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All of us have been performing great find this difficult to offer you actual Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant examination questions and solutions, along with details. Each Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant question upon killexams.com offers has been certified simply by SalesForce certified specialists. These people are exceptionally certified and certified individuals, who have many times of specialist experience identified along with the Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant exam. Learning our Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant test prep is enough to pass Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant examination with high represents.

Exam Code: Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant Practice exam 2023 by Killexams.com team
Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant
Exam Details for Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant:

Exam Specification:
- Number of Questions: The exam typically consists of multiple-choice questions, with a total of approximately 60 questions.
- Time Limit: The total time allocated for the exam is usually 105 minutes.
- Passing Score: The passing score for the exam varies, but it is generally set around 68% or higher.
- exam Format: The exam is usually conducted in a proctored environment, either in-person or online.

Course Outline:

The Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant course covers the following key areas:

1. Nonprofit Sector Overview:
- Understanding the nonprofit sector and its unique challenges
- Nonprofit industry trends and best practices
- Nonprofit technology solutions and their impact

2. Nonprofit Cloud Basics:
- Introduction to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
- Nonprofit Cloud features and capabilities
- Nonprofit data model and architecture
- Nonprofit Cloud integration with other Salesforce products

3. Nonprofit Cloud Implementation:
- Needs assessment and solution design for nonprofits
- Nonprofit data management and migration strategies
- Configuration and customization of Nonprofit Cloud
- Fundraising and donor management in Nonprofit Cloud

4. Program Management and Impact Measurement:
- Program management and constituent engagement
- Volunteer management and engagement
- Outcome measurement and impact reporting
- Grant management and reporting

5. Nonprofit Cloud Administration and Support:
- Nonprofit Cloud administration best practices
- User and permission management in Nonprofit Cloud
- Nonprofit Cloud security and data privacy
- Nonprofit Cloud reporting and analytics

Exam Objectives:

The objectives of the Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant exam are to assess the candidate's understanding of the following:

1. Nonprofit sector overview and challenges.
2. Nonprofit Cloud features and capabilities.
3. Nonprofit Cloud implementation and customization.
4. Program management and impact measurement in Nonprofit Cloud.
5. Nonprofit Cloud administration and support.

Exam Syllabus:

The exam syllabus for Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant includes the following topics:

1. Nonprofit Sector Overview
2. Nonprofit Cloud Basics
3. Nonprofit Cloud Implementation
4. Program Management and Impact Measurement
5. Nonprofit Cloud Administration and Support
Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant
SalesForce Salesforce PDF Download
Killexams : SalesForce Salesforce PDF get - BingNews https://killexams.com/pass4sure/exam-detail/Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant Search results Killexams : SalesForce Salesforce PDF get - BingNews https://killexams.com/pass4sure/exam-detail/Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant https://killexams.com/exam_list/SalesForce Killexams : Salesforce places guardrails around how customers can use its AI

Dive Brief:

  • Salesforce updated its AI acceptable use policy to place guardrails around its AI services, according to a document published Wednesday. The update comes amid increased industry scrutiny over generative AI data use.
  • Customers are not allowed to leverage the company's AI products — or any third-party services linked to Salesforce services — for purposes related to child abuse, deepfakes, prediction of protected categories or automating decisions with legal effects, among other use cases.
  • "These policy updates allow customers to use Salesforce products with confidence, knowing they and their end users are receiving a truly ethical AI experience from product development to deployment," said Paula Goldman, chief ethical and humane use officer at Salesforce, in a blog post Wednesday.

Dive Insight:

The policy update from Salesforce is the latest effort from the provider to address the risk concerns of would-be enterprise technology adopters. 

In June, the company rolled out Einstein GPT Trust Layer, a service designed to let customers access enterprise-ready data security and compliance safeguards while leveraging generative AI tools. 

"The GPT Trust Layer gives connected LLMs secure, real-time access to data without the need to move all of your data into the LLM itself," said Marc Benioff, Salesforce chairman and co-CEO, speaking in May during the company's Q1 2024 earnings call. "While they're using the LLMs, the data itself is not moving and being stored in the LLM. That is what our customers want."

As enterprise adoption of generative AI advances, more than half of IT leaders say inaccuracies and cybersecurity are associated risks of the emerging technology, according to a report from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey. 

Salesforce, with its guidelines clearly stating usage limitations, is showing leadership among the provider ecosystem in terms of responsible AI, according to Juliette Powell and Art Kleiner, professors at New York University.

"On the surface, the new policy may look unenforceable, but it's an addition to Salesforce's Acceptable Use and External Facing Services Policy, which clearly states that violators could lose their Salesforce licenses," the professors said via email. "It will be really interesting to see which companies are targeted first." 

The new policy from Salesforce comes as another major provider updated its own terms of service in response to criticisms over data use. 

Zoom updated its terms and conditions to clarify the provider would be able to access customer content for safety and legal purposes, but not use any customer data to train third-party or its own AI models. 

 Wed, 23 Aug 2023 09:18:00 -0500 Roberto Torres en-US text/html https://www.ciodive.com/news/salesforce-generative-AI-acceptable-use/691694/ Killexams : Salesforce Change Management: 6 Tips to Simplify it

In the ever-evolving landscape of business technology, adapting to change is no longer a choice — it’s a necessity. And when it comes to managing those changes seamlessly, Salesforce stands tall as a powerhouse. However, navigating the intricate realm of Salesforce Change Management can often leave even the most seasoned professionals scratching their heads.

We unveil six invaluable tips that promise to unravel the complexities, making the process not just manageable, but downright straightforward. Whether you’re a salesforce novice or a seasoned pro, these insights will empower you to wield change as a tool for growth, without breaking a sweat.

Clear Change Identification and Prioritization

Before embarking on any salesforce changes, it’s essential to meticulously define the scope and objectives of the proposed modifications. This involves a detailed analysis of the current system, identifying pain points, and recognizing opportunities for enhancement. Once potential changes are identified, a rigorous prioritization process should be employed.

This prioritization should be based on factors such as the anticipated business impact, alignment with strategic goals, and feasibility of implementation. The impacts of any change should be thoroughly evaluated, considering both short-term and long-term consequences. This includes assessing potential disruptions to existing processes, workflows, and user experiences, as well as estimating the financial, resource, and time investments required for successful implementation.

ALSO READ: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SALESFORCE INVESTMENT

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Successful salesforce change management thrives on collaborative efforts across diverse departments. Forming a dedicated change management team comprising representatives from different functional areas fosters a holistic approach. Involving stakeholders early in the process ensures that all perspectives are considered, mitigating resistance and enhancing buy-in.

Open communication channels must be established to facilitate idea sharing, status updates, and issue resolution. This collaborative synergy not only promotes comprehensive change planning but also empowers a sense of ownership among stakeholders. By uniting expertise and insights from various disciplines, organizations can navigate change with collective strength and drive more successful implementations.

Comprehensive Change Documentation

Thorough documentation is the backbone of effective salesforce change management. Detailed records of change requests, requirements, and implementation plans ensure a clear roadmap for all involved. A well-maintained repository of version-controlled documentation facilitates transparency, aiding in tracing the evolution of changes and reducing confusion. This meticulous documentation also supports knowledge transfer, enabling seamless onboarding and continuity.

By meticulously capturing every step and decision, organizations establish a reliable foundation for change, ensuring that stakeholders remain informed and aligned throughout the process. Robust documentation safeguards against uncertainties and serves as a valuable resource for future enhancements.

Thorough Testing and Quality Assurance

Rigorous testing and quality assurance are cornerstones of successful Salesforce change management. Crafting comprehensive test plans and scenarios allows for the meticulous examination of new configurations and functionalities. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) involving end-users validates the changes from a practical standpoint, ensuring they meet user needs and expectations.

Addressing any detected bugs, performance issues, or discrepancies during testing guarantees a smoother transition. A robust testing phase minimizes post-implementation disruptions and fosters user confidence. By prioritizing quality assurance, organizations fortify their change management process, delivering dependable solutions that align seamlessly with business objectives.

