Advisor Success Story: From Applied Epic Frustration to Salesforce Efficiency
Industry: Retail
Location: United States
Services Delivered: Salesforce Service Cloud Voice, Amazon Connect Telephony, Omni-Channel Configuration, Outbound Caller ID Management, Voice Recording, Call Routing Flows, Secure Data Formatting, Multi-Number Support, Reporting Setup
The Challenge: Disconnected Phone Operations Slowing Customer Service
A multi‑brand retailer was facing inefficiencies in its call handling process. Call volumes came in across several phone numbers and brands, but the existing setup lacked:
- A single, integrated environment for inbound and outbound calls
- The ability for agents to choose the correct outbound caller ID when serving different brands from the same console
- Standardization between inbound and outbound call recording
- Efficient processes for handling calls from both existing and new customers
- Automation to ensure phone numbers were stored and formatted correctly for Amazon Connect
- Clear, real‑time reporting dashboards to track call activity, queue performance, and agent productivity
Customer service leaders also noted that agents often needed to call the same customer from different brand lines, but the technology did not reliably guarantee the correct outbound number was used. This created inconsistency in branding and potentially impacted customer trust.
The Solution: Service Cloud Voice Transformation
The organization implemented a Salesforce Service Cloud Voice solution integrated with Amazon Connect to unify all call handling within the Service Console. This build addressed both foundational telephony requirements and brand‑specific operational needs.
1. Amazon Connect & Omni‑Channel Setup
- Configured Amazon Connect as the default telephony provider
- Set up three dedicated brand phone numbers for inbound and outbound calling
- Configured Omni‑Channel in Salesforce Service Console for agent presence management
- Created call queues per brand, each with dedicated IVRs, prompts, and call routing logic
2. Outbound Caller ID Selection
- Developed a process allowing agents to select the outbound number before making a call
- Enabled storing multiple brand numbers in Salesforce and associating them with the contact or account record
- Implemented automation to copy the selected outbound number to all related call records for that customer number, ensuring consistency
3. Call Recording & Transcription
- Standardized call recording across both inbound and outbound interactions
- Attached recordings to call records in Salesforce
- Enabled near‑real‑time transcriptions to assist with QA and coaching
4. Number Formatting & Data Quality
- Created validation and automation to ensure all phone numbers are stored in E.164 format (+1 followed by 10 digits) for AWS compatibility
- Applied automated formatting for newly entered numbers and updated existing data
- Flagged UK (+44) and other international formats for special handling
5. Support for Existing and New Customers
- Adjusted call flows so agents could make outbound calls to any valid number, even if it was not linked to an existing contact or account
- Added workflow options to quickly create a new contact/account if needed
6. Brand‑Level Customization
- Implemented unique IVR prompts and voicemail recordings per brand
- Assigned calls from each number to the correct brand queue automatically
- Eliminated default voicemail routing to only one brand by adding logic to detect inbound number and assign appropriately
7. Reporting and Dashboards
Scheduled as phase two after go‑live testing)
- Configurable dashboards for live call metrics, queue performance, and agent activity
- Historical reporting for compliance, service level tracking, and outbound/inbound call volumes by brand
The Result: Faster, More Consistent Call Handling Across All Brands
The new Service Cloud Voice environment gives the organization a single, unified communications hub for customer service across multiple brands.
| Before Implementation | After Salesforce Service Cloud Voice |
|---|---|
| Separate tools for inbound and outbound calls | Fully integrated calling within Salesforce Service Console |
| Inconsistent outbound caller ID | Agents select correct brand number before each call |
| Only inbound calls recorded | Full call recording for inbound and outbound calls |
| Manual phone number formatting | Automated E.164 formatting and data cleanup |
| Difficulty calling new leads with no Salesforce record | Ability to call any number and create a record instantly |
| Limited IVR customization | Brand-specific IVRs, voicemail prompts, and routing |
| No centralized reporting | Live and historical dashboards for queue and agent performance |
Business Impact
- Improved Agent Efficiency: Agents handle calls for multiple brands from one console, with quick outbound number selection.
- Consistency & Brand Trust: Correct brand number appears on every outbound call.
- Regulatory Compliance: Standardized call recording and number formatting maintain communication records for QA and compliance audits.
- Future‑Ready: Framework in place for advanced reporting, performance analytics, and further AI‑driven call insights.
- Faster Onboarding: Clear agent training materials and process documentation speed user adoption.
