CHALLENGE:
Switching through multiple tabs to get account information
This auto parts distributor offers a wide variety of products across various automotive makes and models. For their sales representatives to make the most of their client visits, they needed quick access to relevant customer information.
The sales team struggled with inefficient navigation, having to click through numerous tabs and related lists on the account record to access crucial account information and related opportunities. This slowed their response times and reduced the valuable time they could spend engaging with customers. On top of that, they had to manually insert call notes, adding to their workload.
Additionally, their customer support team faced challenges in addressing customer queries efficiently. The lack of a centralized knowledge base meant that representatives often had to search through inconsistent documentation or rely on informal knowledge to find answers. This fragmented approach to information management, coupled with manual processes, resulted in extended response times and potential inconsistencies while providing support to customers.
SOLUTION:
Transforming sales and support efficiency with AI-powered agents
The company’s sales and support teams needed a way to automate their repetitive tasks. After understanding their challenges, we proposed building AI agents powered by Agentforce that would deliver the most impact and automate their day-to-day work. We structured the project into two parts, each focused on tailored solutions for the respective teams.
Part 1: Empowering sales teams with account information
Part 1 focused on streamlining workflows for the sales team. Since Salesforce housed all their deal-related information, we built an AI agent, Einstein Copilot, directly within their environment to ensure seamless access.
The agent was embedded on all Salesforce pages, allowing sales reps to simply click the Agentforce icon to instantly generate an account summary, pulling insights from all relevant records and sales activities. To ensure easy access, we placed the summary on a dedicated tab that automatically refreshed with the most recent data.
We further enhanced their daily workflows by introducing:
- AI-powered note summarization and grammar checks: This allowed reps to clean up and summarize call notes before saving them.
- Team-level summaries: Account managers can generate roll-up summaries across their entire book of business.
To navigate their unique system structure and custom objects, we developed tailored solutions using Apex code and custom configurations. By incorporating features like voice-to-text dictation, we leveraged both Agentforce and generative AI to create solutions tailored to their specific needs. This part concluded with a successful deployment and user sign-off, leaving the sales team better equipped to prepare client visits with faster and greater confidence.
Part 2: Automating customer support with knowledge-based FAQ agents
The second part targeted the customer support team, who had previously operated without a centralized knowledge base. To prepare for deploying an FAQ agent, we guided the company through creating and structuring their initial knowledge base. We developed the first batch of articles and provided documentation and best practices to help their team continue building this resource.
Using these knowledge articles, we deployed an FAQ agent that mimicked the familiar experience of website support bots, allowing agents to quickly find answers to common questions by pulling relevant knowledge base content. Key features included:
- Recommended knowledge articles: Agents now see suggested knowledge articles directly on the case page, removing the need to switch tools or perform manual searches. With relevant articles surfaced instantly, they can quickly assess and apply the right solution, helping resolve cases faster and more efficiently.
- Knowledge article creation from case: When agents come across cases that could benefit others, they can convert those into knowledge articles with ease. This strengthens the FAQ agent’s content over time, allowing it to automatically resolve similar future cases. The result is a smarter, self-improving support system that boosts team productivity.
By automating common inquiries and simplifying knowledge retrieval, we helped them reduce manual workloads and improve support efficiency. Additionally, we provided an overall scan of their Salesforce environment to identify unused features and technical debt, supporting their broader system optimization efforts.
Throughout both parts, we collaborated with Salesforce account teams, opened support tickets for emerging issues, and ensured the company’s technical team was equipped to manage and grow these new capabilities.
With both AI agents now live in production, their sales and support teams are better positioned to serve customers faster, work smarter, and continually build on their digital foundation.
RESULTS:
Simpler, more effective sales and customer service
With Spaulding Ridge, the company has significantly reduced the time sales reps spend preparing for customer calls and visits. What once took clicking through 10-15 tabs now takes just one click, giving reps instant account summaries and key insights. This has made field visits more efficient and standardized, allowing reps to focus on selling rather than searching.
For customer support, the new FAQ agent and knowledge base have replaced manual searching with AI-driven article recommendations, helping agents resolve cases faster. By enabling easy creation of new articles, they are building a growing knowledge base that continues to improve support efficiency.
The solution has cut manual work, improved productivity, and helped them get more value from their Salesforce investment.
