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We have a Service Cloud license, we use the console and we'd like to switch to Lightning Experience, now that it is/seems to be available for Service Cloud. Yet I don't know how to enable it.

I have enabled Lightning Experience and I see a new look-and-feel for the 'conventional' tabs. But the Console, how do I get access to the new Console? Is there a new Console?

When I click on the left-hand-upper-corner icon that gives access to apps (the App Launcher), it shows me zero apps. But I have apps in Classic mode, one of them a Console app. I checked my profile (sysadmin) and it should have access to all apps. The App Manager tells me that there are several apps that should be visible in Lightning, but they're not. Also: the Console app isn't listed there. When I search in Setup for Console, it can't find anything.

My Google results for 'salesforce lightning service cloud' get me this quote: "the Lightning Service Console is available in Salesforce Classic only"

I am confused.

I googled some more. I found this page, which talks about Lightning Console. Is this something different from Lightning Service Console?

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  • Found an answer to one of my questions: whether or not you can see apps is not only controlled by your profile, but also by the visibility switch in Setup > App Menu. Now I can make the apps visible in the LE App Launcher. I selected the console app and it still looks the same as in Classic. Is that because they are the same or because Salesforce switches to Classic for this view?
    – Sander de Jong
    Oct 27, 2016 at 9:32
  • Does it mean our existing service cloud console app will stay in Classic only? If we want to use service console in Lightning, we have to rebuild new console app in Lightning?
    – Lu Y.
    Feb 3, 2017 at 20:05
  • That's correct. Your existing console app could only be opened in classic. You'll still be able to access it via the app switcher if a user is in Lightning experience, but it will open a new browser tab in the classic experience in order to display the console. If you want to take advantage of the new lightning console that's released in Spring 17 you'd need to create a new console app specifically for lightning.
    – Paul H.
    Feb 3, 2017 at 21:01

1 Answer 1

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I believe you've stumbled into a web of overloaded terminology and recent release changes. Here's a bit of history of the console naming and current state of affairs that I hope clears it up.

  • Before Winter 16: We have a console product named Salesforce Console for Service/Sales. This is the same console that currently exists, and is the only one currently available to new orgs. Anything called Console is this same product.

  • Winter 16: Lightning Experience is released! There was much rejoicing. Users can now swap between Classic and Lightning experience. At the same time, the Salesforce Console was re-skinned and re-branded to become the Lightning Service Console. In appearance it aligns with the new Lightning Experience UI and has other UI upgrades, but the underlying product is the same and it is only accessible through the Classic experience.

    At this time, you were able to select the console from the App Launcher in Lightning. This would switch the user back to the Classic experience and take you to the console.

  • Winter 17: For reasons, access to the Console was removed from the App Launcher in Lightning Experience. This included removing the ability to change consoles from setup when using Lightning. You need to switch back to Classic Experience in order to access consoles or edit them via Setup.

  • Winter 17 patch 10 (approx. Oct 18): A patch went out to restore some functionality that was changed in Winter 17. After this point you are able to see the console apps from the App Launcher and clicking them should launch a new browser tab and take you to your console, but you will not be able to edit them as admins without switching back to Classic.

tl;dr There is only one Console, and it exists in Classic only. [see edit at bottom of post] You can access it via Lightning but it will switch you back to Classic mode when you do. Admin changes to the console must be done through Classic setup.

References:

https://releasenotes.docs.salesforce.com/en-us/winter16/release-notes/rn_console_ui.htm

https://releasenotes.docs.salesforce.com/en-us/winter16/release-notes/rn_lex.htm

http://releasenotes.docs.salesforce.com/en-us/winter17/release-notes/rn_salesforce_console_access_change.htm (this link may be dead at the time of reading, as this topic will be removed from the release notes as it's no longer accurate after the patch)

https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=console2_configuration.htm&language=en_US&type=0

[Edit Jan 9, 2017]

In Spring '17 Salesforce is introducing the Lightning Service Console, an all-new console app which lives exclusively in Lightning and is built natively on the Lightning framework. So now there are two consoles, one that lives in Classic and one that lives in Lightning. https://resources.docs.salesforce.com/206/latest/en-us/sfdc/pdf/salesforce_spring17_release_notes.pdf

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  • really good clarification, I've been wondering about the Console v Lightning paradigm for a while
    – Bartley
    Feb 8, 2017 at 9:44
  • Also note that the Lightning Console is not just for Service, there is a Lightning Sales Console variant also - doesn't have things like Milestones, Macros and other Service Cloud specific stuff, but it is still pretty good. Also note that Winter18 Lightning Console release for both Service and Sales fixes most of the gaps, and it seems to be quite usable for Sales and simple service scenarios. Highly customised Service Consoles probably not yet.
    – JodieM
    Sep 14, 2017 at 4:29

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