How Could Salesforce Industry Clouds Benefit Your Organization?

In the current economic climate, solutions that have an accelerated time-to-value allowing customers to streamline and implement best practices faster may seem like a dream. But Salesforce Industry Clouds are exactly that. 

So it’s no surprise that IBM identified Salesforce Industries as a trend in their State of Salesforce 2023-24 report. But what are they, what are the benefits, and how could they impact your future Salesforce career?

What is Salesforce Industries?

Salesforce Industries are cloud offerings that are pre-built and packaged up for organizations to adopt. The 12 included products cover various industries, ranging from Education Cloud and Government Cloud, to Automotive Cloud, and Manufacturing Cloud. 

Industry Clouds allow Salesforce customers to have specific, customer-centric solutions tailored for their industry, enabling them to get value out of their implementation faster. And while they are becoming more prevalent, some people are still not taking advantage of these solutions.

In the State of Salesforce report, IBM identified the leading organizations in the ecosystem which they called “pioneers”. These organizations make up 14-24% of every industry, showing how all organizations can (and should) be utilizing these industry solutions.

The Benefits of Salesforce Industries

Salesforce Industries could be the major growth driver for organizations and individuals alike. IBM identified that in the coming years, implementations of Industry Clouds is going to grow, and this will bring many benefits…

Return on Investment (ROI)

In the report, it is clear that pioneering organizations are seeing much more ROI and impact when they implement Salesforce Industries compared to other clouds. When comparing the leading organizations to the “pensives”, pioneers see 150% more ROI, and we all know that money talks.

Plus, 74% of pioneers see an increased future potential in Industry Clouds because of the positive impact they have had on their business. With this affirmation of their effect, if companies want to see an increase in ROI in their organization, maybe they need look no further than Industry Clouds.

Job Demand

Because of the higher ROI in this space, jobs in Salesforce Industries have increased in demand. Industry Cloud products are growing at 50% YoY compared to Sales Cloud and Service Cloud at 12%, and therefore there is a need for experts to design, build, and maintain these solutions – including consultants, developers, and architects. 

Customer Experience

We all know that customer experience is key to any organization. Implementing a dedicated industry solution may be a surefire way to ensure great customer experience. With the knowledge that pioneers are honing in on customer experience capabilities 56% more than pensives, it’s clear that these clouds are making an impact.

A case study featured in the report saw a large organization replace its existing CRM system with Salesforce Industry Energy & Utilities, Service, and Sales Clouds. This transformed the organization, allowing them to build 31 newly designed customer service processes and integration across seven applications.

How Can Specializations Impact Your Career?

Because of the growing demand of industries, specializing in industry-specific certifications could be a logical next step in your career. You may choose a Salesforce product that complements your current skill set for a fresh challenge, or one that boosts your value within your organization. 

Here are some that are ‘hot’ right now, and some that we predict are on their way up:

• Media Cloud
• Communications Cloud
• Energy & Utilities Cloud
• Health Cloud
• Nonprofit Cloud (Nonprofit Success Pack)

With the looming fear of job saturation, especially when talking about Salesforce Admins, it’s always great to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Entry-level professionals need noticeable skills in the competitive job market, and more experienced professionals need to provide a well-rounded, specialized skill set for companies to snap up. 

Having a good mix of industry experience and Salesforce knowledge is key for every Salesforce professional at all points in their career, as an increased skill set can only open more doors. Industry Clouds may be the way for you to ‘level up’ your career. 

Summary

Industry Clouds are specific offerings that are pre-built and packaged up for organizations to adopt. By implementing these solutions, you could reap a whole host of benefits, including a higher ROI, increased job demand, and better customer experience – all of which are essential in the current climate.

Be sure to download your copy of the IBM State of Salesforce 2023-24 report today to delve further into how Industry Clouds can level up your Salesforce practice.