Before I started working as a Salesforce consultant with the Salesforce Service cloud, I worked as a technical support employee and was handling over 350 clients. My days were filled with analyzing customer requests, solving software-package issues, sending information regarding new releases and documenting all of this.

As we didn’t have a CRM-solution in place at that time, me and my colleagues handled all these requests manually using spreadsheets or email lists. We also did not have the ability to track all the customer interactions or identify which cases where similar to already solved ones. Fair to say that this was pure chaos and most of all inefficient and time-consuming.

So when I got introduced to the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, I fell in love in what they could do and would later on make it my daily job. Let me explain why the Salesforce Service Cloud made my heart beat faster.

The makings of a hero through the Salesforce Service Cloud

When you look up what the Salesforce Service Cloud can do, you’ll notice that the focus primarily lays on the end-customer. Which is great as we live in an era where customer-centricity is a top-priority. Moreover, it hugely smoothens your internal process too. Let me explain what advantages the Salesforce Service Cloud gives your customers and business:

Make customers look up to you.

Let’s be honest, reaching out to customer support isn’t something you expect to do when you purchase that new phone or pair of shoes. Yet, when this happens many people want to get it over with ASAP as they approach this with a negative mindset.

However, the Salesforce Service Cloud turns this mindset completely around. As it gives customers the option to look their problem up on a Salesforce Service Cloud hosted Community-group, FAQ/Documentation-page. This gives your customers the choice to first check if they cannot solve the issue themselves. If they do need to contact your support agents, they can do so via any channel they like. As the Salesforce Service Cloud supports many channels like: live chat from your website, video chat on mobile apps, mail, phone or social media.

Which in return, lowers the bar for customers to get in touch with you whenever and wherever they want to get a real-time solution. In extension, the system also analyzes the request of the customer and can automatically assign a possible solution to the support agent.

Let your business thrive.

So yes, it is great for your customers. But don’t forget, the Salesforce Service Cloud is awesome for your business too. Imagine if you could not only help your customers, but help them better? Let me tell you how:

Power-up your support agents

Well, the Salesforce Service Cloud does just that!

By giving your support agents all the details they need together with possible solutions for the request. They can do less of the talking and more of the solving. Decreasing the time spent per case significantly.

Afterwards, they can also publish the solution to the request on their web-portal to help customers who potentially experience the same issues.

Take it from someone with experience in handling cases: you won’t like it, you will love it. The more I learned about the Salesforce Service Cloud and how it helped me to quickly and efficiently find a solution for each request. I got more and more inspired. Bye bye massive, unreadable spreadsheets and unfindable emails.

Management benefits too

Let’s not forget about the support team manager. After all, which manager wouldn’t like to know which problems are raising? The average ticket solving time? Or which channel is most used by customers?

Using the built-in reporting and dashboard function, your support team managers can see in-depth or high-level view of how your support team is achieving it goals, can initiate new product features/updates or re-allocate support-team members to other groups. You can even make reports and dashboards more dynamic by extending this feature with Salesforce Einstein Analytics, read more about Einstein’s reporting capabilities here.

The abilities of the Service Cloud

Still not convinced about the benefits of the Salesforce Service Cloud? Let me introduce you to 3 functionalities which will certainly improve your business.

Macro’s: Automate Case Handling

Remember when you had to write the same message over and over again? Or make the same clicks for basically the same case?

Well, the time has come that you do not have to do any of those repetitive tasks anymore. Now you have Macro’s to do that for you.

So…what are macro’s?

In its simplest form, a macro is a template. Not a template like an email template. But a template of actions like clicking, writing, status changes that you, the support hero, can set up whenever you want.

A scenario where a macro would come in handy:

One morning, you log into Salesforce and see that over 100 new cases where created over the night. While reading the titles, you notice that your manager has released a new functionality before its official launch by accident (without your knowing, thanks boss). So yeah, you have 100 new cases regarding the same functionality.

What do you do then? You already had prepared a document explaining how to use the new functionality that was scheduled to release on the official launch date.

Well, you have two options:

  1. You go fetch a 100 liters of coffee from the kitchen and open each case and add the link to the documentation regarding the functionality.
  2. Or you write a simple macro that does all of that for you so you can enjoy your morning coffee.

Salesforce Service Cloud - Macros

What’s the best part of this?

Macro’s can also add quick text to each case, saying that it has been resolved or add a comment that you can share with your sales representatives / managers that are using the Salesforce Sales Cloud. On top of that, this functionality is also available for all colleagues who are using a Salesforce Console, even the Sales console.

Salesforce Service Cloud - Quick Text

OMNI-Channel: The new case GPS

The OMNI-Channel functionality the Salesforce Service Cloud offers, helps your business to route each case to the right support team. Either it being a case submitted through phone, mail, social media, chat,  …

Case routing is set up via specific criteria, for example: the amount of cases an agent can handle.  But what happens when an agent has reached the maximum of cases he can handle at a time and receives another case request? Then they can just reject the case and the system will automatically find another user to handle the case.

Salesforce Service Cloud - omni channel

Now your support agents no longer have to worry about receiving phone calls/mails from customers they can’t help or have to forward to the right team. In doing so, your support teams can dedicate their time in solving cases specified to their area of expertise.

As for the manager within you: don’t worry, there is a functionality specifically for you called OMNI-Channel Supervisor. This enables you to see what your support agents are doing in real-time and see how much time they are spending on each case without having cases assigned to you.

Salesforce Service Cloud - manager omni channel

What do you want more? You already save your support agents from doing repetitive tasks and have a way to route cases to the right agents to save your customers. Glad you asked… because here comes Field Service Lightning!

Heroes on the street with Field Service Lightning

This functionality is specifically designed to smoothen the process for dispatchers, managers, technicians, contractors or crew-members who are saving your customers from utter despair.

Imagine that you had to find out whether or not your team is on the road and where they are by calling them every minute. Or ask which steps were already taken for delivery, so you can update this for each customer over and over again.

This would take a lot of your time. But why would you do so if you could do it in a more efficient way? What if I told you that:

  • You could see what your team does and where they are in real-time?;
  • Know when each contractor / dispatcher is available?;
  • Book an appointments with customers in 1 click?;
  • Your team could get directions to their new mission, call customers or see what he has to do from his mobile device?
  • Your team could manage the inventory of the parts they have been, will be and are using and share knowledge with each other?

Well, let me tell you: there are no “WHAT IF’S”. There is FSL (Field Service Lightning), the Salesforce Service Cloud functionality that makes your mobile team the hero on the streets.

Salesforce Service Cloud - field service lightning

Conclusion

As a former support-agent, I too used to make the world a better place for my customers. But now, with the Salesforce Service Cloud, I know I can do it better. The 3 functionalities I just introduced you to, only scratch the surface of its full potential but have a huge impact on your customer satisfaction and business performance.

So.. now you know what the Salesforce Service Cloud can do, are you ready to manage cases as quick and efficient as a lightning bolt with macro’s, omni-channel and field service lightning?

Wait no longer! Let’s save the world of your customers and your business by letting us help you on your mission with the Salesforce Service Cloud! Learn more about its functionalities or get in touch with us.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
You need to agree with the terms to proceed

Menu