Salesforce Service Cloud Reviews

I would say that Omni Channel, which was launched with the Spring ’15 release, is the most valuable feature for me. It’s a way of distributing workload coming in from different channels, cases, leads, chats, and calls.

First of all, it distributes them, saving our end-users on several clicks and searches to get a new record to work on. It’s great for departments used to working with queues and as an administrator, you can also leverage the power of Omni Channel to eliminate the picking of easy work records.

As you may or may not know, when you have cases waiting in a queue, end-users have to accept the records one-by-one to work on them and, sadly, there are users who look at some details first to determine if it’s going to be an easy case or a complex case before taking them out of the queue, leaving the difficult case which take a lot of time to resolve in the queue.

Distributing them automatically and evenly between users through Omni Channel ensures that everybody performs at their best and improves their productivity!

Because we can give a specific weight on records like cases or leads, we can ensure that every end-user receives an even amount of work to digest per day. You can even assign skills to your users so that nobody receives something they would not be able to solve because they are too new to our company or because they just haven’t learned about a product or service yet.

Another skill you could add is language. As we are an international company, our customers can reach us in three languages (Dutch, French and German), so making sure that customer questions are routed to a user with the correct language skill automatically eliminates endless dispatching from user to another user because they don't know the language.

It would be nice if there were several components to download from the app-exchange, like building blocks that we would just plug into the console. As previously stated, the out-of-the-box console looks nice and has some powerful standard functionality, but is nothing like you see in demos. It would be great If there was a package containing some custom console components to put in the sidebars or to tweak it more easily.

To give a simple example: the standard related lists components that you put in the sidebar contain a first column called action with an edit/delete link. In a sidebar, this takes up a lot of valuable space and for me. Those links were not necessary in the sidebar, so I would have liked to be able to disable those or something (but not by taking the edit/delete rights away of the user profile). So we had to build some Visualforce custom component to replicate the exact same functionality but without that first column.

It seems something small, but one of the great powers of the Service Cloud console is to have a lot of information in one screen, so screen space is valuable.

We started implementing the Salesforce Service Cloud and Console for our telesales department about six months ago because we needed a way to streamline the workload for outbound calling and handling incoming web requests and wanted to also implement the Salesforce Live Agent on our webshop. Since Salesforce just launched Omni Channel, we decided this would be a great way to do all these things.

Not really, as it’s really easy to follow the implementation guide and watch some tutorials to get it up in running on your sandbox and it’s really flexible so you can model the console to your needs (although you’ll need a developer to create some custom components to get it just the way you want it).

There were no stability issues.

There have been no issues scaling it.

If you’ve worked with Salesforce products for a couple of years, as I have, you just know that Salesforce provides top-notch customer service! They want to be the best and as a customer you can feel that.

On top of lots of helpful resources like workbooks, implementation guides and instructional videos, you also have access to Salesforce Success Community. It’s full of peers and has groups focused on specific features and products like the Service Cloud. I would recommend to everybody when implementing a new feature and is getting stuck on something to post his/her question in the Success Community. It’s most likely somebody had that same question or problem before and the community is so active that you are likely to be getting an answer to your problem within a few minutes/hours.

If that fails, you can always submit a case with Salesforce support and grant them access to your organization so they can help you in a timely fashion.

All our users have had a Sales Cloud license and we already worked with queues, but converting the Sales Cloud license to a Service Cloud license for that specific department so that we could integrate Omni Channel and Live Agent was a good choice.

The biggest driver to do the switch was because of the fact we used another Chat provider on our website and the business came with the requirement to implement the chat transcripts in Salesforce. We had two choices: create an integration with Salesforce (which would have required some developers and custom development), or replace the chat function to Live Agent which is automatically integrated in Salesforce and the Service Cloud. It would eliminate the cost of an extra provider, save us money on custom development for integration, and has much more flexibility and scalability towards the future.

The choice was easily made.

I would say that for a beginning administrator it could seem somewhat complex, but there are a lot of resources to help you with initial setup, like the implementation guide and the Service Cloud workbook. Of course everything about every feature in Salesforce is described in great detail on their help and training portal.

For a more experienced administrator, it’s pretty straightforward, although working with custom components can seem overwhelming. You’ll need some programmatic knowledge to get the look and feel just the way you want. Certainly now you’ll need the Lightning Design System to make you Visualforce Components look like native components in the console.

But, hey, that’s why we love working with Salesforce I guess. It would get a bit boring for an administrator if you already knew everything and had nothing new to learn, isn’t it? ;-)

With Salesforce you never stop learning. There is always some new feature or functionality that provides a solution to your use case that you didn’t know about.

