Live Agent Archives - gettectonic.com

06Mar

Google and Salesforce Expand Partnership

Google and Salesforce Expand Partnership to Enhance AI Agent Capabilities Google and Salesforce are deepening their collaboration to provide customers with greater flexibility in AI agent deployment. This expanded partnership will integrate Google Gemini within Salesforce’s Agentforce platform, enabling AI agents to process images, audio, and video with advanced multimodal capabilities. Enhanced AI Functionality with Gemini Through this integration, AI agents will gain access to Gemini’s powerful models, allowing them to handle complex tasks with extended context windows and leverage real-time insights from Google Search via Vertex AI. This collaboration aims to empower businesses with AI solutions that are not limited to a single model provider, offering crucial flexibility in AI customization. Srini Tallapragada, Salesforce’s President and Chief Engineering and Customer Success Officer, emphasized that the integration offers customers the ability to choose the applications and models that best suit their needs. “Salesforce offers a complete enterprise-grade agentic AI platform that makes it easy to deploy new capabilities quickly and realize business value fast. Google Cloud is a pioneer in enterprise agentic AI, offering some of the most powerful models, agents, and AI development tools on the planet. Together, we are creating the best place for businesses to scale with digital labor.” Key Benefits of the Integration The partnership is set to deliver significant advantages for businesses, as outlined in the official announcement: Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, highlighted the benefits of this collaboration: “Our mutual customers have asked for seamless integration across Salesforce and Google Cloud. This expanded partnership enables them to accelerate AI transformations with state-of-the-art AI models, agentic AI, and advanced data analytics.” Strengthening Customer Service Integrations The partnership will also enhance the connection between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Cloud’s Customer Engagement Suite, providing AI-driven improvements to customer support. Key upcoming features include: Expanding AI-Powered Decision-Making Beyond Gemini, Agentforce will integrate Google Search through Vertex AI, leveraging secure connections between Salesforce Data Cloud and Google BigQuery. This will enable AI agents to access real-time information for improved accuracy and decision-making. For example, in supply chain management, AI can track shipments, monitor inventory in Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and anticipate disruptions using real-time data on weather, port congestion, and geopolitical events. Additionally, joint customers will be able to utilize Salesforce’s unified platform—including Agentforce, Data Cloud, and Customer 360—on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized infrastructure. This integration ensures enhanced security through dynamic grounding, zero data retention, and toxicity detection via the Einstein Trust Layer. Businesses will also soon have the option to purchase Salesforce products via the Google Cloud Marketplace. More AI Innovations from Google and Salesforce Google recently announced the development of a personalized AI-powered chatbot that will be integrated into its devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets. This tool will automatically answer calls, process requests, and respond on behalf of users. Meanwhile, Salesforce’s Service Assistant—formerly known as Salesforce Service Planner—has launched on Service Cloud. Designed to support live agents, it generates step-by-step plans for resolving customer inquiries by analyzing intent, case history, and customer context. For optimal performance, Salesforce recommends integrating it with Data Cloud and the contact center knowledge base. With this expanded partnership, Google and Salesforce are setting the stage for businesses to leverage cutting-edge AI technology, driving innovation and operational efficiency across industries. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

March 6, 2025in Agentforce Platform, Agentic AI, Data, Enterprise, Google, Salesforce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Salesforce Data Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud, Technology

