Salesforce Service Cloud Review and Pricing

Why We Chose Salesforce Service Cloud for Improving Customer Service

Salesforce’s core product, its CRM platform, helps companies maximize sales opportunities. Service Cloud is the next step — designed to keep customers happy after the purchase.

No other call center platform we reviewed offers more features (both built-in and third-party) or a greater ability to customize them to a business’s specific needs. You can equip your call center agents with everything they need to deliver excellent customer service across phone, text, email and digital messaging — true omnichannel connectivity. When a customer reaches out, all the information an agent needs to conduct a great conversation appears on their screen in real time. You can also take advantage of well-executed AI suggestions, intelligent scripting and in-call supervisor intervention when needed.

We also like how Service Cloud takes self-service seriously, as today’s customers often look to online help centers first. The platform helps you build a knowledge base and direct customers via the interactive voice response system or digital messaging, reducing demand and wait times for live agents and improving the experience for those who need one-on-one support.

Service Cloud is a well-rounded, advanced solution for any company aiming to deliver a great customer experience. For these reasons, it’s our pick for the best call center software for improving customer service.

Salesforce Service Cloud presents customer cases that clearly outline everything your team needs to know to resolve an issue. Source: Salesforce

Ease of Use

Setting up and configuring Service Cloud is relatively straightforward for users with software setup experience and confidence. However, this is a complex and multifaceted tool, so hiring a consultant to handle installation, dashboard setup, call routing and integrations with other apps and your VoIP system may be worthwhile. This adds to your costs but can save significant time and ensure a smoother implementation.

Once it’s up and running, though, Service Cloud is very easy to use. The following ease-of-use features stood out to us:

• Well-organized interface: Service Cloud makes excellent use of screen real estate. The top navigation bar includes a tab for the platform’s home page and another for “Cases.” When agents click “Cases,” they see the work assigned to them and can select a case number to view the full case history. 
• Data visualizations: Agents and managers can choose from various data visualization options to track key metrics like case volume and service performance. Users can build dashboards from scratch or modify existing ones by dragging and dropping components or selecting “Add Component.”
• Apps ecosystem: Thousands of built-in and third-party apps are available to enhance Service Cloud’s usability and ensure seamless integration with other business software. 

Service Cloud’s detailed agent dashboard includes voice, digital and CRM data. Source: Salesforce

Salesforce Service Cloud Features

Below are some of the call center system features that stood out to us in Salesforce’s Service Cloud.

Access to Live Customer Information and AI Assistance

Salesforce Service Cloud helps agents resolve customer issues with excellent data access and AI-driven support:

• Customer history: The integration between Salesforce’s CRM and Service Cloud is seamless. In addition to screen pop-ups displaying caller names (when data is available), agents can view a customer’s full history — including past orders and contacts, current order tracking and information on maintenance agreements, subscriptions and warranties. Having this data on hand eliminates a major customer frustration: needing to repeat the same information to multiple agents. 
• AI assistance: Salesforce’s Einstein AI tool offers additional support — but it comes at an added cost. It automatically transcribes calls and messaging sessions, capturing important details and highlights for future reference. Over time, it learns from real interactions to suggest the best ways for agents to communicate and respond to customers. We were particularly impressed by how well this service is executed and we’re confident it can lead to happier customers and improved outcomes. We also like that Einstein AI provides real-time prompts to help agents resolve customer issues faster and more efficiently.
• AI-based recommendations: The Einstein Recommendation Builder takes personalization even further. You choose which datasets it uses and it connects those data points to deliver deeper insights, including upselling and cross-selling suggestions based on customer history. Agents receive timely, relevant prompts during calls to help make each interaction more meaningful and effective.

