Salesforce Unveils Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins--the Future of Connected Customer Service

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, today introduced Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins to help companies provide connected, personalized service across any device. With Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins, organizations of any size can now quickly deploy a contextual, modern service experience by just "snapping-in" capabilities such as Cases, Knowledge, Live Chat, SOS and Tap-to-Call to their mobile and web apps. Additionally, the Salesforce SOS Snap-in now has two-way video chat, empowering agents to quickly see and resolve customer issues.

Everyone and everything is connected thanks to the ubiquity of Internet access and mobile–giving rise to a new kind of customer who expects personal engagement and immediate answers. This is why customer service has never been more important. Customers expect service at the point of engagement and a frictionless experience as they move from phone to web to in-app. In fact, a recent study says 61 percent¹ of consumers use multiple channels to resolve a single customer service issue, underscoring why it is critical for companies to provide a connected omnichannel experience. As companies respond and add more channels to their service experience, they need a modern service platform that can help manage growing complexity for organizations, while ensuring that customers get a seamless service experience.

Introducing Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins—Faster, Smarter and Personalized for a Connected Service Experience

In 2013, Salesforce began a journey to deliver service everywhere, starting with service for mobile web, and has continued to extend those capabilities to in-app mobile support.  Today, with the launch of Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins, Salesforce brings Cases, Knowledge, Live Chat and SOS to the web, and is expanding SOS on mobile to include two-way video call support.

New Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins will enable companies to deliver faster, smarter and more personalized customer support with the following innovations:

• New Unified Snap-in SDK for Web: This new web SDK ensures that customers have the same seamless experience on web as on mobile—and can easily deploy Cases, Chat, Knowledge and SOS. Because Snap-ins are fully integrated with the Service Cloud Lightning Platform, agents can see an entire 360-degree view of the customer to provide a personalized service experience.
• New iOS and Android Unified Snap-in SDKs for Mobile: With one powerful mobile SDK, companies will be able to quickly deploy Salesforce SOS, Knowledge, Cases, Chat and Tap-to-Call for Android or iOS. Having one SDK accelerates development, reduces complexity and ensures that companies can quickly and easily snap-in new service options as needed.
• New Salesforce SOS with Two-Way Video: The best service has a personal touch. The new Salesforce SOS takes it to a whole new level with two-way video, which will let a customer and customer service agent see each other using the camera on a smartphone. The customer will also be able to use the smartphone's front-facing camera to show the agent the problem they are facing—like a rip in a newly purchased item of clothing—giving the agent the information needed to resolve the issue quickly. Or if a dishwasher repair worker encountered a problem they could not fix, using the SOS two-way camera the employee could call headquarters, show them the problem and get the help needed to ensure the customer's issue is solved on the first visit.

Comments on the News:

• "Customers today expect service that is smart, personalized and fast—wherever and whenever they are interacting with a brand," said Mike Milburn, GM and SVP of Service Cloud, Salesforce. "In today's rapidly evolving service landscape, companies can turn to Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins to ensure they are providing a modern, omnichannel service experience that harnesses the very latest technology has to offer."
• "Our mission at Suitsupply is to deliver a personal experience to suit every individual customer," said Martijn van der Zee, Marketing Director, Suitsupply. "Since shoppers are increasingly turning to digital and social channels in the overall customer journeys, our business needed a way to completely understand the customer and infuse the digital experience with the personal touch provided by our in-store professional stylists. Salesforce's services like SOS allows our stylists to provide that personal experience - in a digital channel."
• "At STANLEY Healthcare, we're focused on making the customer service experience effortless and seamless," said Amihai Zeltzer, AVP Worldwide Technical Services, STANLEY Healthcare. "Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins will enable us to better support our users at hospitals and senior living communities, and also to better connect with the caregivers when they need it and at the place where they need help - leading to stronger relationships, faster case resolution and exceptional care for any customer using a STANLEY Healthcare product."

Service Cloud Lightning, the world's #1 customer service platform, offers a connected customer service experience spanning from the web to in-app to the field. Industry-defining companies use Service Cloud Lightning to differentiate with service. Companies that have deployed Service Cloud have seen an average of 48 percent faster case resolution, 45 percent decrease in support costs, an average of 47 percent increase in agent productivity and an average of 45 percent increase in customer satisfaction, according to a third-party research report sponsored by Salesforce.² Salesforce has been recognized as a leader for eight consecutive years in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center.³

Pricing and Availability

• Service Cloud Lightning is generally available now and editions start at $75 per user, per month.
• Service Cloud Lightning Mobile and Web Snap-in SDKs are expected to be generally available in June 2016. Service Cloud Lightning Cases are expected to be generally available for iOS in June 2016, and will be forthcoming for Android and web. Snap-in SDKs and Cases will be included for users with a Service Cloud Lightning Enterprise license or greater at no additional cost. End users requiring authenticated access can purchase customer community licenses.
• Service Cloud Lightning Live Agent Chat is expected to be available in pilot in June 2016 for web and will be forthcoming for iOS and Android. Live Agent is $75 per user, per month for users with a Service Cloud Lightning Enterprise license or greater.
• Service Cloud Lightning Knowledge for iOS is expected to be generally available in June 2016 and will be forthcoming for available for Android and web. Knowledge is $75 per user, per month for users with a Service Cloud Lightning Enterprise license or greater.
• Salesforce SOS, now with two-way video functionality, is generally available now for iOS and Android and will be forthcoming for web. SOS starts at $150 per user, per month for users with a Service Cloud Lightning Enterprise license or greater.

Additional Information

• To learn more about Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins, please visit: http://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/features/snap-ins/
• To learn more about Service Cloud, please visit: https://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/overview/

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• Follow @salesforce and @servicecloud on Twitter

Gartner Disclaimer
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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.

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¹ Source: Northridge Group, State of Customer Service Study, June 2015
² Source: Salesforce Customer Relationship Survey conducted March 2015-May 2015, by an independent third-party, Confirmit Inc., on 4,600+ customers randomly selected.
³ Gartner, Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center, 04 May 2016

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SOURCE Salesforce

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