Podcast
Salesforce Admins Podcast
Hosted by Mike Gerholdt · EN
The Salesforce Admins podcast features real-life Salesforce Admins, product managers, and community leaders who transform businesses, careers, and community with clicks, not code. This 20min (sometimes a bit more) weekly podcast hosted by Mike Gerholdt feature episodes to empower Salesforce Admins who are implementing Enterprise CRM solutions. There may be some (digital) confetti. For more than our most recent episodes, go to https://admin.salesforce.com/salesforce-admin-podcast.
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How Salesforce Admins Are Evolving to Run the Agentic Enterprise
Mar 2600:27:39Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Rebecca Saar, Senior Director of Admin Relations at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about governance, productivity, and why Salesforce Admins are more essential than ever in the agentic enterprise. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Rebecca Saar. Admins are becoming the guardians of trust As AI becomes an ever bigger part of our day-to-day lives, I wanted to bring Rebecca Saar on the pod to talk about what changes and what stays the same. One thing she emphasizes is that admins are here to look at the big picture for their organizations. While it might be easier to build the solution, you still need to figure out what to build in the first place. "It's a shift in mindset and understanding where the work is happening," Rebecca says, "because we now can leverage these super powerful tools." Skills like gathering requirements, talking with stakeholders, and bridging the gap between departments are only going to be amplified by AI—not replaced. Admins act as translators across systems and teams Admins are a crucial intermediary for their organization, connecting the dots between multiple departments to understand what's really going on with a business process. In other words, admins are the ones who understand who to talk to in order to get something done. In my experience as an admin, each business unit only knows their own siloed data. They know where it comes from and who they ship it off to, but they don't know if there are better options, or where there might be a snag in the process. That's where admins need to step in and find a solution that individual business units might not be able to figure out on their own. Strong foundations still matter in an AI world Despite new tools, core admin skills remain essential. In a way, we've moved from problem solver to sense maker. You might not have to spend as much time figuring out who has what permissions, but you'll still be called on to have a conversation about how it should be handled. Just like with everything else, AI can save time on the busywork so you can focus on what matters. At the end of the day, it's even more important to lean into the foundational admin skills to find solutions that work for everyone in your organization. Make sure to listen to the full episode for more from Rebecca Saar about what's coming at TDX, and don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admins Blog Post: How the Salesforce Administrator Role Is Evolving in the Agentic AI Era Salesforce Admins Blog Post: The Next-Gen Admin: In Conversation With Ishrat Bhatti Salesforce Admins Blog Post: The Next-Gen Admin: In Conversation With Tony Nguyen Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: Why Agentforce Is a Game Changer for Small Businesses Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Rebecca on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike: This week on the Salesforce Admins podcast, I sit down with Rebecca Saar, the Senior Director of Admin Relations for Salesforce, to talk about how the admin role is changing as AI and agents become really part of our everyday life. Now, we're going to dig into why Salesforce admins are becoming the guardians of trust, how strong fundamentals still matter, and where human judgment fits in when automation gets smarter. I like to think this is a very thoughtful conversation about governance, productivity, and why Salesforce admins are more essential than ever. So with that, let's get Rebecca on the podcast. So Rebecca, welcome to the podcast. Rebecca: Hi, Mike. Thanks for having me. Mike: It's been a while. Last time you were on, we did an entire episode in German because international podcasts are fun. Rebecca: Yeah. What a ride. How many years ago was that? Mike: Just a few. It's like one or two in Salesforce admin years, which translate differently to the rest of the world. Rebecca: Right. And then I also say we've had a pandemic in between, so that has made time fly. Mike: Yep. Rebecca: And I think that was a pre-pandemic thing. Mike: It was. 100% pre-pandemic. Yep, absolutely. And then since then, you've been on stage quite a few times for the admin keynote. And doing a whole bunch of stuff with the admin relations team. You and I have both been on stage too. Rebecca: I know. Yes, we have been championing admins since 2014? Mike: Since forever. Rebecca: Yes. Dedicating over a decade and celebrating that big decade 10-year anniversary was a couple of years ago. And that was a big highlight for me, being able to share that with everyone on stage at Dreamforce. But yeah, since last time I was on the pod, I have now become the lead of admin relations and kind of leading this amazing team of evangelists and marketers on our mission to enable and empower and inspire all of our Salesforce admins out there. Mike: And we're doing that as a transition to talk about... Literally right before I pressed record on this podcast, I was listening to NPR talk through AI and how AI is affecting something. They quoted 60 to 80% of the people in the workplace now use AI for some sort of task. And it kind of flashed back to me because it was interesting listening to them talk. They were describing, so when you tell AI to do something, that's a prompt. And listening to people walk through the understanding that I think a lot of Salesforce admins went through two or three years ago, I remember having people on the podcast to talk about prompt engineering, and I'm listening to them now, I'm like, "How do you not know this already? What world are you living in? You should already know about prompts and prompt engineering." But leading admins now as we're not just working with AI, but AI's working with us, right? Rebecca: Yeah. AI is everywhere. I think just in the last few years, it's accelerated so, so much. Yeah, I've been thinking about this a lot because not only are our admins and our whole Trailblazer community thinking about the impact of AI. But it really is across at least tech industry, but corporate world where everyone is kind of thinking about how are we incorporating AI into our workplace. Mike: So I was thinking of the article that you published, How the Salesforce Administrator Role is Evolving in the Agentic Era. And the first kind of big bullet point or the first subhead under there is The New Mandate, The Guardian of Trust. And working on that article with you, I happened to think of the very first thing that I did when I was a Salesforce administrator. Well, the second thing I did. The first thing I did was I updated my profile. The second thing I did was I got certified and I was one of the first 500 Salesforce admins certified. And I remember posting that to... We had a local kind of intranet at the company that I was at. And I remember posting that just out of pride for myself that I had passed, but also really wanting my users and my executives to know like, "Hey, when I suggest something, it's because I'm knowledgeable about it, so you should trust me." And I think it's interesting that almost 15 years later, when AI comes around, this is the very first thing that we're talking about with admins as being the guardians of trust. Rebecca: Yeah. Trust, it's our number one value. And it's, I think, the most important thing our admins can do for their company and their users. You manage the data, you manage security, you manage automation. And these are the pieces of the system that need to come together in ...
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How Can Agentforce Help Manage a Salesforce Backlog?
