These are my highlights and key takeaways from Salesforce World Tour D.C. 2024, where the Salesforce community converged to explore the latest in AI, data management, and nonprofit marketing.
From actionable tips on implementing Data Cloud to insights into trusted AI with Einstein Copilot, this recap unveils the strategies and innovations driving success in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Join us as we delve into the transformative power of unified data, organizational alignment, and customer-centricity, shaping the future of Salesforce in Washington, D.C., and beyond.
Nick Kanthadai at World Tour D.C. 2024
Salesforce World Tour D.C. 2024 Highlights
Salesforce checked in for their annual World Tour D.C. on April 10, 2024, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
I had the pleasure of attending and being a part of the growing Salesforce community in the DMV area.
The focus of World Tour D.C. this year just like every other Salesforce event for 2024 was AI, AI, and more AI.
Pro Tip: If you missed the event this time around, you can catch all the main sessions & keynote videos here.
That said, here are my top takeaways from World Tour D.C.
Highlight 1: Top Tips for Getting Started with Data Cloud
World Tour D.C. showcased the top 5 must-have tips if your organization is thinking about implementing Data Cloud and harnessing the power of all your siloed data infrastructure under one unified SF Data Cloud platform.
Organizational Alignment: Establish a clear owner and get all departments/stakeholders on the same page.
Pick a Use Case: Focus on one or two initial use cases that drive team optimization and deliver tangible results within a reasonable timeframe.
Identify Success Metrics: Define KPIs, establish baseline metrics, monitor data quality, track user adoption, and always iterate to improve.
Leverage the Customer 360 Data Model: You have to walk before you can run. Use the out-of-the-box data models when you’re getting started.
Think Big, Start Small: The platform has growth capabilities so you can scale, but you have to take small bites in the beginning.
My takeaways
The two tips around Organizational Alignment and Think Big, Start Small resonated with me the most as these two tips will surely put your organization on the right track for success.
Getting buy-in from every major stakeholder around defined goals is paramount to achieving the success needed. Shoot for the stars in what you want to achieve with Data Cloud, but start small with a basic use case that can showcase the power of unifying your data and implementing a customer journey that can show value to your organization.
Favorite quote from the presentation
“Customer experiences are only as good as your insight into your customer data”
During the main keynote, Salesforce leaders took to the stage to show how everyone can become an Einstein with CRM + AI + Data + Trust.
Emphasizing Data Trust
Parth Shah
Parth Shah, Senior Manager for Product Marketing at Salesforce, was on hand to discuss how trusted AI requires trusted data to achieve your organization’s success.
Key Insight from Parth Shah: 81% of IT leaders say data silos hinder digital transformation
Einstein Copilot
Alice Steinglass, EVP & GM Platform at Salesforce, spoke to all the exciting features of Einstein Copilot. She explained that Einstein Copilot uses trusted AI grounded with your own company’s data, so you can tap into Copilot across every app and reduce repetitive work.
A study from Asana in 2023 found that 62% of work time is lost to repetitive tasks. Why not use the great features of Einstein Copilot to reduce the need for repetitive work by your team? That way, you can focus on what is most important — your customers!!
Alice Steinglass
Highlight 3: How to use Data Cloud for Nonprofit Marketing
If you are a Salesforce Marketing Cloud user in the nonprofit arena, How to Use Data Cloud for Nonprofit Marketing was a must-see presentation. Nikki Aguilar, Salesforce Solution Engineer, spoke about the reasons unified data matters.
My 3 takeaways for using Data Cloud for Nonprofit Marketing
Increase awareness & collaboration. Collaboration and awareness are the keys to being successful when using Data Cloud for nonprofit marketing. It solidifies trust and facilitates connections across the organization.
Deliver unified, accessible, and actionable data. To support awareness and collaboration at nonprofits, delivering unified, accessible, and actionable data helps with getting resources on board who can elevate the fundraising and marketing experiences.
Create a culture of data as a strategic asset. Your data is a strategic asset for the organization as a whole. Creating a culture where data is a strategic asset helps advance operational and program excellence and establish trust among all stakeholders.
World Tour D.C.: Innovations in AI, data management, and nonprofit marketing
World Tour D.C. April 2024 brought together the vibrant Salesforce community in Washington, D.C., for a dynamic event showcasing the latest trends and innovations in AI, data management, and nonprofit marketing. From insights into leveraging Data Cloud to the unveiling of Einstein Copilot’s capabilities, we left with inspirational tips to take home and share with our teams.
