Agentforce Review: The Right Sales Tool for Your Business in 2025?
Vlad Oleksiienko03 Nov 2024
How’s your sales platform treating you?
If you’re reading this, then the chances are you’re either looking around to see what’s out there or you’re looking for the best platform to get started, and Agentforce has caught your eye.
Is this the platform you’ve been looking for? Is it the right fit for your business? There are so many options out there these days, and while a little overwhelming at times like these, it also means you can take the time to find the tool that actually integrates into your business, offers you everything you need, and leaves out everything you don’t.
So, let’s take a deep dive into Agentforce and give it a bit of a test drive, exploring its features, pricing, and what real users are saying. Plus, we’ll even introduce you to a powerful alternative that might just steal the show. 😉
Let’s get into it.
What is Agentforce? The product overview
AgentForce is an AI-powered sales tool designed to make your sales life a whole lot easier. Think of it like a virtual sales assistant that can handle a lot of different tasks, so you don’t have to.
It’s a product from Salesforce (hence the name), which is renowned as one of the top sales platforms and enterprises in the world (founded all the way back in 1999 and still going strong today), so there’s no doubt this is a legit operation.
Specifically focusing on AgentForce, within the app, you’ll find a suite of AI “agents,” each specializing in different aspects of the sales process. Whether it’s qualifying leads, nurturing prospects, or even coaching your team, Agentforce aims to automate those repetitive tasks that often bog us down.
But here’s the kicker: Agentforce isn’t just about mindless automation. It’s about smart automation. By leveraging the power of AI, it can personalize interactions, anticipate customer needs, and ultimately help you close more deals.
So, you get Agentforce and have a “team” of AI agents who can be given specific tasks, which then work with your existing human sales team to nurture leads, drive customer success, and essentially do all the things you do every day, just faster, more efficiently, more productively, and at a grander scale.
If you’re looking to streamline your operations, get better results, or take things to the next level, adopting a platform like Agentforce could be the next step to take.
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So, you’re intrigued by Agentforce and want to give it a whirl? Awesome! Getting started is actually pretty straightforward, but there are a few technicalities hidden within the process.
First things first, head over to the Agentforce website and sign up for an account. You’ll likely need to provide the usual details: your name, email address, company name, maybe your shoe size… you know the drill. 😉
Once you’re in, Agentforce typically offers a guided onboarding process. They’ll walk you through the basics, like setting up your profile and choosing the AI agents that best suit your needs.
However, this is where things can get a little tricky unless you have some technical know-how.
Typically, you’ll need to set up your service agents individually using the Agent Builder tool. Click the Agent Builder tab from the Setup menu and click New Agent. You get to choose from:
Agentforce SDR Agent: The typical 24/7 agent works within your pipeline to generate prospects. SDR stands for “Sales Development Representative,” so they’ll handle anything related to this process. Think answering common questions, booking meetings, and all this kind of thing.
Agentforce Sales Coach: An AI-powered coach that aims to train and assist your human sales reps with the knowledge they need to close more deals. We’re talking personalized, actionable coaches that can provide real-time feedback on your rep’s effort.
Agentforce Service Agent: An AI that delivers personalized customer interactions and can help support their experiences while signed on with you. Think about handling common inquiries automatically, escalating complaints or problems, and so on.
There’s also the “Einstein Copilot” feature that works with your sales reps to automatically handle day-to-day tasks, helping your human team stay productive and take some of the monotony out of daily office life.
You’ll need to pick whichever one best suits you (perhaps play with them first to get a feel for them and what they have to offer) and then follow the onboarding to get them set up and running.
This involves “building the agent,” which allows you to change certain features and approaches on a custom level to fit the needs of your business. For example, you can outline your needs, the purpose of each agent, provide custom instructions, create workflows, and compile action libraries.
Deployment is generally pretty quick once you know what you’re doing; it just might take a hot minute to get there.
What are the main Agentforce (Salesforce) features?
Okay, with everything outlined, let’s dive into the actual meat of what Agentforce has to offer. We’re talking about the features and functions actually offered by the AI agents.
Automation tools
We’ve covered it briefly already, but just to give you a comprehensive lay of the land, nobody enjoys those repetitive, mundane tasks that drain time and energy.
Agentforce’s AI-powered automation tools like potentially save hours every day by taking care of these tasks, well, automatically. We’re talking processes like case categorization, response template suggestions, and more (like AI SDR Salesforce).
