Tag: Salesforce

Singapore – Salesforce, a customer relationship management company, has pledged a five-year US$1b investment in Singapore, solidifying its commitment to the innovation of a significant growth market for the company. It is investing in the digital labour platform Agentforce for workforce development and customer success.

As Salesforce boosts Agentforce’s adoption, the company has collaborated with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to incorporate the platform into its customer case management system. The partnership allows the airline to deliver personalised services to its customers.

Additionally, SIA and Salesforce are planning to develop AI-powered solutions for airlines to benefit the entire industry. 

Supporting Singapore’s ‘National AI Strategy 2.0,’ the investment aims to address the challenges to Singapore’s labour force stemming from an ageing population and declining birth rates. Through the investment, Singapore enterprises can leverage Agentforce to build digital workforces and increase productivity.

Jermaine Loy, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said, “Singapore welcomes Salesforce’s investment, which will boost our ongoing efforts to build a vibrant hub for AI innovation and adoption across our economy. Salesforce’s initiatives in AI research and workforce development will strengthen our ecosystem by catalysing innovation for key industries and corporates based in Singapore.”

“We are in an incredible new era of digital labour where every business will be transformed by autonomous agents that augment the work of humans, revolutionizing productivity and enabling every company to scale without limits,” Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce, said.

“Singapore is at the forefront of this shift, and as the world’s largest provider of digital labour through our Agentforce platform, Salesforce is thrilled to expand our work with the business community and our longtime partners in the region to drive innovation, productivity and growth,” Benioff added.

Agentforce, a Salesforce platform released in 2024, is designed to create autonomous artificial intelligence agents to boost companies’ efficiency.

Using Agentforce, SIA will streamline customer service operations, leveraging Salesforce’s ‘Data Cloud’ and generative AI within ‘Einstein’ for personalised interactions and faster response times.

Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines, said, “As the world’s leading digital airline, Singapore Airlines is committed to investing in and leveraging the relevant technologies to enhance customer experiences, improve operational efficiencies, drive revenue generation, and boost employee productivity. The SIA Group has been an early adopter of Generative AI solutions, developing over 250 use cases over the last 18 months and implementing around 50 initiatives across our end-to-end operations.”

“Salesforce is a pioneer in agentic AI. Integrating Agentforce, Einstein in Service Cloud, and Data Cloud into SIA’s customer case management system enhances our ability to efficiently assist our customers, and marks the first step in our collaboration. Together, we will co-create AI solutions that drive meaningful and impactful change and set new standards for service excellence in the airline industry,” Phong added.

“The rise of digital labour, powered by autonomous AI agents, is not just reimagining the customer experience ‌ — ‌ it’s transforming business. We’re thrilled to partner with Singapore Airlines, a trailblazer in this AI revolution, to elevate their already outstanding customer service to unprecedented heights, augment their employees and collaborate on groundbreaking AI solutions for the airline industry. With our deeply unified digital labour platform, we’re bringing humans together with trusted, autonomous AI agents, unlocking new levels of productivity, innovation and growth,” Benioff commented.

Australia – Salesforce has announced a landmark investment of $2.5 billion in Australia over the next five years, reinforcing its commitment to AI innovation, workforce development, and sustainability initiatives. The announcement was made at Agentforce World Tour Sydney, Salesforce’s largest local event to date, which has attracted over 10,000 customers, partners, employees, and stakeholders.

This significant investment aligns with Australia’s vision to harness artificial intelligence for economic growth and technological leadership. By expanding its AI capabilities and supporting local industries, Salesforce aims to contribute to a more prosperous future for all Australians.

Salesforce has been a key player in Australia’s digital economy since establishing its presence in the country in 2004. With over 2,400 employees and a vast ecosystem of partners, the company continues to drive AI advancements that enhance productivity and customer experiences.

The company’s venture capital arm, Salesforce Ventures, has already invested over $6 billion in more than 630 companies worldwide, with Australian investments surpassing $12 billion in market capitalization. Notable AI investments include Airwallex, GO1, Culture Amp, Reejig, and Q-Ctrl.

Frank Fillmann, EVP & general manager at Salesforce Australia and New Zealand, said, “Australian business leaders are challenged by low productivity growth, a tight labour market and higher than ever customer expectations. Empowering their employees with Agentforce and limitless digital labour is the breakthrough they need.”

