Did you know? Salesforce Experience Cloud is the 2nd most popular in the Top 1 million sites in the Community CMS category. This widespread adoption is attributed to its robust features, seamless integration capabilities, and unparalleled user experience.
So, if you’re looking for a solution to:
- Create customer-first digital experiences.
- Streamline customer interactions across different channels.
- Deliver personalized experiences that resonate with your audience.
- Break down data silos and gain a unified view of your customers.
Then Salesforce Experience Cloud might be the answer you’ve been searching for.
Let’s delve deeper to understand how it tackles these challenges and empowers businesses to build stronger customer relationships.
Table of Contents
What is Salesforce Experience Cloud?
Salesforce Experience Cloud empowers businesses to create personalized, cross-channel customer experiences. Imagine interactive sites, apps, and portals tailored to your industry, all fueled by Salesforce, the world’s #1 CRM. This lets you build stronger relationships with a single view of your customer data.
Experience Cloud is a flexible digital experience platform (DXP) that lets you launch and adapt to these experiences quickly. Whether you prefer clicks or code, it offers a vast ecosystem of tools, powerful AI, and world-class apps to help you scale and maximize your return on investment.
What can you do with Experience Cloud?
- Build customer communities to foster deeper relationships and enable self-service.
- Also, connect with partners, agents, or brokers to streamline communication and accelerate deals.
- In addition, empowers employees to collaborate and connect seamlessly.
- Consequently, integrate any third-party system or data for a unified experience.
- Furthermore, create multiple communities for various use cases within your organization.
- Lastly, leverage the power of the Salesforce Platform for ultimate flexibility.
Benefits of Experience Cloud
- You can empower your customers by fostering self-service with a knowledge base and vibrant community forum.
- Businesses can strengthen their partner relationships by providing a central hub for resources, training, and real-time collaboration.
- Also, you can boost employee engagement by creating a central location for onboarding, knowledge sharing, and real-time collaboration.
- Additionally, businesses can increase sales velocity by streamlining communication and collaboration with partners through a central portal for sales assets and pipeline management.
- In addition, you can reduce churn by cultivating deeper customer relationships through self-service options, community engagement, and the ability to influence product development.
- Alongside, you can simplify app development by building custom portals and applications visually with drag-and-drop functionality.
- Finally, you can unify your data landscape by integrating Experience Cloud with any system, empowering users to act directly within the platform.
Salesforce Digital Experience Platform (DXP) Solutions
Salesforce Experience Cloud offers a range of Digital Experience Platform (DXP) solutions designed to empower businesses across various industries. Whether you’re looking to strengthen partner relationships, enhance customer service, or launch a B2B online store, Salesforce Experience Cloud has the tools to streamline your operations and achieve success.
1. Boost Partner Engagement
Experience Cloud simplifies onboarding and management of channel partners with the Partner Central template. Also, features like distributed marketing and deal registration foster collaboration, while customizable programs incentivize partners and drive revenue growth.
2. Elevate Customer Service
Deliver exceptional customer experiences throughout their journey. Embed knowledge bases within your help centre, integrate data for seamless account management, and leverage online forums to encourage self-service and community building. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also reduces the call centre burden.
3. Accelerate B2B Commerce
Get your online store up and running quickly with a user-friendly interface. Additionally, Experience Cloud caters to various commerce models, allowing customers to seamlessly combine self-service functionalities with assisted ordering across all devices. As a result, it translates to faster time-to-market and increased online revenue generation.
4. Build Custom Experiences
For businesses with unique needs, Salesforce Experience Cloud offers the flexibility to create custom apps and portals beyond pre-built templates. Simultaneously, the Lightning Experience Builder empowers you to design beautiful, functional experiences with features like custom objects, API integrations, and secure data storage.
Salesforce Experience Cloud Features
1. Build Your Experience
Experience Cloud empowers anyone to be a builder. Design websites, portals, and mobile apps visually with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. No coding is needed. Additionally, jumpstart your project with a library of industry-specific templates that can be easily customized to match your brand and specific needs.
Now, let’s explore the powerful features that truly set Salesforce Experience Cloud apart:
a. Business Integration
Break down data silos and connect your digital experiences with real-time data from any system. This empowers your audience, customers, partners, and employees to act directly within your Salesforce Experience Cloud sites. Imagine customers managing support cases, partners updating opportunities and leads, and employees collaborating on files – all within a seamless and centralized experience.
b. Personalization
Experience Cloud goes beyond basic interactions. Leverage the power of Salesforce data to personalize experiences for each user. The platform intelligently recommends connections to experts, groups, and relevant content based on individual needs and behaviour, fostering deeper engagement within your online communities.
c. Branding
Make your Experience Cloud sites a seamless extension of your brand. Customize the look and feel with your logos, colors, fonts, and layouts. This creates a cohesive user experience that strengthens brand recognition and trust.
d. Mobile Optimization
Today’s users expect a flawless experience on any device. Experience Cloud ensures your websites, portals, and apps are fully responsive and optimized for mobile browsing. This allows your audience to connect and engage with you from anywhere, at any time.
