Discover the Value

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

  • Discuss the importance of metrics for service leaders.
  • Describe how to use the business value calculator.

The Metrics That Matter

Now that you’re familiar with some of the service leaders, let’s tie it all together and talk about the value Service Cloud brings to businesses. A key part of that value is metrics.

Customer service metrics are not just numbers that managers discuss during monthly performance reviews. They are key performance indicators (KPIs) that give service leaders a clear idea of the contribution their service department is making to the overall progress of the company. 

So when you get your conversation started with service leaders, you definitely want to mention metrics. It’s a surefire way to get their attention.

Service leader reviewing metrics

There are six key metrics to keep in mind when talking to a service leader.

Metric
Description
Net promoter score (NPS)
How likely customers are to recommend a product or service
Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
How happy customers are with a product or brand
Average handle time (AHT)
How long it takes to complete a single call, including talk time, hold time, and follow-up tasks
First call resolution (FCR)
How many calls are resolved on the first attempt divided by the total number of calls; this is calculated as a rate or percentage
Cost per case or contact
How much it costs to process a single case
Case backlog
How many cases are still open

The million-dollar question is which metrics do you focus on? At this point, your research and discovery have uncovered the metrics your customer is most interested in. These metrics are most related to their leader’s top goals. 

Service leaders also work within strict budget constraints. When investing in new solutions, they need to make sure their technological investments deliver results. Enter the business value calculator. 

Estimate Benefits with the Business Value Calculator

When it comes to business growth, it’s not just about where a company has been, but also where it’s going. The business value calculator—developed by Salesforce’s Business Value Services (BVS) team—uses metrics from our annual Voice of the Customer survey to estimate potential Service Cloud benefits for our customers. It’s a great tool to help you drive your discovery and collaborate with your customers.

The business value calculator has four parts.

  • Primary Benefits: major benefits for a business
  • Business Value Drivers: factors that add value to a product or service
  • Customer Inputs: data provided by your customer
  • Outputs: metrics that change as you enter data in the Customer Inputs column

Screenshot of the business value calculator

Parts One and Two: The Factors That Turn Heads

Let’s talk about primary benefits and business value drivers. These two aspects of the business value calculator are key to getting a leader’s attention. In the business value calculator, they’re broken down as follows. 

Primary Benefits
Business Value Drivers
Cost savings
  • Shortened resolution time
  • Increased self-service
  • Reduced agent admin time
  • Reduced agent ramp time
Increased revenue
  • Reduced customer attrition
  • Increased customer spend (lead generation, cross-sell opportunities, and upsell opportunities)
CSAT improvement
  • Increased CSAT

Part Three: Customer Inputs

Next, let's look at the areas where you or your customer actually put the information into the calculator. Plug your answers into the business value calculator to provide your customer an instant estimate on how much they spend today and how much they can save or make with Service Cloud.

Part Four: Understand Our Impact Levels

The business value calculator takes into account businesses of all sizes and industries, so we categorize the business value impact in three tiers: small, medium, and large. All impact numbers come from Salesforce's Voice of the Customer report with additional discounts.

There isn’t an exact science for determining which tier a business falls under, but it’s a good practice to estimate a small impact for customers who are skeptical and a large impact for customers you have better relationships with and those who struggle with legacy systems.

Sounds like a win-win, right? Use this tool to your advantage, and get ready to impress your service leaders. And feel free to share the tool with your customers to have them try it out themselves!

Resources

Some of the resources suggested in this unit are accessible to Salesforce Partner Community members only.