23Feb

Transforming Customer Service with Voice AI

Transforming Customer Service with Voice AI: Moving Beyond Outdated IVR Systems When customers need support, they still overwhelmingly turn to the phone — voice is used in 77% of all customer interactions. Despite the rise of digital channels, the simplicity and immediacy of speaking to a human remain unmatched, especially for complex or time-sensitive issues. Yet, for many businesses, phone support remains tied to outdated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, which often frustrate customers instead of resolving their issues. In fact, 68% of customers report dissatisfaction with traditional IVR systems, citing their inability to handle complex requests, rigid menu structures, and lack of personalization. The result? Customers frequently press “0” just to bypass the system and speak with a human agent — negating the very purpose of automation. But now, Voice AI is changing that dynamic. Unlike traditional IVRs, Voice AI leverages conversational intelligence to engage customers in natural, human-like dialogues. It understands context, processes complex requests, and delivers personalized solutions — all while learning and improving over time. The result is faster resolutions, higher customer satisfaction, and a dramatically reduced workload for human agents. Why Traditional IVR Systems Fall Short Despite their widespread use, IVR systems are riddled with limitations that negatively impact both customer experience and operational efficiency. 1. High Call Deflection Rates Traditional IVR systems often lead to high call deflection rates, where customers immediately press “0” to bypass the system and speak to a human. This happens because menu-based prompts rarely address complex queries, forcing customers through frustrating navigation loops. 2. Rigid Menu Structures IVRs operate through predefined, menu-driven interactions, limiting customers to a small set of options. This structure fails to accommodate complex, multi-faceted issues, resulting in customers being transferred between departments or disconnected mid-call. 3. Poor Integration with Business Systems Many IVRs lack seamless integration with CRM, billing, or order management systems, preventing agents from accessing real-time data. As a result, customers are often forced to repeat information or receive outdated or inaccurate responses. 4. Limited Problem-Solving Capabilities Traditional IVRs are only capable of handling simple, repetitive tasks — like checking an account balance or resetting a password. For complex issues that require critical thinking, IVRs fall short, ultimately requiring human intervention. 5. Lack of Personalization IVRs treat every customer interaction the same. Without access to customer history or context, the experience feels generic and impersonal, leaving customers dissatisfied. Voice AI: The New Standard for Customer Service Voice AI transforms phone-based support by enabling natural, human-like conversations. Built on large language models (LLMs) and conversational AI, Voice AI can listen, understand, and resolve customer requests — in real time — without requiring human assistance. Here’s how Voice AI elevates the customer experience: ✅ Conversational Interactions (Not Menu-Driven) Unlike IVRs, Voice AI agents engage in fluid, natural dialogues with customers. Instead of listening to long menu prompts, customers can simply state their problem in their own words, and the AI will interpret, process, and respond accordingly. For example, a customer might say:👉 “I need to change my shipping address.”The Voice AI will: No menus. No buttons. Just fast, human-like conversations. ✅ Real-Time Data Access Voice AI integrates seamlessly with CRM platforms, order management systems, and billing tools, allowing it to pull real-time customer information. This means: This significantly reduces resolution times and minimizes the need for human escalation. ✅ Smart Escalation for Complex Cases When Voice AI encounters an issue it cannot resolve, it automatically escalates the call to a live agent — with full context of the conversation. This eliminates the need for customers to repeat themselves and ensures a seamless handoff to human support. Additionally, Voice AI can analyze customer sentiment, detecting frustration or urgency. For example: ✅ Continuous Learning and Improvement Unlike IVRs, Voice AI gets smarter over time. Every interaction feeds the AI model, allowing it to improve response accuracy, anticipate common issues, and enhance the overall customer experience. This self-learning capability reduces the workload on human agents while continually improving resolution rates. Key Benefits of Voice AI in Customer Service 🚀 Faster Resolution Times By eliminating menu-based navigation and enabling natural conversations, Voice AI resolves common customer issues in minutes, not hours. 📉 Reduced Call Transfers Voice AI minimizes the need for customers to repeat themselves or get transferred between departments, significantly improving first-call resolution rates. 🎯 Personalized Customer Experiences With access to customer history and real-time data, Voice AI can offer tailored solutions — enhancing customer satisfaction and building long-term loyalty. 📊 Scalable, 24/7 Support Unlike human agents, Voice AI can handle hundreds of concurrent calls at any hour of the day, ensuring consistent, high-quality support without increasing operational costs. Real-World Use Cases of Voice AI 1. Customer Service Automation Forward-thinking companies are using Voice AI agents to handle routine tasks like: But beyond routine tasks, Voice AI excels at resolving complex issues, like: This dramatically reduces wait times and call volumes, while ensuring faster and more effective resolutions. 2. Sentiment Analysis & Real-Time Insights Voice AI can analyze the tone and sentiment of a caller’s voice to identify frustration, urgency, or dissatisfaction. In real-time, it can: 3. Multilingual Support Voice AI supports multiple languages, allowing businesses to scale their customer service globally. Whether the caller speaks English, Spanish, or French, Voice AI can understand, respond, and resolve issues without language barriers. The Future of Customer Service is Voice AI Customer expectations have shifted — they want fast, human-like support without long wait times or clunky IVR menus. Voice AI delivers exactly that. By replacing outdated IVR systems with intelligent, conversational Voice AI, businesses can: The future of customer service doesn’t lie in pressing buttons — it lies in natural, seamless conversations powered by AI. Companies that embrace Voice AI now will not only meet rising customer expectations but will also drive significant efficiency gains across their operations. ✅ Ready to transform your customer support with Voice AI?Learn how Voice AI can help you reduce call times, increase first-call resolutions, and improve customer satisfaction — all while reducing

February 23, 2025in Data

Service Cloud or Sales Cloud for Service

4 Reasons to Use Salesforce Service Cloud Over Sales Cloud’s Standard Case Functionality When businesses aim to elevate their customer support operations, Salesforce is often their platform of choice. While Sales Cloud and Service Cloud both help manage customer interactions, their core purposes differ. Sales Cloud focuses on managing the sales pipeline, whereas Service Cloud is specifically designed to optimize customer service and support processes. Here are four compelling reasons to choose Service Cloud for your customer support needs. 1. Advanced Case Management Features Service Cloud offers robust tools to manage customer cases with efficiency, far surpassing the basic case functionality available in Sales Cloud. Key Service Cloud Features: While Sales Cloud does support basic case management, it lacks these advanced features. Attempting to replicate them in Sales Cloud often requires extensive customization and development. 2. Omni-Channel Support for Seamless Customer Communication Modern customer service spans multiple channels, including chat, email, phone, and social media. Service Cloud provides powerful omni-channel capabilities to unify communication across all these touchpoints—something Sales Cloud does not offer. Key Service Cloud Features: Sales Cloud’s functionality centers on sales processes, leaving it without native support for omni-channel routing or social media integrations for customer support. 3. Knowledge Base for Self-Service and Agent Efficiency Service Cloud enables organizations to build and maintain a knowledge base, empowering both customers and agents with quick access to solutions. Key Service Cloud Features: Sales Cloud does not include tools for creating a knowledge base, self-service portals, or case deflection, as it is designed primarily for sales teams. 4. Entitlements and Service Contracts for Enhanced Customer Support Service Cloud provides specialized tools for managing entitlements and service contracts, ensuring customers receive the level of support they’re entitled to. Key Service Cloud Features: Sales Cloud does not offer dedicated features for managing entitlements or service contracts, limiting its utility for businesses focused on structured customer support. Why Service Cloud is the Better Choice for Customer Support While Sales Cloud is a powerful tool for managing sales pipelines, it falls short in addressing the complex needs of modern customer support. Service Cloud provides: If your priority is delivering exceptional customer support and enhancing customer satisfaction, Service Cloud is the clear choice. With its comprehensive features, your support team will be empowered to work more efficiently, resolve issues faster, and provide outstanding service across all channels. Invest in Service Cloud to transform your support operations and create seamless, satisfying experiences for your customers. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

