I want to clear up a misconception that I’m hearing in the Salesforce world about the great $0 SKU Data Cloud debacle.
As you may recall, Salesforce announced at Dreamforce 2023 that a Data Cloud edition would be available at no cost to Sales and Service Cloud Enterprise Edition clients. This was also mentioned in Salesforce’s February 2024 press release around Marketing Cloud Growth Edition.
To be clear, you still need Sales or Service Enterprise Edition to take advantage of this offer. Having just Marketing Cloud does not make you eligible.
Sales and Service Enterprise Edition Customers: What to do about no-cost Data Cloud offer
Now that we’ve clarified any confusion, you might say, “Great, I have Enterprise Edition — I want to get an account provisioned today!” And I would say, “Get prepared first.”
Data Cloud is a game-changer capable of driving remarkable transformation within your organization. Hence, having a well-crafted plan, strategy, and vision in place is paramount.
It’s the basis and foundation of change management — without a plan, vision, consensus, understanding, etc., you might as well stop before you even start.
Speaking from experience, diving into Data Cloud without a clear plan often leads to:
- Misconceptions: A perceived lack of product value.
- Tension: Without a collaborative mindset, conflicts can arise.
- Loss of Momentum: Initial interest and excitement wane over time.
However, before devising a plan, it’s crucial to assess your organization’s readiness.
Data Cloud Readiness Criteria
Consider these five key aspects:
- Data Quality: How accurate and complete is your data? Does it account for individual privacy preferences?
- Access: Does your organization have the ability to open up your tech stack and bust data silos?
- Actionability: What is your ability to use new data to improve growth programs across various channels?
- Commitment: Company-wide, is there a long-term commitment and investment for a customer data platform (CDP)?
- Goals: Do you have a shortlist of the simplest and most important objectives to begin with?
Get a Data Cloud Readiness Assessment
We’re here to assist you in preparing for Data Cloud. Reach out to explore our Data Cloud Readiness Assessment offering so you can be sure your organization is primed for success.
