End-to-End Salesforce Service Cloud Process Flow (Cases to Resolution)

A practical, step-by-step guide covering channels, assignment rules, Omni-Channel & skills-based routing, Knowledge, Entitlements & Milestones, escalations, and reporting.

Overview

Salesforce Service Cloud brings every customer interaction into a single console so agents can triage, collaborate, and resolve efficiently.
This guide walks through a complete service process—from how cases enter the system via multiple channels, to intelligent routing (Omni-Channel and skills), to using Knowledge, Entitlements, Milestones, and escalation tactics—ending with closure, surveys, and reporting.
Use it as both an onboarding reference and a setup checklist for your implementation.

Quick Navigation

Channels & Case Ingestion
Case Creation & Pre‑Processing
Auto‑Response Rules
Assignment Rules (Owner/Queue)
Omni‑Channel & Skills‑Based Routing
Agent Triage & Work (Macros, Quick Text, Templates)
Knowledge Management
Entitlements & SLA Milestones
Escalation (Rules & Milestone Actions)
Customer Communication & Collaboration
Case Closure, Surveys & Knowledge Harvesting
Dashboards, KPIs & Continuous Improvement
Step‑by‑Step Setup Checklist
Appendix: Core Objects & Best‑Practice Fields

1) Channels & Case Ingestion

Cases can originate from multiple sources. Standardize origins and capture enough context for routing and SLA:

Email-to-Case (On‑Demand or via Email Service) – auto‑create cases from support inboxes.
Web-to-Case / Support Forms – from public site or Experience Cloud portal.
Digital Engagement – Live Chat, Messaging (WhatsApp, SMS), Facebook/Instagram/Twitter DMs, Apple Messages for Business.
Phone/CTI – create a case during/after a call with screen‑pop via CTI.
Portal/Community – customers submit and track cases; deflect with Knowledge and bots first.
API/Integrations/IoT – external systems open cases automatically (errors, alerts, device telemetry).
Manual – agents create cases directly in the console.

Tip: Normalize key fields at ingestion (Record Type, Case Origin, Product/Asset, Language, Region).
Use Flows for data enrichment (e.g., match Contact/Account by email/domain, link relevant Asset/Entitlement).

2) Case Creation & Pre‑Processing

Validation & Spam Guard – e.g., ignore auto‑responses, auto‑close out‑of‑office messages.
Auto Categorization – derive Priority/Severity/Topic using keywords, NLP (Einstein Classification), or Flows.
Contact/Account Match – locate or create Contact; relate to correct Account. Link Asset if provided.
Deduplication/Threading – match to existing open case by subject/thread IDs to reduce duplicates.
Auto‑set Business Hours – choose by Account/Region/Entitlement.

3) Auto‑Response Rules (Optional by Channel)

Send an immediate acknowledgement with case number, business hours, and next steps.
Use channel‑specific templates and conditional criteria (e.g., different responses by product or region).

Best Practices:

Personalize with merge fields; set expectations (SLA times, required info).
Link to self‑help content and portal for updates; reduce subsequent contacts.
Suppress for certain categories (e.g., system alerts) to avoid loops.

4) Assignment Rules (Owner / Queue)

Use Case Assignment Rules to set the initial Owner (User or Queue) based on criteria like Record Type, Product, Language, Region, or Priority.
When using Omni‑Channel, assign to a Queue specially configured for routing.

Create one active Assignment Rule; organize criteria order from specific to general.
Default to a safe catch‑all Queue to avoid orphan cases.
Set Email Notification to Owner/Queue if needed.

5) Omni‑Channel & Skills‑Based Routing

Omni-Channel pushes work to available agents based on priority and capacity. Skills‑based routing ensures the right agent (e.g., language/product) gets the case.

Presence & Capacity: define statuses and capacity units; mark cases as interruptible or not.
Routing Config & Priority: higher priority for VIP/SLA‑critical cases; use tiebreakers (age).
Queues vs Skills: route to a general queue, then apply skills; or route directly by required skills.
Skills Mapping: compute required skills via Flow from case fields (e.g., Product=A → Skill=A).
Omni Supervisor: monitor backlogs, reassign, and intervene on breaches.

