SharkNinja enhances customer service with Salesforce’s agentic AI solutions

Salesforce has recently unveiled that SharkNinja, a prominent global product design and technology entity, is implementing its Agentforce and other Salesforce products, including Commerce Cloud, to enhance its personalized customer service approach through the usage of autonomous agents. This decision comes as SharkNinja, known for its household products such as Shark vacuum cleaners and Ninja kitchen appliances, seeks to support its rapid expansion across more than 30 global markets by delivering efficient customer support and an enhanced shopping experience.

SharkNinja is renowned for its innovative contributions to the market, particularly through its multi-billion-dollar brands, Shark and Ninja. The integration of Agentforce aims to facilitate an always-on digital workforce that operates 24/7, thereby assisting customers with their purchasing journey, addressing product-related inquiries, troubleshooting problems, and managing product returns. Velia Carboni, the Chief Information Officer at SharkNinja, emphasized the importance of innovation within the company’s offerings. “Innovation is the driver behind every product SharkNinja creates across our vast portfolio, so it was really important to find a tool that could give us the capabilities needed to be just as innovative across every consumer interaction,” she stated.

Agentforce will further enable SharkNinja to enhance brand loyalty by facilitating tailored support interactions that draw from customer data insights, including previous purchases and service history. Adam Evans, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Salesforce AI Platform, noted that integrating customer data with service functions would allow SharkNinja to deliver an exceptional experience at every customer touchpoint. This integration is anticipated to foster enduring customer loyalty.

In addition to the integration of Agentforce, SharkNinja will utilise Commerce Cloud, which will enable the consolidation of customer data from various sources into a unified overview. This initiative aims to offer more personalized shopping experiences and enhance the tracking of customer engagement on a global scale.

Industry projections indicate a rising trend in the implementation of agentic AI within businesses. As of late 2024, approximately 26% of companies have initiated agentic AI pilots, a figure expected to grow to 50% by 2027. By 2028, it is anticipated that one-third of enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI, which will facilitate 15% of daily operational decisions made autonomously. Research suggests that the convergence of generative and agentic AI will lead to systems capable of end-to-end automation and strategic decision-making, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Agentforce is designed to easily integrate with various major enterprise systems, including SAP, Oracle ERP systems, and Microsoft Dynamics ERP, streamlining workflows and enhancing operational efficiency. Successful examples of companies currently benefiting from agentic AI include Wiley, which experienced a 213% return on investment after implementing AI-powered agents that helped to resolve common customer issues. Similarly, the Adecco Group improved its recruitment processes through autonomous agents that manage administrative tasks and improve recruiter-candidate interactions.

In parallel, advancements in AI are also poised to revolutionise the supply chain sector. Experts predict that 2025 and beyond will witness significant developments in AI-driven autonomous operations, which will remove the necessity for human intervention in crucial decision-making processes. Hardik Chawla, Senior Product Manager at Amazon, described this future as “end-to-end process automation — completely hands-off”. He noted that AI’s application in supply chains would enhance procurement practices, with AI selecting optimal suppliers and making real-time adjustments in response to unforeseen disruptions.

With agentic AI acting as independent problem-solving agents, the supply chain operations are expected to achieve unprecedented efficiency. For instance, at the Port of Los Angeles, agentic AI already directs logistical operations, ensuring efficient container handling. However, Chawla highlighted that while advancements are promising, they are currently developing “in segments” rather than uniformly across the industry.

As firms integrate AI into mission-critical processes, improvements in quality and workflow optimisation are anticipated. Experts suggest AI could reduce supply chain and logistics costs significantly, asserting that larger providers are generally ahead of smaller ones in adopting technology-driven solutions. Nevertheless, companies will need to ensure they maintain clean and structured data, a requirement that will become increasingly critical as AI evolves.

In summary, both SharkNinja’s integration of Salesforce’s tools and the broader industry trends towards AI-driven automation in operations signify a transformative period for business practices. The incorporation of agentic AI into various sectors is forecasted to enhance efficiency and decision-making processes while ultimately redefining the landscape of customer service and supply chain management.

Source: Noah Wire Services