As we reflect on the event, it’s clear that the path to success lies in aligning organizational goals, harnessing the power of trusted AI, and embracing a culture where data drives strategic decisions.
I hope you enjoyed my top 3 takeaways from World Tour D.C. 2024! As always, you can send us a message to chat about your Salesforce org and ways to get more ROI from your technology.
Well, we’ve got another TrailblazerDX completed and in the history books, and boy was it a good one. While it seemed like a smaller crowd this year compared to 2023, the vibe and excitement of what’s on the horizon for Salesforce was off the charts!
I’ve never been more excited to be a part of this community. Keep on reading for my top takeaways from this year’s event and what this means for technologists.
#TDX24: Get your sunglasses, cuz the future is looking bright!
We headed to San Francisco along with several thousand of our Salesforce friends for the annual Salesforce developer-focused conference. The conference took place March 6-7, 2024, and it included more than 300 technical sessions and hands-on workshops. The focus for the conference was the Einstein 1 Platform and the era of AI.
This year, Heather Rinke and I had the pleasure of presenting a session at TrailblazerDX along with our friend Arvind Raman, who is a director of partner product success, at Salesforce. The session is called 5 Tips for Getting Started with Data Cloud, and you can check out the recording on Salesforce+ here.
My top 2024 TrailblazerDX takeaways
These are the biggest takeaways I have from the 2024 TrailblazerDX conference.
Smart AI for smarter decisions
TrailblazerDX 2024 showcased Salesforce’s cool AI updates all made possible through the Einstein 1 Platform, making data work harder for businesses. Think better insights, smarter analytics — it’s like having a crystal ball for making savvy decisions. And bonus points for now supporting unstructured data! That’s going to truly be a game-changer.
Keeping it simple, keeping customers happy
Salesforce — the Customer Company — is about making life easier for businesses. They’re focused and committed to simplifying the complexity of connecting the dots between customer data via Data Cloud — across the entire tech stack and more recently multi-org, so you can give your customers that “wow” experience every time. No more guessing games — just happy customers.
Coding made easy
Forget the days of complex code. At TrailblazerDX 2024, Salesforce rolled out tools like Einstein 1 Studio that make coding a breeze. It’s like giving developers and administrators superpowers to create awesome stuff without breaking a sweat. And to be clear this goes beyond the clicks, not code theme in past years. We’ve gone from a click-based GUI to a conversational experience.
Locking down security
Cybersecurity’s a big deal, and Salesforce knows it. They’ve beefed up security features to keep your data safe from prying eyes both externally and internally (check out data spaces). It’s like having a digital security guard on duty 24/7.
Learning and growing together
TrailblazerDX 2024 wasn’t just about tech — it was about community — a community that broke the Guinness Book World Record for Einsteins. It’s a place where people come together to share ideas, learn new things, occasionally color, and grow together. Because when we collaborate, amazing things happen.
Why we techies should get excited
Innovation at Your Fingertips: With Salesforce’s AI goodies, we tech nerds can get creative and drive innovation like never before. It’s like having a toolbox full of cool gadgets to play with.
No more spreadsheets: Unified customer data means less hassle. No more manual list pulls, digging through endless spreadsheets, or joining multiple tables together using SQL — we can now spend our efforts actually using the data versus trying to get the data. One of my favorite sayings: Work smarter not harder!!
Coding, Simplified: Low-code tools mean less time coding and more time creating awesome stuff. It’s like having a shortcut to building cool features without all the headaches.
What this means at Sercante
As a trusted Salesforce partner, we’ve been keeping a pulse on the latest platform innovations and future planned roadmap developments and as a result, have refocused too. ICYMI you might have noticed we had a bit of a glow-up!
“Our rebranded mission, the statement that guides us through our day-to-day, is to use Salesforce to create seamless digital experiences with radical impact. Looking toward our long-term goals, our vision is a tech-driven future where real connections thrive.”
Based upon the key takeaways mentioned earlier related to AI, keeping it simple, and less code — we see a future where it will be less about the how and more about the why. The why is strategy.
Of course, you’ll still find Salesforce consultants performing hands-on keyboard work on our team, but we’re so much more than that and will continue to lean into it. We’re focused on the human side of technology with strategies that get to the heart of impactful growth. As I stated at the beginning, there has never been more of an exciting time to be part of the Salesforce ecosystem and Sercante.
