Salesforce Platform Basics - Trailhead

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Salesforce Platform Basics

​Customer Relationship Management (CRM) refers to the strategies, technologies, and practices that organizations use to manage and analyze interactions with current and potential customers throughout the customer lifecycle. The primary goal of CRM is to enhance business relationships, promote customer retention, and drive sales growth. ​

In the IT industry, CRM systems are essential tools that centralize customer information, streamline processes, and facilitate communication across various channels. By consolidating data such as emails, phone numbers, purchase histories, and social media interactions into a single database, CRM systems provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. This enables IT companies to deliver personalized services, anticipate customer needs, and improve overall customer satisfaction. ​

CRM systems also play a key role in improving sales and marketing efficiency. By automating repetitive tasks, tracking customer interactions, and providing data-driven insights, CRM tools help businesses better understand customer needs, optimize marketing campaigns, and streamline sales processes. This leads to more effective decision-making and improved business outcomes for IT companies.

What does a CRM system do?

CRM lets you 

- Store customer and prospect contact information, 

- identify sales opportunities, 

- record service issues, and 

- manage marketing campaigns, 

all in one central location that’s available to stakeholders at your company. It does this by organizing customer and prospect information in a secure, easy-to-use digital record with information like a contact‌’s email, telephone, social media handle, all previous interactions with your company, and more.

CRM helps you find new customers, win their business, and keep them happy. With automation, CRM can help you collect even more information faster, like news about your accounts, so that everyone stays up to date.

Key features of a CRM

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is designed to help businesses manage interactions with customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability. The key features of CRM software typically include:

1. Contact Management

• Centralized storage for customer and prospect information (names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc.).

• Tracking communication history, preferences, and other relevant details.

2. Sales Management

• Sales pipeline management to track potential opportunities.

• Automation of sales workflows (e.g., lead assignment, follow-up tasks).

• Monitoring sales performance, forecasting, and reporting.

3. Marketing Automation

• Tools for email marketing campaigns, social media management, and customer segmentation.

• Tracking of customer engagement and automated follow-up actions (e.g., sending emails after a particular customer action).

• Lead generation and nurturing features.

4. Customer Support/Service

• Case management and support ticket systems for tracking and resolving customer issues.

• Integration with help desks or live chat tools.

• Self-service portals, FAQs, and knowledge base creation.

5. Analytics & Reporting

• Dashboards for real-time reporting on sales, customer engagement, and team performance.

• Customizable reports to assess various business metrics.

• Tracking customer behavior, such as purchase patterns or feedback, to drive business decisions.

6. Collaboration Tools

• Shared calendars, task management, and team communication features.

• Activity tracking to ensure team members are on the same page.

• Notes, shared documents, and collaboration on customer records.

7. Automation

• Task automation (e.g., sending follow-up emails, setting reminders, or generating quotes).

• Workflow automation to streamline repetitive tasks and reduce manual effort.

• Automating customer journeys from lead generation to post-purchase follow-up.

8. Integration Capabilities

• Integration with other tools (e.g., email platforms, accounting software, marketing platforms, ERP systems, etc.).

• API support to connect with other business applications.

• Integration with social media channels for customer insights and engagement.

9. Mobile Accessibility

• Mobile apps or mobile-optimized versions of the CRM to access data on-the-go.

• Real-time access to customer information and team updates from anywhere.

10. Customizability

• Custom fields, workflows, and layouts tailored to a specific industry or company.

• Ability to personalize the user interface and reports based on business needs.

• Custom user permissions to define roles and access levels.

11. Security and Data Protection

• Features like data encryption, two-factor authentication, and user access controls to protect sensitive customer information.

• Compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR).

12. Customer Segmentation

• Tools to categorize customers based on demographics, behavior, purchase history, etc.

• Targeted marketing and sales campaigns based on segmentation.

13. Email Integration

• Syncing with email platforms (like Gmail, Outlook) to automatically track conversations.

• Sending and receiving emails directly from within the CRM.

14. Document Management

• Storing and sharing documents related to customers, deals, and contracts.

• E-signature capabilities for contracts and agreements.

These features help businesses maintain better relationships with customers, increase sales, and improve overall operational efficiency. The complexity and range of features depend on the type of CRM software (e.g., for sales, service, or marketing) and the needs of the business.

What are the components of Salesforce

1. Sales Cloud

• Lead Management: Helps businesses track, capture, and convert leads into opportunities. Provides tools for lead assignment, nurturing, and tracking.

• Opportunity Management: Allows sales teams to track the progress of deals and opportunities, including sales stages, close dates, and related activities.

• Account & Contact Management: Centralizes all customer information in one place, helping teams manage and access data on companies and individuals.

• Sales Forecasting: Provides tools to predict future sales based on pipeline data, helping sales managers make informed decisions.

• Reports & Dashboards: Offers customizable reports and visual dashboards to track sales performance, activity, and metrics.

• Mobile Sales: Salesforce's mobile app enables sales teams to manage their pipeline, contacts, and opportunities from anywhere.

2. Service Cloud

• Case Management: Helps customer service teams track, manage, and resolve customer issues through case tracking.

• Omnichannel Support: Allows service agents to interact with customers through multiple channels (phone, email, chat, social media, etc.) all from a single platform.