Mar 1900:27:25Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Neil Foglio, Solution Architect at Arkus. Join us as we chat about how to use a backlog to prioritize requests in your Salesforce org, and how Agentforce can help improve transparency and trust. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Neil Foglio. Why Salesforce Admins need a backlog We talk a lot about forward-looking statements on this podcast, but what about that thing trailing along behind you? That's right, it's your technical debt. If you're facing a mountain of requests, this episode is for you. That's why I sat down with Neil Foglio. He explains how your backlog can be a tool to streamline your Salesforce org and help it evolve with your business. "It's not a to-do list and it's not a task list," Neil says, "it's a commitment that something will be prioritized amongst everything else that you have on your plate." It's a central place to capture all requests, improvements, and ideas, and then evaluate them so you can figure out what to work on and when. Writing better backlog items For Neil, the key to making a backlog that works for you is to write better action items. Make sure that every item starts with an action verb. Instead of "create a new fundraising homepage," be more specific: "design a new Lightning page so gift officers can see donation history." The other key step is to evaluate and prioritize your action items. There are several different systems you can use, but you're generally looking at value, effort, and risk. How much impact will making this change have? What resources will you need to get it done? And finally, what data do you have to support what you believe? For many organizations, there will also be custom dimensions that have their own score. For example, an educational institution may evaluate everything in terms of how it improves student learning. What's important is to establish a clear process and get buy-in from leadership over how things are prioritized. How Agentforce can help with backlogs Managing your Salesforce backlog is even easier with Agentforce. As Neil explains, getting a clear and specific user story is crucial to creating useful action items. You can set up an agent to take requests, and go through the granular details with the user of every action they're taking in a business process so you can get to the why behind their request. Agentforce can also help you improve transparency by explaining the why behind your prioritization decisions. You can have a helper explain what you're working on and when you expect to deliver it. Be sure to listen to the full episode for more from Neil and hear his upright bass playing. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast to catch us every Thursday. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admins Blog Post: Why Every Admin Needs a Backlog (and How To Use One) Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Neil on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike: Welcome to the Salesforce Admins podcast. And hey, you know what? That intro music you hear today, that's actually our guest, Neil Foglio, playing the upright bass. Neil is a solution architect at Arkus. And in this episode, we're talking about something every admin eventually runs into the backlog. Neil shares how thinking about your Salesforce org, more like a product than a project, can change how you manage requests, prioritize improvements, and make sure the right work gets done at the right time. We also dig into practical ways admins can evaluate ideas using simple frameworks like RICE so decisions feel fair and transparent. If you've ever wondered how to handle the constant flow of, "Hey, could we add this request?" This conversation's going to help. So with that, let's get Neil on the podcast. So Neil, welcome to the podcast. Neil Foglio: Hey, Mike, thanks for having me. Mike: I'm excited to talk about this because a lot of things on the podcast we always talk about are future-facing. And I feel like this topic is kind of future-facing, but it's also managing, well, I don't know how best to put it, the burden of debt that we somehow get ourselves into. And in that, it's backlogs, which doesn't sound interesting, but I promise you, you're going to be excited by the end of this podcast. So Neil, let's start off with introducing you to the world and kind of let people know what you do and how you got into the Salesforce ecosystem. Neil Foglio: Yeah, of course. Hello, everyone listening. My name is Neil and I'm a solution architect at Arcus, Inc, where I work with both nonprofits and enterprises implementing Salesforce. Most of my work lately has been helping organizations treat their CRM more like a product than a project, and to rethink how they steer their Salesforce org with their evolving businesses, where governance kind of comes into the picture, and that's where this topic of the backlog fits in. Mike: Yeah. Wow. That's interesting because I'm looking at the core responsibilities we have for admins, and project and product management are both core responsibilities. Neil Foglio: Yeah. I feel like a lot of admins now are really acting more like product managers, steering their Salesforce org, figuring out what elements have the most value and where you can produce the most ROI. And this is where you want to have systems that prioritize those things, and that's exactly what the backlog is. Mike: Okay. So I will confess this, that when I started as an admin a long time ago before the iPhone, we'll just say that as a date, I had no concept of some of the technical things that my developer friends knew. I didn't know about change management. I didn't know about backlogs or managing technical debt. For newer admins that are just getting started in the ecosystem and at their organizations, how do you define what a backlog is and how do you define what gets on a backlog? Neil Foglio: Yeah, absolutely. And I was in that same boat. So I started my tech career coming from healthcare. And so the first time I heard the word backlog, I thought it was a terrible thing, that something wasn't happening, work wasn't getting done, patients weren't being cared for. But when we think back to starting in a Salesforce org, you might have been in a position where you inherit an org or your company gets some new leadership that wants to make a bunch of improvements to the org and you find yourself questioning, "Well, where do I start and how do I prioritize all of these questions and features coming at me?" Without a system to rate them all, the things that typically will get done are those asked by the person with the most seniority in the room or the person that's emailing you three times a week. Mike: Right. Sometimes it's the same person. Neil Foglio: Could be. And sometimes it is especially when there is new leadership or a disruptive factor happens in the business that we need to respond to. And what the backlog is it's a tool that creates a level playing field for all of these ideas and their stakeholders. So it's a central place to do two things. Number one, to capture all of these requests and improvements and ideas, and number two, to rate them against each other using the same evaluative criteria so you can figure out which ones have the most value at this moment when you have capacity to build something new. Mike: That makes sense. I mean, to be fair, when I first started, the requests would... I would manage them basically in the order that they were received. And I very quickly had to learn, "Oh wait, creating a list view is way less effort than creating a contract management application," for example. And just because the list view is the third one down doesn't mean I can't just bump it up and knock out a whole bunch of half hour jobs as opposed to, "Well, it's going to have to wait until I get this monster of a contract application created." Neil Foglio: I mean, those little things tend to add up too, right? So if you're spending a lot of your time in a reactive mode and you're doing these requests as they're coming in, you might not really have a lot to show for it at the end of the day. Mike: You can. Yeah, absolutely....
