Chapter 4. Attract, Attain, Retain - The Lifecycle of a B2B / B2C Relationship
This chapter is intended to give you background and context for the three fundamentals of not only Salesforce, but all business.
Those three fundamentals are:
Marketing
Sales
Service
I have elected to devote a chapter to these core business principles in the context of Customer Relationship Management. This background information will be helpful to you if your experience is limited in any or all three of these fundamental business domains.
This chapter will also prove timely to your learning journey, given the next two knowledge areas on the Administrator exam and in this book:
Sales and Marketing Applications
Service and Support Applications
In this chapter, the focus is on Marketing principles first, followed by Sales principles. Those two principles encompass the focus of the next chapter and knowledge area - Chapter 7 “Sales and Marketing Applications”. I have elected to flip the order to first cover Marketing principles, followed by Sales. I will then round out this chapter with the final fundamental of Service, which will be explored in-depth in Chapter 8 “Service and Support Applications”.
The Lifecycle of Customer Relationships
Marketing, Sales and Service represents the full lifecycle of a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) relationship. For any customer relationship, you have to first attract their attention, then attain them as a customer by closing deals, and then retain them by providing excellent service and support. The resulting cadence of any business relationship follows that attract, attain, retain lifecycle.
Think of Marketing, Sales and Service as the three gears of business. When they are operating in alignment, progress is made and great things happen. When these gears are not aligned, or worse yet, operate as self-contained silos, absent communication and cooperation, breakdowns and failure are inevitable.
Salesforce’s DNA
It’s easy to lose sight of Salesforce’s origin story and original primary focus, given their stratospheric growth and maturation. Today, Salesforce offers dozens of cloud offerings. But originally, Salesforce’s primary focal point was the management of their namesake; that of a salesforce.
The proper management of a salesforce, and assisting that salesforce to close more deals in a shorter time frame was their inciting incident at the start of a new millenium. The first cloud in Salesforce was the Sales Cloud. Soon to follow were the Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud.
Salesforce didn’t invent the tried and true principles of successful business. They just mirrored those principles more efficiently when they came onto the scene. Marketing, Sales and Service are the principles of business, and baked into Salesforce’s DNA. Although Salesforce is highly customizable to virtually any business process or scenario, some areas prove more in their wheelhouse than others.
Salesforce Strengths
Salesforce excels in protracted or complex sales cycles where deals measured in months and years are common. Salesforce shines in the one-size-fits-none business environment of large, complex opportunities.
Marketing serves as one bookend to first feed in leads that convert into potential deals to be closed. Service serves as the other bookend, whose goal is to not only retain those customers as satisfied and happy ones, but ones that are prone to come back for more.
This virtuous cycle of attract, attain, retain, at large scale, is where Salesforce is able to turn what is typically considered as a cost-center of service into a lead generation engine. As those customers are retained through that exceptional customer service experience, effective organizations strive to identify and exploit new opportunities to expand their footprint inside of an already established customer base.
Salesforce Weaknesses
Salesforce can do a lot of things. And it is highly customizable to fit just about any business requirement or scenario. But just because it can handle certain scenarios doesn’t mean it is the best tool for the job.
There are many instances of a customer relationship lifecycle that open and conclude in the matter of a 120 second late-night infomercial. The phenomenon that is As Seen on TV has spawned many viral hits that lure the masses into impulse buying.
This Direct Response industry is typically a B2C proposition. And the late-night airwaves have been dominated by such hits as the Snuggie, Shamwow, and OxiClean, to name a few.
Salesforce is not geared towards the short lifecycle of Direct Response Marketing relationships.
While Salesforce can technically be used for customer relationship management in a B2C environment where the sales process equals an attention span of 120 seconds or less, there are other tools that are more catered towards rapid deal closure.
Salesforce has made its name and legacy in the enterprise. And with that backdrop, start your attraction, attention and retention journey with effective marketing principles inside of Salesforce.
ATTRACT - Marketing Overview
Marketing sets the stage for attracting potential customers. Learn how effective Marketing strategies are designed not just to attract a broad audience, but to attract the right prospects who are likely to become customers. You will explore Marketing in-depth in Chapter 7 “Sales and Marketing” applications.