So, in closing, I hope you enjoyed my top takeaways from TrailblazerDX 2024, served up with a side of Sercante expertise. Send us a message and let’s make some magic happen together!
You don’t have to be a technical person to start thinking like a Salesforce architect. In this article, I will share 5 concepts to bring a little architect-thinking magic to your everyday work.
Salesforce architect reflections from Northeast Dreamin’
In October 2023, I attended the premier Salesforce community event in the Northeast, Northeast Dreamin’. There were plenty of informative sessions about AI, non-profit success, and others. I chose to focus my time on the sessions run by Salesforce Architects.
Architect Like a Pro: Using the Five Ws from Primary School – this session was led by Roger Mitchell from Dodge Labs. He shared a compelling approach to uncovering the real needs of clients during requirements-gathering sessions. The simple rubric of who/what/where/when/why can be an inspirational way to unlock deeper understanding. Because after all…
I was struck during these sessions, that the concepts are important to have in mind even if you are not a technical person or someone preparing to head down an architect career path. The reality is that everyone, in every position, can use the basic tenets of a Salesforce architect mindset to improve their everyday work and provide enormous value to our companies.
5 switches to activate your Salesforce architect mindset
When setting the stage for architectural thinking, it is important to zoom out and think about the big picture. Sure there are tactical details that need to be considered, but starting at a higher level will enable you to imagine beyond what is in front of you today.
An architect’s mindset is not reactive. It takes in various viewpoints and inputs that can help anticipate what your next move could or should be. No matter your role, the concepts below can help you elevate your thinking.
#1: Get curious
Think about your work in terms of the broader company and even industry trends. Think through a growth mindset lens and expand on what the questions are. With the growth mindset, the possibilities are limitless as we break away from a fixed mindset.
#2: Zoom out
Next time you are in a meeting, think about your mindset in terms of your camera. Your mind is like an aperture, when you open it you let more light in. How does this change your relationship with what is being discussed? When asked to make a change or perform a task, let more light in, zoom out, and ask broader questions to get to the heart of the why behind the ask.
#3: Get creative
Thinking like an architect is only sometimes a straight line. A heavy dose of thinking about the Art of the possible will open your mind and excite your stakeholders. Open a doc or a notebook and write out the wildest ideas you can think of. This is your chance to push the boundaries and turn some heads.
#4: Think longer term
Don’t be like Homer. Think about what the needs of your company might be in 1 year, in 3 years, in five years. What changes? What changes if you layer on a once-in-a-generation industry-shaking change? How would this inform how you build today with an eye toward a scalable and profitable future? You can go fast AND far.
#5: Analytics for the win!
Wherever possible, use data to support your thinking. This is especially important when pitching concepts to your stakeholders. If you and the teams you work with are using Salesforce, then lots of data is available to you. Moreso, if there has been an investment in more advanced analytics tools like Data Cloud and Einstein Analytics or B2BMA. With so much data at our fingertips, why not share?!
Bonus Tips!
Be nimble as the needs of your company change throughout the year. Unexpected headwinds could force a change that can be faced head-on by thinking about the work differently.
Don’t be afraid to share your work. Especially during fast-moving times, our ideas can really make a difference but we need to share them!
Whether you’re a developer, admin, or even a casual user, adopting an architect’s mindset can transform your work. So go beyond the tactical in what you do. By zooming out, getting curious, thinking longer term, and using data to guide decisions, you could lead to an architect mindset revolution in your organization.
In the beautiful sunshine and chill vibes of Clearwater Beach, FL, Salesforce community members of all kinds came together recently for Florida Dreamin’. The Dreamin’ events are community-led Salesforce conferences around the globe each with their personality. Florida Dreamin’ specifically strives to, “provide inspiration, coaching, and guidance on how to truly blaze your own trail.”
This comes from a perceived, “gap in Salesforce education when it comes to career pathing and guidance.” From my experience as a first-time attendee, this conference lives up to its vision by serving up an abundance of project management/team dynamics & soft-skill content.
Of the 44 sessions on offer, over half had a non-technical focus with topics spanning from career path advice and how to negotiate like a pro to advice on building diagrams and running demos that are informative and effective.
Some Soft-Skill Session Highlights
I attended many wonderful sessions across a variety of technical and non-technical topics, but wanted to highlight three soft-skill sessions in particular. Two of them I found especially illuminating and will be taking tips and tricks back to my consulting work and the third one is my speaking session, which I certainly hope provided impactful guidance to those in attendance.
