This chapter covers the following topics:
Oracle iSupport features the ability to create, update, and track service requests. It does this through integration with Oracle TeleService. The service request feature of Oracle iSupport also includes optional product selection and association, knowledge management queries, and e-mail submission of service request details.
The main features of service request functionality in Oracle iSupport are:
Customizable templates for gathering information from users during request creation.
Enforceable or optional knowledge base search during request creation.
Enforceable or optional product selection during request creation.
Customer ability to re-open a closed request. Administrator ability to set a time limit on re-opening a closed request.
Customer ability to update an existing request by adding notes, attachments, or re-opening within a specific time frame.
Customizable service request flows and pages
Delivery of submitted service request information to users via e-mail.
Oracle TeleService provides the bulk of the service request functionality in Oracle iSupport. Oracle TeleService tracks all service issues reported by customers and employees of the merchant. It does this through agent and customer input and integration with other Oracle applications.
In addition to the dependency upon Oracle TeleService, other service request functionality within Oracle iSupport can be highly dependent upon additional applications, depending upon the features you elect to implement. These other applications include:
The following Oracle Common Application Components:
Assignment Manager (Assignment Engine) - Manager is required for service request functionality in Oracle iSupport and Oracle TeleService. Oracle iSupport calls the assignment manager to determine the owner (resource) of a service request. Who the assignment engine picks as the owner is dependent upon: request type, severity, urgency, status, problem code, product, and answers to template questions. If the assignment engine is unable to find an appropriate owner, the system picks the default resource and resource type configured in the profile options.
Notes - The Notes module is required for service request functionality in Oracle iSupport and Oracle TeleService. Service request processes use notes to capture data during creation and update. Administrators must set up note types and map them to Oracle iSupport.
Resource Manager - The Resources module is optional for service request functionality in Oracle iSupport, unless you are going to set up and use Resources as owners of service requests.
Territory Manager - Territory Manager is optional for service request functionality in Oracle iSupport.Territory Manager allows you to define rules in Assignment Manager.
Task Manager - The Tasks module is optional for service request functionality in Oracle iSupport, unless you are going to assign Tasks based on service request activity. Tasks allows you to create and assign work items to Resources. You create tasks, for example, to call back a customer or dispatch a service engineer to the customer site to fix a problem. A task may be assigned to an individual employee, a team, or a group.
In order to use the service request functionality of Oracle iSupport, you must:
Set up the Oracle TeleService application, which supplies the base functionality. See Setting up Oracle TeleService.
Set up the Notes module, which allows the capture of textual information in service request functionality. See Setting up Notes.
In addition to setting up the basic functionality, you can choose to implement additional, optional functionality, including:
Products integration (See Setting up Products.)
Knowledge base integration (See Knowledge Management in iSupport Service Request.)
E-mail of service request data to users (See Setting up E-Mail Submission of Service Request Details.)
Setting up Oracle TeleService includes, but is not limited to, the following setups for service request functionality:
Status codes
Severity
Duplicate checking
Automatic task creation
For information on performing service request setups, refer to the Oracle TeleService Implementation and User Guide.
The Notes module of Oracle Common application Components enables the entire suite to create, maintain, and share notes related to customers, opportunities, service requests, and other business objects. Notes allows the capture of extensive, textual, project relevant information within Oracle applications. Notes comes seeded with predefined note types which you can use, or you can define new note types of your own.
See the Oracle Common Application Calendar Implementation Guide for more information.
In order for a Note to be viewed in Oracle iSupport, it must be specified as public.
Because note types are used across Oracle products, it is important to restrict the note types that can be viewed in Oracle iSupport. If you do not do this, all note types used across applications are displayed in the service request default settings page in Oracle iSupport.
Note types have been set up.
Log on to Oracle Forms as sysadmin and select the Customer Support responsibility.
Navigate to Setup > Notes > Source and Note Type Mapping. The Mapping Objects window appears.
Find the Source Object Public Service Requests:
Ensure that the note types you are using are mapped to iSupport in the Application column.
For more information on setting up Notes, see the Oracle Common Application Calendar Implementation Guide.
This section outlines the service request setups that are specific to Oracle iSupport. Topics include:
There are profile options that control the user of some service request functionality in Oracle iSupport. See the appendix, Profile Options, for details.