We planned and designed the functionality we needed ourselves. We also did most of the configuration and implementation ourselves, but we worked with a consulting partner to create some customized components for the console and to modify the Live Agent Customer Facing chat window style.

I can’t talk a lot about pricing because that depends on your contract negotiation with Salesforce, number of licenses/users you have, and what features your organization uses.

But in our case the price of a Service Cloud license wasn't a lot different as the Sales Cloud license, and as all our users had a Salesforce Sales Cloud license we just swapped some licenses for a Service Cloud license. But by doing that, we eliminated the extra cost and need of a secondary provider for the live chat function, we could use the Omni Channel feature to automatically manage and distribute the workload saving our agents time and making them more productive.

I would say it was well worth the change!

We are still in the beginning of using some of the features provided through the Salesforce Service Cloud. But from what I can see and the ease and speed with which we have implemented the features that we are using at this time, I guess it loses a point because the demos we see on world tours have a lot of customization in them and are not at all out-of-the-box. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really nice product with lots of out-of-the-box functionality, but to create a console like you see in demos you have to customize lots of stuff too.

Before you begin to sit down with your users to see how they work today, determine which information they consult from other records because when developing the Console View this is where you can make a difference! Creating some custom components with just that information from other records that they would normally click through links to get is the information you’ll want to create a component for. They will have all that information on the same screen when opening a record and they will save time not having to click and navigate to get the info. Creating an optimal view for your users is where one of the powers of the Service Cloud lays!

Consider investing in a consulting firm to create some custom components to get this done if you don’t have the in-house expertise. It’s really worth it. When using Omni Channel, think about the different skills you would create and give your agents so you can distribute the workload correctly.

There are several valuable features:

• Case assignment rules allow for auto assignment of cases as they are received.
• Email-to-Case allows me to set an email address to receive cases. I distribute that to my customers and they create cases for me when they email that address. I don’t have to keep up with cases within my inbox.
• Queues allow cases to be sent to a queue, which has multiple members. They each are notified of a new case and can take ownership as necessary.

Our support team are aware of the outstanding issues that need to be addressed in terms of open cases. Statuses allow us to organize them in a meaningful way. Reports and Dashboards allow management to follow support KPIs, such as number of cases closed vs. received, age of open cases, count of cases assigned to each rep, etc.

They could improve upon analytics. The reporting function is extremely user-friendly and powerful. I can get the reports that I need 99% of the time, but it is not a robust BI tool.

I've used Service Cloud since 2009 as first a customer and then as an implementation consultant. I have implemented it in various companies with multiple verticals.

We've had no issues deploying it.

The stability is unmatched.

The scalability is unmatched.

Customer service is great.

Technical support is great. Opt for the higher “Premium Support” to open up support channels like Chat with support as well as training videos on demand.

It is what you make it. I have implemented it with a simple configuration without many rules around who can do what in what status and when people should be notified of happenings.

I have implemented it with more complex business rules that required a bit more configuration. The product is set up to allow for both as well as scalability from a simple to complex set up as the organization needs it to grow.

We implemented it through a vendor because of a lack of in-house knowledge at the time. I have since been an implementation consultant who has seen initial in-house implementations. Salesforce is so admin friendly that the temptation to try it out alone is strong. I know that budget can be a concern but I would advise to use a vendor who knows the product.

In most cases, it takes more effort (and money) to fix what in-house novices have put in place than it would have been to set it up right the first time. If the in-house crew has a good technical aptitude, they can usually carry on from there. Just get the foundation right to ensure user adoption and scalability.

Purchase a license for any and all users. Sharing a login hinders usability and visibility of who did what and when. Some third-party vendors can get reports to non-users, but anyone who needs to do anything in the system needs to have their own license.

We did evaluate Microsoft CRM, but you get what you pay for there. We needed the flexibility and dependability of the Salesforce product.

I love this product. I believe it is the best in the industry and is only getting better. Use an implementation partner for initial setup and get the foundation right before trying to venture out on your own. Assign an individual(s) as the system admins and use the implementation as a training ground for them. Make sure they understand the configuration put in place by the vendor so that they can maintain going forward and possibly manage tweaks on their own. Technical aptitude is a must when choosing those admins.

The flexibility of the platform is what really separates it from the crowd. With Salesforce, I can:

• Use clicks vs. code for automation purposes. Examples of this are workflow rules and visual flows.
• Utilize Salesforce's proprietary Java based language to implement more complicated business logic. Additionally, I am able to extend this functionality with their JSP based visual-force language.
• Salesforce has many different ways of accessing their platform with APIs. There is the REST, SOAP, Metadata, connect. Salesforce also offers a lot of pre-built toolkits (Like Javascript and PHP) which make external connections a snap.

