What is Salesforce? Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform. It keeps a company's customer data, sales pipeline, service cases, marketing campaigns and online commerce in one shared system that teams use through a browser or mobile app. In 2026 it also includes AI agents (Agentforce) and a real-time data layer (Data 360) built on the same platform.
This guide was first published in 2020 as "What Is Salesforce And What Does It Do In 2020?". It has been rewritten for 2026 with the current product line-up and the names Salesforce uses today.
Salesforce in one paragraph
Salesforce is the company and cloud platform behind the CRM that IDC ranks number one by market share. Salesforce calls itself "the world's #1 AI CRM", a platform that brings together people, AI agents, apps and data, according to its What is Salesforce page. The company opened its doors in 1999, and Marc Benioff is its Chair, CEO and co-founder; its About us page also says IDC has ranked it number one in CRM market share since 2012. It was one of the first business applications sold entirely as a subscription over the internet, with nothing to install on your own servers.
What does Salesforce do?
Salesforce gives a company's sales, service, marketing and commerce teams one shared customer record in the cloud, then lets them automate work and add AI agents on top of it. Salesforce's What is Salesforce page says it helps businesses connect customers, employees and operations on one unified platform. In plain terms, Salesforce does five jobs:
- Keeps the customer record: accounts, contacts, deals, cases and every interaction, in one place.
- Runs customer-facing work: selling, service, marketing campaigns and online stores, each on that record.
- Automates processes: approvals, routing and multi-step workflows built mostly without code.
- Reports in real time: dashboards on the same data teams work in, rather than exported spreadsheets.
- Puts AI to work: Agentforce agents that answer questions and take actions in the CRM, grounded in Data 360.
What is Salesforce used for?
Salesforce is used to sell, serve customers, market, run online stores, report, automate work, build custom apps and deploy AI agents, all on one customer record. Salesforce's CRM guide describes CRM as a system that unifies a company's data and connects every customer touchpoint. In practice, teams use Salesforce for:
- Sales: tracking leads, accounts, contacts and opportunities, managing the pipeline and forecasting revenue.
- Customer service: handling cases from email, phone, chat and messaging, with a knowledge base, routing and service-level tracking; field service for technicians on site.
- Marketing: segmenting audiences and sending personalized campaigns across email, mobile and advertising.
- Commerce: running B2C and B2B online stores and order management.
- Reporting: live reports and dashboards on the same data the teams work in.
- Automation: approvals, record updates and multi-step processes built with Flow, without code.
- Custom apps: building your own objects, screens and logic on the Salesforce Platform, for anything from project management to partner portals.
- AI agents: deploying Agentforce agents that answer customers, qualify leads or take actions in the CRM.
The main Salesforce products in 2026
As of November 2026 the main products are Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Agentforce, Data 360, the Platform, Slack, Tableau and MuleSoft. Salesforce sells many products, often called "clouds". This table groups the main ones as Salesforce's product page lists them today. We explain three of them in more depth: Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Salesforce Data Cloud, now Data 360.
| Product | What it does | Typical users |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Cloud | Leads, opportunities, pipeline, forecasting and sales coaching | Sales reps and managers |
| Service Cloud | Case management, omni-channel support, knowledge base | Support agents and contact centers |
| Field Service | Scheduling and mobile tools for technicians | Field teams and dispatchers |
| Marketing Cloud | Campaigns, journeys and personalization across channels | Marketing teams |
| Commerce Cloud | Ecommerce, point of sale and order management | Digital and ecommerce teams |
| Revenue Management | Pricing, quoting, contracts and billing | Sales operations and finance |
| Agentforce | Build, deploy and manage AI agents | Every team, built by admins and developers |
| Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) | Unifies data from many sources into one profile in real time | Data, marketing and IT teams |
| Platform | Custom objects, apps, automation and code (Apex, Lightning Web Components) | Admins and developers |
| Slack | Messaging and collaboration connected to CRM data | Everyone |
| Tableau | Analytics and data visualization | Analysts and managers |
| MuleSoft | Integration and API management with other systems | Integration teams |
There are also industry versions, such as Health Cloud, Financial Services Cloud and Manufacturing Cloud, that add data models and processes for one sector. For small businesses, Salesforce packages the core apps as suites (Starter and Pro); our editions comparison explains the tiers and what they cost.
