Building Salesforce Talent in the GPT Era: What CoE Leaders Need to Know

Let’s face it—AI is changing the game. Fast.

With GPT-powered tools taking the spotlight and over 100 million users jumping on board in just a couple of months, there’s no denying we’ve entered a new era of working smarter. But for Salesforce Centers of Excellence (CoEs), this shift brings more than just cool new tech. It raises a big question: How do we build and grow the right talent in a world where GPT is at our fingertips?

Regarding talent development in the age of OpenAI’s GPT, what are CRM CoE leaders up against? From upskilling your team to navigating new responsibilities like prompt engineering and data governance, what practical strategies work? How do we foster collaboration, standardize processes, and make GPT a force multiplier—not a risk factor?

So, if you’re a CoE leader wondering how to future-proof your team (and your sanity), you’re in the right place.

The Rise of GPT: Powerful, Popular, and Still Evolving

GPT has earned its buzz. Its ability to deliver detailed, human-like responses to questions has made it one of the fastest-growing tools in tech history. And for good reason—it’s incredibly easy to use and often impressively accurate.

But here’s the catch: we’re still early in the journey.

While GPT shines in chat-based tasks and certain types of problem-solving, it’s not perfect—and it’s not magic. One of the most critical things CoE leaders need to understand is the concept of prompt engineering. GPT only performs as well as the questions it’s asked. The more context and precision you provide, the better your results.

This isn’t just a new feature—it’s a new skill. One your teams will need to develop if they want to get real value from this tech.

What This Means for CoE Leaders

As a CoE leader, your role is more than delivering solutions—it’s about building capability and setting l strategies. So, what should be top of mind in the GPT era?

First, let’s be clear: GPT isn’t here to replace your team’s expertise. It’s a tool. It's a powerful one—but still just a tool. Delegating everything to GPT won’t work. Your team's judgment, experience, and domain knowledge will shape the outcomes.

You should expect GPT to assist, not to decide. Always validate its responses, especially in complex or regulated environments. Hallucinations—where GPT generates confident but incorrect answers—are still very real.

Second, it’s time to shift the focus from creating new roles to building new skills. Think:

• Prompt engineering
• Business analysis (augmented with AI)
• Data governance and security in an AI-first world
• Structured documentation and knowledge capture

These capabilities will help your team become not just users of AI—but builders, evaluators, and stewards of it.

Standardization and Collaboration Are Non-Negotiable

If GPT is the Wild West, standardization is your sheriff.

As GPT becomes more integrated into Salesforce ecosystems, establishing standards is key—whether it’s how prompts are structured, outputs are validated, or knowledge is shared across teams.

Salesforce is already taking steps in this direction with updates to architecture diagram standards and support for tools like UPN (Universal Process Notation). It’s a signal to CoEs everywhere: start getting consistent.

But standardization alone isn’t enough. We need collaboration too.

CoE leaders should be building bridges—between admins and developers, between business and IT, and across departments experimenting with GPT. Create space for experimentation and learning. Start an innovation hub. Share what's working (and what’s not). When teams collaborate, GPT’s potential grows exponentially.

Your Role Has Never Been More Important

Let’s not sugarcoat it—this is a big shift. But it’s also a big opportunity.

As a CoE leader, you’re uniquely positioned to drive this transformation. You’re close to the business needs but grounded in technical reality. Your influence shapes the frameworks, policies, and upskilling plans, determining how effectively your organization embraces GPT.

Here’s what leadership looks like now:

• Stay up to speed on AI trends, but keep a critical lens.
• Create guardrails for responsible use.
• Empower teams to experiment—but give them the tools to succeed.
• Advocate for cross-functional learning and AI fluency across your org.
• GPT isn’t going away. But with the right mindset and skills in place, your team won’t just keep up—they’ll lead.

Final Thoughts: Talent First, Tools Second

GPT Open AI is unlocking new ways of working—but people are still the heart of any Salesforce CoE. The secret isn’t just in adopting AI—it’s in developing talent that can thrive alongside it.

Focus on building skills, standardizing practices, and fostering collaboration. Do that, and GPT won’t feel like a disruption. It’ll feel like your competitive edge.

In an October 2023 webinar, Ian Gotts and Velu Palani discuss this topic. You may find it interesting how perceptions about AI alesforce talent have changed in a year and a half.