User Training and Support

Empowering users through effective training and ongoing support is pivotal in salesforce change management. Developing comprehensive training materials, including guides and tutorials, equips users with the knowledge to navigate new features and processes. Conducting engaging training sessions and workshops enhances user proficiency and fosters a positive transition experience.

Providing accessible avenues for user support, such as help desks or forums, ensures timely issue resolution and knowledge sharing. Prioritizing user training and support cultivates user confidence, reduces frustration, and promotes efficient utilization of the salesforce platform, ultimately contributing to the success of change initiatives.

Effective Change Rollout and Monitoring

A well-executed change rollout and vigilant monitoring are pivotal to salesforce change management success. Careful planning of controlled rollouts or pilot launches ensures gradual adoption and minimizes disruption. Monitoring user adoption, feedback, and system performance provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of implemented changes. Iterative improvements based on real-time data help fine-tune configurations and address evolving needs.

This proactive approach guarantees that the change’s impact aligns with expectations, promoting sustained user satisfaction. By maintaining a watchful eye on the ongoing change process, organizations can swiftly adapt, optimize, and enhance the Salesforce environment, driving long-term success and continuous improvement.

Simplifying Salesforce change management is a multi-faceted endeavor that demands strategic planning, collaboration, documentation, testing, training, and vigilant monitoring. By adhering to these key principles, organizations can navigate transitions with clarity, engage stakeholders effectively, and ensure seamless system enhancements. Embracing change as an iterative process allows for agility and continuous improvement, leading to a Salesforce environment that not only meets current needs but also lays a solid foundation for future innovation and success.

ALSO READ: SALESFORCE GENIE CAN TRANSFORM YOUR SALES STRATEGY

 Sun, 13 Aug 2023 23:03:00 -0500 en-US text/html https://pctechmag.com/2023/08/salesforce-change-management-6-tips-to-simplify-it/ Killexams : Salesforce vs Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2023

Our content is funded in part by commercial partnerships, at no extra cost to you and without impact to our editorial impartiality. Click to Learn More

Our research shows that Salesforce is better than Microsoft Dynamics, offering more features, more team infrastructure functionality, and better customer support. In fact, Microsoft Dynamics is only better on pricing, and it's not by much, with both options representing some of the most expensive CRMs on the market.

That said, both CRMs are respectable choices, particularly for larger businesses. When it comes to customer relationship management (CRM) software, there are many services out there, but these two providers are giants among the rest.

Salesforce is certainly the popular CRM software option, used by thousands of businesses worldwide, thanks largely to its massive features catalog. Microsoft Dynamics, meanwhile, is a great choice for those whose businesses are already integrated with other Microsoft services, such as Outlook and Office 365.

For a thorough look at the benefits and features of Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, take a look at our head-to-head comparison table, below:

Website Live Chat Comms Channel

30 days

30 days

A robust CRM platform that embeds brilliantly with Microsoft products

Google Ads integration

Add-on required

Add-on required

Additional cost

A good way to discover a CRM that can be customized for your needs is to use our handy CRM Quotes Tool to receive tailor-made, zero-obligation CRM cost quotes that take into account your company's individual needs and scale.

Salesforce contact database
Image: Tech.co testing

Microsoft Dynamics vs Salesforce: CRM Systems Compared

Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce are reputable CRM brands from two of the biggest names in global software. While Microsoft is well-known for its consumer and business software – including the ubiquitous Windows and Office platforms – Salesforce is more of a CRM purist.

Indeed, Salesforce is almost a byword for CRM software, it's become so well-established in the field. But that's not to say Microsoft is anything to scoff at. In fact, one of the strongest things going in Microsoft Dynamics' favor is how well this platform can integrate with other Microsoft software. Chances are, your business is already running plenty of other Microsoft tools, so adding Dynamics may be a smart choice.

Let's look in a little more depth at the pros and cons of each of these big-name CRM providers.

Salesforce might help manage your customers

Do you already use CRM Software?

Microsoft Dynamics

The first thing to know about Microsoft Dynamics is that it is heavily integrated into other Microsoft applications. Microsoft's integration doesn't just extend to its desktop software, either.

Even LinkedIn, which Microsoft acquired in 2016, integrates with Dynamics CRM. The platform uses design language similar to other Microsoft software, making it easier for anyone who's already familiar with the look and feel of modern Microsoft applications to feel right at home.

A robust CRM that embeds with Microsoft products

Pros

  • Integrates with Microsoft products
  • Features on par with Salesforce catalog
  • Robust, 24/5 support options

Cons

  • Decidedly expensive
  • Limited API
  • No free plan

Most of the various Microsoft Dynamics services use a dashboard as their starting point similar to Salesforce. Here, you get at-a-glance information about the current state of your business. In Dynamics CRM for Sales, for example, the dashboard supplies current sales revenue, the average deal size, and your sales force's lead conversion rate.

Dashboards are completely customizable and usually take the form of a tiled interface with large lettering for key numerical data, as well as large charts and graphs. Our researchers found the database functionaltiy to be extremely robust, tracking a lot of information, including in-depth timeline options that can show you everything you might need in chronological order.

Let's take a look at three platforms offered by Microsoft Dynamics 365: Sales, Marketing, and Service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

The primary starting point for many is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales. This core CRM app uses predictive analytics to better enhance the sales team's snapshot data and help make better decisions. This is also where Microsoft's LinkedIn integration comes into play; the LinkedIn Sales Navigator (available at higher pricing tiers) leverages your professional network to get introductions to potential leads through a mutual connection.

Beyond sales there's a customer service module that can present key data such as open cases and email history as a dashboard or you can drill deeper with a timeline of interactions. Dynamics also uses a guided three-step process (identify-research-resolve) for dealing with customer services issues. Harnessing Microsoft's server power, Dynamics offers intelligent chatbots that can help customer service agents surface important data about their customers.

The biggest gap for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales is that if offers zero lead capture features at all. Granted, Salesforce doesn't offer much in comparison, providing on web form functionality for lead capture, but at least it's something compared to complete lack of features from Microsoft.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
An expensive, robust tool for analytics that's better suited to current Microsoft users

Pros

  • Lots of data visualization functionality
  • Robust support and help options
  • Top tier business integrations and business processes

Cons

  • A bit on the expensive side
  • No lead capture functionality
  • Limited lead communication features

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing

When it comes to CRM for marketing, the range of products and prices is substantial. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing platform is one the higher end of that spectrum, offering robust automation functionality that can save your team a lot of time.

Still, in the realm of CRM for marketing, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing can be a bit limited, largely because it can only be used for email. The platform offers no features for social, paid, or content marketing, which can be a bit limiting when it comes the scalability, you'd want with a CRM that's this expensive.

Compared to Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics does have a few notably missing features, like keyword monitoring and competitor analysis for content marketing. On top of that, Salesforce provides metric reports for paid marketing, which Microsoft Dynamics does not.

It does integrate excellently with other Microsoft products, though, and you'll get top notch customer support, training, security, and onboarding, so it's up to you!

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing
A bit too expensive for most, but great for managing teams closely

Pros

  • Great email marketing features
  • Robust support and help options
  • Plenty of team organization and coordination tools

Cons

  • No paid or content marketing
  • Very limited social media features
  • Lacks business training

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is probably the best option out of the three, offering a good option for the price. It only offers email support built in, but thanks to the myriad of Microsoft add-ons, you can integrate phone, website live chat, social media, and instant messaging app communications. They'll cost a bit extra, but it could be worth it to have a more complete customer service process.

Even better, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service comes with a bunch of team infrastructure features that can make managing your team that much easier. Pair with software like Outlook and Teams, you'll be able to manage a remote team flawlessly.

It's worth noting that most of these additional features are in the more expensive Enterprise plan, but the overall pricing of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing is at least competitive in the market, unlike the previously mentioned CRMs.

