A couple weeks ago, I attended the Salesforce1 World Tour Chicago with Tom and Garry. This is the second year in a row I’ve gone to the Chicago event (last year it was the Customer Company Tour if I remember correctly), and I think I was even more excited about it this year than last. It’s not just because I get to get out of town for a while and spend a couple of nights in one of the best food cities in the world, although that helps. And it’s not just because Salesforce always makes a good show of these events, although this one was no exception.
No, I think the reason I get so excited for things like this is because it helps me get and stay fired up for working with Salesforce. It’s easy to lose track of the big picture in our day-to-day work lives. But events like the Salesforce1 World Tour and the presentations there remind me of some of the awesome things that can be done, and that other are in fact doing, with Salesforce. I’d like to take a minute and share with you all what I see as the direction things are moving thanks to this technology, and what has me the most excited about this industry and platform.
A World Without Walls
When I first started working with Salesforce, I was working at a company where data silos weren’t just a feature of the landscape; they were an integral part of the culture. It wasn’t possible for any one person to really know what was going on with the company, because there was no one place where all of that data could be accessed or viewed. Early on, I saw the value of the platform to help break down these silos, either by loading data directly into Salesforce or by positioning it as a bridge between existing systems.
Just over a year ago, I started a new job with Red Argyle, working from home. The majority of clients that I work with are people that I’ve never met face-to-face. But thanks to e-mails, video chats, online meetings, and the ability to log into any Salesforce from anywhere in the world, I don’t really need to. There’s no particular place I need to be in order to be completely effective at my job.
And now Salesforce1 is entering the scene. I’m really excited about what can be done with the new mobile app. It’s not news to anyone that the world is becoming increasingly mobile. The systems that we use on a daily basis, both personal and business, will have to adapt to keep up with this trend. Salesforce1 gives you the power to do your business from anywhere that you can get internet.
The next step, I think, is for corporate cultures to catch up with this. Take a moment and ask yourself; how much work do you and your staff does that actually physically requires you to be on company property? How many systems are already at your disposal that could free you from a particular location? If it makes more sense to have an office and work from it, then by all means do. But we have reached a point where more and more people are going to find it less and less necessary.
Living the Dream
This is what excites me most about Salesforce. I can’t help but feel that there’s a concept of freedom baked into the design. Freedom from silos that keep you from really seeing what’s going on with your data. Freedom from being tied to any particular place or office to do everything you need to do. The Salesforce platform is helping us create a world where walls are no longer necessary or relevant, and it’s a future I can’t wait to get to.
Are you having trouble with walls getting in the way of how you do business? We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a note in the comments below, or feel free to get in touch with us via e-mail or social media.
