Salesforce's AppExchange gets new features for customers and app vendors
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About 13 years after its initial launch, Salesforce's AppExchange is a vast ecosystem where customers can find 5,000 listings from ISVs and consulting firms and get access to more than 64,000 Salesforce-certified consultants. AppExchange solutions have been installed by customers more than 6.5 million times. On Wednesday, Salesforce is introducing new features to help both customers and app vendors more easily navigate that ecosystem.
On the customer side, Salesforce is introducing features to make it easier to find consultants that match customer needs. On the app vendor side, AppExchange will feature new analytics tools offering new insight into how users are engaging with your listings and apps.
The new features are about "helping make everyone on the system a little smarter," Woodson Martin, GM of AppExchange, told ZDNet.
With the new Consultants on AppExchange feature, users can find dedicated search tools for finding the right consultant. The companies offering consulting services on AppExchange include Appirio/Wipro, Acumen Solutions, Capgemini, Cognizant, DXC, and Magnet360.
There's a new guided search engine called Consultant Finder that does just that. Users can narrow their search based on preferred location, the size of the consulting firm they want to work with, and product and industry expertise. They can also filter searches bsaed on consultant ratings and language preferences. User ratings have been a part of AppExchange since its beginning.
Customers can also use the new Expertise Tab to learn more about the areas that a consultant specializes in.
"This is a whole new level of insight that has never existed for consulting organizations in a marketplace like AppExchange," Martin said.
Salesforce on Thursday is also unveiling AppExchange Partner Intelligence, its new analytics features for app vendors. This set of features includes AppExchange Marketplace Analytics, powered by Einstein Analytics. The new dashboard gives ISVs and consultants information on how AppExchange users find and interact with their listing. For instance, they can see which search terms draw in the most visitors and installations, as well as whether they get more traffic from Google or Facebook. Partners can view insights by month-to-date, quarter-to-date, year-to-date or a custom time period.
With AppExchange App Analytics, AppExchange partners can track their app adoption and analyze usage data. With data made available via an API, they can gain insight into, for instance, which features are being used more or less. AppExchange App Analytics will be available to AppExchange partners with security-approved apps in June 2019.