The problem is that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service has a lot of its features behind paywalls, requiring add-ons that cost more to get added functionality. In fact, with any channel other than email, you'll be paying extra, including social and chatbot ticketing, both of which are included with Salesforce.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service
A great, customizable platform aimed at larger businesses

Pros

  • Lots of potential add-ons make for customizable platform
  • Robust support and help options
  • Most security features of CRM on the list

Cons

  • A bit on the expensive side
  • No built-in customer feedback options
  • Many features reserved for Enterprise plan

Salesforce

Widely known as one of the best CRM systems around, Salesforce has much cause for confidence. The company insists, for example, that Salesforce can outdo its main competitors. In truth, the functions of Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics are broadly similar.

Best for growing businesses

Pros

  • 30-day free trial
  • Tailored pricing plans
  • Provides sales and service functionality
  • Lots of analytics and data provided

Cons

  • Lacks basic marketing features
  • Limited help and support functionality
  • Busy interface can be hard to use

The similarities are quite apparent when it comes to the kind of data you can track. Both Dynamics and Salesforce have robust dashboard and analytic options, with our researchers finding that Salesforce offers in-depth chart and visualization builders that can link up different data points, generating powerful insights for your team.

Where Dynamics has its modules, Salesforce has its various “clouds,” such as Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. These two form the major components of its CRM solution. There's also Salesforce Marketing Cloud, the company's marketing platform, which is a great option for streamlining your process for reaching and retaining customers.

Since our last update...

Like the rest of the tech industry, Salesforce has jumped on the AI bandwagon by rolling out a ChatGPT-like assistant that can help users on the platform. Dubbed Einstein GPT, the new AI assistant will make life much easier for those on your team looking for a bit of help.

“Think about all of the emails and chats that come into service agents today. They get inundated. With Einstein GPT for Service, we can auto-generate draft replies so that the agents can respond to customers much faster, and they get final say. They can make any edits before they hit send.” – Clara Shih, GM at Salesforce

Even better, Salesforce is fully partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT integration to the platform, so you can ensure you're getting top quality content generation from one of the best available today.

Salesforce home dashboard
Image: Tech.co testing

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Sales Cloud offers all the essential features you need for CRM, such as managing opportunities, leads, contacts, accounts, and email integration (Gmail and Outlook). Alternatively, users can access Salesforce data from within Gmail. This is similar to Microsoft’s Relationship with Sales feature we discussed earlier.

Both Salesforce Sales Cloud and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales offer lead scoring functionality. However, Salesforce Sales Cloud includes it as part of the platform for all plans except the Essentials plan, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales requires an add-on that costs extra.

A scalable, highly customizable platform that's great for managing teams

Pros

  • Wide range of help & support options
  • Lots of customization opportunities
  • Provides a good infrastructure for supporting multiple sales teams

Cons

  • Lack of digital selling tools on all plans
  • Definitely expensive compared to competitors

Salesforce Service Cloud

Service Cloud also offers a number of essential features such as the ability to chat with customers across multiple platforms including IM, social media, and SMS. There’s also an integrated field service option and the ability to see all communication with particular customers.

Most notably, Salesforce Service Cloud allows for the creation of a user forum, where customers can help each other solve problems with the platform, a feature that is not available with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service, no matter how much you pay.

An excellent, albeit expensive, way to manage large teams

Cons

  • No built-in customer feedback options
  • Comparatively quite expensive

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 offer similar options when it comes to their marketing automation platforms and the price reflects that. You'll be able to automate your marketing efforts to make a bigger impact on your potential customers. The primary focus for both is email, but Salesforce also offers limited features for social, content, and paid, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing does not.

Salesforce is a bit expensive, though, particularly when you consider the limited features it offers compared to others in the industry. Even worse, it doesn't offer great help and support, which can be vital to the success of a good CRM.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
A very expensive option that provides robust email and omnichannel features

Pros

  • Very strong email marketing features
  • Good data visualization options
  • Allows for omnichannel automation on all plans

Cons

  • Extremely expensive compared to competitors
  • Limited social, paid, and content marketing options
  • Few team organization and coordination tools

Microsoft Dynamics Pricing vs Salesforce Pricing

While business software pricing is typically pretty cut and dry, Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce represent, arguably, two of the most thorough and confusing pricing systems you can find. They both offer a seemingly endless array of add-ons, optional packages, and core functionalities that can make the process a bit intimidating.

In hopes of making it a bit less daunting, we've covered each providers pricing plans and options to provide you a better idea of what you're signing up for and how much it's going to cost you.

Microsoft Dynamics Pricing

Microsoft offers its CRM platform under the Dynamics 365 app, which caters to a wide range of business types. As such, pricing for the platform depends on what kind of business area your company falls under.

Below, we'll breakdown the pricing for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service

30 days

30 days

30 days

An expensive, robust tool for analytics that's better suited to current Microsoft users

A bit too expensive for most, but great for managing teams closely

A great, customizable platform aimed at larger businesses

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales platforms offers the most plans in the bunch, with a total of four. The prices start a bit high compared to Salesforce, but have a smaller range, topping out at barely more than half of Salesforce's most expensive plan.

Here's a breakdown of the four pricing plans for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales:

Custom automation builder

Database: 10GB
File: 20GB
Log: 2GB

Database: 10GB
File: 20GB
Log: 2GB

Database: 10GB
File: 20GB
Log: 2GB

Database: 10GB
File: 20GB
Log: 2GB

Add-on

Predictive scoring

Add-on

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service

With only two plans, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service platform might seem a bit limited. But as long as you're a bigger company in need of some robust features, these are competitively priced. Still, it's worth considering the expense you could incur if you need additional channels other than email, as they will cost you extra.

Here's a breakdown of the two pricing plans for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service:

Website Live Chat Comms Channel

Add-on required

Add-on required

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing

No need for a table on this one! Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing only offers one pricing plan — compared to Salesforce Marketing Cloud's four — which costs $1,500 per month, allows for unlimited users, and has a contact limit of 10,000 contacts. It can notably only help with email marketing, which can be a deal breaker, especially for the price. Still, if you're already set up with Microsoft, it can be a valuable addition to the business.

Salesforce Sales & Service Cloud Pricing

The most common options for CRM are the Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, which provide you all the CRM functionality you need for your sales or customer service business.

Each platform offers four different pricing plans, which conveniently line up in price and functionality: Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited.

Sales and Service can also be bought as a bundle, with the Essentials plan still costing just $25 per user per month, but different pricing for the remaining plans: The Professional plan for a Sales/Service bundle costs $100 per user per month, the Enterprise plan costs $175 per month, and the Unlimited plan costs $325 per user per month.

File storage: 1GB
Data storage: 10GB + 20MB per license

File storage: 10GB + 2GB per license
Data storage: 10GB + 20MB per license

File storage: 10GB + 2GB per license
Data storage: 10GB + 20MB per license

File storage: 10GB + 2GB per license
Data storage: 10GB + 20MB per license

$15/user/month

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Pricing

In addition to the Sales Cloud and Service Cloud options, Salesforce Marketing is a popular option for those in those looking for a CRM for marketing. It offers a robust platform that can help you automate a wide range of processes to save your business time. It is a bit expensive, especially considering its limited features in some areas, but it could still be the right fit for your company.

Here's how the pricing breaks down for the different Salesforce Marketing Cloud plans:

There's more to Tech.co's business software guides that you might realize. While other sites just throw providers on a list and call it a day, our research team spends hours cultivating an in-depth array of valuable research insight to make sure our readers get the most helpful information.

The only way to make a truly informed decision is with this kind of research, which is why we've focused so much energy on bringing these CRM software providers into the light. We evaluate everything — including features, pricing, customization, help & support, and team infrastructure — so you don't have to do all the digging yourself.

For more information about our in-depth process, take a look at our research guide to see exactly how we rate and rank these business software providers.

