Working with Self-Service Application Transactions

This chapter provides an overview of self-service application transactions and discusses how to:

• Access self-service transactions.

• Add cases.

• Manage existing self-service application cases.

• Search for solutions.

• Access frequently asked questions (FAQs).

• Select and run troubleshooting guides.

Understanding Self-Service Transactions

PeopleSoft CRM call center applications enable you to deploy self-service transactions that callers can use to enter and view their own cases. These transactions provide limited access to case information and employ a simple interface that is suited to the casual, untrained user.

This section discusses:

• Self-service transactions.

• Configurable functionality.

• Self-service data access.

• Case visibility.

• Solution tracking in self-service.

• Confirmation pages.

See Also

Working with Customer Self-Service Transactions

Self-Service Transactions

The following transactions are available to PeopleSoft Support, PeopleSoft HelpDesk, and PeopleSoft HelpDesk for Human Resources self-service users:

• Search for solutions outside the context of a case.

• Create a new case (add case).

• Manage cases.

  Search for, review, and update existing cases.

• Use FAQs.

  Access solutions that belong to the solution library with a specific FAQ configuration.

• Use troubleshooting guides.

  Access and run troubleshooting guide scripts that have been associated with solution libraries.

Note. For information on using employee self service to add and manage change requests, refer to the chapter on Using Change Management in this PeopleBook.

See Also

Managing Basic Change Request Information

Configurable Functionality

Within the transactions that are used to create and manage cases, certain functionality depends on the system configuration.

Business Unit Configuration

The availability of the following functionality depends on the settings on the Business Unit - Options page:

• Close a case.

  The Close Case button is available for cases that have not been resolved and have no corresponding resolution with the status Successful Resolution. The button's availability depends not on the case status, but on the resolution status.

  When a self-service user clicks this button and provides a reason for closing the case, the system adds a successful resolution to the case and updates the status based on the closed case status that you select on the Case Defaults page. (If you do not enter a closed case status or if you enter a status with a type other than Closed, then the case is not closed. It is resolved, however.)

• Reopen a case.

  The Reopen Case button is available for cases that have been resolved—that is, there is a resolution with the status Successful Resolution. The button's availability depends not on the case status, but on the resolution status.

  When a self-service user clicks the Reopen Case button and provides a reason for reopening the case, the system changes the status of the successful resolution to Resolution Failed and updates the status based on the reopened case status that you select on the Case Defaults page. (If you do not enter a reopened case status, the status does not change.)

  If your organization has not set a reopened case status, the status doesn't change. This could result in cases having a closed status without having a successful resolution—a condition that the system normally does not allow.

  Users can reopen cases only during the grace period that is established by your organization. The grace period lasts for a specified number of days after a user has resolved the case.

Active Analytics Framework (AAF) Notifications

The AAF decision engine handles notifications related to activity that is in the self-service pages. PeopleSoft delivers AAF action types that:

• Send a notification when a new case is submitted.

• Send a notification when a user clicks the Contact Me Regarding This Case button.

The system sends both notifications to the agent, call center manager, or provider group who is assigned to the new case.

Note. All AAF policies are delivered inactive. Users must activate the AAF objects that they wish to use.

Self-Service Workflow

PeopleSoft has built these action types and workflow actions into its self-service applications for PeopleSoft HelpDesk, Support, and Service Center for Higher Education:

• When a self-service user saves any change to the case, the system sends an email notification to the person to whom a case is assigned.

• When a self-service user creates a new case, the system sends a worklist notification to the default self-service provider group that is associated with the business unit.

• When a user clicks the Contact Me Regarding This Problem button for a case that is assigned to an agent:

  • The system sends an email to the assigned agent of the case if their notification preference is email or both.

  • The system sends the case to the assigned case agent's list if their notification preference is worklist or both.

• When a user clicks the Contact Me Regarding This Problem button for a case that is assigned to a provider group (but not to an agent), the system sends a worklist entry to the provider group members.

• When a user clicks the Contact Me Regarding This Problem button for a case that is unassigned, the system sends a worklist entry to members of the Contact Me provider group (established on the Case Defaults page).

Field Value Configuration

When you set up prompt tables for certain case fields, you can enter self-service versions of the field values.

See Also

Configuring Self-Service Applications

Defining Call Center Business Units and Display Template Options

Setting Up Call Center Prompt Tables

Working with Active Analytics Framework

Self-Service Data Access

The fields and data that appear in the self-service transactions vary depending on the configuration and on the data itself.

Field Visibility

Implementers can control the visibility of fields and the appearance of field labels by modifying the display template.

