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Pega Customer Service vs Salesforce Essentials comparison

Pega and Salesforce are both solutions in the CRM category. Pega is ranked #30 with an average rating of 8.5, while Salesforce is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.8. Pega holds a 0.2% mindshare in CRM, compared to Salesforce’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Pega users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.
Pega Customer Service
Read 4 Pega Customer Service reviews
  • 106 Views
  • 46 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Salesforce Essentials
Read 13 Salesforce Essentials reviews
  • 108 Views
  • 55 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Pega Customer Service and Salesforce Essentials compete in the customer service domain, with Pega leading in customer support and pricing, while Salesforce is favored for its extensive features and value.

Features: Pega Customer Service stands out with its advanced automation, comprehensive customization, and case management capabilities, allowing businesses to tailor solutions to specific needs. Salesforce Essentials is renowned for its robust CRM, seamless integration of sales and service features, and mobile app support, providing a flexible and versatile customer management solution.

Room for Improvement: Pega Customer Service could benefit from simpler deployment processes, more competitive initial pricing, and enhanced scalability options. Salesforce Essentials can enhance its AI capabilities, expand mobile app functionalities, and improve integration with third-party applications for a more seamless user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Pega Customer Service involves a more intricate deployment process due to its customizability, requiring additional time and resources. Salesforce Essentials offers an efficient cloud-based deployment, ensuring quick setup. Pega delivers personalized support, while Salesforce provides comprehensive online resources and community engagement, promoting user autonomy.

Pricing and ROI: Pega Customer Service's higher initial setup costs reflect its bespoke services, potentially extending ROI timelines. Salesforce Essentials offers a more accessible subscription model, facilitating faster ROI with lower upfront expenses, appealing to businesses seeking cost efficiency.

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To learn more, read our detailed Pega Customer Service vs. Salesforce Essentials Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Pega Customer Service vs. Salesforce Essentials
April 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Pega Customer Service
Ranking in CRM
30th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Salesforce Essentials
Ranking in CRM
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Pega Customer Service is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Essentials is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM
 

Featured Reviews

Balaji Choda - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers different categories, and each is specialized by market (corporate, consumer, etc.) and line of business (consumer, corporate, or small business)
There are different categories of features. * One category is account information. Under account information, we have contact details, contact history, employment details, limits, card replacements, and card features. * Another category is card features, which include account features, benefit factors, business development services, automation teams, and promotions. There are different categories like this, and each is specialized by market (corporate, consumer, etc.) and line of business (consumer, corporate, or small business). The market can be in APAC, EMEA, or the UK. It's designed so that each task can be specialized by market and line of business.
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Srini-Dhanaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Manages service requests and dispatches engineers to resolve issues
I work from home for a heater manufacturing company. They wanted to move away from their current SAP CRM system to Salesforce. There is a fulfillment process, which involves taking an order, delivering it, and providing service. Salesforce is used to manage the order-taking process. Once an order is taken, the backend system, SAP ERP, handles product manufacturing, delivery, and installation. After installation, the Service Cloud in Salesforce takes over for ongoing service management. Once your order is confirmed, integration with the SAP ERP backend will be seamless. The system takes the sales order from Salesforce and starts processing it for procurement, starting with creating a production order, manufacturing, and then delivery. Once the product is delivered, this information is passed back to Salesforce Service Cloud. In the Service Cloud, a service engineer receives a notification indicating that a product needs to be delivered to a specific location for installation. The engineer then inspects and installs the product at the designated site. SAP ERP manages the product manufacturing and delivery processes. After the product is delivered to the customer, Salesforce Service Cloud takes over. It manages service requests and dispatches engineers to resolve issues reported by customers. Service Cloud captures the information and creates an incident record when a customer reports a product fault. Engineers receive this information and promptly visit the client site to fix the issue. The solution is easy to implement. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The product is scalable. It works efficiently for changing existing features."
"Pega Customer Service is scalable."
"The technical support provided for all the solutions from Pega is of the same quality since they have their own internal teams and the same mechanisms, which are good for dealing with issues of different users."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is case management and different configurations."
"I can download the data to Excel, create tables, and do whatever I want. I am very comfortable with the tool's mobile application. Its main benefit is transparency because I can share it with representatives."
"The solution helps to track the performance of salespersons before closing deals."
"I've found the product's basic AI functionalities, such as predictive analytics and workflow automation useful for optimizing processes and improving productivity."
"High availability is really important for us when getting our reports as a vendor."
"The most important feature is how Salesforce Essentials brings together information from multiple channels. The nature of our complex custom product data has been challenging due to our manufacturing nature. Salesforce also allowed business processes like finance, credit lines, customer complaints, and quality issues to integrate seamlessly. I haven’t used the mobile app functionality, because we haven't fully utilized because of our preferance of more personal interactions over using mobile apps."
"In terms of features, the cloud-based solution and easy deployment are standout elements that have made a difference."
"The combination of product and service are exceptional."
"The product is stable."
More Salesforce Essentials pros
 

