Salesforce Industries, once known as Vlocity, has quickly become vital to the Salesforce ecosystem. Acquired by Salesforce in 2020 for $1.33 billion, it brought ready-made, industry-specific solutions to the Salesforce platform. This was not just a financial acquisition; it was a revolutionary one. By integrating these tailored solutions, Salesforce enhanced its ability to meet the unique needs of various industries and simplified the implementation process.
In this post, we’ll dive into what Salesforce Industries offers and how using its capabilities can help you speed up your Salesforce journey and maximize ROI.
What Is Salesforce Vlocity?
After being established in 2014, Vlocity immediately established itself as a pioneer in sector-specific cloud computing solutions. It was so successful that it earned a spot on the Forbes Cloud 100 list three years in a row, from 2017 to 2019. Vlocity was able to tackle the unique challenges of industries needing highly customized CRM solutions beyond what standard Salesforce offerings could provide.
Vlocity focuses on creating CRM solutions tailored to specific industries, including communications, media & entertainment, insurance, financial services, healthcare, energy & utilities, and government sectors.
Omniscript, Mobile and Vlocity Wear, Clickstream Analytics, Process Engine, Industry Console, and DataRaptor were some of the key features of Vlocity; these solutions helped these sectors handle cloud and mobile environments more easily.
The Salesforce Acquisition
In 2020, Salesforce saw the immense value in Vlocity’s solutions and decided to acquire the company. With this calculated move, Salesforce not only increased the scope of its product offering but also cemented its leadership in important markets.
Following the acquisition, the founder of Vlocity continued in his role as CEO of the newly formed business division, and the company was renamed Salesforce Industries.
What Is Salesforce Industries?
Salesforce began a new era in its industry cloud products with the rebranding of Vlocity as Salesforce Industries. This change wasn’t just cosmetic; it signaled the full integration of Vlocity’s specialized tools into the broader Salesforce ecosystem. Customers now have access to a more complete and integrated solution made specifically to meet the demands of their industry.
The rebranding was in line with Salesforce’s overarching plan to provide industry-specific solutions that work in unison with its Customer 360 platform. By incorporating Vlocity’s industry expertise into its products, Salesforce improved its capacity to provide companies with a customized strategy for digital transformation.
The acquisition also expanded Salesforce’s data model, offering versatile, out-of-the-box solutions for some specific industries, including:
- Financial Services Cloud
- Health Cloud
- Government Cloud
- Communications Cloud
- Consumer Goods Cloud
- Manufacturing Cloud
- Media Cloud
- Automotive Cloud
- Energy & Utilities Cloud
- Education Cloud
- Nonprofit Success Pack
- Net Zero Cloud
OmniStudio: The Heart of Salesforce Industries
At the core of Salesforce Industries lies OmniStudio, a powerful suite of tools that lets businesses quickly and efficiently create, manage, and deploy industry-specific solutions. Built on a modular architecture, OmniStudio allows companies to use a range of customizable components that can be reused across different applications.
Click-to-configure rich, consumer-grade user experiences based on objects, APEX classes, REST APIs, and other data sources are made simple with the Salesforce OmniStudio digital engagement suite. OmniStudio is divided into several layers:
◼︎Digital Experience
- FlashCards: Starting and ending points for guided interactions, displaying contextual information. FlexCards can be created with a no-code, declarative WYSIWYG editor.
- OmniScripts: Guide users through complex tasks with easy-to-use business processes that branch out based on user choices.
◼︎Service Management
- Integration Procedures: Server-side processes that execute multiple actions in a single service call, merge outputs to multiple APIs, and orchestrate multi-step calculations.
- DataRaptors: A configurable service for retrieving, transforming, and updating data.
◼︎Developer Experience
- IDX Build Tool: A command-line automation tool that packages and migrates OmniStudio data packs in a source-control-friendly format.
- IDX Workbench: A desktop application that simplifies DevOps by making it easy to share updates via source control, and migrate Data Packs, and Salesforce metadata between orgs or to a git repository.
Salesforce Industries provides a strong platform for businesses to foster innovation, maintain competitiveness, and accomplish their objectives more quickly by using these cutting-edge technologies.
To learn more about Salesforce Industries (Vlocity), enroll in our Salesforce OmniStudio Course.
Key Benefits of Salesforce Industries
Accelerated Digital Transformation
Salesforce Industries is a game-changer when it comes to speeding up digital transformation. With its ready-made, sector-specific solutions, you may effortlessly incorporate new technologies and processes that satisfy your business’s requirements.
