Salesforce connect companies via Slack, after US$27.7bn deal

Salesforce, a global leader in CRM, announced it has completed its acquisition of Slack Technologies nearly eight months after first announcing plans to acquire the team communication platform for US$27.7 billion.

As a result of the deal, Salesforce said it plans to combine Slack with Salesforce Customer 360, a customer data platform it introduced in 2018 that allows companies to connect Salesforce apps and Map teams and reconcile data sources across a whole organisation.

In a statement, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said: “Together we’ll define the future of enterprise software, creating the digital HQ that enables every organisation to deliver customer and employee success from anywhere.” 

Working together, Salesforce and Slack will deliver a single platform for connecting employees, customers, and partners with each other and the apps they use every day, all within their existing workflows.

“We’ve learned over the past year that the workplace isn’t snapping back to the way it was,” said Bret Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Salesforce. “Together, Slack and Salesforce Customer 360 will give every company in the world a single source of truth for their business and a single platform for connecting employees, customers, and partners with each other and the apps they use every day.”

Creating digital success

The past year has taught companies around the world that if you don’t have a digital way to connect with your employees, customers, and partners, it makes things extremely difficult. 

IBM’s 380,000 employees are already working together in Slack, with numerous workflows across Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud powering customer success across locations and time zones.

As part of Salesforce, Slack will be positioned to accelerate and extend its mission to make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. Slack will continue to operate under the Slack brand, driving forward a continued focus on its mission, customers, and community. Slack will continue to be led by CEO and Co-Founder Stewart Butterfield.

On Tuesday, August 17, 1:00 pm ET/6:00 pm BST, Salesforce President, and COO Bret Taylor and Slack CEO and Co-Founder Stewart Butterfield will host an event to share more about how the two companies are creating a powerful platform for the digital-first, work anywhere world.