As part of its mission to prepare Australian businesses for the AI revolution, Salesforce has appointed Anne Templeman-Jones as the first Australian member of its Global Advisory Board. Her expertise will help guide business leaders in adopting AI-driven strategies.

To further support skills development, Salesforce will launch a series of Agentforce Learning Days and Hackathons in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. These events will help employees from over 270 companies build and deploy AI agents, ensuring they stay competitive in the evolving digital economy.

Salesforce is also backing workforce diversity initiatives, such as the Deloitte Digital Career Compass program and the FW Jobs Academy. These programs aim to equip women and diverse communities with in-demand Salesforce AI skills, contributing to the Australian government’s goal of creating 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030.

Beyond AI and workforce training, Salesforce continues to champion sustainability efforts in Australia. By fostering collaboration with government agencies, universities, vocational education providers, and non-profits, the company is playing a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable digital future.

With 21 years of experience in Australia, Salesforce’s continued investment underscores its dedication to helping the nation become a global leader in AI-driven economic growth. Through strategic investments and partnerships, the company is set to empower businesses and individuals to thrive in the era of artificial intelligence.

The new follows the recent partnership between Salesforce and Google where Agentforce will be able to use Google’s Gemini models, allowing agents to work with images, audio, and video, handle more complex tasks using Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities and two-million-token context windows, and act using real-time insights and answers grounded in Google Search with Vertex AI.

Data-driven strategies have become a requirement for businesses across sectors to engage customers. For companies operating across markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, the challenge heightens. To meet the customers’ needs for personalisation and seamless interaction, traditional methods may be insufficient.

FedEx, a transportation, e-commerce, and business services provider, has found its traditional customer segmentation based on last shipment data ineffective to personalise experiences for its customers, lacking nuances in the approach.

Although its ‘Always On’ campaigns have long been rolling out monthly in APAC to address all customer lifecycle (CLC) stages, the company sees the need to boost its strategy to continue engaging its customers.

This case study digs deeper into FedEx’s strategy to engage its customers from initial acquisition to long-term retention and reactivation through tailored campaigns.

The Challenge

Prior to having CLC models, companies like FedEx may rely on last shipment data for customer engagement. However, this has proven ineffective due to the lack of granularity in segmenting customers. FedEx needs extensive data sources to gain various dimensions that affect customer engagement, navigating the challenge of personalisation for different audiences in the vast market.

Additionally, FedEx found limitations in its initial set of CLC campaigns in 2021 with its previous email platform provider, which were static with fixed email sequences triggered by events. These campaigns also took significant time and effort from the email team when setting them up quarterly.

The Objectives

With the aim of addressing the CLC stages, FedEx’s objectives cover the entire cycle with the ‘Always On’ campaign’s nurture, grow or retain, and reactivation phases. Specifically, the company aims to acquire new customers, grow its active customers’ ‘share-of-wallet’, and win back its lapsed customers and revenue.

The Solution

With its need for scalability, automation, and personalisation, FedEx collaborated with Salesforce professional services to develop multiple CLC campaigns targeting various segments. Each customer segment, including prospects, new joiners, active and dormant customers received tailored email journeys. Through different campaigns, FedEx’s objectives of converting leads, engaging new customers, and reactivating lapsed ones were addressed. The campaigns also used English and local languages to cater to 14 APAC markets and ensure cultural relevance.

Additionally, it also allowed the FedEx team to build and manage campaigns in-house, upskilling its marketing operations team for future campaign automation. The team conducted internal testing, developed reusable templates, and automated the customer registration process.

To further reduce its reliance on external support, FedEx worked on building, testing, and deploying its emails for customers using an Excel template. A self-service platform, also created by the marketing operations team, turns the file into an email and sends it to customers once campaign owners are satisfied with it.

Furthermore, they created a self-service platform that enables non-technical campaign owners to build and deploy emails using Excel, eliminating the need for complex technical skills and Salesforce expertise. This solution has been implemented in various APAC markets, leading to campaign efficiency.

The Results

Through the new strategy, FedEx’s campaigns across the CLC stages led to a growing customer base and revenue. It also significantly saved the company’s hours by 60% to 80%, with the automated campaign needing only a one-time set-up, ready to be sent to different customer groups. The strategy also allowed for scalability and flexibility, leading to improved customer engagement.

Building strong, lasting relationships with customers is at the heart of every successful brand. Think about it: people are more likely to stick with and recommend a brand that feels like a trusted friend rather than just another company. 