Verdict: Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics – Which to Pick?

Our research found that Salesforce is better than Microsoft Dynamics, offering more features, more team infrastructure functionality, and better customer support across the platform. Microsoft Dynamics is still a great choice, though, offering lower prices and seamless integration with other Microsoft services like Outlook and Teams.

Let's be clear – neither Salesforce nor Microsoft Dynamics would be a bad choice for your business, and both are market leading CRM suppliers. The difference really comes down to what your particular needs are, and what your existing setup looks like.

As we said earlier the key to deciding on a CRM is finding a service that fits your needs in terms of functionality, price, and customizability. For that you really need a bespoke quote that takes all of those factors into account.

Interested in Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics?

Learn more about our top-rated providers and their prices

Frequently Asked Questions

According to our research, Salesforce is slightly better than Microsoft Dynamics. It offers an unrivaled feature catalogue and offers a wide range of integrations that can really help your business. To be fair though, Microsoft Dynamics is also extremely robust and offers great integrations with Outlook and Microsoft 365, but it's a bit more pricey, which can turn some businesses off.

One of the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics is that is offers a wide range of integrations, and yes, it even integrates with Salesforce. This can streamline a number of processes in your business, although it seems unnecessary unless you have other Microsoft business resources in your business.

No, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM costs more than the Salesforce CRM. Salesforce's Sales and Service clouds start at $25 per user per month, compared to Microsoft Dynamics, which starts at between $50 and $180 per user per month for the first app, depending on the industry and business needs of the company purchasing it.

Both Dynamics 365 and Salesforce are CRMs designed to help businesses manage their accounts, leads, and customer journeys. While they share many features, they use different interfaces and come with different pricing plans. Dynamics 365 may work best for companies that use Microsoft software already, as it's designed to integrate with other Microsoft products. Plus, while Salesforce is designed for cloud-based use, Dynamics 365 is available on-premise as well as on the cloud.

Salesforce is one of the best CRM software on the market, with Microsoft Dynamics close behind. However, unless you're a larger business with hefty CRM needs, there are plenty of less complex, more affordable options out there that might be a better fit, depending on what you require.

Check out our Best CRM for Small Business guide for more information

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 Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0500 en-US text/html https://tech.co/crm-software/salesforce-vs-microsoft-dynamics-crm Killexams : Top 10 Salesforce Competitors & Alternatives 2023

To rank the best Salesforce alternatives of 2023, Forbes Advisor looked at data across a distinct set of categories. Every platform was awarded a certain number of points in each category, which were then added and averaged to create a final score. We scored these contenders across five categories looking at 17 different metrics that were weighted to favor features that small business owners find valuable in a CRM.

Pricing

The main consideration we looked for in a provider is what its starting price was. Those that had low or moderate entry-level pricing plans fared best in our survey. Another key pricing metric for our experts was the number of pricing plans available, the range of prices between those plans and the feature benefits that each upgrade brought to the user. Finally, if the provider offered a free version or free trial of its CRM, it also scored bonus points. This accounted for 10% of our weighted scoring.

Features

There are certain amenities that we considered to be must-have features of a CRM and some that we considered to be nice to have. The providers that included these features automatically in their plans―as opposed to changing an additional fee for them or, worse yet, not having them at all―fared the best in this category. The features we considered essential include providing pipeline management, custom dashboards, analytics tools, a document library, access to a mobile app and third-party integrations. Some additional features we wanted to see in a CRM provider included email marketing tools and multicurrency support. We weighted all features at 55% of our total score.

Third-party reviews

What real users of the CRM platform thought about it was important to us, so we turned to online review sites, such as Capterra and G2, to gauge customer response. We looked for solid reviews by users, looking at those that scored at least 3.5 or higher out of 5 on each site. These real user reviews accounted for 5% of the total score.

Expert analysis

Looking closer at customer reactions, our expert panel reviewed other key factors related to CRM to determine the best ones on the market. These factors included ease of use, stand-out features, value for the money and popularity. These final criteria made up 30% of the total score.

 Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:53:00 -0500 Mimi Polner en-US text/html https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/salesforce-competitors/ Killexams : Hackers exploited Salesforce zero-day in Facebook phishing attack

Salesforce

Hackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Salesforce's email services and SMTP servers to launch a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting valuable Facebook accounts.

The attackers chained a flaw dubbed "PhishForce," to bypass Salesforce's sender verification safeguards and quirks in Facebook's web games platform to mass-send phishing emails.

The benefit of using a reputable email gateway like Salesforce to distribute phishing emails is the evasion of secure email gateways and filtering rules, ensuring that the malicious emails reach the target's inbox.

The campaign was discovered by Guardio Labs analysts Oleg Zaytsev and Nati Tal, who reported the unknown vulnerability to Salesforce and helped them with the remediation process.

However, the discovered issues in Facebook's game platform are outstanding, as Meta's engineers are still trying to figure out why the existing mitigations failed to stop the attacks.

PhishForce abused in attacks

The Salesforce CRM allows customers to send emails as their own brand using custom domains that the platform must first verify. This protects customers from sending out emails through Salesforce as other brands that they do not have permission to impersonate.

However, Guardio Labs says the attackers figured out a way to exploit Salesforce's "Email-to-Case" feature, which organizations use for converting incoming customer emails to actionable tickets for their support teams.

Specifically, the attackers set up a new "Email-to-Case" flow to gain control of a Salesforce-generated email address, then created a new inbound email address on the "salesforce.com" domain.

Next, they set that address as an "Organization-Wide Email Address," which Salesforce's Mass Mailer Gateway uses for outbound emails, and finally went through the verification process to confirm ownership of the domain.

This process allowed them to use their Salesforce email address to send out messages to anyone, bypassing both Salesforce's verification protections and any other email filters and anti-phishing systems in place.

Indeed, this is what Guardio Labs observed in the wild, with phishing emails that supposedly came from "Meta Platforms" using the "case.salesforce.com" domain.

Clicking on the embedded button takes the victim to a phishing page hosted and displayed as part of the Facebook gaming platform ("apps.facebook.com"), which adds further legitimacy to the attack and makes it even harder for the email recipients to realize the fraud.

The goal of the phishing kit employed in this campaign is to steal Facebook account credentials, even featuring two-factor authentication bypassing mechanisms.

Meta still investigating

After confirming the issues by replicating the creation of a Salesforce-branded address capable of disseminating phishing emails, Guardio Labs notified the vendor of their discovery on June 28, 2023

Salesforce reproduced the vulnerability and resolved the problem exactly a month later, on July 28, 2023.

Regarding the abuse of "apps.facebook.com," Guardio Labs notes that it should be impossible for the attackers to create the game canvass used as a landing page since Facebook retired this platform in July 2020.

However, legacy accounts that used the platform before its deprecation still have access, and threat actors might be paying a premium for those accounts on the dark web.

Meta removed the violating pages upon Guardio Labs' report; however, its engineers are still investigating why existing protections failed to stop the attacks.

As phishing actors continue to explore every potential abuse opportunity on legitimate service providers, novel security gaps constantly threaten to expose users to severe risks.

Thus, it is essential not to rely solely on email protection solutions, and also scrutinize every email that lands on your inbox, look for inconsistencies, and double-check all claims made in those messages.

 Wed, 02 Aug 2023 19:45:00 -0500 Bill Toulas en-us text/html https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-exploited-salesforce-zero-day-in-facebook-phishing-attack/ Killexams : Salesforce CRM Review and Pricing

Salesforce Editor’s Score: 9.5/10

Pricing/value

9.2

Features

9.7

Customization, add-ons and integrations

9.8

Ease of use

9.1

Customer service

9.5

Why We Chose Salesforce as the Best CRM for Customization

Salesforce is arguably the best-known CRM provider on the market. It has an established community and a well-earned reputation for being a leader in the customer relationship management field. While it was created to meet the needs of enterprises and large businesses, Salesforce has expanded its scope and now actively targets businesses of all sizes.

