Industry Deep Dive: Salesforce Sales Cloud Transformation in the Energy & Commodities Sector
Modernizing Sales and Trading Operations for a New Era
The energy and commodities sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Volatile markets, evolving regulations, and the imperative for real-time decision-making are reshaping how organizations operate. For energy and commodities companies, the ability to modernize sales and trading operations is not just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. Publicis Sapient stands at the forefront of this change, leveraging Salesforce Sales Cloud and MuleSoft integrations to deliver tailored, high-impact solutions that address the sector’s unique challenges and unlock measurable business value.
The Unique Challenges of Energy & Commodities
Energy and commodities organizations face a distinct set of operational and regulatory hurdles:
- Complex Compliance Requirements: Regulatory scrutiny is intense, with strict mandates for audit trails, approvals, and reporting. Manual, fragmented processes increase the risk of non-compliance and reputational damage.
- Real-Time Data Needs: Trading teams must make high-stakes decisions in real time, requiring instant access to accurate, unified data across multiple systems and geographies.
- Intricate Approval Workflows: Deal approvals often span legal, finance, risk, and trading desks, with legacy systems and manual interventions slowing down the process and introducing errors.
- Siloed Systems: Disparate legacy platforms, spreadsheets, and ad hoc communication tools (like email and messaging apps) create data silos, hinder collaboration, and impede operational efficiency.
Publicis Sapient’s Approach: Salesforce Sales Cloud + MuleSoft Integration
Publicis Sapient brings deep industry expertise and a proven methodology to energy and commodities transformation. Our approach is anchored in:
- Discovery and Rapid Prototyping: We conduct in-depth workshops with trading, legal, finance, and compliance teams to map pain points and co-create solution designs. Rapid prototyping in Salesforce Sales Cloud ensures stakeholder buy-in and accelerates time-to-value.
- Seamless Integration: MuleSoft is leveraged to connect Salesforce with on-premises and third-party systems, enabling real-time data flow and a single source of truth for all users.
- User-Centric Design: Solutions are built for intuitive, point-of-entry use, reducing manual steps and streamlining complex workflows.
- Agile Delivery: Minimum viable products are delivered in months, not years, with iterative enhancements based on user feedback and evolving business needs.
Case Study: Accelerating Win Rate for a Global Energy Company
A leading global energy company, with over a century of experience, partnered with Publicis Sapient to overhaul its liquified natural gas (LNG) trading operations. The company’s deal approval process was previously managed through a patchwork of legacy systems, emails, spreadsheets, and messaging apps. Compliance checks were slow and dependent on scheduled reports and third-party inputs, putting the company’s reputation and regulatory standing at risk.
The Solution:
- Publicis Sapient led deep-dive discovery workshops to identify bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.
- Rapid prototyping in Salesforce Sales Cloud shaped the solution, while a six-week proof of concept demonstrated seamless integration with the company’s existing systems via MuleSoft.
- The new platform provided a user-friendly, single point of entry for all trading approvals, automating compliance checks and reporting.
The Results:
- 100% adoption for all new trades within the first week of launch.
- 14 manual steps across multiple systems reduced to just 4 clicks in Salesforce.
- Real-time, unified data accessible to 150 users across trading, legal, finance, freight, portfolio trading, and compliance.
- Automated reporting enabled leadership to make faster, more informed decisions, reducing time spent on data aggregation.
- In the first year: 989 trading opportunities, 273 approved trades, and over $14 billion in cargo value managed through the new system.
Broader Impact: Efficiency, Risk Reduction, and Revenue Growth
The transformation delivered by Publicis Sapient goes beyond process automation:
- Efficiency Gains: Streamlined workflows and reduced manual intervention free up teams to focus on value-added activities, accelerating deal cycles and increasing throughput.
- Risk Reduction: Automated compliance checks and audit trails minimize the risk of errors, omissions, and regulatory breaches.
- Revenue Growth: Faster approvals and real-time insights empower trading teams to capitalize on market opportunities, driving higher win rates and increased deal value.
Why Publicis Sapient?
Publicis Sapient is recognized as a market leader in digital business transformation for the energy and commodities sector. Our SPEED capabilities—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—ensure that every Salesforce Sales Cloud implementation is tailored to the unique needs of our clients. We don’t just deploy technology; we co-create solutions that drive measurable business outcomes, from operational efficiency to revenue growth and risk mitigation.
Our partnership with Salesforce and MuleSoft, combined with deep industry knowledge, positions us to deliver:
- End-to-end transformation, from strategy and design to implementation and ongoing optimization
- Seamless integration with legacy and third-party systems
- Scalable, future-ready platforms that evolve with your business
Ready to Transform?
The energy and commodities sector is at a crossroads. With the right digital foundation, organizations can navigate regulatory complexity, harness real-time data, and unlock new sources of value. Publicis Sapient is your partner for Salesforce Sales Cloud transformation—empowering your teams, streamlining your operations, and driving your business forward.
Connect with our experts to start your transformation journey today.