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Salesforce Confirms the Future of CPQ
CPQ has felt like an underappreciated Salesforce product for quite some time now, and now Salesforce have officially revealed that CPQ will be entering an “End of Sale” (EOS) phase.
This means that Salesforce will stop selling the product, but current customers will still be able to use the product with the same level of support from Salesforce. They will also be able to renew their subscription. However, Salesforce will not be selling the product to any new customers.
This confirms the suspicions of many in the ecosystem, especially as it has not been updated for a couple of years. However, for the sizeable community that do use and love the tool, it’s good to know that access will not be restricted for them.
Salesforce Summer ‘25 Release: What to Expect and How to Prepare
The next release of the Salesforce calendar is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start talking about all things Summer ‘25.
The preparation for these updates is due by May 2025, when Salesforce begins turning on these release updates along with the Summer ‘25 updates. Here are the main points you need to know:
- Release updates should be enabled in a sandbox first so you can test any impacts on your systems or ways of working.
- Salesforce may sometimes delay the enforcement of a release update or cancel it altogether. Be sure to check the release notes for the latest changes, as things can change or shift around!
- Be sure to check out the full notes to see what is being released so you know what to expect.
New Salesforce Virtual Agentforce Hackathon Announced With $140,000 in Prizes: Details Here
After the success of the latest Agentforce Hackathon at TrailblazerDX, Salesforce have announced a new virtual Hackathon with $140,000 in prizes to win.
Like before, participants will develop a new solution using Agentforce, build a new agent using Agent Builder, and create a series of custom actions to solve a business problem. More specifically:
- The agent can be internal (employee-facing) or external (customer- and partner-facing).
- Participants must submit a video of “about five minutes” which demonstrates their submission. The videos must be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook and made public.
- Competitors should submit their admin credentials, Salesforce org ID, and a one-to-two-sentence pitch explaining the project.
- There is a total of $140,000 to be won in prizes, broken down into six sections.
- Entries will be judged on five criteria, including business relevance and creativity.
The submission period is from 9am on March 5 to 4pm on April 30, and the winners will be announced “on or around” May 20 at 2pm.
Salesforce vs. ServiceNow: The Battle for ITSM and CRM Heats Up
New updates in the Salesforce vs. ServiceNow rhetoric now mean that the two industry players are firmly in each other’s markets.
Last month, we reported that ServiceNow had officially entered the CRM space, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently announced the company’s entry into IT Service Management (ITSM), a domain traditionally dominated by ServiceNow.
ITSM refers to the processes, frameworks, and tools organizations use to design, deliver, manage, and improve IT services. Although this venture is strong, especially with a tool like Agentforce under Salesforce’s belt, there will be some challenges.
For one, it could be argued that Salesforce is just a little too late to the game. ServiceNow has been the dominant player in ITSM for years, and they have a deep integration with IT operations, making it difficult for Salesforce to break in.
However, there is nothing to say that Salesforce won’t be able to find the resources to accomplish this successfully – it’s simply a matter of finding the right approach that offers customers something that ServiceNow doesn’t.
The 10 Golden Rules of Salesforce Certifications
There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Salesforce certifications recently – specifically, are they worth it? What are the best ones to take?
Answers will vary depending on who you ask, but there is still no denying that having a select Salesforce certification or two under your belt will never hurt, as they can provide an extra affirmation of your knowledge.
For the best chance of success, we recommend following these golden rules:
- They are Good for Beginners: There is a debate on how many are too many certs, but for someone getting started as a Salesforce admin, getting your first administrator qualification could only really be seen as a positive step forward.
- They’re No Substitute for Experience.
- More is Not (Necessarily) Better. Having more certifications than a rival Salesforce admin vying for the same position as you might not be a point in your favor and may actually count against you in some circumstances.
- Specificity is Key. More is not necessarily better, but perhaps more of the right kind of certification is, in fact, a good thing.
- Consider Market Demand.
