What is Salesforce Foundations?
Salesforce Foundations is an exciting new upgrade available to all customers at no additional charge.
This latest development offers key features across Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Data Cloud, all within a newly enhanced user interface. Foundations enables businesses to gain a unified view of their customers and create connected, AI-driven experiences at every interaction point.
Foundations comes with a host of essential tools, including opportunity management, case handling, targeted email campaigns, and secure payment links. These new capabilities are designed to improve the overall user experience while streamlining operations, all without requiring costly data integrations or add-ons. Additionally, customers can enhance their systems with thousands of third-party apps available on the AppExchange, including extended free trials from over 25 leading partners such as Docusign, RingCentral, and ZoomInfo.
How will Salesforce Foundations help?
Research shows that 79% of customers expect consistent interactions across departments
Yet more than half (55%) report that it often feels as though they are dealing with separate parts of a company, rather than a unified entity. Salesforce Foundations addresses this by connecting departments, integrating functionality across Sales, Service, Marketing, and Commerce Cloud. By bringing data together in one place, businesses can offer customers a consistent and seamless experience throughout their journey.
Unlike other CRMs, which often focus on just one or two areas of business, Salesforce Foundations integrates sales, service, marketing, and commerce without added costs or complicated data integrations. Built on the core Salesforce platform, all the features are powered by enterprise-wide data from Salesforce Data Cloud. Data Cloud consolidates customer data from across the business, harmonising previously inaccessible or disconnected information to fuel AI-driven insights and automation. This empowers businesses to offer more personalised and relevant customer experiences.
What are Salesforce Foundations Key Features?
With Salesforce Foundations, companies can:
1. Drive revenue growth with a unified platform:
Sales, service, and marketing teams now operate within the same environment. Sales teams, for example, can track opportunities while also having access to service cases and marketing-created nurture campaigns—all without needing separate tools for each department.
2. Streamline the payment process:
Foundations makes it easier for sales teams to convert quotes into cash. Secure payment links can now be generated directly from opportunity records and easily embedded into invoices or emails, eliminating the need for external payment systems.
3. Boost customer loyalty with enhanced service:
Service teams are now equipped to onboard customers more effectively, adding them to marketing journeys that enhance the customer experience. In addition, they can capitalise on opportunities to upsell, all while staying within a unified platform.
4. Personalise customer experiences with unified data:
By consolidating data from across the organisation, Data Cloud provides insights that can be used to create highly targeted marketing campaigns and inform sales and service decisions. This level of insight ensures that businesses are able to deliver relevant, personalised customer experiences.
5. Work more efficiently with a new user interface:
The enhanced UI allows users to access what they need faster, with a left-navigation menu and a customisable homepage that showcases key priorities, such as open cases or opportunities, all in one glance.
How Can You Enhance Your System with AppExchange?
As part of the Foundations upgrade, users gain access to the AppExchange, Salesforce’s marketplace of pre-built integrations and third-party apps. These extensions can significantly enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve adoption rates. With free trials available from over 25 partners, companies can try new features without commitment, including tools for document management, contract handling, surveys, telephony, video conferencing, and more.
The Salesforce Advantage
According to David Schmaier, President and Chief Product Officer at Salesforce, “Salesforce Foundations allows businesses of all sizes and industries to integrate their entire front office. By automating sales, service, marketing, and commerce on a single platform, companies can offer personalised, real-time customer experiences that drive revenue, resolve service issues, launch marketing campaigns, and manage payments.”
Consultant Perspective and Verdict
Sean Collins (Consultant and Commercial Director at Tether), offers his perspective on the announcement of Salesforce Foundations, following the press release last week.
He shares, “Salesforce Foundations, as announced last week, represents a significant step forward for businesses looking to unify their operations without incurring additional costs. By integrating sales, service, marketing, and commerce on a single platform, companies can streamline their processes and deliver a more consistent, seamless customer experience.
At Tether, we work with many organisations that face challenges with siloed systems and disjointed customer data. Salesforce Foundations addresses these issues head-on by connecting these departments and providing AI-powered insights, allowing teams to collaborate more effectively and act on real-time data. The added value of free access to AppExchange integrations is a substantial benefit, giving businesses the tools to extend their capabilities without any additional financial burden.
For any company aiming to boost operational efficiency, drive revenue, and create more meaningful customer experiences, Salesforce Foundations delivers the essential tools to achieve these objectives.”
What are the limitations of Salesforce Foundations?
While Salesforce Foundations offers a broad array of features at no extra cost, there are a few limitations:1
1. Email Campaign Limits:
Foundations includes email campaign functionality, but there is a cap of 2,000 sends per month.
2. Data Cloud Credit Limits:
Users are limited to 10,000 Data Cloud Segmentation and Activation credits, and free credit limits apply to Data Cloud use.
3. Commerce Transaction Fees:
While Commerce Pay Now is integrated into the platform, standard transaction fees still apply.
4. Available Editions:
Salesforce Foundations is only available to customers using Sales Cloud and/or Service Cloud Enterprise Edition or higher.
Salesforce Foundations
Provides a comprehensive and seamless platform for businesses to manage their front office operations. From improving customer experiences to driving revenue and operational efficiency, this new offering is set to deliver significant value at no extra cost to existing customers.
FAQ’s
1. What is Salesforce Foundations?
A: Salesforce Foundations is a new, no-cost upgrade that integrates Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Data Cloud features into a unified platform, enabling businesses to deliver personalized and connected customer experiences.
2. Is Salesforce Foundations free?
A: Yes, Salesforce Foundations is available to existing customers using Sales Cloud and/or Service Cloud Enterprise Edition or higher at no additional charge.
3. How does Salesforce Foundations differ from other CRM platforms?
A: Unlike other CRMs that focus on just one or two areas, Salesforce Foundations integrates sales, service, marketing, and commerce without additional costs or complicated data integrations. It also leverages Salesforce Data Cloud for AI-driven insights.
4. Are there any limitations with Salesforce Foundations?
Yes, Salesforce Foundations has a few limitations:
- Email campaigns are limited to 2,000 sends per month.
- Data Cloud credit limits apply (10,000 Segmentation and Activation credits).
- Standard transaction fees apply for Commerce Pay Now.
- Available only to customers using Sales Cloud or Service Cloud Enterprise Edition or higher.
5. What is the AppExchange?
The AppExchange is Salesforce’s marketplace for pre-built third-party integrations and apps that can extend the functionality of Salesforce Foundations. Many of these apps offer free trials.
6. How do I get started with Salesforce Foundations?
Salesforce Foundations will be available later this autumn. Customers can contact their Salesforce representative to learn more about eligibility and feature access.
