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Scenarios for Administering and Using the Inbox

This topic describes how the inbox might be used. You might use the inbox differently, depending on your business model. The examples provided in this topic apply to an approval process. However, similar logic applies to other items such as notification. This topic includes the following scenarios:

• Managing Service Requests
• Approving Personnel Action Forms Requests Captured Using ESS

Managing Service Requests

An organization has implemented an automated Inbox assignment and escalation policy for service requests. According to this policy, service requests are assigned using the area, and an Inbox item is created to notify the service request owner of each assignment. An Inbox item is also created for the manager of the service request owner. The item is created using the priority of the service request. The Inbox was configured when the Siebel application was initially rolled out, but this recent change in policy requires the administrator to perform some tasks.

The administrator changes the replication-level feature, which is currently set to Regional. The administrator changes the setting so that the Inbox items are downloaded to both regional and local databases.

In addition, the policy has to be implemented in Japanese installations, so the administrator adds the appropriate language translation.

Previous Inbox items have remained in the Inbox for too long, so the administrator reduces the item expiration period.

Finally, the administrator adds a new drill-down destination view for certain users who do not have access to the standard Service Request views.

Approving Personnel Action Forms Requests Captured Using ESS

The Human Resources (HR) manager at a company has outlined new personnel action policies for employees. Management has mandated that personnel change requests be filed electronically. Approvals are required in the following sequence:

1. A HR representative for the department in which the employee works
2. The immediate supervisor of the employee
3. The departmental vice president

This new policy is assigned to a Siebel administrator for implementation.

After using the Employee Self-Service feature to set up and activate the integrated Personnel Action Form (PAF), the administrator designs the approval flows for the business object using Siebel Business Process (Workflow) Administration. Using the Inbox, the administrator creates the required approval type. When a user submits this particular item, the approval type created by the administrator invokes the approval workflow process.

A manager at the company submits a PAF. The form is routed to the human resources representative, then the manager, and finally the vice president. Each approver can reject the form and send it back to the requestor. If approved, the process flow results in an update of data fields.