Attraction - the Goal of Marketing
One of the primary drivers of Marketing in Salesforce is Campaigns. You may be familiar with campaigns in the context of politics. One of the goals of anyone campaigning for office is name recognition. It’s very difficult for the unknown to garner votes.
The first goal of Marketing or campaigning is to attract attention. In the context of business, that means raising brand awareness and trying to interest potential customers in your brand, product or service.
Opening the Marketing Application
Click the Marketing CRM Classic app from the App Launcher.
Figure 4-1. 1: Marketing CRM Classic App displayed in AppLauncher
Launching the Marketing CRM Classic App opens the Marketing Home Page.
Marketing Home Page
Figure 4-2. 2: Marketing Home Page
The Marketing Home Page displays a Quarterly Performance graphic as well as the Home Page Assistant. If there are any marketing related items that require your attention, they display on the Home Page Assistant.
At the bottom of the Marketing Home Page, you will find any upcoming events or tasks scheduled for today.
Take note of the placement and sequence of the tabs that display in the Marketing CRM Classic application.
Figure 4-3. 3: Marketing CRM Classic App and Tabs in Salesforce
The default tab is the Home tab which returns you to the Marketing Home Page, as needed. The Chatter tab follows next, where you can access any Company Highlights happening in Chatter for your organization. You can learn more about Chatter in Chapter 9, “Productivity and Collaboration”.
The remaining tabs are where you begin to get into Marketing specific concerns, starting with the Campaigns tab.
Accessing the Campaigns Tab
On the marketing side of Salesforce, one primary type of record, or object you’ll be using would be Campaigns.
Click the Campaigns tab to go to the Campaigns List View Screen. If you are visiting the Campaigns tab for the first time inside of Salesforce, you will see the Recently Viewed List View. Select the All Active Campaigns List View from the dropdown. The screen refreshes to display several Marketing Campaigns, as displayed in Figure 4-33.4 below.
Figure 4-4. 4: All Active Campaigns List View
Note
***Begin note box***
Depending on the data inside of your Salesforce instance, you may see woefully out of date Campaign start and end dates. If that is the case, rest assured that Salesforce will one day update the fake data in these learning accounts they so generously provide. It just won’t be today.
***End note box***
You can click on a campaign to inspect it further. Be sure to click on the Details tab on the Campaign to see the types of data points which are tracked inside of them.
Figure 4-5. 5: Campaign Details Screen
Beyond the various metrics and data points found in the Details section of a Campaign record, you will also find additional records which are related to a Campaign by clicking the Related tab on a Campaign. The Related Lists for a Campaign display.
Figure 4-6. 6: Campaign Members Related List
Campaigns are created to target your marketing messages to people. You can add people to your Campaigns so you can follow them throughout the lifecycle of any potential deals.
These targeted individuals are contained within a Campaign through the Campaign Members related list, which is highlighted above in Figure 4-33.6.
Notice that Campaign Members can be either Leads or Contacts. While it is true that both Leads and Contacts are people, they carry different distinctions within Salesforce in the context of your Marketing efforts. Let’s begin with exploring Leads.
What is a Lead?
A Lead record in Salesforce represents a potential customer. You can access any Leads in your Salesforce organization by clicking the Leads tab from within the Marketing CRM Classic application. The Leads Recently Viewed list view displays.
Figure 4-7. 7: Leads Recently Viewed List View
If this is your first time accessing the Leads tab, the Recently Viewed list view displays. You will find a note in this instance that you haven’t viewed any leads recently, and are encouraged to try switching list views. You can click the drop down next to the Recently Viewed list view, as displayed in Figure 4-33.7 above to select a different list view.
Click the All Open Leads list view from the dropdown. The screen refreshes to display your selected list view.
Figure 4-8. 8: All Open Leads List View
What is an Open Lead?
The concept of an open lead versus a closed lead may cause confusion. An open lead is simply someone who has yet to be converted to a Contact. The process by which a Lead becomes a Contact inside of Salesforce is known as the Lead Conversion process.
The Lead Conversion process is the culmination of a nurturing and qualification process. But before I explore this nurturing, qualification and conversion cadence of Leads, it may be helpful to understand where Leads come from and how they find their way into your Salesforce account.
Where Do Leads Come From?
