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As salesforce.com continues to grow, and its network of customers and partners expands, we’re always looking for new ways to connect and serve our community, build stronger ties and provide a greater level of service.
In order to accomplish this task, Erica Kuhl, Director of Community at Salesforce, and her team, have turned to the salesforce.com product, Salesforce Communities, to help run the entire Salesforce Success Community. We spoke to Kuhl about her team’s use of the product and the results of the ongoing project.
The expansion of the Salesforce community, which includes hundreds of thousands of customers and an ever-growing partner population, has created a number of challenges to Kuhl and her team. These challenges include:
A way to serve Salesforce’s expanding customer and partner population
A way to connect with its community in a more authentic and transparent way
A scalable way to help build a trusted network
A way to get customers the best possible answers, as quickly as possible
A scalable way to get content in the hands of Salesforce customers so they can be as successful as possible
For Kuhl, the new Salesforce Communities product has been a huge boost. It allows companies to connect customers, partners and products directly to their business processes and transform the way you sell, service and market.
“We’re using the platform to run our entire community; from discussion forums to ideation to collaboration, and case management,” Erica said. “The product is integrated into our CRM system, providing a full view of our customers.”
Erica uses the Salesforce Communities platform to build dashboards that she reviews daily and sends to key stakeholders across organizations to monitor the overall health of the community. And just like a Salesforce customer, Kuhl and her team get to leverage the new features of Salesforce Communities three times per year.
Erica shares that Salesforce has had an organized community since 2005, but with the recent launch in July 2013 of the Salesforce Communities product, they have undergone a major transformation. Erica listed the core areas of the community experience for Salesforce’s members, which include:
An answers forum where members can engage with and get answers from a passionate community of customer, partners, Salesforce experts. Read more here.
IdeaExchange, where members can suggest new features, vote and comment on their favorite ideas Read more here.
A Help & Training section where members can get online help, how-to guides, and articles to learn new skills Read more here.
Collaboration that allows members to find and follow interesting people, join groups for discussion, and share files Read more here.
User Groups where members can meet online and in-person to network, share ideas, and get tips in their local areas. Read more here.
Known Issues which enhances trust and customer success by providing visibility into known Salesforce issues. Read more here .
There are tons of groups to get involved in within the Salesforce Community. You can join a location-based group, communicate with people working within your industry vertical, chat with people who use the same Salesforce products as you, and more. Groups are as specific, location-wise, as the North of England and Southwest Ontario. They also include topics such as “Getting started for new customers,” “Training and certification for certified professionals,” “Girly Geeks for women in business,” and “Community Management and Strategy.”
We encourage you to join the Salesforce Community today. Go ahead and ask a question, look through an answer thread, deliver one (or several!) ideas to suggest product enhancements, and interact with other customers.
