Salesforce is the world’s #1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform. It has a customer base of over 150,000 companies, among which are 83% Fortune 500 and 97% Fortune 100 companies.
Salesforce offers a variety of products for basic and more advanced CRM implementation needs.
The most prominent among them are Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. This post will discuss the key similarities and differences between Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud and how you can use the benefits of both at a reduced cost.
The main difference between Sales Cloud and Service Cloud is that Sales Cloud helps streamline sales efforts, while Service Cloud helps support agents provide excellent customer service, and resolve issues before they become a problem.
However, both help businesses grow by helping them understand their customers’ needs better.
A more detailed overview of these products you can find below:
| Starting Price: $25 user/month | Starting Price: $25 user/month |
| Average Customer Rating (GetApp.com Capterra, and Trustradius): 4.5 | Average Customer Rating (GetApp.com, Capterra, and Trustradius): 4.7 |
| 3,000+ companies are reported to use Sales Cloud in the USA (Enlyft.com) | 5,000+ companies are reported to use Service Cloud in the USA (Enlyft.com) |
| Total Revenue: 24 % (Statista.com) | Total Revenue: 26 % (Statista.com) |
The Sales Cloud in Salesforce enables organizations to manage their sales, marketing, and customer support facets. This cloud-based application fits both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) segments. It helps salespeople make decisions smarter and faster by:
Also, the Salesforce Sales Cloud allows you to have a complete view of your customers, including their:
So, you will be able to concentrate on customers who are more likely to buy your product and:
It’s the core Salesforce solution that you can enrich with Salesforce add-ons like Salesforce Maps, Revenue Analytics, Sales Cloud Einstein, and Sales Enablement, or seamlessly integrate with other product suits including Service Cloud, CPQ and Billing Cloud, Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) and others.
The Salesforce Service Cloud is a platform for your organization’s customer service and support teams. It provides features like case tracking and social networking plug-ins for conversion and analytics.
The Service Cloud not only helps your support team solve customer problems faster but also enables customer self-service by providing the answers to the most common problems right in the Service Cloud.
We will teach you how to use CRM software to the fullest without overpaying for unnecessary functionality.
The key difference is that Sales Cloud focuses on sales activities while Service Cloud is designed for case routing automation and speeding up case resolution for support agents.
Salesforce powers up each module with a diverse set of features:
The key Sales Cloud functionality is built around comprehensive lead management features. It captures prospects as Leads, and nurtures them through the sales funnel with automated rules for assignment and follow-up. Salesforce Sales Cloud allows sales teams to track the right information about the CRM leads and better market their products/services.
Other notable features include:
Moreover, what makes the Salesforce ecosystem unique is that you can always adjust core products via CRM system configuration or customization.
So, you can deliver a truly personalized user experience for each sales team regardless of the business domain.
At Ascendix, we offer a broad spectrum of Salesforce customization services. Over 26 years of experience in handling projects of various complexity levels, as well as building our own CRM products for large audiences like commercial real estate brokers, speaks for our competence and reliability.
Visual Path guidance aids in nurturing leads, which, when qualified, are converted into accounts for detailed management.
Opportunity Management is key to Sales Cloud, with Path to visually guide sales reps and Forecasting tools for pipeline monitoring and performance tracking. Quotes can be created with detailed product and pricing information, and for complex needs, Salesforce CPQ offers advanced configuration options.
With Service Cloud, users are typically more focused on service. Customer support agents usually deal with various kinds of cases like:
The Service Cloud in Salesforce simplifies case management via essential features like:
Service Cloud’s self-service capabilities like Lightning Knowledge allow customers to find solutions independently, reducing the need for case management.
What is more, both Sales and Service Clouds can be enhanced with Add-Ons, however, they will cost you extra money.
Sales Cloud can come with: Knowledge Base, and Service Cloud Portal.
Service Cloud can come with: Live Agent (Live Chat), Einstein Bots (Chatbots), Service Cloud Voice, and Live Messaging (SMS Support).
Sales Cloud and Service Cloud share fundamental features crucial for managing customer relationships, such as accounts and contacts, which track interactions with organizations and individuals.
Sales Cloud also provides essential case management capabilities to ensure customer satisfaction and support, vital for retaining and growing customer relationships.
