Get ready for the Internet of customers, Salesforce.com CEO Benioff says [Video]

Salesforce.com is positioning its new Salesforce1 platform as a means for companies to closely engage with their customers

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Much has been made about the “Internet of things,” but behind every device is a customer, and companies that fail to recognize this do so at their own peril, according to Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff.

The concept of B-to-C, or business-to-consumer, is old hat, Benioff said during a keynote Tuesday at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. “In the world of the Internet of customers, consumers get transformed into customers.”

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The difference is a deeper level of engagement between companies and organizations and the people they serve, Benioff said. He recalled a recent visit to his alma mater, the University of Southern California. “The last time I went there, my phone didn’t light up with the USC fight song …