How does Salesforce work?
Salesforce runs in the cloud on a shared platform, stores everything as records in objects, and is customized mostly by configuration. Four ideas explain most of how Salesforce works:
- It runs in the cloud. Salesforce hosts the software and the data. Customers log in to their own "org" (their private instance) and receive upgrades automatically: Salesforce ships three seasonal releases a year (Spring, Summer and Winter), and some products now update monthly.
- Many customers share one platform. This multitenant design is why upgrades reach everyone at once and why there are governor limits on code. Our architecture guide covers it in depth.
- Everything is stored as records in objects. Standard objects such as Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity and Case can be extended with custom fields and custom objects. See our guide to the Salesforce data model.
- It is customized by configuration first, code second. Admins change fields, page layouts, validation rules, profiles and flows with clicks; developers add Apex and Lightning Web Components when clicks are not enough. Changes are built and tested in a sandbox first.
Users work in the Lightning Experience interface, which replaced Salesforce Classic; our Lightning guide explains the difference.
A short history of Salesforce
Salesforce started in 1999 as a CRM sold over the internet and has grown into a platform for data and AI agents. Milestones from its About us timeline:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Salesforce opens, pioneering software as a service |
| 2005 | Launches its app marketplace, AppExchange, now called AgentExchange |
| 2006 | The Trailblazer Community is founded |
| 2012 | IDC first ranks Salesforce number one in CRM market share |
| 2016 | Predictive insights and recommendations start its AI CRM era |
| 2021 | Acquires Slack |
| 2022 | Launches the data platform now called Data 360 (first Salesforce Genie, then Data Cloud) |
| 2024 | Launches Agentforce |
Much of that growth came from acquisitions such as MuleSoft, Tableau and Slack. Our dated list of Salesforce acquisitions gives each deal's announced price and what it became.
What changed recently: Agentforce and Data 360
Two changes matter most if you last looked at Salesforce a few years ago.
- Agentforce. Salesforce's AI is now centered on agents: software that can understand a request, look up CRM data and take an action, such as updating a case or booking a meeting, within rules you set. Salesforce lists Agentforce as the product to "build, deploy, and manage AI agents at scale" on its product page.
- Data 360. What was called Data Cloud is now Data 360. Salesforce's Data 360 page calls it "the official new name for what was previously called Data Cloud" and describes it as the real-time data engine that unifies data into a single Customer 360 profile for people and agents to use.
How much does Salesforce cost?
As of November 2026, Sales Cloud runs from a free suite to $550 per user per month. Salesforce's Sales Cloud pricing page lists Starter Suite at $25 and Pro Suite at $100 per user per month, and the Core ($195), Advanced ($395) and Max ($550) editions it announced on 3 September 2026, billed annually; customers on legacy editions keep their existing pricing. AI agents are priced separately or bundled, as our Salesforce AI vs traditional CRM guide explains. Licenses are only part of the bill: implementation, data migration and support usually decide the total. Our Salesforce cost guide sets out the list prices by edition, and the implementation cost guide covers the project budget.
Is Salesforce a CRM?
Yes. Salesforce is a CRM: its FAQ describes Salesforce as a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) and agentic AI platform, and it cites IDC's 2025 H1 worldwide revenue market share for its claim to be the number one CRM. Salesforce's CRM guide defines CRM as an AI-powered system that unifies a company's data and connects every customer touchpoint. That is the job of Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud. What makes Salesforce more than a contact database is the platform under those apps: custom objects and code, Flow automation, Data 360 and Agentforce, so the same CRM can run industry processes and AI agents.
| Question | Answer for Salesforce |
|---|---|
| Is it a CRM? | Yes: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud are CRM applications |
| Is it only a CRM? | No: it is also a platform for custom apps, integration (MuleSoft), analytics (Tableau) and AI agents (Agentforce) |
| Is it an ERP? | No: there is no general ledger, payroll or production planning; it connects to an ERP instead |
| Where does it run? | In the cloud, as a subscription, with three seasonal releases a year |
Is Salesforce a CRM or an ERP?