Also, Sales and Service Clouds share features available in both modules:
While Service Cloud can be considered an addition to Sales Cloud, it’s important to note that the two are licensed separately. But to unify your sales and customer service activities, it is wise to invest in both platforms right from the start. And the Sales and Service Cloud bundle can help to compress the total cost of using these two solutions.
The Salesforce Sales vs Service Cloud Pricing Comparison
Note that add-ons to both platforms must be licensed additionally, but you will need them for the ultimate optimization of your CRM-based workflow. Let’s talk about each Salesforce license separately.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is offered in four editions that vary in:
Note: even if the pricing is mentioned for one user per month, the Salesforce license is paid annually, for an entire year upfront.
Let’s go over the Sales Cloud Editions Comparison.
Pricing: $25 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $80 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $165 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $330 per user/month
Key Features:
Further, you can enhance Sales Cloud with CPQ (Configure Price Quote) & Billing, Tableau, and Pardot capabilities.
Like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud is offered in four editions that will be paid yearly for a certain number of users as well:
Pricing: $25 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $80 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $165 per user/month
Key Features:
Pricing: $330 per user/month
Key Features:
Service Cloud can also be powered up with other Salesforce clouds, like Field Service, Sales Engagement, and Service Cloud Einstein.
Sales and Service Cloud Editions Pricing
To reinforce both sales and customer service management initiatives, you can purchase one of the 4 editions of the Sales & Service Clouds’ suites.
The Salesforce Sales and Service Cloud bundle can be a bit more costly compared to purchasing separate solutions for sales and customer service. However, for only $25 extra for each user license, you’ll get a combination of the best features available in Sales or Service Clouds (for the Professional edition and higher).
This unified solution may be a good option for businesses that value consistency of business operations powered by a single database for sales and customer service departments.
Essentials Edition Pricing: $25 per user/month
Key Feature: Core Functionality for Small Sales and Customer Service Teams (no More than 10 People in Total).
Professional Edition Pricing: $100 per user/month
Key Features:
Enterprise Edition Pricing: $175 per user/month
Key Features:
Unlimited Edition Pricing: $325 per user/month
Key Features:
We have 20+ years of experience in Salesforce customization, configuration, and best custom development practices.
Both clouds are part of the Salesforce platform, which ensures they work well together, providing a seamless experience for customers and employees alike, and allowing for a complete view of the customer journey from prospect to repeated service interactions.
Benefits of Salesforce Sales and Service Clouds
Based on a Statista.com study, Sales Cloud brings up to 24% of total Salesforce revenue. Because with this product suite:
According to the same report, Service Cloud makes up 26% of Salesforce’s yearly revenue. It helps customer service agents:
We have browsed 6,000 reviews about Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Service Cloud on independent platforms like G2, Capterra, and Trustradius, and here is what we found out.
| Pricing Range: $25 - $300 user/month | Pricing Range: $25 - $300 user/month |
| Average Customer Rating (GetApp.com Capterra, and Trustradius): 4.5 | Average Customer Rating (GetApp.com, Capterra, and Trustradius): 4.7 |
| Designed For: Sales Representatives, Sales Managers | Designed For: Customer Service Agents, Customer Service Managers |
| Features: Campaigns, Leads & Opportunities, Accounts & Contacts, Dashboards & Reports, Event Management & Calendars, Activity & Task Management, Customizable Objects, Self-Service Portal, Sales Forecasts | Features: Service Level Agreements, Dedicated Console, Service Entitlements, Multichannel Routing Web-to-Case |
| Pros: Reporting functionality, customisable dashboards | Pros: Complete overview on customers, easily set up queues and routing |
| Cons: Steep learning curve | Cons: Highly complex |
Total Rating: 4.5/ 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Based on GetApp.com, Capterra, and Trustradius reviews)
What Customers Like About Sales Cloud:
Total Rating: 4.7/ 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Based on GetApp.com, Capterra, and Trustradius reviews)
What Customers Like About Service Cloud:
Williams Sonoma Inc Home Page
Williams-Sonoma, Inc., which began with a single store in 1956, has transformed into a customer-focused enterprise, adept at delivering beauty and inspiration efficiently and effectively.
With a diverse portfolio of nine distinct brands — Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, Mark & Graham, and GreenRow — the company caters to a wide range of customer needs, ensuring that each brand communicates a customized message to its specific audience.
This approach has enabled Williams-Sonoma, Inc. to send millions of personalized emails daily to its global customer base.
