12 Experts On Elevating The Customer Experience

CONTENTS Introduction 3 Current Customer Expectations 4 The Better Service Challenge 6 How Departments Can Work Together 8 The Service Agent Experience 11 Omni-Channel Service 13 Why Service Matters 15 Customer Service Advice 18 Featured Apps 20 Conclusion 21

INTRODUCTION Welcome to a world where service is the differentiator You’ve seen the research and heard the claims, but it’s also for your business, where customer service agents important to hear from Salesforce customers and partners communicate with customers on a number of channels, firsthand. To learn more about trends in the service and where service is no longer separate from sales and industry from tech leaders who build apps that extend marketing. Of the 2,600 service Trailblazers interviewed customer service functionality, we enlisted Salesforce in Salesforce’s second annual “State of Service” report, MVPs – customers recognized for their contributions to 85% of execs with service oversight believe customer the Salesforce community – to interview executives from experience is a key competitive differentiator. six AppExchange partners. Read on to learn how these Companies are reacting to rising customer expectations experts believe companies can adjust to the changing tide and the potential benefits gained from exceptional in service, and how their apps can help. customer service. In the “State of Service” report, 69% of consumers and 82% of business buyers say personalized Meet Appy, your guide to the partner ecosystem. She’s in the know about apps and really wants care influences their loyalty. And over half of consumers are to share her knowledge with you. Do you want likely to switch brands if a company doesn’t make an effort to know which customer service apps our customers love? Read on to find out. to personalize communications to them as an individual. 3

CURRENT CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS ALIZA MARKS TOM DIVITTORIO CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER Rising customer expectations are a huge reason companies face GETFEEDBACK MAPANYTHING pressure to improve customer service. Customers have come to expect a certain level of service from the brands we all know and Customers have very, very high First and foremost, customers love. Here’s what our experts had to say. expectations for customer service are expecting us to understand because of companies that are them, their business, and what delivering outstanding experiences, they’re trying to accomplish with like Zappos, Nordstrom, and our relationship. They expect us to Amazon. They expect the same be available all the time. Whether awesome level of service wherever that’s through many channels or they go. They want helpful support. just general availability, it’s no longer, They want it to be actionable and “Hey, we’re open from 8:00 a.m. to timely. Customers also have less 8:00 p.m.” It’s 24/7. patience than ever, and deservedly so. They want the right answer, and they want it immediately. 4

DAVE MCCARGAR GADI SHAMIA JOSH GOLDLUST DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT DEEPA PATEL SKUID TALKDESK SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE FOUNDER, DPCRMGURU SALESFORCE MVP Customers are looking for that right- Customers want an agent who No matter the different products SUCCESS COMMUNITY > TWITTER> sized service. Customers, more and has access to all the information that our businesses are selling in more, want an immediate response their company has collected about the marketplace or how they’re Deepa has been a Salesforce MVP since 2012. on a channel of their choice, them. When I call customer service, differentiated by a certain feature She is the founder of DPCRMGURU. Her many certifications include Service Cloud and Sales whether that be self-service, online I see no benefit in spelling my or a certain function, customers like Cloud Consultant, Marketing Cloud Email community, chat support, YouTube, name again and giving my account to do business with companies that Specialist, Pardot Specialist, and Salesforce email, or phone. They’re looking number and providing my full are easy to do business with. But if Certified Administrator. for that specific medium that they history and telling the agent what they’ve got a challenge of being able Listen to Deepa’s interview with Aliza Marks to choose, and they want a rapid I’m looking for, because I already to connect with you, it starts the learn more about GetFeedback, and how the response from their vendor. provided all of this information to interaction off on the wrong foot. app helps elevate the customer experience. the company before. I did it digitally. I did it through self-service. What I really want is an agent to pick up the phone, say, “Hello, Mr. Shamia. I see that your flight is delayed. I have a better flight for you that will get you LISTEN TO INTERVIEW there only half an hour later, and here are $300 of travel certificates. Hope you have a great day.” 5

THE BETTER SERVICE CHALLENGE DAVE MCCARGAR GADI SHAMIA DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Making customers as successful as possible is a challenge for SKUID TALKDESK many companies because of legacy technology and disparate, siloed systems housing data all over the place. Customer service It can feel daunting to choose Oftentimes companies that experts discuss some of the biggest technology challenges facing a starting point and map out provide customer service today do companies today in their quest to deliver better service. a strategy. I believe there’s a it with ancient technology. Many tendency to throw more bodies companies were built in the days into customer service when it gets when call centers were cost centers, tense or overwhelming. That’s a and not in the days where contact very expensive and short-term centers were designed to provide a approach to solving a longer-term superb customer experience. issue, because providing excellent Today, we must utilize the data customer service requires time, that companies collect online, and expertise, funding, and significant provide this digital context in real cross-functional engagement in time to the agent. Then, the agent multiple areas. can start the conversation with, “Hello, Mr. Shamia. Thank you for calling. I see that you’re trying to go to New York next week. How can I help you complete the reservation?” 6