e. Lightning Bolt
Build next-generation experiences with this powerful tool. Lightning Bolt allows for rapid development of complex portals and applications that seamlessly integrate with Salesforce data and functionality.
f. Topics
Experience Cloud automatically curates’ information based on user interests. Topics aggregate discussions, files, groups, and expert profiles into a central location, making it easy for users to find relevant content and stay up to date on important conversations.
g. Chatter Collaboration
Foster a collaborative environment with built-in chat functionality. Chatter allows employees to connect on projects, find subject-matter experts, share updates, and brainstorm ideas. This promotes knowledge sharing and innovation across your organization.
h. Groups
Create organized spaces for discussions and activities. Groups can be used for teams, projects, events, or campaigns. This allows for focused collaboration and file sharing within specific communities.
2. Connect Your Customers
Experience Cloud equips you with the tools to deliver stellar service and cultivate a thriving self-service environment. Build powerful, user-friendly portals and digital experiences that empower your customers to find answers, resolve issues, and connect with your brand on a deeper level.
a. Knowledge at Your Fingertips
Facilitate self-service and empower your agents with a centralized knowledge base. Customers can easily access articles, FAQs, and community wisdom, reducing dependence on traditional support channels.
b. Effortless Case Management
Experience Cloud streamlines case escalation. Customers can create cases directly within the portal, while automated routing ensures inquiries reach the appropriate agent based on keywords or unanswered questions. Agents can choose to respond publicly within the experience or privately via back-office channels.
c. Foster a Vibrant Community
Cultivate customer engagement with built-in community features. Recognize your most active members with customizable badges that showcase their expertise. Enable members to endorse each other for specific skills, fostering a sense of accomplishment and trust within your online community.
d. Seamless eCommerce Integration
Expand your sales reach by integrating your eCommerce platform with Experience Cloud. This allows customers to discover, research, and purchase products within the same secure, mobile-friendly environment. Create a one-stop shop for your brand, enhancing the customer journey and driving revenue growth.
e. Experience Management Made Easy
Gain valuable insights into your Experience Cloud implementation with pre-configured and customizable Lightning dashboards. These dashboards provide key metrics on adoption, engagement, user activity, and popular topics. Use this data to continuously improve your customer experience and optimize your portal for maximum impact.
3. Empower Your Partner Network
Experience Cloud empowers you to connect directly with resellers, distributors, and partners, accelerating your sales efforts. Build strong relationships and streamline collaboration to unlock the full potential of your partner network.
a. Salesforce Automation
Experience Cloud takes traditional sales force automation to the next level. Share vital data like contacts, leads, and records seamlessly with your partners. Integrate third-party systems to centralize pricing, inventory, and other crucial information – ensuring clear visibility and eliminating data silos. Avoid channel conflict with features like deal registration and lead distribution, promoting a collaborative and efficient sales environment.
b. Data Sharing Made Easy
Empower your partners with the information they need to succeed. Salesforce Experience Cloud allows for granular control over data sharing. Connect partners with product experts and adjust sharing settings to ensure they have access only to the most relevant information to progress opportunities through the sales pipeline.
c. Actionable Insights
Experience Cloud goes beyond data sharing – it fosters action. Act directly within the platform. Convert leads to opportunities, approve marketing funds, and even design custom actions that integrate third-party applications into core business processes. This streamlines workflows and empowers your partners to close deals faster.
d. Performance Tracking and Transparency
Gain valuable insights into partner performance with customizable dashboards and reports. Track key metrics, share reports with partners to ensure alignment on goals, and easily connect data from any source with Einstein Analytics for deeper business intelligence. Experience Cloud fosters transparency and empowers you to work collaboratively with your partners to achieve shared success.
e. Centralized File Management
Streamline file sharing and collaboration with secure, social, and mobile-friendly access to Salesforce Files. Embed files directly into your core business processes, allowing for easy context and accessibility. Sync files across all devices and centralize them in one convenient location, ensuring everyone has access to the latest information they need to close deals and drive growth.
How can you use Experience Cloud for Employees, Customers and Partners?
For Employee
The Salesforce Experience Cloud for employees revolutionizes how your employees access information and connect with colleagues.
Consequently, HR and IT can leverage the platform to deliver critical onboarding materials, knowledge base articles, and troubleshooting guides. As a result, this empowers employees to find the information they need 24/7, regardless of location.
Furthermore, Experience Cloud fosters a collaborative work environment by enabling real-time content sharing and discussions. Consequently, employees across departments and geographical boundaries can connect, share best practices, and break down silos, leading to a more informed and unified workforce.
For Customers
Experience Cloud for customers empowers you to deliver exceptional customer service and cultivate a thriving self-service environment. Through a searchable knowledge base, customers can independently find answers to their questions.
Moreover, the platform fosters a vibrant community forum, where customers can assist each other, reducing dependence on traditional support channels.
Furthermore, Experience Cloud empowers you to leverage passionate customers as brand ambassadors. By recognizing their contributions and empowering them to assist others, deeper loyalty and a sense of community are fostered.