Leads come into your Salesforce instance any number of ways. Some result from inbound marketing efforts, and others result from your outbound efforts.
You can make outbound calls or reach out through LinkedIn to find new lead records. You may entice people to visit your website, download a whitepaper, attend a webinar, or enroll in a free course, among other examples. Whatever it may be, you’re doing these efforts to bring new people (leads) into your instance of Salesforce.
Lead Sources and Marketing Channels
There are different ways to track your referral sources and how they came to your attention. These different channels need to be thought about strategically and measured so you know which marketing channels bring the greatest return on investment.
You want to think about all the different ways people might become aware of your brand or product or service. You can segment your campaigns by channel to keep track of which channels bring the best results.
Some of these channels include email marketing, which is one of the longest-running marketing mechanisms. Other established Marketing channels would be various advertising on television, print, or radio. You may also find valuable leads at trade shows and conferences.
Leads may also be created through interactions with chatbots on your website. Others may elect to fill out a form on your website.
Web-to-Lead Forms
You can create what are known as Web-to-Lead forms and embed those on your website. Then whenever someone fills out that form, it feeds automatically into your Salesforce instance as a new Lead record.
The Fine Art of Gathering Lead Information
You will find that it is a balancing act as far as not asking for too much information on your Lead forms in the beginning. Your response rates will drop in proportion to the more fields and requirements you encumber your forms with.
The initial quest of attracting attention means you may have to settle for only an email address, or a phone number, and hopefully the first name of the person filling out your form. You can always follow up and start gathering additional details as part of the Lead qualification process. The first order of business is getting the initial Lead. Next comes the nurturing of the Lead.
Lead Nurturing and Qualification
If you’ve ever stepped onto a car lot, you’ve experienced the nurturing and qualification process firsthand. Salespeople ask qualifying questions about your credit, employment, down payment, trade-in, and timeframe for buying a car. Based on your answers, you’ll be prioritized.
Those with good credit, a large down payment, or paying cash, and who are employed, will receive more attention. Conversely, if you have bad credit, no down payment, are unemployed, and are “just looking,” you might just get a business card to reach out later.
Lead qualification questions and the nurturing process helps companies prioritize leads based on their likelihood to convert to an eventual sale. As a Lead progresses through the various stages of a company’s Lead qualification process, the field that is used to track those stages is the Lead Status field.
Lead Status Field
You can click on an individual Lead record from the list view to open up the Lead Detail screen. There you will find the various Lead Status designations available for a Lead displayed in the Lead Path and also available from the Lead Status field.
Figure 4-9. 9: Lead Path and Lead Status Displayed on a Lead Record
You can select a new Lead Status designation from the Lead Path and then click the “Mark Status as Complete” button. You may also adjust the Lead Status field individually by clicking the pencil next to it, as displayed in Figure 4-33.9 above. The Lead Status options display.
Figure 4-10. 10: Lead Status Field Options
Once you have selected the updated Lead Status for your lead record, click Save to commit your changes to Salesforce.
Closing Leads - To Convert or Not?
Not all Leads are created equal. Some Leads may prove a dead end for your business. Or the potential deal that the Lead is proposing would be unprofitable for your business. Some Leads may simply be a bad fit for you to pursue at this time.
There are a myriad of reasons why you may elect to not pursue a Lead further and wish to end the relationship. In these instances, you can set their Lead Status to “Closed - Not Converted” to remove them from your All Open Leads list view. This clears up any Lead records you are not interested in pursuing so as to focus on those that you do.
Once a Lead reaches a certain level of qualification, it is handed over to the Sales department whose focus is on closing deals and attaining customers. That hand off is known inside of Salesforce as the Lead Conversion Process.
Introducing the Lead Conversion Process
You can convert a Lead record by clicking the Convert button found at the top of the Lead record page.
Figure 4-11. 11: Convert Button on Lead Record Page
Clicking the Convert button on a Lead record brings up the Convert Lead window.
Figure 4-12. 12: Convert Lead Window
The Convert Lead window gives you the option of creating new Account, Contact and Opportunity records, or choosing from existing records by searching for existing matches.
If you elect to create new records instead of choosing existing records, the end result of the Lead conversion process is that new Account, Contact and Opportunity records are created once you click the Convert button at the bottom of the Convert Lead window.