JOSH GOLDLUST RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR “Contact center REBECCA DENTE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS agents are moving SALESFORCE MVP SMS-MAGIC TWITTER> LINKEDIN> Contact center agents are moving Consumers have changed their toward a CRM-centric With over 10 years working in cloud technology, toward a CRM-centric approach preference for communication. approach in order Rebecca is a Salesforce practitioner named to in order to have that holistic Companies with legacy systems to have that holistic the inaugural class of Salesforce MVPs. She’s also 360-degree view of the customer. don’t have the capability to a frequent speaker at Dreamforce. The telephone is the main medium manage those challenges because 360-degree view Listen below to Rebecca interview Tom DiVittorio for customer outreach, and the customers now prefer new channels of the customer.” to learn more about MapAnything and how customer is at the center. So, how for communication, and it hampers its app can help deliver a great customer can you get that information tied the productivity of service agents. experience. JOSH GOLDLUST into a single system of record that What those companies have done isn’t the telephone? How do we is they have gone out and bought get the information out of those a point solution, because they disparate purpose-built systems have seen customers moving to into a much more modern, different channels. IT-based view? LISTEN TO INTERVIEW 7

HOW DEPARTMENTS CAN WORK TOGETHER RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT Customer service is everyone’s job. When service, sales, marketing, AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS SMS-MAGIC and the back office all communicate and have a full view of the customer, everyone benefits. Here are some of the ways that can We benefit when product company — has published their work, according to our experts. management and customer service toll-free number on their product. come together. The customer Whenever farmers have any service executives have direct questions, they call that toll-free connections with the customers, number and the contact centers and they’re constantly working on help them. After the call, they solving customer issues. We analyze send product information to the those conversations and prioritize customer as a way to proactively what we want to work on next. follow up, and in turn, this helps the One of our customers, United company convert more customers. Phosphorous Limited – a global agricultural manufacturing product 8

TOM DIVITTORIO ALIZA MARKS CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER MAPANYTHING GETFEEDBACK Give agents the knowledge of the At GetFeedback, we view our We have interactive Slack channels interactions that have happened support organization as the heart of where everyone can see what our with other departments. When our business. It doesn’t come second customers are asking about or what did we last launch a campaign that when we’re thinking about how to issues are cropping up. And we have touched this customer? When was grow the company and how to scale cross-functional meetings to foster the last time a salesperson spoke the company. It is integral to that communication between teams. to this customer? What was that conversation. When we reframe interaction like? As a service agent, the conversation using those terms, I also need to log my interactions it’s clear that support needs to so that others can see. These be involved in the decisions that conversations are occurring within marketing, product, and sales make different departments, and better about our go-to-market approach. sharing and collaboration is needed. We’ve experimented with a variety of different things. We share voice-of- the-customer reports with our entire organization, so everyone can keep a pulse on customer sentiment. 9

DAVE MCCARGAR JOSH GOLDLUST DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SKUID SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE AMBER BOAZ SALESFORCE MVP At Skuid, there are standing Consider the customer interaction SUCCESS COMMUNITY > TWITTER> cadence calls where information triangle. Customers very frequently Amber is an aunt, runner, volunteer, and sharing takes place between may come in thinking that they’re Salesforce MVP. She has eight Salesforce different organizations to make sure looking for sales assistance, certifications including Certified Service Cloud Consultant, which helps companies design any yellow-flagged information for a and it very quickly turns into a and implement solutions using Service Cloud. particular customer bubbles up to service request. From a customer Amber has deep knowledge of the contact the right individuals. perspective, it’s rarely uniquely one center industry and experience administering or the other, but a blend between and configuring Salesforce. departments. There needs to be Click below to hear Amber interview Dave very tight coordination not just in McCargar to learn about Skuid and how its app can help companies improve their customer the messaging, but in the ability to service. service, respond, or interact with that customer from the first touch. LISTEN TO INTERVIEW 10

THE SERVICE AGENT EXPERIENCE TOM DIVITTORIO JOSH GOLDLUST CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT Customers are not the only stakeholders when it comes to MAPANYTHING SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE delivering great customer experience. Service agents who go the extra mile are sought after by many companies. That’s because Give agents an easy way to gain When customers first interact with a agent retention is a major challenge. Our panel lays out a few ways access to knowledge. If I’m on a contact center, the agent must have to improve the customer service agent experience. call with a customer and I don’t as much information as possible so know the answer, it’s easy for me to that they’re empowered to do the collaborate with peers or collaborate best job that’s in the best interest with the customer themselves. of the customer. Provide short Provide agents with better tools bursts of very relevant, very focused to collaborate. That will empower information. agents to get an answer quickly. 11

