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About Siebel Technologies That Customize Siebel CRM Behavior

This topic describes solutions other than Siebel Tools that you can use to customize Siebel CRM. It includes the following topics:

• Siebel Personalization
• Task-Based User Interface
• Siebel Worklfow
• Siebel Interactive
• Siebel eSmartScript
• Siebel Assignment Manager
• State Model
• Siebel Pricer

These solutions are controlled through administration views in the Siebel client rather than Siebel Tools and are used by developers and administrators.

Siebel Personalization

Siebel Personalization is a solution that allows you to filter content in an applet that Siebel CRM displays for a specific user according to the requirements of the preference or profile of the user. For example, you can include a salutation applet that does the following work:

• Greets the user by name
• Indicates how much time has elapsed since the user last visited the site
• Presents information about specific products or services with which the user might be interested

Note the following key points about personalization:

• Personalization is available on any applet in Siebel CRM.
• Personalization uses rules and rule sets to determine which records the user can view in a given applet according to the profile of the user. A rules evaluates the profile to determine which records and applications to display. A rule set is a group of rules. You can define multiple rule sets so that if the criteria in one rule set is not met, then Siebel CRM evaluates the next rule set.
• The user profile references any attribute that belongs to one of the following items:
  • If the user is a contact, a contact record and the account of the contact record
  • If the user is an employee, an employee record and the division of the employee record
• Personalization uses the User Profile Attributes object to contain and retrieve elements of a user profile. You can display these attributes in the Siebel CRM user interface, and in rules that determine the content that Siebel CRM displays to the user.
• Siebel Personalization can track events that occur in the context of Siebel CRM for the application, business component, and applet. When an event occurs, it starts a Personalization Action that modifies user profile attributes.
• A rule or an event can call an action. Siebel CRM uses an action to set a predefined profile attribute or a profile attribute that Siebel CRM creates dynamically in the Siebel client. A profile attribute that Siebel CRM creates dynamically in the Siebel client only exists for the duration of the user session. You can use a profile attribute that is configured in Siebel Tools or created in the Siebel client can to store state information in much the same way that a variable is stored in a cookie or a persistent frame. Where possible, you must use a profile attribute instead of a cookie.
• A rule or action can call a business component method or a business service method. Typically, you use the method to return values that Siebel CRM uses as criteria for a rule or for setting a profile attribute.

For more information, see Siebel Personalization Administration Guide.

Task-Based User Interface

You can use the task-based user interface (Task UI) to create a wizard-like user interface that Siebel CRM displays in the Siebel client. A task UI is a multiple-step, interactive operation that can include branching and decision logic. Task UI guides the user through task execution, allows forward and backward navigation in task execution, and allows the user to pause and resume task execution. These features guide the user through the execution of an unfamiliar task, which helps to increase the efficiency of a novice or intermittent user. Task UI can also increase the efficiency of a busy veteran user, especially a user who works in an environment that is prone to interruption. Task UI allows for easy switching between multiple tasks throughout the work day. For more information, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide.

Siebel Worklfow

Siebel Worklfow is a customizable business application that allows you to manage and enforce business processes, such as response time objectives, creating review policies, or monitoring service requests or opportunities over time. Siebel Worklfow uses the same basic processes that organizations use in their sales, marketing, and service departments that determine business workflow. You can use Siebel Worklfow to automatically enforce business policies and procedures. For more information, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.

Siebel Interactive

Siebel Interactive is a technology that allows you to incorporate HTML documents that are stored on the same or on a different Web site. You can retrieve and display internal or external HTML content, and programmatically execute a search specification against various Web servers. This functionality also provides a way to manage large stores of internal content that reference HTML which might include information that is valuable for users, such as FAQs. For more information about Siebel Briefings, see Siebel Briefings Administration Guide.

Siebel eSmartScript

Siebel eSmartScript allows you to deploy an interactive guide in question and answer format in a Web page that helps the user find information. The interactive guide asks the user to answer questions to refine a search. Depending on the answers, the guide pursues branching paths to locate the correct answer. Siebel eSmartScript is integrated with Siebel SmartScript so that you can use a single administrative user interface to define scripts, and then deploy those scripts to call center agents or to users through the Web.

You configure Siebel eSmartScript through the same administrative screens that you configure SmartScript. You can deploy a Predefined SmartScript with little or no more configuration. You need only display the eSmartScript view, and then Siebel CRM dynamically generates the remaining views, applets, and so forth.

Siebel eSmartScripts can make applications more driven by data, which simplifies Web configuration. A Siebel eSmartScripts is relatively easy to configure, deploy and administer. For more information, see Siebel SmartScript Guide.

Siebel Assignment Manager

Siebel Assignment Manager provides you with a way to assign the most qualified person to a specific task. To accomplish this, Siebel CRM matches candidates to assignment objects. To assign the most qualified candidate to each object, Assignment Manager applies assignment rules that you define.

You can specify how Siebel CRM uses Assignment Manager to evaluate a record. You can run Assignment Manager to process assignments interactively in real time, dynamically when the user makes database changes, or periodically in batches. For more information, see Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide.

State Model

State model provides you with a way to customize workflow control according to the status of an object, such as a service request or a product defect. A state represents the status of an object, such as Open, Closed, or Pending. The state represents where the object is in the lifetime of the object. The state can also determine if the user can or cannot modify the data of that object. For example, a service request that is in a Closed state might be considered frozen and the user cannot modify the object.

A state transition defines how the user can change an object from one state to the next. For example, state model can allow a user to change the state for a service request from Closed to Open, and from Open to Pending, but not directly from Closed to Pending. The change of a service request from Closed to Open, or Open to Pending, represents state transitions. For more information, see the content about State Model in Siebel Applications Administration Guide.

Siebel Pricer

Siebel Pricer is a solution that allows you to define, assess, administer, and deploy a flexible pricing strategy. It includes the following:

• A set of administration views that allow you to define pricing adjustments and the conditions under which Siebel CRM applies them.
• An engine that evaluates the condition statements and determines which pricing adjustments Siebel CRM applies.
• A testing area that allows assessment of the pricing adjustments.
• Integration with user interfaces, such as Quotes, Orders, Siebel eSales, Siebel PRM, and Siebel eConfigurator.

Siebel Pricer includes the following components:

• Price lists. Contain base prices.
• Pricing models. Management tool to control a set of related pricing factors.
• Pricing factors. Statements that define conditions and pricing adjustments.
• Scripting. Allows you to use business services with a pricing factor to customize the pricing calculation and to access external data.
• Pricing validation. Allows you to test pricing factors and the pricing model before releasing to users.
• Reports. Allows you to print reports of pricing factors.
• Pricer Engine. Evaluates conditional statements and applies pricing adjustments.

For more information, see Siebel Pricing Administration Guide.