The platform is being used to unify multiple business divisions onto a single platform. Currently, each of the eight or so businesses are utilizing their own platform based on multiple technologies (one is a DOS based system with a Fox DB). By utilizing Salesforce as our centralized platform it is enabling our business units to share leads across divisions and give a singular view to our customers.

I would like to see them focus on improving existing functionality instead of trying to market new functionality that is not enterprise ready. While I appreciate their push towards staying on the bleeding edge, it is a shared platform. Thus it is essential that new functionality is able to function with large amounts of data, which Lightning currently is not.

I've used Salesforce for over six years

There have been no issues with the deployment.

There are some governor limits which can make life difficult at times; however, I believe it is important to have these limits in place in order to maintain stability.

I believe that Salesforce gives you the ability to grow your CRM instance in a very scalable way and is usually fairly willing to extend the governor limits with good cause.

This is the one area that I really dislike about Salesforce. Dealing with their Level One support is a nightmare. I used to be in tech support, so I recognize the need for level one, however, for enterprise level customers whom pay for their "premier support", should get premier support not outsourced technical support with whom it takes over an hour of re-iterated explanations of a problem. Granted, most of the issues I call about are complicated; however, that in and of itself should allow for easier escalations.

For this particular project, I did not; however, I have evaluated others against Salesforce in the past. What has usually been the tipping point is:

• The flexibility of the platform
• The tri-annual releases, which ensures that the platform is up-to-date
• Normally painless upgrades

This question will vary vastly from organization to organization. It it easy to get setup with Salesforce; however, with its malleability, setups can be incredibly complex.

I've done it with both. My recommendation would be to steer clear of vendors. Find good people to work with in house. Vendors usually will only add extra time to the project. They usually deliver less than optimal solutions that will need to be re-done later. I have worked with major providers, including like Apprio, ICON and Slalom. All of these vendors have had "consultants" with much less exposure to the platform than myself and generally delivered really crappy code that took way longer to develop than it should have.

Hire experts. Look for an advanced certification if you can find one, if not make sure that they are experienced. Throw fundamental problems at them during the interview to see if they are able to respond appropriately. Salesforce is an IT platform, thus the experts should have a fundamental understanding of database and code structures. Remember that a part of a good implementation will involve process transformation. Do not look at the platform to as a new way to do old things. Take this as an opportunity to evaluate what you are doing well and not well, then use technology to improve those area's that are appropriate. Also, remember that technology should not be used as a nanny system. It is a tool and should be used as such. Utilize users that are power users of your existing systems. Let managers or executives drive overall objectives, and let the power users provide guidance on how the system will be utilized. In the plethora of implementations I have been involved in, this is a common occurrence and ends up creating a lot more work once development has been completed.

The most valuable features for us are Cases, Community, and Chatter.

Service Cloud has allowed our organization to centralize multiple tools and resources into one tech stack that has optimized our ability to coordinate service efforts across the organization.

UI/UX has always proven difficult to keep up with. Salesforce, in general, requires a continued training effort to keep people up to speed and to encourage adoption in the tools. While there have been big improvements to date, simple things like ability to bookmark, right-click or otherwise multi-task panes and articles in Salesforce and the community have been missing.

We've had no issues with deployment.

We've had no issues with stability.

We've had no issues with scalability.

Preparation and training is 90% of the work. Get to know the product before deploying widely. Have your admins get into Trailhead and invest in the training offered by Salesforce.

The two most valuable features for us are the customizable consoles and the ability to use custom objects.

We deployed the Live Agent function and the Social Sites feed connection which improved the response time for customer issues/feedbacks. The integrated Knowledge Base function also improved the speed.

The prices for storing files - like example attachments - are really high per GB. We have an alternative to-do task which has one purpose, to find an alternative file storage service that we can later on connect with Salesforce. 

Nowadays, we are lucky because the customers would like to connect on-premise Sharepoint with Salesforce and there is a solution that we can easily apply to them.

I started to use it two months ago and absolutely love it. Currently, I’m part of an implementation project where we earned high satisfaction from our client.

We haven't had any issues with deployment so far. 

All the limits of the Salesforce platform are well documented. I’ve seen poor documentation and bad implementation, but Salesforce is not like that. 

Looks like they are hiring the best developers.

There have been no issues with the stability.

There has been no issue with scaling it.

I’ve used much of the legacy solutions previously within various enterprises, and found none of them to be as good as the Salesforce product.

We kept the initial setup simple and straightforward. Then we continuously improve it because the product is new for our everyday customers.