Unlike more rigid competitors, Salesforce CRM provides countless personalization and customization options, giving businesses a high level of control over how the system looks and acts. We were particularly impressed by how Salesforce handles workflow automation and by its pioneering integration of AI in CRM customization.

Notably, Salesforce was one of the first CRM platforms to open itself up to third-party developers, giving it more apps and customization options than any other provider. If Salesforce doesn’t have a built-in function you need, there’s almost certainly an app to compensate. If not, a developer can create and deploy a specific solution. 

Salesforce CRM’s initial setup requires time and IT skills. Its learning curve is far steeper than those of many other CRM providers we reviewed. However, you’ll enjoy flexible CRM software guaranteed to accommodate all custom processes and meet the changing needs of your business. For all these reasons and more, Salesforce is our top CRM choice for customization.

Salesforce CRM pipeline management

Salesforce CRM’s pipeline management feature gives an overview of your sales opportunities. Source: Salesforce

Salesforce may not be the best choice for businesses with less complex operational needs. If your SMB’s CRM needs are straightforward, check out our review of monday.com CRM to learn about a well-executed system designed for SMBs.

What We Like About Salesforce CRM

  • The Salesforce CRM is highly customizable; with time, you can modify almost every element to fit your specific business needs.
  • The lowest-priced plan includes advanced features such as mass emails, marketing campaign management, a drag-and-drop app builder, and lead auto-assignment.
  • Salesforce has an immense selection of support materials, videos and tutorials, as well as a helpful online community.

What We Don’t Like About Salesforce CRM

  • Due to the sheer volume of customization and automation options, setting up the Salesforce CRM to match your business’s specific processes and needs can be time-consuming. It may require training for your in-house marketing team and administrators.
  • You must know CSS, HTML and other coding languages to customize specific elements within Salesforce.
  • Salesforce’s pricing model can be confusing; there’s a lack of clarity around add-ons, which can drive up costs.

Ease of Use

Despite its complexities, Salesforce is surprisingly easy to implement and use. Here are some notable ease-of-use factors we discovered. 

  • Salesforce’s navigation process is straightforward. We like that Salesforce keeps the navigation process simple. The upper tab-style layout is typical across business and personal software, making it easy to grasp; categories like “Home,” “Contacts,” “Accounts,” “Leads,” “Tasks,” “Reports” and “Opportunities” need no explanation. You can get instant help from the question mark icon in one of the corners of the screen – a handy feature we’ve seen on many other CRM packages.
  • You can use Salesforce at a limited level out of the box. Because of its numerous features and customizations, setting up the Salesforce CRM takes more time and expertise than other solutions we reviewed. However, we appreciate that Salesforce’s smart default setup options help businesses use the CRM out of the box. You can gradually modify contact, opportunity, account, task and workflow elements as you explore the software’s full scope over time.
  • Salesforce doesn’t provide practice data. Note that you’ll need data to practice on during onboarding; Salesforce doesn’t supply this. To get practice data, you can duplicate and isolate existing data or use a service like Mockaroo to create dummy data.
  • Salesforce’s onboarding and support resources are robust. We were pleased to see that Salesforce offers a wealth of support materials, webinars and guides to facilitate the CRM implementation process and resolve usability issues. Its global Trailblazer community is also an excellent resource. Additionally, the vendor promises a two-day query response time.
  • Onboarding users and updating permissions is straightforward. While in-house administrators may need specific training, we appreciate that Salesforce provides excellent admin controls. Setting up various permissions based on groups or individual users is simple. This is notable because some CRMs allow only admin settings by group. Creating different displays and workflows for various departments and employees is also straightforward. If you have even moderate technical expertise and admin experience, you should have no trouble onboarding users, updating permissions or managing this CRM daily.

Salesforce visual dashboard

Salesforce’s visual dashboards help your team pinpoint problems and work on solutions. Source: Salesforce

Salesforce’s upper-tier plans provide business owners access to live support, coaching sessions and adoption guidance for an additional fee. This may be useful if you’re considering switching CRM systems to Salesforce.

Salesforce Features

The Salesforce product boasts an impressive array of CRM features that make it one of the best on the market. Here are some of the most notable features that provide excellent CRM software benefits.

Comprehensive Business Ecosystem

We like that Salesforce’s business products seamlessly integrate. Businesses can grow with the Salesforce CRM and gradually adopt new features as needed. Additional Salesforce product categories include:

  • Sales Cloud
  • Service Cloud
  • Marketing Cloud
  • Commerce Cloud
  • Safety Cloud
  • Heroku (Heroku is an app development platform; read our Heroku review to learn more.)
  • Quip (a collaboration tool)
  • Salesforce Platform (with high-level development, customization, analytics and built-in AI)

You can use Salesforce’s impressive range of third-party apps to run many aspects of your company, from marketing to fulfillment. HR, data analytics, workforce collaboration and finance apps plug directly into Salesforce CRM. You can even add ERP apps to Salesforce to build a system close in function to the ERP platform described in our review of Oracle NetSuite CRM. 

We also like how Salesforce’s AppExchange breaks down apps by industry. There are 12 sector-specific areas on AppExchange, including communications, financial services, manufacturing and professional services.

Salesforce is a capable solution for companies that want to Boost customer service performance. Read our review of Salesforce Service Cloud to discover how it helps supervisors and teams manage ongoing customer relationships.

Customization

We were impressed by Salesforce CRM’s vast customization capabilities – an area where it truly stands out among the competition. While many CRMs we reviewed offer options for customizing deal and contact fields, email templates, and dashboards, Salesforce lets you do much more. 

Here are some of our favorite customization options: 

  • Change how pages look and function. You can change how pages look and function to suit your specific needs. Use the CSS settings to adjust the spacing between page elements, colors and fonts. You can modify customer records to show just the lists, sections and fields you want particular co-workers to see, improving employee collaboration. 
  • Use object control to customize the system. The Salesforce CRM’s object control is superior to that of other CRMs we tested. Objects are “fields” within databases (like name, address, email, etc.). Salesforce makes it easy to add objects so you can record exactly the information you want on accounts, contacts and leads. You can set permissions on records and fields to determine who else can view and edit fields. You can even make objects actionable by adding buttons, actions, triggers and links to create processes for adding a new customer, supplier or co-worker to the database.
  • Use the developer console to create custom apps. We really liked Salesforce’s developer console. Many businesses, particularly SMBs, won’t have in-house programmers but may use freelance developers to develop specific functions within Salesforce. Salesforce gives these developers a dev console where they can write, test and debug code for your custom applications. We found the inclusion of Apex triggers within the dev environment particularly helpful because it will shorten the development cycle in most instances. A developer sandbox and an app builder are included with every plan. 

Salesforce custom dashboard

Sales managers can customize their dashboards with specific objects. Source: Salesforce

Integrations and Add-ons

We like that CRM users can build customizable systems and integrate their favorite business apps via the Salesforce AppExchange store. Other CRM software companies we reviewed have similar online stores for add-ons, but Salesforce’s is far more comprehensive, with thousands of available integrations. 

The company makes it easy to search for add-ons based on the product name and view industry-specific product bundles. Because Salesforce is such a huge company, its industry-specific add-ons are expansive. There’s even a separate section for small business-specific add-ons, many of which are free.

On the AppExchange, you’ll find five different solution categories:

  • Apps: Similar to mobile apps on Apple’s App Store or Google Play, AppExchange apps are direct, preprogrammed plug-ins that interact with Salesforce. You can customize most apps via their settings. Apps add new functions or Boost and augment existing functions on your platform.
  • Lightning Bolts: Lightning Bolts are prebuilt templates providing extra features to employees, partners, suppliers and anyone accessing your Salesforce CRM. Hundreds of Lightning Bolts have various use cases. For example, there are supply chain management bolts for suppliers, project management tools for employees and tools to access client account information. 
  • Flow solutions: Salesforce incorporates Flow Builder, a tool that simplifies workflow automation via a simple drag-and-drop approach. Flow solutions are prebuilt workflows or processes you can import directly into the Salesforce Flow development tool. 
  • Lightning data: These are customer tracking tools that can enrich customer and prospect data and keep them updated regularly. We saw four such tools during our review process.
  • Components: Components are reusable features you can deploy to build your own apps within Salesforce. There are nearly 300 free components and around 30 paid ones.

