Salesforce Adds Two-Way Video Chat to Service Cloud

Salesforce this week extended the capabilities of its Service Cloud platform by making available a series of plug-in modules that organizations can use to add, among other things, a two-way video chat capability.

The goal of the plug-in modules, dubbed Service Cloud Lightning Snap-Ins, is to provide connected, personalized service across any device, according to Eric Bensley, director of product marketing for Salesforce. Other Service Cloud Lightning Snap-Ins include Cases, Knowledge, Live Chat, SOS and Tap-to-Call.

Bensley says the two-way video chat adds unique capabilities that many service organizations are anxious to have. Instead of trying to describe a problem over a phone, customers can now literally show service technicians the issue they are having by holding their phone up to a device or application.

To make it simpler to plug these modules into Salesforce Service Cloud, there are two software development kits (SDKs). One is for Web apps while the other provides support for both Apple iOS and Google Android devices. Organizations can also use those SDKs to customize the look and feel of Salesforce Service Cloud.

Just about every service organization these days is trying to provide customers with a more personalized experience because the more personalized the experience, the higher the customer satisfaction ratings. And greater customer satisfaction usually means repeat business. In fact, in an age where there is often little difference between the products from one vendor to the next, the quality of the customer service experience is the difference between making that next sale or not.