Adtran is one of the innovation leaders in the field of network infrastructure. Adtran has been relying on Salesforce since 2009 and uses the platform as a centralised system for mapping its sales, service and marketing processes. In order to efficiently manage the growing range of products and the corresponding customer enquiries, the company has recently started using Agentforce – bringing a new dynamic to the service organisation. „The impetus to use Agentforce came from Accenture – including the opportunity to implement the proof of concept in a subsidised manner,“ explains Karol Gwizdala, Director Global CRM Innovations and Solutions at Adtran. „We wanted to automate simple, frequently asked customer enquiries – for example about spare parts delivery or repair status. This is precisely one of Agentforce’s great strengths. Within five weeks, we implemented the proof of concept (PoC) together with Accenture – with daily testing, close coordination and iterative optimisation. It could hardly have been faster or more agile.“ Oana Kühnel, Industry Deputy Lead Liquid Application Services DACH at Accenture, adds: „I approached Adtran with the idea directly after the Agentforce training in Amsterdam – two weeks later, all the approvals were in place and the project could start. This speed was remarkable. Other companies struggle for months to get the right contracts – we were ready to go within two weeks.“
Our agent blazer Karol Gwizdala on …
… the fast, structured and agile implementation
„The go-ahead was given in January – and just a few weeks later we had an initial, functioning result. Accenture guided us through the entire process in a structured manner, precisely defined the relevant use cases and also considered security-critical aspects from the outset. Today – just a few months later – we are already testing Agentforce with significantly larger amounts of data in the final phase before going live. At the same time, a second use case, automated case summarisation for shift changes and for streamlining the support process and customer communication, is nearing completion. This shows that with the right methodology, the right agent and the right partner, innovation can not only be accelerated, but also sustainably anchored.“
… 20 per cent relief in support
„Our goal was not full automation, but noticeable relief. In future, Agentforce will take over repetitive tasks – this saves time, reduces the workload and increases satisfaction in the service team. We expect this to reduce the workload in the hotline area by around 20 per cent.It is particularly helpful that even colleagues without in-depth programming knowledge can use and customise Agentforce and thus create real added value. This fundamentally changes our approach. Instead of traditional coding, we now check new requirements to see whether custom development is really needed or whether an intelligent agent will suffice.“
… Taking AI further
„We are currently evaluating other areas of application – from user provisioning and internal access analyses to the use of Agentforce outside the customer portal. At the same time, we are planning to integrate Case Summarization into our shop portal – everything should be live by August. We want to gain more time for the essentials and focus less on manual, repetitive tasks and more on complex technical challenges. The path to an agent-based future has only just begun. We see Agentforce not just as a tool, but as a new way of thinking. We see AI agents as real accelerators, not just for service, but for our entire innovation culture.“
Our Agentblazer Oana Kühnel on …
… strong partnerships that fully utilise the potential
„In less than five months, Accenture realised 26 Agentforce PoCs worldwide – supported by a network of over 1,200 colleagues who were specifically trained for Agentforce and the Data Cloud. Thanks to this network, we were able to draw on a wealth of expertise at any time and quickly find well-founded answers to even complex, previously unanswered questions. Together with Adtran and Salesforce, we were able to get Agentforce ready for production in record time. Whenever we reached functional limits, our Accenture experts were assisted by Salesforce’s technical architects – support that went far beyond the usual. This project was a real team effort: three partners, one goal, and exceptionally constructive cooperation. This is exactly how innovation succeeds. With the right partnership, AI can not only be tried out – it can be utilised in a tangible, measurable and customer-oriented way. Agentforce opens up new scope – through intelligent automation that reacts flexibly instead of rigidly regulating.“
