Brian Tong explains what Salesforce is and how it works. The video covers the basics of the platform, its main uses, and the core values behind it, designed to help people understand CRM concepts.
Giving 1% of Salesforce equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employees' time back to the community.
More than $0.5 billion in grants, 3.5 million hours of community service, and product donations to over 39,000 nonprofits and educational institutions.
Chapters
Salesforce is everywhere. But what the heck is it? What's up, everybody? I'm Brian Tong, your guide to all things Salesforce. And this is Salesforce Explained. It's the series where an actual human. Yes, that would be me. Answers all your burning Salesforce questions. So all that tech jargon. Yeah, we're gonna, like, throw that out the window, or at the very least, just clearly define it for you. Now, each week I'm breaking down the fundamentals of Salesforce and technology. So make sure to subscribe to the Salesforce channel and turn on those notifications so you never miss an episode. All right, so today's topic is a frequently asked question. What is Salesforce? What is Salesforce used for? What is CRM and how does it work? Well, you know, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give you those answers. And maybe you've heard Salesforce co CEO Mark Benioff speak. You might also recognize the cloud logo or the cute, friendly characters like Astro or. Or the very big and very tall headquarters in San Francisco. Fun fact. It glows at night. But because Salesforce does so many things, we're always asked, what does Salesforce actually do? So let's break this down in the simplest way possible. Salesforce makes the software that gives companies a complete view of their customers so they can build deeper relationships. Now, remember this thing like this is how people and businesses used to store important contact information. I've been told they call it a Rolodex now. It made it super easy to flip to the contact that you need. You just flip it around. Then you dial them up. You give them a little ring on the old landline. But most of the relationships were kept up here with no way to share it. Hey, the 1960s called and they want the Rolodex back. But today, there's even more to know about your customers and a lot more you can do with that information. So just like Beyonce, let me upgrade ya. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Okay, I'm gonna get back to what we were talking about. Let's say you're running a shoe company and you've got a customer, Amelia. You can know all kinds of things about her, like her purchase history. She PR'd her half marathon in those road shoes. When and why she called customer service because of that one time her package never arrived. Whoops. That she attended the in store event last month. And her running posture is way better since that form clinic that she subscribes to your email so that she can see the latest running news. And race updates and her browsing habits on your website. But knowing all this information about your customer is called Customer Relationship Management, or CRM for short. And Salesforce is the software that allows you to see all that and manage your customers in one place. Now, you're going to hear that acronym CRM a few times here. You still with me? Yes. Okay, good. So let's get to part two. What is Salesforce used for? Simple, use it to really wow your customers. CRM software enables a full view of your customers so that you can provide better experiences and build stronger relationships with them. Think about it like rolling out the red carpet. You know, many companies, big and small, it doesn't matter the size. They're frustrated or overwhelmed by their customer data. And a lot of times that data isn't easy to understand or use because the data doesn't tell a story of who their customer is or what they want. Okay, let's remember Amelia for a second. Hey, Amelia. Now, when we don't know things about her, like how long she had to wait for her new shoes to arrive and we send her more emails about those same shoes, well, Amelia doesn't like that very much. Salesforce helps you keep Amelia happy. It lets you see a view of your customers anywhere they come into contact with your brand and how all those experiences are connected. It's kind of like you've got Amelie here at the center of your business, and then you can just draw a circle around her, connecting all her experiences with your brand, and boom, you just drew yourself a 360 degree view of your customer's experience. How about a customer 360? Yeah, I said it like that for a reason. And what is customer 360? Wow. You know, you all have a lot of great questions. They, like, keep them coming. Well, we call Our Technology Salesforce Customer360 because it's a collection of powerful apps that put your customers at the heart of your business. Now, we'll be doing a deep dive on customer360 in an upcoming episode of Salesforce Explained. So make sure to subscribe, turn on those notifications because trust me, you do not want to miss that one. So let's get back to it. If providing customers with a genuine personalized experience is the wow of Salesforce, then breaking down silos, connecting your company and its data is the how. And let's really look into that for a minute because, yes, the magic of Salesforce are those wow worthy moments. But if we don't understand how that's actually done, then I haven't done my job to make your job easier. So let's go back to the example with our friend Amelia. You know, I feel like we're kind of getting pretty close now. Amelia. But it's not just you who knows all this stuff about her now. It's everyone on your team. So with Customer360, everyone at your company can access the information that they need to do their best work and they can collaborate and align with teammates much more easily. So when you have this whole holistic view of how she's engaging with your company, what she's buying, if she's reading your marketing emails, what trouble area she's run into in the past, your company can do more of the stuff that Amelia ran really likes. And your customer service reps can resolve her issues more quickly. Your marketing team can send her the info she needs when she needs it and not when she doesn't. Your sales team can sell her more of her favorite products. And there you go. Suddenly your entire company can create personalized experiences all built around her preferences so much more easily. So, hey, let's do a quick 30 second recap. All right, go ahead, start the clock. Now. Salesforce is a company that makes cloud based software designed to help businesses wow customers and build lasting relationships. Customer relationship management. Remember now Salesforce connects your teams and data so you can work better together. Customer360 is our complete portfolio of products and it unites your sales, service, marketing, commerce and it teams with a single shared view of customer information. Your business may use a single Customer360 app or. Or a combination of many. Either way, Customer360 helps you grow relationships with customers and employees alike. Did I make it? I made it. You know how we do. All right, so you think we'd be done right? No, we're not. We could not do a whole video about what is Salesforce without talking about the most important thing. Values. You see, Salesforce believes business is the greatest platform for change and, and wants to work with other companies to make that statement a reality in every way possible. And that's not just some fancy talk here. Salesforce has these five core values and is committed to living them. Trust, customer success, innovation, equality and sustainability. Now, one way they do that is through the 1:1:1 model. This represents a commitment of giving 1% of Salesforce equity, 1.1% of our product and 1% of employees time back to the community. So with this model, Salesforce has donated more than half a billion dollars in grants, 3.5 million hours of community service and provided product donations for more than 39,000 nonprofits and education institutions since they started. So, you know, that's just like a little window into the heart and soul of Salesforce. And I know I'm throwing a lot out at you, but when I said that I would answer the question, what is Salesforce? You know, that I had to give you the full picture. And if you're asking, where can I learn more about Salesforce? Hey, we got you covered with lots and lots of resources. For example, our free streaming service Salesforce plus and our free online education platform Trailhead. Oh, you know, I might be biased here, but don't forget about one of the best resources, this YouTube series right here. So be sure to, like, subscribe and turn on your notifications so you never miss an episode of Salesforce Explained. If you have more questions, hey, drop the question in the comments below. And you never know, your question might appear on the next episode. So take care, everybody, and we'll see you next time.