Oracle iSupport provides the ability to dispatch Field Service technicians to locations for field related work regardless of whether the address is permanent or one-time. The term one-time incident address means that the incident address is only a temporary address to be used one time for the service request for which it was created as well as for the tasks created for that specific service request. Other Service applications such as Oracle Field Service can reference the address when they are performing tasks related to the resolution of the service request. However, the address is not visible from outside the originating service request and its tasks and cannot be used by any other service request or application outside Service. For example, the one-time address cannot be displayed in any address LOV outside the service request for which it was created.
Oracle iSupport makes available the site name, site number, site phone, and addressee fields for the incident address. These four fields are in the AK incident address region, which administrators can expose and configure as desired. During service request creation, the site phone field is not displayed. In update service request mode, the site phone is a read-only field. The site name and addressee fields are enabled during the creation and update of a one-time incident address. A party site and location are created for every new one-time incident address. The party site is associated with the service request customer party.
In create service request mode, if the profile HZ: Generate Party Site Number is set to Yes, then the site number field is disabled, and the site number is auto-generated when the service request is saved. If the profile is set to No, then the site number field is enabled and is mandatory. For iSupport, after a service request is created, the incident address is not updatable using the iSupport UI.
Appendix E and Example 1: Customizing a Top-Level Attribute
In the Request Management window, Oracle iSupport administrators can control the following service request default settings:
List of Values defaults in the Create Service Request window
Enforcing knowledge base search
Enforcing product association with a service request
Setting the time limit for re-opening a closed service request
Default note types used for various service request processes
Default owners of service requests.
Use the steps below to set service request defaults.
Oracle TeleService has been installed and configured. See Oracle TeleService Implementation and User Guide for details.
Log into Forms as System Administrator.
Navigate to Profile > System.
Set defaults for the following:
Default Severity - Default Severity for new Service Requests.
Default Status - Set a Default Status for new Service Requests. The Default Status is the status assigned to the Service Request at creation.
Closed Status - From the Closed Status list, set a default for closed Service Request.
Default Create Notetype - Set a default for the notetype used when a Service Request is created.
Default Update Notetype - Set a default for the notetype used when a Service Request is updated.
Default Escalate Notetype - Set a default for the notetype used when a Service Request is escalated.
Default Closed Notetype - Set a default for the notetype used when a Service Request is closed.
Default Resource Type - From the Default Resource Type list, set the default resource type. This indicates the resource type associated with the Default Resource ID (see below).
Default Resource ID - From the Default Resource ID list, set the person/group who will be the default resource for Service Request routing.
Reopen SR Time Limit - Set the timeframe in hours during which a closed Service Request can be opened.
In the During Service Request Creation area, set the following defaults:
You can enable the use of templates during the creation of service requests:
Yes allows the use of templates during Service Request creation.
No prohibits the use of templates during Service Request creation.
Also a profile option controls this enabling of the templates. See the Profile Options appendix.
Always Prompt Customer gives users the option of searching or not searching the knowledge base.
Always Search Knowledge Base enforces knowledge base search prior to submission of the service request.
Directly Submit to Oracle iSupport bypasses the knowledge base search option. The knowledge base button does not appear in this case.
Yes enforces that the user select a product to associate with the request prior to submission.
No bypasses the product selection enforcement option.
When finished, select Update.
Service request templates provide a structured, formatted method of gathering information during Service Request creation. Templates characteristics include:
Administrator-defined questions that gather information about service requests; these questions can be configured so that the user is required to answer them.
Administrator-defined free-form and choice-type answers that relate to the questions posed on the template.
Weighting of choice-type answers used to determine severity of service requests automatically.
Ability to associate a template with a specific product and/or urgency.
Templates are presented to the customer/user during request creation as questions and responses.
The information gathered from the templates assists in:
Routing the service request to the appropriate support agent or support group in Oracle TeleService.
Determining the severity of the service request in Oracle TeleService.
This topic area includes:
Use the steps below to begin creating a new service request template.
Log in to the Applications login as Oracle iSupport Administrator.
Navigate to Administration > Support > Request Management > Template.
In an empty text box in the Template Name column, enter a meaningful name for the new template.
Select Add.
Next, select effective dates for the template. Click on the hyperlink of the template name. The Modify Template window appears.
In the Template Info area, select the calendar icon next to the Start Date field and choose an effective start date for the template. Do the same for End Date. (You can also use the End Date function to disable existing templates.) All of the date steps are optional.
