Salesforce has revealed that Santander Navigator, the digital platform created by Santander UK to help UK businesses expand overseas, is powered by Salesforce. Launched in 2022, Navigator provides a portal which gives access to the Santander ecosystem of expertise. Even before firms sell goods and services to different markets, international trade is complex. Navigator assists organisations with the discovery, preparation and operational phases of international expansion.
Santander, which has 20,000 employees within the UK, uses a mix of Salesforce Applications, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Pardot, Chatter and Trailhead. Navigator is a single online platform built on Experience Cloud, Commerce Cloud, and Marketing Cloud. It enables Santander staff to deliver a personalised service to each business subscriber. Navigator costs £3,500 annually, although there are discounts available.
Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, today announced that Santander UK is using its technology in its digital platform designed to help UK businesses expand internationally.
Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO, Salesforce UKI, commented, “Supported by Salesforce technology, Santander is accelerating its transformation into a digital bank focused as much on the future as its customers. The Santander Navigator platform uses automation, intelligence, and real-time data to deliver smart, tailored customer experiences at scale that exceed expectations and brilliantly fits Santander’s ambition for a simpler way of serving its customers.
“It’s hugely exciting to be helping Santander create a new, consistent standard for banking that will drive growth and personal impact for customers all over the world.”
The importance of international trade
With Brexit ending free markets across Europe, and a cost of living crisis in the UK, doing business outside the UK is both more complex and difficult. Despite that trade, exports fell slightly in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the latest ONS statistics.
Exports are a fundamental driver for the UK’s economic growth, with 44% of businesses seeing growth in international markets as the most important driver of recovery, according to the Santander Autumn 2022 Trade Barometer. While 70% of organisations are confident about growing business over the next three years, there are challenges. 40% of businesses say transport (shipping) costs are a challenge when operating internationally.
Sun Generation (UK) is already using the Navigator platform to assist it with international success. Finn O’Driscoll, CEO, Sun Generation (UK), commented, “The Santander Navigator platform offers direct access to a wealth of knowledge and support, which for Sun Generation (UK) provides unrivalled opportunities to deliver our international ambitions through a targeted market approach. We’ve received extensive support in preparation for trade events, through dedicated introductions to key distribution partners for the US and Canadian markets.”
Despite the opportunities that international trade provides, and the ability to sell over the internet, less than 10% of UK businesses export their services. The platform helps organisations to identify the best markets for their products and then assists with the challenges they may face
John Carroll, Head of International and Transactional Banking, Santander UK, noted, “Businesses that trade internationally are growing faster than companies that are purely focused on their home market. We want to enable more businesses to benefit from opportunities to expand overseas and encourage new ones to start their international journey by removing barriers and by making the process easier.
“We have developed a platform that is genuinely different and helps companies to grow while they save time and money.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
There are many challenges that internationalisation brings. What is interesting about this story are two things. Santander has looked at the value proposition that the Salesforce platform delivers to its customers and, by extension, to them. Navigator is not only directly revenue generating it may also promote other services. It also enables Santander to build relationships with new prospects and cement those with existing customers.
What is missing from the details around Navigator are the actual types of resource and subject its covers. It does, however, support businesses in:
- Food & Drink Manufacturing (Beverages, Food Services, Frozen Food, Health & Well-being and Halal)
- Retail and Wholesale (E-commerce, Homeware, Lifestyle, and Wholesale)
- Life Sciences (Biotech, Medtech, Healthtech, Pharmaceuticals)
- TMT (Smart cities, Net zero, Media, 5G, Smart mobility, and Martech/ AI)
- Manufacturing (Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics, Renewable & Sustainable, Rail, Defence & Security, Marine and Manufacturing Technologies