These connections go beyond transactions—they’re about creating experiences, showing genuine care, and adding value to their lives. When brands invest in fostering these bonds, customers don’t just buy once; they come back, they advocate, and they build a sense of loyalty that’s hard to break.

When it comes to building brand loyalty, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) strives to deliver exceptional customer experiences while fostering meaningful, lasting connections with its island guests to meet their ever-evolving needs.

To bring this vision to life, SDC launched a robust suite of CRM capabilities powered by Salesforce’s Sales, Service, and Marketing Cloud platforms. Leveraging the solution’s ability to provide a comprehensive 360-degree view of customers and enable personalized interactions at scale, SDC’s CRM implementation was recognized as the Country Winner at IDC’s Enterprise Intelligence Awards. Additionally, it earned a Silver Award at the recently concluded Marketing Technology Awards 2024.

We recently spoke with Ivan Teo, director, digital marketing, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), to gain insights into the execution of SDC’s CRM project. He shared details about SDC’s plans to enhance customer relationships and gain a deeper understanding of guest behaviour, which will play a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s future strategies.

Revolutionising data for enhanced guest experiences

SDC’s launch of its CRM program aims to transform the way SDC delivers exceptional guest experiences and foster deeper relationships with its visitors, through the enhancement of backend platforms, operation processes and guest engagement.

“These insights underscored the need for an integrated system to unify data and drive strategic, data-driven decisions. The CRM initiative was designed to align with the ‘One Sentosa Service Experience’ by enhancing data analytics, streamlining operations, and personalising interactions, ensuring SDC meets the evolving needs of its guests,” he stated.

Ivan highlighted that the CRM project presents a valuable opportunity for SDC to future-proof its operations through digital transformation. This initiative is particularly significant as it allows Sentosa to address evolving needs and expectations of its guests. By implementing this solution, SDC is positioning itself to better understand and respond to changing visitor preferences, ensuring that it remains relevant and competitive in the years ahead.

“With the tourism landscape constantly evolving, the initiative was positioned as a vital investment to ensure Sentosa remained a leader in guest satisfaction and loyalty. The project’s focus on scalability, such as extensible APIs and integration capabilities, enables SDC to adapt quickly to new opportunities and maintain its competitive edge,” he added.

Consolidating guest profiles in a unified platform

SDC’s 360-Degree Customer View unites guest data from diverse sources like loyalty programs and admission systems, which transforms scattered insights into a clear, actionable plan. 

“By integrating disparate data sources, such as admission systems and loyalty programs, the CRM provides a holistic understanding of each guest. This enables SDC to deliver tailored experiences, such as personalised offers, relevant content, and timely service responses,” Ivan said.

In their real-life application of the solution, SDC’s loyalty marketing team leveraged this comprehensive view of their guest data to increase member activity rates through targeted engagement strategies, while its digital marketing team used it to enhance website journey personalisation, resulting in better click-through rates and engagement.

This deeper understanding of guest behaviours also helps SDC anticipate future needs, ensuring it stays proactive rather than reactive.

“For example, by analysing engagement patterns, SDC can better design promotions and services to delight guests and improve guest satisfaction. This data-driven approach aims to foster meaningful relationships with visitors, making their experience on Sentosa memorable and distinctive,” he said.

Automation is key to independently-designed customer journeys

Another significant reason why SDC’s 360-Degree Customer View is integral to its operations is how its marketing automation feature allowed its teams to independently design customer journeys and campaigns, reducing costs and reliance on external vendors. 

Moreover, automation features also helped streamline case management, where guest inquiries via web forms are now converted directly into cases, saving valuable staff time.

“This allowed teams to focus on enhancing guest interactions rather than administrative tasks. Additionally, automated insights into customer segments and campaign performance helped optimise engagement strategies, ensuring timely, relevant, and impactful communication,” Ivan noted.

As a result, various teams had experience significant efficiency gains. For instance, its guest insights and experience (GIE) Team saved significant hours annually through automated workflows and case resolutions.

“This operational improvement allows staff to concentrate on higher-value activities, such as refining customer journeys and creating innovative engagement strategies, further enhancing the overall guest experience,” he added. 

What makes SDC’s customer journey, omnichannel tools effective?

In terms of improving SDC’s customer journey, Ivan highlighted that its CRM tool is able to aid in the planning of guest interactions across their journey, from planning a visit to post-visit follow-ups. 

