Blueprint to Configuring Salesforce Service Cloud Voice for Superior Support
Exceptional customer support is the heartbeat of any thriving business.
According to a survey by Qualtrics, customers are a staggering 5.1 times more likely to recommend a business after receiving outstanding service. Yet, despite its importance, providing top-tier support often feels like navigating a maze.[i]
In a world where speed, efficiency, and personalization are non-negotiable, businesses face mounting pressure to meet soaring customer expectations with limited resources. Agents, overwhelmed by high call volumes and little insight into customer history, grapple with prolonged handling times, leaving customers frustrated and loyalty at risk. These challenges ripple across organizations, inflating costs and eroding trust.
But here’s the game-changer: cutting-edge technology is transforming customer support, enabling businesses to simplify operations and elevate experiences. Yet, amidst this digital evolution, one constant remains— the phone, a cornerstone of exceptional customer service.
In fact, recent studies reveal that 81% of service professionals say the phone is their preferred channel for handling complex issues—a rise from 76% in 2020. With voice interactions here to stay, the next step is to integrate them effectively with existing customer support infrastructure.[ii]
Salesforce Service Cloud Voice takes this essential channel to the next level. By combining Voice over IP (VoIP) with Salesforce’s powerful CRM capabilities, Service Cloud Voice enables agents to access customer data, engage in more personalized interactions, and resolve complex issues faster than ever.
This article will walk you through configuring Service Cloud Voice step-by-step, covering everything from setting up inbound and outbound calls to IVR, call queues, and beyond. By the end, you’ll have a clear path to optimizing your support operations, elevating both customer satisfaction and business performance.
Unique Benefits of Salesforce Service Cloud Voice
Service Cloud Voice offers unique advantages that go beyond traditional telephony by blending telephony capabilities with Salesforce’s customer service features. Key benefits include:
- Unified Interface: Service Cloud Voice brings all customer interactions—calls, chats, emails—into a single interface, reducing the need for agents to switch between systems.
- Real-Time Transcription and Insights: Calls are transcribed in real-time, enabling agents to follow conversations seamlessly while managers access live insights for better supervision.
- AI-Driven Agent Assistance: Einstein AI analyzes customer interactions and suggests responses or knowledge articles to help agents resolve issues faster to increase productivity.
- Omni-Channel Integration: Service Cloud Voice integrates smoothly with Salesforce’s Omni-Channel capabilities, allowing for a seamless transition between different communication modes and consistent support across channels.
- Detailed Analytics and Reporting: Built-in analytics track metrics such as call volume, customer satisfaction, and call duration, enabling managers to monitor team performance and optimize processes.
- Sentiment Analysis: The system can analyze the customer’s tone and sentiment during the call, giving agents insights into the emotional state of the customer, which is useful for better handling sensitive situations
- 360° View of the Customer: Service Cloud Voice integrates seamlessly with other Salesforce data sources, such as customer profiles, service history, and account details. Agents have access to a complete 360° view of the customer, enabling them to provide personalized and context-rich support.
- Case Management: Valid cases can be automatically created based on the conversation during a voice call with the customer. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication between the agent and customer, ensuring that all relevant details are captured accurately and promptly. As a result, this leads to quicker issue resolution and a more efficient support process.
- Custom IVR Prompt: We can add IVR messages for better guidance of the customer and quick reply and also route them to the appropriate agent as per their queries.
These features make Service Cloud Voice a powerful, all-in-one solution for businesses looking to elevate customer support and improve call center efficiency.
Prerequisites for Configuration
To begin configuring Service Cloud Voice, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
- Admin Permissions in Salesforce: Administrative privileges are necessary to access and configure Service Cloud Voice settings within Salesforce.
- Agent Permissions and Profiles: Ensure agents have the correct permissions to use Service Cloud Voice features. This may involve custom profiles or permission sets.
- Compatible Browser and Hardware: Use a supported browser (such as Chrome) and confirm that your system meets the technical requirements for Service Cloud Voice.
With these elements in place, you’re ready to proceed with configuring Service Cloud Voice.
Setting Up Inbound Calling
Configuring inbound calling allows agents to handle incoming customer calls directly in Salesforce. Here’s how to set it up:
- Connect to Amazon Connect: In Salesforce, navigate to the Amazon Setup under feature settings on the Service Cloud Voice setup page.
- Create a Contact Center: Create a contact center in Salesforce that would automatically sync to Amazon Connect and enable the settings in the Contact Center to make Inbound and Outbound calls.
- Assign Users to the Contact Center in Salesforce: Assign users with the contact center agent or contact center admin permission set based on their roles and add them to the Contact Center in Salesforce.
- Provision a Number in Amazon Connect: Provision for a number to be used for calling by the customer.
- Define Call Routing Rules: Use the Omni-Channel routing feature in Salesforce to set rules for directing calls. Agents can be assigned based on factors like skill level, language, or availability.
- Configure Agent Statuses: Define statuses (Available, Busy, Offline) for agents in Salesforce, which synchronize with Amazon Connect to ensure that calls route to available agents only.
- Test Inbound Call Functionality: Conduct test calls to verify routing accuracy and confirm that customer data appears for agents when a call is received in Salesforce.
Inbound calling configuration allows agents to handle customer calls with access to a complete view of customer data and case history, enhancing support efficiency.
