Add-on

How they do it: Via AppExchange, its platform featuring third-party applications, customers of Salesforce do not only pay for the core offering of the Salesforce software suite, but may opt to purchase access to additional software solutions. These add-ons are created by third-party companies and may be integrated seamlessly into a Salesforce instance.

Digitization

How they do it: Salesforce digitizes a considerable degree of customer interactions and makes them accessible for data processing and analysis on its platform. Thereby, Salesforce’s customers can stay on top of their own customer’s needs in an unprecedented way.

Guaranteed Availability

How they do it: With Salesforce Trust, Salesforce provides a dedicated platform where customers and third parties can assess the status of Salesforce’s servers and check its security. Salesforce Platform has a proven 99.9+ percent uptime record for years. To ensure maximum uptime and continuous availability, Salesforce Platform provides redundant data protection and the most advanced facilities protection available, along with a complete data recovery plan.

Leverage Customer Data

How they do it: Data collected by Salesforce’s CRM can be linked to other data sources (e.g. on Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud platform). This enables companies to leverage their customer data in new ways and create novel customer experiences.

Lock-in

How they do it: Companies relying on Salesforce’s software are tied into the ecosystem. Switching to a new provider might be associated with considerable cost and efforts, and thus, customers experience a lock-in situation.

Solution Provider

How they do it: Salesforce provides a vast range of products that provide value for virtually all aspects of enterprise and SME operations, with dedicated offerings in CRM, marketing, sales etc. With AppExchange integrating third-parties on Saleforce’s platform, it can be considered a one-stop-shop for enterprise software.

Subscription

How they do it: Customers gain access to Salesforce’s products via a SaaS-model, i.e. paying for access to it’s cloud-based software with a monthly payment agreement.

Two-sided Market

How they do it: Salesforce offers different apps on its AppExchange platform. Customers of Salesforce may purchase access to apps published by third-parties. Thus, it can leverage a two-sided market, connecting its paying customers with paying third-party AppEchange publishers.