For example, integrating with real-time data, like island visit data and purchase patterns, Sentosa was able to design targeted campaigns to increase loyalty and drive purchases. 

“Being able to identify potential pain points and engagement metrics in the guest journey will allow Sentosa to continuously shape experiences that will be meaningful for visitors,” he said.

“By addressing these proactively, SDC hopes to create a more seamless and enjoyable experience for all visitors. This capability not only boosts immediate satisfaction but also strengthens long-term loyalty,” he added.

While the omnichannel experience is a work in progress, Ivan is looking forward to leveraging the CRM solution to unlock consistency in guest experiences across multiple touchpoints, be it web, mobile apps, or in-person interactions. His team is now looking at how to scale up personalised notifications as well as geolocation interactions to further enhance relevance and engagement.

“These initiatives not only improve the overall guest experience but also strengthen brand loyalty by ensuring the interaction with the brand is intentional and meaningful,” he said.

“We hope that by continuously improving our guest experiences, SDC can strengthen its reputation and position as the world’s best-loved leisure and lifestyle resort destination,” he adds.

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The 360-Degree Customer View from SDC is more than just a tool—it’s a game-changing strategy for creating deeply personalised and impactful guest experiences. By turning data into actionable insights, marketers can engage audiences with precision, anticipate their needs, and build lasting connections that drive loyalty and satisfaction. It’s the key to staying ahead in a competitive landscape like tourism while delivering customer experiences that truly stand out in the longer run.

The travel and tourism industry is changing fast, and it’s not just about offering stunning destinations or top-notch service anymore. Today’s travellers expect a seamless experience at every step—whether they’re booking online, scrolling through recommendations, or checking in at a hotel. If brands want to stay competitive, they need to deliver more than just great physical experiences; they also need to wow their guests digitally.

In this latest case study, we take a look at how Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) embarked on its CRM journey with Salesforce in order to improve its guest experiences through a unified platform for data-driven decision-making.

The Challenge

SDC is dedicated to the development, management and promotion of Sentosa island, and one of its goals is to provide exceptional customer experience and create meaningful, lasting relationships with its island guests to meet their evolving needs. Continual efforts are also undertaken by SDC in providing world class experiences, and engaging effectively with guests, island partners, and broader ecosystem partners.

The Objective

The strategic imperative was to implement an enterprise CRM solution aimed at advancing data analytics and digitalisation to deliver a personalised and seamless guest experience, fully aligned with the One Sentosa Service Experience initiative. The key business objectives included achieving a comprehensive Customer 360° view, consolidating data for more informed decision-making, and enabling personalised customer interactions at scale. 

On the technology front, the goals focused on integrating disparate data sources into a unified platform, utilising a common data model, and deploying extensible APIs to enhance speed-to-market while ensuring scalability for marketing automation.

Moreover, the overarching goal was to elevate guest service standards and unlock deeper insights across various business units, including guest insights and experience, brand experience & marketing, loyalty marketing, and digital marketing teams.

The project also aimed to transform SDC’s interactions with guests and streamline operations by focusing on key goals:

  • 360-Degree Guest View: Consolidate guest profiles, including visit frequency, spending habits, and preferences, for personalised engagement and better service.
  • Marketing Automation: Bring marketing automation in-house, enabling teams to design campaigns independently and reduce costs while automating case management for guest inquiries.
  • Analytics and Insights: Centralize data from various systems to generate actionable insights, improve customer segmentation, track marketing performance, and monitor membership trends.

The Solution

SDC took a major step in its transformation journey by rolling out an advanced set of CRM capabilities built on Salesforce’s Sales, Service, and Marketing Cloud platforms. This initiative was designed to redefine how SDC harnesses data insights to deliver more personalised and efficient guest experiences. 

By integrating Salesforce with core systems—encompassing B2C profiles, guest transactions, and service histories—SDC established a unified platform that empowers data-driven decision-making across the organisation.