Setting Up Outbound Calling
Outbound calling enables agents to reach out directly to customers from the Salesforce console. Here’s how to configure it:
- Set Up Outbound Dialing in Amazon Connect: Go to Amazon Connect’s settings and enable outbound dialing for the contact center.
- Enable Click-to-Call in Salesforce: In Salesforce, configure the click-to-call feature, allowing agents to initiate calls by clicking on customer phone numbers within records.
- Configure Call Logging: Set up automatic call logging to track outbound calls, ensuring that details such as call duration and agent notes are saved for reference.
- Define Outbound Call Limits and Policies: To manage the volume of outgoing calls, set limits as needed, using both Salesforce permissions and Amazon Connect’s outbound dialing controls.
Add an Outbound Caller Number or ID on the Amazon Connect Queue and also assign a default Outbound flow for the queue being used during Outbound calling.
5. Conduct Testing: Make test calls to ensure the outbound calling setup is functioning correctly and that logs are recorded accurately.
This configuration enables agents to efficiently reach out to customers, streamlining outbound calls with built-in tracking and documentation.
Configuring IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
A robust IVR system lets callers navigate support options or be routed to an agent based on their needs. Setting up IVR in Service Cloud Voice includes the following steps:
- Build IVR Flows in Amazon Connect: Amazon Connect’s Contact Flow tool is used to create IVR pathways. Set up flows for different call scenarios and route customers to the correct department based on their selections.
- Upload or Configure Voice Prompts: Customize audio prompts in Amazon Connect, either by uploading pre-recorded messages or using Amazon’s text-to-speech to guide callers through IVR options.
- Set Up Menu Options: Define options within the IVR menu (e.g., press 1 for support, press 2 for billing) and link these options to different flows or agent queues.
- Integrate with Salesforce Data: Configure data lookups so that the IVR can retrieve customer-specific information, such as case or order status, without needing to transfer the call to an agent.
- Test the IVR System: Assign the IVR flow to a phone number provisioned in Amazon Connect. Test the IVR thoroughly by calling on the number to confirm that all options work as expected, and callers are routed appropriately.
Configuring IVR reduces the burden on agents by enabling customers to self-serve or get routed accurately without agent intervention.
Configuring Call Queues
Call queues manage high call volumes by placing callers on hold until an agent becomes available. Here’s how to set up call queues in Service Cloud Voice:
- Define Queue Settings in Amazon Connect: Go to Amazon Connect and create call queues. Define parameters like maximum queue size, wait- time, and business hours.
- Configure Hold Music and Messages: Set – up music and messages in an Amazon Connect flow to provide estimated wait times or options for callers while they wait.
- Create a Routing Profile in Amazon Connect: Create a routing profile to act as a bridge between the Queues and the Users. This helps the call to get routed to the appropriate users in the queue. We can add multiple queues to a single routing profile and also control the delay and priority of the queue to which the call is routed.
- Assign Queues to Routing Profile in Amazon Connect: Assign Queues to the routing profile. It ensures incoming calls are directed to the appropriate queue based on the routing configuration. This helps manage call traffic efficiently, ensuring callers are routed to the right agents or teams.
- Assign Agents to the Routing Profile in Amazon Connect: Assign routing profiles to agents based on which calls are routed to the agents. This determines which calls are sent to those agents based on the routing profile, ensuring that the right agents handle the right types of calls.
- Set Up Overflow Rules: To avoid long wait times, configure overflow rules to reroute calls to other queues or voicemail if a caller has been waiting too long.
- Monitor Queue Performance: Use Amazon Connect’s and Salesforce’s reporting tools to monitor queue metrics, such as average wait time and abandonment rate. Adjust settings based on these insights to optimize the caller experience.
Call queues help manage peak call volumes efficiently and ensure callers are handled in a timely and organized manner.
Additional Configuration Tips
To fully leverage Service Cloud Voice, consider the following additional configurations:
- Enable Real-Time Transcriptions: Real-time transcription captures call content, which can be used for quality control and training.
- Integrate AI Recommendations: Use Salesforce Einstein to provide agents with AI-powered recommendations based on the conversation context, helping them respond accurately.
- Configure Custom Call Metrics: Set up reports and dashboards to monitor key call metrics, such as call resolution time and customer satisfaction scores, for actionable insights.
- Enable Screen Pops: Configure screen pops to show customer information to agents as soon as they accept a call, saving time and improving response accuracy.
- Test and Optimize Regularly: Frequent testing of configurations ensures Service Cloud Voice operates smoothly and meets evolving business requirements.
- Add IVR prompts in the Amazon Connect Flow: Add the IVR messages to help customers route to specific agents as per their need which minimizes the call time and improves the efficiency and productivity of the call.
These additional steps help maximize the effectiveness of Service Cloud Voice, making it easier for agents to manage calls and enhancing the customer support experience.
Conclusion
Configuring Salesforce Service Cloud Voice is a vital step for organizations aiming to modernize their call center and improve customer satisfaction. By setting up inbound and outbound calls, IVR, and call queues, you can streamline operations and enhance the overall service experience. Salesforce Service Cloud Voice’s integration with Amazon Connect, coupled with Salesforce’s AI capabilities, provides a robust foundation for call center success.
Statistical References:
[i]Devrev
[ii]Salesforce