Learn About Salesforce Flow for Service

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Explain the value of using Salesforce Flow for Service.
Describe an example use case and how a “to-do” list can help your agents.
Describe key features and benefits for Salesforce Flow for Service.

Why Use Salesforce Flow for Service?

Sales of solar panels are soaring, which is good news for Ursa Major Solar, a renewable energy company. But as sales ramp up, so does the case workload. Roberto, the company’s COO, knows that ongoing success depends on service agents resolving cases quickly and consistently.

Roberto writes down some issues service agents have experienced as the case workload has increased.

Bumpy handoffs. Agents sometimes transfer calls when they don’t know what to do, or a different agent picks up the call when a customer calls back. The agent guesses where in the process to begin, or starts over. Customers end up repeating themselves, which often annoys them.
Skipped steps. Agents sometimes miss a step in the triage process and come to the wrong conclusion. As a result, they can unnecessarily ship parts or schedule field service calls. Such mistakes add cost, delays, and customer frustration.
Lack of standards. There’s little consistency in procedures. Customers lose confidence when they see agents address problems in strange ways. Sometimes customers get different answers in chat, on the phone, or from an on-site technician.
Not meeting compliance goals or business rules. Sometimes agents forget a step that’s critical for safety, regulatory, or compliance reasons.

Roberto wonders if there’s a way to coach new agents, make them productive quickly, and improve service quality.

Inexperienced agents sometimes don’t know what to do, or miss important steps

Roberto reaches out to Maria, the company’s stellar Salesforce admin, to see if she knows any tools that can give agents the direction they need.

Maria tells Roberto about Salesforce Flow for Service. With Salesforce Flow for Service, you show users a “to-do” list on a record page, such as a case or contact page. When agents open the page, they see a list of steps in the Actions & Recommendations component. Clicking a step launches an action, such as a flow, that does the heavy lifting. The list guides agents through their work.

Clicking a step from the list launches an action, such as a flow.

Give Service Agents a Roadmap

Maria predicts that Salesforce Flow for Service will be great for Ursa Major’s service agents. When agents click a step, a flow or quick action launches, and reminds them what to say and do.

When agents have a defined path to follow, there’s less stress and less guesswork. Maria gets excited because the list gives “newbie” agents the step-by-step guidance that they need. Agents can close cases quickly, and the list lets them shift their focus to the customer. Customers see consistent procedures, no matter which agent takes the call or if a call is transferred.

But Maria wonders about the one-off situations, such as when there’s a warranty claim, or when the customer uses chat rather than phone or email. Does the tool flex when an agent needs to do something a little differently?

On a roadmap, there’s more than one route to a destination. While Salesforce Flow for Service provides agents with a checklist, it still offers plenty of flexibility. Maria learns that she can design default lists, such as different lists for the phone and chat channels. And when the list is missing a step that an agent wants, they can select a different one from a subset that she configures.

Actions & Recommendations for Agents

Maria discovers that she can show the Actions & Recommendations component in console and standard navigation apps. She can configure steps that start screen flows, field service mobile flows, autolaunched flows, and quick actions.

Clicking a screen flow, for example, starts it in a subtab in a console app or in a popup window for a standard navigation app. When the agent confirms the start of an autolaunched flow, it runs in the background without user input. A quick action runs in a popup window.

Agents see what actions to do on a record page.

Salesforce Flow for Service can give Maria’s agents a single go-to location for guidance. If there are paused flows for the current record, the component shows them under Resume Paused Actions (1). And if there are recommendations from an Einstein Next Best Action strategy, agents can see the best actions and offers to present to customers under Recommendations(2). The component can also show paused flows and recommendations from Next Best Action strategies.

Maria can display the list on lots of different record pages, including custom pages. For example, she can add the component to Work Order pages. Wow, Maria thinks, a list can remind techs to put on their safety gear before other steps, and then walk them through the full diagnostic panel. That way, there’s a better chance of a correct diagnosis on day one.

Follow Along with Trail Together

Want to follow along with an expert as you work through this step? Take a look at this video, part of the Trail Together series.

Features & Benefits of Salesforce Flow for Service

Maria makes a list of features and benefits to share with Roberto.

Feature	Description	Great For
Guide workers with a step-by-step list	When workers open a record, they see a list of steps in the component. Selecting a step launches a flow, for example, that guides them through the task at hand.	Reducing guesswork Reinforcing training Easing handoffs Standardizing procedures
Create default lists for channels	The admin can set up a default list of actions for different touchpoints, such as phone and chat.	Customizing a default list for each channel Supporting Chat and CTI
Set up actions at the top or bottom of the list	You can configure steps in pinned regions at the list top or bottom, so users know to do those steps first or last. There’s also an unpinned region for other steps.	Highlighting first and last steps Letting users choose from common steps
Find another action	When a user doesn’t see a step that they need, they can find a different one. The admin defines a subset of actions that are available.	Adding steps based on customer needs Finding the right action fast
View the history of guided actions	On the History tab, agents see which actions have been started, paused, resumed, and completed, when, and by whom.	Simplifying handoffs Letting users and supervisors grasp status quickly
Mark actions as mandatory	You can mark actions, such as those required for safety or compliance, as important. When users close a mandatory action, they see a reminder to complete it.	Helping agents complete critical steps Increasing compliance with safety, regulatory, and other goals
Show paused flows	Sometimes an agent or customer is missing information and can’t complete a flow. A process automation setting lets your users pause flows. The component shows all paused flows for the current record. When a variable with the flow’s record context is updated, the component shows the paused flow on that record. (The record context might be changed, for example, when a lead is converted to a contact.)	Helping agents locate and resume paused flows Completing procedures more quickly
Display recommendations from Einstein Next Best Action	Action strategies filter recommendations into personalized actions and offers, such as a discount, a repair, or an add-on service. The component shows the top recommendations for the record.	Customizing actions and offers for agents and customers Presenting the best next steps

Maria thinks Salesforce Flow for Service has great potential to improve customer service. Even new agents can focus more on the customer, and less time worrying about what step is next.