Bernard Slowey: Forget Chatbots! Smart Brands Are Moving to AI Agents!

Imagine onboarding a new employee who never sleeps, speaks every language, knows all your products, and can handle thousands of customers at once. That's the reality Salesforce is building with Agentforce — and it’s already transforming customer success, marketing operations, and revenue growth. In this episode, Salesforce SVP of Digital Customer Success Bernard Slowey joins us to break down how they became Customer Zero for Agentforce, what went wrong (and right), and why agentic AI is reshaping the future of marketing and operations. If you lead marketing, operations, or customer success — and you’re serious about not falling behind — this episode is your AI playbook. Key Moments: 00:00: What Is Agentforce? Introducing Salesforce’s Digital AI Workforce  01:21: Meet Bernard Slowey: VP of Digital Customer Success at Salesforce  01:46: From AOL to Salesforce: Bernard’s Career Path Through the Tech Revolution  03:57: The Rise of AI Agents: Why Chatbots Are Officially Obsolete  06:36: AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What They Are and Why They Matter  11:22: Lessons from the Frontlines: What It Takes to Implement AI Agents  15:16: Inside Salesforce: How Agentforce Came to Life  18:55: How Salesforce Launched Agentforce in Just 4 Weeks (And What They Measured)  30:27: Rethinking Success: Metrics That Actually Matter in AI Rollouts  38:25: Why Traditional Customer Service Automation Is Failing Us  42:36: Real Use Cases: How Salesforce Clients Are Winning with Agentforce  44:11: AI Implementation Challenges (And How to Solve Them)  50:32: Cross-Functional Teams and the Future of AI Collaboration  57:18: Why AI Still Needs a Human Touch in Customer Experience  58:33: The New Job Titles and Skills Emerging in an AI-First Era  01:04:02 Human Intuition vs. AI Logic: Finding the Right Balance  01:09:35 Customer Obsession in the Age of Automation   Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.