales but for operations and supply chain/customer data integration.

    How Are People Using Salesforce?

    There is evidence to suggest that plenty of businesses aren’t using the Salesforce platform to its full potential. As a consultancy, we see first-hand how, when leveraged correctly, Salesforce transforms from an overhead into a strategic asset. What sets Salesforce apart from many other CRM platforms is its flexibility. You don’t just get a product – you get a platform. Salesforce’s declarative coding (clicks, not code) is highly appealing to users who want a job done quickly and effectively, but now more than ever, leaders are looking for innovative ways to create custom, agentic solutions that set them ahead of the competition.

    Low-Code / No-Code

    Salesforce Flow allows non-developers to build automated workflows, approvals, integration logic and cross-system processes without writing code. The platform has a substantial breadth of functionality at users’ disposal, without the need to reinvent the wheel. It’s a bit like Lego for business logic.

    Custom Development

    For more innovative or bespoke needs, developers can build custom apps, APIs, and extensions using Apex and Lightning Web Components. Many organisations essentially build whole line-of-business apps inside Salesforce.

    AI & Agents

    Salesforce has doubled down on AI with offerings like Einstein, Agentforce and Data 360. These products are at the core of the ‘agentic enterprise’ that can proactively reach out to leads, resolve customer issues, or run marketing tasks on behalf of users. We are still in the early stages of the adoption S-curve with this technology, but it is undeniable that this is the future of work. We at Performa are very excited to see even more companies leverage this aspect of the Salesforce platform and how they go about it. 

    Underrated Features – And Where Companies Lose Out

    Salesforce comes with a boatload of functionality, but most organisations use only a fraction of it. Many teams stick to leads, opportunities, dashboards and basic automation, completely ignoring deeper (and very useful) capabilities. 

    Underused (and Valuable) Features

    Data Cloud & unified profiles: bringing together data from across systems for real-time insights. A missed opportunity here means marketing and sales still don’t actually know their customers.
    Advanced analytics & AI forecasting: powerful predictors left turned off are lost profit opportunities.
    Process automation beyond email: complex multi-step flows that could shave hours from operations go unused.
    AI & automation: Salesforce now prides itself on being a leader in AI, not just ‘CRM’. Artificial intelligence features are now baked into the platform itself, and teams should certainly investigate the plethora of features (even beyond Agentforce) that could be boosting their ROI. 

    Salesforce has so many features that, according to seasoned admins, most people rarely unlock even half of the platform’s potential. It’s like buying a Formula 1 car and only driving it in school zones.

    So, what is the takeaway?

    Salesforce is a platform to run an entire business on, not just a Sales tool, and we have started to see other products (Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Agentforce) ramp up on adoption. Businesses are starting to see that utilising Salesforce’s full potential can be a strategic asset, but, on the whole, it is still predominantly used for Sales and Service. The results of leveraging the full 360 suite are irrefutable, so perhaps those uptakes on other products besides Sales Cloud demonstrate that customers understand the potential of the platform more than ever, and using more of the functionality is providing a competitive edge. 

    With all the whisperings of Salesforce being renamed Agentforce, even if it is all a marketing campaign, Salesforce is clearly confident that ‘Sales’ shouldn’t be the sole focal point.

    If used correctly, Salesforce helps teams stop working in silos and start working in concert. That’s the pitch, anyway – and it works remarkably well when properly adopted. And that means leveraging Salesforce outside of the preconceived confines.

    Keen to leverage your dormant functionality or get the full picture of what Salesforce could do for your business? Book a call with one of our experts today or visit www.performa-it.co.uk for more info!

    More Articles

    Preparing for Agentforce

    Is Salesforce a CRM or Not?

    Don’t Sleep on Salesforce Einstein!

    References

    Deloitte (2025) Tech Trends 2026: The Agentic Enterprise. [Online] Available at: https://www.deloitte.com/insights [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Enate (2026) 5 reasons why digital transformation projects fail. [Online] Available at: https://www.enate.io/blog [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Gartner (2024) Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center. [Online] Analyst: P. Rathnayake, W. White, D. Kraus. Available at: https://www.gartner.com [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Gartner (2025) Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation Platforms. [Online] Analyst: A. Zijadic, G. Wood, S. Rietberg. Available at: https://www.gartner.com [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    IDC (2025) Worldwide Semiannual Software Tracker: CRM Market Share 2024 Revenue. [Online] Available at: https://www.idc.com [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Integrate.io (2026) Salesforce Data Integration ROI Figures: 50 Statistics Every Business Leader Should Know. [Online] Available at: https://www.integrate.io/blog [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Morgan, T. (2025) ‘Salesforce Data Cloud Named Top Leader in IDC MarketScape Report’, Salesforce Ben, 5 February. [Online] Available at: https://www.salesforceben.com [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Salesforce (2024) Salesforce Unveils Agentforce: Autonomous AI Agents for the Enterprise. [Online] Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/news [Accessed 21 January 2026].