DAVE MCCARGAR RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT NIK PANTER SKUID AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS SMS-MAGIC VP OF SALES, CLOUD FOR GOOD SALESFORCE MVP Skuid balances traditional With the right technology, agents can SUCCESS COMMUNITY > TWITTER> support metrics, such as time see any reported issues. Companies to resolution and number can then deliver faster service and Nik is a Salesforce MVP with five Salesforce increase customer satisfaction, while certifications including Salesforce Certified of touchpoints. These are Service Cloud Consultant. He is Vice President checkboxes that are highly reducing agent attrition, all because of Sales at Cloud for Good, which works with structural and easy to monitor. the agents are empowered. mission-driven organizations, nonprofits, and educational organizations to create and We balance that with overall implement strategic solutions based on cloud customer satisfaction and how technology. it impacts the customer success Listen to Nik’s interview with Rahul Shirgopikar rate and where customers are below to learn more about SMS-Magic and hear how it can help customers deliver a great in their journey. customer experience. “Give agents an easy way to access customer knowledge.” LISTEN TO INTERVIEW TOM DIVITTORIO 12

OMNI-CHANNEL SERVICE GADI SHAMIA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Communication styles are changing, and omni-channel customer TALKDESK service is different than it was just a few short years ago. New methods of communication, from texting, to emojis, to Snapchat, Omni-channel is very different so they don’t get too tired speaking, have forced companies to rethink omni-channel service and step between companies. Depending typing, or chatting. up to satisfy their customers. Our panel weighed in on what it on size, some companies decide Remember to design your means to deliver omni-channel customer service. to have dedicated agents for workforce in a way that covers phone, for chat, for email. Some the right channel, the movement will try to blend them through the between channels, and the right day, if they’re smaller. Some will type of challenges. Empower agents implement shifts, so agents can to resolve issues and think out of Jodi is an American transplant in London leading have more than one task. The the London Business User Group, Women in Tech, first thing to decide is what’s right the box, because there’s a reason and the Developer User Group. She is a Salesforce you have humans at the end of MVP working as a project lead at BrightGen, and is for your company. One unique the phone line. Real humans traveling the world as much as possible. example is the Trader Joe’s model, JODI WAGNER which makes it more interesting for want to serve your customers. PROJECT LEAD Check out the interview below to find out more BRIGHTGEN about Talkdesk and how its app can boost the agents by shifting them around SALESFORCE MVP service for customers. every few hours between channels, SUCCESS COMMUNITY > TWITTER> LISTEN TO INTERVIEW 13

DAVE MCCARGAR DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT SKUID We respond to different channels champions, to make sure that end “Omni-channel is with different resources at Skuid. users are getting a high level of very different For example, we have employed response. Through those different brand monitoring tools in a process ways, we’re able to capture customer between companies.” for channeling questions, concerns, communications, and we’re able and requests in a timely manner. to make some of those critical GADI SHAMIA We have a structured way to conversations available to others monitor them, and a service-level at Skuid who need to know goal for leaders in respective groups what’s going on with a that need to respond to questions particular customer. or concerns. We’ve got a process for governing our community conversations, so the technical support team shares responsibility for addressing customer questions and concerns. We also invest time reviewing and interacting with community conversations, as well as community 14

WHY SERVICE MATTERS DAVE MCCARGAR RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT This section could be titled “The risks of not having great customer SKUID AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS SMS-MAGIC service,” as it highlights both the benefits to your brand when you deliver a great customer experience, and the potential pitfalls if you Time and time again, we hear that Companies who don’t follow don’t. Our experts discussed both the opportunities and the risks to service, in particular, has become communication trends, such delivering great service. one of the biggest differentiators as preferred channels of when deciding on a solution or communication, will face hard staying with a brand over time. times in acquiring and retaining SaaS companies, in particular, who customers, and these customers will deliver proactive, right-sized services move to other companies. When increase their chances of renewal you match up their expectations, and expansion opportunities. they act as an influence for your Those that don’t employ this level company. of service experience more churn, and in turn spend more money acquiring new customers, as opposed to maintaining, growing, and expanding their existing customer base. 15

JOSH GOLDLUST ALIZA MARKS DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE GETFEEDBACK We’re working with quite a number Companies will differentiate If one company doesn’t deliver Your competitors are standing right of brands that are working their themselves with the right service on their expected service levels, there to snatch those customers way up this digital transformation capabilities. Or, they’ll start to see a customer can just up and leave. up and turn them into their own curve and really taking a look at that not having the right customer The switching costs are just not that loyal customers. It’s about driving the different types of available interactions leads to customer high. We love to tell our customers customer loyalty and mitigating that technologies. The danger of not attrition and drifting further from a quote from Jeff Bezos at Amazon: risk by having the right processes moving down that path is that, as a marketplace trends. “If you make customers unhappy and teams in place to deliver an consumer, I expect it. It’s what I do in the physical world, they might outstanding service experience and how I work with other people, each tell six friends. But if you make every time. on a personal front. And so, if it’s customers unhappy on the internet, not there, I then start to question they can tell 6,000.” the company. Why isn’t it there? 16

