Be less concerned about the how.
A lot of times, people are like,
but here’s how I want to do it.
And this agentic technology is
that if you fall in love with the how,
and be flexible on the how,
Just get out there and start practicing.
here live from Cannes Lions
Joe Inzerillo, Chief Digital Officer.
Thank you, Joe, for being here
We’re super excited to sit down with you
on what you’re seeing here at this event.
You also have a lot of contacts here
from your very amazing background.
So we're just getting started here
you have experience here as well
or things that are jumping out of you?
Well, I mean I definitely think,
you know, it sounds a little bit trite,
you can't walk past anybody's beach,
without hearing people talk about that.
And obviously that's where
we're very focused as well.
So, we're definitely there, in the pack.
And I think in a lot of ways
a little bit more about that.
You're checking in with different brands
and have different meetings.
How do you see Salesforce in the way
we're sitting in the conversations
as compared to those that surround us.
you know, you used to express,
like, how far our companies
And now I think it's months
where we are with Agentforce.
You know, we've come such a long way
since the debut of Agentforce.
really starting to get good success
stories and good customers
that are taking real value,
making great experiences.
But I think when you look at
There are some folks that are terrified
and just getting started,
that are going to finishing school
on their first sort of set of agents
definitely towards the front of it,
we've really gotten to a point
demonstrate a lot of value,
and we could do so very quickly,
that have our other clouds.
It's sort of just turn it on
and really start to experiment.
Yeah, the barrier of entry
is a little bit lower for those
that are really ready for it.
what you're saying is that we're starting
to establish ourselves truly as a
perhaps those who are more skeptical
and need a little bit of support
in those early conversations.
for a big brand or company,
or small brand or company,
they're trying to figure out
what their path is and to chart it.
And so certainly for folks
that we already have relationships
with, we're a natural, trusted partner.
We've been with them for a long time.
They've seen us deliver real value.
we're a great onramp into it.
that we have the potential.
I'm seeing early signs of it,
where we're starting to break out
into companies that maybe
haven't thought about us first
But I think the message is starting
that we have a real solution here.
and you know, it's got a lot of power.
if we wind up with companies
and then start to experience
that already have our clouds
moving into the agentic space.
with a lot of incredible brands,
including Disney and Sirius XM.
You were a customer of Salesforce
much before you joined us,
which we're very excited to have you.
what have been a couple things
that are surprising to you in that shift,
and apply it in the conversations
I certainly think that all customers
the most important customer.
And so one of the amazing things
is just the breadth of customers
we have and the difference in customer.
So, we just have an incredibly huge base
and an incredibly diverse
Sometimes, the things outside in
but I also think that one of the things
that resonates with folks
that I'm talking to out here
is really that practitioner mindset.
having operated these things,
understanding what the problems are
for the rest of the ecosystem
and how it plays into it.
And I think that's a big part of
is to provide a sounding board.
And in some cases, it's just strategy
that people are still trying
to sort through, you know.
With something like Data Cloud,
across a bunch of organizations
that may be very diverse in the past,
different instances, different clouds,
that are already dyed in the wool
it does bring up operational challenges.
some of the large companies
especially when you could say,
this is the way that we approach this,
maybe that would work for you.
And that gets to the trusted partners
thing that you mentioned before,
us being a trusted partner
not just always in a selling motion,
but really in a success motion
And part of that success motion
is bringing some outside perspective.
a thoughtful conversation
Yeah, I think that’s right.
because you could tell even
from some of the technologists
they look at their other folks
You know, that they're not keeping up the
or whomever is not keeping up
And then for other folks,
they're actually happy about that
because they're a little terrified
about where it's going too.
And they're like, well, okay, it's
okay that we take a little bit
because I'm still learning too.
But I think, like I said, it
of where our customers are and
we just need to meet them
Some of those things may be like,
that's a little bit less ambitious
when we see that we can actually alter
the trajectory of the business,
Then, we can go back and keep adding
And I think especially for us,
when we start doing things
like Data Cloud and Agentforce,
which are really consumption sales,
we want to spin those dials
but we also want our customers
and just get out there and get after it
And, you know, the version two
is going to be better than version one.
Version three will be better
continuous improvement cycle
I think is something that's essential
in the agentic world especially,
because it is not a fixed point in time.
There's no such thing as ship
Right. And the pace of innovation
is outpacing any innovation
to what's happening for each industry
and how to remain relevant there.
And you talk a little bit
Can you tell me what is a hero agent?
both for ourselves internally
in my previous experience
and what I'm seeing with customers,
is the customers that have a really,
really crisp idea of what they want to do
are the ones that are successful.
don't make up a role that’s like,
well, we have this problem
where these four departments
don't quite work together.
So let's actually put an agent there
It's not a great way to go.
okay, what's the subset of the sales,
let's say associates’ job?
every day that we can automate?
And then, making an agent
and very specific to that use case,
continuing to iterate and
improve that agent over time.
narrowing that scope down
to something that's achievable,
I think is absolutely essential.
we will get to multi-agent coordinations,
all those other sorts of things
that we get coming down the pike.
with a real focus on the what,
you're never going to get there.
And I also think that's equally important
is to be less concerned about the how.
So a lot of times people are like,
but here's how I want to do it.
And this agentic technology,
that if you fall in love with the how,
you're probably going to get left behind.
So it's really about finding out the what
and being flexible on the how
Just get out there and start practicing.
