Salesforce to acquire ClickSoftware in $1.35bn cash and stock deal

Salesforce buys ClickSoftware for field service management and mobile workforce management cloud tools

Salesforce has acquired another company, this time ClickSoftware Technologies for $1.35 billion in a combination of cash and stock.

It follows rumours of Salesforce's interest in the company that have run since January, with a mooted price of $1.5 billion.

ClickSoftware was founded in Israel and is based in Burlington, Massachusetts. It was taken private in 2015 for just $438 million by private equity firm Francisco Partners. Salesforce already owns a chunk of ClickSoftware stock and the company said that its offer is net of the value of shares it already owns.

ClickSoftware specialises in field service management and mobile workforce management tools, which is somewhat beyond Salesforce's core market. The company claims more than 15,400 customers worldwide, including big names, such as Autoglass, Bosch, Electrolux, National Grid, and Philips.

The company made a relatively early shift towards the cloud, with CEO Moshe BenBassat in 2013 claiming that large customers were demanding cloud options from the company. ClickSoftware will likely be rolled into Salesforce's Field Service Lightning tool for mobile workforces.

Naturally, CEO Mark Cattini was "thrilled" to announce the company's acquisition, which marked "an incredible milestone".

He added: "Becoming part of Salesforce once the transaction closes will provide a tremendous opportunity for us to innovate faster and make Field Service Management an even more critical and differentiated part of Salesforce's strategy and business."

Salesforce only completed the acquisition of data-visualisation specialist Tableau Software on 1^st August, a $15.7 billion deal struck in June, which valued Tableau at a 42 per cent premium to its market value.

In the past, Salesforce has also been rumoured to be interested in acquiring MuleSoft.