Learn the Features

Learning Objectives

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

  • List key features of Service Cloud.
  • Describe what each Service Cloud feature does.

Features to Flaunt

Many customer service agents have to use too many apps to handle customer questions and data. Service Cloud brings together a wide range of features so that agents can focus on providing great customer service, not toggling between apps and screens.

Two side-by-side images displaying a customer service agent before and after Service Cloud

The Service Cloud suite of features helps businesses:

  • Close cases faster.
  • Simplify self-service.
  • Personalize customer care.
  • Deliver support from anywhere.

We break down these features into two categories.

  • Features for support agents and service managers
  • Features to engage customers

Let's look at them both. 

Features for Support Agents and Service Managers

Support agents and service managers work directly with customers to answer questions and reply to requests. They can solve customer challenges faster when they have the right tools at their fingertips. Here’s what Salesforce offers them. 

Feature
What It Is
How It Benefits Businesses
 Service Console
A single workspace for agents with all the information and tools they need to solve cases.
It boosts agent productivity by supporting more customers faster.
Omni-Channel Routing
A complete view of an agent’s availability and customer wait times
It delivers smarter, faster service by matching tasks to agents with the most appropriate skill sets, better balancing their workloads.
Computer-Telephony Integration (CTI)
A phone system connected to the Service Console
It routes calls to the right agents based on the touch-tones callers select.

It displays customer information before agents even answer calls.
Knowledge
A knowledge base filled with articles and FAQs
It delivers faster, consistent service by helping agents and customers find the answers they need quickly.
Einstein for Service
Artificial intelligence that automatically triages cases and recommends actions to decrease average handle time.
It eliminates manual work so agents are free to focus on helping the customer.
Dashboards & Reporting
Dashboards focused on the metrics service centers use most
It provides a detailed picture of an entire service team instantly, letting managers take actions to increase efficiency in real time.
Field Service Management
A set of tools that extends Service Cloud to include all mobile workers, letting dispatch agents schedule and route cases to those in the field
It connects a business’s entire workforce on a single platform.

Features to Engage Customers

When today’s customer wants to reach a business, they expect to use the channel of their choice—phone, email, social media, apps, and more.

A chat bubble surrounded by different methods of communication

More and more customers use multiple channels to reach out to businesses, and their expectations for a speedy response are soaring. To engage their customers without skipping a beat, businesses depend on these features in Service Cloud.

Feature
What It Is
How It Benefits Businesses
Messaging
A two-way mobile messaging service that lets businesses communicate with their customers via text, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more
It supports customers who prefer messaging.
Chat
A live chat software that lets businesses and customers chat online, in real time, on their websites or in the company’s apps
It connects with customers instantly on any device.
Einstein Bots
A chatbot solution that is embedded into apps or websites to handle common questions and gather information for agents.
It helps companies deflect cases, expand service, and automate frequently asked questions to improve CSAT.
Self-Service Help Centers and Portals Community
A customer-facing portal where customers answer each other’s questions, helping others access the answers they want at any time, from anywhere
It frees up an agent’s time to focus on complex issues by crowdsourcing common questions and answers.
Social Customer Service
A platform that connects customers and businesses through social media
It listens and responds to customers on a wide variety of social media channels.
Snap-ins
A way to integrate customer support—such as two-way video chat (also known as SOS)—directly into websites or mobile apps
It provides guided, on-screen assistance.

Resources

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