Salesforce is planning to buy ClickSoftware, a management solutions service provider. ClickSoftware enables companies to schedule and optimise field service work. Salesforce Field Service Lightning, built on Service Cloud, harnesses the latest in dispatching, mobile workforce empowerment and IoT technologies. The platform enables companies to connect their entire service workforce on a single, centralised platform.
Connected & intelligent field service experiences
According to Bill Patterson, EVP Salesforce Service Cloud, “Delivering exceptional field service is increasingly important for companies across industries. With more than 70 percent of customer service leaders making significant investments to transform their mobile workforce.”
“Our ClickSoftware acquisition will not only accelerate the growth of Service Cloud, but drive further innovation with Field Service Lightning. We are thrilled to welcome the ClickSoftware team to Salesforce,” Patterson added.
“Our mission has been clear since the beginning. To be global leader in field service management and deliver value to customers,” said Mark Cattini, CEO of ClickSoftware. Cattini added, “We will innovate faster, enabling our joint customers to deliver even better experiences to their customers. This is an exciting milestone, and look forward to what we’ll deliver to our customers as one company after close.”
The future of service
Salesforce introduced Field Service Lightning in 2016 to empower the mobile workforce with a 360-degree view of the customer. The platform provides predictive insights and an offline-first mobile app. ClickSoftware and Salesforce have partnered since Field Service Lightning launched to deliver proactive, intelligent field service. With ClickSoftware and Field Service Lightning, if a mobile employee gets delayed by traffic. A dispatcher can quickly route another field technician to the job so the customer’s appointment does not get delayed. These interactions are then automatically updated across the entire Salesforce platform. Everyone including customers, sales, customer service and field service – has complete visibility.
As customer service continues to evolve, the ClickSoftware acquisition is expected to create strategic synergies and technological unity. Salesforce also expects new innovation opportunities to arise from the merger. The company expects to better meet the needs of existing and new customers by providing one seamless field service solution. Under the terms of the agreement, Salesforce will acquire ClickSoftware for $1.35 billion. The acquisition is expected to be completed by October 31, 2019.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business?
As connected devices become smarter and more predictive, customers’ expectations are evolving. They expect faster, more tailored engagement based on their unique needs. As a result, companies must transform their customer service to stay competitive. This creates huge opportunities to further advance the on-site customer service experience.
Salesforce has a good track record, acquiring companies and effectively integrating their key service into their wider cloud service offering. The addition of ClickSoftware can only enhance Salesforce Service Cloud’s leadership as one of the leading service platform. The company has a strategic goal to empower every service employee from the contact centre to field operators. The purpose to deliver more connected, intelligent customer service. With the combined capabilities of Field Service Lightning and ClickSoftware, Salesforce will be positioned to lead the way to the future of field service.
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