    Salesforce (2025) State of Data and Analytics Report: The Chasm Between Data Demands and Realities. [Online] Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news [Accessed 21 January 2026].

  • What is Agentforce Vibes? And what does it mean for Salesforce users?

    What is Agentforce Vibes? And what does it mean for Salesforce users?

    TL;DR Agentforce Vibes – Salesforce’s Latest Solution to Buying Time

    Agentforce Vibes is the personalisation intelligence powering Salesforce’s new and improved Agentforce platform – helping AI understand how you work so it can deliver the most relevant actions, recommendations, and automation in the flow of your day. It uses generative AI to transform natural language into code – so users can describe a feature and watch it come to life via a new autonomous AI coding agent, accelerating development at all stages.

    And importantly, advancements like Agentforce Vibes do not make the Admin/Developer role redundant. They remain essential in establishing the data, rules, and governance that allow AI to operate safely and successfully. These tools are designed to remove the repetitive tasks – not replace the human expertise that keeps Salesforce aligned to business strategy.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Salesforce continues to evolve its platform with innovations designed to streamline processes and maximise productivity, and Agentforce Vibes is the latest addition to that mission. Vibes uses generative AI to transform natural language into code – so users can describe a feature and watch it come to life via a new autonomous AI coding agent, accelerating development at all stages.

    As AI becomes more embedded in how organisations operate, businesses are understandably excited – and sometimes a bit concerned – about what that means for the people who manage and use these systems every day. The reassuring truth: Agentforce Vibes is not here to replace Admins, Developers, or users. On the contrary, it empowers them by making Salesforce more intuitive, more personalised, and more efficient.

    Understanding Agentforce Vibes

    Agentforce Vibes is the engine behind Salesforce’s Agentforce platform – the AI-agent-powered system enabling smarter, more conversational experiences within Salesforce – all with ‘vibe coding’. Vibes acts as the connective tissue between user context, organisational data, and AI capabilities, helping to build, debug, test, and deploy Salesforce apps and agents.

    In a simplified sense, Vibes turns plans and concepts into fully functional applications faster than ever before.

    Rather than offering generic prompts or one-size-fits-all automation, Vibes allows AI agents to:

    • Understand the preferences of individual users and teams
    • Create features that leverage the organisation’s unique tone and governance
    • Provide recommendations aligned with specific business processes
    • Speed up development and automation
    • Learn continually from feedback to improve accuracy and usability

    How Agentforce Vibes Supports AI in Salesforce

    Salesforce’s approach to AI has always centred around trust, transparency, and the belief that AI must augment – not override – human strategy. Vibes reflects that philosophy with several core features:

    Capability

    What It Means for Users

    Contextual personalisation

    AI agents make decisions based on specific departmental workflows and data usage.

    Governance-aware intelligence

    Admins set boundaries, and AI operates within those business controls.

    Continuous learning

    Feedback improves the relevance and quality of actions over time.

    Human-in-the-loop design

    Employees review and approve key decisions – AI doesn’t run unchecked.

    The goal is simple: AI that adjusts to business realities and human expertise, not the other way around.

    What Does This Mean for Salesforce Teams?

    For Salesforce professionals, Agentforce Vibes is not something to fear. It’s an opportunity.

    Admins and Developers remain the core of Salesforce ecosystems – the people who:

    • Ensure AI aligns to the company’s data model
    • Create the guardrails that protect compliance and security
    • Translate business requirements into Salesforce functionality
    • Shape the workflows AI will help enhance
    • Connect teams with the right tools to succeed, keeping humans at the heart of each decision

    Agentforce Vibes doesn’t eliminate that responsibility. It makes the work smoother and more impactful by reducing repetitive labour and boosting insight quality.

    For example, instead of manually configuring dozens of preferences or adjusting prompts repeatedly, Admins will have a centralised way to manage personalisation at scale. They will spend less energy on micromanagement and more time driving strategy and innovation.

    In many ways, Vibes reinforces the Admin role – ensuring organisations still need skilled experts to maintain sustainable growth and successful adoption.

    What Benefits Can Salesforce Teams Expect?

    Agentforce Vibes introduces a new layer of intelligence that improves productivity from day one. Here’s a glimpse of what users can look forward to:

    1. Less time navigating, more time doing

    Agentforce builds with no code or complex prompts, just a description from the user. Custom objects, relationships, and page layouts can all be constructed in minutes.

    2. Continuous Improvement

    AI proactively auto-suggests actions relevant to the user’s current task.

    2. Reduced training friction

    New employees onboard faster because the system guides them proactively.

    3. Better data quality

    Context-based prompts facilitate the capture of accurate and complete data.

    4. Personalised automation

    Recommendations feel like helpful coaching – not generic system prompts.

    5. Higher engagement and adoption

    When Salesforce feels more intuitive, users naturally rely on it more.

    Each of these improvements strengthens the platform’s long-term value.

