Building with Agentforce opens up a world of possibilities for Salesforce Admins, but identifying strong use cases and getting started can feel overwhelming at first. That’s why we asked six experienced Agentblazers to share their top tips for getting started, building efficiently, and demonstrating impact.
From finding the right use case to preparing your data, these practical tips are designed to help you avoid common pitfalls and build smarter with artificial intelligence (AI). Whether you’re just beginning your Agentforce journey or looking to scale your efforts, these insights will help you feel more confident and capable at every step of the process.
Each contributor brings hands-on experience and thoughtful advice for Salesforce Admins looking to use Agentforce to solve real business problems. Read their responses in this Q&A.
Joseph Kubon: Identify friction points where Agentforce can enhance speed, consistency, or personalization. The most innovative and achievable Agentforce use cases solve recurring problems with measurable value—not just what’s possible, but what’s impactful.
Vanessa Thomas: Look for processes that are described as tedious, boring, manual, or repetitive. Then ask if there is a defined workflow that an agent could follow. If yes, it may be a great use case for Agentforce.
Janeen Marquardt: Start with a business problem or objective you know really well—something you’ve either experienced firsthand or seen up close. Then ask yourself, “How might an agent help fix this, or improve it?” Maybe it’s a repetitive task that could be automated, or a user experience that feels clunky. Familiarity often breeds the best innovation because you already understand the nuances.
Zachary Banks: When considering Agentforce, this should be another tool in your arsenal to solve business problems. After identifying a problem and gathering business requirements, consider whether any of the requirements are a good use case for Agentforce. Including this step in your software development lifecycle enables innovative and achievable solutions.
Venky Sundaram: Look for a use case that has a strong data foundation and can be implemented quickly. The use case should also be scalable both horizontally and vertically with additional time and resources. This demonstrates both immediate and long-term value.
Chris Stegall: Don’t try to invent something new—not right off the bat. Think about your normal workday and identify the part you get the least enjoyment from. That’s your starting point. You’ll benefit immediately, and likely enjoy building the agent more than doing the task it replaces.
Joseph Kubon: The most important factor is impact—does it optimize outcomes and move the business forward by improving customer experience and satisfaction, or reducing costs?
Vanessa Thomas: Is an agent too much, too little, or just right? Some problems can be solved through automation or configuration. Agents are best for complex problems that require pulling data from multiple sources.
Janeen Marquardt: List the business objectives or problems. Brainstorm all potential solutions—process changes, automation, human intervention, or an agent. Then, evaluate return on investment (ROI) and complexity before moving forward.
Zachary Banks: Ask how many interactions are involved in the process. If multiple people or steps are required, and information needs to be gathered, an agent could help triage or streamline it.
Venky Sundaram: Analyze the current process and determine if an agent could meaningfully improve it. If so, engage Agentforce to implement the solution.
Chris Stegall: Ask yourself, “Is this why I was hired?” If the answer is no, it’s probably a great candidate for an agent. Relieving yourself (or others) of low-value tasks frees up time for more impactful work.
Joseph Kubon: Be prepared to iterate. Set expectations that the agent will evolve over time. Every hiccup is a learning opportunity.
Vanessa Thomas: Understand what you’re solving. Design the solution. Build the solution.
Janeen Marquardt: Document the process before you build. Define what you want the agent to do—and not do. Clear planning prevents rework.
Zachary Banks: Take the Build an Agent badge on Trailhead. It’s free and gives hands-on experience to prevent surprises later.
Venky Sundaram: Understand that going from Proof of Concept to production requires significant planning—especially around data validation and coordination.
Chris Stegall: Ask for help, often. Also, build something you want. Trailhead is great for learning menus and buttons, but real learning happens when you build something meaningful to you.
Joseph Kubon: Unify and harmonize customer data in Data Cloud. Ensure accuracy, deduplication, and enrichment for a complete Customer 360 view.
Vanessa Thomas: Ask yourself, “Do I trust my data? Is it accurate, properly formatted, and entered correctly?”
Janeen Marquardt: Use a readiness tool like Cuneiform to catch issues like duplicates or stale data. Clean it up before building.
Zachary Banks: Understand your objects, fields, and their data quality. There are accelerators available via Signature Success if you need help.
Venky Sundaram: Always conduct a user data privacy and security review before deployment. Trust is hard to regain if lost.
Chris Stegall: If your data isn’t good enough for your users, fix it for them. Agents aren’t special—they just need the same good data your team does.
Joseph Kubon: Start with proven processes. Show how Agentforce frees up human agents to solve more complex issues faster.
Vanessa Thomas: Tell a story. Show the challenge, how the agent solves it, and the outcome.
Janeen Marquardt: Clearly state the problem and the impact of the agent—whether that’s improved productivity, fewer escalations, or a better customer satisfaction score (CSAT).
Zachary Banks: Know your business goals first. Then tie the agent’s impact back to the goals—like revenue, churn, or customer satisfaction.
Venky Sundaram: Don’t overlook user experience (UX). Even if it’s hard to quantify, it can show real business impact.
Chris Stegall: Build a proof of concept that removes something your stakeholder dislikes doing. Personal impact is more powerful than theoretical value.
Joseph Kubon: The #Agentblazer Slack community. Trailhead teaches you the concepts, but practical guidance comes from other Trailblazers.
Vanessa Thomas: Trailhead. Start with the Champion trail to learn the basics and build an agent.
Janeen Marquardt: Trailhead is the start, but not the end. Keep learning, experimenting, and building real-world experience.
Zachary Banks: Your local Trailblazer Community Group. Learn from real-world examples and avoid common pitfalls.
Venky Sundaram: Get the Agentforce Specialist certification or complete the Trailhead. It builds a solid foundation.
Chris Stegall: Join a Hackathon. It’s the best way to go beyond copy-paste and actually build something. You’ll learn more in 48 hours than you expect.
Every admin’s Agentforce journey is a little different, but one thing is clear: Starting with what you know and focusing on business value is a smart path forward. The most effective agents don’t just showcase cool technology—they make work better for teams and customers alike.
Whether you’re thinking about your first use case or fine-tuning one you’ve already built, the wisdom from these Agentblazers is here to guide you.
Got a tip of your own? Share it with the #AwesomeAdmin community on social, and don’t forget to tag us!
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