5 Critical Change Management Steps for Successful Adoption
In this session, Paula Cervoni and Stacey Chery of Silverline emphasized the importance of dedicated and continual change management throughout the lifecycle of a project and into the training and adoption phase. Good change management helps get to the end goal of successful happy users which is what we all want! The change management steps Paula and Stacey outlined are:
Alignment – to the vision and mission of the project with engagement from Stakeholders, SMEs, Executive Team Members, and end users
Communication – a concerted strategy and communication plan to keep users informed every step of the way,
Training – curated applicable training paths for each user group/business role using real-world examples when possible to demonstrate utility,
Reinforcement – making sure that users are actively supported and know exactly who to go to when they have issues at go-live,
Measurement – getting some data behind adoption and success with both formal and informal measurement methods
With these steps, you too can change manage with the best of them and help your projects succeed, not just from a technical perspective, but from an adoption and satisfaction perspective as well.
The Surviving & Thriving Handbook for Accidental Admins
I was honored to give my first-ever Salesforce speaking session at Florida Dreamin’ and am especially happy to be able to join in on the soft-skills theme. My session highlighted my journey into accidental adminship* at a nonprofit organization and the struggles I faced trying to be successful in my day-to-day job as well as my Salesforce Admin duties.
To help bring myself from surviving to thriving, I enacted a number of actionable processes which streamlined my responsibilities, set expectations for my end users, and increased buy-in and end-user satisfaction.
Suggested steps for others facing accidental adminship included:
Establishing 2x yearly full organization Salesforce expectations and communication meetings
Offering regularly scheduled office hours to your end users
Identifying and leveraging your super users to be your champions, beta testers, and day-to-day support for other users in their departments
Setting up a Salesforce Request queue process to allow the Admin to triage, manage, and systematically work through end-user needs and issues
Bringing in a trusted partner, such as Sercante, for support
If this sounds like a topic you could use some support on please reach out to Sercante! We are here to help ease your Admin burden.
* An Accidental Admin is, “someone who had not considered a career in Salesforce until some event brought Salesforce into their work life and who juggles Salesforce admin responsibilities in addition to their regular job” – Source: Salesforce Ben
Just a Demo? Never! Always Demo Like a Pro
Jennifer Kinstle, Principal Architect at Zennify, gave a super practical guide on how to demo like a pro. She highlighted three key steps to a successful demo which ultimately can lead to increased adoption and project success.
Her recipe for a great demo is the following:
1. Know the business – Understand the specific audience you will be demoing to. Tailor your demo to the language and topics that will be most understood and valued by the demo audience.
2. Tell the story – A good demo has a beginning, middle, and end and works with an applicable business use case. Jennifer suggested always “share the why” – making it clear to your audience why the demo is important to them and their business.
3. Prepare & practice – This includes preparing your space, both physical and digital to ensure there are no unexpected interruptions… error messages or chat messages, and the like.
Jennifer also advises tailoring your demo script to what you need. If you need a full line-by-line script, do that, if you do better with bulleted talking points, then go for it. She also highlighted the importance of the run-through, do the demo exactly as you would for the demo audience in the environment where you will be doing the final demo. This is a critical step to mitigate unexpected errors or bugs so you can fix them before show time.
Following the tips in this session, I feel like I will be able to improve the utility of my demos for my clients.
Florida Dreamin’ for the Win!
Florida Dreamin’ was a wonderful conference experience and a great place to give my first ever speaking session. The manageable size of the conference, beautiful location, and focus on soft skills and the Ohana spirit make this an ideal conference for everyone from the seasoned pro to the brand new trailblazer.
Gorgeous ocean sunsets and delicious tiki drinks aside, this conference has a strong sense of community and inclusion with loads of meetups (including a nonprofit lunch meetup that I attended) and excursions. Folks were there to learn a lot, network, and have a fun time doing it, and I don’t think you can ask for much more out of a Dreamin’ event.
Be sure to check out these other posts from my fellow dragons who attended Florida Dreamin’ with me and shared details about their favorite sessions there.
The 2023 MarDreamies Awards inspired the marketing community and wowed the judges as they announced this year’s winners at the fourth MarDreamin’ conference that took place from October 31 to November 3.
The MarDreamies presented five award winners in addition to some honorable mentions across the award categories as each team was featured for their innovative solution implemented with Salesforce marketing tools.