    At Performa, we see the most significant initial use case for Vibes as prototyping. For example, you are a business analyst tasked with presenting new components for the customer service page layout. You use Agentforce Vibes to quickly mock up a lightning web component for feedback from stakeholders. This will allow you to present a more detailed set of requirements, along with an example component, to your development team before they embark on the project.

    Human Expertise Still Drives Success

    It’s important to highlight that the Salesforce platform is vast and nuanced. Even with advanced AI capabilities, there is no “set it and forget it” scenario. Automations need oversight. Data governance needs guardians. Business processes need translation.

    Agentforce Vibes enables AI to support users more intelligently, but:

    • It does not understand business logic without correct configuration.
    • It cannot decide or dictate business strategy.
    • It cannot replace the empathy and judgment of human decision-making.

    Like every tool in the Salesforce suite, Vibes is designed to enhance human capability – not erase it. Admins and Developers remain essential because technology only delivers value when it is correctly implemented and continuously optimised.

    As a marketeer, I could probably put together an out-of-the-box shelving system with some good instructions, albeit with a lot of stress involved and likely some expletives, that would bear a small amount of weight. But would it be practical, durable, fit-for-purpose, and tailored to my space, routines and aesthetic? It certainly would not. And would I have the time to learn the skills necessary to do so in a timely manner? No! I’m not talking about my personal DIY conquests totally out of context here; this is one of the metaphors we use to assure our clients that although the technology is designed to save our most precious resource, time, and make our working lives easier, you still need skilled Admins, Developers, Architects (and carpenters!) to get the jobs done reliably, scalably and to a high standard.

    Good Vibes: Future Expectations

    As Agentforce Vibes rolls into more organisations, we can expect:

    • Stronger collaboration between business users and Salesforce/IT teams
    • Smoother user experiences that increase productivity
    • AI that feels less like “tech” and more like a helpful teammate

    What doesn’t change?

    The need for skilled Salesforce professionals.

    AI can automate tasks, but people build relationships. People drive change. People ensure that business systems reflect real-world needs.

    Agentforce Vibes represents the next step in Salesforce’s AI evolution. It is exciting, transformative, and undeniably powerful – but it is not a replacement for the Admin role. If anything, it highlights the continued importance of human guidance.

    With Vibes, Salesforce professionals are empowered to:

    • Provide a smarter, more intuitive experience
    • Reduce tedious maintenance
    • Focus on strategic contributions that elevate the business

    As always, Salesforce is building automation not to replace jobs, but to support sustainable growth and stronger outcomes for everyone involved. As I mentioned earlier in the article, the Salesforce 360 and its AI capabilities give us more of our most valuable resource: time. Time to innovate, time to reimagine, time to overcome what’s holding us back from growth.

    The future of Salesforce remains, as it always has been, a partnership between innovative technology and the talented people who make that technology effective.

    Want to learn more about how you can use Salesforce to automate the time-consuming tasks in your organisation and break down the bottlenecks? Reach out to us today!

    More on Agentforce Vibes from Salesforce.

  • Our Predictions for Dreamforce 2025: Salesforce’s Vision for the Agentic Enterprise

    Our Predictions for Dreamforce 2025: Salesforce’s Vision for the Agentic Enterprise

    Dreamforce 2025, as always, is set to be a transformative event, showcasing Salesforce’s commitment to an AI-first, agentic future. From advancements in Agentforce to strategic acquisitions, the conference promises to unveil innovations that will redefine user operations. Here are our predictions on key themes at this year’s pinnacle ecosystem event as the crowds start to check in in San Francisco!

    Evolving Agentforce: The Agentic Enterprise

    At the heart of Salesforce’s transformative vision is Agentforce, the AI-powered platform designed to automate complex workflows and enhance human productivity. The latest iteration, Agentforce 4, introduces several key features:

    • Multi-Agent Orchestration: Agentforce now supports seamless interaction between multiple AI agents, enabling them to collaborate on tasks and share insights. This advancement is particularly beneficial for large organisations requiring coordinated, Agent-to-Agent efforts across various departments.
    • Enhanced Observability: The Agentforce Command Centre provides administrators with real-time visibility into agent activities, allowing for better monitoring and optimisation of AI workflows. Command Centre gives admins this omniscient view via intuitive dashboards and visual workflow maps. It highlights task progress, handoffs, and potential bottlenecks, while logs and alerts allow quick diagnosis, helping teams ensure AI runs smoothly and efficiently.
    • Unified Workspace: The addition of a new unified workspace for admins and developers also streamlines the process of designing, testing, and deploying AI agents, reducing time-to-value for organisations.

    Flexible Pricing Models

    Salesforce has expanded Agentforce’s pricing options to include new models that provide organisations with the flexibility to choose the payment structure that best aligns with their operational needs and budget constraints. These are:

    • Pay-as-You-Go: Ideal for businesses with variable usage, this model allows companies to pay monthly based on the number of Flex Credits used, with no upfront commitment.
    • Pre-Commit: This option offers discounted rates in exchange for an upfront commitment, making it suitable for companies with predictable AI usage.
    • Pre-Purchase: For businesses with consistent demand, this model allows organisations to buy credits in bulk and use them over time, ensuring cost-effectiveness.

