Business Development Associate – Early Career

Salesforce launches Slack Frontline to bridge gap for frontline workers. Amidst a rapidly evolving business landscape, the gap between corporate teams and frontline workers has been a persistent challenge for organizations of all sizes. With frontline employees - often the face of your brand - comprising about 80% of the global workforce, many small businesses have struggled to integrate these essential members into modern communication systems. In a move aimed directly at addressing this discrepancy, Salesforce has unveiled Slack Frontline, a new platform designed specifically for workers who are constantly on the go - from retail associates to healthcare providers. Slack Frontline seeks to redefine how businesses operate by providing a mobile-first workspace that streamlines collaboration, enhances communication, and improves efficiency for teams who typically don't have a desk job. By leveraging data, AI, and role-specific tools within a single application, businesses can create an environment where frontline employees can thrive, ultimately leading to better service and customer experiences. Transforming Frontline Operations Discover more Business startup guide Small business ideas Buy a business For small business owners, Slack Frontline offers several key benefits. First and foremost, it allows businesses to equip their frontline teams with the information they need, right at their fingertips. Employees can access essential updates such as shift changes, task lists, and safety protocols through their mobile devices. This eliminates the need for paper checklists or back-and-forth text messages, enabling team members to focus on the task at hand. "This is a pivotal moment for frontline workers," said Jaime DeLanghe, CPO of Slack. "As companies pursue agentic transformation, frontline work matters more than ever. They're the people customers actually see, the ones keeping operations running and doing the work AI cannot replace." Small business owners can also take advantage of the seamless integration with existing Salesforce systems, which means that the data and agents they rely on for decision-making will extend to their frontline teams. The platform offers a secure environment governed by IT policies, allowing for smooth operations without compromising data integrity. Practical Applications Across Industries The real-world implications of Slack Frontline can be seen across various sectors, presenting versatile solutions for small businesses: * Retail: Store associates can immediately receive promotional materials and inventory updates in real-time, enhancing customer interactions and ensuring timely stock replenishment. * Healthcare: Home healthcare providers can maintain a continuum of care by accessing patient histories on-the-go, allowing for seamless transitions between caregivers. * Manufacturing/Warehousing: Frontline staff can quickly report machinery issues and initiate maintenance workflows, reducing downtime and enhancing productivity. * Field Services: Technicians working off-site can keep real-time communication with headquarters and subcontractors, mitigating issues that typically require return visits. * Travel and Hospitality: Employees from different shifts can collaborate efficiently over guest requests, ensuring that customer service remains consistent and responsive. Discover more Business funding resources Small business courses Office product deals Potential Challenges for Small Business Owners While the benefits are clear, there are potential challenges small business owners should consider before adopting Slack Frontline. Transitioning to a new platform may require training and adjustment periods for staff. Businesses may also need to reassess their digital security measures to protect sensitive information shared on the application. Moreover, not all employees may be receptive to new technology, especially those used to traditional methods. Engaging staff in the change process and providing adequate training can help enhance acceptance and utilization of the platform. Overall, the introduction of Slack Frontline represents an important step toward bridging the gap between corporate teams and frontline workers. By fostering better communication and collaboration, small businesses can enhance their operations and customer service - transforming how they interact with their clients and run their day-to-day operations. Image via Google Gemini

