Salesforce rolls out low-code blockchain platform for customer relationship management

Cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software provider Salesforce on Thursday said that it is rolling out a new blockchain platform for its customers to create an authentic partner ecosystem with distributed data and processes.

Called Salesforce Blockchain, the new platform is a low-code blockchain platform that extends the power of CRM, which is built on the open-source technology of Hyperledger Sawtooth and deeply customised for Salesforce Lightning, the company's app-building platform for developers.

Low-code is a software platform that allows its users to create applications through graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in contrast to traditional computer programming.

Salesforce in a statement said that the new blockchain platform will enable organisations to share verified, distributed data sets across a trusted network of partners and third parties.

"Now, companies will be able to create new ecosystems and achieve new levels of interconnectivity through trusted partner networks," Bret Taylor, president and chief product officer, Salesforce, said.

According to the company, organisations in all industries can leverage blockchain for various cases like asset tracking, credentialing and verification and authentication of goods.

By combining CRM workflows with blockchain data, companies can create new business processes and models that span sales, service, and marketing and beyond to accelerate the speed of business, Taylor explained.

Some of the customers using Salesforce Blockchain are Arizona State University, IQVIA, and S&P Global Ratings.

Salesforce Blockchain is currently available for selected design partners and it is expected to become generally available in 2020, the company said.

In the beginning of May, Salesforce had made its artificial intelligence-powered Einstein Analytics solution available for the financial services sector.

The data-driven insights offered by the analytics product will help wealth advisors, managers, and retail bankers to instantly recommend customised products for their customers, it had said.

Also, in May, the company had said that it was adding new features to its marketing automation platform Pardot to provide regional marketing teams and sub-brands the tools to categorise and target audiences.

Pardot became a part of Salesforce when the company acquired ExactTarget in June 2013 for $2.5 billion. ExactTarget had bought Pardot just six months before the Salesforce acquisition.

In March, the company had said that it was making MyTrailhead, an online gamified platform that helps skill up employees, generally available.