• Knowledge Base: Provides a repository of articles, FAQs, and solutions to common problems that both customers and service agents can access.

• Automation: Automates repetitive customer service tasks, such as routing cases, assigning agents, and providing self-service options to customers.

• Field Service: Helps manage field operations by scheduling and dispatching technicians for on-site service.

3. Marketing Cloud

• Email Marketing: Helps businesses create and send personalized email campaigns to customers.

• Customer Journey Builder: Automates personalized customer journeys based on their behaviors and preferences.

• Social Media Marketing: Enables businesses to manage social media campaigns, track engagement, and monitor brand sentiment.

• Advertising: Manages and optimizes advertising campaigns across various channels such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

• Analytics & Reporting: Provides insights into marketing campaign performance, customer engagement, and return on investment (ROI).

4. Commerce Cloud

• E-commerce Management: Helps businesses build and manage online stores, providing tools for product catalogs, order management, and checkout.

• Personalization: Tailors the customer experience based on behaviors, preferences, and past purchases.

• B2B & B2C Support: Supports both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce models.

• Unified Commerce: Integrates e-commerce with other customer touchpoints (like physical stores) to create a seamless omnichannel experience.

5. Community Cloud

• Customer Portals: Provides self-service portals where customers can find answers to questions, log cases, or interact with the company.

• Partner Portals: Enables companies to collaborate with partners, share information, and track partner performance.

• Collaboration: Facilitates communication and collaboration among customers, partners, and employees within secure, branded communities.

6. Analytics Cloud (Tableau CRM)

• Data Visualization: Offers tools to visualize complex data in easy-to-understand charts, graphs, and dashboards.

• Custom Reports: Allows users to create detailed, customized reports to track sales, marketing, service, and other performance metrics.

• AI-Powered Insights: Leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to provide actionable insights and predict trends based on data.

• Data Integration: Integrates data from various sources (e.g., Salesforce, third-party apps) for comprehensive analysis.

7. Einstein AI

• Predictive Analytics: Leverages machine learning to provide predictive insights, such as lead scoring, sales forecasting, and customer behavior analysis.

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Enables automated responses to customer inquiries and enhances search functionality within the platform.

• Smart Recommendations: Suggests actions and opportunities based on past behaviors, patterns, and preferences.

8. AppExchange

• Third-Party Apps: Salesforce’s marketplace for apps that integrate with Salesforce. Users can find pre-built apps, tools, and extensions to enhance their CRM functionality.

• Custom Apps: Allows users to build custom applications tailored to their specific needs using Salesforce’s low-code or no-code platform.

9. Salesforce Platform (Lightning Platform)

• Custom Development: A low-code platform that allows businesses to create custom applications, workflows, and automation without extensive coding knowledge.

• Integration: Provides integration tools (APIs, connectors, and pre-built integrations) to connect Salesforce with other third-party applications.

• Process Automation: Automates business processes using tools like Process Builder, Flow Builder, and Workflow Rules.

10. Slack Integration

• Collaboration: Slack integrates with Salesforce to enable better communication and collaboration among team members. You can receive Salesforce notifications, share records, and discuss deals directly within Slack channels.

• Task Management: Slack helps teams coordinate on tasks related to opportunities, cases, and projects in real-time.

11. Integration Tools (MuleSoft)

• Data Connectivity: MuleSoft, now part of Salesforce, provides enterprise-level integration solutions to connect Salesforce with other business systems, databases, and applications.

12. Salesforce Essentials

• SMB-Specific Features: A streamlined version of Salesforce designed for small businesses. It includes basic CRM functionalities like contact management, sales tracking, and case management.

Each of these components of Salesforce CRM can be used independently or integrated together to create a unified solution that fits the needs of an organization, whether it's a small business or a large enterprise. The platform is highly customizable and flexible, allowing businesses to scale and adapt as their requirements evolve.

Logical workflow of the above modules

  +------------------+            +---------------------+

  |                  |            |                     |

  | Web Funnel       |  --->      | Marketing Cloud      |

  | (Lead Capture)   |            | (Nurturing, Email,   |

  |                  |            | Social Campaigns)    |

  +------------------+            +---------------------+

          |                            |

          V                            V

  +-------------------+       +--------------------+

  |                   |       |                    |

  | Einstein AI       |       | Sales Cloud        |

  | (Lead Scoring)    | ----> | (Opportunity Mgmt) |

  |                   |       |                    |

  +-------------------+       +--------------------+

          |                            |

          V                            V

  +-------------------+       +---------------------+

  |                   |       |                     |

  | Service Cloud     |       | Analytics Cloud     |

  | (Customer Service)|       | (Reports, Dashboards)|

  |                   |       |                     |

  +-------------------+       +---------------------+

Explanation:

• Web Funnel: First stage where leads are captured via forms/landing pages.

• Marketing Cloud: After capture, leads are nurtured through email campaigns, ads, and other automated marketing tactics.

• Einstein AI: Provides lead scoring and behavior insights based on interactions, ensuring high-quality leads are prioritized.

• Sales Cloud: Sales reps take over, using Sales Cloud to manage leads, track sales opportunities, and engage in direct communication.

• Service Cloud: After the sale, Service Cloud takes over for any customer service or support needs.

• Analytics Cloud: Throughout the process, Analytics Cloud collects data and provides real-time insights on performance, helping to optimize the workflow.