Salesforce is embracing the “low code” and “no code” trends with its Lightning App Builder and Salesforce Flow drag-and-drop tools. Read our HubSpot review to learn about another CRM with drag-and-drop functionality.

Salesforce CRM AppExchange

New apps are added to the AppExchange daily, further enhancing its appeal. Source: Salesforce

Intuitive Productivity Tools

We were pleased to see Salesforce’s intuitive productivity-boosting tools, particularly its built-in project management features. (Freshworks has similar tools; read our Freshworks CRM review to learn more.) Once implemented, sales and marketing departments – as well as managers – will find it easy to manage and build workflows, assign and follow tasks, and check off permissions. 

Salesforce’s visual dashboards allow sales reps to check KPIs and track their progress toward quotas, facilitating productivity and accountability. We like that you can add meetings straight from the calendar tab and see an instant overview of your schedule. 

Additional add-on productivity tools are available through the AppExchange.

Artificial Intelligence

Salesforce’s artificial intelligence (AI) strides impressed us with capabilities beyond those of the competitors we reviewed. Salesforce was a CRM-AI pioneer, launching its high-profile AI tool, Einstein, in 2016. Today, the company has picked up the pace amid breakthroughs in the generative large language model AIs (like ChatGPT and Bard) that power tools like Einstein. Einstein is available on Salesforce’s upper-tier plans or as a paid add-on.

Einstein can do the following after gathering data from system use and user input: 

  • Help salespeople with call prompts
  • Handle web chats via the Service Bot chatbot
  • Recommend products to clients to facilitate upselling and cross-selling
  • Create excellent product presentations
  • Generate workflows to make companies more efficient 
  • Predict with a high degree of accuracy which deals will close
  • Deep dive into social media and present you with sentiment analysis about your brand
  • Help CEO decision-making with decision support systems that provide advice based on live analytics 

Einstein, in its current form, is amazing, and we look forward to seeing its next iterations. We expect AI (and the solutions other CRM providers develop) to be integral to corporate life and CRM adoption in the coming years. We’re not awarding best use of AI in this round of CRM reviews; however, if we were, Salesforce would win.

Einstein can flag emails in which leads express critical concerns that could prevent a deal from moving forward, allowing a sales rep to prioritize those messages and act fast to grow and sustain customer relationships.

Salesforce Einstein tool

Salesforce’s Einstein tool can help with sentiment analysis so you understand how your brand is perceived. Source: Salesforce

Trailblazer Community

Nearly every CRM vendor we reviewed has some form of an online community. However, Salesforce’s Trailblazer community is particularly impressive, replete with documentation invaluable for admins. You can find step-by-step guides on everything from creating custom CRM reports to turning on user notifications. 

There’s also an extensive user-only forum for direct communication with other admins and CRM users and a comprehensive Trailhead learning platform with various product-related courses, upskilling opportunities and official certifications. 

Salesforce Pricing

You can purchase Salesforce’s Sales Cloud CRM via one of four subscription tiers:

  • Essentials
  • Professional
  • Enterprise
  • Unlimited

Unlike Salesforce competitors monday and HubSpot, there’s no free plan.

Only Essentials is available on a month-to-month basis; all other plans require an annual contract. Bear in mind that annual contracts often require you to pay for the whole year upfront, which may not be ideal for some businesses.

All costs below are applied when billed annually. All plans allow you to send 5,000 email marketing messages daily from the platform, which is much more generous than many other providers we reviewed. 

Essentials

Price: $25 per user per month; available for up to 10 users

Features: Account, contact, lead, task and opportunity management; lead auto-assignment; prevention of duplicates; automatic capture of a  lead’s available web information; mass email; marketing campaigns; customizable reports and dashboards; email integration with Gmail and Outlook; and Salesforce mobile app

Professional

Price: $75 per user per month

Features: Everything in the Essentials plan, plus pipeline management, lead registration, rules-based lead scoring, collaborative forecasting, a forecasting mobile app, quote and order management, roles and permissions, and a developer sandbox

Enterprise

Price: $150 per user per month

Features: Everything in the Professional plan, plus workflow and approval automation, sales teams and territories, opportunity scoring, and advanced reporting

Unlimited

Price: $300 per user per month

Features: Everything in the Enterprise plan, plus a sales engagement hub, AI-powered sales insights with Einstein, sales cadences and 24/7 support

Other Charges

Salesforce is pricey compared to other CRM solutions we reviewed. It’s a massive product with many add-ons and customizations; the subscription costs listed here should be considered jumping-off points. 

You can spend considerably more on Salesforce. For example, CPQ & Billing, which allows you to quickly configure, price and quote complex solutions, costs $75 per user per month. Other add-ons include Pardot, Quip, Einstein AI and Sales Dialer – all sold separately. There are additional costs if you opt for training or help with implementation.

Many other SaaS products offer free versions and low-cost, entry-level subscriptions that can be used indefinitely. While $25 per user per month isn’t exorbitant, it’s not a realistic long-term option for most small businesses because only 10 users are supported at that level. The next plan jumps to $75 per user per month – significantly more expensive than the competition. 

We recommend taking advantage of Salesforce’s 14-day free trial to ensure this CRM is worth the investment.

Onboarding and Implementation

Implementing CRM software always takes care and patience. But due to its breadth of customization options, Salesforce CRM’s implementation process can vary drastically, taking anywhere from a few days to several weeks. While that may seem alarming, users will quickly see that this CRM is worth the effort once it is set up.

Salesforce and third-party agencies can manage your initial implementation and launch for you. Still, this help comes at a cost, depending on your company size, number of employees, data volume and complexity, third-party integrations, and customization level.

Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to create a complex solution immediately. You can use the software out of the box and modify it as your business needs evolve. Thanks to the Salesforce CRM’s intuitive design and overall sophistication, the learning curve isn’t steep for non-admin users after implementation.

In addition to a vast library of training materials, Salesforce offers adoption guidance and coaching services for an extra cost. That may be worth it for business owners concerned about setting up the CRM and onboarding users.

Use the Data Import Wizard from the Setup menu to import up to 50,000 standard objects – like contact, lead and account information – from a CSV file.

Customer Service

While Salesforce is a market leader in CRM technology, integrations and capabilities, we found that it falls short in the customer service department. When we reached out for information about the company’s services, the response was delayed.

When we did communicate with customer support reps, they were very helpful and used real-life situations to explain the product’s features and answer questions about the program. They were very clear and offered several solutions to help further our understanding. However, compared to other providers we called, their answers could have been more detailed.

Unfortunately, Salesforce has a C-minus rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and isn’t an accredited BBB business. It earned 1 out of 5 stars and closed 55 complaints within the last three years. That’s disappointing and surprising for a company that’s so well regarded in the industry. 

On the plus side, Salesforce provides an extensive selection of self-guided resources, access to the Trailblazer community and basic technical support. Additionally, its Unlimited package comes with 24/7 assistance. 

For an additional fee of 30 percent of your total monthly service fees, users can access 24/7 phone support, expert coaching and a dedicated account manager.

