Definition
Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud) is a Salesforce product that lets organizations build branded digital experiences such as customer portals, partner portals, help centers, and forums. These sites give external users secure access to relevant Salesforce data and functionality without needing a full Salesforce license.
Real-World Example
NorthStar Electronics uses Experience Cloud to build a partner portal where reseller partners can log in, register new deals, access marketing materials, and track their commission statements. The portal pulls data directly from Salesforce and uses sharing rules to ensure each partner only sees their own records.
Why Experience Cloud Matters
Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud) is a Salesforce product that enables organizations to build branded digital experiences -- customer portals, partner portals, help centers, forums, and public websites -- that give external users secure access to Salesforce data without full internal licenses. These sites connect directly to Salesforce so that data displayed to external users is always current, and sharing rules ensure each user only sees records they are authorized to access. This makes Experience Cloud the primary tool for extending Salesforce's reach beyond internal employees.
At scale, Experience Cloud becomes a strategic asset for customer and partner engagement. Organizations that do not invest in their Experience Cloud sites risk driving customers to more expensive support channels (phone, email), losing partner engagement due to poor portal experiences, and failing to differentiate from competitors who offer polished self-service experiences. Performance optimization, proper sharing rule configuration, and regular UX updates are essential to keep Experience Cloud sites effective as user bases grow from hundreds to tens of thousands.
How Organizations Use Experience Cloud
- NorthStar Electronics — NorthStar Electronics uses Experience Cloud to build a partner portal where reseller partners register deals, access marketing materials, and track commission statements. The portal uses sharing rules so each partner only sees their own records, and the deal registration flow reduces channel conflict by giving partners visibility into deal status.
- Cascade Insurance — Cascade Insurance launches a customer self-service portal on Experience Cloud where policyholders can view their policies, file claims, upload documents, and track claim status. This deflects 40% of phone calls to the self-service portal, reducing support costs while improving customer satisfaction with 24/7 access.
- Evergreen University — Evergreen University builds a student community on Experience Cloud combining a help center with Knowledge articles, discussion forums where students can ask questions, and a case submission form for IT support. The community is branded with university colors and integrates with the Student Information System through Salesforce.