Figure 4-13. 13: Your lead has been converted window
Listed are the resulting Account, Contact and Opportunity records that are created as a result of your Lead conversion. Notice in Figure 4-33.13 above that the original details on the Lead record are now populated on the resulting records.
The person represented originally as a Lead record is now transformed into a Contact record. The original Lead record is no longer used in any practical sense inside of Salesforce.
Note
*** Begin Note Box ***
Previously converted Lead records are still accessible by creating a report on converted leads. You can learn more about converted lead reports in Chapter 10 “Data and Analytics Management”.
*** End Note Box ***
The name populated in the Company field on the Lead record becomes the name of the new Account record created from the conversion process. Also resulting from the conversion is the creation of an Opportunity record.
The resulting Contact and Opportunity are associated with the new Account that is created. You will find them both in the Related Lists of the new Account, which is accessible by clicking the account name in the “Your lead has been converted” window.
Figure 4-14. 14: Contacts and Opportunities Related Lists on Account Detail Screen
Notice in Figure 4-33.14 above that the resulting Contact and Opportunity are associated with the Account as displayed in the Related Lists section of the Account Detail screen.
I will go more in-depth on the Lead conversion process in Chapter 7, “Sales and Marketing Applications.” There I’ll show you how to map custom fields on Leads to custom fields on the resulting three primary Sales objects.
With the resulting Lead conversion process and the handoff from Marketing to Sales, your attention on this potential customer’s journey will now shift from the Attraction (Marketing) phase to that of Attainment (Sales).
ATTAIN - Sales Overview
Sales sets the stage for attaining potential customers. Effective sales strategies are designed not just to close deals, but to build lasting relationships with customers.
Attain - The Goal of Sales
The first objective of Sales is to attain commitment from potential customers. In the context of business, that means engaging prospects, addressing their needs, and persuading them that your brand, product, or service is the best solution.
Opening the Sales Application
To get familiar with Sales inside of Salesforce, open the Sales application by clicking the Sales app from the App Launcher.
Figure 4-15. 15: Sales app displayed in the AppLauncher
Clicking the Sales application displays the Seller Home screen.
Figure 4-16. 16: Seller Home Screen
Seller Home Screen
The Seller Home screen, as displayed in Figure 4-33.16 above, is the starting point for Sales reps inside Salesforce. Seller Home is designed to enhance productivity. By providing more useful information at a glance, it helps salespeople get oriented faster and choose their next steps effectively.
Key features include:
Close Deals: A snapshot of your current opportunities, helping you keep track of potential sales.
Plan My Accounts: Quick access to your active accounts, ensuring you stay updated on client activities.
Grow Relationships: Details about your contacts, facilitating better relationship management.
Build Pipeline: A summary of your leads, enabling you to prioritize follow-ups.
My Goals: Set and track your sales goals to stay motivated and on target.
Today’s Events: View your scheduled events and meetings to plan your day efficiently.
To-Do Items: Manage your tasks and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Recent Records: Access your most recent activities for quick reference.
Seller Home is accessible at any time from the Sales application by clicking the Home tab. In addition to the Home tab, you will find a series of additional tabs within the Sales application interface.
Figure 4-17. 17: Sales App Tabs
The next tab located to the right of the Home tab of the Sales application is for Opportunities. Also in the series of tabs found in the Sales application are the remaining primary Sales objects of Salesforce.
Primary Sales Objects
The three resulting records created by the Lead conversion process are considered the three primary Sales objects you will deal with inside of Salesforce.
They are:
Accounts
Contacts
Opportunities
Of these three objects, the Account would be considered the parent in an object-oriented principle (OOP) relationship. The Contact and Opportunity would be considered the child records belonging to the parent record of the Account which they are associated with.
Accounts Overview
Accounts are typically companies, although Salesforce does support the functionality for what are known as Person Accounts. Setting up Person Accounts inside of Salesforce is an involved process which once enabled, cannot be reversed.
The primary intention behind Person Account enablement would be to facilitate more of a business-to-consumer (B2C) Sales focus. While this is a suitable alternative in some instances, B2C / Person Account setup is well beyond the scope of the Salesforce Administrator Certification. For our purposes, moving forward, I will be presenting Accounts in the context of the traditional enterprise approach of business-to-business (B2B).