January 6, 2025in Salesforce, Salesforce Service Cloud

10Oct

Zendesk Launches AI Agent Builder

Zendesk Launches AI Agent Builder and Enhances Agent Copilot Zendesk has unveiled its AI Agent Builder, a key feature in a series of significant updates across its platform. This new tool enables customer service teams to create bots—now referred to as “AI Agents”—using natural language descriptions. For example, a user might input: “A customer wants to return a product.” The AI Agent Builder will recognize the scenario and automatically create a framework for the AI Agent, which can then be reviewed, tested, and deployed. This framework might include essential steps like checking the order number, verifying the items for return, and cross-referencing the return policy. Matthias Goehler, CTO for EMEA at Zendesk, explains, “You can define any number of workflows in the same straightforward manner. The best part is that business users can do this without needing to design complex flowcharts or decision trees.” However, developers may still need to consult an API when creating AI Agents that interact with multiple third-party applications. Other Enhancements to Zendesk’s AI Agents The AI Agent Builder simplifies the automation of customer interactions that involve multiple steps. For more straightforward queries, Zendesk can connect a single AI Agent to trusted knowledge sources, allowing it to autonomously provide answers. Recently, the vendor has expanded this capability to email and strengthened its partnership with Poly.AI to integrate conversational AI capabilities into the voice channel. Goehler remarked, “When I first heard a Poly bot, I thought it was a human; it even had subtle dialects and varied pacing.” This natural-sounding voice, combined with real-time data processing, enables the bot to understand customer intent and guide them through various processes. Zendesk aims to help customers automate up to 80 percent of their service inquiries. However, Goehler acknowledges that some situations will always require human intervention, whether due to case complexity or customer preferences. Therefore, the company continues to enhance its Agent Copilot, which now includes several new features. The “Enhanced” Zendesk Agent Copilot One of the most exciting new features in Agent Copilot is its “Procedure” capability. This allows contact centers to define specific procedures for the Copilot to execute on behalf of live agents. Users can specify these procedures in natural language, such as: “Do this first, then this, and finally this.” During live interactions, agents can request the Copilot to carry out tasks like scheduling appointments or sending shipping labels. The Copilot can also proactively suggest procedures, share recommended responses, and offer guidance through its new “auto-assist” mode. While the live agent remains in control, they can approve the Copilot’s suggestions, allowing it to handle much of the workload. Goehler noted, “If the agent wants to adjust something, they can do that, too. The AI continues to suggest steps and solutions.” This feature is particularly beneficial for companies facing high staff turnover, as it allows new agents to quickly adapt with consistent, high-quality guidance. Zendesk has also introduced Agent Copilot for Voice, making many of its capabilities accessible during customer calls. Agents will receive live call insights and relevant knowledge base content to enhance their interactions. Elsewhere at Zendesk 2024 has been a transformative year for Zendesk. The company has entered the workforce engagement management (WEM) market with acquisitions of Klaus and Tymeshift. This follows the integration of Ultimate, which laid the groundwork for the new Zendesk AI Agents and significantly enhanced the vendor’s conversational AI expertise. Additionally, Zendesk has developed a customer messaging app in collaboration with Meta, established a venture arm for AI startups, and announced new partnerships with AWS and Anthropic. Notably, Zendesk has gained attention for introducing an “industry-first” outcome-based pricing model. This move is significant as many CCaaS and CRM vendors, facing pressure from AI solutions that reduce headcounts, have traditionally relied on seat-based pricing models. By adopting outcome-based pricing, Zendesk ensures that customers only pay more when they achieve desired outcomes, addressing a key challenge in the industry. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

