How JPW Industries is transforming customer experience with AI

In a dynamic industry shaped by ever-evolving customer demands, JPW Industries—a leading player in woodworking and metalworking tools—found itself grappling with operational challenges in order servicing and customer support. Handling thousands of orders monthly, often through email and fax, required significant manual effort and seasonal labor adjustments. To overcome these hurdles, the company partnered with Acxiom to implement Salesforce AI Solutions, including Einstein AI and Agentforce, revolutionizing their processes.

We sat down with Terri Eshleman, Vice President of Customer Experience & Direct Sales at JPW Industries, to learn about their journey, the impact of adopting AI technology, and what the future holds for their business. Here’s what she had to say.

Q1: What motivated JPW Industries to explore AI-driven solutions?

The journey began because we were looking for a way to automate our order process. We handle just shy of 3,000 orders a month, which are emailed or faxed to us. Processing them requires a lot of headcount and labor, which becomes a significant strain, especially during peak seasons.

Salesforce has always been a strong partner for us. When I reached out to them about potential solutions, they introduced us to Einstein AI and Agentforce. Initially, we were only focused on order automation, but the project quickly grew into something much larger—one that’s poised to have a huge impact on all aspects of our business, including our call centers, technical support, and direct sales teams.

Q2: Why did JPW choose Acxiom as a partner for this transformation?

We chose Acxiom because of their outstanding reputation. They came highly recommended as an experienced, well-rounded AI partner and with a project of this scale, we couldn’t afford to take risks. We needed the best partner, and Acxiom was the clear choice.

Q3: How has the implementation journey been for your team so far?

It’s been a lot of work, but enjoyable work. The process has forced us to take a step back and reevaluate how we store and use information, even down to how our agents complete fields in Salesforce.

We discovered areas where we needed to reset and refine our approach to lay the foundation for Einstein to truly shine. The partnership with Acxiom has been exceptional—transparent conversations, well-managed timelines, and incredible project management. It’s been a genuinely pleasant experience throughout the process of launching Einstein for service and gearing up to launch Agentforce soon.

Q4: What specific challenges do you expect Einstein AI and Agentforce to solve?

JPW is the result of six companies merging over time, which means we’ve accumulated decades of tribal knowledge stored in people’s minds rather than centralized systems. Our agents spend a lot of time digging through shared drives, catalogs, and manuals for answers, which prolongs training and case resolution times.

Einstein and Agentforce will help us build a knowledge database and an intelligent copilot for our agents. This will significantly shorten the six months it currently takes to train new agents and improve the quality of technical support. For example, my team repairs high-value machines remotely—often based only on photos or emails. Now, with AI-powered live troubleshooting, we expect to see substantial returns in terms of efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Another major benefit is 24/7 customer support. Today, we’re limited to business hours, but with Agentforce, we can serve our customers whenever they need us.

Q5: Why is Agentforce particularly exciting for JPW Industries?

I like to think of Agentforce as an invisible army. It’s scalable, which means our business can grow without needing to add more staff. It frees up our team to focus on meaningful conversations with customers—building relationships instead of handling transactional tasks like sending invoices or booking appointments.

Relationships are the backbone of long-term success, and Agentforce allows us to invest in those relationships by taking care of the repetitive tasks that often distract our agents from what truly matters.

Q6: How has your team responded to the integration of these AI tools?

Initially, there were concerns—some employees worried that AI might replace their roles. But I explained that this isn’t about replacing people; it’s about enhancing what we can do together. Our customers value meaningful human interactions, and AI allows us to focus on those. This is a partnership between humans and technology. By automating repetitive tasks, AI empowers our team to provide better service and build stronger customer relationships.

Q7: What results do you anticipate from these implementations?

Better service translates into a stronger reputation, which ultimately drives sales and growth. We’re a company poised for growth, and this project is setting us up to serve our customers better and achieve our business goals.

We expect shorter call times because agents will have faster access to information, which builds trust with customers. Reducing case resolution times will also free-up agents to handle more calls and deepen customer relationships.

Just 4 weeks since going live with Einstein Service Agent and Visual Remote Assistant (VRA), we are already experiencing positive results and our agents are very happy. Since launch, we have processed 900 more cases than the previous month while reducing case closure time by 4 hours. This improvement translates to a 15% increase in cases handled and a 12% reduction in response time— equivalent to saving two full workdays. Additionally, our return rate for machinery was reduced by 2.2% due to VRA usage. In one specific case, the field service technician was able to diagnose the issue and avoid returning the equipment by assisting in a live repair.

Our specific goal for Agentforce is a reduction in cases due to self-service capabilities for the customer. We are excited to be launching soon and expect to see significant results quickly.

JPW Industries’ collaboration with Acxiom demonstrates how AI can transform business processes, streamline operations, and enhance customer relationships. By implementing Salesforce Einstein AI and Agentforce, the company is not only solving immediate challenges but also positioning itself for scalable growth and long-term success.