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Scenario for Setting Up and Managing Products

This scenario is an example of the process a marketing administrator and a customer service representative might follow in managing products. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

The marketing administrator for a beverage and vending machines manufacturing company is setting up and managing the company's products. The administrator sets up two catalogs for the company, Beverages and Vending Machines. He adds product categories and subcategories to each catalog, structured according to the business needs of his company. He then adds products, along with their details such as features, comparison features, and marketing literature. He creates product lines, and then associates products to their product lines. Finally, the administrator creates different price lists for various geographic locations, currencies, and customers.

A customer service representative from your company receives a call from a customer in California who is interested in one of your company's vending machines. By navigating through the Siebel application, the representative is able to describe the product's key features and component products. During the conversation, the customer expresses an interest in features that are available in a higher-end model. Immediately, the representative can give the customer a feature-by-feature comparison of the two models and quote prices from the California price list. The representative can then follow up by sending the customer more detailed information, such as product brochures, through email or fax.

The service representative can also navigate through the Beverages catalog in helping the customer decide what to stock in the vending machine.