October 10, 2024in Data

19Sep

Vonage Premier for Salesforce Service Cloud Voice

HOLMDEL, N.J., Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation and a part of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), is one of the first contact center providers to join Salesforce’s Bring Your Own Channel for Contact Center as a Service (BYOC for CCaaS) pilot program. With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage Premier for Salesforce Service Cloud Voice customers will have the ability to integrate Vonage omnichannel and AI-powered capabilities into their existing contact center solutions, including voice, SMS, chat, social messaging apps like WhatsApp, and more – delivering faster resolution times and creating a more native, personalized and meaningful experience for customers by connecting with them on their channel of choice. “We are very excited to have Vonage, a leading Salesforce Service Cloud Voice partner, take this very important step to expand its deep Salesforce integration through BYOC for CCaaS, delivering the omnichannel capabilities – and the APIs to enable them – that create the kind of customer experiences that drive meaningful engagement,” said Tony Flores, Senior Director of Product Management for Salesforce. With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice customers will now be able to connect with customers across various communications channels, as well as access data insights and AI-based agent productivity tools, to create a better overall customer journey and a more productive and efficient agent experience. The solution’s single routing and agent capacity model also increases contact center capacity, leading to more customer interactions being resolved better and faster. Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) is also provided through Vonage’s seamless integrations with leading WEM solutions Verint, Calabrio Teleopti, Playvox and injixo, ensuring optimum planning, scheduling, tracking, and management of the contact center workforce. “Today’s contact center agents play a vital role in support of the businesses they represent and in meeting the increasing demands of tech-savvy customers who want to connect from anywhere, on their preferred communications channels,” said Reggie Scales, Acting Head of Applications for Vonage. “These agents are also frequently working from anywhere and need the tools to access critical information to troubleshoot common customer issues and provide real-time customer support. Having all of these capabilities in a single user interface – omnichannel modes of communication coupled with a 360 view of customer information and key knowledge bases – this is the contact center of the future.” A key differentiator for Vonage as a pilot partner in this program is its ability to source a single AI-based Virtual Agent solution for self-service automations across voice and digital channels using Vonage AI studio – while also leveraging Salesforce for all Live Agent Assist and Analytics needs. Vonage can also integrate its own Vonage Communications APIs to power pre-built programmable capabilities for voice, SMS, social and chat, directly into the contact center – all on one combined Salesforce and Vonage platform. This singular view also enhances efficiency by keeping agents and supervisors in a single Salesforce desktop to eliminate application switching and the need to toggle between screens. “Modern contact centers are experiencing increasing pressure and demand to deliver better, more personalized, omnichannel interactions, as well as quicker and more accurate responses to customer issues,” said Jim Lundy, CEO, Founder & Lead Analyst, Aragon Research. “With BYOC for CCaaS, Vonage aims to address the increasing demand for a unified and customizable customer experience across all communication channels, leveraging existing Salesforce platforms and AI-powered insights and automation.” Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice is currently available on the Salesforce AppExchange with Salesforce BYOC for CCaaS integrated capabilities now available for customers to pilot. To find out more about Vonage Premier for Service Cloud Voice, visit www.vonage.com. Salesforce, AppExchange, Service Cloud Voice, Einstein and others are among the trademarks of Salesforce, inc. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage’s Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage’s fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely – providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements. Vonage is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), and a business area within the Ericsson Group called Business Area Global Communications Platform. To follow Vonage on X (formerly known as Twitter), please visit twitter.com/vonage. To follow on LinkedIn, visit linkedin.com/company/Vonage/. To become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage. SOURCE Vonage Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

September 19, 2024in Data, Salesforce Service Cloud

16Jul

Einstein Service Agent

Introducing Agentforce Service Agent: Salesforce’s Autonomous AI to Transform Chatbot Experiences Accelerate case resolutions with an intelligent, conversational interface that uses natural language and is grounded in trusted customer and business data. Deploy in minutes with ready-made templates, Salesforce components, and a large language model (LLM) to autonomously engage customers across any channel, 24/7. Establish clear privacy and security guardrails to ensure trusted responses, and escalate complex cases to human agents as needed. Editor’s Note: Einstein Service Agent is now known as Agentforce Service Agent. Salesforce has launched Agentforce Service Agent, the company’s first fully autonomous AI agent, set to redefine customer service. Unlike traditional chatbots that rely on preprogrammed responses and lack contextual understanding, Agentforce Service Agent is dynamic, capable of independently addressing a wide range of service issues, which enhances customer service efficiency. Built on the Einstein 1 Platform, Agentforce Service Agent interacts with large language models (LLMs) to analyze the context of customer messages and autonomously determine the appropriate actions. Using generative AI, it creates conversational responses based on trusted company data, such as Salesforce CRM, and aligns them with the brand’s voice and tone. This reduces the burden of routine queries, allowing human agents to focus on more complex, high-value tasks. Customers, in turn, receive faster, more accurate responses without waiting for human intervention. Available 24/7, Agentforce Service Agent communicates naturally across self-service portals and messaging channels, performing tasks proactively while adhering to the company’s defined guardrails. When an issue requires human escalation, the transition is seamless, ensuring a smooth handoff. Ease of Setup and Pilot Launch Currently in pilot, Agentforce Service Agent will be generally available later this year. It can be deployed in minutes using pre-built templates, low-code workflows, and user-friendly interfaces. “Salesforce is shaping the future where human and digital agents collaborate to elevate the customer experience,” said Kishan Chetan, General Manager of Service Cloud. “Agentforce Service Agent, our first fully autonomous AI agent, will revolutionize service teams by not only completing tasks autonomously but also augmenting human productivity. We are reimagining customer service for the AI era.” Why It Matters While most companies use chatbots today, 81% of customers would still prefer to speak to a live agent due to unsatisfactory chatbot experiences. However, 61% of customers express a preference for using self-service options for simpler issues, indicating a need for more intelligent, autonomous agents like Agentforce Service Agent that are powered by generative AI. The Future of AI-Driven Customer Service Agentforce Service Agent has the ability to hold fluid, intelligent conversations with customers by analyzing the full context of inquiries. For instance, a customer reaching out to an online retailer for a return can have their issue fully processed by Agentforce, which autonomously handles tasks such as accessing purchase history, checking inventory, and sending follow-up satisfaction surveys. With trusted business data from Salesforce’s Data Cloud, Agentforce generates accurate and personalized responses. For example, a telecommunications customer looking for a new phone will receive tailored recommendations based on data such as purchase history and service interactions. Advanced Guardrails and Quick Setup Agentforce Service Agent leverages the Einstein Trust Layer to ensure data privacy and security, including the masking of personally identifiable information (PII). It can be quickly activated with out-of-the-box templates and pre-existing Salesforce components, allowing companies to equip it with customized skills faster using natural language instructions. Multimodal Innovation Across Channels Agentforce Service Agent supports cross-channel communication, including messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and SMS, as well as self-service portals. It even understands and responds to images, video, and audio. For example, if a customer sends a photo of an issue, Agentforce can analyze it to provide troubleshooting steps or even recommend replacement products. Seamless Handoffs to Human Agents If a customer’s inquiry requires human attention, Agentforce seamlessly transfers the conversation to a human agent who will have full context, avoiding the need for the customer to repeat information. For example, a life insurance company might program Agentforce to escalate conversations if a customer mentions sensitive topics like loss or death. Similarly, if a customer requests a return outside of the company’s policy window, Agentforce can recommend that a human agent make an exception. Customer Perspective “Agentforce Service Agent’s speed and accuracy in handling inquiries is promising. It responds like a human, adhering to our diverse, country-specific guidelines. I see it becoming a key part of our service team, freeing human agents to handle higher-value issues.” — George Pokorny, SVP of Global Customer Success, OpenTable. Content updated October 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