The Einstein Recommendation Builder helps businesses create personalized product or content recommendations for customers. Source: Salesforce

Call and Message Queuing

We appreciate Salesforce Service Cloud’s strong omnichannel queuing and routing capabilities:

• Quick routing: Smart bots can engage customers the moment they reach out — whether by phone, social media, email or text — ensuring they’re attended to quickly.
• Priority routing: Managers can set routing rules based on priority, wait time and agent availability. We like this level of flexibility. For instance, if you run live support, you might prioritize phone and bot chats over emails or tickets.
• Specialist routing: For teams that need to direct inquiries to subject matter experts, Service Cloud supports skills-based routing. You define the required skills and the system matches customers with the right agents. If no specialist is available within a set time, the platform routes the interaction automatically to the next best agent with related skills.
• Agent workload monitoring: We also like that you can set routing rules based on how busy agents are. You can assign different weights to contact types — for example, if emails take three times longer to handle than phone calls, you can reflect that in how the system calculates agent workload. 

Supervisors can access charts in various forms to analyze call data. Source: Salesforce

Management Tools

Team managers can customize their supervisor dashboard’s layout and content to monitor service queues, agent skills and rep activity in real time. The following management tools stood out to us:

• Help tools: We loved the “sneak peek” feature, which allows managers to see what agents and customers are typing before messages are sent. If a manager wants to guide the conversation, they can use “whisper messaging” to send private notes to their reps.
• Monitoring tools: Managers can monitor calls and intervene when necessary. We also like how the Service Cloud Voice feature makes it easy to view chat messages and conversations — a helpful tool for identifying training needs and resolving escalated disputes.
• Service Intelligence dashboard: The excellent Service Intelligence dashboard (included in Enterprise and higher plans or available as a paid add-on) gives managers live oversight on metrics like work volumes, accepted and declined tasks, average handle times, speed to answer and more. Its data visualizations are clear and actionable, helping managers make informed decisions to boost team and agent performance.

Self-Service for Customers

Although some customers prefer the human touch for after-sales support, many want the option to troubleshoot on their own. As they become more confident with a product or service, they often look for ways to get more value from it.

Salesforce’s self-service tools allow organizations to build a personalized knowledge base for customers. We especially like how, when customers are logged in, Salesforce’s AI uses their past order history and interactions to suggest relevant content automatically.

The AI-powered Einstein for Service chatbot is also highly effective at delivering accurate answers. However, this feature comes at an additional cost — you can pay per conversation or as little as $2 per year for a client login.

A personalized knowledge base combined with an AI chatbot can significantly reduce the workload of your live agents.

Field Service Management

Salesforce’s field service management features are second to none and ideal for companies that perform on-site maintenance, repairs or installations:

• Detailed briefs: Before employees head out on calls, you can upload pre-work briefs with information on all scheduled jobs, plus an overview of each customer’s history. Field staff will see everything they need in the Salesforce app. 
• App-based support: If a field worker needs assistance on-site, they can use the app to search internal or external resources with help from Einstein AI. The AI is multimodal, meaning it accepts more than just text input. We love how engineers can snap a photo of an issue, prompting an AI-generated response on how to resolve it.
• Appointment assistance: Appointment Assistance enables both managers and customers to schedule visits and receive real-time updates on upcoming service appointments. 
• Manager insights: Managers can use field service tools to optimize staff travel, monitor work order completions and track asset performance. These insights help identify areas for improved operational efficiency. 

Feedback Management

Use Salesforce’s survey tools to gain clear insight into customer sentiment. While analytical data can help identify patterns, it’s not as precise as hearing directly from customers through survey data.

Built-in AI helps managers create targeted, insightful surveys based on factors like audience, business sector and more. Salesforce then analyzes the results to help you interpret customer sentiment both individually and across broader trends. It can also flag incoming responses that warrant escalation and automatically create a case for follow-up.

To gather more specific feedback, you can build custom surveys and distribute them through your preferred channels. 

Integrations

Salesforce’s app ecosystem is unmatched, designed to meet real customer needs. More than 5,600 prebuilt, third-party integrations are available in the vendor’s AppExchange, offering functionality that few competitors can rival.

Users can access apps that enhance service and support dashboards, enabling agents to:

• Communicate in multiple languages via live chat.
• Use survey tools to gather customer feedback after every interaction.
• Leverage advanced omnichannel lead and case assignment tools that match cases to agent skill level and streamline complaint escalation.
• Take advantage of industry-specific solutions, such as Vlocity for healthcare organizations.

