• by Ray Schultz , August 18, 2021

Salesforce has completed integrations with Slack, the workplace communication firm it acquired for $27.7 billion. The deal was approved by the Department of Justice and closed last month. 

The integrations will provide brands with a single view of the customer across the sales, service, and marketing departments. In addition, they will streamline workflows built around CRM data, the company says.  

"This is just the beginning for the Slack-First Customer 360 — which will fundamentally reshape how work gets done by connecting employees, customers, and partners and the apps they use on a single platform," says Bret Taylor, president and chief operating officer of Salesforce.

For instance, the combined companies are offering workflow notifications that will automatically update Slack channels when changes to an email — say, a new headline — and other changes are made, providing teams with the ability to review and approve changes, in collaboration. 

In addition, marketers can derive AI-driven insights from Marketing Cloud and Datorama. If engagement is lower than expected, the teams can take action within Slack.  

Salesforce and Slack also brings these tools to the table: 

• Swarming: This creates a Slack channel for service teams to work together on complex, high-priority cases.  
• Expert Finder identifies the right experts to add to a swarm channel, based on their availability and skills. 
• Digital deal rooms that allow sales teams to securely collaborate.   
• Automated daily briefs in Slack that provide sales reps with a personalized daily list of tasks. 

Some high-tech companies are now availing themselves of these capabilities — for example, IBM.

"The hybrid workplace requires the right digital tools to keep customers and employees connected, productive, and engaged," states Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO of IBM. 

Krishna adds that the combination is "helping IBM deliver more value across every customer and employee interaction." 

Sonos is another. "In our rapid shift to an all-digital world, we learned we must be more connected, productive, and innovative to best reach and serve customers no matter where they are," says Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos. 

Spence adds that the integration of Salesforce and Slack "has been crucial for collaboration between distributed teams, ultimately helping us achieve unprecedented growth during challenging times."