July 16, 2024in Agentforce Platform, Data, Einstein 1 Platform, Generative AI, Salesforce

26Jun

Salesforce Instance Refresh Maintenance

Preparing for Instance Refresh in Your Organization To support your organization’s ongoing growth, Salesforce occasionally performs an instance refresh, which involves upgrading the infrastructure in their data centers. After this maintenance, your instance will transition to a new data center, and its name will change. This process ensures we continue to deliver the high performance you’ve come to expect from Salesforce. Salesforce Instance Refresh Maintenance. Following these best practices will make this maintenance seamless. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about instance refresh maintenance. Note: This document is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a legal or binding agreement. Salesforce may modify its policies and practices at its sole discretion. Frequently Asked Questions Salesforce Instance Refresh Maintenance Conclusion Staying informed and prepared for instance refreshes ensures a smooth transition and continued high performance of Salesforce. Follow best practices, adjust configurations as needed, and utilize the provided resources for a seamless experience. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

June 26, 2024in Hyperforce, Mulesoft

10May

Salesforce Legacy Chat Service Retirement

Salesforce is retiring their legacy Chat service (formerly Live Agent) including LiveAgent, Salesforce Chat, Embedded Chat and Service Chat; on February 14, 2026. Salesforce Legacy Chat Service Retirement. On February 14, 2026, Salesforce will sunset their legacy Chat features and functionality, and the feature set will no longer be available. Additionally, legacy Chat will no longer receive new features leading up to the retirement date but we will continue to deliver critical trust updates until the retirement date. Why is Salesforce Legacy Chat Service Retiring? In Summer ’22, Salesforce released a new first-party chat product and feature set. Messaging for In-App and Web, the new product, is built on Hyperforce and offers many of the Chat features that customers love. It also supports asynchronous and persistent conversations that can be picked back up at any time. You can continue using your current Chat services and implementations through the announced retirement date. However, all customers will need to migrate to Salesforce’s new Messaging for In-App and Web service before the announced retirement date. Affected Salesforce Clouds Service Cloud Unlimited + Edition Service Cloud – Unlimited Edition Service Cloud – Performance Edition Service Cloud – Performance Edition 1 Service Cloud – Einstein 1 Edition Sales and Service Cloud Unlimited Edition All Industry Cloud Unlimited Edition Service Cloud Enterprise Edition + Digital Engagement Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition + Digital Engagement Sales Cloud Unlimited Edition + Digital Engagement Sales and Service Cloud Enterprise Edition Edition + Digital Engagement Contact Tectonic if you need assistance preparing for these changes. Review the benefits of Messaging for In-App and Web, and compare the modernized channel to Salesforce’s legacy chat product. FEATURE CHAT MESSAGING FOR IN-APP MESSAGING FOR WEB Persistent Conversations Persistent Conversation History (with User Verification) No Yes Yes Asynchronous Conversations (with User Verification) No Yes Yes Cross-device conversations (with User Verification) No Yes Yes Session Continuity Across Tabs Yes N/A Yes Session Continuity Across Subdomains Yes N/A Yes Settings Route to Agent, Queue, Bot, or Skills Yes Yes Yes Automated Proactive Messaging No Yes No Proactive Messaging by Agents No Yes No Keyword-Based Automation Yes Yes Yes Omni-Channel Sidebar Support No Yes Yes Pre-Chat Form – Visible and Hidden Fields Yes Yes Yes Terms and Conditions Acceptance in Pre-Chat Yes Yes Yes Customize Pre-Chat with Lightning Web Components Yes Yes Yes Populate Pre-Chat API No Yes Yes Einstein Bot Support Yes Yes Yes Business Hours No Yes Yes Custom Branding and UI Labels Yes Yes Yes Multi-Language Support Yes Yes Yes Auto-Response: Conversation started/ended, agent joined, and so on. No Yes Yes Post-Chat URL Yes Yes Yes Salesforce Surveys Yes Yes Yes Estimated Wait Time No Yes Yes Idle Customer Timeout Yes Yes Yes Queue Position Yes No No Public REST API Yes No No Channel Menu Support Yes No Yes IP Blocking Yes No No Sensitive Data Rules Yes Yes Yes Agent Alias No Yes Yes Delete Data (API) No Yes Yes Individual-Object Linking Flow Template No Yes Yes Clone Mobile Deployment No Yes N/A Sneak Peek Yes No No Supervisor and Agent Experience Service Console Integration Yes Yes Yes Supervisor Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Flag Raise and Whisper Yes Yes Yes Transfer