What brought you to Salesforce?

I’ve spent over two decades working in the software industry, and Salesforce has been internationally recognised as the best-in-class Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provider for over half of that time. That’s an astounding achievement. Through the various roles I’ve performed at Salesforce I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to and help fuel the customer-obsessed culture that sets us apart from our competitors. That’s what brought me to Salesforce, and what keeps me here.

Tell me about your role as Head of EMEA ESMB for Salesforce – what does your day to day look like?

I lead the team that is revolutionising how emerging small and midsize businesses (ESMBs) operate. 

Like every business, small and scale-up businesses are embracing new technologies to help them thrive in the digital economy. We help these businesses accelerate the adoption of new technologies, offering a tailored approach that puts the right products and strategies in place to drive sustainable and profitable growth.

Working in partnership with my team, limited resources and expertise is no longer a barrier to ESMBs’ digital transformation. As their trusted digital advisors, we fill the gap, helping our customers stay up-to-date and remain competitive in the evolving digital landscape.

Most of my days are spent with customers, better understanding what they need and supporting my team to develop bespoke and innovative solutions.
From your experience working with SMBs across EMEA, what would you say are the biggest challenges facing small and midsize businesses today?

ESMBs play a vital role in the global economy, contributing to employment and GDP growth, but many are fighting for survival. Specific challenges vary by market but spiralling costs and difficulty accessing both finance and talent are themes that come up regularly in conversations I have with business leaders.

This is often the context to the conversations with our ESMB customers, and why our solutions are business critical. Transforming digital infrastructure to create smoother, more frictionless experiences for both customers and employees leads to competitive advantages. It helps ESMBs free up time and resource to do more of what they’re great at – being agile, adaptive and creative to stand out.

And what do you see as the biggest opportunities for these businesses?

It’s probably not a surprise that generative AI is front of mind for many business leaders I speak to. For ESMBs especially, this is an opportunity they’re looking to seize and potentially are even better prepared for than their larger competitors.

The ESMB teams we work with are already leveraging AI tools to automate and optimise routine tasks – which is maximising their time, increasing productivity and even allowing for more flexible working arrangements. But critically, this is also helping enhance their data-based insights, enabling ESMBs to make strategic and informed decisions that better serve their customers.

But while AI is undoubtedly one of the biggest opportunities for these businesses, embracing its benefits will require a holistic strategy to approaching digital transformation.

One important consideration here is increasing collaboration. Breaking down organisational silos is essential to facilitating this, and it begins with ESMBs organising their data more effectively. With tools like Data Cloud, companies can harmonise their data in one place and enjoy the benefits of increased knowledge sharing and alignment across teams. This enables a seamless approach to internal collaboration and allows these businesses to more effectively leverage AI to drive results.

A customer centric approach is also key for these companies. Combining AI and CRM with quality data can help ESMBs create more personalised customer experiences. So, maintaining this focus as a priority in their transformation journey will be vital to ensuring this consistency and accuracy – and ultimately, the ability to handle the evolution of their customers’ needs as their businesses grow.

In what ways are small and midsize businesses better positioned than large enterprises to unlock opportunities from AI?

ESMBs tend to be fast-moving and less bureaucratic. The challenger spirit of ESMB business leaders helps them make decisions and deploy solutions quicker than in larger enterprises.

AI adoption is an example of where ESMBs have a unique strength in the agility of their business models. Previously, navigating a difficult landscape impacted these businesses critically. AI has now provided them with the tools to quickly address and adapt to market changes and shifting customer demand.

But, long-term success is dependent on a solid strategy and coordinated execution. Our research shows that ESMB tend to take a more comprehensive approach to their AI strategy, benefitting from improved business insights and improved collaboration across teams resulting in increased revenue.

It also shows that ESMBs are better at investing in their people to ensure they can fully embrace the potential of AI. Take IT as an example. Research we recently conducted among IT professionals revealed that the overwhelming majority (94%) of EMEA ESMB IT teams receive and provide continuous training opportunities to upskill in AI, compared to 70% for EMEA large enterprise IT teams. This helps increase EMEA ESMB confidence in implementing AI within their organisations, with EMEA large enterprises up to five times more likely to struggle balancing speed, business value and security when implementing new technologies compared to ESMB counterparts.

Is there a particular customer you’ve worked with that comes to mind?

A great example is the Italian skincare brand Miamo, belonging to the pharmaceutical company Medspa Srl – who offer a range of functional products designed to address various skin concerns such as anti-ageing, acne, hyperpigmentation, and hydration.

Miamo is already using Salesforce CRM to enhance customer relationship management, personalise communications, and optimise marketing campaigns. Salesforce allows them to gather and analyse customer data, creating personalised experiences and improving sales and customer service strategies. Additionally, the CRM helps monitor user behaviour on the site, improve customer service across various channels, and increase customer loyalty through targeted offers and promotions.

Miamo is now implementing AI with the goal of streamlining and better manage customer service, specially at certain times of the year, such as Black Friday and Christmas, when the sales reach very high peaks. The combination of CRM and AI will allow Miamo to ensure the best customer experience even at the most demanding times of the year.

What is your advice to leaders of small and midsized businesses, to make the most of AI?

To make the most of what AI has to offer, ESMB leaders should consider where they can most effectively deploy the technology – whether it’s creating more personalised product offerings for customers, winning new business, or fine-tuning a marketing strategy. To help, trial products like ours, that provide ready-to-use tools that don’t require a ton of setup.

Then, taking a thoughtful approach to developing a comprehensive and long-term AI strategy is vital. It’s definitely worth making time to talk to experts, like those in my team, to get this right.

Thank you Giovanni for talking to SMEToday