The company’s reach extends to business-to-business (B2B) clients as well, supplying furniture and home goods to various commercial spaces like offices, Airbnb locations, hotels, and cafes. To streamline the sales process from initiation to support, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. utilizes Salesforce’s Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.
These tools facilitate efficient bulk ordering processes for businesses, encompassing aspects like negotiations, approvals, discounts, and collaborative efforts. Furthermore, Sales Cloud and Service Cloud are instrumental in analyzing customer interactions to identify and capitalize on upselling opportunities.
Integration of Salesforce with the company’s order management system has significantly enhanced operational efficiency. Sales representatives are now proactively informed about customer orders. Additionally, a chat integration has been implemented, bolstering service effectiveness by enabling quicker first-contact resolutions and reducing the time taken to assist customers, thereby elevating customer support standards.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s adoption of Salesforce technologies is pivotal in engaging customers precisely when it matters most, fostering enduring relationships, and cultivating a loyal customer base for future generations.
“ We have always had a history of in-house innovation. However, bringing in Salesforce as a partner to help us augment that innovation and continually improve the connection to our customers made sense. They are not afraid to grow with us and help us scale our marketing email program, while sharing a core value of trust. ”
Vitality Insurance Home Page
Vitality, a prominent insurance company offering health, life, and car insurance, along with investment products, is known for its innovative Vitality program.
To enhance its distribution strategy, which involves direct sales to customers and partnerships with insurance brokers and financial advisors, Vitality recognized the necessity of a unified, scalable customer relationship management (CRM) system accessible to both its internal team and franchisees. This led to the adoption of Salesforce Sales and Service Cloud.
The iterative deployment of Salesforce’s features significantly enhanced the user experience for Vitality’s employees and franchisees, particularly those collaborating with local brokers. A primary focus was to upgrade the franchisees’ ability to organize their schedules and gain deeper insights into their interactions with brokers.
This enhancement provided franchisees with strategic insights, helping them understand optimal times for engaging with brokers and how these interactions relate to sales.
Vitality also streamlined its processes by automating the calculation and application of discounts for policy renewals, allowing retention agents to work more efficiently. Moreover, these agents gained visibility into the rewards and benefits customers were utilizing, enriching their conversations during policy renewals.
The integration of Salesforce Sales and Service Cloud into Vitality’s operations unified their teams with a comprehensive view of customer interactions. This integration has not only improved data visibility and streamlined processes but also boosted overall productivity and facilitated more effective engagement between account managers and brokers.
Both Sales and Service Cloud are excellent applications powered by the robust Salesforce platform. For over two decades, these CRM product leaders have been proving their ultimate effectiveness in boosting sales and customer service teams’ productivity.
But if the out-of-the-box features of these two applications cannot satisfy your specific needs, you can always personalize your user experience. Professional Salesforce consultants can help you maximize the platform’s benefits for your specific business needs.
Ascendix Technologies, a Crest Salesforce consulting partner, has served over 300 satisfied clients across various industries. Our expertise in Salesforce has notably increased deal closure rates by 26% and sales productivity by 38%, as evidenced by over 100 positive reviews on AppExchange and Clutch.co, along with success stories on our site.
Book a free Salesforce consulting call, and we’ll show you how Salesforce’s solution can be tailored to your every tiny request.
The key difference between the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud is that Sales Cloud aims to streamline sales and marketing efforts, while Service Cloud helps support agents provide excellent customer service and resolve issues before they become a problem.
Service Cloud doesn’t come with Sales Cloud in Salesforce out-of-the-box. However, there are certain features in Sales Cloud that help to perform basic case management activities. Also, you can buy the Salesforce Sales and Service Cloud bundle for an extra $25 per user/month in addition to initial licensing.
Service Cloud includes specialized functions for customer support not found in Sales Cloud, such as omnichannel case routing, Web-to-Case and Email-to-Case conversion, and configurable assignment rules to streamline support agents’ work.
Anzhelika is a seasoned B2B content marketing strategist with extensive experience in elevating corporate profiles through compelling content. At Ascendix, she offers a wealth of knowledge in Salesforce consulting, providing valuable tips, tricks, and comprehensive guides. Additionally, Anzhelika stays at the forefront of the industry, delivering expert analysis on the latest Salesforce tools and emerging technology trends.
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