    Agentforce’s updated pricing also includes industry-specific add-ons. These cater to specialised needs across various sectors, ensuring that businesses can leverage AI capabilities tailored to their industry requirements without heavy customisation.

    For example:

    • Financial Services: Automated fraud detection, loan processing assistance, and compliance monitoring.
    • Healthcare: Patient intake automation, appointment scheduling, and secure data handling.
    • Retail & E-Commerce: Personalised recommendation engines, inventory alerts, and customer support automation.
    • Manufacturing: Predictive maintenance, supply chain monitoring, and quality control insights.

    To cater to user needs, it’s possible that Salesforce may make even more improvements or tweaks to their Agentforce pricing model, so this is certainly something to keep in mind as we head into Dreamforce.

    SMB-Specific Accelerators: Bridging the AI Gap

    Recognising the challenges faced by SMBs in adopting advanced technologies, we predict that Salesforce may introduce accelerators designed to facilitate smoother transitions into AI-driven operations.

    Zero-Cost Trial Periods

    To lower the entry barrier, Salesforce could offer a limited, zero-cost, production-ready trial of the Agentforce Accelerator for enterprises with low numbers of employees. This initiative would enable businesses to experience the benefits of AI automation without incurring initial financial commitments, providing a risk-free opportunity to assess the platform’s impact. We have seen a number of ISV partners, such as Breadwinner, offer similar activation trials of their integrated agents, so this could be in the pipeline for Salesforce, too.

    We know that Salesforce is enhancing its support for SMBs by offering tailored implementation services. These include personalised onboarding, training sessions, and dedicated account management to ensure that SMBs can effectively integrate Agentforce into their operations and maximise its potential. We certainly expect to see more dedicated spaces and sessions at Dreamforce and World Tour. If you are a small business looking to invest in your agentic future, we encourage you to keep an eye out for these focused opportunities.

    Service Cloud Voice: Elevating Customer Interactions

    This will certainly be a significant talking point at Dreamforce this year. Service Cloud Voice integrates telephony directly into Salesforce, unifying calls, AI insights, and CRM data in a single interface. By providing real-time AI assistance, suggested responses, and automated call logging, it enables agents to resolve customer issues more quickly and accurately. This seamless blend of voice and AI not only boosts agent productivity but also ensures a consistent, personalised experience for every customer.

    Salesforce continues to enhance this groundbreaking feature, integrating AI capabilities to improve customer service operations:

    • AI-Powered Interactions: Service Cloud Voice now leverages AI to assist agents in real-time, providing suggestions and automating routine tasks to improve efficiency.
    • Omnichannel Support: The platform offers seamless support across various channels, ensuring consistent and personalised customer experiences.
    • Integration with Agentforce: Service Cloud Voice integrates with Agentforce, enabling AI agents to handle specific tasks and further enhance the support process.

    Here at Performa, we are very excited to learn more about the roadmap for Voice. We believe that this technology, announced at last year’s event, even has the potential to make more waves market-wide than Agentforce itself. A new horizon of customer experience.

    Strategic Acquisitions: Strengthening the AI Ecosystem

    It’s worth mentioning that Salesforce has recently made significant acquisitions to bolster its AI capabilities, especially when it comes to trust and data security:

    • Informatica: Acquiring Informatica for approximately $8 billion enhances Salesforce’s data management and integration capabilities, critical for AI-driven operations (Salesforce Investor Relations, May 2025).
    • Own Co.: The acquisition of data-security startup Own Co. for $1.9 billion strengthens Salesforce’s data protection and compliance offerings, ensuring secure AI operations (Salesforce, 2024).

    Something Salesforce does exceptionally well is understanding and leveraging its core strengths – like CRM, AI automation, and workflow orchestration – so it can focus on areas where it already excels. At the same time, strategic acquisitions allow Salesforce to quickly fill gaps in capabilities, particularly around user and customer data. This ensures robust data management, compliance, and security while enabling richer AI-driven insights. By combining internal expertise with acquired technology, Salesforce can offer a more complete, reliable, and innovative platform without reinventing the wheel, and the benefits are passed on to us as users. We imagine that data protection, security and the Einstein Trust Layer will be heavily featured in the keynotes and sessions.

    Core Suite Enhancements: A Unified Platform

    As we all know, Salesforce is continuing to integrate AI across its core suite at a rapid rate, providing a unified platform and an enhanced user experience.

    • Unified Workspace: The new unified workspace for admins and developers facilitates the design, testing, and deployment of AI agents across various Salesforce applications. This makes it much easier to deploy and iterate with Agentforce.
    • AI Integration: AI capabilities are now naturally embedded across the core suite, enabling intelligent automation and insights within applications like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud.