MarDreamies Award Categories: A quick recap
If you remember from previous years, the MarDreamies categories include Personalization Perfection, Social Impact, Grassroots Innovation, Extending Salesforce, and Best in Show.
Social Impact: Creating positive change through Salesforce
Grassroots Innovation: Scaling small business with Salesforce
Extending Salesforce: API and AI-driven solutions
Best in Show: Best all-around solution
Marketing teams submitted their entries selecting which category they wanted to be recognized for and shared the goal they worked to achieve, the details of the solution, and the results post implementation. There were many great submissions this year which made the selection process for the judges very challenging, but after much consideration, they were able to narrow it down to one winner per category.
And the MarDreamies 2023 Award Winners Are…
On November 2, 2023, the MarDreamies presenters who included Marcos Duran, Chris Zullo, Bill Fetter, Julie Rasco, and Jen Kazin announced the award winners.
Personalization Perfection: Grupo Xcaret
Social Impact: Veterans Guardian
Grassroots Innovation: TSI Incorporated
Extending Salesforce: Cypress Learning Solutions
Best in Show: Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing
2023 MarDreamies Award Personalization Perfection Category Winner: Grupo Xcaret
Grupo Xcaret submitted the solution, Personalized Shopping Cart Coupon at the Last Step of the Purchase, to win the MarDreamies 2023 award for the Personalization Perfection category, which celebrates teams for delivering right-time, right message marketing.
The Grupo Xcaret team shared more about their solution in the below video that was featured during the MarDreamies session.
What does Grupo Xcaret do?
In the travel and hospitality industry, Grupo Xcaret is on a mission to make the planet happier by sharing their love of Mexico. Putting on amazing shows and breathtaking attractions across their parks, tours, and hotels, they aim to create “unique, magical, and memorable experiences” for their guests and visitors.
How does Grupo Xcaret use Salesforce tools to create personalized experiences?
The team noticed that customers would start the purchase process for their parks and tours, but would get to the last step of the purchase, see the final price, and then abandon their cart.
To encourage more customers to complete their purchase, Grupo Xcaret used Salesforce Marketing Cloud Personalization to create trackable and customized coupons for each of their products in English and Spanish. They configured this solution with the website so it would display the correct coupon for the purchase after time has passed and the purchase has not been completed.
The solution required the cooperation of their web team, marketing automation team, and a third-party team to create the configurations necessary for successful execution. Their hard work paid off as the solution contributed to increasing their revenue by 77% and improved the conversion rate on the last step of the purchase process by 55%.
Grupo Xcaret’s solution is a great example to the marketing community of what can be achieved when we use Salesforce marketing tools to deliver personalized experiences. If you have been inspired by their solution, be sure to give Grupo Xcaret a shout-out on social media!
2023 MarDreamies Award Grassroots Innovation Category Winner: TSI Incorporated
TSI Incorporated submitted the solution, Optimizing The Lead Management Process to Better Serve Prospects & Customers, to win the MarDreamies 2023 award for the Grassroots Innovation category, which recognizes teams for using Salesforce marketing tools to scale their businesses.
What does TSI Incorporated do?
Serving a global market, TSI Incorporated engineers and manufactures measurement instruments to help make the job easier for aerosol science, and evaluating air flow, indoor air quality, fluid dynamics, and biohazard detection.
Founded in 1961 with headquarters based in the U.S. and field offices across Europe and Asia, TSI has grown as a large organization and established a worldwide presence in the markets they serve.
How does TSI Incorporated use Salesforce tools to scale their business?
The TSI team wanted to make sure that their lead handover process was streamlined so qualified leads could be routed to the right salesperson quickly for a timely response to prospects and to prevent deals from falling through the cracks.
They set out to build a completely new sales user experience. Their custom ‘Sales Inquiries’ object, which is what sales was using to take action on product inquiries, was reconfigured to provide a single interface to track the next step when interest is expressed in one of their products. The team used Salesforce Flows to execute the automations needed to handle inquiries and processing, which are all triggered from a Marketing Cloud Account Engagement form submission.
TSI’s SAP system contained their territory assignment and routing rules. They designed and refactored all the automations that were happening between their SAP system and Salesforce that handled the sales inquiry creation and processing.
As a result of refactoring and redesigning the automation between the SAP system and Salesforce and creating a streamlined sales user interface with the Sales Inquiry object, sales’ ability to act on the right leads at the right time increased by 35%!