Imagine this: an incoming email is automatically tagged based on its content, routed to the appropriate agent, and even triggers a suggested response template.
This frees up your agents to focus on what they do best: providing personalized support and building relationships with customers. With the grunt work like this taken care of, your human agents can instead focus all their resources on doing what they do best.
Let’s chat! Or rather, let AI Chat
AI Chat keeps conversations flowing even when you’re off the clock, engaging leads and booking meetings on your behalf!
You already know that data is king in today’s world, and customer support is no exception.
Agentforce gets this, providing you with powerful analytics and reporting features to track key metrics like case resolution time, agent productivity (for instance, when your Salesforce AI SDR responding), and those all-important customer satisfaction scores.
Let’s say you’re a support manager noticing a spike in resolution times for a particular type of issue. With Agentforce’s reporting, you can quickly pinpoint the bottleneck, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your team’s workflow.
It’s like having a magnifying glass for your support operations, helping you identify and address issues before they snowball.
Omnichannel support
Modern customers expect to reach you on their terms, whether it’s via email, chat, phone, or social media. Salesforce Agentforce embraces this omnichannel approach, allowing your agents to manage interactions across all channels from a single, unified platform.
No more messages getting lost or your reps wasting time looking for which case is where and what’s going on. It’s all in one place and easy to manage, with all the backend stuff taken care of automatically.
Imagine a customer starts by tweeting about an issue, then switches to email for a more detailed explanation. With Agentforce, all these interactions are seamlessly integrated into a single thread, ensuring no information gets lost, and your agents have a complete picture of the customer’s journey.
Knowledge management
Having access to the right information at the right time is crucial for efficient customer support, especially when customers are dealing with multiple agents over time.
Agentforce’s knowledge base acts as a central repository for all your support resources, ensuring your agents have instant access to real-time information, articles, and FAQs. Pretty much like your own supercharged internal wiki, constantly updated with the latest information and best practices.
This empowers your agents to answer customer questions quickly and accurately, reducing resolution times and boosting customer satisfaction.
Collaboration tools
Customer support isn’t a solo endeavor. It often requires collaboration between agents, managers, and even other departments. Agentforce by Salesforce recognizes this, offering seamless integrations with tools like Slack to enhance internal communication.
Imagine this: an agent encounters a complex issue that requires input from a product specialist. With a quick Slack message, they can loop in the right person, get instant feedback, and resolve the issue efficiently.
Case management
Efficient case management is the backbone of any successful support operation. Agentforce streamlines this process by automatically assigning cases to the right agents, providing clear workflows, and enabling easy tracking of each case’s status.
Think of it as an air traffic control system for your support tickets, ensuring each case is routed efficiently and progresses smoothly toward resolution. This prevents bottlenecks, reduces resolution times, and keeps customers happy.
What are the Agentforce pricing plans?
Let’s talk numbers. Agentforce keeps its pricing pretty straightforward. They’ve got a “build-your-own adventure” kind of approach, letting you pick and choose the components that fit your needs and budget.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Salesforce Foundations
This is your starting point. It’s included with your existing Salesforce Enterprise Edition or above at no extra cost. If you’re already using Salesforce, this is your way to get started.
1K Agentforce conversations and leads: This gives you a taste of what Agentforce can do (including Salesforce AI SDR).
250K Data Cloud credits: Fuel for your AI engine!
Sales, Service, Marketing, and Commerce tools: All the essentials you need for a well-rounded Salesforce experience.
Agentforce Service Agent
If you’re looking to just onboard the service agent side of things, helping you resolve cases and literally take care of business, this package is for you. However, the price does seem to increase a little steeply.
USD/Per conversation: You only pay for what you use, but it clocks in at $2 USD per conversation (also, including AI SDR Salesforce).
Out-of-the-box Service Agent: Ready to roll from day one. Just set it up and go using Salesforce’s predetermined settings.
Prompt Builder: And then have the ability to create your own AI agent on your terms. Craft your own prompts to fine-tune the Service Agent’s responses.
You’ll need to contact the Agentforce team for access to this plan.
Standard Success Plan
Another plan where you’ll need to get in contact with a sales rep to get set up and thus receive custom Agentforce pricing, but this is more like a resource plan to ensure your onboarding is smooth and any problems are dealt with quickly, as and when you need them.
With this plan, you’ll receive:
Access to Knowledge Articles, documentation, and Trailhead: Level up your Salesforce Agentforce skills with these helpful resources.
