AgentForce is a new Salesforce product that empowers organisations to enable their own automated AI customer support systems. These AI-powered ‘Agents’ can interact with customers through various service channels—such as support chatbots, phone calls and other digital interfaces—performing tasks automatically and reducing the need for human intervention. The difference in AgentForce is that, unlike traditional chatbots, these agents can carry out processes and interact with an organisation’s Salesforce CRM and data systems to support users and consumers.
Salesforce AgentForce has two distinct components: the Salesforce Assistant and the Salesforce Agent. The Assistant is designed to support employees by automating repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic, high-value work. It is an internal tool that seamlessly integrates with Salesforce data to streamline operations and increase efficiency. The Agent, on the other hand, is an external, customer-facing tool that manages interactions through automation, delivering personalised, 24/7 support without human intervention. Together, they offer a complete solution for enhancing user and consumer service.
Key Features of Salesforce AgentForce
AgentForce has intuitive features designed to optimise internal and external organisational interactions. These features are powered by AI technologies like Generative AI and natural language processing (NLP), making it a standout in AI capabilities. Let’s take a closer look at what features you may find within Salesforce AgentForce:
1. Voice-to-Text and Text-to-Voice Capabilities
The Assistant and Agent are equipped with advanced voice-to-text and text-to-voice functions. Internal users can issue verbal commands and consumers can speak to the Agent as if talking to a live representative. The system then converts spoken input into text, processes it, and delivers a voice-based response when necessary.
- Use Case: A user might ask, “Show me the pricing for”. AgentForce captures the voice query, converts it to text, accesses product pricing information and provides historical pricing from recent deals. It then reads it back to the customer via voice.
2. Topics and Intents Mapping for Complex Requests
AgentForce can break down user inputs into topics and intents. This feature allows the system to understand the purpose behind a consumer or employee query, enabling it to take the appropriate actions based on the identified intent.
- How It Works: When a consumer asks, “Can you help me change my payment method?” the Agent recognises the topic (billing) and the intent (updating payment details) and then executes the necessary actions to complete the request.
3. Query Salesforce CRM Data for Personalised Responses
As AgentForce integrates with your Salesforce Platform, it provides access to real-time contact data. Whether employees use the Assistant to retrieve sales data or consumers interact with the Agent for booking-related questions, the system can quickly query relevant data and provide accurate, personalised responses.
- Use Case: A consumer asks for the history of their recent transactions. The Agent queries the CRM and instantly provides a detailed list of the consumer’s interactions and payments.
4. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) Grounded in Knowledge Articles
To ensure that responses are accurate and grounded in verified information, AgentForce uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). This combines AI-generated responses with knowledge pulled from an organisation’s database of articles or documents, ensuring that consumers receive answers based on organisational policies and the latest available data.
- Example: A consumer asks technical questions like “How do I reset my password?” The Agent retrieves the correct steps from the organisation’s knowledge base and uses Generative AI to present the response in a clear, conversational manner.
5. Generative AI for Composing Human-like Responses
AgentForce leverages Generative AI to craft human-like responses to complex queries. This ensures that the Agent can handle a wide range of questions, requests, and conversations—offering the kind of rich, contextual replies typically expected from human representatives.
- Use Case: A customer might ask, “Can you summarise the benefits of upgrading my service plan?” The Agent uses Generative AI to craft a detailed, informative response based on the customer’s current plan and CRM data.
6. Deterministic Actions for Predefined Workflows
While AgentForce is driven by AI, it also uses deterministic actions for specific tasks. This means certain processes, such as updating an address or processing a refund, follow clearly defined steps stored in a database of topics, intents and actions. These workflows ensure that requests are handled consistently and correctly.
- Example: A customer asks to change their shipping address. The Agent identifies the request, follows a predefined workflow for address updates, and completes the task without human involvement.
7. Multi-Channel Access: Chatbots, Phone and More
Agents can be deployed across multiple service channels, including chat interfaces, phone systems and social media platforms. This flexibility ensures that customers can engage with the Agent wherever they are, whether through a website chatbot or a voice-based phone interaction.
- Example: A customer might start a conversation with a chatbot on a website, continue through email, and finish on a phone call. AgentForce seamlessly integrates these interactions, ensuring a consistent and coherent experience across platforms.
The Future of Automation and AI with Salesforce AgentForce
Salesforce AgentForce advances customer service and automation. It modernises how organisations interact with their employees and consumers. The introduction of Agent Builder allows organisations to customise their own autonomous Agents, ensuring that support systems can evolve alongside customer needs and organisational goals.
Whether you’re looking to boost employee productivity or create frictionless, scalable customer service experiences, Salesforce AgentForce provides a powerful, intelligent platform that helps organisations stay competitive and customer-focused in an increasingly digital world. AgentForce not only makes Salesforce a tool for managing data but a dynamic platform for driving innovation through AI and automation.