Accounts are the parent of several different related child records, such as the previously mentioned Contacts and Opportunities. Being the three primary sales objects, they work in conjunction to manage customer relationships.
Cases are also related to Accounts and can be found in the Related List on an individual Account record.
To begin exploring Accounts records in Salesforce, click the Accounts tab from the Sales app. The Sales home page displays your previously selected or pinned List View for Accounts.
Figure 4-18. 18: All Accounts List View
Click on an Account listed in the List View to open the Account Detail screen. The default view of the Account record is with the Related tab selected, thus displaying the Related Lists of records that are related to the Account.
Figure 4-19. 19: Account Related Lists for Contacts, Opportunities and Cases
You can explore the details of an Account by clicking the Details tab to the right of the Related tab. The Account Details display.
Figure 4-20. 20: Account Details Screen
The Account Details screen provides further information on an account. You can also see and change ownership of an account via the Account Owner field.
Over time and through effective Account management, your data that is captured on the Account Details screen will become more robust and useful. Your interactions with various Contacts that work for an Account can and will provide you with further insights to further populate your Account records inside of Salesforce.
Contacts Overview
Contacts are the lifeblood of your business relationships. You can access any related Contacts that work for an Account by way of the Contacts Related List on the Account Details screen, as shown in Figure 4-33.19 previously.
You can also access Contact records via the Contacts tab from the Sales application, which will display your latest accessed or pinned Contacts List View.
Figure 4-21. 21: Contacts List View Accessed Via Contacts Tab in Sales App
Clicking a Contact record displays the Contact Detail screen with the Related tab selected.
Figure 4-22. 22: Contact Related Lists Displayed via Related Tab
The Contact Related Lists include any Opportunities or Cases which the Contact is associated with. You will also find any Campaigns the currently viewed Contact was a Campaign Member of in the Campaign History Related List.
You can find and adjust any details related to the Contact by clicking the Details tab located next to the Related tab. The Contact Details display.
Figure 4-23. 23: Contact Details Screen
You can enter or alter any data related to your Contact record by clicking the pencil icon next to any applicable fields. You can also edit multiple fields all at once on a record by clicking the Edit button found at the top of the screen, as highlighted in Figure 4-33.23 above.
Note
*** Being Note Box ***
You can edit multiple fields on any record in Salesforce by clicking the Edit button on its Detail screen. This mass edit functionality is not exclusive to just Contact records.
*** End Note Box ***
The Edit Contact window displays.
Figure 4-24. 24: Edit Contact Window
From this popup window, you can make changes to any editable fields. Once your changes are complete, click Save.
How are Contacts Related to Opportunities
If you return back to the Related Lists for a Contact record, you will find the Opportunities related list. If the Contact you are viewing was created by way of the Lead Conversion process and an Opportunity was created as part of that process, the Contact will be associated with that Opportunity.
Figure 4-25. 25: Opportunity Related to a Contact Displayed in Related List
Clicking on the Opportunity will display the Opportunity Detail Screen, defaulted to the Activity tab selected as active. Note the Contact Roles Related List, highlighted in Figure 4-33.26 below.
Figure 4-26. 26: Contact Roles Related List on Opportunity Screen
Contact Roles and Campaign Influence
Notice that in Figure 4-33.26 above that Bertha Boxer is listed as the Primary contact on the Opportunity in the Contact Roles Related List. These Contact Roles work in conjunction with what is known as Campaign Influence.
If a Contact was previously included inside of a Campaign as a Campaign Member, then their association with an Opportunity through a Contact Role will help tie any resulting revenue from closed-won Opportunities back to the appropriate Campaign.
Campaign Influence in Salesforce tracks the impact of marketing campaigns. This helps business owners understand where to allocate their advertising budget effectively.
Beyond the Contact Roles on the Opportunity, there is much more to get familiar with related to Opportunities.
Opportunities Overview
Opportunities are deals. I like to define a Salesforce Opportunity as “an Opportunity to do business with another Company or individual”. Opportunities are divided into various Stages as part of your Sales process.