    Looking Ahead

    Dreamforce 2025 marks a pivotal moment in Salesforce’s journey towards an agentic enterprise. With advancements in Agentforce, enhancements to Service Cloud Voice, strategic acquisitions, and a unified AI-powered core suite, Salesforce is poised to lead the next wave of market transformation.

    Attendees can expect in-depth sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and insights from industry leaders, providing a comprehensive view of the future of AI in business. For those unable to attend in person, Dreamforce 2025 will be streamed live on Salesforce+.

    As we approach the event, the anticipation builds for what promises to be a groundbreaking showcase of innovation, collaboration, and the future of AI. Stay tuned to hear the announcements and get the Dreamforce recap. If you’re in San Fran attending the event, come and say hi!

  • Salesforce & Spreadsheets: Turn these adversaries into an advantage

    Salesforce & Spreadsheets: Turn these adversaries into an advantage

    Salesforce & Spreadsheets: Turn these adversaries into an advantage 

    Salesforce Admins debate the superiority of Salesforce vs the use of spreadsheets. Whilst Salesforce admittedly excels in the reporting function, protects intellectual property, adds layers of security and prevents data silos, it is worth acknowledging that many of us grew up using spreadsheets, and have been leveraging their functionality and design in our careers for many years. The result of this ingrained usage is disparate data, even throughout organisations using Salesforce CRM.

    Salesforce advocates may not be able to ban their colleagues from using spreadsheets (those in roles relating to Finance may be horrified at the thought!), but we can recommend a way to reduce the admin burden derived from relaying data between sheets and your CRM.

    XL Connector and G Connector are products offered by Xappex to enhance user productivity by providing a more user-friendly solution than the standard data manipulation tools, such as Import Wizard and Dataloader. They allow users to manipulate data in Salesforce (or other CRMs and databases) directly from Excel or Google Sheets.

    G-Connector enables the configuration of snapshots, allowing data to be pulled from Salesforce into Google Sheets as regularly as every hour. Alternatively a shared spreadsheet can be set up which will sync data both ways, providing a means for users without Salesforce licences to view and update Salesforce data in real time.

    XL-Connector provides its own useful functionality, coming equipped with a suite of tools to improve the lives of Salesforce Administrators. Salesforce reports can be accessed directly from Excel, data can be pulled into sheets from connected orgs at the click of a button to be updated and pushed back into Salesforce, and time consuming tasks such as mass updating description/help fields can be completed much faster.

    The tips above will hopefully make an array of spreadsheets easier to handle and translate into Salesforce. If you are looking for more ways to supercharge your organisation’s productivity, reach out to hello@performa-it.co.uk or give us a call on 01453 703230!

    When it comes to business technology, few names spark as much recognition – and sometimes confusion – as Salesforce. Depending on who you ask, it’s either the world’s most famous CRM, a fully-fledged ERP, or, according to Salesforce itself, something far more futuristic. So which is it? Let’s clear the air.

    CRM: The Basics

    CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and it does exactly what it says on the tin: it helps businesses manage interactions with customers and prospects. Think of it as a structured Rolodex with superpowers – tracking leads, sales activities, conversations, and marketing campaigns. Salesforce became synonymous with CRM because it pioneered the model of delivering this software via the cloud (way back in 1999, when the cloud was still just “other people’s computers”).

    Common CRM features include:

    • Lead and contact management
    • Sales pipeline tracking
    • Customer support and service tools
    • Marketing campaign automation

    Examples of CRMs beyond Salesforce include HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

    ERP: The Other Business Titan

    ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is a different beast. While CRMs focus on customers, ERPs aim to run the business as a whole. They unify and manage core processes such as finance, supply chain, HR, procurement, and inventory. In short, if a CRM knows who your customers are, an ERP knows how many widgets are left in the warehouse and whether payroll has cleared.

    The heavyweight in this category is SAP, alongside contenders like Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, and Infor. ERP is more about operational backbone; CRM is about customer-facing strategy. They complement rather than replace each other.

    Is Salesforce an ERP?

    No – but it’s trying to edge closer. Salesforce is still, at its heart, a CRM platform. Its bread and butter is sales, service, and marketing. However, with acquisitions like MuleSoft (integration), Slack (comms & collaboration), and Tableau (analytics), Salesforce has been steadily adding muscle in directions that brush against ERP territory.

    But does Salesforce handle things like accounting, supply chain logistics, or manufacturing planning? Not out of the box. For those, businesses still turn to ERP vendors like SAP or Oracle. That said, Salesforce has made itself very good at integrating with ERP systems, so it often sits as the customer-facing layer on top of them. It is also known for being highly customisable, meaning that skilled developers and partners can create custom objects, workflows, and applications that perform ERP-style tasks. While it may not ship with ERP modules out of the box, its flexibility allows organisations to extend the platform in ways that blur the line between CRM and ERP.

