Salesforce Is No Longer Just CRM. It Is Becoming Enterprise Infrastructure

In this interview, Jaroslav Luc, Salesforce Delivery Director at Trask, explains what it takes to make Salesforce deliver real business value, and why AI, industry clouds and Agentforce are pushing it closer to the core of enterprise transformation.

From finance to manufacturing, retail and energy: Salesforce demand is expanding

What is currently shaping the market for CRM platforms?

JL: AI, autonomous agents, hyperautomation, data and real-time insights are the main forces shaping the market. The common denominator is speed: faster access to information, faster decisions, faster automation and a more dynamic way to work with customers. This is also why Salesforce is moving beyond traditional CRM use cases.

4 customer platform trends through Jaroslav Luc’s lens

1. From records to workflows

‍CRM is no longer only about managing customer data. It is becoming part of how sales, service, marketing and operations actually work.

2. From generic platforms to industry clouds

‍Companies increasingly need solutions that reflect their industry, processes and regulatory context.

3. From AI features to AI in the user flow

‍AI creates value when it helps people make decisions, prioritize work and act faster inside their daily tools.

4. From go-live to adoption

‍CRM success is no longer measured only by implementation. The real test is whether users adopt the platform and whether it improves business outcomes.

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Where is client demand for Salesforce strongest right now?

JL: Historically, Salesforce demand was driven mainly by the financial sector. Today, we see growing interest from manufacturing and retail, where companies need to connect customer-facing processes with data, automation and core enterprise systems. We also see new industries gradually entering the discussion, including energy.

How mature is the Central European market for CRM platforms compared with Western Europe or the United States?

JL: The Central European market is actively growing, but it is still less mature and significantly smaller than Western Europe, and especially the United States.

In Salesforce services specifically, the United States accounts for roughly 40% of the market, while Europe is around 20%. The difference is not only about size. It is also about why companies invest in these platforms and what they expect from them. In the US, requirements are often more advanced, especially in terms of system complexity, business priorities and expected outcomes.

Why does this growing complexity matter for Salesforce projects?

JL: As Salesforce projects become more connected to business agendas, customer data and enterprise systems, they cannot be treated as isolated CRM implementations.

Salesforce delivers the most value when it is part of a wider business and technology landscape. That is where Trask brings value: we combine Salesforce expertise with deep industry knowledge in financial services and manufacturing, and with strong capabilities in integration, enterprise architecture and delivery.

What separates a successful Salesforce project from a technical rollout?

JL: Clear business ownership, pragmatic scope, strong integration and real user adoption. Salesforce creates value only when it is connected to the way the business actually works: its processes, data, systems and users. That is why we define KPIs early, map the key flows before delivery starts and make adoption part of the project, not an afterthought.

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The customer-facing layer of enterprise transformation

What role should Salesforce play in enterprise transformation?

JL: Salesforce should not be seen only as a CRM system. For us, it is the customer-facing layer of digital transformation. It connects the front office with the systems, data and processes that run the business.

In manufacturing, that means linking customer touchpoints with ERP and production systems. In financial services, it often means marketing automation, personalized communication and a 360-degree customer view. The use cases differ by industry, but the principle is the same: Salesforce has to be connected to the wider enterprise landscape.

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The next phase: AI inside the workflow

How is AI changing the discussion around Salesforce?

JL: The shift is no longer only about adding AI as another feature. AI is becoming part of the user flow and part of decision-making processes. In Salesforce, this is already visible in areas such as automatically generated emails, responses, texts, insights and predictions. AI is also increasingly used for predictive lead scoring, churn risk estimation, recommended actions in customer care and price optimization.

For companies, the real question is how to use AI where it improves daily work, not where it only looks impressive in a demo.

What role will industry clouds and Agentforce, Salesforce’s AI agent platform, play in this next phase?

JL: Generic CRM is becoming less dominant. The market is moving toward vertically focused platforms that better reflect how specific industries operate.

That is why we are strengthening our capabilities around industry clouds and industry solutions. Today, we already work with Manufacturing Cloud and Financial Services Cloud. We also want to look further into Consumer Goods & Retail Cloud, and we are carefully choosing where Agentforce will make real sense for clients.

What capabilities will matter most in enterprise Salesforce projects?

JL: Enterprise Salesforce projects will need people who understand both the platform and the business context around it.

That is why we are strengthening multi-role consulting capabilities and deeper expertise in industry clouds. The goal is to help clients use Salesforce not as a generic CRM layer, but as a platform that reflects how their industry, processes and customer relationships actually work.

How to get more value from Salesforce:
7 practical steps before adding more features

‍1. Start with the business problem, not the feature list

‍Define what Salesforce should improve: faster sales cycles, better customer service, more relevant communication, lower manual workload or better management visibility.

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2. Map the current process before changing the system‍

Understand how work really happens today, where data comes from, which teams touch the process and where users lose time.

‍3. Do not copy the old system one-to-one

‍Salesforce transformation is not about replicating every existing function in a new platform. Use the change as an opportunity to simplify processes, remove outdated steps and rethink how work should happen.

‍4. Phase the implementation into manageable steps

‍Avoid trying to solve everything at once. Start with the areas where Salesforce can create visible value quickly, then expand.
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‍5. Choose the partner by approach, not only by price‍

Price matters, but a low-cost implementation can become expensive later if the scope is unrealistic, integrations are underestimated or adoption is treated as an afterthought.
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‍6. Ask users where the system creates friction

‍For companies already using Salesforce, user feedback is often the fastest way to find what blocks adoption: too many clicks, unclear data, duplicate work or unnecessary complexity.
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‍7. Simplify before you build more

‍More functionality does not automatically mean more value. In many cases, cleaning processes, improving adoption and removing friction can create a bigger impact than another layer of development.

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For enterprises, the Salesforce question is no longer only which features to implement. It is how to make the platform work inside the real business: connected to data, processes, users, enterprise systems and measurable outcomes.

Want to understand where Salesforce can create more value in your business? Let’s talk.

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About Jaroslav Luc

Jaroslav Luc leads Trask’s Salesforce division and a consulting team focused on complex digitalization. He specializes in Salesforce-based transformation, connecting clients’ business needs with solution design, delivery and adoption.

Before joining Trask, he held several senior Salesforce and CRM leadership roles, including responsibility for Salesforce enterprise project delivery, CRM competence development and digital transformation initiatives across industries such as manufacturing, energy, telecommunications and financial services.