Salesforce OmniStudio: Elevating the Salesforce Platform

Salesforce is an industry leader in enterprise application software, providing customer relationship management (CRM) services to businesses worldwide. With a commitment to innovation and customer-centric approaches, Salesforce continues to expand its platform through various innovations and acquisitions.

One significant addition to the platform is Salesforce OmniStudio, a comprehensive digital experience suite designed to streamline the creation, deployment, and management of digital experiences across various touchpoints. This article explores OmniStudio and how it enhances the Salesforce environment, helping organizations create human-centered experiences that boost customer engagement, loyalty, and success.

The Evolution of OmniStudio

To understand OmniStudio’s place in Salesforce’s ecosystem, we need to look at its origins. In 2020, Salesforce acquired Vlocity, a company that specialized in industry-specific cloud solutions. Vlocity’s technology became the foundation for what is now Salesforce OmniStudio (formerly Vlocity OmniStudio).

This acquisition signaled Salesforce’s intent to expand its platform services, empowering organizations to achieve new levels of connectivity and interoperability. OmniStudio combines Salesforce’s existing enterprise solutions (such as Salesforce CMS, Commerce Cloud, and Experience Cloud) with powerful low-code development capabilities, creating a comprehensive digital experience platform. OmniStudio can be integrated with Salesforce Communities (Experience Cloud) to create powerful customer and partner portals.

Key Capabilities of OmniStudio

1. Seamless Integrations

OmniStudio empowers organizations to create integrations with various systems, data sources, and environments quickly and efficiently. By leveraging API-led connectivity, OmniStudio allows organizations to harness their existing data, processes, and solutions, weaving them together into a unified digital experience.

Real-World Use Case: Financial Services Integration

A bank needs to integrate Salesforce with their core banking system, credit bureau, and document management system.

OmniStudio Solution:

• Use DataRaptors to extract and transform data from core banking system
• Create Integration Procedures to call credit bureau APIs
• Use OmniScripts to guide loan officers through application process
• Integrate with document management for document storage

Result: Loan application process reduced from 2 weeks to 2 days, with automated data collection and processing.

2. Rapid Application Development with Industry Templates

OmniStudio accelerates development by providing industry-specific templates. These pre-built templates cater to various sectors like retail, healthcare, financial services, insurance, communications, and utilities, enabling rapid application assembly.

Real-World Use Case: Insurance Quote and Bind

An insurance company needs to streamline their quote-to-bind process.

OmniStudio Solution:

• Use insurance industry template as starting point
• Customize OmniScript for quote collection
• Configure DataRaptors for rating engine integration
• Create FlexCards for agent dashboards

Result: Quote generation time reduced from 30 minutes to 5 minutes, with improved accuracy.

3. Reimagining Digital Experiences

OmniStudio uses technology to humanize digital experiences. Through features such as OmniScripts (guided experiences) and FlexCards (contextual information displays), OmniStudio creates immersive experiences that foster customer engagement.

Real-World Use Case: Healthcare Patient Portal

A healthcare organization wants to improve patient engagement through a digital portal.

OmniStudio Solution:

• Create patient onboarding OmniScript
• Build FlexCards showing appointment history and upcoming visits
• Integrate with electronic health records (EHR) system
• Provide self-service options for appointment scheduling

Result: Patient satisfaction increased 35%, with 50% reduction in phone calls for routine requests.

4. Developer Ecosystem

The Salesforce platform has a thriving developer community. With OmniStudio, developers gain access to powerful tools and resources needed to create digital experiences using clicks or code.

Real-World Use Case: Custom Quote Tool

A B2B company needs a custom quoting tool for complex product configurations.

OmniStudio Solution:

• Developers use OmniScripts for guided configuration
• Create Calculation Procedures for pricing logic
• Build Integration Procedures for inventory checks
• Use FlexCards to display product recommendations

Result: Sales team can generate accurate quotes in minutes instead of hours.