Global Trailblazer Community: Connect with other Agentforce users and share best practices.
So, how much does it all cost?
Well, that depends on your specific needs and usage. The beauty of Agentforce’s pricing is its flexibility, but this can also be its downfall, as you never really know what you’re signing up for until you get it, nor how much it’ll cost.
You can start small and scale up as your business grows, and if you’re already using Salesforce, this could be a great option because the fundamentals are included in your Salesforce plan.
However, say you’re a small or medium business, 20 conversations a day will cost you $40, just to reply to messages, which could add up quickly. When you consider the time it takes to set everything up, get familiar with the platform, and build agents, it could be quite an investment.
Ready to scale? Let AI SDR do the heavy lifting
From outreach to follow-ups, let our AI SDR handle the grind so you can scale faster. It’s like hiring a sales team at the click of a button!
Now, let’s be honest, sifting through online reviews can sometimes feel like venturing into the Wild West. You’ve got your glowing testimonials, your scathing critiques, and everything in between. It can be tough to separate the genuine feedback from the noise.
What’s more, Agentforce Salesforce was only released on October, 25th, 2024, so at the time of writing, it’s only been live under a month, so people are surely still finding their feet with it.
However, I’ll stress again this is a platform developed and maintained by Salesforce, a global leader and reputable service with decades of experience, so quality and investment in the service don’t need to be considered an issue.
Anyway, the views of the public, what have we got:
The good
While negative reviews seem to dominate (more on this shortly), there are a few glimmers of hope and satisfaction sprinkled throughout.
Enthusiastic endorsements: Some users, particularly those in real estate, find Agentforce to be a valuable tool. They appreciate its comprehensive features and potential to streamline their brokerage operations.
Potential time-saver: Several users acknowledge that Agentforce has the potential to automate tasks and improve efficiency, especially once it’s properly set up and customized.
Forward-thinking technology: Some users recognize that Agentforce represents the future of AI-powered CRM and are excited about its long-term possibilities, even if it’s still in its early stages.
The middle ground
Many users seem to fall into a middle ground, expressing a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and a “wait-and-see” attitude towards Salesforce Agentforce.
Potential with caveats: Several users acknowledge Agentforce’s potential but also highlight its current limitations, such as performance issues, pricing concerns, and the need for better integration with third-party data.
Learning curve and experimentation: Some users suggest that Agentforce requires a learning curve and experimentation to unlock its full potential. They encourage others to explore its capabilities and contribute to its development.
Long-term vision: Many users believe that Agentforce, or similar AI-powered tools, will eventually become an integral part of the Salesforce ecosystem. They see it as an evolution of chatbot technology and a step towards more intelligent CRM solutions.
The not-so-good
Unfortunately, a significant portion of the feedback expresses frustration, skepticism, and even outright disappointment with Agentforce by Salesforce.
Setup and support issues: Many users report difficulties with setup, lack of support responsiveness, and onboarding challenges. These issues hinder their ability to effectively use the platform.
Functionality concerns: Several users find the current functionality to be lacking, particularly in areas like email marketing, automation, and contact management. They feel that Agentforce is not yet living up to its promises.
Pricing and upselling: Users express concerns about the pricing model, particularly the per-conversation cost and the perceived need to purchase additional Salesforce products (like Mulesoft) to fully leverage Agentforce’s capabilities.
AI performance and user experience: Some users question the actual performance of Agentforce’s AI, citing slow response times and limited capabilities. They also express skepticism about the overall user experience with AI-powered chatbots.
Overall opinion- Proceed with caution and tempered expectations
Based on this collection of user feedback, it’s clear that Salesforce Agentforce is still in its early stages and has a long way to go before it can truly live up to its hype.
While it holds promise and has garnered some enthusiastic supporters, there are significant concerns about its functionality, usability, and overall value proposition.
Potential users should proceed with caution and tempered expectations. It’s crucial to thoroughly research Agentforce’s capabilities, consider its limitations, and weigh its costs against its potential benefits.
Or perhaps wait a little longer for the platform to find its feet, satisfy its existing users, and become a more cost-effective option.
What is the best Agentforce alternative?