    CRM vs. SAP: Clearing Up a Common Mix-Up

    This is where many business conversations get tangled. SAP is not a type of software; it’s a company. More precisely, SAP is the German giant that makes ERP software (and, yes, they also make CRM solutions). Saying “CRM and SAP are the same” is a bit like saying “coffee and Starbucks are the same.” Starbucks is a company that sells coffee, but coffee itself is an entire category.

    SAP’s ERP solutions dominate global enterprises, while its CRM tools compete with Salesforce – though Salesforce still leads in market share for ‘customer relationship management’.

    The Salesforce Identity Shift

    Here’s where things get interesting. Salesforce, despite being the face of CRM for decades, has been gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) distancing itself from the term. In much the same way the tech world in the early 2000s tried to rebrand “software” into something bigger, shinier, and more visionary, Salesforce is recasting itself as a “digital workforce” or “digital labour platform.”

    That sounds a little sci-fi – perhaps conjuring images of robotic colleagues stealing your desk space – but what it really means is this: Salesforce wants to be seen less as “that CRM you use for sales calls” and more as the platform where your business automation lives. The company envisions its tools as the digital hands that carry out repetitive tasks, solve simple customer requests, crunch analytics, and send nudges to employees so humans can focus on higher-value work. In practice, this means automating sales follow-ups, predicting churn risk with AI, or orchestrating marketing journeys at scale.

    The strategy makes sense: the CRM market is crowded, while “digital labour” suggests a broader, almost indispensable category of enterprise software. Salesforce isn’t just your customer Rolodex – it’s positioning itself as the nervous system for modern organisations.

    So… Is Salesforce a CRM or Not?

    Yes. Absolutely. Salesforce is a CRM – arguably the CRM. But it’s also more than that. Its platform has grown into an ecosystem for analytics, AI-driven automation, and integrations with countless other enterprise tools. What it isn’t (yet) is a full-blown ERP. For businesses that need to run finance, supply chain, or HR alongside customer relationships, Salesforce usually partners with or integrates into ERP giants rather than replacing them. Salesforce knows what they do best, and they tend to partner with, or sometimes acquire, the companies that

    Why It Matters

    For decision-makers, the distinction matters. If you’re trying to streamline payroll or optimise your factory floor, Salesforce won’t automatically do that out of the box. If you’re trying to understand, win, and keep customers, it will. And if you’re looking for a platform to help automate workflows and make your team feel like they have a few extra pairs of digital hands, Salesforce is increasingly the go-to.

    The takeaway? Salesforce may be moving away from the tidy CRM label, but at its core, that’s still what it is. The rebranding into “digital workforce” isn’t about abandoning CRM – it’s about staking a claim to a bigger future. A future where CRMs aren’t just about customers, but about orchestrating entire digital experiences across the business landscape.

    Final Thought

    So, is Salesforce a CRM? Yes. Is it also trying to be more than a CRM? Also yes. Is it an ERP? Not yet, and maybe not ever in the traditional sense. Salesforce is carving out a hybrid space – a CRM at heart, a digital labour platform by ambition. Whether that sounds inspiring or a little intimidating depends on how ready you are to let software take on more of your business’s day-to-day work. Either way, one thing’s clear: the debate over Salesforce’s identity isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

  • Is Salesforce a CRM or Not?

    Is Salesforce a CRM or Not?

    When it comes to business technology, few names spark as much recognition – and sometimes confusion – as Salesforce. Depending on who you ask, it’s either the world’s most famous CRM, a fully-fledged ERP, or, according to Salesforce itself, something far more futuristic. So which is it? Let’s clear the air.

    CRM: The Basics

    CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and it does exactly what it says on the tin: it helps businesses manage interactions with customers and prospects. Think of it as a structured Rolodex with superpowers – tracking leads, sales activities, conversations, and marketing campaigns. Salesforce became synonymous with CRM because it pioneered the model of delivering this software via the cloud (way back in 1999, when the cloud was still just “other people’s computers”).

    Common CRM features include:

    • Lead and contact management
    • Sales pipeline tracking
    • Customer support and service tools
    • Marketing campaign automation

    Examples of CRMs beyond Salesforce include HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

    ERP: The Other Business Titan

    ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is a different beast. While CRMs focus on customers, ERPs aim to run the business as a whole. They unify and manage core processes such as finance, supply chain, HR, procurement, and inventory. In short, if a CRM knows who your customers are, an ERP knows how many widgets are left in the warehouse and whether payroll has cleared.

    The heavyweight in this category is SAP, alongside contenders like Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, and Infor. ERP is more about operational backbone; CRM is about customer-facing strategy. They complement rather than replace each other.

    Is Salesforce an ERP?

    No – but it’s trying to edge closer. Salesforce is still, at its heart, a CRM platform. Its bread and butter is sales, service, and marketing. However, with acquisitions like MuleSoft (integration), Slack (comms & collaboration), and Tableau (analytics), Salesforce has been steadily adding muscle in directions that brush against ERP territory.