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The Future of Salesforce Setup Is Agent-Driven
Mar 1200:27:57Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Cheryl Feldman, Senior Director of Product Management at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how Agentforce is reshaping the Setup experience. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Cheryl Feldman. From 1,300 pages to one conversation Let's be honest. Setup has always been where the real admin magic happens. But it can be surprisingly complicated to answer a simple question, like, "Why can't my user edit this record?" As Cheryl Feldman explains, it's because Setup has slowly grown in complexity over time. As new products and features were added to Salesforce, Setup pages multiplied. And while that level of complexity will always be necessary, it doesn't need to be so hard for admins to navigate. That's where Setup with Agentforce comes in. Whether it's troubleshooting permissions, understanding formulas, or finding the right configuration page, you can do it all with conversational AI instead of wading through 1,300 pages. How to try Setup with Agentforce right now Setup with Agentforce is currently available in open beta, so you can give it a try in production, a sandbox, or a developer org. Cheryl and her team would love to get your feedback. "We want to hear from admins," she says, "Does it help you? And what do you want us to solve next?" Right now, Setup with Agentforce can handle common use cases, like user access, formulas, data model, and Flow. And for questions it can't cover, the agent will pull answers from Salesforce's help and training documentation and point you to the correct Setup pages to get the job done. A simpler, agent-driven future for Setup Right now, Setup with Agentforce focuses on high-impact, everyday Setup tasks. But Cheryl and her team have big plans for the future. One area they're looking at is multi-step orchestration, which will give admins the ability to create objects or fields, grant users access to them, and add them to a layout in one guided process. Instead of jumping between pages, you'll be able to complete related tasks in a single conversational experience. Most importantly, we need your feedback to shape what comes next. Jump on the open beta, reach out to Cheryl and her team, and let's make some admin magic. Check out the full episode for more from Cheryl Feldman. And remember to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Trailblazer Community Group: Setup With Agentforce (Beta) Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: How Do I Understand a Complex Salesforce Formula Quickly? Salesforce Admins Blog: Introducing Setup with Agentforce (Beta): Your New Admin Superpower Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: The Future of Setup Powered by Agentforce Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup Now with Agentforce: Simplifying the Complex Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup with Agentforce: New Superpower for Salesforce Admins Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Cheryl on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Love our podcasts? Subscribe today or review us on iTunes! Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt: This week on the Salesforce Admins podcast, well, let's be honest, setup has always been where the real admin magic happens. On this episode, I am talking to Cheryl Feldman, Product Management Senior Director at Salesforce, and longtime admin advocate to unpack how Agentforce is reshaping the way we build, troubleshoot, and think through configuration. From solving tricky user access questions to helping us with formulas and beyond, this is about making setup smarter and more intuitive. With that, let's get Cheryl on the podcast. So Cheryl, welcome to the podcast. Cheryl Feldman: Thanks so much, Mike. I'm excited to be back. Mike Gerholdt : I'm excited to have you back. You were a rockstar at Dreamforce this year, and you're probably going to be a rockstar this whole year. I know in the admin keynote, we demoed Agentforce for Setup. I think I'm using that term right, right? Cheryl Feldman: Setup with Agentforce, but thank you. Yes. Mike Gerholdt : Okay. See, I'm always backwards. Cheryl Feldman: Yes. I was so excited to see that work in the keynote and to see the exciting admin response and excited that we went to beta today. Mike Gerholdt : Oh my God. I feel like I feel as much joy for this as I do when we could customize the homepage. Cheryl Feldman: Yes. Mike Gerholdt : It sounds so small. We're getting in super knee-deep. Let's zoom out for a second because I'm sure there's a lot of new admins that are like, "What are they talking about?" Cheryl, for people that haven't met you and heard you in some of the True to the Core, and some of the Q&A sessions where I feel like Parker just calls on you constantly, could you do a little bit of an introduction of what you do and the fun stuff you get to work on at Salesforce? Cheryl Feldman: Sure. My name is Cheryl Feldman, and I'm a Product Manager in platform. Been at Salesforce about four and a half years now. Prior to joining Salesforce, I was actually a customer for just over 18 years in, starting out as an admin, moved into more leadership and management roles, was running a COE at a very large bank before I joined Salesforce. And when I joined Salesforce, I started in the user access area, specifically managing the authorization side of things, and then started to really advocate that we improve admin experiences. That led me to my role now where I act as the product domain lead for Setup with Agentforce, and improving experiences for admins and really addressing a lot of the issues that admins have in setup because speaking of True to the Core, setup has come up pretty much every True to the Core has ever existed. And that's what I do here at Salesforce. Mike Gerholdt : Which is a lot to say the least. I will fan out a little bit because I remember when Cheryl, you were a customer, you always had questions I couldn't answer, which challenged me. And now to see you on the inside, I mean, it's one thing to hang an identity and say admin developer architect, but that kind of core identity that people have that you made your name on of configuring one of the most complex CRMs to meet business needs without deploying code is just so empowering. And I just, for me, on behalf of all the people like me, I'm just so appreciative to have you inside the PM org championing for people that want to be in tech that don't understand or know how to write code. I had to say that early just because- Cheryl Feldman: Thank you. Thank you for saying that. Mike Gerhold...
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How Does Agent Script Give Admins More Control?
Mar 500:17:17Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Joshua Birk, Senior Director of Admin Evangelism at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how to get started with Agent Script and how it helps admins build better AI agents. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Joshua Birk. What is Agent Script? Big changes are coming to how admins build AI agents with Salesforce, and so I've brought Josh Birk on the pod to help us understand what's going on with the new Agentforce Builder. There are backend updates to the Atlas Reasoning Engine, but Agent Script is where the rubber meets the road for admins. It's a simple, high-level scripting language that lets you create complex instructions and actions for your agent to follow. Agent Script puts the human in the loop for all the little decisions an AI makes, helping you build more predictable and reliable agentic solutions. If you're comfortable with coding, you can pop open the hood with Script view, but there's also a visual Canvas view to help you see how things fit together and make the changes you want. And as always, you can just tell the Agentforce assistant what you want your agent to be able to do, and it'll list out suggestions for you to accept or decline. Why can't I copy my agents into the new Agent Builder? The biggest question most admins have about the new Agent Builder is why they can't just copy and paste their old agents into the new system. The answer is that the new version uses a completely different engine: hybrid reasoning. Josh uses the example of the transition to Lightning Web Components from Aura and Visualforce. LWC was created to align with modern web standards that simply didn't exist when these older frameworks were developed. The same principle applies to the new Agentforce Builder and the addition of Agent Script. The control that it gives you is a result of the hybrid reasoning engine it's built around. Don't panic, learn Agent Script Josh's biggest piece of advice is to take things slowly. The agents you've built in classic will still work fine, and just like with Visualforce, they're not going to be sunsetted anytime soon. "Salesforce does not like taking away people's toys," Josh says, "you don't need to be in a rush to go and recreate your existing agents in the new Agentforce Builder." Instead, try building new agents with Agent Script. It'll give you a better idea of just how much more control and reliability is possible. And once you've gotten your feet wet, you'll have a better idea of what you'll get when you update your existing agents. As Josh says, "Don't panic, learn Agent Script." There's more great stuff from my conversation with Josh about Agent Script and the new Agentforce Builder, so be sure to take a listen. And make sure you're subscribed to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admins Blog: Build With Confidence: Inside the New Agentforce Builder Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Josh on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Love our podcasts? Subscribe today or review us on iTunes! Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt: This week on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, if you've ever been wondering why you can't just copy and paste your old agents into the new version, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Josh Birk, who recently walked our admin relations team through what's really changing with Agent Builder and Agentforce. And more importantly, why it matters. We're going to unpack a little bit of hybrid reasoning, what determinism really means for admins, and how Agent Script gives you even more control without losing all of that magic. So with that, let's get Josh on the podcast. So Josh, welcome back to the podcast. Josh Birk: Thanks for having me, Mike. Mike Gerholdt: Well, we know that a few people are vibing now because of the dulcet tones of Josh Birk. So in all honesty, you were in a team meeting last week and you were kind of updating the team on stuff that's coming out for new products and beta products. And the biggest thing that you always explain is like, so why is this important? Josh Birk: Yeah. Mike Gerholdt: And of course, every now and then you end your little skit with, "Thanks for attending my TED Talk." Josh Birk: Yeah. Mike Gerholdt: And I remember last week's meeting, I was like, "Oh man, that's a podcast. I need to do that." Josh Birk: Yeah. Mike Gerholdt: Because the way that you would explained what was new with Agent Builder and Agentforce, I was just like, "Oh, that totally makes sense to me." So this is where we're at and this is what I was hoping we would talk about. Josh Birk: Yeah. And I'll have to try because I kind of remember getting into a very weird, almost like conspiracy theory level stream of consciousness. Mike Gerholdt: Oh, okay. Well, it didn't feel that way. Josh Birk: Good. I think that's years of experience of thinking in streams of consciousnesses, whatever the plural of that is. So yeah, so I think to kind of recap a little bit, so there were two things that I think are kind of important to consider about the new Agent Builder. One is what we mean by hybrid reasoning and what we mean by determinism. And then the second thing is, where does Agent Script fit into that? So the question we were kind of tackling was, why didn't we just go back and revise the old builder? Why can't we just reiterate on it? Why are we starting completely new? Mike Gerholdt: And I think you even said, not to interrupt you, but to interrupt you, why can't I just move my stuff over? Why do I have to rebuild it? Josh Birk: And why can't I just move my stuff over? Why isn't it just copy and paste? And Agent Script is part of that. So the original engine wasn't hybrid, is I think the easiest way to put it. So this came with a conversation with product management where I was trying to describe the differences between the old builder and the new builder. And they're like, well, let's ... The old builder wasn't doing anything wrong, so much is that the new builder's doing something more. And what the new builder's doing that is more is that when we say hybrid, when we think of AI, we think of AI being autonomous, making its own decisions. So we had the Atlas reasoning engine that's like, "Oh, Mike is looking to find a description on a certain account. I'm going to take these actions. I'm going to put them together into a plan and then I'm going to try to make that work." What we didn't have was the human in the loop portion of that. And where Agent Script really comes into play is it allows users to basically be like, "In this scenario, I want you to behave like this." So when we say hybrid, we mean, yeah, we're letting the engine kind of do its own magic. But then we're also applying almost ... I don't want to say flow because that's such a loaded term for a Salesforce community. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah. Josh Birk: But well, let's go to the name, right? A script, right? A script that a human can actually control personality, control tone, control behavior. When you see this, do this, when you need to call it human. So kind of giving this very human-friendly dialogue that you can then apply to the agent. And so that's how we provide more determinism. So the reason you can't just copy and paste your old agent into the new agent is the old agent doesn't have that connection to Agent Script. And so it's literally missing a piece of the puzzle to run the engine kind of thing. Mike Gerholdt: Right. No, I think ... I mean, hearing you explain it, sometimes, at least as an admin, I was always like, "Oh, so they just came out with another version because they had to stick another layer of something on." Josh Birk: Yeah. Mike Gerholdt: Or like a car analogy, they changed the fuzzy dice. But this is, no, no, no, no. We're really moving from this version, which ran a certain way to an even better version. And that's the part that I feel like ... Because you ...