We saw that with Dreamforce
when we launched Ask Agentforce.
We just knew in a big picture idea
but we really didn't think
the technology could build it.
on the right technologists
and really were blown away
at what had delivered and how much
it improved the experience.
And then we were able to roll that out
anywhere can now do the same thing.
So I think it's a good example of
there is a great place to start.
when you have a great hero
agent that you can go after?
Like, what are the criteria
or it's defined in this way
that might be helpful for our team
And when they talk to customers,
how do we get to your hero
agent that we should start with?
it sort of can't really be iterated on.
that this agent's going to do?
And how are you going to know
when we talk about something,
what we're really looking for is
or increase in throughput of the deals
they're able to work at the same time,
but really trying to figure out
something that you can iterate on
or down, depending on which direction
Without the sense of measurement,
But, you know, if it's customer-facing,
what's the CSAT, what's the handle time?
that we're going to use for a key result?
is it retaining a customer
or is it upselling a customer?
a couple of those to go into it,
and then defining the use case.
When you start to see that wheel turn,
that you're on the right path.
sort of life cycle of like, I understood,
you know, I wanted to do this thing.
how it was going to measure it.
But now I'm starting to see results.
Now I'm continuing to refine
And when you get the wheel spinning,
that's when you really start
when you can start to say, okay, great.
we hear a lot about all the AI hype.
we're a bit ahead of the curve
because we actually have AI delivered
within tools that you're already using.
But I would imagine that also puts
a tremendous amount of pressure on us
you're in a very unique position
you know, guiding Customer Zero.
So not only do you have to support us
as an organization, generally operating
well and living our values,
but also as you're pushing new agents
into what we do here at Salesforce,
the pressure to get it right
Salesforce on Salesforce.
So how do you think about that,
agents for us as a customer
and making sure that, you know,
we're deploying it in the right way
We went through a growth spurt
where we had as many agents as possible.
And so we had, you know, 100-plus agents,
many of which were just not that useful.
And I think that was part
The great thing about Salesforce is
we do those learning curves very quickly.
So we very quickly realized
that wasn't the way to go after it.
any technology, you know, people
a lot of times like to talk about,
and the very hardcore technical stuff,
and that's all critically important.
But I actually think as a technologist,
the most important quality
that we need to have is empathy.
And so one of the things that we have
Zero is we've gone through
hopefully a little bit faster
than our customer because we are leading
not only our own efforts,
but hopefully helping lead the industry
a good deal of empathy for the customer
so that when they have a conversation of,
hey, we're struggling with this.
and here's how we got through it.
I think it's a critical component
of Customer Zero is that empathy.
sprinting ahead of the product
where we're going to go out there
and we're going to try a couple of things
and figure out if they work.
so new that the odds that we're going to
be right on every single thing
a bunch of different things
and figure out which ones work,
and then codify those into product
offerings for our customers.
I think that's a type of empathy
where it's like rooted in
empirical trial and error.
But it's also one of those things
that develops a little bit of,
you know, call it road feel.
We know how to drive this car.
And we could talk to our customers
in a way that is relatable to them
because it's that practitioner mindset.
Maybe you have three resources
that you might recommend for
someone who is approaching
becoming more of an expert,
and feeling more confident
in the way that they can speak about it.
What would you recommend?
number one is play around with it.
You know, we do provide a lot of tools
You know, you could use Gemini.
Everybody's got access to Gemini.
Hopefully they're using it for,
you know, things like meeting summaries
and all that sort of stuff.
Play around with Agentforce,
I use ChatGPT a whole lot for cooking.
for recipes that you need substitutions.
So, if somebody is gluten-free.
Hey, give me this recipe, gluten-free.
But, just get out there and practice.
You know, I think a lot of times,
as people tend to get older,
we get a little scared of failure,
you don't even think about failure.
you know, like, like Mark
says, the beginner's mind.
mind is not being terrified of failure.
you're going to make some mistakes,
some of this stuff's going to be weird,
and no make sense to you.
you're going to know how to do it.
the analogy of driving a car.
When you first got behind the wheel
and you were driving a car,
you know, white knuckling it. Yeah.
Oh my God, what do I have to do now?
hesitating, second-guessing.
Now, it's like you're driving a car,
you're on the phone. Don't ever do this.
But, you're multitasking.
You don't even think about the driving
And so, the number one thing is
just get out there and do it.
Trailhead is a great resource,
take the agent certification
There's a lot of great information
there that I think is really fantastic.
it is in the zeitgeist right now. So,
find people that you resonate with
that are speaking to you,
whether it's a podcast or a blog
or somebody that you feel
resonates and is speaking to you
in the way that you want to be spoken to
and just dive in, immerse yourself in it.
And that goes back to, see point one,
which is just play with it.
When you see one of these things,
I took a picture of my washing machine
when I got here at Cannes.
Yeah, because none of the symbols
make any sense to an American.
And it was able to tell me
I was thinking about that
ever been able to take a photo?
give me the steps one, two, three
in order to wash this clothing.
So, you heard it here first,
start using ChatGPT for recipes.
I use it to plan a trip to Disneyland
I cut a lot of lines with that.
I think this is a great note to end on
just how incredible it is for you to
use it in easy, low-lift, simple ways
that make you feel comfortable,
And then, before you know it,
you'll be off to the races.
our little Tiny Mic show.
