Salesforce Q1 2020: 30% growth, Benioff sees ‘new normal’ by 2021

▤ Summary

The Covid-19 public health emergency has had an impact on the CRM-focused software-as-a-service supplier, and its founder, chair and CEO, Marc Benioff, was keen to emphasise the contribution it had made to combating the virus. In the results earnings call, made available in a transcript by financial news site Seeking Alpha, Benioff said he saw a three-phase history to the Covid-19 virus as it related to the company. “Salesforce sent a 767 loaded with PPE to New York City at the very height of the crisis – masks and gloves and aprons that we acquired which were immediately delivered to the state distribution hub at Javits Center,” he said. And many of them are accelerating their plans for a digital-first, work-from-anywhere environment.” Salesforce also announced a service called Work.com during the quarter, which Benioff said will “help business and community leaders around the world to reopen safely, re-skill employees and respond efficiently on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic”. For example, Workday recently announced that it will integrate its employee data directly into Work.com to make it easier for employers to centralise critical data and get their businesses up and running again.” Commented on Salesforce’s results, Angela Ashenden, principal analyst, workplace transformation at CCS Insight, said: “For many businesses, Covid-19 has been the catalyst for moving to the cloud and, with its brand and portfolio of solutions, Salesforce is well placed to have had a very strong quarter in terms of new clients.

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