SME News Q2 2018

28 SME NEWS / Q2 2018 , Investment news follows the recent opening of the Salesforce Innovation Centre in Salesforce Tower London and announcement to expand with a second UK data centre. Salesforce to Invest $2.5bn in its UK Business Over Five Years to Support Growing Customer Base Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, plans to invest more than $2.5 billion over the next five years to fuel the growth of its UK business. The company is making the announcement ahead of participating in Prime Minister May’s Tech Investment Roundtable hosted at 10 Downing Street. Salesforce is experiencing rapid growth in the UK. Salesforce is the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management market share leader worldwide and the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management in the UK based on 2017 total software revenue, according to Gartner1. As part of this investment, Salesforce plans to increase headcount, data centre capacity and office space to support its rapidly growing customer base in the country. “The UK is Salesforce’s largest market in Europe and our commitment to driving growth, innovation and customer success in the region has never been stronger,” said Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce. “With this significant investment, we are well positioned to pursue the incredible opportunity for Salesforce, our customers and partners in the British market.” Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Salesforce offers a wonderful example of the benefits a successful technology company can bring to the UK economy, and I welcome their continued investment which will create interesting and high- skilled jobs for our workforce. The UK is already home to some of the world’s most innovative technology companies, and we will continue to drive investment in the sector through our modern Industrial Strategy.” A Trusted Partner for British Businesses In addition to being the #1 Customer Experience and Customer Relationship Management provider in the UK, Salesforce is also the fastest growing among the three largest enterprise software vendors2 in the region according to Gartner Inc.’s May 2018 Market Share: Enterprise Application Software, Worldwide, 2017 market share report, based on 2017 total software revenue. Leading British companies of all sizes including Addison Lee, Aston Martin, British Airways, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Funding Circle, The Nottingham and Rated People use Salesforce to power their digital transformations and connect with their customers in a whole new way across sales, service, marketing, commerce and more. “Salesforce has been a trusted partner for the digital transformation of our Contact Centre, which helped accelerate productivity and engagement across our teams,” said Tony Ackroyd, Director of Operations & Customer Services, DVLA. “With Salesforce, we are able to deliver a leading experience to millions of drivers and vehicle owners across the UK and drive ongoing innovation across our customer service teams.” Growing UK Presence Today’s news follows other recent Salesforce UK investment announcements. Last month the company opened its first European Salesforce Innovation Centre in Salesforce Tower London. The Salesforce Innovation Centre offers an immersive environment where companies can understand how to drive the digital transformation required to connect with customers in new and intelligent