November 23, 2020

What Is The Difference Between The Sales Cloud And Service Cloud?

Bones Ijeoma

CEO and co-founder

Both sales cloud and service cloud have their own features and characteristics. Each of these salesforce platforms have a different objective and aim.

Businesses mainly have two goals. Firstly, they want to market their services or products effectively to attract customers. Secondly, they want to find a way through which they can stay connected with their customers. Keeping these aims in mind, business owners are often confused about sales cloud vs. service cloud. Both Sales cloud as well as service cloud have their own features and characteristics. Where Sales cloud is extremely beneficial for the purpose of marketing and endorsement, the service cloud serves as a bridge to connect businesses with their customers. Before making any decision between the two, businesses should do some research to find the difference between sales cloud and service cloud and look into their features. Only then will they be able to realize the features of both of these software as service platforms and determine which one is suitable for them as per the needs of their business.

The debate between whether one should opt for sales cloud or service cloud is not a new discussion. Both the sales as well as the service cloud as part of Salesforce. And it is important for one to make the right choice and pick either of them based on their needs and requirements. Before making this decision and finalizing which one would be the best choice for you, it is important for one to be aware of the difference between sales cloud and service cloud and the pros and cons of each.

Both sales cloud and service cloud have their own features and characteristics. Each of these salesforce platforms have a different objective and aim. The purpose of drawing a comparison between the two is to elaborate their features so you can determine which one needs to be integrated to your business. Both are cloud based services and benefit businesses greatly. Therefore, it can be rightfully stated that these software as services are an investment towards the betterment of your business.

What is Sales Cloud?

Sales cloud is a Salesforce SRM platform that supports marketing, customer support and drives sales. It can be utilized in both business to client as well as business to business settings. It is a comprehensive platform that combines business analytics, marketing strategies, sales lead generation as well as customer support and service under one roof. This way, rather than relying on multiple applications and platforms, businesses get a one stop solution to all their needs. In a nutshell, it is a comprehensive solution to all your marketing needs.
Sales cloud is generally marketed as a software as service. But most service providers also provide a mobile application to ease accessibility. There are plenty of sales cloud service providers in the market that extend their services for the businesses. Sales cloud comes with a high degree of customizability. Businesses can pick and choose the required services and their extent. Based on the needs of the business, the service providers too, provide specialized price packages that are charged on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

Features of Sales Cloud:

Here are some of the noticeable features associated with the use of sales cloud:

1. Higher Chances Of Getting Better Deals:

Using Sales Cloud, businesses can keep an eye on the performance of their marketing campaigns. As a result, they get important insights on what is working well and which strategy requires optimization. This gives businesses a head start against their competitors and increases their chances of getting better deals and attracting more customers.

2. Detailed Business Analytics:

Through the use of sales cloud service models, business analytics and data is presented on the mobile application. It not only makes it easy to access but the insights also help businesses make better strategies. The detailed business analytics keep businesses ahead in the game and help them draw in more sales and increase the chances of them gaining loyal customers.

3. Easily Accessible Information:

Rather than having to go through huge piles of paper or move to and fro between powerpoint slides, the use of a sales cloud enables business owners to access all information at one place. The interface of the applications presents the information in a manner that is comprehensive and easy to understand.

4. Close More Deals Faster:

Everything from the customer’s requirements to the business resources is listed on the mobile application. Since all the information is available on the fingertips of the business owners, they can close deals faster. Wherever they are, whatever it is, all they have to do is to open the application and then simply close the deals at the cost of a touch.

At the same time, the process of deal closing also becomes faster since everything is within reach and is so easily accessible. This surely makes sales cloud one of the best customer service software.

Who Should Use Sales Cloud?

Now you are aware of what a sales cloud is and what are its features. But the main question i.e. is sales cloud the best option for you still remains unanswered. There are a couple of signs that indicate it is time you start thinking about the best cloud service.

If your company or business is struggling to keep track of customer information, it is a clear indication of the fact that you need to start thinking about switching to a sales cloud. Many businesses face the issue of scattered information. If you find that the customer information and data is stored using excel sheets, hand written notes or via email marketing frameworks and it is making it difficult for you to track down customers and act on time - you should consider a sales cloud. It will help you organize the customer information in a systematic manner so you can see exactly what you need whenever you have to.