Additionally, Salesforce Experience Cloud seamlessly integrates with your eCommerce platform, enabling customers to track accounts, connect with peers, and share product reviews within a secure and engaging environment.
For Partner Network
Experience Cloud for partners cultivates stronger relationships with your channel partners, spanning resellers, distributors, and beyond. The platform optimizes communication by offering a central hub for crucial sales assets, product information, and training materials.
Consequently, partners enjoy immediate access to the resources necessary for success, eradicating information silos and enhancing efficiency.
Moreover, Experience Cloud facilitates real-time collaboration between internal and external sales teams. This seamless collaboration on sales records, revenue tracking, and pipeline management minimizes friction and accelerates deal velocity.
By empowering partners and nurturing collaboration, Experience Cloud lays the groundwork for mutual success within your entire business ecosystem.
How to Launch the Salesforce Experience Cloud Site?
- Pick Your Template: Find a pre-built layout that aligns with your goals (e.g., customer portal, employee hub).
- Brand It Up: Select a theme and customize colours, fonts, and logos to match your brand.
- Build Your Site: Drag-and-drop components like text, images, and forms to create engaging pages.
- Connect Your Data: Integrate with Salesforce or other systems to ensure users have access to the latest information.
- Go Live! Publish your site and start measuring user engagement to optimize your Experience Cloud experience.
Experience Cloud Across Various Industries
- Communications: Build vibrant online communities for your customers to connect, share experiences, and access support. Also, empower partners with a central hub for collaboration and resource sharing.
- Consumer Goods: Create engaging brand communities where customers can learn about your products, share reviews, and connect with each other. Furthermore, streamline communication with retailers and distributors through a dedicated partner portal.
- Financial Services: Deliver secure and personalized online experiences for your clients. In addition, it will facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among internal teams.
- Government: Enhance citizen engagement with self-service portals for information access and service requests. Consequently. foster collaboration across departments and agencies.
- Healthcare and Life Sciences: Create secure patient portals for appointment scheduling, medication management, and health information access. Alongside, streamline communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals.
- Higher Education: Provide a central hub for students, faculty, and staff to connect, access resources, and collaborate on projects.
- Manufacturing: Enhance communication and collaboration across your supply chain with a central portal for real-time data sharing and resource management.
- Media: Build interactive online communities where fans can connect, share content, and engage with your brand.
- Retail: Create personalized shopping experiences with self-service options, product recommendations, and loyalty programs.
- Travel and Hospitality: Empower travellers with mobile-friendly portals for booking, itinerary management, and customer support.
Salesforce Experience Cloud Examples
1. Customer Self-Service Portals
Companies leverage Salesforce Experience Cloud to create intuitive and user-friendly platforms where customers can independently find answers to their inquiries, access product information, and even troubleshoot common issues. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also reduces the strain on traditional support channels, leading to significant cost savings and operational efficiencies.
2. Vibrant Community Forums
Another impactful use case is the establishment of vibrant community forums. Through Salesforce Experience Cloud, organizations foster dynamic online communities where customers can connect with peers, share insights, and seek advice. This not only cultivates a sense of belonging and loyalty but also empowers customers to help each other, further reducing the burden on support teams while fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
3. Seamless Collaboration
Furthermore, Experience Cloud is instrumental in facilitating seamless collaboration between internal and external teams. By providing a central hub for sales assets, product information, and training materials, Experience Cloud enables partners to access the resources they need in real time, accelerating deal velocity and driving mutual success.
Salesforce Experience Cloud Pricing
Salesforce Experience Cloud offers a tiered pricing structure to cater to the specific needs of your business. Here’s a breakdown of the main plans:
1. Self-Service
This plan allows you to create basic connected portals and digital experiences. It’s a good starting point for businesses looking for a simple self-service solution.
- Customer Community: Quickly build connected customer portals, service communities, and help centres for a cost-effective price. Pricing starts at $2 per login or $5 per member, billed annually.
- Customer Community Plus: Deliver more complex portals with advanced features like granular data sharing, delegated administration, and customizable reports and dashboards. This plan starts at $6 per login or $15 per member, billed annually.
2. Partner Relationship Management (PRM)
This plan empowers you to collaborate and manage your indirect sales teams.
Partner Relationship Management: Boost partner sales with a complete channel management solution. Pricing starts at $10 per login or $25 per member, billed annually.
3. External Apps
This tier allows you to build custom portals and sites to extend your brand reach and build deeper customer loyalty.
External Apps: Build custom portals for entities like brokers, dealers, and partners. Integrate external systems and leverage data to drive business growth faster. Pricing starts at $15 per login or $35 per member, billed annually.
End Note
By harnessing the capabilities of Salesforce Experience Cloud, organizations can unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation, propelling them ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Its ability to centralize resources, facilitate real-time collaboration, and foster self-service empowers businesses to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving market environment.
If you’re ready to transform your business with Experience Cloud? Then we recommend connecting with a Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant to discover how Experience Cloud can revolutionize your customer engagement, employee productivity, and partner collaboration strategies.
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