Salesforce is a CRM. It manages the customer-facing side of a business: marketing, selling, service and commerce. It does not include an accounting general ledger, payroll, procurement or production planning, which belong in an ERP. Most companies run both and connect them, so that orders closed in Salesforce become invoices in the ERP. Our comparisons of Salesforce and NetSuite, Salesforce and ServiceNow and Salesforce and Workday show where each line falls, and our integration patterns guide covers how to connect them. For the full breakdown, see Salesforce is not an ERP; for CRM rivals, see how HubSpot and Salesforce compare and our guide to Salesforce competitors and alternatives.
Who uses Salesforce, and is it right for you?
Companies of every size use Salesforce; it fits best when several teams share customer data and expect to grow. Salesforce serves everyone from small businesses on a starter suite to global enterprises with thousands of users. It tends to fit when:
- several teams need to work from the same customer record;
- your processes are specific enough that an off-the-shelf tool would need workarounds;
- you expect to grow, add channels, or connect many other systems.
It is a weaker fit if you need only a simple contact list, have no one to own the system after go-live, or want a tool with no configuration at all. Our post on the benefits and trade-offs of Salesforce goes through both sides honestly.
How to get started with Salesforce
Try a demo or free trial to evaluate it, use Trailhead to learn it, and plan the rollout before you build.
| If you want to | Start with |
|---|---|
| Evaluate it for your company | A guided Salesforce demo, then a free trial (Salesforce's sign-up page offers a 30-day Enterprise Edition trial) |
| Learn it for a career | Trailhead, Salesforce's free learning site, a free Developer Edition org for practice, the Trailblazer Community for questions, and a certification for your role; our business analyst and interview questions guides show what the roles involve |
| Roll it out properly | A scoped implementation plan; see our 7 keys to a successful implementation |
| Move from another CRM | A data migration plan; see our Salesforce data migration guide |
How do companies choose and buy Salesforce?
Most companies follow the same path from first look to go-live. Each step has a guide or a service page:
- Define the processes you want in Salesforce and who uses them; Salesforce consulting services can run this as a short assessment.
- Pick the clouds and editions for each team, using the Salesforce cost guide and the editions comparison.
- Budget the project, not only the licenses, with the implementation cost guide.
- Choose an implementation partner and agree the scope; our Salesforce implementation services page shows what a project includes.
- Plan the first release and adoption, then improve it release by release.
Getting help
Choosing the right clouds and editions, and setting them up so people actually use them, is where most of the value is won or lost. Techila is a Salesforce Summit Partner; our Salesforce implementation team helps companies plan, build and launch Salesforce. Talk to us about what Salesforce could do for your business.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salesforce a CRM?
Yes. Salesforce describes itself as a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) and agentic AI platform, and IDC ranks it the number one CRM by revenue market share. Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud are its core CRM applications, with Agentforce and Data 360 built on the same platform.
What does Salesforce do?
Salesforce gives sales, service, marketing and commerce teams one shared customer record in the cloud. Teams use it to manage leads and deals, resolve support cases, run campaigns and online stores, automate processes, report on results and deploy AI agents that act on CRM data.
What is Salesforce in simple terms?
Salesforce is software, used through a web browser or mobile app, where a company keeps everything about its customers: who they are, what they have bought, every email, call and support case, and which deals are open. Sales, service and marketing teams all work from that same record.
What is Salesforce used for?
Mainly for managing sales pipelines and forecasts, running customer service and field service, sending personalized marketing campaigns, and running online stores. Companies also build their own apps on the Salesforce Platform and, increasingly, deploy AI agents with Agentforce.
Is Salesforce a CRM or an ERP?
Salesforce is a CRM (customer relationship management) platform. It does not include an accounting general ledger, payroll or manufacturing planning the way an ERP does, so most companies connect it to a separate ERP such as NetSuite, SAP or Oracle.
What does SFDC stand for?
SFDC is shorthand for Salesforce.com, the company's original name and web address. People use it to mean the company or the platform.
Is Salesforce hard to learn?
Using it as an end user takes days. Administering or developing on it takes months of practice. Salesforce's free Trailhead learning site and a free Developer Edition org let anyone learn hands-on without a paid license.