Experience-Led Transformation: The Human Side of Salesforce Innovation

In today’s digital economy, technology alone is not enough to drive meaningful transformation. While Salesforce offers a powerful suite of tools, the true differentiator for organizations lies in how these tools are adopted, experienced, and embraced by people—customers, employees, and partners. At Publicis Sapient, we believe that experience-led transformation is the key to unlocking the full value of Salesforce, ensuring not just technical success, but measurable business impact and lasting change.

Why Experience-Led Design Matters

The statistics are sobering: 70% of digital transformations fall short of their objectives, and half of all failures are due to lack of adoption. Too often, organizations take a technology-led approach—"build it, and they will come"—only to find that new systems are underutilized, processes remain fragmented, and ROI is elusive. In contrast, experience-led design starts with a simple but powerful question: What will help our customers and employees achieve their goals?

Publicis Sapient’s Three-Step Experience Design Process

Our proven approach to Salesforce Experience Design is crafted to remove complexity, reduce waste, and deliver outstanding experiences—quickly and efficiently. Here’s how it works:

1. Envision the Experience (Virtual Lab)

In a collaborative workshop, we bring together stakeholders to quickly understand the current (“as-is”) state and define the desired future (“to-be”) experience. This session surfaces pain points, aligns on business objectives, and sets the stage for rapid progress.

2. Plan and Prove It Fast (Blueprint & MVP)

We translate vision into action by mapping value pools—clusters of related experience gaps and opportunities—and prioritizing them by business value. Our teams design a minimum viable product (MVP) or quick wins that can be delivered in weeks, not months, validating the approach and demonstrating tangible results.

3. Build, Iterate, and Scale (Digital Product Factory)

With the MVP in place, we move into agile delivery, continuously building, testing, and refining new features. This iterative process ensures that every enhancement is informed by real user feedback and business outcomes, driving ongoing innovation and measurable impact.

Mapping Value Pools and Process Improvements

A critical tool in our process is the use of value pools—groupings of experience gaps that, when addressed, deliver significant economic and experiential benefits. For example, a retailer might identify value pools around optimizing the returns process, enabling online orders for in-store pickup, or launching conversational commerce. Each value pool is mapped to specific business metrics, such as revenue gains, cost savings, or customer satisfaction.

Real-World Impact: Case Studies

LA Metro: Seamless Transit for Millions

Faced with the challenge of modernizing transit for over 10 million residents, LA Metro partnered with Publicis Sapient to create TAPforce—a unified platform built on Salesforce Commerce Cloud. TAPforce allows users to manage transit payments across 26 systems, register and reload cards, and access promotions from any device. The result? 1,000 new Metro Bike Share signups on day one, $12 million in annual website sales, and a simplified, greener transit experience for the community.

State Government ERA Program: Rapid Relief in Crisis

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a state government needed to distribute emergency rental assistance quickly and efficiently. In just two weeks, Publicis Sapient designed and implemented a Salesforce-based application that streamlined intake, automated workflows, and enabled real-time collaboration between agencies and nonprofits. The platform processed 40,000 applications in the first round, distributed hundreds of millions of dollars, and provided a more convenient, transparent experience for citizens in need.

The ROI of Experience-Led Transformation

Organizations that prioritize experience-led design consistently see higher adoption rates, faster time to market, and greater business impact. For example:

Actionable Guidance: How to Get Started

  1. Start with the Human Experience: Engage stakeholders early to understand their needs, pain points, and aspirations.
  2. Map Value Pools: Identify and prioritize experience gaps that offer the greatest business value.
  3. Leverage Agile Delivery: Use iterative sprints to deliver quick wins, gather feedback, and continuously improve.
  4. Measure What Matters: Define clear KPIs for adoption, satisfaction, and business outcomes—and track them rigorously.
  5. Foster a Culture of Learning: Encourage experimentation, celebrate learning milestones, and adapt quickly to change.

Why Publicis Sapient?

With decades of experience in digital business transformation and a deep partnership with Salesforce, Publicis Sapient brings together strategy, design, engineering, and data to deliver holistic, human-centered solutions. Our agile, data-driven approach ensures that your Salesforce investment delivers not just technical capability, but real, measurable value for your business and your people.

Ready to put experience at the heart of your Salesforce transformation? Connect with Publicis Sapient to start your journey toward higher adoption, faster ROI, and lasting impact.