to Agent, Queue, or Skills Yes Yes Yes Browser Notification for Assigned Conversation Yes Yes Yes Outbound File Attachments No Yes Yes Einstein Reply Recommendations Support Yes Yes Yes Einstein Work Summaries Support Yes Yes Yes Actions and Recommendations Sidebar Support Yes Yes Yes Right-to-Left Language Support for Agents Yes Yes Yes Customer Experience Inbound File Attachments Yes Yes Yes Emoji Support No Yes Yes Read and Delivery Receipts No Yes Yes Push Notifications No Yes N/A Save Transcript Yes No No Message Search No Yes No Right-to-Left Language Support for End-Users Yes Yes Yes Supported Sites External Website Yes N/A Yes Experience Site Templates: Build Your Own (Aura), Customer Account Portal, Partner Central, Help Center, and Customer Service Yes N/A Yes LWR Experience Site Templates: Build Your Own (LWR) and Microsite (LWR) No N/A Yes Commerce Cloud Templates: B2B and B2B2C Commerce templates No N/A Yes Mobile Publisher Yes N/A Yes Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

May 10, 2024in Hyperforce

15Apr

Self Service Customer Service

The importance of effective customer service, particularly through self-service options, cannot be overstated. Both customers and organizations often prefer self-service solutions: customers to avoid waiting on hold and speaking with potentially uninformed agents, and organizations to reduce the load and cost associated with live agent interactions. Despite the clear benefits, the customer experience with self-service often falls short because it tends to prioritize business efficiencies over customer needs. For self-service to truly succeed, it must be mutually beneficial for both businesses and customers. According to Salesforce’s “State of the Connected Customer” study, 61% of customers prefer using self-service over live-agent phone calls for resolving simple issues. This trend is reflected in the growing use of self-service portals and chatbots, with 72% of customers utilizing self-service portals and 55% engaging with self-service chatbots. However, a significant barrier remains: 68% of customers would avoid using a company’s chatbot after a negative experience. The challenge lies in moving from a business-centric approach to a customer-centric one when deploying self-service technologies. Often, businesses implement these solutions primarily to cut costs, which can result in poorly designed interfaces that fail to meet customer expectations. This disconnect can harm customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run. The integration of AI offers a promising solution. Unlike earlier iterations, today’s AI-driven chatbots can deliver personalized, context-aware interactions based on customer data and history. This capability ensures that customers receive timely, relevant assistance across multiple channels, enhancing the overall self-service experience. When deploying self-service capabilities, organizations should adopt a customer-first mindset: Successful self-service implementation hinges on these considerations, aiming not only to deflect calls but also to elevate customer satisfaction through intuitive, responsive self-service experiences. For further insights on optimizing self-service strategies, join our upcoming webinar discussing holistic CX strategies on July 10. We look forward to exploring how to empower customers to self-serve effectively, ensuring mutual benefits for organizations and their clientele. Customers Expect a Lot from Self-Service, and Too Few Get What They Want or Need Customers expect a lot from self-service channels — more than them just being available 24/365. They want answers to myriad questions or issues, and information about products and services. But the average self-service success rate today is just 14%. Improving this rate is a significant or moderate priority for 90% of customer service and support leaders Gartner recently surveyed. Customer support teams must provide always-on problem-solving across all of the self-service channels they offer — from site search to AI chatbots, to the portal to IVR and messaging apps. To think about the entirety of the modern service delivery model — even as customer demands evolve — focus on a few key areas: Gartner recommends that to meet the support organization’s goals and objectives, the self-service experience should include 11 foundational capabilities. Each improves some aspects of CX and elements of the search-to-resolution process. Together they drive significantly more business value, create effortless customer experiences, and improve overall self-service adoption and success. Here are the 11 capabilities: Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

April 15, 2024in Salesforce

08May

Case Study: Higher Education Software Provider-Higher Education Intelligence-Salesforce Sales/Service/Experience Clouds