5. Enhanced Customer View

Understanding your customer holistically is key to successful customer relationships. By integrating OmniStudio into Salesforce, organizations can enrich customer profiles with critical digital interaction data, promoting seamless, consistent, and highly personalized customer experiences.

Real-World Use Case: Financial Advisor Dashboard

A wealth management firm wants advisors to have a complete view of client relationships.

OmniStudio Solution:

• Create FlexCards showing client portfolio summary
• Display recent transactions and account activity
• Show product recommendations based on client profile
• Integrate with portfolio management systems

Result: Advisors have complete client view, leading to 20% increase in product recommendations.

Real-World Industry Applications

Financial Services

Use Cases:

• Account Opening: Guided onboarding processes for new accounts
• Loan Applications: Streamlined loan origination workflows
• Wealth Management: Client portal with portfolio views
• Compliance: Automated compliance checking and documentation

Benefits:

• Faster account opening (days to hours)
• Improved regulatory compliance
• Better client engagement
• Reduced operational costs

Healthcare

Use Cases:

• Patient Onboarding: Digital patient registration
• Care Plan Management: Guided care plan creation
• Prior Authorization: Automated authorization workflows
• Provider Portals: Provider access to patient information

Benefits:

• Improved patient experience
• Reduced administrative burden
• Better care coordination
• Enhanced compliance

Insurance

Use Cases:

• Quote Generation: Automated quote creation
• Claims Processing: Guided claims intake and processing
• Policy Management: Self-service policy changes
• Underwriting: Automated underwriting workflows

Benefits:

• Faster quote-to-bind cycles
• Improved claims processing time
• Better customer self-service
• Reduced operational costs

Retail

Use Cases:

• Product Configuration: Guided product selection
• Order Management: Streamlined ordering processes
• Customer Service: Self-service support options
• Loyalty Programs: Customer loyalty management

Benefits:

• Improved customer experience
• Increased order accuracy
• Better customer retention
• Enhanced personalization

OmniStudio Components

OmniScripts

Guided, step-by-step experiences that lead users through complex processes:

• Multi-Step Forms: Break complex forms into manageable steps
• Conditional Logic: Show/hide fields based on user input
• Data Validation: Real-time validation and error handling
• Mobile Support: Responsive design for all devices

FlexCards

Dynamic, contextual information displays:

• Dashboard Views: Show key metrics and information
• Record Summaries: Display related record information
• Recommendations: Show personalized recommendations
• Status Indicators: Visual status and progress displays

DataRaptors

Data transformation tools:

• Extract: Pull data from Salesforce or external systems
• Transform: Modify and format data
• Load: Insert or update records
• Turbo Extract: High-performance data extraction

Integration Procedures

Server-side procedures for complex operations:

• API Calls: Integrate with external systems
• Data Processing: Complex data transformations
• Calculations: Business logic and calculations
• Batch Operations: Process multiple records efficiently

Getting Started with OmniStudio

Prerequisites

• Salesforce org with OmniStudio installed (included with Industry Clouds)
• Appropriate licenses (OmniStudio or Industry Cloud licenses)
• Basic understanding of Salesforce objects and relationships

First Steps

1. Explore Templates: Review industry templates relevant to your business
2. Start Simple: Create a basic OmniScript for a simple process
3. Learn DataRaptors: Understand how to extract and transform data
4. Build FlexCards: Create simple information displays
5. Integrate: Connect to external systems as needed

Resources

• Salesforce Help: OmniStudio Documentation
• Trailhead: Get to Know OmniStudio
• Developer Guide: OmniStudio Developer Documentation

Conclusion

Salesforce OmniStudio represents a significant advancement in Salesforce’s ability to create unparalleled customer experiences. By empowering businesses with the right tools, resources, and integrations, OmniStudio adds a new dimension to Salesforce’s CRM offering, enabling organizations to embrace a customer-centric future that combines the best of technology and human ingenuity.

Whether you’re in financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail, or any other industry, OmniStudio provides the capabilities to create digital experiences that engage customers, streamline processes, and drive business success.

Take your Salesforce implementation to new heights with OmniStudio and transform how you engage with your customers.