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What Are True to the Core Deep Dives at TDX?
Feb 2600:19:08Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Kate Lessard, Lead Admin Evangelist at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about the new True to the Core Deep Dive sessions coming to TDX. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Kate Lessard. True to the Core Deep Dives are coming to TDX If you've been enjoying the True to the Core Deep Dive video series, we've got something exciting coming up for you at TDX. Each month, we host a virtual Q&A session with Salesforce product leaders about a topic chosen by the community. It's a great opportunity to dig into tough use cases and thorny questions around a specific area of the platform. The video series has been so helpful that we're going to take it a step further. This year at TDX, we'll have four live True to the Core Deep Dive sessions on specific topics, like flow and automation. These will be can't-miss events, and Kate Lessard is here to tell us what she has in store. Direct access to product leaders "The chance to actually connect directly with the Salesforce product leaders on those core platform topics is worth its weight in gold," Kate says. It's not just about solving problems; it's about understanding the thinking behind why things work the way they do and where the product roadmap might be headed. If you're newer to the Salesforce ecosystem and worried that things might get too technical, Kate encourages you to check out these breakout sessions. "There's a lot that you can gain from just being in the room, seeing who those product leaders are, hearing what's top of mind for them, and how they're answering questions," she says. You can better prepare for what's coming next on the platform, and you never know when a random use case you came across might apply to you and your org. And even if you can't be there in person, you can participate virtually on Salesforce+. How admins should prepare for TDX TDX is such a great opportunity to level up your technical skills and get to know the product better. One thing I used to do to prepare was conduct an audit of my Salesforce org. What products are we using? Where are we having problems? Where are we going next? Figuring out what you're interested in can help you make the most of your time at TDX. Hopefully, you'll come back armed with information and insights to help your stakeholders chart a path forward with Salesforce. Listen to the full episode for more from my conversation with Kate about True to the Core Deep Dives at TDX, and be sure to catch her on Kate Clicks Through It. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: What Is True to the Core Deep Dive? Saleforce Admins Blog: 5 New Experiences You Can't Miss at TDX 2026 Saleforce Admins Blog: Introducing True to the Core Deep Dive: In-Depth Product Conversations with Salesforce PMs Saleforce Admins Blog: True to the Core Deep Dive YouTube Series: True to the Core Deep Dive YouTube Series: Kate Clicks Through It Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Kate on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt: Welcome to Salesforce Admins podcast. This week I'm joined by Kate Lessard to talk about the brand new True to the Core Deep Dive sessions coming to TDX and why they might just be your favorite part of the event. We dig into how these sessions are shaped by community feedback, what Salesforce admins, especially the newer ones, can expect, and how to ask better questions to get some real value from our product leaders. Kate also shares some practical tips on preparing for TDX, so you walk away ahead of the curve. So with that, let's get Kate on the podcast. So Kate, welcome to the podcast. Kate Lessard: Thanks. Happy to be back, it's been a while. Mike Gerholdt: It's been a while, yes or no, except if people are attuned to our YouTube page. You're on Shorts whenever I'm not publishing something about the podcast, so they're staying up to date. It's not like you've gone missing. Kate Lessard: No, no. I love being able to just share those top of minds and the things that are important or the lessons that we're learning as we really dive into Agentforce and all of the different things that we're learning over here, especially we just went through a new release and there are always fun new features to call out. Mike Gerholdt: Constantly. And we're heading into spring and spring means, besides new release, TDX. Kate Lessard: Yeah. That's an exciting time of year. Mike Gerholdt: I think so because it's kind of our shake the winter off, go out, see some fresh demos and some new stuff. I know as we're recording this podcast, kind of content is in flight and things are being worked on and ironed on, and so is it fair to say sneak peek or I forget, we use all these terms and sneak peek means something, but you have stuff in the works for TDX that you're working on that we're going to talk about. Kate Lessard: Yeah, so I am working on deep dives, which is really exciting. So you might have been following along and watching our recent True to the Core Deep Dive virtual series, and we are bringing True to the Core Deep Dives to TDX as well, so that is what I have been working on lately. Mike Gerholdt: Wow. So tell us more about deep dive. If somebody hasn't seen any video or anything about deep dives, what are they? Kate Lessard: So deep dives are really focused on diving deeper into community driven core Salesforce platform topics. So the virtual sessions, our community actually provides feedback and guides what those topics are. So they've been chosen using input from things like the idea exchange, past in-person True to the Core keynote sessions, as well as our virtual True to the Core sessions and feedback that the community shares. So it really gives the community a chance to guide the conversation and ask the questions that are really important to them. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah, and you said True the core, which is always a popular session for anybody attending our events. Kate Lessard: And the thing about that True to the Core keynote, to just hop in there. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah, no, no, no. Kate Lessard: It is, it's really popular. I remember as an admin, it was one that I never wanted to miss. And whether I had a question to ask or whether I wanted to just sit back and listen and hear what other people were asking and get ideas and cheer with them on the different wins and things that we got approved and that we saw progress on, it's so short that time flies by and inevitably there's just not enough time. You always have people that are still lined up and waiting to ask questions. And then we also have people that are submitting questions online, so there's no way to get to all of them, and I feel like these deep dives gi...
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How Do I Understand a Complex Salesforce Formula Quickly?
