Salesforce.com releases Service Cloud, the next-generation solution for customer service

Salesforce.com rolled out its next-generation solution for customer service. The Service Cloud is built on their existing Force.com platform and leverages the benefits of cloud computing, something SFDC has been tooting their horns for the last 10 years.

How can this help Customer Service?

Traditionally, the Customer Service agents were the experts. (God help me when I go to Future Shop and buy something… )

However, your peers are always the best source of information. Even when choosing a movie, your will always listen to your friend’s advice, regardless if you go to the movie or not!

LinkedIn and Facebook started this trend a few years ago. To some degree, even Yahoo answers gets some credit. All you have to do is ask your peers, “What is the best in-house CRM package?” or “What is the best backup software?” or “What is the best training book for Microsoft Dynamics?”

The Service Cloud will capture customer service and service desk conversations with the goal of empowering companies to leverage the expertise of partner Cloud sites such as Google and Facebook.. The peers extends from customers, service desk agents, and partners.

Salesforce.com’s Service Cloud connects people where the knowledge already existed. They have connected the dots. Because of the cloud model, the location in irrelevant. This is good if your customer service is off-shore!

“The Service Cloud is the first customer-service solution that empowers companies to join and manage all service conversations happening in the cloud,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of salesforce.com. “This has been made possible through the emergence of native cloud-computing platforms like Force.com that are built to harness the power Relevant Products/Services of other clouds like Facebook, Google and Amazon.com.

The 7 components identified by Salesforce.com’s Service Cloud are chat, community, e-mail, partners, phone, search and social.

The Service Cloud packages start at $995 per month, which includes:

• set up a contact center with up to five agents
• unlimited usage for up to 250 customers
• connect with exisiting cloud-computing sites such as Facebook and Google
• invite up to five partners to participate in the service cloud