Optimizing Email Classification in Service Cloud Using Agentforce

A real-world look into an ongoing implementation

A lot of our customers have been asking us the same question lately:"How can Agentforce help us simplify and optimize our business operations?"

The interest is especially strong among teams using Salesforce Service Cloud  where automation, speed, and accuracy are critical. One of our current projects offers a great example of what’s possible. We’re working closely with a customer whose support team handles a high volume of customer emails every day. While their existing setup worked, it had grown overly complex. To classify and route emails, the team had created more than 600 rules all managed manually.

It was becoming clear that the rule-based approach wasn’t scalable.

A Smarter Approach with Agentforce

We proposed a shift: instead of maintaining hundreds of static rules, why not let an Agentforce-powered solution understand and classify emails automatically?

The customer was immediately interested. Together, we began an iterative implementation one that’s still in progress  and the early results have been very encouraging.

How We Set It Up (So Far)

Here’s what we’ve done to bring intelligent email classification to life using Agentforce:

1. Created a Dedicated Agent

We started by setting up a new agent in Agentforce designed specifically for this use case.

2. Defined a Topic: "Email Classification"

The agent's job is to analyze the subject and body of incoming emails, and determine what kind of inquiry it is.

3. Configured Scope, Classifications & Instructions

To train the agent, we provided it with:

• A clear scope focused on common email types (e.g. complaints, return requests, order status, etc.)

• Specific categories for classification

• Natural language instructions that describe how to make decisions

This allows the agent to interpret emails based on context not just keywords.

4. Salesforce Flow Integration

We then connected the Agentforce agent to a Salesforce Flow, enabling the following process:

• When a customer sends an email, a case is created in Salesforce.

• The email content is sent to Agentforce.

• Agentforce returns a classification (e.g. “Complaint” or “Return Order”).

• The Flow uses this result to assign the correct Case Type and route it to the appropriate Queue.

5. Collaborative Testing with the Customer

We’re currently in the testing phase working hand-in-hand with the customer to review how the agent performs on real email data.

So far, the feedback has been very positive. The customer is impressed by how well Agentforce can understand and categorize messages especially compared to their old keyword-based system.

Why This Matters

Even at this early stage, the benefits are already clear:

• Simplified maintenance: no more managing hundreds of rules.

• Improved accuracy: Agentforce can handle edge cases and ambiguous language.

• Faster case routing: Less manual work for support agents.

But more importantly, the system is flexible. Updating how the agent thinks only requires changing the instruction set not rewriting complex rule logic.

What’s Next?

We’re continuing to refine the agent and run live tests with customer data. Once we reach full confidence in its performance, the goal is to move it into production and fully replace the rule-based system.

The journey isn't over but the direction is promising, and the early impact is exciting.