See Configuring Self-Service Applications.

Row-Level Visibility

Individual case notes and case history items have a visibility attribute that controls self-service access to the data. The Case Notes and Case History grids on the Manage Case page show only rows of data with All visibility. Notes, attachments, and history items with internal visibility do not appear.

Access to solutions is more complex, depending on two factors:

• Solution visibility

  When accessing solutions using Solution Advisor or the Frequently Asked Questions page, only solutions with All visibility are visible.

• Resolution status

  When viewing a case, self-service users can see associated solutions that have a status other than Withdrawn. Solutions that are associated with a case appear regardless of the solution's visibility setting.

• Case visibility

  When searching cases in Case Search, only the cases with All visibility are visible.

Values That Are Available for Selection

When creating a case, self-service users have access to all fields that are available for entry. For some prompt fields (case type, priority, severity, category, specialty type, and detail), self-service users might not have access to all of the values that are valid for agents. This restriction is based on how the value was defined on its setup page. Only values that are tagged for self-service use are available. Furthermore, the field labels for self-service users may differ from those seen by agents (depending on prompt table setup).

See Also

Configuring Self-Service Applications

Setting Up Call Center Prompt Tables

Working with Notes and Attachments

Working with Active Analytics Framework

Case Visibility

To prevent employees from viewing sensitive case information (for example, grievances) through the HelpDesk self-service applications, PeopleSoft has added a value called Internal, exclude Case Contact to the Visibility drop-down menu list on the agent-facing Case page. When an agent selects Internal, exclude Case Contact, the employee who is the subject of the case is unable to view the case through the HelpDesk self-service application.

The person who reported the case (Reported By) can view it in the self service application if the case is not secured. When a case is secured, the Reported By person will no longer have visibility to the case in the self-service application.

Note. This feature is only applicable to CRM HelpDesk, HelpDesk for Human Resources, and Service Center for Higher Education.

See Also

Case Visibility

Solution Tracking in Self-Service

Users can search for solutions from self-service applications by clicking the Search for Solutions button. The self-service application Solution page has these tabs:

• Keyword Search

  This is similar to how the keyword searches work in agent-facing call center applications. There is a Basic and an Advanced search. The Advanced Search in self-service applications contain limited options. The more advanced options of searching over particular domains is reserved for agent-facing case solution searches.

• Frequently Used

  This is similar to how the frequently used solutions work in agent-facing call center applications.

See Setting Up Solution Management.

Searching from Within a Case

If the user is searching from within a case, the possible responses are YES and NO. When the user selects a response, the system:

• Updates the resolution status if the user originally accessed a solution that was already associated with the case.

  The resolution status refers to the status of the solution in the context of a case. This is different from the solution status, which is independent of any case.

• Associates the solution with the case and sets the initial resolution status.

If you click on a solution to open the Solution Details page, you have the option to select Yes, No, or I'll try it later.

The resolution status is set as follows:

• Answering YES sets the status to Successful Resolution.

  If you've established a default case status for resolved cases on the Case Defaults page, then Yes also updates the case status.

• Answering No sets the status to Failed Resolution.

• Answering I'll try it Later sets the status to Waiting on Customer.

Searching Outside the Context of a Case

If the user is searching outside the context of a case, the possible responses are YES and NO.

Solution usage outside the context of a case does not affect the solution usage counts. However, the system records the attempt internally in the RC_SOLN_ATMT_SS table. This information is not visible through the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture, but it is available for reporting and analysis.

See Also

Processing Cases

Confirmation Pages

When self-service users perform certain actions, the system provides a confirmation to assure the user that the transaction was successful.

The confirmation pages have different forms depending on the application.

• PeopleSoft Support uses red confirmation text at the top of the page where the user performed the action.

• PeopleSoft HelpDesk and PeopleSoft Service Center for Higher Education use a separate confirmation page, where the user must click a button or link before continuing.

  Note. You can control the appearance of configuration pages by modifying display templates.

  See Configuring Display Templates for Components.

The following actions trigger confirmation messages:

Accessing Self-Service Transactions In PeopleSoft CRM and HCM

This section provides overviews on self-service case search, case creation, and case management as they relate to display template families, and discusses how to access self-service transactions.

Understanding Self-Service Case Search and Display Template Families

The system passes the display template family from the content reference (CREF), which is embedded in links under the left-hand navigation menu. This enables the system to search for cases across the display template family for cases using the self-service search case component (RC_CASE_SW_SS_SRCH or RC_CASE_HD_SS_SRCH).

