Recently Salesforce unveiled a new set of tools that can be directly embedded into mobile applications that companies offer to their customers. These tools follow the footsteps of “Mayday” by Amazon but provide more personalized services such as interactive video and screen-sharing capabilities. The new set of tools named Salesforce Service for Apps have been launched along with a new Desk.com development kit, that empowers companies to provide more prompt and customized to their customers than ever before. Other services in this line are scheduled to be launched later in 2015. Some of the new tools include:
Knowledge Base
Customers are provided with a built-in knowledge base that links directly to articles and FAQ’s for products and services. Answers to common questions can be crowd sourced to several customers at a time, and companies can generate new articles from customer feedback information provided by customers via online forms. This creates new content for companies, and this can then be published for use by future customers and prospects.
Chat
Businesses can now offer live chat on mobiles. This is a long awaited capability, which facilitates face-to-face interaction between the customer and the salesperson or agent. This capability allows the customer to request a chat session with an agent who can see the customers’ screen. The agent can offer support and services based on what the customer is viewing. Such service gives a brick-and-mortar feel to customers who have an experience similar to one they would have had in a real store.
Call on Tap
The tap-to-call capability allows customers to call a number embedded in the app instantly and talk to an agent or sales person. The agent can automatically view the details of the customer, eliminating the need to recap what the customer has viewed or providing other basic details. Customers get personalized services with the agent directly addressing them by name and anticipating their needs.
Case Tracking
The new Service for Apps offers customers the capability to create cases. They can track these cases through their app and customize the app to send notifications for certain incidents such as when a dispute is resolved, a query is answered, or a service is made available.
Save Our Souls
Many users download apps but face difficulty using them. Such customers can now request assistance from help agents on how to use the apps. If by chance a user “gets lost” in the maze of menus and icons, an agent can come to his aid using screen sharing and guide the user through various menus and options. This feature takes mobile apps to a new high including even those customers who are not knowledgeable about mobile apps and other technology.
What Service for Apps is all about
The new Salesforce Service for Apps aims to provide companies using Salesforce with contextualized service within the apps they offer to their customers. Most of the features facilitate CSS (Customer Self Service) which is online support that allows the end users of technology to perform most tasks without the aid of a CSR (Customer Service Representative). The Desk.com development kit launched along with the Service for Apps enhances the service offered by Salesforce to its customers. The development kit allows SMEs to embed the Salesforce service support into their own apps. Some of the key features of the development kit include real-time messages about customer dissatisfaction, the capability to include third-party apps, and the capability to select what each user can view. Says Pombriant, this new app service is a “boon to IT”. As platforms multiply, resources become scarce. In such a scenario, the new Salesforce Service paves the way to utilizing the power of mobile apps effectively.
As Forbes reports, Salesforce’s investment in cloud infrastructure has paid off in the form of a development platform that developers are using to deliver world-class apps that are reliable and secure. CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) and Contract Management are the two most challenging applications that take Salesforce beyond the realm of CRM. The multi-tenant design helps optimize resources and increases ROI through significant savings and efficiency.
The new Service for Apps combined with Desk.com can be effectively used to provide enhanced customer service. Every employee can pitch in to help by simply staying connected. Everyone can “listen” to customers from anywhere, at any time, using the mobile app. Together, they can provide a solution that satisfies the customer and builds relations. The knowledge base can then be enhanced, based on individual experiences, by all users. Service need not be restricted to a selected few. All employees can be available for taking calls or responding to chat requests. This broadens the base considerably, and the organization gains in terms of image and customer relationships. These two factors can increase ROI as nothing else can. Therefore, your investment in Salesforce is guaranteed to increase your ROI.
For a company that is cost conscious and focused on numbers, the Salesforce App that records data and servers up instant reports can help forecast trends and manage costs. Problems can be identified and addressed early in the day. Customer feedback received through chat, calls, and case tracking can be used to improve products and services. Customer requests can be prioritized and the most important issues can be addressed first.
The ability to embed interactive features within the mobile apps is without doubt the most significant feature of the Salesforce Service for Apps. This ability alone gives Salesforce a head start on other cloud service.
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