TSI’s solution is a great example to the community of what’s possible when we leverage the foundational functionality of the Salesforce platform. If you have been inspired by their solution, be sure to give TSI Incorporated a shout-out on social media!
2023 MarDreamies Award Extending Salesforce Category Winner: Cypress Learning Solutions
Cypress Learning Solutions submitted the solution, Reply Intelligence, to win the MarDreamies 2023 award for the Extending Salesforce category which highlights teams for creating API and AI-driven solutions. Brandon Walton, the president, owner & principal consultant of Cypress Learning Solutions, shared more about Reply Intelligence in the below video that was featured during the MarDreamies session.
What does Cypress Learning Solutions do?
Cypress Learning Solutions is a Salesforce implementation and training solutions provider, designing customized workshops and implementation services for organizations transitioning to Salesforce and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement.
Tell me more about Reply Intelligence…
Reply Intelligence is an AI & algorithmic solution that gives marketers greater insight into the replies to marketing and inbound emails and allows them to trigger automations from them.
It has become increasingly more difficult for marketers to rely on clicks and open rates to track engagement, and at the same time, their “reply-to” inboxes become filled with the marketing email Out of Office replies and other autoresponders.
Reply Intelligence is an email integration solution that helps marketers to better manage the reply-to inboxes and trigger Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Completion Actions from inbound emails and email replies. The solution was developed from integrating several technical components including ESPs, Salesforce, the development of Cypress Learning Solutions’ internal Large Language Model (LLM), and connections into AI platforms.
Brandon Walton added, “We have processed > 1mm email replies and are continuously evolving our LLM to detect intent from emails, including purchasing intent and requests to be removed/unsubscribed from databases.”
2023 MarDreamies Award Social Impact Category Winner: Veterans Guardian
Veterans Guardian submitted the solution, Successfully Segmenting an Audience, to win the MarDreamies 2023 award for the Social Impact category, which honors teams for creating positive change with Salesforce tools. Avery McKenzie, marketing coordinator at Veterans Guardian, shared more about the solution in the below video that was featured during the MarDreamies session.
What does Veterans Guardian do?
Veterans Guardian, is a private consulting company partnering with veterans to help them attain the VA benefits they have earned from their honorable service to the nation. The veterans disability claim process can be complicated and overwhelming, which is where Veterans Guardian comes in. They support veterans through the claims process helping them build their claim strategy and providing education and information needed to help them get the benefits they are entitled to.
How does Veterans Guardian use Salesforce for social impact?
As Veterans Guardian supports veterans through the disability claims process, it is critical that their communication is delivered to the right person at the right time. Their team wanted to advance how they engage veterans with personalized communication to provide them with the best experience possible.
The Veterans Guardian team evaluated their audience segmentation in conjunction with their customer experience process and came up with 74 Marketing Cloud journeys. Using features such as Einstein Send Time Optimization, decision splits, and Salesforce Flows to trigger the journeys, Veterans Guardian was able to create customized communication for each veteran based on where they were in their process. As a result, Veterans Guardian experienced improved engagement results and client satisfaction.
Through Veterans Guardian’s dedication to delivering the best client experience for veterans with personalized communication through Salesforce marketing tools, they have been able to create positive change. If you have been inspired by their solution, be sure to give Veterans Guardian a shout-out on social media!
2023 MarDreamies Award Best in Show Category Winner: Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing
Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing submitted the solution, Salesforce Digital Customer Cycle, to win the MarDreamies 2023 award for the Best in Show category, which recognizes teams for building the best all-around solution. Jonathan Dytor, Head of Digital Marketing at Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing, shared more about the solution in the below video that was featured during the MarDreamies session.
What does Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing do?
A member of the Close Brothers Group, Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing is a UK-based company founded in 1987 that provides finance for businesses offering practical solutions that empower them for success.
Tell me more about the Salesforce Digital Customer Cycle solution…
The Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing team constructed a complete digital customer journey within their Salesforce Org. To execute this, they rebuilt their seven websites and portal using Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, Sales Cloud, and Analytics Studio.
The breakdown of the solution from their submission is included below:
Experience Builder – Used to rebuild the websites and the Portal
Account Engagement – Captures UTM parameters for all Leads
Sales Cloud – Auto-manages Lead assignment rules and tracks Opportunities
Analytics Studio – Tracks real-time ROI
Their team was using a third party for website development and was not getting the functionality and insights they desired from their websites. They wanted to have full autonomy over their digital platforms and researched what they could do if they were to rebuild them with Experience Builder. They also evaluated how they could use Marketing Cloud Account Engagement to trigger automated communications to customers at critical points throughout their journey.