The project was executed through a structured process, ensuring seamless integration across departments:

  • Implementation Process:
    • Conducted discovery workshops to identify business and technical needs.
    • Ran user-driven sprints dedicated to each module as well as planning a detailed mapping of existing data fields for both migrated and streaming data made for a smooth transition.
    • Performed robust data validation through system integration and user acceptance testing (UAT).
    • Deployed the CRM system with a well-coordinated Go-Live plan, followed by ongoing maintenance and enhancements.
  • Cross-Department Collaboration:
    • Strong alignment among department heads, coupled with a consistent messaging of the project’s strategic importance to working teams, ensured effective change management.
    • Teams actively participated in reviews, testing, and data validation, even during weekends, with notable contributions from the Loyalty, Digital Marketing, Brand Marketing and Guest Insights & Experience teams.
    • Integrated multiple data sources, such as ticketing, product information, and admission systems, into a unified platform for a comprehensive guest view.
  • Overcoming Challenges:
    • Addressed data fragmentation and operational silos by creating a centralised system with unified data fields.
    • Improved data accuracy and monitoring through automated alerts for sync failures and weekly vendor support reviews.
    • Integrated diverse admission systems (e.g., Gantry IU, Sentosa Express QR code) to capture guest behaviour comprehensively.

The Result

The CRM project brought tangible benefits across various teams, driving greater efficiency, accuracy, and personalised engagement. The Guest Insights & Experience team saved over 1,000 hours annually through streamlined processes, while the Loyalty team leveraged integrated data to gain richer insights into guest behaviour. The Digital Marketing team also saw improved click-through rates by delivering personalised content. These improvements not only enhanced operations and customer engagement but also supported SDC’s overall business growth.

Philippines – RLC Residences, the residential arm of Robinsons Land, has partnered with Salesforce, supported by Appistoki, to drive its digital transformation and enhance customer experience through AI-powered, data-driven solutions.

Through this partnership, RLC Residences will harness the combined expertise of Salesforce and Appistoki to streamline operations and elevate the customer experience. By integrating Salesforce’s Data Cloud, Customer 360, and AI technology (Einstein), along with Appistoki’s digital infrastructure, RLC Residences will enhance its customer-focused approach, creating seamless, personalised journeys for homebuyers, owners, and investors at every touchpoint.

“This partnership started with one vision in our minds—delivering a customer-first approach across all touchpoints, ensuring that every encounter—from the first inquiry to long after move-in—is a delightful experience,” said Chad Sotelo, SVP and business unit general manager of RLC Residences and chief marketing officer of Robinsons Land. 

“This partnership with Salesforce and Appistoki brings us closer to our vision of creating homes and experiences that resonate deeply with today’s discerning homebuyers,” he added. 

RLC Residences will use Data Cloud to unify customer data in real time, enabling personalised experiences, real-time analytics, and data-driven actions. This integration will also power AI across all Salesforce applications, enhancing overall efficiency and personalisation.

This approach ensures seamless and memorable interactions at every stage, from inquiry to after-sales support. By anticipating needs and addressing pain points, RLC Residences enhances customer satisfaction and delivers a more personalised, efficient homeownership experience. This commitment to innovation positions the brand to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Speaking on the partnership, Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager at Salesforce ASEAN, stated, “RLC Residences is redefining the residential property market through elevating their customer experience with the power of the Salesforce Platform.” 

“RLC Residences is using our data meshing capability to unify their customer data across Salesforce and other data sources, through zero copy, to build a more unified view of their customer. This sets the foundation for personalised journeys at scale underpinned by AI. We look forward to a close partnership with RLC Residences on their customer-centric transformation journey,” Abraham further explained. 

“RLC Residences’ leadership team has a clear vision on how it wants to elevate the customer experience at every moment. Our firm has been fortunate to experience the amazing innovation in the Salesforce ecosystem with data cloud and AI. We are excited to play our part and see it take shape at RLC Residences. We look forward to making this initiative a landmark project in the industry,” Abhijeet Kulkarni, co-founder and CEO of Appistoki, added. 

This digital transformation will improve customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and cut costs. By automating processes and integrating data, RLC Residences expects faster service and stronger brand loyalty. With Salesforce’s technology, it is future-proofing operations to meet rising customer expectations and deliver greater value.

Singapore – Salesforce, a customer relationship management (CRM) software, has unveiled ‘Agentforce,’ a platform of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents for efficiency in driving sales, marketing, and commerce. It allows companies to boost their workforce while assisting employees in their tasks. 

Unlike AI tools that depend on human requests, ‘Agentforce’ operates autonomously.  Its limitless digital agents can build and execute plans independently while still working within the company’s customised guardrails. The platform’s independence is powered by ‘Atlas,’ a reasoning engine that simulates the thought processes of humans when planning. 

Using real-time data, it can address customer inquiries while adapting to cater to the needs of customers. It can also provide an overview of the interaction, customer details, and further recommendations for the next steps.

