Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction

Photo Caroline Raaijmaakers
Author: Caroline Raaijmaakers
Senior Salesforce CRM consultant
Table of Contents

In this focus article, we give a brief excerpt of our recently updated, independent CRM & Customer Interaction study of the software vendor Salesforce and its portfolio of products (such as Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud). Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction scores better in our comprehensive research than HubSpot but quite worse than Freshworks. Of all the categories in our research, Salesforce has the most developed features in customer service management and has the worst score in task management. We have been able to establish this objectively. Within the context of CRM & Customer Interaction, we have put together the main advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce CRM, and arranged them by topic (customer relationship management). We also point out the distinguishing features of the most popular products such as Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud et cetera.

How does Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction score on different criteria?

In our independent study, we also investigated all relevant products of Salesforce software. More than 180 criteria were used in the process. The bar chart below illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of Salesforce CRM, in general terms. Please note that Passionned Group is 100% independent of the software vendors in our research. We do not sell licenses, we do not make deals or have any ties to the vendor. Among other things, we help and advise companies in the proper selection of CRM systems.

Score of Salesforce CRM software.Figure 1: Strength-weakness analysis of the supplier Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction. You can get a maximum score of 100 percent. Source: The CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2024. Do you want additional information about our CRM & Customer Interaction guide? Click here to download this guide.

The Salesforce analysis was done by tapping into a lot of public big data and exhaustively analyzing it. More than 346 documents later we know that Salesforce excels in customer service management. In this analysis process, both machine learning models and the subject matter expertise of a CRM consultant played a key role in validating the results.Salesforce in our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2024 Image of Salesforce in our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2024In our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction Guide we have collected all the ins and outs of Salesforce for you. You get access to hundreds of (shorter) trainings, tech talks, demos, lectures, tutorials, and always have the latest CRM news. In addition, this guide will help deepen your knowledge about CRM & Customer Interaction.view the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide

Salesforce and their complete CRM & Customer Interaction product portfolio

Salesforce carries (a minimum of) 6 products in the realm of CRM & Customer Interaction. Below, we list the products in order of relevance:

What is Salesforce CRM?

In this paragraph, we provide a description of Salesforce CRM, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, Salesforce Service Cloud, Salesforce AI, and Salesforce Customer 360. This product can be best characterized by the following features:

  • account
  • CRM analytics
  • customer data
  • customer interactions
  • customer relationship management
  • customer service
  • marketing automation
  • sales automation
  • sales management
  • small businesses

Do you want to know the intricacies of all elements (100+) of Salesforce CRM? Download directly our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

Are you considering hiring an expert in Salesforce CRM?

Do you want to hire a freelance Salesforce CRM developer who can help you get started, and implement a professional Salesforce CRM application? You can do so using our interim services. Indeed, hiring Salesforce CRM developers is not always expedient. Leave a message here and we will explore the business opportunities for you.

Screen shot of Salesforce CRM software.
Picture of Salesforce CRM tools.
Salesforce CRM in action
Figures 2, 3 and 4: Overlying images illustrate the functionality of Salesforce CRM. Click on the image to magnify. Credits: Salesforce & partners.

What is Salesforce Scheduler?

In this paragraph, we portray Salesforce Scheduler, including some of its features and any related products. This product can be best defined by the following functionalities:

  • account
  • appointment
  • contact
  • CRM analytics

Are you curious about all the functionalities (100+) of Salesforce Scheduler? Download the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Salesforce Scheduler software.
Picture of Salesforce Scheduler tools.
Salesforce Scheduler in action
Figures 5, 6 and 7: These three images give a first impression of Salesforce Scheduler. Click on the image to enlarge it. Credits: Salesforce & partners.

What is Einstein?

Under this heading, we provide a description of Einstein, including some of its features and any related products. Einstein can be defined by the following properties:

  • account
  • contact
  • generative ai

Are you curious about all characteristics (100+) of Einstein? Download the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

What is Salesforce Service Cloud?

