Meet Flo the Flying Squirrel: Salesforce’s Newest Character

What does automation have to do with a flying squirrel? Everything, according to the creators of Flo, the newest addition to our family of Salesforce characters. 

Flo represents Salesforce’s automation suite: Salesforce Flow. Just like this portfolio of tools, the character Flo is agile, hard-working, and ready to help take your team to new heights.

“We took a tech product and gave it a real-life persona,” said Yvette Henderson, senior project manager for Salesforce Platform.

“We’re tying a real product back to real-world characteristics,” said Samantha Mannis, copywriter for the creative team. “Flo is not just a cute little critter; he has some depth.” 

So, who is Flo? 

Automation is all about taking action, fast, with repeatable results. Flo, likewise, loves to be productive. He is full of energy and always making life better for those around him. 

“The team was really mindful of finding animals that linked up with the product,” said Project Manager Kate Davis. From initial brainstorming to the Office of Equality approvals, “The process of getting where we landed was very deliberate,” she said.

Flo brings together these positive characteristics in a way that makes automation even more lovable. Let’s take a dive: 

Collaborative

Squirrels are the ultimate team players. They huddle together in nests, share their ecosystem with other animals, and are all about connecting together in a welcoming way. 

Automation, also, is the glue across departments. It helps to bring teams closer together, allowing them to do their job more efficiently. In fact, when automation is introduced, 90% of people feel more satisfied with collaboration across departments. Now that’s nuts!

Resilient 

Flo can walk on the ground, soar through the air, and climb trees with ease, much like how automation can simplify nearly every workflow across industries. Flo’s philosophy is that nothing is too difficult to overcome.

IT leaders are highly strategic problem-solvers, similar to how flying squirrels operate within their communities. Flo’s adaptability also showcases how IT adapts with the times, and always innovates to best support business needs.

Hard-working

Flying squirrels are nocturnal, which means these creatures work around-the-clock. 

“They work their magic while most humans are asleep,” said Mannis, “which is a cool metaphor for IT work happening behind-the-scenes.”  

Reliable

Automation must be accurate and dependable — especially when it helps process more than 100 billion customer interactions daily. You may not believe it, but flying squirrels are one of the most reliable forest creatures out there. They fly from treetop to treetop keeping their communities informed using ultrasonic communication patterns.

Flo would never leave a treehouse behind, and can be trusted to keep his contagious enthusiasm wherever he goes.

“So really,” said Mannis, “Flo represents agility, automation, community, and data from every vantage point.”

The making of Flo

The process of creating this character was almost as dynamic as Flo himself. 

“Every idea was welcome,” said Mannis, “and that embodies Salesforce.” 

The creators sought input from our MVP community, key product experts who are instrumental for shaping important decisions. We also drew inspiration from our passionate Flownatics, dedicated Salesforce Flow fans whose energy and positivity brought Flo to life. 

“Everyone had a little piece of the pie, a little piece of the character,” Mannis said. “It connects back to how Salesforce really values creativity, community involvement, engagement, and an open-door attitude.” 

How Flo can help you reach new heights with automation

Flo’s number-one goal is to help Trailblazers succeed with automation. Businesses of all sizes are using automation to streamline how their teams work together and do more with less — and this trend will only grow. 

We found that 91% of organizations are seeing automation demands on the rise, and almost three-quarters are using automated workflows to improve their customer experience. If they haven’t started already, IT leaders should learn the best ways to drive time to value and increase efficiency.

Automation helps companies stay nimble, cost-effective, and productive regardless of the economic forecast. In addition, nine out of 10 employees say automation helps them feel more satisfied at their job and have better work-life balance – which leads to higher tenure and less turnover. 

Teams connect and communicate more effectively using automation, which means they get the most out of their digital environment. Flo makes automation simple — he’s here to help you develop a unified, productive community, just like his own.