Even in today’s technology-driven world, real relationships and human-to-human interaction are key to business success. Customers want to interact with the brands they support, employees want to feel like part of a team, and business leaders want to engage. It’s all about connecting with others. That’s the power of Salesforce communities. Salesforce Community Cloud allows organizations to build branded community spaces—or information-sharing portals—where users can connect, collaborate, and get work done. Salesforce communities are productive ecosystems within a Salesforce organization, and they are easy to build with Salesforce’s intuitive tools and templates. An organization can build a community to meet any number of needs, but there are three main community types in Salesforce:

1. Customer communities
2. Employee communities
3. Partner communities

Customer communities are self-service portals that allow customers to get answers to their questions via relevant articles, process documentation, FAQs, and discussions with other customers (Salesforce’s own Salesforce Success Community is one example). Employee communities are internal websites that connect employees and give them a single space to share files, manage projects, and access company documentation or announcements. Partner communities are information hubs that let resellers and sales teams collaborate and access important company data that can lead to more closed deals. Communities are a powerful part of the Salesforce ecosystem. And the possibilities are nearly endless—from patient portals to higher ed student portals to government services portals. No matter what type of community you build, it can give your business a boost in three positive ways:

#1: Enhance Brand Experience

Any portal you build using Salesforce Community Cloud can be customized to reflect your brand’s look so that it serves as an extension of your online presence. Offering an intuitive, interactive, engaging experience for customers, employees, or partners can boost satisfaction and enhance your brand image. Additionally, you can monitor questions or discussions in the community to discover pain points or areas for brand improvement.

#2: Empower Users

Communities are intelligent spaces where users can seek out the information they need on their own. Customers can easily access FAQs, search the knowledge base, or pose questions to other community members. Employees can find important onboarding documentation or review company announcements at their own convenience. Partners can access critical data or register leads on the go. Additionally, Salesforce Community Cloud automatically provides individual recommendations for relevant content, group, and expert connections—so users are empowered to personalize their community experience.

#3: Foster a Culture of Collaboration

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Salesforce communities is their collaborative nature. Regardless of location, users can connect and work together in real-time. Customers can answer each other’s questions and team up to solve problems. Employees can share expertise and files or collaborate on content. Internal and external sales teams can join forces to qualify leads and close deals. Anyone can contribute ideas and insights from anywhere. And to encourage collaboration, community managers can reward active community participants with customizable badges and incentives, as well as enable users to endorse each other for specific skills. If you’re looking to build a powerful, branded experience where users can connect and collaborate, Salesforce communities are an innovative solution.

Did you know Formstack has a native Salesforce app that gives you access to powerful form tools for Salesforce? Click here to learn more.