In this paragraph, we portray Salesforce Service Cloud, including some of its features and any related products. This product/group of products can be best characterized by the following properties:

  • account
  • case management
  • cloud solutions
  • contact
  • customer information
  • customer interactions
  • customer service
  • generative ai
  • lead management
  • manage leads

Are you now curious about all the functions (100+) of Salesforce Service Cloud? Then download our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Salesforce Service Cloud software.
Picture of Salesforce Service Cloud tools.
Salesforce Service Cloud in action
Figures 8, 9 and 10: Overlying figures show the operation of Salesforce Service Cloud. Click on the image to enlarge it. Credits: Salesforce & partners.

What is Salesforce AI?

Under this heading, we give you insight into the key behaviors of Salesforce AI, including some of its features and any related products. Salesforce AI can be best defined by the following features:

  • cloud software
  • contact
  • customer data
  • customer service
  • generative ai
  • lead qualification
  • process automation
  • repetitive tasks
  • workflow automation

Do you want to know everything about all the functions (100+) of Salesforce AI? In that case, open the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Salesforce AI software.
Picture of Salesforce AI tools.
Salesforce AI in action
Figures 11, 12 and 13: These three images give a first impression of Salesforce AI. Click on the image to make it bigger. Credits: Salesforce & partners.

What is Salesforce Customer 360?

We do not display all the features here but, in this paragraph, we display the details of Salesforce Customer 360, including some of its features and any related products. The product Salesforce Customer 360 can be best characterized by the following features:

  • 360-degree view
  • cloud applications
  • customer data
  • customer data platform
  • customer relationship management
  • customer service

Are you curious about all the functionalities (100+) of Salesforce Customer 360? In that case, order the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Salesforce Customer 360 software.
Picture of Salesforce Customer 360 tools.
Salesforce Customer 360 in action
Figures 14, 15 and 16: Overlying figures show the operation of Salesforce Customer 360. Click on an image to magnify. Credits: Salesforce & partners.

Salesforce CRM tools and the version history

Over time, Salesforce has seen a stable development in relation to CRM & Customer Interaction functionality and support for various platforms and data sources.

We reviewed Salesforce’s most recent releases of its complete CRM & Customer Interaction proposition. As far as we can tell, Salesforce does not use an identifiable version numbering system.

What are the licensing costs of Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud?

In many cases, it can be difficult to determine the licensing costs of Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction because it depends on the country, the number of users (or the number of CPUs in the case of server software), the connectors to data sources, and at what point in the year you request a quote. If you request a quote just before the end of Salesforce’s fiscal period, you can probably get a decent reduction in the license cost. In addition, we recommend to run the software in the cloud. You then only pay for what you use. The purchase cost of Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud may not be the single largest expense, but maintenance and support can certainly put quite a strain on your annual budget.

What makes Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction distinctive

In our study, we see that Salesforce in the field of CRM & Customer Interaction software has a number of specific features which are characteristic. This makes Salesforce CRM more or less unique: manage key accounts, biometric identification, merge duplicate leads, tracking emails, and manage leads.

The advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce CRM

Tag cloud of the Salesforce CRM tools.Figure 17: Tag cloud of the pros and cons of Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction

Get to know the key features of Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction in the following topic paragraphs. There we describe all the advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction, Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud, et cetera. This overview and scores are not rigid: Salesforce can currently work to improving existing and developing features that meet specific customer needs at this time (such as support for goal management). In addition, documentation may lag behind current events.

Share your experience with Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction

Leave a review about Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction here. Your opinion may then be brought along in an even more informed review of the results of Salesforce CRM.

1. Salesforce Customer Service Management

100%

The company has an excellent score in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction study on the section ‘Customer Service Management’ (for this section Salesforce comes out as the absolute market leader in our research). The score amounts to 100%, compared to other vendors. The following criteria were used: customer service, helpdesk, case management, ticketing system, and field service management. In total, we examined 9 aspects in this category. Are you excited about the topic ‘Customer Service Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide.

