Salesforce offers a wide range of clouds that cover sales, service, marketing, commerce, revenue operations, and customer experience. The catalogue grows every year. Many products support specialised sectors, while others support core business functions. Unfortunately, organisations often feel uncertain about where to begin, because the platform contains far more choice than the average team requires.

Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of the major Salesforce Clouds which forms the foundation for commercial growth, operational stability, customer engagement, and long term scalability. Most businesses rely on them first, then expand into industry or specialist clouds as processes mature.

This guide outlines the 6 major Salesforce Clouds your organisation must understand. Each section defines the cloud, explains its purpose, highlights its strengths, and guides you on where it fits within your business model. So, you can move from broad options to focused clarity, supported by structured reasoning at every step.

What is a Salesforce Cloud? 

A Salesforce Cloud is a focused product area within the Salesforce platform. Each cloud supports a specific business function and helps an organisation manage one part of its customer lifecycle with clarity and structure. Salesforce offers various types of clouds. Each one is designed for a defined purpose such as sales, service, marketing, commerce, community engagement, or analytics.

Each cloud comes with its own set of objects, processes, tools, and data structures. This gives every function a dedicated environment while still operating inside one shared platform. Your org gains depth in each area without introducing separate systems.

Let’s suppose you lead a team with gaps in sales execution, customer support, and post purchase communication. A single cloud would not cover all the needs. Sales Cloud supports opportunity management. Service Cloud supports case handling. Experience Cloud supports customer portals. The value comes from how each cloud works together while sharing data, automation, and AI across the same platform.

Now, it must be clear how Salesforce groups its products into clouds and how each cloud contributes to a complete customer management ecosystem. Right? 

The 6 Major Salesforce Clouds Your Business Needs 

Revenue Cloud 

Revenue Cloud Advanced is the modern quote to cash product on the Salesforce platform. The cloud provides a full commercial lifecycle on core Salesforce rather than an external managed package. 

Notably, CPQ acted as a legacy approach that relied on heavy configuration, limited extensibility, and separate data structures. Now, Revenue Cloud Advanced operates as a new product with a native architecture, a redesigned revenue engine, and a stronger alignment to Salesforce automation, AI, and Data Cloud. 

It offers a unified structure that supports pricing, configuration, quoting, ordering, invoicing, and revenue reporting without the constraints of old CPQ models.

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Key Features:

• Product catalogue with structured pricing and compatible rules
• Configuration logic that supports complex commercial models
• Quote creation that reflects real time data across accounts and opportunities
• Order and invoice generation on the same platform
• Contract and subscription handling for recurring revenue
• Revenue schedules that align with finance requirements
• Native API framework for integrations
• Alignment with Salesforce Flow and AI for process automation

Key Benefits:

• Clear commercial governance across product, sales, and finance teams
• Faster quote assembly and improved accuracy
• Direct visibility from quote to cash without external systems
• Stronger forecasting because revenue data sits within core CRM
• Lower long term operational effort due to native design
• Better extensibility for bespoke pricing or workflow models

When to Use:

• A business seeks a complete quote to cash lifecycle inside Salesforce
• A finance team requires reliable billing and revenue recognition
• A leadership team requires visibility across sales, pricing, and invoicing
• A commercial model includes subscriptions, contracts, or complex pricing
• A previous CPQ implementation produced technical debt or scaling issues
• A company plans long term growth and wants a native, extensible revenue system

Sales Cloud

Sales Cloud provides a structured framework for managing prospects, accounts, contacts, opportunities, and sales performance. It cloud supports every stage of a revenue cycle and offers a consistent environment for sales teams. 

Moreover, it introduces standard objects and processes that bring order to qualification, forecasting, territory alignment, and conversion activity. In fact, it also aligns naturally with AI and Data Cloud, which improves pipeline clarity and helps teams prioritise the right actions.

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Key Features:

• Lead and opportunity objects that guide qualification and deal progression
• Forecasting tools for revenue visibility
• Activity management across calls, meetings, and tasks
• Pipeline views and sales performance insights
• Territory models for account allocation
• AI recommendations for next steps and deal health
• Alignment with Sales Engagement and Inbox
• Integration options for calendars, email, and communication tools

Key Benefits:

• Clear sales process that supports consistency across teams
• Accurate forecasting due to structured data capture
• Complete visibility of customer activity and engagement
• Increased accountability because managers see real time actions
• Faster onboarding of new sales staff due to standardised workflows
• Improved collaboration between sales, marketing, and service team

When to Use:

• A business wants a dependable pipeline structure
• A sales team requires clarity on performance and prioritisation
• A leadership team seeks forecasting accuracy
• A company needs one source of truth for sales activity
• A process requires alignment between sales, marketing, and service
• A business plans to expand and needs scalable sales governance

Service Cloud

Service Cloud provides a complete environment for customer support operations. The cloud supports case management, channel handling, and knowledge sharing. Every interaction sits inside a structured record that helps agents resolve issues with accuracy and speed. 