6) Agent Triage & Work (Macros, Quick Text, Templates)

Console App: use split view, tabbed cases, and utility bar (History, Macros, Omni, Notes).
Intake Checklist: verify contact, entitlement, severity; confirm reproduction steps and attachments.
Macros & Quick Text: accelerate repetitive steps and consistent responses.
Email & Messaging Templates: maintain tone and compliance; auto‑include Knowledge links.
Swarming/Case Teams: collaborate via Slack/Chatter; invite SMEs quickly.

7) Knowledge Management

Search Suggestions: auto‑surface relevant articles; pin favorites for common issues.
Article Use & Feedback: link articles to cases; capture helpfulness for continuous improvement.
KCS Practices: create/update articles from solved cases; manage versioning and publishing workflow.
Expose to Customers: publish to portal and bots for self‑service deflection.

8) Entitlements & SLA Milestones

Use Entitlements to track SLAs by Account/Contact/Asset or Contract Line Items.
Milestones (e.g., First Response, Resolution) track timers that respect Business Hours and Holidays, with warning/breach actions.

Models: per‑Account, per‑Contact, or per‑Asset entitlements.
Milestone Actions: send alerts, create tasks, change priority, or auto‑escalate when near breach.
Pause/Resume: pause timers while waiting on customer; resume on response.
Multiple Timezones: set Business Hours by region; map at Case/Account level.

9) Escalation (Rules & Milestone Actions)

Case Escalation Rules: time‑based reassignment/notifications using criteria like Priority or Type.
Entitlement‑Driven: milestone warnings/breaches trigger Flow to notify, re‑prioritize, or re‑route via Omni.
Manager & Executive Alerts: email/Slack on critical breaches; visible in Omni Supervisor.
Customer Promise: communicate revised ETAs when escalations occur.

10) Customer Communication & Collaboration

Public vs Private Comments: keep internal notes separate; use Case Comments or private Chatter.
Single Thread: keep conversation in the case; include attachments and article links.
Portal Transparency: let customers see status and milestones; encourage updates via portal.
Translation: leverage language detection and translation aids for global teams.

11) Case Closure, Surveys & Knowledge Harvesting

Closure Checklist: resolution summary, root cause, linked KB, affected product/asset, prevention steps.
Customer Surveys (CSAT/NPS): trigger on closure; store scores on Case/Contact for dashboards.
Post‑Mortem (for critical incidents): review SLA adherence, escalation path, and documentation gaps.
Deflection Loop: convert good resolutions into Knowledge and bot content.

12) Dashboards, KPIs & Continuous Improvement

FRT (First Response Time), ART (Average Resolution Time), SLA Compliance (by milestone).
Backlog & Aging by Priority/Queue/Agent; Reopen Rate.
Channel Mix & Deflection Rate; Article Adoption & Helpfulness.
Workload & Capacity (Omni), Agent Occupancy, Interruptions.

13) Step‑by‑Step Setup Checklist

Define Record Types, Business Processes, and picklist values (Type, Priority, Severity, Reason).
Configure Business Hours & Holidays; create Entitlements and Milestones (First Response, Resolution).
Set up Email‑to‑Case, Web‑to‑Case, and Digital Engagement channels as needed.
Create Auto‑Response and Assignment Rules; order criteria (specific → general).
Create Queues for routing; enable Omni‑Channel with Presence Statuses, Routing Configs, and Priorities.
Design Skills and mapping logic (Flow) from case metadata.
Build Console app layout; add Utilities (Omni, Macros, Notes, History).
Enable Knowledge; define article types, publishing workflow, and data categories.
Create Escalation Rules; add milestone actions (warn/breach) with notifications and re‑routing.
Prepare Email Templates, Quick Text, and Macros; set tone and compliance.
Expose Experience Cloud portal for case creation/status and KB viewing (optional).
Add Surveys; configure triggers on case close.
Publish Dashboards for leaders (SLA, backlog, trends).

Appendix: Core Objects & Best‑Practice Fields

Case – Subject, Description, Type, Subtype, Priority, Severity, Status, Reason, Product/Asset, Language, Region, Origin, Entitlement.
Contact & Account – SLAs, region, VIP flags; map to Business Hours.
Entitlement & Milestone – attach to Case/Contact/Account/Asset; timers respect Business Hours.
Knowledge – link to cases; capture feedback; expose to portal/bots.
Assets/Products – use for warranty/coverage and routing skills.