The more complex your business, the more likely you are to find the functionality you need either built into Salesforce or available through the AppExchange. Note: You’ll need to be on the Pro Suite or higher to access AppExchange.

Salesforce integrates seamlessly with numerous applications, including Slack for internal communication. Source: Salesforce

Pricing

Salesforce Service Cloud offers five subscription tiers with varying features. Salesforce provides a free 30-day trial and contracts are generally annual. The more users you enroll — and the longer the commitment — the more potential you have for plan discounts.

Add-on pricing

Some frequently used paid add-ons include:

Implementation and Onboarding

Salesforce Service Cloud’s intuitive user interface makes daily use and customization a breeze. However, initial setup can be complex because of the platform’s sheer volume of features. Without a clear plan for how you intend to use the system, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and delay rollout. We recommend launching in stages — start with a basic configuration and expand your feature use over time.

Setting up an account is simple, but the full implementation process can take time:

1. Once you have an account, log in and find the Service Setup Assistant. You’ll be guided through initial configurations, including setting business hours, support holidays, case management rules, service-level agreements and more. 
2. Next, import your data into Service Cloud. 
3. Customize dashboards for agents, supervisors and other users. Then, use the drag-and-drop interface to automate your first workflows.
4. You can also configure Einstein AI to manage cases, monitor service standards and support omnichannel routing (if enabled).

Many businesses hire an external Salesforce developer or implementation partner to tailor the system to their needs. While this adds to the price, it can be more efficient and cost-effective than risking errors or delays with a do-it-yourself approach.

Customer Support

Salesforce has three customer support plans: Standard, Premier and Signature: 

• Standard Success Plan: This plan is included with all licenses and provides access to self-help resources, including frequently asked questions (FAQs), how-to guides and the Trailblazer Community, an expert forum for knowledge sharing. 
• Premier Success Plan: Included with the Unlimited and Einstein 1 Service plans or available separately for 30 percent of your license fee. This tier includes 24/7 support via phone, live chat and online ticketing, along with onboarding assistance, expert guidance and personalized recommendations. 
• Signature Success Plan: Pricing for this plan is available upon request. It includes Salesforce’s fastest 24/7 support, a designated customer success manager, regular system health checks and ongoing training sessions.  

In our experience with Salesforce, the vendor’s customer support team was quick to respond on live chat and very open and clear with their answers.

Limitations

Salesforce Service Cloud is an excellent call center system, but it’s not right for every business. We identified the following limitations:

• Complexity: Many small businesses offering straightforward products or services may not need this platform’s extensive functionality — and could end up paying for features they never use. Read our RingCentral Omnichannel CX review for a simpler, potentially more suitable alternative.
• Expense: Service Cloud’s per-user charges can quickly add up. For example, you’ll pay at least $150 per user, per month for omnichannel features with phone access — a significant investment for many businesses. You’ll also need to budget for enhanced support or other premium add-ons. For a more budget-conscious solution, check out our GoTo Contact Center review.

While there’s no better platform for companies with high-value clients and complex service needs, it may be less ideal for businesses with simpler requirements and tighter budgets.

Methodology

To help small businesses choose the best call center software for their needs, we evaluated the top products on the market. For each platform, we assessed usability, features and the setup process, along with pricing structure and customer support options. We also considered inbound and outbound communication capabilities, integration availability, reporting tools and self-service features. Whenever possible, we participated in demos and free trials to better understand each product’s real-world performance. To identify the best call center system for businesses focused on improving customer service, we prioritized features that make customer interactions more efficient and impactful.

Bottom Line

We recommend Salesforce Service Cloud for …

• Companies that already use Salesforce products and are familiar with the vendor’s ecosystem.
• Businesses that offer subscription services, manage service-level agreements or have clients who regularly place new orders.
• Organizations seeking maximum control over customer communication channels and how they’re configured.

We don’t recommend Salesforce Service Cloud for …

• Companies with low volumes of inbound calls or messages.
• Businesses with limited budgets.
• Organizations whose customers rarely require support after purchase.