The searching logic uses the display template family instead of the display template ID to filter the cases that are shown in the results grid. Based on the defaulting logic described in previous sections on display template families, the system defaults the display template family, business unit, and display template ID in the self-service search results grid. You cannot, however, define AAF actions for this component. For the Create Case and Manage Case components you can, however, use AAF to render the Case page with a selected display template.

Case Creation and Display Template Families

The system passes the display template family from the content reference (CREF) to create cases for the create case component (RC_CASE_SW_SS_RPT or RC_CASE_HD_SS_RPT).

The system renders the Add Case pages for the different industries based on the defaulting logic described in previous sections, which relies on system defaults for the display template family, business unit and display template ID.

PeopleSoft delivers four AAF trigger points that you can use to render the Add Case page using different display template IDs:

• When a New Self-Service Support Case is presented.

• When a New Self-Service Help Desk Case is presented

• When a New Self-Service Support Case Business Unit is changed.

• When a New Self-Service Help Desk Case Business Unit is changed.

Based on the AAF policies that you create, the system derives the display template ID when the Case Post Build Event executes. This is used to render the Add Case page. With this design, the system does not store the display template ID in the case record. Instead, the system stores the display template family code in the case record.

Case Management and Display Template Families

The system passes the display template Family from the CRMCRefTransfer application programming interface (API) to display the Manage Case page (RC_CASE_SW_SS) .

The system renders the Manage Case pages for the different industries based on the defaulting logic described in previous sections, which relies on system defaults for the display template family, business unit and display template ID.

PeopleSoft delivers two AAF trigger points for this component that you can use to render the Manage Case page using different display template IDs:

• When a Support Manage Case is presented.

• When a Help Desk Manage Case is presented.

After the system creates a case, you cannot change the display template family code.

Pages Used to Access Self-Service Transactions

Use these pages to access Self-Service Transactions.

Accessing Self-Service Transactions in PeopleSoft CRM

Access the Customer Care, Help Desk, HR Help Desk, or Service Center welcome page.

Click the links on these pages to access self-service transactions in PeopleSoft CRM.

Use this page if you have more than one role in Service Center for Higher Education. Click the Select button to choose the role that you wish to be used when accessing a Service Center for Higher Education self-service case.

If you have multiple roles and you do not access this page to select the desired role to be used for Service Center for Higher Education self-service cases, the system will default your role by using the first role found for you in this hierarchy:

• Worker.

• Consumer (Constituent).

• Company Contact.

Accessing Self-Service Transactions in PeopleSoft HCM

Access the (Employee) Self Service or Manager Self Service welcome page.

Click the links on these pages to access self-service transactions in PeopleSoft HCM.

Note. PeopleSoft delivers URL identifiers for both the Manager Self Service page and the (Employee) Self Service page in PeopleSoft HCM. To provide access to these pages from PeopleSoft CRM you must update the URLs with the correct server names for your PeopleSoft HCM application. Go to PeopleTools, Utilities, Administration, URLs, URL Maintenance. Then select the RC_HD_HRHOME URL identifier and enter the correct URL for the page. Repeat the same process for the RC_HD_HRHOME_MGR URL identifier.

See PeopleTools 8.52: System and Server Administration PeopleBook, “Using PeopleTools Utilities”

Accessing Self-Service Transactions in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

Access the Student Center welcome page (Service Center, Student Center).

Click the links on this page to access self-service transactions in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions.

Access the Faculty Center welcome page (Service Center, Faculty Center).

Click the links on this page to access self-service transactions in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions.

Adding Cases

This section discusses how to:

• Add cases.

• Look up employees.

• Edit contact information.

Pages Used to Add a Case

Adding Cases

Access the Add Case page (Employee Self Service, Help Desk, Add Case).

The visibility of page elements depends on how you configure the display template for this component. Also, some fields can be assigned default values based on business unit settings. The system enters default values even if the fields are hidden.

See Configuring Display Templates for Components.

See Defining Call Center Business Units and Display Template Options.

Contact Details

Problem Details

Incident Address

Attachments

Looking Up Employees

Access the Look Up Employee page (click the Add Case for Someone Else link on the Add Case page).

Enter your search criteria in the fields at the top of the page and then click Look Up. Click the name of the employee for whom you are reporting a case. The system returns to the Add Case page.

Note. This page is part of the HelpDesk for Human Resources reported-by feature. The system displays this page, when you click the Add Case for Someone else field. PeopleSoft enables this link for HelpDesk for Human Resources customers when you first install the application. This field is used to report cases for your direct reports. If you have properly set up the integration between HCM and CRM, then the system retrieves the direct report details directly from the PeopleSoft HCM database.