Limitations 

Salesforce CRM is an excellent solution; however, we did identify some limitations: 

  • Customizations can be complex. Salesforce’s biggest strength – its customization capabilities – is also a potential downside. Setting up a fully customized CRM tailored to your business’s specific sales funnel, structure and workflows requires time and, ideally, a dedicated IT team. Entrepreneurs and smaller companies might be better off with an easy-to-use yet still customizable solution like Zoho. (Learn more in our detailed Zoho CRM review.)
  • Salesforce requires technical knowledge. Most of the Salesforce CRM’s customizable elements require some basic technical knowledge of CSS and HTML. This is slowly improving since the introduction of the Lightning App Builder and Salesforce Flow tools. For example, the Lightning Email Templates use a more interactive drag-and-drop functionality, similar to some rival CRMs we reviewed. Salesforce is getting simpler and more intuitive over time. However, it’s not there yet. 
  • Pricing can be challenging to understand. Due to the number of available add-ons and platforms, it can be difficult to estimate the final price of your desired CRM solution. However, Salesforce’s sales and support teams are happy to provide a unique quote for your business.

Methodology

When evaluating the best CRM software, we conducted extensive comparative research of dozens of software solutions in the category. Our product review process was designed to help you find the right CRM for your business. It included customer support team communication, trials to evaluate product functionality, and an evaluation of each provider’s tutorials, webinars and support materials. We also took pricing into consideration. When looking for the best CRM for customizability specifically, we examined customization options, available integrations, reporting and analytics, and sales automation.

Salesforce FAQ

Is Salesforce easy to learn?

Though the Salesforce system has an extensive collection of CRM features and add-ons, its intuitive design and standard CRM lingo make it easy to learn. The vendor also provides various training materials and courses on Trailhead, the company’s free online learning platform, to get you started.

Can I use Salesforce for free?

Salesforce doesn’t have a free plan; its pricing starts at $25 per user per month. However, the company offers a 14-day free trial so you can assess whether it’s a good fit for your business. 

Bottom Line

We recommend Salesforce CRM for …

  • Businesses that need a flexible and highly customizable CRM solution.
  • Companies that want access to a large collection of integrations and add-ons to suit their processes and industries.
  • Businesses looking for a CRM that can expand with their evolving needs.

We don’t recommend Salesforce CRM for …

  • Businesses that want a free CRM solution or advanced CRM functionality at an affordable price.
  • Entrepreneurs and small businesses with limited IT resources.
  • Companies that need a straightforward CRM system that works right out of the box and is easy to customize with no technical skills required.

Nadia Reckmann contributed to this article. 

 Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:59:00 -0500 en text/html https://www.business.com/reviews/salesforce-crm-software/ Killexams : Salesforce launches AI accelerator
a graphic in blue with the word AI surrounded by a network of connections

Salesforce has launched Salesforce Accelerator – AI for Impact, an initiative to help organisations access and use generative AI technologies.

The accelerator aims to close the access gap to AI by providing flexible funding, pro-bono expertise, and technology to purpose-driven organisations.

This year through the accelerator it is granting $2mn to education, workforce, and climate nonprofits ‘to advance the equitable and ethical use of trusted AI’. It will also hold sessions with grantees and partners to help them understand the opportunities and risks around AI, and identify solutions that support their communities.

Applications for the accelerator closed at the end of July.

Becky Ferguson, CEO of the Salesforce Foundation and SVP of Philanthropy at Salesforce said:

“Generative AI presents a massive and exciting opportunity for purpose-driven organisations to better serve and meaningfully engage with their communities. In this time of rapid innovation, we need to ensure no one gets left behind. This AI accelerator brings the full power of Salesforce with unrestricted grants, pro-bono expertise, and our technology to create a more equitable AI world.”

More support with AI

Elsewhere, Blackbaud also has a focus on generative AI. It announced last month that its July 2023 Social Good Startup Program cohort would concentrate on tech startups using generative AI to increase impact for companies and nonprofits focused on social responsibility.

Participants receive access to Blackbaud resources, marketing opportunities and grant funding, and Blackbaud also works with the startup founders to design a plan for growth.

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Melanie May

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.

 Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:54:00 -0500 en text/html https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/08/01/salesforce-launches-ai-accelerator/ Killexams : Best free PDF editors 2023: Our top picks

If you work with PDF files regularly then a PDF editor is an indispensable tool. Whether it’s part of your job, you manage PDF files for your own personal use, or you just need to complete a one-off editing task, a top editor program is an essential piece of software. Full-featured editors such as Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC might provide all of the bells and whistles, but a free PDF editor can still offer most of the important tools of a paid service for no additional charge.

Plus, many free PDF editors are browser based, which means that you don’t need to worry about about platform- or device-compatibility issues.

Of course, free products won’t come with every feature of their premium counterparts. So, if you find that you need more advanced tools such as password protection, Bates numbering, or e-signatures, then you’re probably better served by a premium PDF editor.

PDF Candy – Best free PDF editor overall

Pros

  • Many advanced features
  • OCR capability
  • Very easy to use

Cons

  • Lacks a single interface, which some users may not like
  • Free version limits you to one task per hour

Price When Reviewed: Free

PDF Candy is the rare free PDF editor that offers a lot of the features you’d typically have to pay for. We’re talking scanning, multiple file-conversion options, and OCR functionality. While the free version has access to the expansive toolset of the paid version, you’re limited to one PDF task per hour. For unfettered access, you need to shell out $6 month.

Read our full PDF Candy review

Apple Preview PDF editor – Best free PDF editor for Mac users

Pros

  • Full set of PDF markup tools
  • Supports form filling
  • PDFs can be protected with passwords, encryption, and permission controls

Cons

  • Limited native sharing options
  • Only available to Mac users

Price When Reviewed: Built into macOS

Mac users have an excellent PDF editor built right into their operating system. Although its ostensibly a photo viewer, macOS’s Preview app is rife with PDF-editing capabilities including tools for adding text and shapes, redacting content, making freehand drawings, inserting sticky notes, and capturing your signature using your trackpad, camera, or iPhone.

Read our full Apple Preview PDF editor review

Sejda PDF editor – Most versatile free PDF editor

Pros

  • Online and desktop versions available
  • Performs dozens of PDF tasks
  • No frills interface is easy to use

Cons

  • There are daily usage limits without a subscription
  • Limited font options

Price When Reviewed: Free (Premium $7.50/mo)

Offered as both an online tool and a desktop editor, Sejda is capable of performing dozens of tasks including editing, form creation and filling, Bates stamping, file encryption, and more. If the daily usage limits are too restrictive for you, you can upgrade to the affordable paid version.

Read our full Sejda PDF editor review

What to look for in a free PDF editor

  • Content editing: As its name indicates, a PDF editor’s primary function is to enable you to edit a document. That includes the ability to add and modify text; insert, resize, and move images; and reorganize pages in the PDF. Most free PDF editors will let you perform these tasks, though they may impose daily limits on how many you can perform or how many documents you can edit.
  • Create, convert, and export PDFs: A common need for a PDF editor is to create PDF files from scanned hard copies or by converting digital documents. A good free PDF editor will be able to convert common file formats such as Word, JPG, and HTML to a PDF and preserve the original formatting. It should also be able to export PDFs into other editable formats such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain text, maintaining the original files hyperlinks, images, and other elements.
  • Review and annotate: Most free PDF editors allow you to add comments and other annotations to PDF files during review. Typical annotation tools include sticky notes, shapes, and drawing markup options.
  • Signatures: Often all you need a PDF editor for is to sign a document. This used to be a premium feature only available on paid desktop editors, but more free PDF editors are allowing users to create and add electronic signatures to documents.

FAQ

1.

Is there a difference between a PDF document and a PDF form?

While there are a number of different types of PDF file formats, they all fall under the umbrella term of PDF documents. A PDF form is a type of PDF document that has editable form fields a user can fill out. Typically, parts of the document are static and can’t be changed in a PDF form. These usually include questions and instructions for those who end up filling out the form later on. In a PDF form, the content fields a user fills out are typically open to editing and can offer a list of possible answer options or can be written in freely.

2.

Are Word files and PDF documents different?

Yes. They are two entirely different document formats. While you can export from one file format to another, they are not the same. Word file formats are usually used for word processing, editing, and making changes to text. PDF documents on the other hand, are most often utilized for viewing, sharing, and printing documents. Additionally, Word files can be read and/or written to and contain some version of the “.doc” file format. Whereas PDF files are typically read-only and contain the “.pdf” file format.