2. Salesforce Customer Data

91%

Salesforce has an excellent rating in our current CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the subject ‘Customer Data’. The score amounts to 91%, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: custom fields, appointment, data protection, customer information, and sensitive data. In doing so, we studied the following products: Salesforce Customer 360. In total, we examined 45 criteria within this section. Are you excited about the topic ‘Customer Data’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide.

3. Salesforce Customer Relationship Management

84%

Salesforce has an excellent rating in our study on the subject ‘Customer Relationship Management’, given that they score 84% on this, compared to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: search, customer interactions, small businesses, self-service portal, custom activities, customer lifecycle management, and social media integration. In doing so, we investigated the following products: Salesforce CRM. In total, we examined 25 criteria within this section. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Customer Relationship Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2024.

4. Salesforce Infrastructure

84%

Salesforce has an excellent score in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction study on the subject ‘Infrastructure’. The company scores 84% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: authentication, cdn, and data security. In total, we examined 56 aspects in this category. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Infrastructure’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2024.

5. Salesforce Reporting

82%

Salesforce has an excellent rating in our study on the subject ‘Reporting’, given that they score 82% on this, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: CRM analytics and advanced reporting. In total, we examined 11 criteria in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Reporting’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2024.

6. Salesforce Data Quality

78%

The company has a good rating in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction study on the subject ‘Data Quality’, given that they score 78% on this, relative to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: merge duplicate, data cleansing, and duplicate search. In total, we examined 16 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Data Quality’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

7. Salesforce Sales Management

77%

The company has a good rating in our study on the section ‘Sales Management’. The company scores 77% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: ecommerce and customer journeys. In total, we examined 51 features within this discipline. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Sales Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2024.

8. Salesforce Automation Platform

75%

Salesforce has a good score in our current CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the section ‘Automation Platform’ with a score of 75%, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: marketing automation, low-code, no-code, and sales automation. In total, we examined 28 criteria within this section. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Automation Platform’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2024.

9. Salesforce Lead Management

74%

The company has a good performance in our current CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the subject ‘Lead Management’, given that they score 74% on this, compared to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: lead generation, lead conversion, lead scoring, lead qualification, convert leads, and manage leads. In total, we examined 12 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Lead Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2024.

10. Salesforce Campaign Management

68%

The company has a good score in our study on the section ‘Campaign Management’ with a score of 68%, relative to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: email campaigns and drip campaigns. In total, we examined 25 features within this discipline. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Campaign Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide.

11. Salesforce Task Management

51%

The company has a good score in our objective CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the section ‘Task Management’. The company scores 51% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: repetitive tasks, automate tasks, create tasks, and complete tasks. In total, we examined 13 criteria in this category. Are you excited about the topic ‘Task Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2024.

Want to know more? Then order the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2024 here

In which sectors is Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction most active?

In our research, we also found out which industries a software vendor specializes in. These are the industries where Salesforce is on the road: automotive, banking, biotech, education, governments, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, public sector, real estate, restaurant, retail, and telecom.

Salesforce software is most used by…

The CRM & Customer Interaction software from Salesforce is most often mentioned in combination with the following functions/roles: account managers, sales reps, service agents, and support agents.

Hire a seasoned Salesforce specialist

Education and training course Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction

The specialists of Passionned Group organize various training courses in the field of CRM & Customer Interaction but can also provide specific Salesforce training, for example as in-company. The following software solutions are addressed: Salesforce Scheduler, Einstein, and Salesforce Service Cloud. We make you completely familiar with the ideas of the intelligent, data-driven organization.

In conclusion: Salesforce CRM scores eminent

Salesforce has a extensive product portfolio with which it scores eminent in our CRM & Customer Interaction survey. Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction innovates (approximately) at an average rate of less than 5 features per year, is active (for now) in lots of different sectors, and specializing in customer service management.

About Passionned Group

logo of Passionned Group, the Salesforce CRM & Customer Interaction specialistPassionned Group specializes in 100% independent CRM & Customer Interaction consulting and the implementation of CRM & Customer Interaction solutions. Our driven and passionate consultants help large & small organizations to advance as intelligent, data-driven organizations.

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