They decided to move forward, and in just one month they launched three of the seven sites and built the other four and their customer portal, all completed in house. Their team now has full control over their websites and their customer portal. Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing can get the insights they need from their digital platforms without any reliance on third parties and they can build new sites all in house with extreme speed!
Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing creating the Salesforce Digital Customer Cycle is a great example of the creative solutions that can be built on the Salesforce platform to achieve business goals. If you have been inspired by their story, be sure to give Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing a shout-out on social media!
2023 MarDreamies Award Honorable Mentions
There were so many outstanding solutions submitted for the 2023 MarDreamies Awards that it made the selection process very challenging. As the award presenters expressed during the session, they did not want to conclude it without giving a few honorable mentions to the following teams that shared some incredible solutions!
The Brain Tumour Charity: Inspires Optimized Donations, Customer Journeys with DESelect Engage
AdventHealth: Leveraging Real-time Data to Power Next Best Actions
The MarDreamies 2023 awards are a great way to be in the know about the latest innovations that are being developed in the marketing community. If any of these award winner stories have sparked an idea, we encourage you to share it with your team to see what new advancement you can create next to achieve your goals.
In addition to the MarDreamies, there were so many amazing creative solutions presented at the MarDreamin conference this year. To learn and get more ideas to bring back to your team, watch the sessions on demand!
Living in a fast-paced world of technology, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of innovation and lose sight of the human element. We can occasionally prioritize the tools and systems we use over the people who rely on them.
I had the honor of attending Florida Dreamin’ in October 2023. I was especially inspired by one session in particular.
Here’s a summary of that session.
Insights from Daniel Gorton’s Florida Dreamin’ Presentation
Daniel Gorton, a Salesforce architect with a unique background in social work and psychology, recently delivered a thought-provoking presentation at Florida Dreamin’ that reminded us of the importance of centering people within our technology discussions.
Here are the insights he shared.
Asking The Right Questions
Gorton, who defines himself as an “empathetic and multi-centered Salesforce architect,” captivated the audience with his perspective at the intersection of technology and social work. He posed essential questions that challenge our approach to change and user experiences, asking, “What are some ways we can be inclusive and intentional with change?” and “How do we make sure everyone has their needs met?”
Consider Learning Styles and Needs
One of the key takeaways from his presentation was the emphasis on inclusivity, considering diverse learning styles and needs. Gorton reminded us that individuals have varying comfort and experience levels with technology. This message couldn’t be more relevant as we continue to integrate artificial intelligence into our daily lives. In a separate presentation during Florida Dreamin where the A.I. Lay’s campaign “Messi Messages” came up and an audience member asked, “Just because we can, does it mean we should?” which reflects the unease many feel when confronted with different and evolving types of technology.
Change management was also a focus of Gorton’s presentation. He stressed the importance of not just looking at systems but also focusing on the people behind it — those who build, test, approve, and use it. Gorton encouraged us to add value and create experiences that anticipate users’ needs, ultimately leading to joy and delight. He reminded us that even small gestures, like adding emojis, can brighten someone’s mood. Additionally, he underlined the fact that users teach us valuable lessons in the process.
Where Empathy and Strategy Meet
Combining our empathetic sides with strategic approaches, such as focus groups, road mapping, and well-defined processes, can help bridge the gap between technology, those who work in it, and the end users.
Gorton urged the audience to “consider organizational context, system performance, & Salesforce well-architected best practices.” He provided several examples of how Sales Cloud does this today, citing Path as one of the easiest-to-offer UI features.
Gorton also provided insights into best practices for training, emphasizing the importance of feedback and requests, encouraging feedback loops, and breaking down silos. He encouraged us not to be afraid to iterate and build slowly, ensuring that we can fine-tune our solutions over time.
Finally, Daniel Gorton’s presentation was a reminder that technology should enhance human experiences, not overshadow them. By being more inclusive, empathetic, and thoughtful in our approach, we can create solutions that bring not only use but also delight users. Let’s reflect on Gorton’s insights and let them serve as a valuable guide for how each of us can navigate through the intersection of technology and the people behind those systems.
Get More Highlights from Florida Dreamin’
Be sure to check out these other posts from my fellow dragons who attended Florida Dreamin’ with me and shared details about their favorite sessions there.