Stages of an Opportunity
Salespeople work inside of opportunities, taking Opportunities on a journey through various stages. These stages are visually represented at the top of the Opportunity screen in the Sales Path.
Sales Path
Figure 4-27. 27: Sales Path on an Opportunity Record
The first Path that Salesforce added to their interface was the Sales Path, exclusive at that time to Opportunities only. The Sales Path is a visual representation of the various stages that an Opportunity will go through, from its origin stage through the final Closed stage.
This Sales Path functionality proved so useful that the collective user base of Salesforce requested that it be added throughout the platform, over time. We will work through adding a Case Path to a Case Detail page in Chapter 8 - “Service and Support Applications”.
Each stage of an Opportunity increases the underlying probability of its successful closure. These percentages of probability are configured behind the scenes and can be customized based on your own real-world statistical probabilities in your business, based on your own historical data.
In addition to the tight correlation between Opportunity Stages and Probability, there is often a correlation between certain data being captured on the Opportunity Details screen to make a salesperson comfortable with progressing an Opportunity to its next stage. Those data points can be entered on an Opportunity by way of the Details tab.
Figure 4-28. 28: Opportunity Details Screen with Probability Highlighted
Opportunity Stages and Probability
Notice in Figure 4-33.28 above that the Opportunity is currently in the Prospecting Stage with a Probability of 10%. You can change the Stage of the Opportunity either via the Sales Path or the Stage field.
Once you save your Stage changes, notice that the Probability % changes. These probability percentages represent the probability for a deal to close successfully and are based on past performance.
These percentages are used to help forecast your pipeline of expected revenue. And as you progress from one stage to the next, each stage gets you progressively closer to a successful closed-won opportunity. If you do close an opportunity successfully, then that probability becomes 100%. If you end up losing that deal, the probability drops to 0 percent.
Opportunity Close Date and Forecasting Impact
Entering the anticipated Close Date for an Opportunity has far-reaching implications in Salesforce. You will see in your Sales forecasting the projected amounts for each quarter.
If you change a close date to a different fiscal quarter, your anticipated revenue numbers are updated accordingly in your pipeline. Once you close an opportunity that is won, its probability goes to 100% and the Close Date is set to today. The expected amount of a closed-won Opportunity becomes the amount that is realized in whichever quarter that you are currently in.
Note
*** Begin Note Box ***
You will learn more about Collaborative Forecasting in Chapter 7 - “Sales and Marketing Applications”
*** End Note Box ***
Closed-Lost Opportunities
Sometimes the best decision on a deal is to not pursue it. Effective customer relationship management dictates keeping an eye on profitability and not just closing all deals for closing deals’ sake.
Inversely, there may be times where you do want to close a deal to attain a customer, knowing that this will be what is known as a loss leader. You may lose money on an initial deal, but it births a relationship from which you can grow to profitability.
If you select Closed-Lost as the final stage for an Opportunity, the Close Date updates to today and the Probability % is set to $0. Although you will never close all deals successfully, business is won in the long-game through lasting relationships, often strengthened by delivering exceptional customer service.
RETAIN - Service Overview
Service sets the stage for retaining customers. Here, you will see how effective service strategies are designed not just to resolve issues, but to build trust and foster loyalty. Chapter 8 “Service and Support Applications” will explore Service in-depth.
Retention - The Goal of Service
One of the primary drivers of Service in Salesforce is the Case object. You may be familiar with cases or “trouble tickets” in the context of customer support. The goal of any support team is to resolve customer issues efficiently and enhance customer satisfaction along the way.
Opening the Service Application
Click the Service app from the App Launcher.
Figure 4-29. 29: Service App Highlighted in the AppLauncher
Clicking the Service app displays the Service Home Page.
Figure 4-30. 30: Service Home Page
The Service Home Page displays a Quarterly Performance dashboard, along with various widgets for Today’s Events and Tasks. The tabs in the Service app include Chatter, Accounts, Contacts, and Cases.
To dive into Case records, click the Cases tab. Your previously accessed or pinned List View displays.
Figure 4-31. 31: All Open Cases List View Accessed Via Cases Tab in Service App
You can explore a Case record by clicking one from the Related List. The Case Details screen displays.
Figure 4-32. 32: Case Details Screen
Case Overview
The Case Details screen provides various details related to a case. You will find a Case Number field, which is often given to the customer for their later reference.
