The rainy Dublin skies parted last Wednesday just in time for the first ever Salesforce Basecamp event in Ireland. We welcomed more than 700 Irish Trailblazers to the Convention Centre Dublin for a half-day event full of innovation, learning, networking, and inspiring customer stories.

We are in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and Ireland is no exception. Companies of all sizes are looking for ways to embark on a digital transformation, embrace artificial intelligence, do well whilst doing good, and connecting to their customers in a whole new way. And this theme was present throughout the day - from engaging product sessions, to conversations on the expo floor, to hands on demos.

A Celebration of Trailblazers

The day kicked off with a keynote, where attendees heard a brilliant local customer story from Ulster Bank, whose aim it is to be the first for customer service, trust, and advocacy by 2020. Customer expectations are continually growing and evolving, and with ever-increasing digitalisation in all areas of modern living, financial services have to respond to what their customers want and how they wish to be served. And Ulster Bank is truly trailblazing the way they understand and service their customers today. 

We were joined on stage with Eddie Cullen, Managing Director, Commercial Banking Division - Ulster Bank, and Maeve McMahon, Director, Marketing & Colleague Communications, Business & Private - Royal Bank of Scotland. Eddie discussed how Ulster Bank’s customers “have huge expectations around how we are going to digitise the customer journey.”

They’re not alone in this. But what Ulster Bank has done to embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution and putting their customers at the heart of their business is what has truly differentiated them: 

“There were so many learnings from this project at Ulster Bank. First and foremost is focusing on the customer... if we can take the insights that we had access to but weren’t using, and put them at the heart of what we’re trying to do to help our customers, that will help us be the #1 bank for service, trust, and advocacy. And our NPS results are #1, and Salesforce has definitely been a part of that.“ - Maeve McMahon

Following Ulster Bank, the story of Pink Shirtmaker, founded by three Irish brothers, came to life as it was revealed how they are creating a luxury shirt brand and delivering white glove service to all their clients, powered by the Salesforce Platform. By placing their clients at the centre of everything they do - across sales, service, and commerce, and whether in store or on the go - they’re able to deliver and continuously improve upon the service their clients have come to expect from the high end retailer

The learning continues...

Throughout the remainder of the day there was no shortage of opportunities to learn, connect, and be inspired across breakout sessions ranging from topics around the top trends in sales, to customer service and marketing, financial services and retail, connecting the business and IT, and so much more.

These sessions featured the stories of many incredible Irish Trailblazers who are all growing and scaling their businesses on the Salesforce Platform - Allianz Partners, CPL, Daft.ie, EWT, Roomex and Ulster Bank.

We were also joined by Irish charity, FoodCloud, who are on a mission to reduce food wastage and help feed people that need it - check out this great interview with their CEO from the event. 

Unlock Your Potential

And last but certainly not least, the day wrapped up with an energetic, interactive, and thought provoking session, “Unlock Your Potential”, led by Enda McNulty, All-Ireland and National Winner and business coach. Enda preached the importance of a shift from a “fixed mindset” to a “growth mindset”, empowering both individuals and teams to be the best version of themselves by seeking feedback, going outside of your comfort zone, and focusing on wellness. 

In summary...

Throughout the day, there was one consistent theme - companies of all shapes and sizes are looking to embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution and put their customers at the centre of everything they do. Regardless of what department you work in - IT, sales, marketing, or service - you have the power to drive this in your organisation and lead the transformation.

Thank you to all of you that were able to join us at Basecamp Dublin. And for those that weren’t - don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to learn on your own time. To go behind the scenes of the customer stories shared in the keynote, dive into the Ulster Bank and Pink Shirtmaker Trailmixes on Trailhead. Or if you're interested in what else was covered throughout the day, you can find slides for all of the sessions here.