Twilio > Case Studies > Salesforce's Real-Time SMS Survey Solution for Large Scale Events

Salesforce's Real-Time SMS Survey Solution for Large Scale Events

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing

Applicable Industries

Cement
Telecommunications

Use Cases

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Track & Trace of Assets

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Salesforce is a leading enterprise cloud computing company, recognized as the 4th largest computer software company in the Fortune 500 and the most innovative company according to Forbes. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Salesforce specializes in customer relationship management software. The company is known for its large-scale events, such as Dreamforce, where thousands of attendees gather to learn about the latest developments in the field and recognize the best apps of the year. Salesforce is also committed to social responsibility, with 1% of equity, employee time, and product donated to non-profits.

The Challenge

Salesforce, one of the largest American cloud computing companies specializing in customer relationship management software, faced a significant challenge during their annual event, Dreamforce, in 2009. The event, which hosted over 19,000 attendees at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, included an 'Appy Awards' ceremony where Salesforce.com annually recognizes the best apps of the year. A few weeks before the event, Salesforce decided to add an 'audience choice' category to the awards ceremony. However, the short notice left little time to set up a conventional voting process that would have required lengthy and detailed planning with carriers and long-term commitments. Salesforce needed a solution that could be developed quickly and integrated into their existing workflow, allowing for real-time tallying of results.

The Solution

Salesforce turned to Twilio SMS and their own Force.com platform to create a real-time SMS phone survey. Using Twilio's simple HTTP/XML based API, Salesforce.com engineers used the tools they were most familiar with, including the Apex programming language and Force databases. The entire application took only a few hours to build, demonstrating the efficiency and flexibility of the solution. The combination of Twilio's cloud communication service and the Force.com platform provided the scalability and reliability needed to launch for the event. During the event, Salesforce.com asked attendees to vote for their favorite apps by texting the booth number of their choices. The app, powered by Twilio SMS and Force.com, received and tallied votes from the 19,000 Dreamforce participants and responded in real time with SMS confirmation messages.

Operational Impact

The implementation of the SMS survey solution significantly streamlined the voting process for the 'audience choice' category at the Appy Awards. The solution allowed Salesforce to quickly and efficiently collect votes from a large number of attendees, eliminating the need for a lengthy and complex conventional voting process. The real-time tallying of results also added an element of excitement and engagement for the attendees, enhancing their event experience. Furthermore, the success of this solution demonstrated the potential of using such technology for future events and other applications, opening up new possibilities for real-time audience engagement.

Quantitative Benefit

Developed a real-time SMS survey application in just a few hours
Integrated the solution into existing workflow seamlessly
Successfully collected and tallied votes from 19,000 event attendees in real time