Feb 1900:28:46Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Gaurang Mathur, Senior Product Manager on the AI App Development team at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how Setup with Agentforce is changing the way admins create, modify, and understand formulas. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Gaurang Mathur. The massive scale of Salesforce Formulas If you're like me, you've spent more time than you'd like combing through your formulas for missing parentheses and commas. That's where this week's guest, Gaurang Mathur, comes in. As a Senior Product Manger on the AI App Development team at Salesforce, he's trying to make formulas a little easier for admins with Setup with Agentforce. According to Gaurang, there are 5 billion formulas executed on Salesforce each month. They're created, managed, and modified by 7 million admins and developers. The scale of formulas is truly massive, and they're a fundamental building block of Salesforce. However, that means they're difficult to work with, and that's where the Setup with Agentforce beta comes in. How Setup with Agentforce simplifies formulas We know that AI is really good at summarizing, debugging, and processing large amounts of information very quickly. Setup with Agentforce lets admins harness those agentic powers to make formulas easier to work with. You can diagnose problems, change an automation, or add something new. Gaurang sees Setup with Agentforce as a game-changer for admins working with inherited orgs. If something isn't working or you need to make changes, you're usually spending hours wading through formulas to sort out what's essential and what's just buried tech debt. With the beta, you'll be able to get a helping hand from an AI agent that can validate, describe, and even fix your formulas. Instead of having to figure out what does what, you can focus on making decisions and building something that works faster than ever before. What's next for AI in Salesforce As far as what's coming next, Gaurang thinks that AI will continue to amplify what we can build in Salesforce. As he points out, we've actually been using AI for almost a decade in things like navigation apps, recommendations, and even autocorrect. There's no reason to be intimidated. Looking forward, his team is looking at ways to use AI to collect feedback and make adjustments that make it even easier to work with and more powerful for users. Make sure to listen to the full episode for more from Gaurang about formulas and Setup with Agentforce. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: Setup with Agentforce Makes Salesforce Admin Tasks Easier Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: How Agentforce Vibes Is Changing How Salesforce Admins Build Apps Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: Exploring Agentforce Vibes Through Real-World Admin Use Cases Trailblazer Community Group: Setup With Agentforce (Beta) Salesforce Admins Blog: Introducing Setup with Agentforce (Beta): Your New Admin Superpower Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: The Future of Setup Powered by Agentforce Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup Now with Agentforce: Simplifying the Complex Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup with Agentforce: New Superpower for Salesforce Admins Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Gaurang on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike: Welcome to The Salesforce Admins Podcast. Today on the podcast, I'm joined by Gaurang Mathur, product manager on the AI App Dev team at Salesforce, and we're going to talk about something every admin has wrestled with at some point, which is formulas. And we're also going to hit on how setup with Agentforce is changing the way we create, modify, and even understand them. Hooray. I can always use some formula help. So Gaurang is going to share with us how agents can validate, fix, and describe formulas right inside setup, and why that matters, especially if you've inherited an org or you need to do something super fast. We also touch on Agentforce Vibes, which you heard in last week's episode with Tiaan and some developer workflows and kind of what it means to build smarter with tools using AI. So if you're like me and you've ever stared at missing parentheses and wondered why your formula won't save, this episode's for you. And with that, let's get Gaurang on the podcast. So, Gaurang, welcome to the podcast. Gaurang Mathur: Hey, Mike. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Mike: Absolutely. Well, after we talked with Cheryl, it was important that I get a lot of the people that she works with on the podcast, because you guys are doing some really exciting things around set up with Agentforce, I think I said that correctly, and just some of the things with agents. So let's get started with tell everybody what you do at Salesforce and how you got there. Gaurang Mathur: Yeah, sure. Thanks. So my journey has been pretty interesting to where I am today. I started off as a PM for the caching group, which is again, a platform product. Platform Cache is something that's widely used, and that queue is helping a lot of ISVs to accelerate and perform, make their applications better perform. And over the past five years, I've also managed products in the Experience Cloud Search space, and now I'm currently managing two Agentic products, which is again, hardcore platform products meant for our Salesforce admins and developers, the superheroes in the whole ecosystem of Salesforce. Mike: Yeah. Gaurang Mathur: And as part of that, as you mentioned, I closely work with Cheryl on the Agentforce setup, or setup with Agentforce, and over there, I am managing the space for formulas. I think that's where I'm going to talk mostly about in today's podcast. And the other product that I'm managing is Agentforce Vibes, which is again, zero to one product that we have all built over the last few years. There, I'm creating an MCP tool, which is basically making that agent much more smarter and getting a lot of ecosystem teams within Salesforce to contribute that, and then make it better in generating whatever metadata that it generates. So yeah, that's my portfolio here in Salesforce. We are part of this whole group called as AIF Dev. That's where we've got Tiaan, I think one of the other guests in the previous podcast, Cheryl, and Manish. These are the folks that I'm working with, and excited to be in this whole space in the current year. Mike: Yeah, wow. Two products. So you sleep only a couple hours a night, I'm guessing? Gaurang Mathur: Yeah. I mean, these days, agents have been keeping us alive. I mean ... And so yeah, I'm just, as I sometimes joke with my family, I'm making agents smarte...