I'm working for a consultancy that implements Salesforce products.

Always consult with a partner company around your area. Partners can provide different licensing constructions.

The standard case management features such as case teams, case queues, and approval processes are useful for various use cases, such as service organizations, call centers, support teams, etc.

Service Cloud provides a best-of-breed cloud-based case management and call center solution. It's cost-effective, easily configureable and maintainable, and simple to learn and support.

I'd like to see a better UI/UX. It also needs more competitive pricing on the Service Cloud feature licenses.

I've used it for three years.

There should be no issues with deployment so long as best practices for Salesforce deployment are followed. I haven't seen any major issues with deployment.

Deployments become more complex when they involve heavy custom development, but for a configuration-based solution, it is very simple.

Stability is never an issue with the Salesforce platform.

Scalability is never an issue with the Salesforce platform.

Salesforce's customer service is great.

It's great, but I recommend Premier+ support for quick turnaround on issues.

As a SaaS product, Service Cloud is very easy to set up by someone with Salesforce administration skills. There are some features and functionality that are unique to Service Cloud, so it's best to have a certified ServiceCloud Consultant

Whether using a vendor or having your internal team set up the system, make sure that a certified Service Cloud consultant is involved in the analysis and solution-ing of the product, even if you are only using the basic Case functionality through a Sales Cloud license as opposed to a full-fledged Service Cloud feature license.

Great ROI on this product, especially if you keep implementation and maintenance costs low through configuration and declarative functionality as opposed to custom code. Basic Case features are available through the standard Salesforce Sales Cloud licensing, and more advanced features such as the Service Console and CTI integration capabilities are available through a Service Cloud feature license.

Try to align your business processes to the native feature sets in the product as much as possible by using the configuration and declarative functionality instead of customizing the solution using code.

Not only will the initial implementation be quicker, ongoing maintenance and support will be cheaper and easier as well.

There are several Case Management and Call Centre solutions, but the Salesforce product is considered a best-of-breed solution, and is a leading industry product. Compared to Siebel and other case management solutions, Service Cloud is more cost effective and easier to configure.

The Cases and Case Deflection features are the most valuable for us.

If you can get customers to self-serve, this is invaluable and save your customers' time and your staff's time. Our NPS actually went up when we introduced this as customers loved self-service and our cases went down by 50%.

I'd like to see more of a blog feature to allow better updates from our staff and link to it socially. This would save us having to run these through two different systems.

I've used it for 12-14 months.

We've haven't yet had any issues with deployment.

It's been stable for us.

We've had no problems scaling it for our needs.

Customer service has been great as we're a beta customer.

Technical service has been great as we're a beta customer.

Yes, we were previously using Zendesk as our ticketing/case system. We chose to move to Service Cloud and Community Cloud because we were running our sales side on Salesforce and support on Zendesk. We wanted a single view of our customers so both sales support and accounts could see what was happening with the customer.

The initial setup was straightforward as we were able to set this up in a matter of days.

We implemented all this in-house. As Community Cloud is all template-based and no code is required, this was very simple to set up.

Use the templates for community and use Community Cloud with Service Cloud as they work very well hand-in-hand. Use Case Deflection and the knowledge base articles.

• Case creation and tracking
• Workflow automation
• Notifications with templates
• Technician scheduling (using CalendarAnything)

All cases were tracked in Excel by individual service coordinators and, therefore, they were unable to share workload or centralize services. We used a custom program for technician scheduling that could not be easily expanded to multiple service branches, where only central office had this functionality. All communications (emails) were with individual service coordinators, resulting in inconsistent communications. Service Cloud changed all that.

There's an issue where creating a repetitive appointment creates two appointments on the first occurrence.

We've used it for more than a year.

We have no issues with deploying it.

We've had no stability issues.

We're able to scale it for our needs.

Customer service is excellent.

Technical support is excellent.

We considered purchasing an app for service management, so we evaluated Service Max and JBB Mobile. We did not proceed with either as our company is in the process of implementing SAP.

Setup was straightforward from a data standpoint since we were already using Salesforce Sales Cloud and, therefore, customers and products were already loaded into Salesforce. The main focus of this project was to define new service management processes and configure Salesforce to match the processes.

We used a certified Salesforce systems integrator. I highly recommend using a systems integrator for the initial implementation, ensuring there is sufficient knowledge transfer so that the internal team can support after Go Live.

Head count in service management was reduced, department moved into a profitable position, and we increased service business by 30%.

My advice would be to ensure that the business process owners fully understand and support the solution. Don’t let them skip design meetings, or they will question every decision that was made later in the process, causing rework of the configurations.