Salesforce in a Higher Education Intelligence Solutions Company Leveraging Salesforce to Support Acquisition and High Organic Growth Industry: Educational Technology Sales Cloud Service Cloud Experience Cloud salesforce higher ed software provider A Higher Education Software Provider, formed via multiple acquisitions, services more than 1,700 higher education institutions with educational solutions for assessment and accreditation planning, learning outcome, ePortfolios, faculty activity reporting, course evaluation and institutional surveys, and curriculum and catalog management. Salesforce higher ed software provider. Salesforce Higher Ed Software Provider PROBLEM SOLUTION RESULT Like Related Posts Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more 50 Advantages of Salesforce Sales Cloud According to the Salesforce 2017 State of Service report, 85% of executives with service oversight identify customer service as a Read more CRM Cloud Salesforce What is a CRM Cloud Salesforce? Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for Salesforce clients to Read more Salesforce Government Cloud: Ensuring Compliance and Security Salesforce Government Cloud public sector solutions offer dedicated instances known as Government Cloud Plus and Government Cloud Plus – Defense. Read more

May 8, 2023in Salesforce CPQ, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud, Salesforce Success Stories

17May

What is Omni-Channel Salesforce?

What is Omni-Channel Salesforce? Omni-Channel is a Salesforce feature designed for Customer Service and Console applications that automates the routing of various work items, such as Leads and Cases, to agents. It ensures that work items are assigned to agents based on their capacity, priority, skill set, and other criteria. Features of Omni-Channel Benefits Omni-Channel in Salesforce Enhanced Omni-Channel Setting Up and Using Omni-Channel Key Differences: Multichannel vs. Omni-Channel Route Work with Omni-Channel Omni-Channel is a flexible, customizable feature, and you can configure it declaratively—that is, without writing code. Use Omni-Channel to manage the priority of work items, which makes it a cinch to route important work items to agents quickly. Manage your agents’ capacity to take on work items so that they’re given only the number of assignments that they can handle. You can also define which agents can work on different types of assignments. For example, you can create one group of agents to respond to leads and sales inquiries, and another group that helps customers with support questions. Omni-Channel routes work requests to the most available and qualified support agents in the app. You can also provide real-time operational intelligence to support supervisors with Omni Supervisor. Agents no longer have to pick and choose work assignments manually from a queue, which saves everyone in your call center time, effort, and brainpower. Because it’s easier for agents to work on their assignments, they can assist your customers faster and more effectively and close assignments more quickly. Routing logic is applied when work is assigned to an owner. If field values on the work item are changed after the item is routed, the routing logic isn’t reapplied. Omni-Channel is supported in both Lightning Experience (recommended) and Salesforce Classic. You can run Omni-Channel in both standard and console apps. Route Work with Omni-Channel Use Omni-Channel to route work items to queues, agents, skills, and even Einstein Bots (on supported channels). Depending on your business needs, you can use different ways to route work, including Omni-Channel flows. Omni-Channel routes work based on the defined routing logic. When an agent is assigned a work item, they can accept it to begin working on it or decline it. When a work item is declined, Omni-Channel releases the agent’s capacity consumed by the work item. But the declined work item remains owned by the declining agent until the work is routed again. If the agent declines a work item or doesn’t accept the work item in the specified time period, Omni-Channel doesn’t try to route that work item to that agent again. If an agent accepts the work, they can transfer the work to another agent. NOTE We recommend using Enhanced Omni-Channel. Enhanced Omni-Channel features better and more extensive experiences for agents and supervisors than Standard Omni-Channel, and future Omni-Channel features are developed on Enhanced Omni-Channel. See Compare Standard and Enhanced Omni-Channel and Enable Omni-Channel. Set Up Omni-Channel Set up Omni-Channel to route any type of incoming work item to the most qualified, available support agents in your call center. Omni-Channel integrates seamlessly into both console and standard apps. NOTE We recommend using Enhanced Omni-Channel. Enhanced Omni-Channel features better and more extensive experiences for agents and supervisors than Standard Omni-Channel, and future Omni-Channel features are developed on Enhanced Omni-Channel. See Compare Standard and Enhanced Omni-Channel and Enable Omni-Channel. Test Your Omni-Channel Implementation Now that you’ve got Omni-Channel set up and enabled, test your implementation to make sure it’s working correctly. To test your implementation, route a work item to yourself. Sit back and relax. You’ll see an incoming request notification in Omni-Channel within a few seconds. Manage Agents, Queues, and Skills with Omni Supervisor Manage agents, queues, and skills in Omni Supervisor. Get to Know the Omni Supervisor TabsSupervisors can check the health of their call center in real time using the Agents, Queues Backlog, Assigned Work, and Skills Backlog tabs in Omni Supervisor. These tabs let supervisors see which work items are open and active, who’s assigned to what, and other details such as open capacities and average wait times for customers. Provide Customer Support for Real-Time Channels with Omni-Channel Service customers using their preferred means of real-time communication, including phone, messaging, or chat in standard and enhanced channels. You can accept and manage these types of support requests in Omni-Channel. If needed, while helping a customer, you can reach out to your supervisor to get support. Use the Omni-Channel Component to Work with CustomersTo begin receiving inbound requests from customers or to make outbound contacts, log in to the Omni-Channel component and update your status to indicate that you’re available. If you don’t see the Omni-Channel component in your app, check with your admin. Use the Omni-Channel Component to Work with Customers To begin receiving inbound requests from customers or to make outbound contacts, log in to the Omni-Channel component and update your status to indicate that you’re available. If you don’t see the Omni-Channel component in your app, check with your admin. When you mark your status as available in Omni-Channel, you begin receiving work requests, like phone calls. Work items assigned to you appear in Omni-Channel until you complete, transfer, or decline them. TIP By default, phone calls are taken through the same speakers and microphone your system device uses. To take calls through different audio devices, click the Settings icon on the Omni-Channel component and choose your preferred devices under Input and Output. The devices you choose are only set only for your current browser. For example, if you choose a device for Google Chrome, that device isn’t set for Mozilla Firefox. This feature isn’t available in Apple Safari browser. If you set up a service channel to use the tab-based capacity model, Omni-Channel determines agent capacity based on the open tabs. Each tab is a session for a specific work item. To close the work item and remove it from your Omni-Channel instance, close the tab for that item. The tab-based capacity model releases an agent’s capacity