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How Agentforce Vibes Is Changing How Salesforce Admins Build Apps
Feb 1200:28:54Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Tiaan Kruger, Senior Director of Product Management at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about Agentforce Vibes and what it really means to build with AI on the Salesforce platform. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Tiaan Kruger. Agentforce Vibes is evolving If you caught the Admin Keynote at Dreamforce '25, you might recognize Tiaan from his Setup with Agentforce and Slackbot demos. Right now, he's looking at new ways to help admins expand their toolkits with Agentforce Vibes. As Tiaan explains, Agentforce Vibes is developing so rapidly that it often surprises the people who build it. When one of his team members was building a React demo that featured a dashboard, they realized it would look pretty boring without some sample data. They asked the Vibes Agent to spin something up, and it delivered (after a few tries). "These agents surprise even us," Tiaan says, "we're still discovering where its power lies and where its potentials are." And that's why it's a good time to look ahead at how Vibes will change the game for admins. AI as a tool for reducing technical debt "When I was a customer developer, we always had a two-year backlog," Tiaan says. Even with a big team, there's always too much to do and you're constantly accumulating technical debt. This kind of grunt work is where he sees Agentforce Vibes making a big difference, which gives you more space to look at the bigger picture. Tiaan points to Code Analyzer as an example. You can use it to quickly scan your org and identify where there are performance or security issues that you should take a closer look at. An admin might not be able to fix it themselves, but they can hand it off to a developer team and speed up the process. There are also some exciting things coming with React and Agentforce, which will allow you to create compelling, high-quality UIs for your apps. It's all about giving you more tools to get the ball rolling and build apps faster than ever before. How to help Agentforce Vibes help you In order to get the most out of these new features, you need to make it easy for agents to understand what's going on in your org. "If you don't have good descriptions on everything in your org," Tiaan says, "please, for the love of donuts, fill those fields in." Having good metadata will help you get the most out of everything Agentforce has to offer. The future is bright, so Salesforce Admins need to get ready. Make sure to listen to the full episode for more from Tiaan about how Agentforce Vibes will help admins. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast to catch us every Thursday. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Dreamforce '25 Admin Keynote: Admins Power the Agentic Enterprise Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: Exploring Agentforce Vibes Through Real-World Admin Use Cases Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Tiaan on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt: Welcome to the Salesforce Admins Podcast. So today, I'm joined by Tiaan Kruger and we're talking about something that's showing up literally everywhere right now. And that is Agentforce Vibe coding and what it really means to build with AI on the Salesforce platform. We get into how admins can use agents to move faster without losing best practices, and why oh why understanding your org still matters more than ever. And one of the things we tackle is where this whole thing is headed sooner or later than you think. So if you've ever been curious about Agentforce Vibes and not sure where it fits into your day-to-day admin life, I promise you this episode is for you. So with that, let's get Tiaan on the podcast. So Tiaan, welcome to the podcast. Tiaan Kruger: Thank you, Mike. Thank you for having me. Mike Gerholdt: Well, it was not that long ago that we had Cheryl Feldman on. And Cheryl's circle of influence outside and inside Salesforce is a gravitational pull. And of course, we all know that set up with Agentforce is going to be huge at TDX and it's huge right now. So we wanted to talk to more people that were making admins lives wonderful. And she suggested you. Plus you were in the admin keynote. And I feel like I have to have admin keynoters on the podcast too. So there's the really long intro for... But let's talk about you. How did you get started at Salesforce and what's the cool thing you're working on that we're going to talk about? Tiaan Kruger: Yeah. So I've actually been at Salesforce, I guess coming up on seven years, which is absolutely mind-boggling. I was a customer for 10 years. Spent a lot of time as an admin and Apex developer. I wrote Visualforce. Some of you may have heard of that before. But I work as part of a large team at an enterprise company trying to make Salesforce make a huge difference for our customers. And in the process, learned an incredible amount of Salesforce and got an opportunity to come over here and try to make products better for our admins and developers out there. And I grabbed the opportunity and I've loved every minute of it. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah. Well, we've talked to you about some cool stuff. Plus you did a really cool demo in the admin keynote at Dreamforce too. Tiaan Kruger: Yeah. Yeah. We got to do some really amazing things at the admin keynote, showing some of the things that the Agent for Setup is going to be able to do. We got to show some amazing insights into Slackbot. And we got to foreshadow a little bit the work I'm currently working on, which is focused on how we actually build with AI. So I'm working very deeply with the Vibes team to make sure that the metadata that gets created is better and great quality, not just for vibing individual pieces of metadata, but vibing entire solutions. I'm getting to work with our internal teams to figure out how we bring that same power to our admins. So yeah, absolutely. So the work that we showed on stage continues at the same pace internally. And we're just trying to figure out how do we bring AI to everybody, make sure that everybody can feel the lift of this incredible technology. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah. So I did a podcast with Daryl Moon, which I'm sure you've listened to. Daryl is fantastic. He's down in Australia. The only reason he listens to the podcast, it's a half hour between his house and the dock, so he can listen to it to go fishing. But he tried out Agentforce Vibes and was thoroughly impressed. And he literally threw the kitchen sink at it. And I think what he loved about it was it got him so much farther into the application building than what he anticipated. Tiaan Kruger: Yeah, absolutely. Vibes is quite incredible, specifically the agent that's in there. It's a very wide open agent. It's very good at problem solving. One of my favorite stories at the booth that we told at Dreamforce is one of our product managers was actually vibing a React app. We're not bearing the lead. We actually talked about this at Dreamforce. React's coming to the platform, incredibly exciting, creating pixel perfect UIs, reusing a lot of the things that's out there. And so he was actually experimenting and vibing this application. And he realized that a dashboard with no data is really boring. It's just not very interesting to look at. And so he thought, "Maybe I should ask Vibes if it can produce me some sample data." Not knowing if it could or not. And so he asked it to do it and it went off and turns out it generated an anonymous Apex file that actually tried it to load all the records with data. And it tried it, failed, found a bug, fixed it, did it again, found a bug, fixed it, and then successfully inserted a bunch of data. And that's just one of the stories of how these agents surprise even us. We have this technology, we've put it in these tools and we see the incredible things it can do. But even with all that, we're still discovering where its power lays and where its potenti...
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The Importance of Human in the Loop for Agentforce
Feb 500:35:13Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Joshua Birk, Senior Director of Admin Evangelism at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how the human in the loop is key to building reliable, predictable AI. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Joshua Birk. Understanding the guardrails around AI It seems like every week, there's a new headline about an AI agent doing something it shouldn't. As Josh explains, that's because we're still in the process of understanding AI as a tool. That's why we sat down to discuss how to build predictable, reliable solutions in Agentforce. When an agent behaves non-deterministically, it's usually because there weren't enough guardrails in place. The thing is, if you're building an AI agent to do everything, it's hard to control what it can and cannot do. Josh's advice is to narrow the scope of your agent and build it for a very specific purpose. This makes it easier to build guardrails and also allows you to test it thoroughly before release. A QA engineer walks into a bar… When it comes to testing, there's an old programming joke that comes to mind. A QA engineer walks into a bar. He orders a drink. He orders five drinks. He orders zero drinks. He orders infinite drinks. He orders a horse. However, when the first real customer walks in and asks where the bathroom is, the entire bar bursts into flames. As Josh explains, it's important to test for all sorts of weird edge cases and make sure your agent performs predictably. But it's even more important to think things through from the user's perspective so you don't miss something that should be obvious. AI can do extraordinary things, but you still need a human in the loop. The first part of testing is planning Josh emphasizes that the first part of testing is planning: "What are the Ifs? What are the Thens? What are the things you absolutely don't want it to do?" The more specifically you can answer these questions, the easier it will be to build and test agentic solutions that are predictable and reliable. The most effective AI agents aren't autonomous solutions. They're tools that give the humans who use them superpowers. You still need a human in the loop to make sure they're used for good. Be sure to listen to my full conversation with Josh for more about testing and building in Agentforce. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast to catch a new episode every Thursday. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Salesforce Admin Blog: How Agentforce Service Assistant Helps Salesforce Admins Become AI Leaders Salesforce Admin Blog: Metadata Is Your Admin Blueprint for Building Better Agents Salesforce Admins Podcast Episode: Exploring Agentforce Vibes Through Real-World Admin Use Cases with Daryl Moon Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Josh on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike: This week on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we're welcoming back our good friend, Josh Birk, to kick off February with a conversation. Well, it's part podcast, part social experiment. Josh and I sat down to talk AI, specifically how admins can plan, test, and build with confidence using guardrails in Agentforce. We cover everything from deterministic responses to chaotic desktops and why designing with trust, maybe a little touch of humor, matters most. So whether you're rolling out your first agent or refining your AI game plan, this episode's got insights for you. So give it a listen and let me know if you like the format or not because, hey, maybe we just might make this a regular thing. With that, let's get Josh on the podcast. So, Josh, welcome back to the podcast. Josh Birk: Thanks for having me, Mike. Mike: Continuing the theme, we kicked this around... No one's heard this conversation. We're just going to start here... of having two evangelists talking for a podcast. Josh Birk: Yeah. Yeah. Mike: And so we're going to start February off with that. And then we're going to do a social experiment, and for people listening, if they like this, then maybe we repeat it once a month. Josh Birk: Oh. I like these social experiments. Let's see what happens. Mike: I know. It's on the listeners. Also, Josh, we have to keep this under 30 minutes so that Daryl can make it from his house- Josh Birk: Can make it... Right. Right. Mike: ... to the dock and get his boat in the water. Josh Birk: Yeah. I remember when I first did my first 40-minute episode and I felt guilty because one of my guests was like, "I like the 20-minute episodes because that's exactly how long I walk my dog." So I'm like, "Well, okay, now you can walk your dog twice," question mark. Mike: I know. Nope. Once you hit pause, they're gone forever. I was the same way. Selfishly, that's how these podcasts are as short as they were is I wanted something I could listen to when I walked my dog. Josh Birk: Yes. Love it. Mike: Anyway, it's February, and things that are still happening in the world are artificial intelligence and Agentforce. Josh Birk: Amazing that this is still sticking around. It's almost like it's not a fad. Mike: It feels like it's not going to go anywhere for a while. Josh Birk: I think it's got legs. I think it's got a few legs. Mike: Yep. It's not a fly-by-night thing. Josh Birk: No. No. Whole ecosystem and industry being built up around it. Mike: Uh-huh. Josh Birk: Yeah. Yeah. I think we're going to be talking... I have a feeling this won't be the last time we talk about it. Mike: Probably not, for reason. Josh Birk: For reason. Mike: So it's funny. The other day, somebody asked me something, and I was like, "Oh, that's a really good question. How soon do you need me to call you back?" Because I was thinking to myself, I don't have my phone, and my phone has a lot of AI tools on it, and I really need that to answer this. And I thought, wow. Two years ago, if somebody were to ask me that, I would just Google, make something up, and call them back. And now I felt like I'd just walked outside without my shoes on. Josh Birk: I mean, it's kind of crazy. So when I was out in Arizona for Cactusforce, and my wife and I stayed the weekend, and she's like, "Well, what do you want to do this Saturday?" And I actually have a whole bit. One of my early AI talks was about how AI can kind of be dumb from time to time. And so I did this exact same thing. I'm like, "Hey, Google," or whatever, I think it might have been ChatGPT, but anyway, "give me an itinerary based on these things that I can do." And it gave me like, "Here's your itinerary," and it was like 17 things, all of them about three hours apart. And I'm like, "That's not an itinerary. It's a travel guide. I don't know what you're thinking here." But now it's like, I'm like, "Hey..." I think it was Gemini. I'm like, "Hey, Gemini, my wife would like to go shopping, we would like to go eating, and I have an interest in museums and aquariums," and it's like, "Here's your day." And I'm like, "Can you add that to my calendar?" And it's like, it's added to your calendar. And I'm like, it's moving so fast. My dark humor side of me just can't keep up because I don't know what I can make fun of AI anymore because it just keeps getting better. Mike: Right. So speaking of which, you did a couple talks around AI at different conferences last year and probably this year. And I think it's important because we're going to talk about guardrails and security stuff, not to scare people away. It's a fun conversation. But it's needed because I also think it's worth understanding why we ask you to do what we ask you to do when you set up Agentforce and why you do certain things. I recently, coming off of, I think it was last we...
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Setup with Agentforce Makes Salesforce Admin Tasks Easier
Jan 2900:28:11Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Cheryl Feldman, Senior Director of Product Management at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how Agentforce will make Setup smarter, faster, and way more helpful. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Cheryl Feldman. Setup made simple Cheryl Feldman is on a quest to make Setup easier for admins, and she's the perfect person to get it done. She's been a Salesforce customer, an admin, and an architect, so she knows how difficult it can be to answer seemingly simple questions, like, "How do I get a list of users that can modify all data?" Right now, you need to run a SOQL query for that. That's about to change with Setup with Agentforce. You'll be able to use a conversational interface to manage users and user access, troubleshoot formulas, and much more. And Cheryl's just getting started. How you can make Setup with Agentforce even better Setup with Agentforce is available now in open beta. You can access it in production, a sandbox, or a developer org. Right now, it covers the most common use cases in Setup. For other questions, the agent can give you an answer from Salesforce's help and training documentation and help you navigate to the correct Setup page. While these features are already game-changing, Cheryl wants your help to make Setup with Agentforce even better. "We want to hear from admins," she says, "Does it help you? And what do you want us to solve next?" Help shape the future of Setup Cheryl and her team are already building a framework to expand Setup with Agentforce beyond the most common use cases. They're looking at multi-step orchestration, which will enable you to seamlessly create objects or fields, manage access to them, and add them to dynamic forms, all in one place. So please, give Setup with Agentforce a try. Your feedback will help shape a smarter, simpler future for admins everywhere. Make sure to listen to the full episode for more from my conversation with Cheryl Feldman. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast to catch us every Thursday. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Trailblazer Community Group: Setup With Agentforce (Beta) Salesforce Admins Blog: Introducing Setup with Agentforce (Beta): Your New Admin Superpower Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: The Future of Setup Powered by Agentforce Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup Now with Agentforce: Simplifying the Complex Dreamforce '25 on Salesforce+: Setup with Agentforce: New Superpower for Salesforce Admins Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Cheryl on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt : This week on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we're welcoming back Cheryl Feldman, Product Management Senior Director here at Salesforce. Well, to talk about something that's changing the game for admins, namely Agentforce for Setup. Cheryl's going to give us a behind the scenes look at how this conversational tool is making setups smarter, faster, and way more helpful. So from formulas to user access to cloning users, it's all about to get easier and way more admin friendly. Not to mention, Cheryl's also going to share with us how her own journey from admin to product manager helps her shape what gets built. So I can't wait. With that, let's get Cheryl on the podcast. So Cheryl, welcome to the podcast. Cheryl Feldman: Thanks so much, Mike. I'm excited to be back. Mike Gerholdt : I'm excited to have you back. You were a rockstar at Dreamforce this year, and you're probably going to be a rockstar this whole year. I know in the admin keynote, we demoed Agentforce for Setup. I think I'm using that term right, right? Cheryl Feldman: Setup with Agentforce, but thank you. Yes. Mike Gerholdt : Okay. See, I'm always backwards. Cheryl Feldman: Yes. I was so excited to see that work in the keynote and to see the exciting admin response and excited that we went to beta today. Mike Gerholdt : Oh my God. I feel like I feel as much joy for this as I do when we could customize the homepage. Cheryl Feldman: Yes. Mike Gerholdt : It sounds so small. We're getting in super knee-deep. Let's zoom out for a second because I'm sure there's a lot of new admins that are like, "What are they talking about?" Cheryl, for people that haven't met you and heard you in some of the True to the Core, and some of the Q&A sessions where I feel like Parker just calls on you constantly, could you do a little bit of an introduction of what you do and the fun stuff you get to work on at Salesforce? Cheryl Feldman: Sure. My name is Cheryl Feldman, and I'm a Product Manager in platform. Been at Salesforce about four and a half years now. Prior to joining Salesforce, I was actually a customer for just over 18 years in, starting out as an admin, moved into more leadership and management roles, was running a COE at a very large bank before I joined Salesforce. And when I joined Salesforce, I started in the user access area, specifically managing the authorization side of things, and then started to really advocate that we improve admin experiences. That led me to my role now where I act as the product domain lead for Setup with Agentforce, and improving experiences for admins and really addressing a lot of the issues that admins have in setup because speaking of True to the Core, setup has come up pretty much every True to the Core has ever existed. And that's what I do here at Salesforce. Mike Gerholdt : Which is a lot to say the least. I will fan out a little bit because I remember when Cheryl, you were a customer, you always had questions I couldn't answer, which challenged me. And now to see you on the inside, I mean, it's one thing to hang an identity and say admin developer architect, but that kind of core identity that people have that you made your name on of configuring one of the most complex CRMs to meet business needs without deploying code is just so empowering. And I just, for me, on behalf of all the people like me, I'm just so appreciative to have you inside the PM org championing for people that want to be in tech that don't understand or know how to write code. I had to say that early just because- Cheryl Feldman: Thank you. Thank you for saying that. Mike Gerholdt : ... I don't get to talk to you a whole lot. You're a busy person, especially with the new setup stuff. I mean, I remember demoing permission sets and permission set groups and feeling like, "Holy cow, Cheryl just moved a mountain." But you're like, "Yeah, I can move mountains, but what about planets?" And now you're tackling setup. Where did this come from? Cheryl Feldman: This came from back, I think it was June 1st, 2022, one of our incredible Trailblazers, Andrew Russo, hope he doesn't mind me shouting him out, stood up at True to the Core and said, "When are you actually fixing setup? When are you doing anything, something?" And I had been pushing internally that we needed to do something. And I said, "Well, if not me, then who?" And so I started looking at the usage of setup, and something that it didn't necessarily surprise me, but it validated a lot of things that I believe that the areas and user access were the most used areas and setup, which was the area that I was managing at that point from a product standpoint. And I said, "Well, what are the big issues that we need to sell for a...