Editing Contact Information

Access the Edit Contact Information page (click the Edit Contact Details link on the Add Case page).

Use the fields in the New Contact Information section to change contact information for the case on which you are currently working. To add another contact click the Select Contact link. To erase the contact that is displayed, click the Clear Contact link. Click OK when you are finished. The system returns you to the Add Case page.

Managing Existing Self-Service Application Cases

This section discusses how to:

• Search for cases.

• Manage cases.

• View problem descriptions.

• View case notes.

• Enter a new case note.

• Enter the reason for closing a case.

• Enter the reason for reopening a case.

• Change contact information.

Note. You can display a group box for billing information by selecting this option on the display template. This section is delivered hidden.

Pages Used to Manage Cases

Searching for Cases

Access the Manage Cases - Find an Existing Case page (on the Customer Care page, click the Manage Cases link).

Note. The first screen shot shows the Case Search page in basic search mode. The second screen shot shows the page in advanced search mode. Note that you must click the Select Contact link to access contact information.

Values in one field are not dependent on values in any other. For example:

• Values are not limited by the selected business unit.

• Entering a category does not limit the values for the Specialty Type or Detail fields, and entering a specialty type does not limit the values for the Detail field.

See Also

Updating Search Descriptions

Managing Cases

Access the Manage Case page (select a case from the list of search results on the Find an Existing Case page).

Use this page to edit contact details, view product hierarchies, view product descriptions, add notes and attachments, search for solutions, and close and open the case.

Viewing Problem Descriptions

Access the Manage Case - Problem Description page (on the Manage Case page, click the Problem Summary link).

Click the Return to Manage Case link to go back to the Manage Case page.

Viewing Case Notes

Access the Manage Case - Note Details page (on the Manage Case page, click the summary for a note in the Notes and Attachments Summary grid).

Click the Return to Manage Case link to go back to the Manage Case page.

Entering a New Case Note

Access the Manage Case - Add Note or Attachment page (on the Manage Case page, click the Add Note or Attachment button).

Use the fields on this page to add notes and attachments. Click the Attach a File button to add files from your computer to the case. Click Save when you are finished. Click the Contact Me Regarding this Problem button if you need further help and you want someone to call you.

See Also

Adding Attachments to Notes

Entering the Reason for Closing a Case

Access the Manage Case - Close Case page (on the Manage Case page, click the Close Case button).

Predefined Reasons and Reason	Select the Predefined Reasons option and then select one of the predefined reasons from the Reason drop-down list box. The available reasons include: Case Canceled, Case Resolved, and Duplicate Case.
Other Reason and Details	Select this option and enter the reason in the Details field if you want to enter a free-form text reason.
Submit	When the user clicks this button, the system changes the case status to the value that is specified in the Closed Case Status field on the Case Defaults page. See Setting Up Case Defaults. If a user selects a predefined reason from the Reason field, the system resolves the case by using the solution that is identified on the Reason and Solution Link page. If no solution is linked to the selected reason code, the system creates one (using the solution type Canned) and updates the Reason and Solution Link page accordingly. If a user entered a reason in the Details field, the system uses the text to create a new solution of type Adhoc. The solution then resolves the case using the newly created solution.

See Also

Associating Solutions with Reasons for Closing Cases

Setting Up Reason Codes

Setting Up Case Defaults

Entering the Reason for Reopening a Case

Access the Manage Case - Reopen Case page (on the Manage Case page, click the Reopen Case button).

Predefined Reasons and Reason	Select the Predefined Reasons option and then select one of the predefined reasons from the Reason drop-down list box. The available reasons include: Problem Re-occurred, and Resolution Failed.
Other Reason and Details	Select this option and enter the reason in the Details field if you want to enter a free-form text reason.
Submit	When the user clicks this button, the system changes the case status to the value that is specified in the Reopened Case Status field on the Case Defaults page. The reason (either predefined or free-form text) becomes a resolution note.

See Also

Associating Solutions with Reasons for Closing Cases

Setting Up Reason Codes

Setting Up Case Defaults

Changing Contact Information

Access the Manage Case - Edit Contact Information page (click the Edit Contact Details link on the Create Case page or the Manage Case page).

The appearance of this page varies slightly depending on whether the user is a company contact person (PeopleSoft Support), a consumer (PeopleSoft Support), or a worker (PeopleSoft HelpDesk).

You can change contact information when you are creating a new case or viewing an existing case.