May 17, 2022in Data, Enterprise, Google, Salesforce, Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Service Cloud

14May

Capacity Usage for Chat and Omni Routing

When agents are assigned to chat buttons that use both Chat Routing (legacy Live Agent Routing) and Omni-Channel Routing, their capacity usage is determined based on the routing method used for each chat. Here’s a detailed breakdown: Chat Routing (Legacy Live Agent Routing) Omni-Channel Routing Example Scenario In this scenario, even though the agent has a total capacity of 3, they can only accept one Chat-routed chat and one Omni-routed chat because their remaining capacity after these two chats is less than 1 unit. Key Points of Capacity Usage for Chat and Omni Routing: This nuanced capacity calculation helps manage the agent’s workload effectively when using a combination of legacy Live Agent Routing and Omni-Channel Routing. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

May 14, 2022in Salesforce Implementation Services, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud

18Apr

Swarming with Slack

Enhance case resolution and field service efficiency by promoting instant collaboration through Salesforce Slack “swarming”. Facilitate quick access to the right experts using Expert Finder, initiating a swarm channel directly from a case or incident. The seamless integration ensures that agents can participate in a Slack swarm without leaving the console, maintaining access to crucial Salesforce CRM data. Your service team comprises individuals working to resolve customer issues. Using a swarm from a Slack channel to engage the appropriate experts and document activities in Salesforce. To start a swarm using the Service Cloud for Slack app, go to the About tab and select the Start command for /service-swarm-start. Alternatively, invoke a swarm from the Attachments and shortcuts search or with the slash command. Press the return key to activate the command. Choose your preferred swarming method and select Next. Swarm in a New Channel: Create a swarm in a new Slack channel directly from Slack. Enter swarm information in the prompted window fields and click Create. Visit the new swarm channel to collaborate with other agents. To update the record in Salesforce, click Finish Swarming or use the slash command /service-swarm-close. Select members to add to the swarm, view the record, or finish swarming. Note that swarm member records are generated when new members join the swarming Slack channel. To reopen a swarm, click Reopen Swarm. Swarm in an Existing Channel: Create a swarm in an existing Slack channel. Enter swarm details in the prompted window fields and click Create. The Service Cloud for Slack app sends a pinned notification to the selected channel, announcing the new swarm request. Use buttons on the request to view information or close the swarm when the issue is resolved. Select members, view the record, or finish swarming. When complete, the swarm is marked Closed, and the case is linked in the first unpinned post. Only open swarms remain pinned for easy access in channels with multiple swarms. In response to recent challenges, a series featuring insights from customer service leaders and experts explores industry trends and tactics for success. The first post includes discussions with Jim Roth, EVP of Customer Support at Salesforce, and Kevin Albers, VP of Customer Experience at Slack, addressing digital solutions, agent burnout, and collaborative swarming models. In a digital-first world, customer expectations have risen. Companies are adapting with tools like live agent chat and digital support. Jim Roth emphasizes the need to meet customers where they are, leveraging digital innovations to enhance customer experiences. Growing expectations have increased call volume and case complexity, leading to agent burnout. Kevin Albers suggests addressing this with proper tooling, reducing cognitive overload, and empowering agents to be part of the solution through experimentation. Transitioning to a Swarming Model Transitioning from a tiered model to a swarming model, where a single agent owns a case from start to finish, has shown impressive results. Jim Roth highlights the benefits of a tierless model, including reduced wait times, retained context, and increased agent satisfaction. The swarming model benefits agents by providing rewarding challenges, training opportunities, and expanded experiences. Kevin Albers emphasizes that empowering agents leads to higher engagement and better solutions. Successful Swarming with Slack Tips for successful swarming in Slack include creating workflows, utilizing emoji reactions for status updates, and leveraging Slack’s public API for advanced analysis. The aim is to deliver an easy and expert experience to customers through faster resolution and collective wisdom. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Salesforce Enhances Service Cloud with AI-Driven Intelligence Engine Data science and analytics are rapidly becoming standard features in enterprise applications, Read more

April 18, 2022in Salesforce Development Services, Salesforce Hospitality Travel and Transportation, Salesforce Manufacturing Automotive Energy, Salesforce Public Sector Solutions, Salesforce Slack

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