Maximizing agent productivity is the holy grail for all VPs of Customer Support. In a recent study commissioned by Forrester Research on behalf of salesforce.com, the number one problem surveyed companies have is that “agents must use multiple applications to find the information they need.”

This is an issue that our own support organization at salesforce.com takes very seriously. Rather than having our agents login to multiple applications for each of the channels we support - phone, email, social channels, and more - we have them use the very solution we market: The Service Cloud.

Let’s take a closer look at aspects of the Service Cloud that promote agent productivity:

1. A true multi-channel platform.  The Service Cloud aims to solve the problem of your agent opening up eight different programs to do his job. Now, your agent logs into a single application to work through cases from every channel - voice, email, live chat, social inquiries, and more.  The time your agent used to spend logging in and out of a multitude of applications can now be spent servicing the customer.

2. A single, integrated Knowledge Base. Rather than having knowledge stored in disparate areas - old databases, email, intranets - there is one source of truth.  The Knowledge Base suggests relevant articles regardless of the source of the inquiry.  

3. Enabling your agents to go Mobile. Empower your agents to work from anywhere. By utilizing a web-based application, your agents can resolve cases from any location, on any kind of computer, or even a mobile device.  They are no longer chained to a contact center.

By providing our agents with just one application to do their job - and making it accessible anywhere - they are able to respond to customer inquiries quickly and accurately, and in turn, improving customer satisfaction.  Two members of our service organization recently presented on how Salesforce support agents use the Service Cloud.  To view the recording of “How Salesforce Uses the Service Cloud,” please check out the webinar here.