In Salesforce, the Case object is utilized primarily for Service Cloud applications to manage and track customer service-related issues or inquiries. Before you decide to implement your own custom Case object, it is pertinent to know what you may lose by doing so. Salesforce provides several out-of-the-box features and optimizations to make the management of Cases more efficient. Here are some:
- Case Assignment Rules: This allows automatic assignment of cases to specific users or queues based on criteria you define, ensuring that the right cases go to the right teams or individuals.
- Auto-Response Rules: Automatically send email responses to customers when they submit a case through a web-to-case form or an email-to-case message.
- Escalation Rules: Escalate cases that are not closed or do not meet certain criteria within a specified time frame. This helps in prioritizing urgent or overdue cases.
- Web-to-Case & Email-to-Case: These features let your customers create cases directly from your website or by sending an email, reducing manual entry.
- Case Comments: Keep track of all communications and notes related to a case.
- Solutions (deprecated in Lightning but available in Classic): This is a knowledge base where common issues and resolutions can be stored. Agents can associate relevant solutions with cases to assist in resolution.
- Knowledge (for Lightning Experience): This is an upgraded version of Solutions which integrates with the Case object. It allows agents to find and attach articles that can help solve customer issues.
- Entitlements & Milestones: Define the support levels and service timelines that customers are entitled to. Milestones ensure that agents meet the required service level agreements (SLAs).
- Case Merge: Merge duplicate cases into a single record, ensuring that all related information is consolidated.
- Case Teams: Define and add multiple users with different roles to a case, promoting collaboration.
- Macros: Automate repetitive tasks. For instance, a macro could be set up to send a common response to a customer and then close the case.
- Case Feed: View all interactions related to a case in a feed-based layout. This includes emails, comments, and field updates.
- Case Hierarchies: Link related cases together, allowing agents to easily see connected issues.
- Omni-Channel: Distribute cases to agents based on their availability and capacity, ensuring a balanced workload.
- Service Cloud Console: An optimized user interface for agents that provides a unified view of cases, related records, and other tools needed to resolve issues efficiently.
- Path & Guidance for Success: Display the stages of case resolution in a visual manner and provide agents with recommended steps and resources at each stage.
- Quick Text: Store and insert commonly used phrases into case comments, emails, and other text fields to speed up responses.
- Case History: Track all changes made to a case, including who made the change and when.
These are just some of the out-of-the-box features that Salesforce provides to enhance the management and tracking of cases. Organizations can further customize and optimize the Case object by using point-and-click tools or code to fit their specific requirements.