4 Reasons to use Salesforce Service Cloud over Sales Cloud's Standard Case Functionality
When businesses look to enhance their customer support operations, they often turn to Salesforce as their go-to platform. Salesforce offers both Service Cloud and Sales Cloud. Although both platforms can help you manage customer interactions, they are designed with different objectives in mind. Sales Cloud is primarily focused on managing the sales pipeline, while Service Cloud is specifically built to optimize customer service and support functions.
In this article, we'll explore various Service Cloud features that could boost your team’s efficiency and streamline your support process.
1. Advanced Case Management Features
Service Cloud includes powerful case management features that are tailored for managing customer issues efficiently. In contrast, Sales Cloud provides basic case functionality, which is more suited for sales inquiries rather than customer support.
Service Cloud Features Include:
Case Assignment Rules: Automatically route cases to the right support agents based on various criteria (e.g., region). This ensures that each case is handled by the most qualified person.
Auto-Response Emails: When customers submit a ticket, their concern is acknowledged with an auto-response email.
Email-to-Case: Service Cloud can sync emails sent to a chosen inbox (ex. help@yourcompany.com) to a case Salesforce. The creation of the case will then fire the auto-response and case assignment rules set-up in your org.
Sales Cloud does allow you to manage cases, but it doesn't provide the same advanced features like case assignment rules, queues, and a dedicated service console, which are critical for a streamlined support workflow. Attempting to replicate this functionality in Sales Cloud could take extensive development work.
2. Omni-Channel Support for Seamless Customer Communication
Customer service today has branched beyond just phone calls. Customers expect to interact with companies through multiple channels like chat, email, social media, and more. Service Cloud offers powerful omni-channel capabilities that are absent in Sales Cloud.
Service Cloud Features Include:
Omni-Channel Routing: Service Cloud allows you to route customer interactions from various channels (email, phone, chat, social media) into one unified console, ensuring that no customer interaction goes unnoticed.
Live Agent Chat: Easily integrate live chat with your website, enabling customers to get quick answers without waiting for an email or phone response.
Social Customer Service: Engage with customers on social platforms like Twitter and Facebook directly from the Service Cloud console, allowing support teams to respond quickly and efficiently.
Sales Cloud focuses mainly on managing leads, opportunities, and accounts within a sales pipeline. It doesn’t have built-in support for omnichannel routing or direct integration with social media for support purposes.
3. Knowledge Base for Self-Service and Agent Support
Another key difference between Service Cloud and Sales Cloud is the ability to build and maintain a comprehensive knowledge base. This is a game-changer for both customers and agents.
Service Cloud Features Include:
Knowledge Articles: Service Cloud allows you to create, organize, and share knowledge articles that help both customers and agents solve problems quickly. Customers can search for answers on your website or customer portal, reducing the need for direct support interaction.
Community Portals: With Service Cloud, you can build branded self-service communities where customers can access knowledge, interact with each other, and even submit cases for further assistance.
Case Deflection: Service Cloud enables you to use knowledge articles to deflect common customer issues before they escalate to cases, saving time for both customers and agents.
Sales Cloud does not offer the same robust tools for creating and sharing a knowledge base, nor does it include community portals or case deflection features. It’s more focused on helping sales teams close deals rather than resolving customer issues.
4. Entitlements and Service Contracts for Enhanced Customer Support
One of the key advantages of Salesforce Service Cloud over Sales Cloud is its ability to manage entitlements and service contracts, which are critical for providing structured support and ensuring that customers receive the level of service they’re entitled to. These features are specifically designed for customer service teams to track the services and support agreements with each customer, ensuring compliance and improving customer satisfaction.
Service Cloud Features Include:
Entitlements: Service Cloud allows you to define and track entitlements, which specify the level of support a customer is entitled to based on their contract or agreement. For example, you can set up entitlements to define the number of cases a customer can submit or the types of support they are eligible for, like 24/7 phone support or premium service.
Service Contracts: Service contracts are used to track the terms of a customer's agreement, including the products covered, the support services offered, and the duration of the support. Service Cloud allows you to link service contracts with customer accounts and cases, ensuring that support agents can easily access contract details and offer appropriate support.
Contract Milestones: Service Cloud helps track milestones within a service contract, such as specific deliverables, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), or warranty expiration dates. This feature ensures that businesses comply with customer agreements and proactively manage support needs before contracts expire or need renewal.
Sales Cloud is designed primarily for managing leads, opportunities, and accounts related to sales processes. While it can track basic account and opportunity information, it doesn’t offer dedicated features for managing entitlements or service contracts, which are essential for providing consistent and accountable support to existing customers. Sales Cloud does not have built-in tools to track service levels or ensure that customers are receiving the agreed-upon support as part of their service agreement.
If your business is focused on providing top-notch customer support and looking to enhance customer satisfaction, Service Cloud could be a wonderful option. By investing in Service Cloud, you can ensure your team has the tools they need to deliver exceptional service, while improving efficiency and customer experiences across the board.