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From Invisible to Intentional: A Practical Way Admins Can Approach Salesforce Security
Jan 2200:34:23Tap to summarizeToday on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Laura Pelkey, Director of Customer Security Communications & Engagement, and Kylie McKlveen, Director of Product Marketing at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about how admins can level up the security of their orgs using a simple framework for understanding security in Salesforce. You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Laura Pelkey and Kylie McKlveen. The three key areas of Salesforce security Security can feel complicated and unapproachable, especially at the pace at which the Salesforce platform is evolving and changing. How can admins keep up and make sure that their org's data is protected? Luckily, Laura and Kylie are here to help. It starts with a practical framework for understanding Salesforce security. They break it down into three key areas: Invisibles: What Salesforce is already doing to protect your org. Examples include network-level security, infrastructure, application-level security, and a global 24/7 threat response and monitoring team. Configurables: What you can do as a Salesforce Admin to improve your Salesforce security. Think security settings, controls, and layering permission sets to follow the principle of least privilege. Enhanceables: Extra steps you can take to protect sensitive data or meet industry-specific regulations. These are tools you can add to your org, like Salesforce Shield, Security Center, and Salesforce Backup and Recover. Put it all together, and you have a clear plan of action for how you can level up the security of your org. How Agentforce will bring agentic security to your org "There's a lot of amazing AI technology out there now," Laura says, "but unfortunately, the attackers, the hackers, the bad guys, whatever you want to call them, are also leveraging this technology, and they're doing so in ways that make it harder to spot when malware is happening." In the Dreamforce Security Keynote, they demonstrated this by doing a live deepfake of a Salesforce executive. It's getting easier for attackers to use AI for social engineering or even just a better-worded phishing attack. Luckily, Salesforce is fighting back with two new features coming soon. With Agentforce in Security Center, you will be able to detect, investigate, and remediate threats to your org with a simple conversation. Agentforce in Privacy Center will help automate some of the hard work around complying with constantly evolving regulations. These new agentic features will make security and compliance faster, easier, and more accessible. Walking through the security steps you can take right now For now, Laura and Kylie's advice to improve your Salesforce security is to dive into the configurables. The "Trusted Enterprise Security" video series is a handy guide to walk you through all of the steps you can take to drastically improve the security of your org. Check out the Dreamforce Security Keynote on Salesforce+ to learn more about what threats are out there and how you can fight back. And remember to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast so you never miss an episode. Podcast swag Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store Learn more Security Keynote: Protecting the Agentic Enterprise The 360 Blog: Laura on security The 360 Blog: Reduce Manual Security Tasks With Agentforce in Security Center The 360 Blog: Automate Manual Compliance Processes with Agentforce in Privacy Center YouTube series: Trusted Enterprise Security: Built on Salesforce Meet the Long-Lost Fourth Member of Snap, Crackle and Pop Admin Trailblazers Group Admin Trailblazers Community Group Social Laura on LinkedIn Kylie on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on LinkedIn Salesforce Admins on X Mike on Bluesky social Mike on Threads Mike on X Full show transcript Mike Gerholdt: This week on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we're diving into some security framework that you've either seen online or at Dreamforce, specifically wrapping your head around invisibles, configurables, and enhanceables. So this week I am joined by longtime podcaster and security champion Laura Pelkey and new voice and new to the Salesforce Trusted Services Team, Kylie McCleven. They are both here to help us unpack how we can think about the security layers baked into the platform, the settings they control, and the tools available for us to go even further. Plus we also jump into a little bit about what AI means for keeping your org secure. This is a fun podcast, and we also bring in a little bit of pop culture. I won't ruin it, but Sylvester Stallone does make an appearance in this episode. So with that, let's get Laura and Kylie on the podcast. So Kylie and Laura, welcome to the podcast. Laura Pelkey: Hey, Mike. Kylie McKlveen: Hey, thanks for having us. Mike Gerholdt: I know. This is going to be fun, even though... Well Laura's a long time podcaster, so she makes security fun, but Kylie's a new voice. So Laura, let's start with you. Refresh everybody, what you've been up to at Salesforce since we've last chatted. Laura Pelkey: Yeah, I know it's been a little while. I'm very happy to be back on the pod. Thank you for having me. So I'm actually coming up on my nine-year anniversary at Salesforce, which is crazy. Can't believe it's been that long. And lately I've been at Dreamforce speaking, writing a lot of blogs about security, and still just trying to get the word out there to our customers about how to be secure with their Salesforce data. Mike Gerholdt: Yep, absolutely. And Kylie, you're a new voice to the podcast, so welcome. Tell us a little bit about how you got started at Salesforce and what you do. Kylie McKlveen: Thanks, yeah, what do they say, long time listener, first time caller? So yeah, I work on our product marketing team for our trusted services products. I've actually just joined this team within the last year when Salesforce acquired Own or formerly Own Backups. So loving my new role and really excited to work with Laura and yourself working with customers on helping them with their security. Mike Gerholdt: Now, trusted services sounds big and massive and like a lot of stuff. What are some of the products that maybe Salesforce admins are familiar with that fall under that umbrella? Kylie McKlveen: Yeah, that's a great question. So Shield, Salesforce Shield, which consists of event monitoring, data detect, platform encryption, and field audit trail. It's also security center. And then with the acquisition of Own, we also added backup and recover, archive, data mask and seed, so that was enhanced with seeding capabilities. We also have privacy center. So those are some of the products admins would be familiar with. Mike Gerholdt: Yeah, no, I think we saw a few of those in the admin keynote. So Laura, you're still on the mission and I'm with you on security-mind...
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