Cons

"Pega JVM function needs to be improved."
"The product's pricing needs improvement."
"The licensing cost could also be improved."
"The only concern I have seen about the product is its prices."
"I have seen Salesforce evaluate a lot of AI and analytics into that. But as an end user, I don’t have that much input."
"The primary area for improvement in Salesforce Essentials is its pricing. There are other competitors, like Zoho CRM, that offer similar features at a lower cost."
"The solution needs to be more user-friendly. It's difficult for a senior to track leads when a salesperson uploads leads. The solution should also improve its integration capabilities."
"The solution could be cheaper."
"When we use mixed languages, it can be uncomfortable because there seems to be no consideration for right-to-left speakers. It feels like these tools were developed by people who only speak left-to-right languages and didn't consider other language types' needs."
"Salesforce Essentials does not contain domain-specific solutions."
"The product's reporting area has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."
"Less integration would be better. It should work independently."
More Salesforce Essentials cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution provides licenses to users either based on the number of users or the number of cases that an end user creates."
"The tool's pricing is flexible, and I rate it four to five out of ten."
"We chose quarterly payments."
"Salesforce Essentials is quite expensive, almost 10 out of 10. I don't have the exact cost, but we found it to be very expensive based on our budget constraints."
"I rate Salesforce Essentials' pricing an eight out of ten."
"The tool is moderately priced."
"The pricing is a bit on the expensive side."
"It's a perpetual license, and the subscription can be expensive."
"The pricing is on the higher side, especially with additional costs for professional services like consultants."
"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution."
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Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Pega Customer Service?
The product is scalable. It works efficiently for changing existing features.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pega Customer Service?
The pricing model of the solution can be divided into two parts since there are two types of licenses that users can purchase. The solution provides licenses to users either based on the number of ...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Pega Customer Service?
Pega can automate the creation of permissions. The licensing cost could also be improved. For future releases, Pega packages are coming along with AI technologies. The blueprint is already in place...
See all answers
What do you like most about Salesforce Essentials?
Salesforce provides the best they have with the current version. Most of the features we need are already there, and it's very easy to use.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Essentials?
The pricing is a bit on the expensive side, maybe when we compare it with other solutions. I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten, with one being low price and ten being high price. The licensi...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Salesforce Essentials?
I have seen Salesforce evaluate a lot of AI and analytics into that. But as an end user, I don’t have that much input. So, I would like to have more AI functionality here. That would be really help...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

No data available
No data available
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
CRM
March 2025
Pega Customer Service reportDownload Pega Customer Service product report
Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Essentials
March 2025
Salesforce Essentials reportDownload Salesforce Essentials product report
 

Overview

Pega Customer Service is a comprehensive platform designed to transform customer engagement through advanced automation and AI-driven solutions, tailored for knowledgeable audiences seeking efficient service management tools.

With Pega Customer Service, businesses can deliver superior customer experiences by leveraging its automation capabilities to streamline communication and processes. The platform supports dynamic case management, providing tailored services that adapt to individual customer needs, ensuring consistent, personalized interactions. Its robust system integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructures, enabling quick implementation and scalability. Room for improvement includes enhanced reporting functionalities and a more intuitive setup process to ease adoption for teams.

What are the key features of Pega Customer Service?
  • Dynamic Case Management: Handles complex cases efficiently with adaptable, rule-driven processes.
  • AI-Powered Automation: Automates routine tasks to free up agents for higher-value customer interactions.
  • Omnichannel Engagement: Provides consistent service across all channels, enhancing customer satisfaction.
  • Real-time Decisioning: Utilizes data insights to make informed, timely decisions during customer interactions.
What benefits and ROI can you expect?
  • Increased Efficiency: Reduces operational costs by automating repetitive tasks, boosting productivity.
  • Improved Customer Satisfaction: Provides personalized interactions that meet the expectations of today's customers.
  • Faster Resolution Times: Streamline complex cases to resolve issues swiftly and effectively.
  • Scalability: Easily adapts to business growth, ensuring a future-ready service environment.

Pega Customer Service is widely used across industries like financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications. It provides a flexible framework to meet regulatory demands and enhance customer engagement in these rapidly evolving sectors. Each industry benefits from tailored workflows and data management features specific to their needs, driving innovation and improved service standards.

Pega

Salesforce Essentials is a cloud-based CRM tool for businesses seeking flexible, scalable, and customizable solutions to enhance sales and customer support processes.

Designed for seamless integration across multiple channels, Salesforce Essentials includes Sales and Service Cloud to simplify sales tasks and customer management. It enhances finance, credit, and quality processes with user-friendly AI capabilities and predictive analytics. Despite its strengths, there is room for improvement in SAP integration, interface simplicity, and report generation. Cost-effectiveness and support for diverse languages are also potential upgrade areas. Businesses use this CRM solution for lead management, opportunity tracking, and automating sales workflows, transitioning from paper-based methods to digital efficiency.

What are the essential features of Salesforce Essentials?
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Accommodates growth and customization needs.
  • Multiple Channel Integration: Enhances finance and quality processes.
  • User-Friendly: Easy navigation with AI capabilities.
  • Cloud Deployment: Includes Sales and Service Cloud features.
  • Predictive Analytics: Improves productivity and tracking.
  • Mobile App Support: Facilitates on-the-go access and management.
What benefits or ROI can users expect from Salesforce Essentials?
  • Improved Productivity: Automation features save time and streamline tasks.
  • Enhanced Customer Management: Centralizes interaction and data handling.
  • Ease of Transition: From manual to automated workflows.
  • Performance Monitoring: Standardizes processes for better oversight.

In the retail industry, businesses employ Salesforce Essentials for customer data management and transparency in order processing. Healthcare providers use it for patient engagement and streamlined communication. Financial services utilize it for billing management and compliance, harnessing automation tools for efficient data handling.

Salesforce
Buyer's Guide
Pega Customer Service vs. Salesforce Essentials
April 2025
Free Report: Pega Customer Service vs. Salesforce Essentials
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