Salesforce has announced the Zero Copy Partner Network – a collection of tech firms committed to streamlining the way businesses access and use customer data.
With partners that include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Databricks, Google Cloud, Snowflake, and Microsoft, the Network will focus on developing zero copy integrations – providing users with a “secure and cost-effective way to connect and take action on all of their data.”
Salesforce claims that zero copy integrations will eliminate the need for tailored integrations and complicated data pipelines when transferring data between Salesforce and external data warehouses, and vice versa.
Instead, users will have access to a “more efficient, secure, and user-friendly way to connect data to business applications.”
In discussing the news, Brian Millham – President and Chief Operating Officer at Salesforce – emphasized the ability of zero copy integrations to “unlock the power” of customer data:
“In today’s digital landscape, companies struggle with islands of data spread across various systems.
With this global ecosystem of partners, companies can access all of their data, no matter where it resides, and unlock the power of all of that data within Salesforce – creating more personalized customer interactions and establishing a foundation for trusted AI, in less time and at lower cost.
The integrations will exist within Salesforce Data Cloud, encouraging businesses to interact and action their data across the Salesforce Einstein 1 Platform.
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the features of zero copy integrations and why Salesforce believes they are needed.
The How and the Why
Let’s start with the why.
According to a Salesforce study, 80% of business leaders struggle with data fragmentation and silos, which restricts them from having a full understanding of the customer journey.
For Salesforce, by implementing zero copy integrations into its Data Cloud, users are granted access to a 360-degree view of their customers’ data.
Enabling organizations to maintain their data in its original location while integrating metadata allows users to fully maximize the potential of the data – resulting in “harmonization, unification, and a comprehensive view of the customer.”
Now for the how.
While there is undoubtedly a myriad of other ways that organizations can use Salesforce’s zero copy integrations, the tech provider has outlined the following as the major benefits of the solution:
- Access live external data without copying (no reverse ETL)
- Act on data from anywhere in the flow of work
- Share customer 360 insights back with no copy
- Maintain governance and security
- Ground generative AI
For Stephanie Sadowski, Global Lead of the Accenture Salesforce Business Group at Accenture, it is the personalization features of Salesforce’s latest Data Cloud update that she has found to be most beneficial:
“Every organization is racing to unlock the power of data with a strong digital core on the cloud to enable AI to be pervasive across the enterprise.
Accenture is helping our clients use Data Cloud to connect their data, make insights more accessible, and create personalized customer experiences, building a solid foundation for AI.
Salesforce Is Keeping Busy
You would have thought assembling a CX tech provider version of the Avengers would have required all of Salesforce’s attention, yet they have managed to continue making moves in other areas.
Earlier this week, the CRM specialist released a customer service report that revealed that agents were spending “just 39 percent of their time servicing customers.”
In a survey of over 5,500 service professionals across 30 countries, it was found that the majority of agents’ time was taken up by internal meetings, administrative tasks, and manual case note logging.
Additionally, agents expressed difficulty in meeting rising customer expectations, with the report stating that 86 percent of respondents felt that customer expectations were increasing, with 81 percent noting a demand for a more personalized touch.
Given the challenge of managing escalating customer demands and the growing workload on agents, the report highlighted how companies were looking to combat these issues through AI and automation adoption.
To find out more about Salesforce’s sixth State of Service report, read the full article here.