    But does Salesforce handle things like accounting, supply chain logistics, or manufacturing planning? Not out of the box. For those, businesses still turn to ERP vendors like SAP or Oracle. That said, Salesforce has made itself very good at integrating with ERP systems, so it often sits as the customer-facing layer on top of them. It is also known for being highly customisable, meaning that skilled developers and partners can create custom objects, workflows, and applications that perform ERP-style tasks. While it may not ship with ERP modules out of the box, its flexibility allows organisations to extend the platform in ways that blur the line between CRM and ERP.

    CRM vs. SAP: Clearing Up a Common Mix-Up

    This is where many business conversations get tangled. SAP is not a type of software; it’s a company. More precisely, SAP is the German giant that makes ERP software (and, yes, they also make CRM solutions). Saying “CRM and SAP are the same” is a bit like saying “coffee and Starbucks are the same.” Starbucks is a company that sells coffee, but coffee itself is an entire category.

    SAP’s ERP solutions dominate global enterprises, while its CRM tools compete with Salesforce – though Salesforce still leads in market share for ‘customer relationship management’.

    The Salesforce Identity Shift

    Here’s where things get interesting. Salesforce, despite being the face of CRM for decades, has been gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) distancing itself from the term. In much the same way the tech world in the early 2000s tried to rebrand “software” into something bigger, shinier, and more visionary, Salesforce is recasting itself as a “digital workforce” or “digital labour platform.”

    That sounds a little sci-fi – perhaps conjuring images of robotic colleagues stealing your desk space – but what it really means is this: Salesforce wants to be seen less as “that CRM you use for sales calls” and more as the platform where your business automation lives. The company envisions its tools as the digital hands that carry out repetitive tasks, solve simple customer requests, crunch analytics, and send nudges to employees so humans can focus on higher-value work. In practice, this means automating sales follow-ups, predicting churn risk with AI, or orchestrating marketing journeys at scale.

    The strategy makes sense: the CRM market is crowded, while “digital labour” suggests a broader, almost indispensable category of enterprise software. Salesforce isn’t just your customer Rolodex – it’s positioning itself as the nervous system for modern organisations.

    So… Is Salesforce a CRM or Not?

    Yes. Absolutely. Salesforce is a CRM – arguably the CRM. But it’s also more than that. Its platform has grown into an ecosystem for analytics, AI-driven automation, and integrations with countless other enterprise tools. What it isn’t (yet) is a full-blown ERP. For businesses that need to run finance, supply chain, or HR alongside customer relationships, Salesforce usually partners with or integrates into ERP giants rather than replacing them. Salesforce knows what they do best, and they tend to partner with, or sometimes acquire, the companies that

    Why It Matters

    For decision-makers, the distinction matters. If you’re trying to streamline payroll or optimise your factory floor, Salesforce won’t automatically do that out of the box. If you’re trying to understand, win, and keep customers, it will. And if you’re looking for a platform to help automate workflows and make your team feel like they have a few extra pairs of digital hands, Salesforce is increasingly the go-to.

    The takeaway? Salesforce may be moving away from the tidy CRM label, but at its core, that’s still what it is. The rebranding into “digital workforce” isn’t about abandoning CRM – it’s about staking a claim to a bigger future. A future where CRMs aren’t just about customers, but about orchestrating entire digital experiences across the business landscape.

    Final Thought

    So, is Salesforce a CRM? Yes. Is it also trying to be more than a CRM? Also yes. Is it an ERP? Not yet, and maybe not ever in the traditional sense. Salesforce is carving out a hybrid space – a CRM at heart, a digital labour platform by ambition. Whether that sounds inspiring or a little intimidating depends on how ready you are to let software take on more of your business’s day-to-day work. Either way, one thing’s clear: the debate over Salesforce’s identity isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

  • “What If I’m Not Ready for Agentforce?” – A question from the World Tour Floor

    “What If I’m Not Ready for Agentforce?” – A question from the World Tour Floor

    At this year’s Salesforce World Tour, one thing was clear: Agentforce is here for the long-run, and it’s capturing imaginations across industries. Conversations buzzed with possibilities – eliminated barriers, real-time insights, reduced workloads, and faster resolutions.

    But amid the excitement, we kept hearing an important question from thoughtful, strategic customers:

    “What about me? What if I’m not ready for Agentforce?”

    It’s a fair question – and one we believe needs a clear answer.

    As a consulting partner, our job isn’t just to deliver solutions – it’s to future-proof our clients. That means not rushing headfirst into implementations that aren’t set up for success.

    Agentforce is powerful. It’s shiny. It’s purple. But underneath the surface of the keynote demos, use case selection strategies and slick user interfaces, sustained success comes down to five things:

    1. Data Readiness

    AI is only as smart as the data it’s fed. If your service data is fragmented, unstructured, or incomplete, your Agentforce deployment won’t have the clarity it needs to function effectively. Think of it like giving a driver a map with missing roads. Before launching, it’s critical to:

    • Audit and clean historical data
    • Standardise fields and categories
    • Ensure visibility of relevant data across systems

    You need to draw the map. Without this step, AI simply can’t make informed decisions – and your users will quickly lose trust in its recommendations.