An agent builder is also available in the platform, which enables customers to configure agents based on their needs. However, customers can also access the agents that have been built by companies that are part of the Agentforce Partner Network. This includes Amazon Web Services, Box, Certinia, Copado, Coupa, Google, Honeywell, IBM, Workday, Zoom and more.

“Agentforce represents the Third Wave of AI—advancing beyond copilots to a new era of highly accurate, low-hallucination intelligent agents that actively drive customer success. Unlike other platforms, Agentforce is a revolutionary and trusted solution that seamlessly integrates AI across every workflow, embedding itself deeply into the heart of the customer journey. This means anticipating needs, strengthening relationships, driving growth, and taking proactive action at every touchpoint,” Marc Benioff, chair and chief executive officer at Salesforce, said. 

“While others require you to DIY your AI, Agentforce offers a fully tailored, enterprise-ready platform designed for immediate impact and scalability. With advanced security features, compliance with industry standards, and unmatched flexibility. Our vision is bold: to empower one billion agents with Agentforce by the end of 2025. This is what AI is meant to be,” Benioff added.

Agentforce is set to be released for general use on Oct. 25, 2024.

Singapore – The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is among the top three business priorities for 87% of Singapore C-suite executives, new Salesforce research reveals.

According to a survey of 221 large business leaders in Singapore, 48% report employing a well-defined generative AI strategy in their businesses, while 47% have begun working on a generative AI strategy. The study suggests that companies that are not implementing AI may fall behind competitors. 

Key motivations for using generative AI strategies in their team include the companies’ goals to be perceived as up-to-date in technology adoption (43%), remaining competitive (42%), and ensuring innovative customer and employee experiences (42%).

The research reveals that generative AI is expected to have the most significant impact on information technology (40%), operations (33%), finance (29%), and customer service (28%).

However, C-suite executives also identified hindrances to adopting generative AI, including lack of accessibility, lack of skill-building, incomplete customer or company data to train AI, lack of governance, and inaccurate outputs from generative AI.

“As CEOs look at AI to deliver measurable value and remain competitive, their first step should be unifying their data. Every conversation I have with business leaders about AI inevitably comes back to data and overcoming silos to increase the impact and accuracy of AI. Without building a cohesive view of the customer, Generative AI initiatives will fall short,” Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager of ASEAN at Salesforce, said.

“The good news is that it’s possible to bring your data together, efficiently, without actually moving it through innovations like zero-copy.  Innovations like this will differentiate each organisation’s ecosystem of autonomous agents, humans and AI and how well they drive customer success at scale,” Abraham added.

Singapore – The majority of marketers in Singapore are embracing AI, with 78% having experimented with or fully implemented AI into their workflows, according to a report by global technology company and AI customer relationship management platform Salesforce.

However, data from Salesforce’s report also suggests that many Singaporean marketers lack a solid data foundation, which hinders their success optimising their AI usage with only 21% being fully satisfied with their ability to unify customer data sources.

Going into more detail, the majority of Singaporeans using AI are focused on generating content, automating customer interactions, and improving customer segmentation or lookalike audience modelling.

On the other hand, this quest for unified, real-time data is more critical and challenging for marketers, with only 42% having access to real-time data to execute a campaign – the lowest globally, and with 57% needing the IT department’s help to do so.

In terms of other key local insights, there is no shortage of data sources, but putting that data to work is a challenge for marketers in Singapore, especially when it demands a holistic or long-term view of data. 49% of these marketers are tracking customer lifetime value (CTV), whilst 84% say they have a clear view into marketing’s impact on revenue.

Companies are also increasingly turning to strategies like ABM and loyalty programs for better acquisition and retention. Yet many of these programs’ information sources remain disjointed, as does the customer experience.

60% of Singaporean marketers say that loyalty data is fully integrated across all touchpoints, whilst only 35% say loyalty program functionalities are accessible across all touchpoints. Meanwhile, 50% of B2B marketers use ABM for customer acquisition, around half use it for upselling (50%) and cross-selling (53%).

To meet rising customer expectations around personalisation, marketers are moving beyond broad audience segmentations, like location or age, to more specific identifiers like individual preferences or past interactions. There is also a difference between how the highest and lowest performing marketing teams adapt. High performers fully personalise across an average of 6 channels, compared with underperformers who fully personalise across 2.

