Agentforce World Tour Brings Agentic AI to Auckland
Agentforce World Tour Auckland offered a glimpse at the future of work, where AI agents empower teams and redefine customer interactions. Here’s a recap of the innovations and insights that left New Zealand’s business leaders inspired and ready for what’s next.
That’s a wrap! Packed with insights, interactive sessions, and an up-close look at how humans with agents are redefining what’s possible, Agentforce World Tour Auckland was a huge success.
Here’s a look at the highlights as Auckland’s Trailblazers experienced Agentforce, newly unveiled at Dreamforce 2024.
Auckland, meet Agentforce: What AI was meant to be
In Auckland, a new era of AI-driven business transformation took centre stage. Hamish Miles, Managing Director at Salesforce, introduced the audience to the power of AI agents, designed not to replace humans, but to work alongside them.
With Agentforce, businesses can create AI agents that don’t just assist but think, reason, and act. Agents are what AI was meant to be — augmenting employees, improving customer experiences, and driving revenue.
The audience also caught a glimpse into some early success stories, including Saks, where Agentforce is helping deliver a high-touch, luxury experience for millions of customers — a feat previously unthinkable. Saks deployed its first AI agent in just one week and is set to give every shopper their own AI stylist and concierge, across any channel.
“Agentforce will free up our people to work in a different way with our clients. It’s not going to replace, it’s going to augment,” said Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks Global.
Agents get their power from Data Cloud
For AI agents to deliver personalised, relevant experiences, they need the right data. Data Cloud is the heart of the Salesforce Platform, seamlessly bringing together structured and unstructured data to activate with Agentforce.
On the keynote stage, Kevin Doyle announced the 200 new Data Cloud connectors, enabling seamless data integration from external sources like Google Cloud and AWS, without moving the data — thanks to the new Zero Copy Partner Network. This keeps data secure and makes every agent smarter and more responsive, able to act on customer information in real time.
Shireen Cowie, Head of CRM Platforms, Salesforce Administrator, and Salesforce Architect at Fisher & Paykel Appliances, took to the stage to share how the company has unified its teams around a single view of the customer.
As its primary source of customer insight, Data Cloud enables more personalised, AI-powered interactions across sales, service, and marketing. In fact, AI agents now handle 30% of live chat customer service queries for Fisher & Paykel.
Humans with AI deliver effortless service
Customer service is one of the first areas where agents are making a big impact. While traditional chatbots have been useful for handling simple, repetitive requests, they fall short when a conversation pivots outside of their pre-programmed scope.
This is where Agentforce Service Agents excel — they can engage in complex dialogues, adapt in real-time, and navigate customer requests with empathy and precision.
Bene Anderson, Senior Manager of Technology at Stats NZ highlighted the importance of AI-driven adaptability, especially at scale. With a mission to reach 6.5 million households, Stats NZ relies on real-time reporting and optimised routing to improve success rates and respond quickly to changing conditions. Data security and privacy are critical priorities, especially given the sensitive nature of their collection activities.
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AI and Agentforce are transforming New Zealand’s industries
Every industry faces its unique challenges, and that’s where Agentforce truly shines. Across 9 breakout sessions—including a dedicated Agentforce session—and 9 product demos, attendees saw firsthand how Agentforce is transforming businesses. The event came to life with insights from 10 dynamic customer speakers, including Parkable, realestate.co.nz, McLeod Cranes, MediaWorks, Fisher & Paykel Appliances, Stats NZ, and more—each sharing real-world stories of innovation and impact.
With over 100 new industry-specific AI prompts introduced, Agentforce is designed to tackle the diverse needs of sectors like retail, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and the public sector.
Explore the new AI use case library to see the out-of-the-box solutions tailored to your industry. Parkable is one business using AI to make customer interactions smoother and more efficient. With more than 200,000 app users booking and paying for parking, Parkable has introduced an autonomous agent to handle simple customer questions, while more complex cases are seamlessly routed to the right customer representatives. Cases are managed in Service Cloud, where reps can see customer bookings in real time, providing faster, more personalised support with just a few clicks.
Work in the age of agents
In today’s fast-paced work environment, too much time is lost to busy work — endless meetings, chasing emails, and juggling apps. In fact, 41% of work is spent on low-value and repetitive tasks.
Enter Slack. As a single operating system for work, Slack brings people, data, workflows, and now AI agents together, unlocking the full potential of Agentforce within the flow of work. By eliminating barriers like disjointed communications and fragmented data, teams with Slack can collaborate seamlessly and get back to what matters — delivering results.
And it’s not just talk. As Scott McLeod, Managing Director at McLeod Cranes shared, “Our vision is to create an ecosystem where Salesforce, Slack, and agents work together to not only deliver information, but to drive real-time action. This integration will empower our teams to make smarter, faster decisions, and transform how we operate in the future.”
A commitment to New Zealand’s natural heritage
As Hamish Miles put it, “Business is the greatest platform for change.” Alongside its mission to drive technological innovation, Salesforce is deeply committed to environmental stewardship. Recognising the essential role of ecosystem restoration in achieving global climate goals, Salesforce co-founded the 1 Trillion Trees coalition with the World Economic Forum, pledging to conserve and grow at least 100 million trees worldwide.
This commitment came to life at Agentforce World Tour Auckland, where Salesforce partnered with Trees That Count to plant 1000 native trees. These trees are part of efforts across Aotearoa to create habitats, build community, and protect unique environments — from Shakespeare Regional Park to Canterbury and beyond.
Bring Agentforce to life on the Campground
Agentforce World Tour Auckland wasn’t just about listening — it was about doing.
In the bustling Campground, attendees rolled up their sleeves and got hands-on with Agentforce. Over 420 attendees rose to the challenge, building their very first agent then and there.
Didn’t get a chance to build your first agent at Agentforce World Tour?
Sign up for a virtual workshop to give it a try, with the help of Salesforce experts.
How to maximise success with AI and Agentforce
As the event came to a close and attendees gathered at the Campground, one thing was clear: Agentforce is set to transform how Trailblazers from New Zealand operate.
To help you on your Agentforce journey, here are four takeaways from the day:
- Align your AI vision – Ensure your AI strategy aligns with your business goals, values, and risk appetite.
- Focus on high-impact use cases – Prioritise use cases based on:
- Desirability: Does it improve the user experience?
- Viability: Will it deliver ROI?
- Feasibility: Is the technology and data in place?
- Tolerance: Do you have governance and risk controls?
- Gain stakeholder alignment – Collaborate early with key stakeholders, communicate benefits, and test high-impact areas to build momentum.
- Prepare your data – Start with high-value datasets, ensuring they’re secure and accessible with the help of your Salesforce partner.
Agentforce World Tour was a blast, but now the real fun starts as you welcome Agentforce into your business where it can unlock unlimited potential with your team.
If you’d like to join us next time, be sure to register for one of our upcoming in-person or virtual Agentforce events:
- Agentforce World Tour Melbourne, 19 November, 2024
- Slack’s APAC Pioneers of Change: 2024 Customer Showcase
What if your workforce had no limits?
It’s possible when humans with agents drive customer success together.
