# Salesforce to buy customer service automation startup Cresta for reported $2.7B

published: 2026-11-03T22:05:32.466Z
topic: funding
breaking: true
source: https://siliconangle.com/2026/11/03/salesforce-to-buy-customer-service-automation-startup-cresta-for-reported-2-7b/
url: https://aiagentnews.io/stories/salesforce-to-buy-customer-service-automation-startup-cresta-for-reported-2-7b

Salesforce has agreed to acquire Cresta Intelligence, a venture-backed maker of AI customer service software. The Information reported the price at $2.7 billion, though Salesforce did not disclose financial terms.

Cresta's platform uses AI voice agents that answer customer inquiries and handle tasks such as scheduling appointments. Companies can customize the AI model behind an agent and its compliance guardrails, and can split complex tickets across several agents that run in parallel. Cresta also ships Deputy, an agent that gathers information for tickets needing several employees and then sends follow-up reminders.

Cresta also offers a real-time guidance agent that helps human representatives during live conversations, along with Opera for fine-tuning models and Synthetic Customers for generating test conversations. Cresta CEO Ping Wu said the combination would embed the company's conversation intelligence and agentic experiences into Salesforce's customer service platform.

The deal is Salesforce's second multibillion-dollar customer service acquisition this year, after its agreement to buy Fin, formerly Intercom, for $3.6 billion. Salesforce expects to close both the Cresta and Braze deals in its 2028 fiscal year, which starts next February.

## Why it matters if you build agents

Developers building support agents on Cresta should expect its roadmap and deployment options to be shaped by Salesforce ownership once the deal closes. Because the close is expected in Salesforce's 2028 fiscal year, current integrations are likely to remain in place for now. Teams evaluating Cresta should ask how its tooling will fit with Salesforce's service platform.