Salesforce releases a set of new tools to help businesses and public agencies reopen safely (CRM)

Bret Taylor

Salesforce has created a set of new tools, called Work.com, to help both businesses and public agencies reopen workplaces while maintaining employee safety.
The new apps, available in June, include tools for tracking employee health, managing shifts so office spaces don't get too dense, and keep tabs on local regulations.
Salesforce COO Bret Taylor said leaders he has spoken with say they are struggling to reopen businesses and organizations safely, and lack the tools that can help them do so.
Taylor says that building these tools goes back to Salesforce's philosophy of "stakeholder capitalism," serving employees, customers, shareholders and the community all equally.
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Salesforce wants to help its customers deal with the next phase of the global coronavirus pandemic — reopening businesses and getting employees back to work as the economy resumes. But that's easier said than done.

That's why Salesforce has created a set of new tools, called Work.com, to help businesses and public agencies alike track all of the data they need to reopen their workplaces while also maintaining employee safety.

That includes apps for gathering and tracking employee health and feedback, tools for making company-wide health announcements, and tools for keeping tabs on public data and local regulations. It can also help manage employee shifts to reduce office density. All the data can be tracked and measured in a command center.

All products will be available starting in June, with different services priced as separate add-ons for existing Salesforce subscriptions.

Bret Taylor, chief operating officer of Salesforce, tells Business Insider that the company has consulted with experts, and now views the crisis as having three phases: crisis response, an extended period of recovery, and a new normal. Salesforce believes that many organizations are on the cusp of entering the recovery phase, and those that aren't will get there, sooner or later.

"Now every single leader I talk to, whether it's state governors or heads of businesses, they're all talking about this next phase, which is how do we reopen safely. And the last word is the hard part and something we're all navigating together," Taylor told Business Insider.

Remote doesn't work for everybody

Plenty of organizations have been working remotely throughout the crisis, and may continue doing so for the foreseeable future, Taylor says. Some businesses, though, don't have that option. And in order to reopen, those places will need to enforce social distancing in the workplace, while also tracking employee health.

The issue is forcing companies including Salesforce to rethink some things once taken for granted: Taylor says that the company is starting to look into approaches like sending employees back into the office in waves, or pre-scheduling times when employees can use elevators, in order to make sure a healthy distance is maintained.

The new tools also include courses and training on Trailhead, Salesforce's online learning tool, to help employees learn new ways of working and how to comply with new safety precautions.

Salesforce tasks its talent

Building these apps was a huge effort, and Salesforce has repurposed hundreds of its employees to focus solely on this initiative, Taylor said.

Salesforce has been focused on helping its customers and community address the global pandemic. Before this, it offered a set of tools called Salesforce Care to help organizations stay in touch with employees and customers. CEO Marc Benioff also pulled together a team of companies to acquire 50 million pieces of personal protective equipment to donate to healthcare facilities.

It goes back to Salesforce's mission of practicing "stakeholder capitalism" and serving employees, customers, shareholders and the community all equally, he said — and this is the ultimate expression of that philosophy, Taylor said.

"We're having the same challenges as every other company and responding to this crisis. But I also think it's really amplified our values," Taylor said.

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