Salesforce and Microsoft unveiled new AI gross sales brokers yesterday, fueling a fiery company grudge match.
Salesforce introduced the upgraded Agentforce 2dx, whereas Microsoft launched its AI Accelerator for Gross sales alongside new Gross sales Agent and Gross sales Chat brokers. Whereas all these instruments purpose to spice up gross sales productiveness and effectivity, they’ve distinctly completely different strategic approaches.
Similarities
Agentforce 2dx and Gross sales AI purpose to boost gross sales processes, nurture leads extra successfully and speed up deal closures. Each combine with their respective CRM programs. Microsoft’s brokers will work with Dynamics 365 Gross sales and a few third-party CRMs like Salesforce, whereas Agentforce 2dx is deeply embedded inside the Salesforce platform.
Moreover, each firms present instruments to construct, customise and deploy these AI brokers. Microsoft does this by way of Microsoft Copilot Studio. Salesforce launched the AgentExchange market and the Agentforce Developer Version alongside Agentforce 2dx.
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Variations
Regardless of these similarities, there are important variations in capabilities, positioning and different areas.
Capabilities
- Salesforce’s Agentforce 2dx operates within the background, anticipates enterprise wants based mostly on knowledge adjustments and takes actions with out requiring express consumer prompts. This makes it a lot nearer to a “true” AI agent and fewer like two apps working collectively.
- Microsoft’s Gross sales Agent and Gross sales Chat are extra user-initiated by means of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat. Price noting: Gross sales Agent possesses autonomous capabilities for lead analysis and assembly scheduling.
Positioning
- Salesforce is positioning Agentforce 2dx as an answer that extends past CRM, providing integration with an array of workflows and functions by means of the Agentforce API and MuleSoft.
- Gross sales Agent and Gross sales Chat are aligned with the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 ecosystems. Nonetheless, they will work together with exterior CRM programs.
Market and growth
AgentExchange and developer capabilities could also be a big benefit for Salesforce.
AgentExchange lets companions and customers share and promote pre-built AI brokers and actions, focusing strongly on safety and consumer critiques. Whereas Microsoft’s AI Accelerator for Gross sales program contains “pre-built brokers,” there’s no signal but of an identical open market.
Salesforce’s free Agentforce Developer Version has entry to Knowledge Cloud and a set of developer instruments, together with AI help in Agent Builder, a Testing Heart, CLI and VS Code Assist, and DX Inspector. Microsoft emphasizes Microsoft Copilot Studio for customized agent creation and the flexibility to leverage Microsoft AI specialists for mannequin fine-tuning, however there’s no comparable developer surroundings.
Agentforce 2dx can be usually out there subsequent month, whereas AgentExchange and the Developer Version can be found now. Gross sales Agent and Gross sales Chat are slated for public preview in Could.
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