The cloud offers real time access to customer history and supports consistent service across teams of any size. AI and Data Cloud contribute further insight into intent, urgency, and recommended actions.

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Key Features:

• Case objects that capture issue details
• Queue and assignment tools for workload distribution
• Knowledge articles that guide agents to accurate answers
• Omni channel tools for chat, phone, email, and messaging applications
• Service Console for a unified agent workspace
• Field Service for on site scheduling and resource management
• AI powered classification, summarisation, and next steps
• Customer satisfaction and performance insights

Key Benefits:

• Clear case handling frameworks that reduce resolution time
• Accurate responses due to centralised knowledge
• Consistent customer support across all channels
• Higher agent productivity through a focused workspace
• Greater visibility for managers across workloads and service levels
• Improved customer satisfaction due to structured follow up and insight

When to Use:

• A business wants consistent and efficient customer support
• A support team requires a single workspace for every channel
• A leadership team needs visibility across case volume and quality
• A company manages field service work and requires coordination
• A process requires aligned service, sales, and commerce data
• A business aims to improve customer retention and issue resolution

Marketing Cloud

Marketing Cloud supports digital engagement across email, mobile, web, and advertising channels. The cloud offers tools that guide teams through customer journeys, audience segmentation, and message personalisation. 

The platform includes both Marketing Cloud Engagement for consumer communication and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement for B2B marketing automation. Data Cloud provides real time profiles that allow precise targeting and timely activation.

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Key Features:

• Journey Builder for structured customer paths
• Email Studio and Mobile Studio for communication
• Personalisation tools across channels
• Audience segmentation based on behaviour and attributes
• Advertising tools for coordinated paid activity
• Real time activation through Data Cloud
• Intelligence dashboards for performance insight
• B2B automation and lead nurturing through Account Engagement

Key Benefits:

• Clear customer journeys that support timely communication
• Consistent messaging across every channel
• Stronger personalisation through unified data
• Improved attribution through centralised reporting
• Better handoff between marketing and sales teams
• Scalable automation for growing customer bases

When to Use:

• A business wants structured and responsive communication
• A marketing team requires personalisation at scale
• A leadership team seeks clarity across campaign performance
• A company prepares for multi channel engagement
• A process requires tight alignment with sales and service
• A business aims to improve acquisition, conversion, or retention

Commerce Cloud

Commerce Cloud supports digital transactions across consumer and business markets. The cloud provides storefront tools, catalogue management, basket logic, checkout flows, and order visibility. 

There are two architectures that sit within this product family. B2C Commerce operates on a separate commerce engine and suits retail scale operations. B2B Commerce operates on the core Salesforce platform and suits account based purchasing models. 

It is also worth noting that Commerce Cloud aligns with Order Management and Omni Channel Inventory to support fulfilment.

Key Features:

• B2C Commerce for high volume trading
• B2B Commerce for account specific catalogues and pricing
• Product catalogue and merchandising tools
• Basket, checkout, and payment management
• Order Management for fulfilment coordination
• Omni Channel Inventory for accurate stock visibility
• AI supported recommendations and search
• Integration with Service Cloud for post purchase support

Key Benefits:

• Consistent buying experiences across devices
• Faster deployment of storefronts due to ready components
• Clear visibility from order creation to fulfilment
• Improved personalisation across search, recommendations, and content
• Stronger control over stock accuracy and delivery commitments
• Better alignment between commerce, service, and logistics teams

When to Use:

• A business prepares for online sales across B2C or B2B channels
• A commerce team requires dependable product, basket, and order structures
• A leadership team wants accurate stock and fulfilment visibility
• A company wants a unified post purchase experience
• A process requires integration between sales, service, and commerce data
• A business plans multi channel expansion and seeks long term scalability

Experience Cloud

Experience Cloud supports the creation of secure digital portals for customers, partners, and employees. The cloud extends Salesforce data into personalised online spaces that allow users to access information, complete tasks, and collaborate with your organisation. 

Each portal relies on the core platform, which means every update in your CRM flows directly into the experience without extra integration work.

