Salesforce to invest $1.3b in Singapore over the next 5 years

SINGAPORE – Artificial intelligence (AI) customer management software firm Salesforce will invest US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) in Singapore over the next five years.

The move affirms a strong commitment to accelerate the nation’s digital transformation and Agentforce adoption, the tech company announced on March 12. Agentforce is an AI system that deploys autonomous agents to perform specific tasks.

The investment will help Singapore rapidly expand its labour force in key service and public sector roles.

This comes as Singapore has been dealing with a slowing growth rate of the labour force, contributed by an ageing population and declining birth rates, said the firm.

The company is partnering with Institutes of Higher Learning such as the Singapore Management University, Institute of Technical Education and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to equip students with in-demand customer relationship management (CRM) and AI skills through training and certifications, as well as connections to opportunities for employment in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Salesforce’s investment will boost ongoing efforts in Singapore to build a vibrant hub for AI innovation and adoption across our economy, said Mr Jermaine Loy, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Said Mr Loy: “Salesforce’s initiatives in AI research and workforce development will strengthen our ecosystem by catalysing innovation for key industries and corporates based in Singapore.”

Salesforce, which has been investing in Singapore for nearly two decades, has established a customer base and partner ecosystem in the region.

Its customers include Singapore Airlines (SIA), Grab, M1, FairPrice Group, Ocean Network Express and Prism+, which are using Salesforce’s AI technologies to drive efficiency and enhance customer experiences.

SIA will be incorporating Salesforce’s products into its customer case management system to deliver more consistent and personalised service to SIA’s customers, the two companies announced on March 12.

SIA will utilise Agentforce to help streamline its customer service operations, allowing its customer service representatives to focus on providing enhanced and personalised attention in each customer interaction.

Data Cloud, the hyperscale data engine built within Salesforce, powers Agentforce by combining relevant data together, enabling the AI agents to better support the customer service representatives with personalised advice and solutions for the customers.

SIA will also use Salesforce’s generative AI capabilities to summarise customers’ previous interactions with the airline.

It can also provide guidance on assistance, enabling customer service representatives to better understand and anticipate customer needs and tailor solutions.

This will reduce average response times, facilitating more efficient and proactive customer service, said the two companies in their statement.

The two companies also plan to co-develop AI solutions for airlines at the Salesforce AI Research hub in Singapore, aiming to provide greater value and additional benefits to the industry.

Mr Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer of SIA, said: “As the world’s leading digital airline, Singapore Airlines is committed to investing in and leveraging the relevant technologies to enhance customer experiences, improve operational efficiencies, drive revenue generation, and boost employee productivity.

“The SIA Group has been an early adopter of generative AI solutions, developing over 250 use cases over the last 18 months and implementing around 50 initiatives across our end-to-end operations.”