TOM DIVITTORIO GADI SHAMIA CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER JEFF GROSSE MAPANYTHING TALKDESK SALESFORCE MVP The feedback loop exists all the way Technology is developing so fast If you’re not going to build a really SUCCESS COMMUNITY > TWITTER> through. We’re an AppExchange that products that used to be robust customer service to solve Jeff is a Salesforce MVP, cloud fanatic, Salesforce company, so if we don’t provide simple and reliable don’t work all those errors, your customers are admin turned consultant, and Evernote and good service for our customers, the time. What are the odds of any going to leave you, because you’re Disney freak. He has Salesforce Administrator, Advanced Administrator, Developer, Service they can go onto AppExchange, of your food delivery services going not the only food delivery company Cloud Consultant, and Sales Cloud Consultant and write a review. The customer wrong? There are real odds because in the industry. Even the more certifications. has a voice. It comes in the form there’s a restaurant on one side, established companies experience Listen to Jeff’s interview below with Josh of ratings. a driver on another side, a diner that with new technologies. The Goldlust to learn more about Salesforce on the other side. The transaction only way to prevent the two or three LiveMessage and what it can do for the In most industries, there’s now becomes more complex and they percent churn that you have from customer experience at your company. some format for the customer to become more experimental. If this error is providing great customer provide their feedback. And so I you understand that, you also service where a problem occurs. think that the metrics you can look understand that you’re going to at are what your social score is, and make errors. what your ratings are. And obviously, that translates into more traditional metrics like revenue and such. LISTEN TO INTERVIEW 17

CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVICE RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR GADI SHAMIA HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER If you’ve reached this point and feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS TALKDESK SMS-MAGIC Transforming your customer service is a long process for many companies, but you don’t have to do everything at once. Each of Look for solutions that work What are you trying to achieve with our partners interviewed for this e-book delivered some sage advice with existing systems with customer service? Determine your on what you can do to start moving toward an amazing service minimum change. Make sure goal, because if there’s no number, experience for your customers. all conversations are captured there’s nothing to measure against. automatically within the customer Then analyze your customer record. And when conversations service interactions so you can are initiated from multiple support your goals. channels, they should be retained and stored in the customer record. 18

ALIZA MARKS JOSH GOLDLUST TOM DIVITTORIO DAVE MCCARGAR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT GETFEEDBACK SALESFORCE LIVEMESSAGE MAPANYTHING SKUID The first step is understanding your Don’t be afraid of new technology. It starts at the top. Understand Research industry trends. Experts current customer service experience There are great tools to complement how your executive team views such as the Technical Services so you can address and improve it. and augment the infrastructure that technology, and evaluate how you’re Industry Association cast a wide Then put that data back into you already use to run your business. going to move the technology net and have a significant focus Salesforce so you have a single There’s also great technology available forward as part of your culture. on SaaS companies and technical source of truth. From there, you can that your customers expect. Conduct companies at large. They provide develop actionable plans, create trials to understand the impact of insight into the highest value, and workflows, and build cross-functional these technologies on your business. the biggest return on investment. teams to address larger issues. There’s great value in going through the exercise of creating a customer journey, which allows you to identify “Make sure all customer conversations – from pre-sale into deployment are captured automatically.” into production – the key moments of truth along the path to success. RAHUL SHIRGOPIKAR From this exercise you can determine how customer service plays a key role in customer success. 19

FEATURED APPS TO HELP YOU BLAZE A TRAIL GetFeedback Skuid GetFeedback lets you create beautiful, mobile-friendly Skuid makes customer data actionable on every surveys and push customer feedback right into screen, which unleashes engagement and Salesforce. productivity – without code. MapAnything SMS-Magic MapAnything uses location-based insights as well as SMS-Magic uses text messaging to engage, win, and optimized routes to schedule more quality customer retain customers, and creates stronger customer meetings. relationships with conversational messaging. Salesforce LiveMessage Talkdesk Salesforce LiveMessage enables customers and Talkdesk adds intelligent contact center functionality companies to have real-time mobile messaging to Salesforce, which then delights customers with conversations on the apps they use everyday. intelligent interactions. 20

CONCLUSION Companies must rapidly evolve their service investments, both in people and technology, to meet the demands of customers. The reward for doing so: less attrition, better word-of-mouth marketing, and increased revenue. Empowering your agents with the right tools and a full view of the customer can make all the difference. Great customer service can keep customers coming back for more, and with AppExchange apps, you have a host of great solutions primed to help. VISIT APPEXCHANGE.COM 21