Lastly, the report stated that marketers in Singapore are most concerned about improving marketing ROI in a highly competitive landscape, yet their biggest struggle lies in both measuring results and engaging with customers in real time.

Talking about the report, Wendy Walker, vice president of marketing for Salesforce ASEAN, said, “As Marketers, we are used to the pressure of needing to do more with less whilst meeting the increasing expectations of consumers – especially around personalisation. And so it’s no wonder that we are leading the way with integrating AI. AI makes personalisation at scale a reality, while also driving greater opportunity for brand consistency and storytelling at every touchpoint and fuelling efficiency for our teams.”

“However, as we embrace this technology, what becomes critical is the need for the data we work with to be unified across systems, to give us a comprehensive view of customer engagements. Technology should empower creativity, allowing marketers to deliver meaningful and relevant content to their audiences; this is only possible with trusted data,” she added.

Singapore – Salesforce, together with IMDA, has announced the launch of the Data + AI Boost SME Program. This initiative aims to provide 5,000 small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in Singapore, at all stages of digital maturity, with the tools and expertise they need to utilise the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) by unlocking the value of their data.

Businesses and employees will receive help implementing digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), gaining an advantage, and providing personnel with the training they need to make the most of these technological advancements. Salesforce and IMDA are working together to make this initiative available to 5,000 Singaporean SMEs. 

Salesforce’s new Data+AI Boost SME Program intends to assist SMEs in utilising their valuable but frequently underutilised data assets, which are generally dispersed across numerous systems such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, data lakes, and legacy systems. This effort aims to establish a strong data foundation for AI. 

As part of the Data+AI Boost program, SMEs can receive one-on-one consultations to help them evaluate their needs and business obstacles. It also provides Trailhead, Salesforce’s online learning platform, with access to information and learning resources. With the aid of these materials, SMEs will be able to fully utilise their data assets, comprehend the moral applications of AI and data, and make responsible use of technology. 

The usefulness of AI depends on the quality and integration of the underlying data, even though it presents SMEs with a huge chance to improve operational efficiency, customer service, and income. According to 61% of Singaporean workers surveyed by Salesforce’s AI Trust Quotient, lacking data makes it harder for people to trust AI. This indicates that data is essential for fostering confidence in AI. 70% of employees who don’t trust AI said it doesn’t have enough data to be helpful. 

Singapore’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may expand and compete by leveraging AI and valuable, integrated data to better identify and address market trends, consumer preferences, and areas for improvement. SMEs can make use of the tools and expertise offered by this program to scale their businesses more quickly and achieve faster growth. 

The new Salesforce initiative was unveiled at Asia Tech x Enterprise 2024 in collaboration with IMDA. This program is a component of the partner commitments that support the Ministry of Communications and Information’s Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB).

The DEB aims to empower Singaporean enterprises and their workers in the next phase of their digital transformation efforts by focusing on four areas: empowering enterprises to be smarter by adopting AI-enabled solutions, enabling enterprises to scale faster through integrated digital solutions, equipping enterprises to be safer through improved cyber resilience, and upskilling workers to fully leverage digital capabilities.

SMEs identify developing technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the top business trends impacting their operations, according to the Singapore Business Federation’s National Business Survey 2023/2024. Increasing revenue was also stated as their main objective for the coming year. 

Speaking about the launch, Leong Der Yao, assistant chief executive, Sectoral Transformation Group, IMDA, said, “Aligned with Singapore Digital Enterprise Blueprint, IMDA is excited to partner with Salesforce to enable our SMEs to stay ahead of the curve. The Data + AI Boost SME program by Salesforce will help strengthen AI adoption for the broad base of SMEs by firstly providing them with the know-how to unlock the full potential of their data assets as well as providing access to resources to understand the ethical use of data and AI. We look forward to the support of industry partners to enable SMEs to leverage technology to be more competitive and scale faster in today’s fast moving digital economy.” 

Meanwhile, Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager for Salesforce ASEAN, stated, “SMEs are the bedrock of the Singapore economy, and need access to AI and its foundational building blocks to support their growth and competitiveness in the future. Setting up the right data foundations will put them in the best possible position to embrace AI. After all, AI tools are only as good as the data those tools are accessing and acting upon. The immediate challenge for SMEs is to ensure that their data sets are interconnected in a way that is valuable.” 

He added, “Through the Data + AI Boost SME Program, Salesforce is making AI more accessible for SMEs to compete and succeed in today’s economy.”