Entitlements in Salesforce represent a powerful feature within Service and Support Applications that defines the level of support a customer is eligible to receive. They serve as the foundation for managing customer service agreements and ensuring that support teams deliver appropriate levels of se…Entitlements in Salesforce represent a powerful feature within Service and Support Applications that defines the level of support a customer is eligible to receive. They serve as the foundation for managing customer service agreements and ensuring that support teams deliver appropriate levels of service based on contractual obligations.<br><br>An entitlement specifies what type of support a customer can access, including factors such as response times, support channels available (phone, email, chat), and the number of support cases they can open. This functionality helps organizations honor their service level agreements (SLAs) and maintain consistent customer satisfaction.<br><br>Key components of Entitlements include:<br><br>**Entitlement Templates**: These pre-built configurations allow administrators to create standardized entitlement settings that can be quickly applied to accounts or assets. Templates streamline the process of assigning support terms to multiple customers.<br><br>**Entitlement Processes**: These define the timeline and milestones that must be completed when working on support cases. Milestones represent required steps in your support process, such as first response time or resolution time. Milestone actions can trigger automated responses, escalations, or notifications when deadlines approach or are missed.<br><br>**Entitlement Contacts**: Organizations can specify which contacts associated with an account are authorized to receive support under a particular entitlement.<br><br>**Service Contracts**: Entitlements often link to service contracts, representing formal agreements between your organization and customers. Multiple entitlements can exist under a single service contract.<br><br>Administrators can configure entitlements to be associated with accounts, assets, or both, providing flexibility in how support eligibility is tracked. When a support agent creates a case, they can verify the customer's entitlement status to ensure proper service delivery.<br><br>By implementing entitlements effectively, organizations can automate SLA tracking, improve accountability, enhance customer relationships, and gain valuable insights into their support operations through reporting and analytics.
Entitlements in Salesforce: A Complete Guide for Administrators
What Are Entitlements?
Entitlements in Salesforce are records that define the level of support a customer is eligible to receive. They represent a customer's right to receive service based on specific criteria such as a purchased service contract, warranty, or support agreement. Entitlements help support teams determine whether a customer qualifies for support and what type of service they should receive.
Why Are Entitlements Important?
Entitlements are crucial for several reasons:
• Customer Service Excellence - They ensure customers receive the appropriate level of support they have paid for • SLA Management - They help track and enforce Service Level Agreements • Resource Allocation - Support agents can prioritize cases based on entitlement levels • Business Accountability - They provide clear documentation of support commitments • Revenue Protection - They prevent unauthorized support from being provided to non-paying customers
How Entitlements Work
Entitlements function through several key components:
1. Entitlement Records These are linked to Accounts, Assets, or Contacts and contain information about: • Start and end dates • Service level agreement terms • Remaining work orders or case limits • Status (active or inactive)
2. Entitlement Templates Templates allow administrators to predefine entitlement settings that can be applied to products. When an asset is created from a product with an entitlement template, an entitlement is automatically generated.
3. Entitlement Processes These define the timeline for case resolution, including milestones that must be completed within specific timeframes. Entitlement processes include: • Milestones - Required steps in the support process with target completion times • Milestone Actions - Automated actions triggered when milestones approach, are completed, or are violated
4. Entitlement Contacts These define which contacts associated with an account are eligible to receive support under an entitlement.
Setting Up Entitlements
To implement entitlements, administrators should:
1. Enable Entitlement Management in Setup under Service settings 2. Create entitlement templates for products (optional) 3. Create entitlement processes with appropriate milestones 4. Add the Entitlement lookup field to Case page layouts 5. Configure entitlement verification on cases 6. Set up milestone tracking and actions
Entitlement Verification
When a case is created, Salesforce can verify entitlements through: • Manual selection by the support agent • Automatic lookup based on account, contact, or asset • Validation rules to enforce entitlement requirements
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Entitlements
Key Concepts to Remember:
• Entitlements can be linked to Accounts, Contacts, or Assets • Entitlement Templates are associated with Products • Entitlement Processes contain Milestones • Milestones have three types of actions: Success, Warning, and Violation • Service Contracts can contain multiple entitlements
Common Exam Scenarios:
1. Scenario: A company wants to automatically create entitlements when assets are created Answer: Use Entitlement Templates linked to Products
2. Scenario: Management needs to track first response time on cases Answer: Create an Entitlement Process with a First Response milestone
3. Scenario: Only certain contacts should be able to open support cases Answer: Use Entitlement Contacts to specify which contacts are covered
Watch Out For:
• Questions that confuse Service Contracts with Entitlements - Service Contracts are the overarching agreement, while Entitlements define specific support terms • Questions about milestone recurrence - understand when milestones reset • Understand the difference between entitlement verification and entitlement enforcement • Know that Business Hours affect milestone calculations
Quick Reference:
• Entitlement = What support a customer receives • Entitlement Process = How support is delivered (timeline) • Milestone = Specific step with a deadline • Service Contract = Parent record that can hold multiple entitlements