Also noticeably absent from this screen is a Case Path. Unlike the Lead Detail screen and the Opportunity Detail screen, the Case Detail screen does not have a Path on it by default. We will add a Path to this screen to visually represent the Case Status field later in Chapter 8 - “Service and Support Applications”.
Case Status Field
The Case Status field is used to track the status of a case. It behaves in Salesforce similarly to the Status field on Leads and the Stage field on Opportunities.
Figure 4-33. 33: Case Status Field Selections
In Figure 4-33.33 above, you will notice the Status selections that are displayed by default. As with most areas of Salesforce, these options can be configured and adjusted to fit your own unique business scenarios and in this context, support processes.
Absent from the list of Case Status options is the option to close a case. I will work you through setting your Salesforce Support Settings to turn on case closure functionality later in Chapter 8 “Service and Support Applications”.
Although Cases are the primary object from which we provide Customer Service inside of Salesforce, the ultimate goal of exceptional Customer Service is to avoid cases being created entirely. The preventative steps taken to lessen case creation in your organization is known as Case deflection.
Case Deflection
Case deflection refers to strategies aimed at reducing the number of cases that require human intervention by enabling customers to resolve their issues independently. This not only alleviates the workload on support teams but also empowers customers to find quick solutions.
There are several ways that case creation may ultimately be deflected.
Techniques for Case Deflection
Creating self-service portals, or communities, is a key strategy for case deflection. These portals allow customers to find answers to their questions independently through a comprehensive collection of FAQs and knowledge articles. By empowering customers to resolve their issues without direct assistance, self-service portals reduce the workload on support teams and enhance customer satisfaction.
Another effective technique is to encourage customer participation in community forums. In these forums, customers can ask questions and share solutions with one another. This not only fosters a sense of community but also enables customers to benefit from the collective knowledge and experiences of other users, leading to quicker resolutions of common issues.
Additionally, implementing chatbots and virtual assistants can significantly streamline the handling of routine inquiries. These automated tools guide customers to the appropriate resources, providing instant responses and freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues. By leveraging chatbots, organizations can ensure that customers receive prompt and accurate assistance, further enhancing the efficiency of their support processes.
Experience Cloud: Customer Self-Service through Digital Experiences
Salesforce’s Digital Experiences, formerly known as Portals and later Communities, now part of the Experience Cloud, serve as an extension of Service in Salesforce. The Experience Cloud enables organizations to build branded spaces for customers, partners, and employees to interact and find information.
User-friendly design makes digital platforms easier to navigate and use, which helps customers quickly find the information and tools they need. Further personalizing interactions significantly enhances Digital Experiences. By leveraging Salesforce’s data capabilities, you can tailor a Digital Experience to meet the unique needs and preferences of each customer.
Salesforce Knowledge and Knowledge Articles
Knowledge articles are a critical component of Salesforce’s Service Cloud, enabling organizations to provide detailed information and solutions to common problems. These articles can be accessed by both support agents and customers, fostering a more informed and efficient service experience.
Effective knowledge articles should have descriptive and easily searchable titles. They provide detailed, step-by-step instructions to resolve specific issues. You can also include screenshots or videos to enhance the clarity of the instructions.
You will learn more about Salesforce Knowledge in Chapter 8 “Service and Support Applications”.
Summary
In Chapter 6, you explored the lifecycle of customer relationships, focusing on the fundamental principles of Marketing, Sales, and Service within Salesforce. You learned how to attract potential customers using effective marketing strategies and how to utilize the Marketing application to manage campaigns and leads. The chapter also delved into Sales, emphasizing the importance of building lasting relationships through efficient sales tactics, and provided an overview of the Sales application, highlighting key features like Accounts, Contacts, and Opportunities.
In the Service section, you examined how to retain customers by providing exceptional customer service using Salesforce’s Service Cloud. This included an introduction to case management, case deflection techniques, and the Experience Cloud for creating digital self-service experiences. The importance of knowledge articles for empowering both customers and support agents was also discussed. Mastering these core principles of Marketing, Sales, and Service to attract, attain and retain is essential for leveraging Salesforce to manage and enhance your customer relationships effectively.
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