Salesforce buys field services firm ClickSoftware for $1.35bn

Salesforce has said it's acquiring field service software firm ClickSoftware for around $1.35 billion as it seeks to maintain growth in its Service Cloud division.

The company reported in June that its Service Cloud unit, which includes its Field Service Lightning product, managed to pass $1 billion in revenue, something it hopes to improve upon over the coming year.

The acquisition comes just days after the signing of a $15.7 billion deal to purchase data visualisation firm Tableau, by far the largest deal in Salesforce's history.

"Delivering exceptional field service is an increasingly important priority for companies across industries with more than 70 percent of customer service leaders making significant investments to transform their mobile workforce," said Bill Patterson, EVP and GM at Salesforce Service Cloud.

"Our acquisition of ClickSoftware will not only accelerate the growth of Service Cloud, but drive further innovation with Field Service Lightning to better meet the needs of our customers. We are thrilled to welcome the ClickSoftware team to Salesforce."

Field Service Lightning was first introduced in 2016 and since then Salesforce has partnered with ClickSoftware to help develop its division. With its current product, if mobile employees find themselves stuck in traffic, a dispatcher is able to use the platform to quickly direct another technician to the job. This data is then updated across the entirety of the Salesforce suite, so that customers, sales, and the service departments have visibility.

The acquisition of ClickSoftware will "create strategic synergies, technological unity and new innovation opportunities for Salesforce to better meet the needs of existing and new customers around the world", according to a company statement.

The deal is said to be a mix of cash and Salesforce common stock, and is expected to close during Salesforce's fiscal quarter ending in October.