Select Update.
Next, associate the template with a product. Select the underlined hyperlink of the appropriate template. The Modify Template window appears.
In the Associate Attribute, Attribute to Associate: Product area, select Modify. The Associate Product window appears.
From the Available Product list, select the desired association(s) and use the right (>) arrow button to move them to the Associated Product column. Select Update and then Back (bottom of window) to return to the Associate Attribute area of the Modify Template window.
Next, associate an urgency to the template. Select the underlined hyperlink of the appropriate template. The Modify Template window appears.
In the Associate Attribute, Attribute to Associate: Urgency area, select Modify. The Associate Urgency window appears.
From the Available Urgencies list, select the desired association(s) and use the right (>) arrow button to move them to the Associated Urgencies column. Select Update and then Back (bottom of window) to return to the Associate Attribute area of the Modify Template window.
Next, define questions and answers for the template. Select the underlined hyperlink of the appropriate template. The Modify Template window appears.
Set up Questions on Template: In the Modify Template window, the Template Detail area will list any questions associated with the template. If none is associated, there will be an empty text box. Enter a question for the template in the empty Question field.
Select Answer Type: You have two options for Answer types:
Choice - This is a pick-list type answer and can be used in scoring. Scoring is used for determining the Severity of the Service Request.
Free Text - This is a free-form answer; you can specify the number of lines allowed for the answer (see below). This answer cannot be used in scoring.
If your question requires a Choice-type answer, select whether you wish the answer to be used in scoring/weighting when determining severities for submissions which use this template (see Set Severity Thresholds below). Answers to the question will be weighted from 1 to 9 during the Answer setup (see Set up Answers for a Choice Question below).
To enforce that the user is required to answer the question, select Yes in the Response Required field. Mandatory questions force the user to provide an answer before the application will continue creating the request. To make the question optional for the end user, choose No.
Select Add. The window refreshes, with the question appearing as an underlined link in the Template Detail area.
To sort the questions, select Sort and use the up and down arrows in the Sort Questions window to arrange the questions in the desired order. Use the back button to return to the Modify Template page.
Optionally, to edit a question, click on the hyperlink of the question you wish to modify.
Set up Answers for a Choice Question: In the Template Detail area, click the underlined hyperlink of a question. The Define Question and Answer window appears.
Enter an answer for the question in an empty textbox.
The answers you set up here becomes a pick-list for the end user, and the answer you select as a default appears as the default answer on the user side.
For each Choice-type answer, set a value of 1-9. After the end user answers the questions, the application will add up these values and the final score will be used to determine the severity of the Service Request, based on the Severity Thresholds you set (see below).
For Text-type questions, you will not need to determine answers. Instead, in the Define Question and Answer window, select the number of rows the user will be limited to when answering.
Select Update to save changes, and Back to return to the previous window.
Next, set up severity thresholds for the template. Select the underlined hyperlink of the appropriate template. The Modify Template window appears.
Use the Set Severity area to set Severity Thresholds for the template. The severities listed here come from the Severity setups in TeleService. For each Severity, enter a value in the Start and End Threshold boxes. Do not define overlapping thresholds or ranges (see examples, below). The weighting you gave to each scorable question in the defining answers step above will be calculated and used here. The user responses to all questions used in scoring are averaged, and the score determines the severity level.
The sum score from all of the scorable answers is determined by the application and compared to the total possible. The percentage is determined by the application, and the appropriate threshold is assigned. See the example below for clarification.
Note: You do not need to define thresholds for all of your severities, only the ones you wish to use. Also: You can select one of the severities as a default and all templates use that severity. Severities for which you do not define thresholds are ignored by the application.
Sample scenario related to this setup
You have defined a new template with two questions on it. Each question has three possible answers, for a total of six answers defined by the administrator, and two possible answers for the user (user can only select one answer per question).
In this example, you have set up each of the question's three answers with identical scores: 1, 4, and 5. Since the user can only select one answer per question, the highest possible score in this scenario would be 10 (highest score for each question is 5, and 5 plus 5 is 10). (The user cannot see these scores.)
