The discussion about AI in companies is no longer a vision of the future. While the first wave automated processes and the second wave supported employees with generative AI, we are now at the beginning of the third wave: autonomous digital agents. But how can these be scaled, deployed securely, and linked to measurable business value?
One possible answer: Agentforce – Salesforce’s platform for autonomous AI agents. Combined with CRM, it opens up entirely new ways to leverage customer data intelligently, create personalized experiences in real time, and seamlessly orchestrate business processes across departments.
What is Agentforce?
Agentforce is Salesforce’s AI platform that enables companies to develop autonomous AI agents and integrate them seamlessly into their sales, service, and commerce processes. These agents work independently, draw on existing data, create action plans, and execute tasks – all without constant human intervention.
Key features of Agentforce:
Autonomous work within defined guidelines
Real-time adaptation to current data
Seamless collaboration with human employees
Low-code tools for easy customization and deployment
Agentforce is not just another AI tool, but the logical next step in CRM evolution: from Predictive AI to Generative AI to Autonomous AI.
Where Traditional AI Approaches Reach Their Limits
High Costs: Simple billing models such as “$2 per conversation” worked for service cases but broke down in more complex scenarios (e.g., sales or HR).
Lack of Transparency: Companies could not trace how agents made decisions, what costs were incurred, or what ROI the solution delivered.
Low Trust: Without control and observability, it was difficult to use AI safely and at scale.
Underestimated Complexity: Many use cases are far more complex than a simple Q&A scenario. For example, a return claim involves multiple steps such as verification and approval, which cannot be mapped with classic chatbot logic.
New Operating Principle: AI agents work differently than a ChatGPT-like chatbot – especially when they act autonomously and are supposed to automate entire processes. This requires a mindset shift: AI usually delivers probabilistic results (likelihoods) rather than deterministically “correct” answers.
The result: Good proofs of concept, but hardly any broad adoption.
How Agentforce Closes This Gap
Salesforce has addressed these three challenges with two decisive innovations:
Flex Credits: Billing per action instead of per conversation. Companies only pay for actual services rendered, keeping costs under control.
Command Center: A central dashboard makes agent behavior, errors, costs, and ROI transparent. Real-time alerts and detailed analytics build trust and enable rapid response.
Scalable Use Cases: In marketing and consulting, Salesforce increasingly focuses on low-barrier entry scenarios following the “crawl, walk, run” principle. Companies can start small, quickly realize value, and expand their solutions flexibly.
Additionally, Agentforce is deeply integrated into the Salesforce ecosystem:
Customer 360 & Data Cloud: Unified, context-based data as the foundation.
Einstein Trust Layer: Security through guardrails, zero data retention, and protection mechanisms.
MuleSoft & Flow: Connecting external systems and automating complex processes.
The result: AI evolves from a cost risk into a strategic lever for efficiency and growth.
Agentforce Use Cases in Practice
The use cases for Agentforce range from classic customer service scenarios to complex internal processes:
Customer Service:
Cancel, correct, or re-order purchases
Answer “Where is my order?” in real time
Reschedule appointments automatically
Handle complaints empathetically
Sales:
Guided selling & coaching for sales reps
Data entry automation and elimination of manual inputs
Automatically create sales emails
Pre-qualify leads
Internal Processes:
Summarize service cases and identify similar solutions
Detect fraud patterns
Generate and prepare forecasts
Launch marketing campaigns – without the “Blank Screen Problem” (errors where users see only a white or black screen because content fails to load or render).
Agentforce Implementation – Checklist for Getting Started
Our project experience shows clearly: those who follow these steps can unlock Agentforce’s full potential and quickly generate real value.
✓ Start with a use case – test, learn, scale quickly.
✓ Design prompts like APIs – precise inputs for reliable results.
✓ Use structured data – for better machine readability.
✓ Train & monitor agents – ensure continuous improvement.
✓ Secure integrations & versioning – for stability and compliance.
Conclusion
The introduction of autonomous digital workers marks a turning point in CRM. With Agentforce, Salesforce makes AI scalable, transparent, and trustworthy – enabling companies to realize real efficiency gains and growth potential. Those who start now will secure a clear competitive advantage.
We support you in taking the first steps – or even if you are already in the middle of the journey.