    2. User Adoption

    Even the most capable AI tool will fall flat if no one uses it. Success with Agentforce hinges on how well it fits into your team’s daily workflows – and whether they believe it can help. That means:

    • Designing experiences that feel helpful, not intrusive
    • Prioritising ease of use and low-friction interfaces
    • Including your team in the rollout process, early and often

    Adoption doesn’t happen by accident. It’s planned, tested, and earned.

    3. User Education

    It’s not enough for AI to work – your users need, and most likely want, to understand how it works. This builds confidence, encourages experimentation, and ensures responsible usage. We’ve seen firsthand how training transforms outcomes:

    • Provide context-specific learning tailored to roles
    • Explain the reasoning behind AI outputs
    • Build literacy on prompt writing and evaluating AI responses

    When people understand how the machine thinks, they stop fearing it – and start collaborating with it.

    4. Cultural Buy-In

    AI isn’t just a technology shift – it’s a mindset shift. For Agentforce to succeed, there needs to be strong, ideally company or department-wide, alignment on the “why”:

    • Why are we introducing digital agents?
    • What outcomes are we aiming for?
    • How will roles and responsibilities evolve?

    From leadership through to the service desk, everyone needs to see the bigger picture. That cultural readiness is a major player in the most successful implementations to date.

    5. Contextual Testing

    Agentforce isn’t plug-and-play. Success depends on training your digital agents in the context of your business – not just Salesforce’s demos. That includes:

    • Piloting on low-risk but high-impact use cases
    • Iterating based on real interactions and feedback
    • Creating testing environments that simulate real-world scenarios

    By the time you go live, your team should already know what to expect – and trust that the system’s been battle-tested for your unique needs.

    It’s Okay to Be Focused Elsewhere

    On the day, we had many conversations with businesses who said things along the lines of, “Agentforce looks great, but we’re still rolling out Marketing Cloud,” or “We’re focused on enhancing our current service processes first.”

    That’s okay. In fact, it’s the right thing to do.

    AI shouldn’t derail strategic roadmaps – it should complement them. As an end-to-end Salesforce partner, our job isn’t to push Agentforce prematurely. It’s to help you adopt AI when the time is right, on your terms and in line with your wider transformation plans. 

    If your focus right now is optimisation, integration, or foundational improvements – lean into that. You’re already laying the groundwork and it will ultimately be easier to implement AI when the time comes. 

    The Real Message Behind the Demos

    If you spoke to the experts at World Tour, you’d start to hear this theme again and again: readiness comes before results.

    Yes, Agentforce is designed to be intuitive. But implementation is a journey. You’re not just plugging in a chatbot – you’re introducing a new kind of digital coworker. That means asking smart questions like:

    • What repeatable tasks do we want to automate?
    • Is our case data structured and accurate?
    • What flows can we take advantage of that are already in place?
    • Do our agents trust and understand what AI can do for them?
    • Are we prepared for the change management that comes with automation?

    The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to adopting Agentforce. And there shouldn’t be.

    Some of the most valuable conversations we had at World Tour were with businesses still laying the groundwork with the standard Salesforce product suite. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s wise.

    At Performa, we believe readiness isn’t a barrier – it’s the first and most critical step in any successful AI journey. That’s why we offer complimentary readiness consultations to help you evaluate where you are today and what needs to happen next.

    You don’t need to sprint to catch up. You need a clear, tailored path – and a partner who knows how to guide you. 

    Ready When You Are

    Agentforce has incredible potential to transform customer service and empower your teams. But to unlock that value, the foundation has to be right.

    So if you’re asking, “Am I ready?” – know that you’re not alone, and the answer might be “not yet”. And that’s perfectly fine.

    When you’re ready, we’ll be here – to support, educate, and help you build the future of your business, one step at a time. You can book your complimentary readiness consultation today if you’re ready to set out on that Agentforce journey. Got another priority in mind? Get in touch to see how we can help you cut costs, boost productivity and win customers across the Salesforce 360!

  • Pip Tip #54 – Supercharge your Salesforce flows with reactive screens!

    Pip Tip #54 – Supercharge your Salesforce flows with reactive screens!

    Supercharge Your Salesforce Flows with Reactive Screens!

    Gone are the days of clunky, static flows. With Reactive Screens, your flow components can now interact in real-time – updating fields, calculations, and UI elements instantly as users input data.

    Why does this matter? It means more dynamic, responsive, and efficient processes, ultimately leading to increased productivity and smoother user interactions.

    Whether you’re a Salesforce admin, developer, or business analyst, embracing this feature can significantly streamline your workflows. Ready to make your flows smarter and more responsive?

    Learn more about Reactive Flows here:

    Read more