Service Cloud is a highly-adopted Salesforce application that many companies use to support their customers. But with businesses being different on so many fronts, how can you decide if this application will benefit your company? It’s important to completely understand the benefits and costs of any major purchase before pulling the trigger. In this article, we will explore the different considerations you may need to take before signing up for Service Cloud. Note that every company is unique and all of the information below may not apply to your specific business.
What is Service Cloud?
Before we being, it’s important to understand the product in question. By learning more about Service Cloud’s purpose and capabilities, you can start to formulate an opinion about its usefulness.
Service Cloud is Salesforce’s native customer service and support solution. It enables support teams to offer personalized service for all customer cases through different communication channels. It aggregates user data to give a 360-degree view of the customer, allowing technicians to quickly respond and resolve customer concerns.
In addition to understanding the underlying technology, you also need a firm grasp over the costs associated with its implementation.
Service Cloud’s Pricing Structure
Service Cloud can cost anywhere from $25/user/month to $300/user/month, depending on the edition and features you select. The most common version, Enterprise Edition, costs $150/user/month and includes a wide array of features. You can review a comparison between the different editions through the link above or download the full comparison chart. If you need help deciding which edition is best for you, we recommend involving a third-party Salesforce partner to provide guidance.
Acknowledging Hidden Costs
While the up-front costs are published on Salesforce’s website, there are many hidden expenses that come with system implementation. Keep in mind that these expenses can vary from company to company depending on how you deal with them. Some of these costs can include:
- Third-party involvement
- In-house support salaries
- Project costs
- Training expenses
It’s important to take these factors into consideration when pitching an implementation project. Without acknowledging these hidden costs, you are not able to get a full picture of the expenses. But by staying ahead of these costs and factoring them into your budget, you can make a fully-informed decision about this technology.
Understanding the Application’s Benefits
After understanding costs, the next logical step to take is to list out the benefits. Some of Service Cloud’s benefits may include:
- Improved responsiveness to customer cases
- High-quality customer interactions
- Multi-channel intake
- Automation abilities
- Knowledgebase collection
If the benefits exceed the costs, then your decision is made for you. However, if you are still unclear about your decision, some Salesforce products allow for free trials. By using the product in your test environment, you may be able to gather further information.
Aligning With Corporate Vision
There are many great corporate applications out there. However, to fully access Service Cloud’s potential, it has to align with your corporate goals. If personalized interactions are important for resolving customer cases, then Service Cloud may be for you. However, if your customer service can be easily handled by publishing an FAQ and having a hotline, then maybe you don’t need to invest in Service Cloud. Service Cloud can be a great addition to your company, but the culture and values have to be open to adoption and use across the board.
Still Unsure?
If you are still unsure of whether Service Cloud is right for you, it may be time to bring in a third-party consultant. Salesforce partners like Ntegro can help by using their technical experience to give you an outside opinion on the matter. We have experience calculating costs, benefits, and determining whether different Salesforce applications are viable for our clients. If you’d like a free consultation, you can reach out online.
How did you decide whether or not to move forward with Service Cloud? Leave a comment below to share your story.
