Salesforce is one of the most popular customer relationship management (CRM) platforms used by businesses of all sizes. It provides a variety of tools and solutions to help companies manage their sales, marketing, customer service, and more. One key feature that many businesses require in a CRM is a ticketing system to track customer support issues and requests. So does Salesforce offer native ticketing functionality or integration with third-party ticketing systems? Let’s explore the options.
Salesforce Cases for Simple Ticketing
Salesforce does provide simple native ticketing capabilities through its Cases feature. Cases in Salesforce allow users to log customer support tickets, assign them to agents, track status and details, escalate if needed, and report on them. When a customer contacts support through any channel like phone, email, chat, etc., an agent can quickly create a Case to represent that support ticket.
The Case record will include important information like the customer name, description of the issue, case origin or channel, case owner, status like New, In Progress, On Hold, etc., priority, case type for categorization, and so on. Emails can be associated with Cases so all communications are logged in one place. Cases also allow you to track time spent on each one for more accurate reporting.
Some key benefits of using Salesforce Cases for ticketing include:
- Quick and easy ticketing directly within Salesforce
- Link Cases to Contacts and Accounts for complete history
- Case management with assignment, statuses, escalation, etc.
- Reporting on Case volume, types, resolution times, and more
- Email-to-Case automatically converts emails into Cases
For many businesses, Salesforce Cases provide a sufficient ticketing system for basic customer support needs. However, there are some limitations to note:
- Limited customization options for workflows, fields, etc.
- No advanced ticket management features like SLA tracking, automated routing, or a customer portal
- No standalone customer-facing module – Cases stay within Salesforce
Due to these restrictions, Salesforce Cases work best for internal ticketing needs at smaller businesses. Large enterprises and service-centric businesses may require a more robust, customizable ticketing system. But overall, Cases can serve as an out-of-the-box ticketing solution for low-volume customer support.
Integrating a Dedicated Ticketing System
For more sophisticated ticketing capabilities, Salesforce customers often integrate an external dedicated ticketing system like Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Help Scout with their Salesforce CRM. These leading help desk tools provide much more functionality for managing higher ticket volumes from customers.
Benefits of a dedicated ticketing system include:
- Customizable ticket fields, views, workflows, automation
- Advanced SLA and escalation management
- Customer self-service portal and knowledge base
- Ticket queues, assignment rules, and smart routing
- Team email inboxes to simplify collaboration
- Robust reporting on performance, SLAs, and more
There are a couple options for integrating an external ticketing system with Salesforce:
1. Native Integration App
Many ticketing systems like Zendesk and Freshdesk offer apps or connectors on the Salesforce AppExchange that can be installed for out-of-the-box integration. These will synchronize key data between the ticketing system and Salesforce in real time.
For example, when a new ticket is created in Zendesk, it can automatically create a linked Case in Salesforce. Any agent updates, status changes, etc. will sync across both systems. This avoids duplicate data entry and keeps information up to date.
2. Custom Integration
Building custom integration using APIs can provide more flexibility but requires technical expertise. This may be the best approach if integrating an unsupported ticketing system or to customize the integration beyond what a packaged app allows.
A common method is using middleware or an integration platform like Zapier, Mulesoft, or Boomi to connect the two systems. Webhooks and REST APIs enable real-time syncing of ticket and case records across platforms.
Overall, integrating a dedicated ticketing system expands the customer support capabilities available within the Salesforce ecosystem. Agents get power of Salesforce CRM plus the advanced functionality of the help desk tool.
Popular Ticketing App Options
Here is an overview of some of the most popular ticketing systems that can be integrated with Salesforce using AppExchange apps or custom integration:
Zendesk
Zendesk is a leading help desk system used by over 160,000 organizations. It provides enterprise-grade capabilities like custom views, SLAs, automation tools, and flexible integration options. There are a few AppExchange apps for different levels of Zendesk-Salesforce integration.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a top Zendesk alternative used by over 50,000 companies. It includes multi-channel support, automation workflows, advanced reporting, and mobile apps. Native integration with Salesforce is offered through the Freshdesk CRM for Salesforce app.
Help Scout
Help Scout is a popular small business help desk with shared team inboxes, canned responses, automated workflows, and a simple end-user interface. It has an AppExchange integration app to sync tickets across Help Scout and Salesforce.
JIRA Service Management
JIRA Service Management offers advanced ITSM capabilities on top of JIRA’s flexible issue tracking foundation. There are a couple options to integrate JIRA with Salesforce using AppExchange apps or custom development.
Intercom
Intercom combines ticketing, live chat, and customer messaging in one platform. The Intercom for Salesforce app enables Intercom conversations to automatically create linked Cases in Salesforce for support teams.
Kayako
Kayako help desk provides multi-channel support and comprehensive customization options. There is an AppExchange app to connect Kayako to Salesforce for syncing support ticket data.
These are just a few examples of leading ticketing systems that integrate with Salesforce. There are many other help desk tools like HappyFox, Desk.com, and ServiceNow that also have AppExchange apps or API integration options.
Key Considerations for Integration
Here are some key factors to consider when integrating a third-party ticketing system with Salesforce:
- Data synchronization – Determine what data needs to be synced between the two systems and frequency of syncing such as contacts, accounts, cases, tickets, comments, statuses, etc.
- Workflow alignment – Evaluate how workflows in the ticketing system can be aligned with Salesforce case management and automation.
- Agent experience – Assess how agents will engage with both systems and provide necessary training for any new tools.
- Reporting – Identify key reports and metrics needed across ticketing data and Salesforce records.
- Customization – Evaluate any custom fields, objects, or processes needed to support the integration.
- Change management – Develop internal support documentation and training to facilitate user adoption.
Taking the time up front to properly design the integration and plan the rollout can drive greater adoption and ROI long term.
Conclusion
In summary, Salesforce does offer simple ticketing functionality through Cases, but many businesses choose to implement a dedicated ticketing system and integrate it with Salesforce for more robust capabilities. Leading help desk tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout and others can connect to Salesforce using out-of-the-box AppExchange apps or custom APIs.
This allows companies to leverage the benefits of both platforms – powerful CRM and workflow from Salesforce plus advanced customer support tools for higher ticket volume. With the right planning and integration approach, integrating ticketing with Salesforce can optimize support workflows and provide complete visibility into the customer experience.