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Key Features:

• Customisable sites for customers, partners, and employees
• Authentication options such as SSO and Salesforce identity
• Case submission and knowledge access for self service
• Partner portals with lead registration and deal collaboration
• Digital forms and processes for onboarding and service requests
• Prebuilt templates for rapid deployment
• Role based access to CRM data
• Integration with Sales Cloud and Service Cloud

Key Benefits:

• Clear digital experiences for every external audience
• Faster issue resolution due to self service options
• Better partner collaboration because data flows both ways
• Lower support workload due to structured user journeys
• Stronger engagement through personalised content and access
• Consistent governance because permissions follow the Salesforce model

When to Use:

• A business wants a secure portal for customers or partners
• A support team requires structured self service to reduce volume
• A sales organisation needs partner collaboration on deals
• A company manages onboarding or service processes online
• A leadership team seeks improved engagement across audiences
• A business aims to unify external access on one platform

How Each Salesforce Cloud Works Together?  

Let’s suppose your organisation operates in the medical equipment sector. The business supplies high value diagnostic devices to hospitals and clinics. 

The sales cycle covers product demonstrations, pricing reviews, contract discussions, and long term service agreements. 

Multiple teams contribute to this journey. Sales prepares opportunities. Service handles uptime commitments. Marketing educates clinical users. Finance monitors revenue schedules. Partner networks support regional outreach. 

A single cloud cannot coordinate this level of activity, so the combined use of Salesforce Clouds creates the complete model.

Revenue Cloud Advanced provides commercial structure. Sales Cloud supports the pipeline. Service Cloud manages post sale work. Marketing Cloud handles education and awareness. Commerce Cloud enables spare part orders. Experience Cloud delivers portals for clinical engineers and partners. 

Each cloud operates on the same platform foundation. Shared data, shared security, shared automation, and shared AI create the connection that business teams rely on.

Clear transitions across the medical equipment lifecycle

• Revenue Cloud Advanced defines product catalogues and pricing rules for capital equipment bundles.
• Sales Cloud captures hospital enquiries, builds opportunities, and records interactions with procurement teams.
• Marketing Cloud nurtures surgeons, clinicians, and procurement officers with product updates and regulatory content.
• Service Cloud receives cases once devices enter clinical use and supports warranty commitments.
• Commerce Cloud enables repeat orders for consumables, accessories, and replacement parts.
• Experience Cloud provides a secure portal for clinical engineers who track cases, service visits, and documentation.

This combined structure produces a single customer lifecycle. Sales teams view service history before contract renewal. Service teams view commercial terms before dispatch. Marketing teams view product adoption patterns before designing campaigns. Finance teams view revenue schedules in the same environment used by sales and service. AI strengthens this structure through recommendations, alerts, and forecasting insight that reflect activity across every cloud.

How to Choose the Right Salesforce Cloud?

Selection of the correct Salesforce Cloud depends on clarity about your organisation’s needs, scale, and operating structure. Many teams approach Salesforce as a feature checklist. Stronger outcomes come from understanding what each cloud solves, who uses it, and how it aligns with your commercial processes.

Clear criteria guide this decision:

1. Business goals

Your organisation must define the outcome required from the system.

• Revenue growth requires structured pricing, quoting, and forecasting.
• Service improvement requires consistent case handling and field operations.
• Market expansion requires coordinated campaigns and tailored journeys.

2. Process maturity

Your existing processes reveal which cloud delivers immediate value.

• Early stage sales teams gain stability from Sales Cloud.
• Established commercial teams gain structure from Revenue Cloud Advanced.
• Customer support teams gain operational rigour from Service Cloud.

3. Industry requirements

Your sector shapes the cloud selection.

• Healthcare providers rely on service continuity and structured portals.
• Retailers demand unified commerce experiences.
• Subscription businesses require accurate contract and billing controls.

4. Internal capacity

Your team’s capability influences adoption success.

• Strong RevOps teams handle Revenue Cloud Advanced configuration.
• Centralised customer support teams adopt Service Cloud with speed.
• Marketing teams with data skills use Marketing Cloud effectively.

5. Integration requirements

Your technology stack determines the level of system connection needed.

• Complex ERP processes align with Revenue Cloud Advanced.
• High volume digital transactions align with Commerce Cloud.
• Multi-team collaboration aligns with Experience Cloud.

6. Scalability objectives

Your growth plans determine long term fit.

• Expansion into partner channels benefits from Experience Cloud.
• Growth into multiple revenue models relies on Revenue Cloud Advanced.
• Regional service expansion benefits from Service Cloud and Field Service.

Expert Guidance for Confident Cloud Selection

Internal teams often evaluate features without a full view of commercial impact, data dependencies, or operational maturity. Therefore, the recommended path involves a guided evaluation supported by an experienced partner whose support provides clarity before investment and prevents costly misalignment.

Contact 1AIME to receive a guided AIMCheck – Salesforce Health Assessment that defines which Salesforce Clouds suit your business and which do not.