Salesforce event in Auckland highlights AI transformation

The Salesforce Agentforce World Tour in Auckland highlighted the current and potential impact of autonomous AI agents on New Zealand businesses, drawing over 1,300 attendees to Shed 10.

The event demonstrated how these AI agents, a new form of software capable of performing tasks autonomously or with minimal human interaction, are changing the landscape of customer and employee experiences. Unlike traditional chatbots, these agents can independently search, analyse, and act on data to complete tasks.

Participants at the event had the opportunity to create more than 420 autonomous AI agents, which they could bring back to their organisations. This was achieved through simple voice and text inputs requiring no coding skills, allowing attendees to quickly develop agent prototypes for various use cases, including customer support and sales challenges.

Hamish Miles, the New Zealand Country Leader at Salesforce, addressed the audience, expressing his enthusiasm for the technology. "It's what AI was meant to be... The excitement levels are palpable, the level of interest and engagement with Agentforce is as high as I've ever seen it for launching a new tech product here in New Zealand. Agentforce is so easy to implement, and so rapid to deliver impact, there'll be a clear advantage to those organisations who adopt it," he said.

Several institutions, such as Fisher & Paykel, Parkable, Media Works, realestate.co.nz, McLeod Cranes, and Stats NZ, shared their experiences with the Salesforce platform during the event. Fisher & Paykel, for example, has integrated AI across multiple sectors like marketing and customer service.

Sarah Lukins, General Manager Digital at Fisher & Paykel, remarked, "Being a luxury premium brand, our customers have very high expectations. We want to separate ourselves from our competitors and the only way to be able to do that is through the Salesforce platform."

Abi Spence, Global Head of Marketing for Parkable, commented on the significance of Agentforce, stating, "It's hard to not be caught up in the hype surrounding Agentforce. It was great to be here in Auckland in person to see these new autonomous AI agents in action. This third wave of AI gives marketers like myself plenty to think about as we plan our customer engagement strategies."

Parkable, originating in New Zealand, now provides parking management solutions in various countries, including Australia, the USA, and the UK.

The event underscored the growing importance of AI technologies in driving future business strategies, with many businesses keen to leverage such innovations to enhance operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction.