How To Build Sustainability Into Your Salesforce System

As the future of the planet begins to look increasingly uncertain, individuals and businesses have been addressing the impact of actions that might have previously flown under the radar. Namely, the impact that their software has on climate change and carbon emissions. Uploading or downloading files, sending emails, attending virtual meetings, and anything else that requires processing power and a connection to the internet, all have a part to play in polluting the atmosphere. But, they’re also integral to keeping businesses alive in the pandemic and post-pandemic world. So, how can we make vital software sustainable?

Luckily for us, Salesforce has found a Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) solution: Net Zero Cloud. Now, sustainability can be built directly into your day-to-day business processes, so you can keep functioning without so much eco-guilt.

Net Zero (formerly Sustainability Cloud) is the encouragement that many businesses need to put eco-conscious operations at the forefront. Not only is it making businesses more aware of their carbon output, but it’s also making it easier than ever to make positive changes. 

So, how can we make these changes toward a sustainable future?

1. Use Salesforce

This might seem like an odd (and obvious) one to start with; but, in reality, simply by using Salesforce as your CRM, you are working in a more sustainable way. When Shengyuan Su designed what was then the Sustainability Cloud, Salesforce also made a promise: that by 2022, its Clouds would be carbon-neutral and would run exclusively on renewable energy. So, if you don’t yet have a CRM, and want one that doesn’t damage the environment with high processing power, go for Salesforce. If you do already have a CRM (maybe it’s Salesforce), keep reading…

2. Integrate Net Zero

Net Zero is an incredibly powerful piece of kit. Not because it’s a complex system to run, but because of the power and opportunity that it provides business owners. With Net Zero, users can navigate their own emissions on helpful dashboards. Using Einstein Analytics, Net Zero calculates your carbon emissions and provides accurate reports on your output. It also provides suggested solutions for areas of high emission, and facilitates the creation and maintenance of large-scale climate change programmes within your business. 

3. Use the Scope Hubs to full effect

At the heart of Net Zero are the Scope 1, 2, and 3 hubs. Scope 1 monitors and calculates emissions from the company’s owned assets. Scope 2 concerns those linked with electrical items. And Scope 3 works with supply chain emissions. Scope 3 will be most significant for many businesses, especially now that transportation, logistics, and global reach are so integral. Scope 3 will make up most of a company’s carbon footprint unless they deal with only digital products or services. Importantly, these three Scope Hubs together provide an in-depth, analytical glimpse into where specific areas for improvement can be found. They form the kind of comprehensive overview that we appreciate and come to expect from Salesforce. Users can drill down on actions and assets that are most costly to the environment, and predict how certain changes would impact this cost.

4. Go small-scale

Sustainability insights have historically been drawn from large chunks of data collected over a long period of time. With Net Zero, however, you can use preloaded datasets (from organisations such as the EPA and IPCC) to audit your carbon accounting on a weekly scale. This means you can start making assessments and changes in just a matter of days. Built-in guides and user flows can help direct your measurements and conclusions, and visual dashboards can then help your sustainability execs make valuable decisions fast.

5. Boost your business branding

One of the best ways to establish your business as eco-conscious is to simply tell people. The initiatives that you start, off the back of insights derived from Net Zero Cloud, are going to be worth shouting about. As an employer, as a business, and as a brand, there is an increasing expectation from the population that you will operate with the environment in mind. Employees appreciate seeing the efforts their employer is going to, and consumers will factor environmental concerns into their purchasing decisions. So, make those first steps towards being net-zero, and your staff and customers will ultimately reward you. 

Get started with Net Zero

The possibilities with Net Zero Cloud are immeasurable. Salesforce has made sustainability accessible for businesses of all sizes. Rather than a complex, intangible concept, it is now a dashboard of actionable insights. Following the steps listed above will help you position your business as an eco-friendly option for your target customers, and ensure that you, as a business, are doing your bit.

For more information on Salesforce Net Zero and the steps Salesforce is making to protect the environment, take a look at our recent article 5 Reasons to Make Your Salesforce CRM Sustainable.

If you’d like to chat to an expert about how you can make the Net Zero Cloud work for you, book a free 30-minute no-obligation call with a member of the Consleague team. We’ll be able to talk you through our Discovery Mapping Programme, and assist you in planning and executing your digital transformation journey with Salesforce.