{"id":42373,"date":"2020-12-02T00:05:18","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T08:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=42373"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:44:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T21:44:20","slug":"why-salesforce-is-entering-the-workforce-management-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/why-salesforce-is-entering-the-workforce-management-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Salesforce Is Entering the Workforce Management Market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As consumer behavior and expectations continue to shift and become more complex with the COVID-19 pandemic, Salesforce\u2019s role in the customer service industry is also evolving. Today Salesforce announced a new Workforce Engagement product<\/a> built to help service leaders in the contact center ensure they have the right agents with the right skills staffed at the right time. We sat down with Melissa Matross, SVP of Product Management, to learn more about the importance of Service Cloud Workforce Engagement and how this new product will make service teams\u2019 jobs easier, while optimizing processes to meet any influx of customer service demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What is Workforce Management and how has the industry evolved?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Workforce management as an industry has been around for over 30 years and historically, it has been all about operational efficiency \u2014 making sure that service centers have just the right number of people with the right capabilities to meet customer demand. It was very machine-oriented, and service agents were essentially viewed as cogs in that machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, two major things have happened. First, service centers have evolved and become much more operationally complex. For example, more channels have been introduced, which makes forecasting and planning much more complicated and difficult to navigate. Back in the day, it used to be that every agent was on one call at a time, and it was only on that one channel (phone) that a customer was reaching out. Now, with the advent of other channels like chat and text, an agent can handle multiple customer inquiries at once. So a question that businesses are asking themselves is, \u201cHow can we manage our service team staffing needs, while we have agents working across a variety of different channels at a moment\u2019s notice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automation has had a direct impact on the agent\u2019s quality of life \u2014 in a positive way.”<\/span><\/p>Melissa Matross, Senior Vice-President Product Management, Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, AI and automation have become key factors in service optimization, scheduling and planning \u2014 and that’s really where the engagement piece comes into play. Automation has had a direct impact on the agent\u2019s quality of life \u2014 in a positive way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Why does good customer service matter today?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Building a service center fully equipped to meet today\u2019s demands has never been more critical, especially as we continue to battle through the COVID-19 pandemic. Today\u2019s service agent is required to be able to engage on more platforms and touchpoints than ever before – checking email, text messages, scrolling a Twitter or Facebook feed, etc. Further, they\u2019re expected to pull customer data from more sources, log more detailed service transactions, be proactive in customer service outreach, and more \u2014 all to keep up with an ever-growing demand for fast and quality customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to existing Workforce Management solutions, there\u2019s a crucial element of \u201cengagement\u201d that is often missing.”<\/span><\/p>Melissa Matross, Senior Vice-President Product Management, Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Last month, I found myself in a Starbucks parking lot frantically waving my phone in the air, desperate for a WiFi signal. I had moved to a new home the previous week, and with my internet not yet set up, I had to hit the road to do my job. It took five customer service calls, three trips from a technician, and an in-store visit before my WiFi was functioning. The experience was a glaring reminder of how much more the service industry could do to create a better experience for customers \u2014 and why it\u2019s so important that we get it right. At Salesforce we understand the pressure on service teams, and we\u2019re dedicated to helping our customers provide great service to their customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to existing Workforce Management solutions, there\u2019s a crucial element of \u201cengagement\u201d that is often missing. Engagement that frees service professionals from mundane manual tasks and allows them to focus on what matters the most \u2014 delivering exceptional customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Can you elaborate on the importance of \u201cengagement?\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Of course. Engagement in the context of the workplace falls into a few different categories. One is an effort to develop employees that want to do their jobs successfully and help drive great outcomes for customers. Essentially, at its core, an engaged employee is one who is motivated to deliver great service and support the company mission.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Personalized Agent Engagement increases agent engagement and performance by providing real-time coaching and on-demand training from anywhere.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
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