Another issue that businesses often encounter is having to prepare company performance reports manually. Do you have a team on board that analyses the company data manually to generate business insights? Have you realized that it is a time taking and tedious process? If yes, you can join the services cloud salesforce. Sales Cloud will keep an eye on all your business data and use it to generate reliable reports. The business analytics can not only be drawn a lot more quickly thus saving time, but they are more reliable as well. The business analytics are updated regularly so you can get a real time update about the sales and the performance of the sales strategy.

Other than giving real time business updates, another perk of using a sales cloud is that all the information will be available at your fingertips. All you need to do is to open the mobile application and all the information will be displayed right in front of you. The interface of the applications is also quite simple. You can easily browse between tabs to access the desired tabs and also close deals using the application. The process of going through and closing deals also becomes quicker and more efficient.

Key Aspects of Sales Cloud:

Here is a summary of all the key and main aspects of sales cloud:

  • Easy account and contact management
  • Opportunities can be managed efficiently
  • Dashboards display all the business insights, analytics and reports
  • Sales forecasting can be used to customize and change marketing strategies
  • Quick access to business analytics
  • Files can be synced and shared with ease

What is Service Cloud?

If you want to get a comprehensive idea regarding your business’s marketing strategy through the eyes of a customer, the service cloud is a software as a service that will suit your needs. Since it provides an insight based on the customer’s perspective, a business can make use of a service cloud to come up with services that are customized and altered to meet the expectations and requirements of the customers.

In other words, it is a customer service cloud that can be used to create associated learning basis, chatbots that can be used to communicate with the customers and can also be used to sell services or products as per the needs, demands and past ordering history of buyers. There are plenty of different ways through which a service cloud makes customer support efficient and hassle free. If your business is struggling with a medium of conversation for customers and to establish a strong connection with them, the use of a service cloud will prove to be an excellent choice.

Features of Service Cloud:

Here are the features of customer support software i.e. service cloud that make it a great choice for a flawless connectivity platform between businesses and customers:

1. Quicker Issue Resolution:

Service cloud sorts customer communication and resolution into respective knowledge bases. All issues are sorted so the business owners can navigate to them quickly. This organized approach makes it easier for the businesses to go through them and sort them. Customers always want their issues to be resolved as soon as possible and thanks to the service cloud, businesses can make it happen.

2. Social Media Site Links:

The modern era is the age of social media and all businesses have to make use of social media platforms to interact and communicate with their customers. Rather than asking the customer to try and find your business’s social media pages by running separate searches, the use of a service cloud allows the sites to be linked at the same place where customers can easily find and access them.

3. Chat Services:

Service Cloud allows businesses to develop a chatbot that can be used to address customer queries and issues immediately. The live agent feature is an option that is extremely popular amongst customers. You will be able to provide uninterrupted and continuous online support to your customers through these features.

4. Easy To Use:

Sales Cloud is extremely easy to use and understand. The application has a very simple interface plus it allows businesses to have everything within reach at all times. Since it is a mobile platform therefore you can access the customer queries and get to them from any device. You will be able to stay connected with your customers on the go and whenever you have to.

Who Should Use Service Cloud?

If your business is at a stage where you need to come up with a powerful strategy to be able to connect with your customers, service cloud would be a great choice for you. It is suitable for both B2B as well as B2C business infrastructures. Customer service is a very important aspect that cannot be overlooked. And thanks to the service cloud, businesses can interact with their customers effectively.

Since service cloud can be used from anywhere, therefore, it helps businesses stay connected to their customers. Your agents will also be way more productive since they will be able to address customer queries even when they are not in the office. It is a great way to address customer queries on the go. Each customer can be connected to a total of up to five agents at a time. This way, the customers will be served quickly and the waiting time will decrease drastically. This will lead to efficient customer management and thus enhance client reliability. When using a service cloud, you do not have to worry about security at all. All the information is totally safe and free from any sort of threat. Service cloud makes use of a multi layer security system that is hard, almost impossible to hack through. Therefore, you can be a hundred percent certain that your company’s and customer’s data is in safe hands.

Key Aspects of Service Cloud:

If you want a quick round up of the service cloud and want to know what is salesforce used for here are the key aspects:

  • More efficient customer management
  • Stay connected with your clients and customers
  • Do not need to worry about the safety of sensitive information
  • Easy to understand and use interface