SAP Service Cloud: Customer service 4.0

With the Service Cloud, SAP offers a powerful solution that ensures effective and sustainable customer care and loyalty.

Strengthening customer relationships through digitalised end-to-end service processes. With the SAP Service Cloud, users can completely redesign their customer service. Customers receive a consistent experience across all channels and service employees have convenient access to comprehensive, contextualised information - even on the move. Real-time information also allows service managers to gain insights into the performance of the back office and field service. The core functions of the Service Cloud include omnichannel service, ticket management, service ticket intelligence, service analytics and integrated customer processes.

Solution with added value

The Service Cloud is much more than just a ticket system or a call centre application. Companies also use the application to coordinate and manage service and maintenance contracts, plan routes and manage equipment and technical locations.

As all customer data is available across all departments on a single platform, the customer service solution enables effective knowledge management. Service employees are networked and always work with the latest data. This enables service analyses in real time, which are available on clear dashboards. They provide information on important KPIs and service managers receive a comprehensive overview of their team's performance.

Direct contact in customer service often results in numerous opportunities for cross-selling and upselling. To utilise this potential, the SAP Sales & Service Cloud also offers clear lead and enquiry management. The following diagram shows the "SAP standard ticket process".

The customer is king

Particularly in the B2B sector, where long-term relationships are sought and practised, it is essential to convey the feeling of understanding the customer's concerns to the point. Especially in view of the fact that customers want flexibility in their choice of communication channel, direct contact and short response times from their service provider more than ever before.

In this respect, the SAP Service Cloud scores highly thanks to its omnichannel support. It is up to the customer to decide how they want to contact their service provider. Automatic business partner recognition and the creation of documents immediately when contact is made ensure a complete and always visible communication history. In addition, fully configurable 360-degree views display the customer's most important key data without delay. Targeted and automated assignment of service requests to teams or individual employees based on rules shortens the time it takes to determine responsibilities and solve the problem. Customisable dashboards also ensure clear and fast processing of enquiries and tickets.

Perfect customer service

Die SAP Service Cloud ist aber keineswegs nur eine Insel in der Landschaft von Systemen des eigenen Unternehmens, sie fügt sich perfekt in jede Systemlandschaft ein – nicht nur um Ressourcenplanung effizient mit SAP Field Service Management durchzuführen, sondern auch oder vor allem mit der SAP Sales Cloud und/oder SAP S/4HANA. Hierbei liegt der Fokus vor allem auf eine Integration von Stammdaten und die Kollaboration zwischen Sales und Service im Unternehmen. Damit stellt sie eine passgenaue Lösung für alle möglichen Anwendungsfälle dar – ungeachtet der Größe oder Komplexität.

SAP Service Cloud im Detail

Inadequate support for customers following enquiries risks alienating them and reduces the likelihood of maintaining fruitful business relationships. How does the SAP Service Cloud address this problem? A look behind the scenes of the solution provides insight.

Enquiry from the customer: With the Service Cloud, users offer their customers a cross-channel service for making a sales or service enquiry - for example in the form of an email (via a configured email address), social media (e.g. SAP Jam, Twitter) or by telephone.
Ticketing system: If an email or social media message is received, the system automatically creates a ticket that is automatically routed to department X or employee Y based on configured rules. The Ticket Intelligence (AI) function can automatically assign the ticket to a suitable employee based on the category, priority or history, for example. However, manual ticket creation is also possible.
Ticket and data check: An employee reviews and checks the ticket with regard to content, subject matter, attachments, customer data, etc. If further data is required, this is requested from the customer (e.g. serial number of the product being complained about or contact details, etc.). The employee can respond to the email enquiry from the Service Cloud at any time. All communication data with the customer is stored in the process.
Assignment of the ticket: The back office assigns the ticket or enquiry to either the sales or service department. This process can also be carried out manually or automatically using preconfigured rules.
Ticket processing: Service: Create lead or opportunity: Sales employees can now check the ticket and check whether this sales enquiry is for a new customer or an existing customer. In the case of a new customer, they can create a follow-up document lead from the ticket. In the case of existing customers, they can directly create an opportunity, i.e. a specific sales opportunity.
Follow-up processes in sales: The sales department or employee processes the enquiry, communicates with the customer, sends an offer and, ideally, this process results in a customer order. Further details can be found in the blog post „SAP CX/Sales Cloud: How to turn a contact into a customer“.
Ticket processing: Service: With the help of a knowledge database in the Service Cloud, the back office creates and documents a solution to the problem (e.g. troubleshooting guide) for the service request and sends it to the customer via Outlook, for example. If the error has been rectified, the customer provides feedback to the service department, which closes the ticket. If the problem could not be solved, a technician is assigned to the ticket as a processor, who can also be selected based on skills. The technician documents all work, times or necessary follow-up appointments in the Service Cloud. After completion, the service sets the ticket status to completed.
Quality assurance: In order to optimise data analysis and the future sales and service process, the customer receives a feedback survey at the end of the project to query and evaluate customer satisfaction.

Conclusion: fit for the future

With the SAP Service Cloud, a company does not receive a rigid solution that may no longer meet its requirements tomorrow, but a scalable system that can be integrated into almost any system landscape and customised according to its own requirements. Future-oriented topics - such as automation through AI and/or machine learning - are already part of the solution today. Thanks to the cloud architecture, the maintenance effort for users is relatively low and SAP is constantly adding useful features to the solution. To ensure smooth integration into their own system landscape, users should rely on partners such as CONSILIO. The experts have a wealth of experience in service processes in various industries and therefore know how best to master the challenges.