On the Create Case page, the Change Contact Information button is available only until the case is submitted. After submitting the case, use the Manage Cases component to change the contact information.

Searching for Solutions

This section discusses how to:

• Perform a basic solution search.

• Perform a frequently used solution search.

• Search for solutions using field-specific search criteria.

• Use the Solution Summary page.

Pages Used to Search for Solutions

Performing a Basic Solution Search

Access the Keyword Search page (on the Manage Case page, click the Search for Solutions button; then click Keyword Search).

Business Unit	The business unit is required; only solutions from the corresponding setID are included in the search results. If you configure self-service so that the field is not visible, you must make sure that each user has a default business unit that will populate the field. The business unit prompt shows business units for all markets.
Search Text	When searching by keyword, Solution Advisor performs a Verity search that looks for the keyword in any field that is included in the search index template for solutions. Restricting keyword searches by product is available in the advanced search.
Advanced Search	Click this link to access the Search Solution page for advanced searches, which accepts field-specific search criteria.
Search	Click this button to perform a search. The search results appear at the bottom of the page.
Add Case	This link appears when you are searching for solutions outside the context of a case.
Return	This link appears when you are searching for solutions within the context of a case.

Self-service solution pages display these icons along with the search results:

Performing a Frequently Used Solution Search

Access the Frequently Used page (on the Manage Case page, click the Search for Solutions button; then click Frequently Used).

To search for frequently used solutions, first select a product by clicking the Choose a Product link.

Note. Self-service users can only search on active solutions. Solutions that are categorized as either canned or adhoc do not appear in searches on the Frequently Used solutions page for both agents and self-service users.

Searching for Solutions by Using Field-Specific Search Criteria

Access the Keyword Search - Advanced page (on the Search Solution page, click the Advanced Search link).

Use this page to search for solutions using different criteria. Use the open fields at the top of the page or select the check boxes that appear in the lower portion of the page. Additionally, you can search for solutions by product.

There are more advanced search options available for searching over particular domains. This functionality, however, is reserved for agent-facing cases only.

See Also

Setting Up Solution Management

Using the Solution Summary Page

Access the Search Solution - Solution Summary page (on the Keyword Search or Keyword Search - Advanced page, click the summary of a solution in the search results list).

Use this page to review the details of a solution and indicate if the solution solved your problem.

If a solution has related solutions, then the system lists the related solutions under Attachments on the Solution Summary Page. By Clicking the Related Solution the user can view the Related Solution Summary.

Using the Related Solution Page

Access the Search Solution - Related Solution page (on the Search Solution - Solution Summary page, click the solution summary in the Related Solutions grid).

Use this page to locate solutions related to your problem. If the solution solved your problem, click Yes. If you have still not found a solution to your problem, click No, Continue Search.

Accessing FAQs

This section discusses how to:

• Select FAQs.

• Review solutions.

Pages Used to Access FAQs

Selecting a FAQ

Access the Frequently Asked Questions page (on the Customer Care page, click the Frequently Asked Questions link).

Business Unit	This field may have a different label, depending on how you configure self-service. If you do not show a business unit on the self-service pages, the user must have a default self-service business unit established on the User Preferences - Call Center page.
Topic	Select from a list of solution libraries that you set up on the Troubleshooting Guide setup page. Each library is associated with a single script.
Search	Click this button to display a list of solutions in the selected library. The system displays only solutions with a visibility of All.
Problem Description	Displays the list of solutions in the selected library. Click a question to access the View Solution page and review information that is related to the question.

Reviewing Solutions

Access the View Solution page (click a problem description on the Frequently Asked Questions page).

After you review the solution, click the Return to FAQ topics to go back to the FAQ page.

Selecting and Running Troubleshooting Guides

This section discusses how to:

• Use troubleshooting guides.

• Run scripts in self-service.

Pages Used to Select and Run Troubleshooting Guides

Using Troubleshooting Guides

Access the Troubleshooting Guide page (on the Customer Care welcome page, click the Troubleshooting Guide link).

Business Unit	This field may have a different label, depending on how you configure self-service. If you do not show a business unit on the self-service pages, the user must have a default self-service business unit established on the User Preferences - Call Center page.
Guide	Select from a list of solution libraries that you set up in the Troubleshooting Guide setup page. Each library is associated with a single script.
Launch	Click to display the Execute Script page and run the script that is associated with the selected library.

Running Scripts in Self-Service

Access the Execute Script page (on the Troubleshooting Guide page, select a guide and click the Launch button).

See Running Scripts on Self-Service Pages.