Eliminating silos, elevating results: The power of Salesforce Service Cloud Voice + Amazon Connect

How to reshape the customer experience with seamless CCaas and CRM integration
Smiling woman agent talks to a customer over her headset in the contact center.

When Salesforce Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect was released in 2020, it marked a new chapter for customer service operations.  Over the past few years, it has become a driving force behind enhanced customer experience (CX) across industries.

This powerful integration goes beyond the basic screen pop of old-school computer telephony integration (CTI). Now, with real-time data, omnichannel support, and intelligent automation, the potential for delivering personalized, efficient customer experiences is limitless. Curious how it all works? Let’s dive into the details.

How is Salesforce Service Cloud Voice different? 

For decades, CTI solutions have been the go-to for connecting voice systems with customer relationship management (CRM) tools. A key feature of CTI is the screen pop — a helpful tool that instantly shows customer information on an agent’s screen when they answer a call. However, traditional CTI systems were limited, requiring separate integrations and offering basic functionality like call handling.

Service Cloud Voice from Salesforce, built in partnership with Amazon Connect from AWS, goes beyond these older systems. It provides a fully integrated solution, bringing together real-time voice transcription, omnichannel support (voice, chat, email), intelligent call routing, and automated workflows — all within Salesforce. This creates a unified experience for agents and customers, with real-time data sharing and seamless interaction across all channels.

 

 

Service Cloud Voice

OpenCTI

Receive and place calls with Salesforce

YesYes

Screen pop and phone controls

Yes, standard UI and capabilityYes, UI for softphone varies by CTI connector design

Native integration

YesNo, requires additional connector

Scalability

Highly scalable to meet changing call volume Depends on chosen CTI connector and server capacity

Omnichannel support

Fully integratedPrimarily voice only 

Real-time data sharing

Yes, immediateSometimes, often delayed

Call routing

Integrates with Amazon Connect intelligent routing Limited by CTI connector capabilities

Automation

Built-in automated workflowsRequires customer development

Real-time transcription

Yes, integrates with Amazon Connect for transcription and sentiment analysisLimited or none

Additional Salesforce licensing required

Yes, Service Cloud Voice package from SalesforceNo

Key benefits of Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect

Service Cloud Voice isn't just about answering calls — it's about delivering a seamless experience across channels, ensuring agents have the information they need at their fingertips. 

Here are some of the key benefits that set this solution apart: 

  • Omnichannel support: Streamlines operations and provides a smooth journey for customers by allowing agents to manage interactions across voice, email, chat, and SMS with a unified interface.
  • Real-time insights: Provides agents with immediate access to a customer's full history and interaction data, enabling a personalized and efficient service experience.
  • Intelligent call routing: Uses Amazon Connect’s advanced routing capabilities to match calls with the most qualified agent based on factors like customer history, agent skills, and current workload.
  • Automated workflows: Automates tasks like creating cases, sending follow-up emails, or updating customer records upon specific events within Amazon Connect, triggered by Salesforce workflows.
  • Operational analytics: Combines data from both platforms for comprehensive reporting and analytics. Track key metrics like call volume, resolution times, and customer satisfaction to gain valuable insights and optimize operations.
  • Real-time transcription: Amazon Connect can transcribe calls in real time, allowing agents to see the conversation flow and not have to rely on memory.  This allows Einstein AI to make next-best-action recommendations, perform call summarization, increase wrap-up time and analyze sentiment.  
  • Flexibility:  While other CCaaS providers are starting to offer Service Cloud Voice under a bring-your-own telephony (BYOT) model, Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect stands out as the most mature and established option. It can be acquired directly from Salesforce or through a bring-your-own Amazon (BYOA) approach, offering businesses the freedom to choose the configuration best suited for their needs while using a proven, trusted platform.

Real-time transcription: What to consider

Real-time transcription is an exciting feature of Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect and other CCaaS platforms. While it offers significant benefits, it’s important to be mindful of the associated challenges. Here’s what to consider:

  • Accuracy: Background noise, strong accents, or technical jargon can impact the accuracy of transcriptions. Like closed captions on live TV, transcriptions might contain errors or garbled phrases.
  • Speaker identification: Distinguishing between multiple speakers in a call can be challenging for real-time transcription, which may lead to confusion during complex conversations.
  • Latency: A slight delay can occur between what's spoken and what appears on the transcript. While this is generally manageable, fast-paced conversations may result in noticeable sync issues. 
  • Transfer call issues: Transcriptions for transferred calls can sometimes result in duplicate transcripts or missing segments during the transfer process.
  • Limited visibility: Depending on sharing rules, not all agents might have access to real-time transcripts after the call ends, which can restrict collaboration and post-call analysis.
  • Data security: Real-time transcripts can contain sensitive customer conversation data. It’s crucial to have robust security measures to protect personal data and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. 

While real-time transcription can significantly enhance agent productivity and customer experience, these considerations should be factored into your planning and implementation strategy.

Blueprint to maximize CX capabilities

At TTEC Digital, our deep expertise as a leading AWS partner allows us to deliver exceptional results with Salesforce Service Cloud Voice integrated with Amazon Connect. With more than 40 years of CX experience, we bring together the strengths of both platforms, applying best practices to elevate your customer service performance.  

Here’s how we can help:

  1. Proven integration: We have successfully delivered integrated solutions for clients across multiple industries, applying best practices to optimize customer service operations.
  2. Tailored blueprint services: Our comprehensive blueprint services include strategic roadmaps and technical design, ensuring that your implementation is effective and efficient.
  3. Challenge and benefit analysis: We partner with you to navigate the complexities of integrating these platforms, considering both challenges and benefits to maximize ROI.
  4. Maximized CX capabilities: By harnessing the full potential of Service Cloud Voice and Amazon Connect, we help you achieve a seamless and impactful customer experience.

Let us guide you through the process and unlock the full potential of Service Cloud Voice and Amazon Connect to drive superior customer experiences.

Ready to explore how Service Cloud Voice + Amazon Connect can transform customer service operations?

No matter your industry, TTEC Digital can help map out a clear path to success.

Connect with our experts
Dave Trzupek

About the Author

Dave Trzupek

Executive Director, CRM

With 25+ years of experience, Dave has led consulting roles in business analysis, solution design, and program management to enhance customer experience, performance, and productivity across a variety of industries. He specializes in CRM applications, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Oracle/Siebel, with expertise in contact center optimization, sales automation, and systems integration.

Read more

Exceptional customer experiences don't happen in silos.

Take the next step by downloading our guide for aligning your teams, technology, channels, and vision for a seamless customer experience.

Break free from silos