The user selects an answer from the first question with a score of 1. He selects an answer from the second question with a score of 4. Thus, the total of the two answers is 5. The application find the score of 5 and compares it against the total possible answer points, which in this case is 10. From there, the application formulates a percentage of answers scored (5) verses a total possible score (10). The percentage in this case is be 50%. Then, based on the severity thresholds you set (see the example below), the application determines the severity, for example, high, medium, and low. Here are the thresholds set for this example:
High - Start Threshold = 61%; End Threshold = 100%
Medium - Start Threshold = 31%; End Threshold = 60%
Low - Start Threshold = 0%; End Threshold = 30%
When finished entering severity thresholds, select Update. When finished entering severity thresholds, select Update.
Oracle iSupport uses the Default Template you set up when users select a product and urgency combination for which a template does not exist.
Only one default template is allowed, and it is shown regardless of any attributes.
A Service Request template has been created in Oracle iSupport.
The service request template feature has been enabled by selecting Yes in the Enable Template LOV on the service request defaults window.
Set up a new template with general questions. The questions should be "catch all" type questions related to service requests. Use the following procedure to set the default template.
In the list of templates, in the Set as Default column, select the radio button next to the appropriate template.
Select Update.
This section discusses the control of the display of service request type categories.
The administrator of Oracle TeleService must have defined service request type categories.
Turn on or off the display of the name and the description of the service request type categories.
To do so, define the following attributes of region IBU_CF_SR_SELECT_REQUEST_TYPE:
o IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_CAT_NAME
o IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_CAT_DESC
Use attribute IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_CAT_NAME to control the display of the name of the service request type category. Use attribute IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_CAT_DESC to control the display the description of the service request type category. By default, the display boxes of these attributes are selected. If the display boxes of both attributes are cleared, service request type categories are not shown in the Service Request Type Selection page. Instead, the service request types are shown in the same way as they were shown immediately before this feature was available.
Set one-column or two-column layout.
Service request type categories and associated service request types can be displayed in one-column layout or two-column layout. If the number of categories exceeds the number defined in the profile Oracle iSupport: Select Service Request Type Layout Option, then categories are displayed in two-column layout. Whether service request type categories are shown in one-column layout or two-column layout, a service request type is always shown in one-column format under its category. If service request type categories are not shown, then use the same profile, Oracle iSupport: Select Service Request Type Layout Option, to control the display of service request types in one-column layout or two-column layout.
Define the Others category.
All service request types that do not belong to any category are displayed under Others if the service request type category is shown. To change the name and description of this category, change the values of the IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_NOTMAP and IBU_CF_SR_REQ_TYPE_NOTMAP_DESC attributes of the IBU_CF_SR_SELECT_REQUEST_TYPE region.
Be aware of and optionally utilize the behavior of the parameter ibuSRRequestTypeCategoryID, which can be passed to the Service Request Type Selection page as a URL parameter. For details of what happens when a service request type category ID is passed through this parameter, see the Parameters section of the Profile Options and Parameters chapter.
Oracle iSupport provides a flexible framework with which merchants, system administrators, and customers can configure service request pages for their company use. You can configure the content of page regions, the regions that pages display, and the pages that appear in the create-service-request flow. Even without this ability, the default flow and pages support most of the desired functionality. Configurations can be turned off easily with a profile option, Oracle iSupport: Region/Field Level Configuration Option. If they are turned off, then the application renders the default flow and page structure.
The standard creation flow for a service request has five steps:
Identify Problem
Provide Problem Details
Get Suggested Solutions
Provide Contact Information
Review the service request
Users who have the responsibility Oracle iSupport: iSupport Self-Service Helpdesk have their own seeded flow, which consists of the following three steps:
Identify Problem
Get Suggested Solutions
Review and submit the service request
During configuration you typically use a bottom-up procedure in the following order to define:
Details of regions
The combination of regions that define a page
The topmost region of a region combination for a displayed page
For the create-service-request flow only: the displayed pages and their names
Also check the profile Oracle iSupport: Available Repositories for Knowledge Search. This profile specifies the repositories to search for in the Suggested Solutions page during the Create Service Request flow
In the setup of regions you define the details of regions and the combination of regions that define a page. To illustrate region configuration, consider this example. Suppose that a page contains one top region and that this top region contains two subregions, Customer Name and Customer Address. You can change the order of these two subregions, and, inside each subregion, you can change the order of the attributes and even hide some attributes. To do so, you select, copy, and edit the seeded service request regions defined in Appendix B. This requires using the Application Developer Common Modules responsibility, the Regions window, and other windows for this responsibility. For details on this setup, refer to documentation for Oracle self-service Web applications. For examples of configuring Oracle iSupport service request pages, see Appendix D.