3.

Can you stop other people from editing your PDF documents?

Yes. If you have a PDF document that you do not want anyone else to be able to edit, you can protect the file. You can do this by opening the file in Acrobat, clicking Tools > Protect. Then you have a few options as to whether you want to just restrict editing with a password, or if you want to encrypt the file for further safety. Once you choose how you want to protect the PDF document, you can set a password and save.

4.

Can I merge PDFs with a free PDF editor?

Yes, many free PDF editors such as our top pick PDF Candy, allow you to merge two or more PDFs into one. As most free PDF editors are browser-based, you will just need to open up the PDF editor application or website in your browser and click the “Merge” option. It will then ask you to add the files of all PDFs you wish to merge. Once the files have been added, just make sure that they are in the correct position and alignment you want before proceeding with the merge. Afterwards, all of your previously PDF files will be merged together into one new PDF document.

5.

Does Google have a free PDF editor?

Yes and no. Google doesn’t provide a designated free PDF editor itself, but there are third-party Chrome extensions that you can use to help get the job done. Alternatively, you can make use of Google Drive to edit a PDF document. Simply upload the document onto your Google Drive and then select the file and right-click and select Open with > Google Docs. The file will be opened as an editable Google Docs text document. Then just make your edits and when you’re finished click File > get > PDF Document to revert it back to a PDF file.

This method is a quick and easy way to edit a simple PDF document, but be careful as Google Docs can run into formatting issues if your original document has complex visual formatting such as tables and graphs. In this case, it’s best to use a designated free or premium PDF editor.

 Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:00:00 -0500 Author: Michael Ansaldo en text/html https://www.pcworld.com/article/702374/best-free-pdf-editors.html Killexams : Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on AI: ‘None of Us Are Ready’
Marc Benioff wears a cowboy hat and a name tag outside, alongside other people.
Marc Benioff sports a cowboy hat at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. Getty Images

According to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, artificial intelligence isn’t “just the most important technology of our lifetime, but probably the most important in any lifetime,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press.

An active voice in the AI space, Benioff has taken the stance that AI can be helpful but dangerous. Consumers have only experienced phase one of what AI can be, Benioff told the AP. On the future of AI, he said, “None of us are really ready for this because none of us have had this experience before.”

Previously, Benioff has spoken about the tendency for generative AI to lie and for large language models to plagiarize. He has voiced privacy concerns regarding consumers’ personal information that becomes part of an AI model. But, despite his criticisms, Benioff believes AI can be a significant aid to Salesforce clients.

Salesforce provides tools to help sellers manage their relationships with consumers. Its products help companies track sales, automate marketing and perform customer service, among other tasks. One of the largest tech companies in the world, Salesforce is valued at $221 billion, which is more than IBM but less than Microsoft.

Salesforce isn’t new to the AI race. It first launched Einstein, its AI service embedded into Salesforce products, in September 2016—six years before the launch of ChatGPT made artificial intelligence a hot topic. The product allowed Salesforce clients to predict actions from their customers and create personalized marketing messages. Earlier this year, it announced Einstein GPT, a chatbot that can help companies find potential customers, write emails, compile data and more. Salesforce also launched AI Cloud, which further integrates generative AI into Salesforce products. The company is building AI Cloud technology into Slack, the messaging platform for businesses Salesforce acquired in 2020.

Benioff’s opinions on artificial intelligence are in line with those of other tech CEOs. Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, AI researcher Gary Marcus and other industry experts acknowledge the dangers of AI, going so far as to sign a letter calling for a pause on AI developments to introduce safety measures. Others signed an open letter warning that AI could lead to extinction, without other context. Signees include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft chief technology officer Kevin Scott and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Salesforce is coming off a period of major internal changes. In November 2022, Bret Taylor, who served as co-CEO alongside Benioff, left Salesforce to start a new company. At the turn of the year, Salesforce laid off 7,800 employees, or 10 percent of its staff. Benioff said he hired too many workers during the pandemic, which caused the cuts. Other tech companies, including Meta, cited over-hiring as the reason for their layoffs as well.

This month, the company’s stock is trading at a one-year high, today worth $227 per share. The price is more than five times what the stock sold for a decade ago. At its peak in November 2021, when many tech stocks reached their highs, Salesforce traded at $307 per share.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on AI: ‘None of Us Are Ready’ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:41:00 -0500 Rachyl Jones en-US text/html https://observer.com/2023/07/marc-benioff-ai/ Killexams : Assessing the Risk and Potential of Salesforce Inc.’s (CRM) Stock

The stock of Salesforce Inc. (CRM) has seen a -1.43% decrease in the past week, with a -8.34% drop in the past month, and a -0.63% decrease in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.09%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.91% for CRM. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is -3.11% for CRM stock, with a simple moving average of 14.47% for the last 200 days.

Is It Worth Investing in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) Right Now?

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 550.08x compared to its average ratio, and the 36-month beta value for CRM is at 1.20. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 31 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 3 rating it as “overweight,” 15 as “hold,” and 1 as “sell.”

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The average price suggested by analysts for CRM is $240.71, which is $32.35 above the current market price. The public float for CRM is 943.32M, and currently, shorts hold a 0.79% of that float. The average trading volume for CRM on August 22, 2023 was 6.50M shares.

CRM) stock’s latest price update

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM)’s stock price has increased by 2.05 compared to its previous closing price of 204.83. However, the company has seen a -1.43% decrease in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. Zacks Investment Research reported 2023-08-21 that Salesforce.com (CRM) has received quite a bit of attention from Zacks.com users lately. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the facts that can impact the stock’s prospects.

Analysts’ Opinion of CRM

Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for CRM stocks, with Morgan Stanley repeating the rating for CRM by listing it as a “Equal-Weight.” The predicted price for CRM in the upcoming period, according to Morgan Stanley is $278 based on the research report published on July 31, 2023 of the current year 2023.

CRM Trading at -3.30% from the 50-Day Moving Average

After a stumble in the market that brought CRM to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -12.25% of loss for the given period.

Volatility was left at 1.91%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.09%, as shares sank -7.37% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -0.24% lower at present.

During the last 5 trading sessions, CRM fell by -1.43%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +30.79% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $214.91. In addition, Salesforce Inc. saw 57.65% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.

Insider Trading

Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at CRM starting from Benioff Marc, who sale 15,000 shares at the price of $205.12 back on Aug 17. After this action, Benioff Marc now owns 16,086,166 shares of Salesforce Inc., valued at $3,076,807 using the latest closing price.

Benioff Marc, the Chair and CEO of Salesforce Inc., sale 15,000 shares at $208.23 during a trade that took place back on Aug 16, which means that Benioff Marc is holding 16,101,166 shares at $3,123,394 based on the most latest closing price.

Stock Fundamentals for CRM

Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:

  • +5.93 for the present operating margin
  • +65.09 for the gross margin

The net margin for Salesforce Inc. stands at +0.66. The total capital return value is set at 2.55, while invested capital returns managed to touch 0.29. Equity return is now at value 0.60, with 0.40 for asset returns.

Based on Salesforce Inc. (CRM), the company’s capital structure generated 25.50 points at debt to equity in total, while total debt to capital is 20.32. Total debt to assets is 14.50, with long-term debt to equity ratio resting at 22.02. Finally, the long-term debt to capital ratio is 17.55.

When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 6.27, with the company’s debt to enterprise value settled at 0.09. The receivables turnover for the company is 2.89 and the total asset turnover is 0.31. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.95.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Salesforce Inc. (CRM) has had a mixed performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is bullish, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.

 Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:02:00 -0500 en-US text/html https://newsheater.com/2023/08/22/assessing-the-risk-and-potential-of-salesforce-inc-s-crm-stock/ Nonprofit-Cloud-Consultant exam dump and training guide direct download
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