Now, while Agentforce certainly has its merits, it’s not the only game in town. In fact, there’s a rising star that’s been making waves and capturing the hearts of sales teams worldwide: yours truly, Reply.io. 😉
We might be a bit biased, but we truly believe Reply.io offers a compelling alternative (or even an upgrade!) to Agentforce. Why, you ask? Well, let’s break it down:
Multichannel mastery: While Agentforce focuses primarily on AI-powered agents, Reply.io takes a more holistic approach to sales engagement. We empower you to orchestrate personalized outreach across multiple (and conditional) channels, including email, LinkedIn outreach, SMS, calls, and even WhatsApp. It’s like having a Swiss Army knife of sales automation tools all in one platform.
Full deliverability: Email still holds the highest ROI ($1 invested makes an average of $42 back), but let’s face it, even the most brilliant AI-crafted email is useless if it ends up in the spam folder. That’s why Reply.io places a huge emphasis on email deliverability. We provide a powerful toolkit to ensure your messages land in inboxes, not spam folders.
AI-powered efficiency: But don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the AI magic and how it can make your life better when used correctly. Reply.io offers AI-powered features to streamline your workflow. Our AI Sales Assistant can help you generate high-converting email sequences, while our AI Chat can automate lead qualification and responses.
Human-centric approach: At Reply.io, we believe technology should enhance human capabilities, not replace them. Our platform is designed to empower sales teams to build genuine relationships with their prospects, not just automate every interaction. It’s about finding the perfect balance between automation and the human touch.
Pricing that makes sense: And let’s not forget about the price tag. Reply.io offers flexible pricing plans to suit businesses of all sizes. We believe in transparent pricing with no hidden fees or surprises. You can choose the plan that best fits your needs and budget and scale up as you grow.
How to choose your AI agent
And finally, bringing all this together, how do you actually make the choice on which option is best for you, whether that’s Salesforce Agentforce, Reply.io, or any of the other great options out there.
You may wonder why we’re not trying to convince you through a hard sell that Reply.io is the solution you’ve been looking for and how amazing it is. It’s pretty great (we should know; we made it that way), but we understand it’s not for everyone.
Every business is different and has different needs, expectations, goals, desired workflows, and so on. We’d rather you pick the solution that will help you both now and forever more.
So, let’s take a moment to guide you through the process of actually making the right choice. Here are a few key factors to consider when making your decision:
Features that fit your needs: Not all AI sales tools are created equal. Some focus on specific tasks, like lead qualification or email automation, while others offer a more comprehensive suite of features. Think about your particular pain points and choose a tool that addresses them head-on.
Meet your new AI sales team!
Our AI SDR works tirelessly, learning from each interaction to engage leads like a pro—so you can focus on closing deals.
Pricing that aligns with your budget: AI sales tools come in all shapes and sizes, and their pricing reflects that. Consider your budget and choose a tool that offers the best value for your money. Don’t be swayed by fancy features you’ll never use. Focus on the essentials that will make a real difference in your sales process.
Integrations that streamline your workflow: Make sure the AI sales tool you choose integrates seamlessly with your existing tech stack, especially your CRM. This will ensure a smooth flow of data and prevent those dreaded data silos.
User-friendliness that doesn’t intimidate: Let’s face it, nobody wants to wrestle with a complex tool that requires a PhD in computer science to operate. Choose an AI sales tool that’s intuitive and easy to use, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy.
Support that’s got your back: When things go wrong (and let’s be honest, they sometimes do!), you want to know that there’s a helpful support team ready to assist you. Choose an AI sales tool with a reputation for excellent customer support.
And hey, here’s a bonus tip: don’t be afraid to try before you buy! Most AI sales tools offer free trials or demos. Take them for a test drive and see how they fit into your workflow before committing to a long-term relationship. 😉
Final thoughts
And that’s it – the lay of the land when it comes to Agentforce, its features, the pros and cons, and the powerful alternative that is Reply.io. 😉
Now, the choice is yours. If you’re looking for a dedicated AI sales tool focusing on automating specific tasks, Agentforce Salesforce might be a good fit.
But if you crave a more comprehensive platform that combines multichannel outreach, top-notch deliverability, and AI-powered efficiency, then Reply.io is ready to steal your heart (and boost your sales!). ❤️
No matter which path you choose, remember that the key to success in today’s sales landscape is finding the right balance between automation and the human touch.
Use AI to streamline your workflow, personalize your outreach, and free up your time to focus on what truly matters: building genuine relationships with your prospects.
Ready to take your sales game to the next level?
Explore Reply.io today and discover the power of truly personalized sales engagement. We’re confident you’ll love what you see.
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