The appearance of the service request creation flow and the appearance of service request pages that are rendered depend on context. Context applies to all service request pages, not just those in the creation flow. The application checks a hierarchy of contextual states in the following order:
Service request type-responsibility
Service request type
Responsibility
Application
Global
The rendering process proceeds as follows. A user chooses a service request type when creating a service request. Given the page code that the user is trying to render, the service request type, and the user's current responsibility, the application determines the corresponding region that stores the configuration information. If no specific configured region exists for this combination of page code, service request type, and responsibility, then the application seeks the configuration stored at the level of service request type. If the application cannot find it there, then it goes one level higher to the responsibility level for the user's current responsibility. The application continues in this manner, going up the chain to application level if needed. If none is available, then it fetches the global configuration information, which is provided out of the box.
Use this procedure to map top-level region codes to pages.
You must already have defined regions according to the mapping section.
Using the iSupport Administrator responsibility, navigate to Configuration > Page Region Mapping. The Page Region Mappings page appears.
Click Create Mapping. The Create Page Region Mapping page appears.
Use the Page LOV to select a page.
Use the Context LOV to select contexts. The remaining fields change to be compatible with a selected context.
Select values for the remaining mapping fields. Use the flashlight search icon as needed. The region code that you select is the code for the corresponding topmost region that you defined according to the section.
Click Create.
Use this procedure to edit mappings of page regions.
Using the iSupport Administrator responsibility, navigate to Configuration > Page Region Mapping. The Page Region Mappings page appears.
Search for the page and region mappings by entering your search criteria in the Page and Context fields, and click Go. The search results appear in the Results region.
Click the Edit icon for the page that you want to update. The Update Page Region Mapping page appears.
Select a new region code and click Update. The Page Region Mappings page re-appears and shows your updated mapping.
Click Update.
Use this procedure to map creation flows:
Using the iSupport Administrator responsibility, navigate to Configuration > Flow Mapping. The Service Request Creation Flows page appears.
Click Create Flow. The Create Service Request Creation Flow page appears. Here you specify the pages to be displayed in the flow and the contexts for which the flow is available.
In the Flow Information region, enter a name for your flow.
In the Flow Pages region, select the Enabled Flag check box for each page that you want to appear in the flow. Clear a check box to remove a page from the flow.
As needed, change the name of a page to be consistent with the content that you have defined for it.
In the Flow Contexts region, click Add Context to define the contexts for the flow. The Service Request Creation Flow: Add Context page appears.
Use the LOVs and lookup features to enter the contexts for which the flow applies.
Click Add Context. The Create Service Request Creation Flow page appears and shows the added context.
Click Create.The Service Request Creation Flows page appears and contains the name of the new flow in the list of flows.
Use this procedure to edit flow mappings of service request pages.
Using the iSupport Administrator responsibility, navigate to Configuration > Flow Mapping. The Service Request Creation Flows page appears.
Search for desired flow by entering your search criteria in the Flow Name and Context fields, and click Go. The search results appear in the Results region.
Click the Edit icon for the page that you want to update. The Update Service Request Creation Flow page appears.
Make the changes and click the Update. The Service Request Creation Flows page appears and shows the flow.
Service request functionality in Oracle iSupport allows users to associate products with service requests and allows administrators the option of enforcing product selection during request creation. Products also can be associated with service request templates set up by administrators. To enable product association, you must set up Oracle Inventory and Oracle Install Base.
See the Integrating Oracle iSupport with Products and Returns chapter of this guide for more information.
The creation of new service requests can be reduced by allowing or enforcing users to search a knowledge base prior to submission. Oracle Knowledge Management must be set up to facilitate this functionality in Oracle iSupport.
See the Oracle Knowledge Management Implementation and Administration Guide for more information.
Service request functionality in Oracle iSupport allows users to have the details of a service request e-mailed to them by clicking a button on the service request verification window.
The application that facilitates the e-mail submission is Oracle Workflow. See the Integrating Oracle iSupport with Oracle Workflow chapter of this guide for more information.
Note: A valid e-mail address must be set up for the user in his profile in order for the e-mail feature to work.