Salesforce accelerates european AI leadership with $1 billion investment in Spain. Madrid named EMEA South hub as Salesforce expands office presence, customer innovation, and AI workforce development across the region. MADRID - October 19, 2026 - Salesforce, the #1 AI CRM, today unveiled plans to invest $1 billion in Spain over the next five years, cementing the country's role as the growth engine for Salesforce's EMEA South operations. The strategic investment includes a new Madrid headquarters, which will host a dedicated AI Implementation Team designed to develop the region's AI skills ecosystem and support a growing footprint of enterprise customers and partners. The announcement was made during the official inauguration of Salesforce's new Madrid headquarters, attended by Miguel López-Valverde Argüeso, Minister of Digitalization of the Community of Madrid, together with Salesforce executives, customers and partners. Located in central Madrid on the iconic Paseo de la Castellana, the new five-floor office features dedicated spaces for customer collaboration and hands-on training in agentic AI technologies. The new AI Implementation Team within the site will serve two strategic purposes: it will bring together Forward Deployed Engineers who work directly with Spanish customers to design and deploy agentic use cases, and it will manage a regional center for recruiting and training top graduates. Through this talent initiative, graduates from several nationalities across EMEA South - a region spanning over 90 countries and three continents - will complete a year of intensive training in Spain. They will then deploy back to their home countries, expanding local AI implementation capacity across the region market by market. Salesforce is delighted to expand its presence in Spain with this landmark investment and look forward to working hand-in-hand with its customers and partners to deploy transformative AI technologies, cultivate world-class talent, and drive sustainable growth across the entire region. Miguel Milano, President & Chief Operating Officer, Salesforce "As a proud Spaniard educated in our public university system, I've always believed in the power of Spanish talent, our ability to attract international talent to cities like Madrid, our ease of doing business, our strong ecosystem, and the sophistication of our corporations and institutions," said Miguel Milano, President & Chief Operating Officer, Salesforce. "Salesforce is delighted to expand our presence in Spain with this landmark investment and look forward to working hand-in-hand with our customers and partners to deploy transformative AI technologies, cultivate world-class talent, and drive sustainable growth across the entire region." Miguel López-Valverde, Minister of Digitalization of the Community of Madrid, pointed out that the regional government is committed to advancing the automation of tasks using Artificial Intelligence with the aim of modernizing the regional administration, digitalizing citizen services, and strengthening regional competitiveness. "The regional Executive is accelerating the adoption of AI to be more efficient, anticipate needs, and offer closer, simpler, and more personalized services to customers and citizens. Agentic AI opens a new phase in which artificial intelligence can help teams resolve complex tasks, improve productivity, and dedicate more time to what brings true value: innovation, talent, and service to people. We want Madrid to be the best place in Europe to innovate, invest, entrepreneur, and develop technological projects." "Spain is rapidly positioning itself as a key engine of innovation in Europe," said Natalia Escobedo, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Salesforce Iberia. "With this investment and our new Madrid headquarters, we reaffirm our long-term commitment to the country, its businesses, and its talent as we enter the era of agentic AI - where humans and intelligent agents collaborate to redefine every industry." Driving agentic AI transformation across Spanish industry. Since establishing its presence in Spain in 2003, Salesforce has built deep roots across the country, creating more than 600 direct jobs and supporting thousands more across its partner ecosystem. Today, hundreds of Spanish organisations - including global enterprises such as Repsol, CaixaBank, and Telefónica, educational institutions like Universidad Europea, and national brands like Mahou San Miguel - rely on Salesforce to accelerate innovation and drive business transformation. Through Agentforce, Salesforce's agentic AI platform, organizations are integrating autonomous agents with human teams - fueling company growth and setting new standards for customer engagement. In the public sector, Comunidad de Madrid, through Madrid Digital, has integrated Salesforce Agentforce into its User Support Center (CAU) for public employees. The result is streamlined incident resolution, optimized multichannel service delivery, and the automation of routine technical support tasks. "The collaboration between CaixaBank and Salesforce demonstrates how a shared vision of innovation can translate into real advances for customers and employees," said Luis Javier Blas, Executive Director of Resources at CaixaBank. "Thanks to this joint effort, we have accelerated the adoption of artificial intelligence and are turning its potential into concrete improvements in customer service, efficiency, and service personalization. We want to keep moving forward together to develop new AI-driven capabilities that reinforce our digital leadership and allow us to enhance our advisory capacity, improve the user experience, and make our teams' work easier - always grounded in responsible, secure use that aligns with our values." A commitment to Spanish society, skills and training. Through its 1-1-1 philanthropic model, Salesforce has donated more than $2.4 million to Spain, and its employees have contributed nearly 90,000 volunteer hours to local NGOs. More than 430 non-profit organizations in Spain operate using Salesforce technology. Salesforce is committed to bringing the benefits of artificial intelligence to all of society. Together with ESADE Executive Education, the company has co-financed the Digital Leadership Program for the Public Sector. Through this program, 33 senior executives from non-profit organizations across Spain have received advanced training in AI and data analytics. To help democratize access to future job opportunities, the CFTIC (Training Center for Information and Communication Technologies of the EducaMadrid network) now offers a free official Salesforce course for residents and workers of the Community of Madrid, helping them earn high-value professional certifications and improve their employability. About salesforce. Salesforce is the global leader in AI-powered CRM, helping companies connect with their customers in a whole new way through the power of agentic AI, trusted data, and the Customer 360 applications. For more information, visit salesforce.com/es. Get the latest Salesforce News & Insights, straight to your inbox.

VALiNTRY360, a US Salesforce consulting partner, has introduced a Seven-Pillar Salesforce Managed Services Framework. It helps organisations judge how well their CRM systems perform after implementation. The company says closing support tickets quickly does not prove a CRM works well. Poor data, failing automation, unstable integrations and technical debt can persist regardless. The pillars are support efficiency, data quality, automation reliability, integration stability, release management, user adoption, and readiness for Agentforce and AI. Each has measurable indicators, such as ticket resolution time, duplicate record rates and failed Flows per month. "Companies judge a managed services provider by how fast tickets close. That's one pillar out of seven," said Joe Parris, the company's president. VALiNTRY360 cites one customer case where workflow improvements resolved tickets 77% faster. It says these results are not guaranteed.