Looking back at Dreamforce 2023 – the biggest AI event of the year – we share our highlights, including some amazing new product announcements from Salesforce.
Every year, Dreamforce serves up an inspirational mix of innovation, networking, and disruptive new technology. This year was no different.
From new product announcements and developments in artificial intelligence (AI), to dedicated higher education and public sector keynotes, this year’s event gave us lots to think about.
Our Simplus and Infosys teams were there to share their own insights and developments, including hosting an Innovation Breakfast Keynote.
The latest announcements from Salesforce
Data + AI + CRM has been established as Salesforce’s focus for some time now. During the Dreamforce main keynote, CEO Marc Benioff added a new element – Trust. With AI becoming an essential part of every business’s operations, Salesforce wants its customers to understand the ethics behind this new powerful tool.
The first main announcement came in the form of Einstein 1 – the new AI-powered platform for Salesforce CRM products. It’s now built into all the Salesforce Clouds, and will allow every Salesforce customer to make the best use of AI in its operations. Built into Einstein 1 is the Einstein Trust Layer – a gateway that protects each company’s data, reducing risk, and ultimately keeping their customer information secure.
Also announced was Einstein Copilot – a natural language interface for Customer 360. Users can now “interrogate” their customer data using conversational prompts, and receive data-driven insights straight away. With guardrails against hallucinations, toxicity and bias built in, customers can trust responses are safe.
Simplus and Infosys put on a show
On the morning of 14 September, leaders from Simplus, Telarus, Genesys and Panaya joined forces to present an exclusive keynote and Q&A panel discussion for leaders in charge of spearheading innovation. Over breakfast, the panel discussed the challenges and solutions that drive innovation with data management, AI, and more.
More than 50 attendees enjoyed the session, and engaged in a lively Q&A after the presentation.
Ramya Raj, VP & Global Head of Go-To Customer Solutions at Genesys, also briefly mentioned the latest announcement from her business – a brand new AI-powered relationship management and customer experience solution. Called CX Cloud from Genesys and Salesforce, it combines the expertise of both organisations to deliver richer customer experiences, while also collecting and managing AI-ready data.
Anjali Yadav, AVP Client Solutions Head at Infosys, was also part of the action at Dreamforce, presenting a session titled ‘Turbocharge Your Transformation Using Gen AI & Infosys Topaz’. IDC recently named Infosys as a leader in their Worldwide Artificial Intelligence Services 2023 Vendor Assessment in recognition of the impact of its AI services innovation activity, breadth of its technology, and the skills of its employees.
For more on the Infosys approach to artificial intelligence, go to Infosys Tech Navigator.
Boosting student and alumni success with Salesforce
There was more insight for higher education institutions during the Education Keynote.
The overall message of Data + AI + CRM + Trust was echoed from the main keynote stage. But what does it mean for the world of education?
Marie Rosecrans – SVP, Impact Industries Product Marketing at Salesforce, kicked off by sharing some statistics. More than half of higher education leaders, she said, are optimistic about generative AI, and more than three quarters are interested in the opportunities for improved efficiency. There are notes of caution, however – 58% of higher education leaders are concerned about data privacy.
The answer to these concerns, says Rosecrans, is trust.
The Einstein Trust Layer, built into Education Cloud, means that predictive and generative AI elements of the platform are kept free from bias and toxicity, while allowing faculty to see alerts for at-risk students, access predictions for revenue, and generate new resources for students.
When it comes to student recruitment, personalisation is key. Rosecrans explained that using Data Cloud allows education institutions to collate data about prospective students and offer personalised experiences across all of their recruitment marketing channels.
And it continues beyond enrolment. Data is retained and augmented once a student starts at the institution – their journey can be seen in real time and their concerns addressed before issues arise.
Salesforce Senior Product Manager Margo Martinez introduced some Education Cloud upgrades and showcased the new Learning Program Builder, which uses generative AI to help build new courses. Also announced were enhanced student support capabilities that allow students to access self-service platforms for support programs and mentorship.
Finally, Martinez announced Education Cloud for Advancement and Alumni Relations – a new platform designed to aid with fundraising, maintaining relationships post-graduation, and all areas of alumni operations.
Interested in Salesforce CRM?
Every business is different, and Salesforce has the CRM solution to match. And because it’s built on Einstein 1 Platform, the advantages of AI are within reach.
Simplus has deep industry knowledge and expertise that means we can help any kind of business get started with their Salesforce implementation. Whether you’re just starting out on your Salesforce CRM journey, or have an instance that you need support with, we can help you develop a solution that scales with your business and delivers value for your customers.
