Salesforce Unveils Service Cloud Intelligence Engine--Fueling Smarter Customer Service for the Connected World

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, today unveiled Salesforce Service Cloud Intelligence Engine—an added layer of intelligence in the Service Cloud that fuels smarter customer service with data science.

Everything is getting smarter—self-driving cars, thermostats that learn optimal temperature settings and fitness trackers that monitor heart rates—leading to a world where more than 75 billion connected devices empower consumers to connect and engage like never before. This new connected world raises customers' expectations for always on and always present service. Studies show that businesses that adopt a smarter approach to customer service achieve a 91 percent greater year-over-year customer retention rate compared to those that don't. Yet, most companies are not equipped to address these new consumer demands and are in jeopardy of falling behind their competitors.

Salesforce Service Cloud Intelligence Engine: Exceeding the Expectations of the Connected Customer
The new Salesforce Service Cloud Intelligence Engine will harness data science to fuel the industry's smartest customer service, with innovations including:

• Intelligent Business Processes: Dynamically assign cases to agents based on skill set, case history, presence or communication channel—email, web, phone, video chat or SMS. Using advanced workflow automation, the Intelligence Engine can also trigger any business process, such as escalating cases beyond the support department to sales or marketing. For example, a support center can route cases from VIP customers to top agents or distribute potential sales leads to the best teams or individuals equipped to upsell.
• Intelligent Workload Management: Automatically distribute and manage agent workload to respond to the unpredictable demands of omni-channel support. Rather than relying on a manual process to fill an agent's queue with cases, Intelligent Workload Management will automatically distribute cases to agents based on their expertise to handle specific types of cases, as well as their caseload, to maximize their productivity. For example, Service Cloud will suspend pushing cases to an agent if they're on a video chat or factor in how much to decrease the workload for an agent who will soon be on break.
• Seamless Omni-Channel Customer View: Customers can start a conversation on one channel and seamlessly transition to another without having to continuously identify themselves, rehash the problem or bring a new agent up to speed. For example, a customer with an open email case who requests a video chat will automatically be routed to the same agent working on the email case for a seamless service experience.

Comments on the News

• "The Service Cloud Intelligence Engine harnesses the power of data science to improve workflows, business processes and deliver seamless customer service across any channel," said Mike Milburn, SVP and GM of Service Cloud, Salesforce. "Now companies are prepared to exceed their customer's increasingly high expectations for smarter service."
• "We are building the next generation of travel that is highly personal and seamlessly connected across any channel—on the web, on email, phone, mobile, social media— and even at the train station," said Antoine de Kerviler, CIO, Eurostar. "By standardizing the entire customer service platform on Salesforce, Eurostar is able to deliver a single view of customers so agents can deliver exceptional service at every turn."

Industry-Defining Companies Deliver Amazing Customer Service with Service Cloud
Service Cloud, the world's #1 customer service app, transforms support organizations to exceed customer expectations and deliver amazing customer service experiences. Over the last year, Salesforce unveiled Service Cloud innovations that set a new standard for service, including SOS for Apps, a smarter agent console and instant service communities—extending its product leadership.

Industry-defining companies, such as Activision, Eurostar and HP, are using the Service Cloud to connect with their customers in a whole new way. Some companies that have deployed Service Cloud have seen an average of 42 percent faster case resolution, 40 percent decrease in support costs, an average of 40 percent increase in agent productivity and an average of 40 percent increase in customer satisfaction, according to a recent third-party research report sponsored by Salesforce¹.

Pricing and Availability

• Service Cloud is now generally available and pricing starts at $135 per user, per month.
• Service Cloud Intelligence Engine will be generally available later this year and pricing will be announced at the time of general availability.
• Salesforce customers interested in joining the Service Cloud Intelligence Engine pilot program should contact their account executive.
• Salesforce SOS for Apps is currently in private beta and pricing will be announced at the time of general availability.

Additional Information

• Learn more about the Service Cloud at http://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/overview/

Connect with Salesforce

• Follow @Salesforce on Twitter
• Like the Service Cloud on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServiceCloud

About Salesforce
Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: http://www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

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¹ Source: Salesforce.com Customer Relationship Survey conducted March 2014 - May 2014, by an independent third-party, Confirmit Inc., on 4,100+ customers randomly selected. Response sizes per question vary.

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SOURCE Salesforce

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