Take the telecoms sector as an example. Communications Cloud helps companies launch new products and services faster, boosting time to market and customer satisfaction. With solutions for managing customer relationships and regulatory compliance, Financial Services Cloud helps financial services companies remain adaptable in a sector that is undergoing continuous change.
Enhanced Customization and Agility
Salesforce Industries is distinguished by its capacity to provide increased customization and agility. OmniStudio’s modular architecture allows you to easily modify your solutions to meet the specific requirements of your industry without having to start from scratch.
For example, a healthcare provider utilizing Health Cloud can tailor the Patient 360 features to show just what they require, and it can integrate with other systems to make the patient experience seamless. This level of customization ensures you meet your industry’s specific demands while staying flexible and responsive to change.
Scalability and Integration
Salesforce Industries is built to grow with your business. A core strength of Salesforce Industries is its seamless integration with other Salesforce products and third-party systems. For instance, a telecom business utilizing Communications Cloud can quickly combine it with Marketing Cloud to optimize campaign management or with Salesforce Service Cloud to improve customer support. This smooth connection guarantees that every aspect of your company functions as a whole, eliminating silos and increasing efficiency all around.Â
Plus, with its API-first architecture, Salesforce Industries allows for custom integrations, giving you the flexibility to connect with legacy systems or modern SaaS solutions.
Challenges and Considerations
Complexity and IT Challenges
Implementing an industry-specific cloud solution can be a significant undertaking, requiring careful planning and resources. For large enterprises with complex IT infrastructures, integrating Salesforce Industries with existing systems can be challenging. It could take some time and effort to customize and integrate, particularly if you’re working with legacy systems.Â
Additionally, maintaining these customizations over time, particularly with updates or new features, can add to the complexity. To navigate these challenges, consider partnering with experienced Salesforce consultants who specialize in your industry. They can help ensure smooth implementation, seamless integrations, and ongoing system optimization.
Market and Industry-Specific Limitations
There is no one-size-fits-all solution with Salesforce Industries. Despite being made to accommodate a wide range of needs, certain industries can discover that the solutions don’t entirely suit their unique requirements, particularly in cutting-edge or highly specialized disciplines. In certain situations, more personalization or even custom development can be required.Â
Moreover, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) might find the cost and complexity of Salesforce Industries daunting. The platform is primarily designed for enterprises, and while it offers significant value, the investment required for implementation and ongoing maintenance can be substantial. SMBs need to weigh the benefits against the costs to determine if Salesforce Industries is the right fit.
Future Outlook and Career Opportunities
Growth and Evolution of Salesforce Industries
As digital transformation accelerates across industries, the demand for solutions like Salesforce Industries is set to rise. Salesforce will likely continue expanding its industry cloud offerings, adding new features and capabilities that address evolving business needs.
Salesforce Industries’ future will be greatly influenced by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). With the help of these technologies, industry-specific solutions will be further improved, allowing companies to provide more individualized client experiences, automate more procedures, and obtain deeper insights.
For example, financial institutions could be able to provide customized investment recommendations based on real-time data analysis through AI integration with the Financial Services Cloud. Similarly, utility firms may be able to monitor and control energy consumption more effectively with the use of IoT in the Energy & Utilities Cloud, increasing sustainability and efficiency.
Salesforce Industries Certification
If you’re looking to advance your career in Salesforce Industries, now is the perfect time to build your expertise. Salesforce offers several certifications to help you get started:
- Salesforce Certified OmniStudio Consultant: Ideal for professionals who consult on building cloud applications using OmniStudio tools in customer-facing roles.
- Salesforce Certified OmniStudio Developer: Tailored for developers with experience using OmniStudio declarative development tools to create cloud applications.
- Salesforce Certified Industries CPQ Developer: Designed for developers with expertise in creating configure, price, and quote applications for Salesforce Communications, Media, and Energy & Utilities Clouds.
Conclusion: The Road Ahead
Salesforce Industries (velocity) is expected to have a significant impact on how businesses throughout the world continue to shift digitally. With the rapid advancement of technology and the expansion of industry cloud products, It is ideally positioned to assist organizations in navigating the ever-changing business landscape. Investing in it involves organizations selecting a platform that is strong, scalable, and precisely matched with the unique requirements of their sector.
For professionals, building expertise in Salesforce Industries opens up new career paths and opportunities in this dynamic field. With the right skills and certifications, you can position yourself at the forefront of this exciting industry, unlocking new opportunities and advancing your career.
The journey from Vlocity to Salesforce Industries is a story of innovation, integration, and industry-specific excellence. Salesforce Industries will continue to be a vital partner in assisting businesses as they embrace digital transformation help them realize their objectives and open up new avenues for expansion and success.
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