Configuring Siebel eBusiness Applications > Configuring the Customer Dashboard >

About the Customer Dashboard

The customer dashboard provides access to key customer information, such as contact name and account number, in an area of the screen that remains persistent as the user navigates in the Siebel application. The customer dashboard is visible as a separate frame within the Siebel Web Client, below the screen tabs.

For more information about end user procedures, see Fundamentals.

How the Customer Dashboard is Populated With Data

The Customer Dashboard must be open to be populated with data. After the Customer Dashboard is populated, the information remains in the Customer Dashboard until the Clear Dashboard command is executed. During a session, all information populated in the Customer Dashboard is saved. The user can use Forward and Backward to display stored information. You can also configure a button on an applet that updates the Customer Dashboard with information from the currently selected row. For more information, see Using Siebel VB and eScript to Populate the Customer Dashboard.

The Customer Dashboard can be populated with data using any of the following methods:

• Selected Record. You can update the Customer Dashboard from a view by selecting a record and clicking the Update button in the Customer Dashboard. The Customer Dashboard then takes the primary business component for the view and updates the fields with data for this record.
• Communications event. When a user accepts an incoming call, the Customer Dashboard is automatically updated with contact information for the caller.
• SmartScript answer. You can configure the Customer Dashboard so that the answer to a question in a SmartScript automatically populates the Customer Dashboard.
• Search Center results. When the customer cannot be automatically identified from an inbound call, the user can search for the contact in Search Center and then click the Set Dashboard icon to populate the Customer Dashboard with the search results.

Architecture

The Customer Dashboard based on a virtual business component called Persistent Customer Dashboard, which is associated with the Persistent Customer Dashboard business object. The objects in the Siebel repository that are related to the Customer Dashboard are:

• Persistent Customer Dashboard business object. Groups together business components that can populate the Customer Dashboard with data.
• Persistent Customer Dashboard business component. Is a virtual business component.
• Persistent Customer Dashboard business service. Controls the functionality of the Customer Dashboard.
• Persistent Customer Dashboard applet. Displays data in the user interface.
• Persistent Customer Dashboard view. Displays applet in the user interface.

The method used for updating the Customer Dashboard is UpdateDashboard. If you want to configure a button to update the Customer Dashboard, use the InvokeMethod function and pass a set of name-value pairs such as:

• Source Name: 'Base View'
• BusComp Name: 'Contact'
• RowId: 'srowid'

See Using Siebel VB and eScript to Populate the Customer Dashboard for more information.

Upon receiving the arguments, the methods evaluate the set of fields to be displayed, retrieve the data, and populate the Customer Dashboard.

Predefined Behavior

The Customer Dashboard has been configured to display a set of fields from several business components, including Account, Contact, Employee, Service Request, Asset Mgmt, and so on. You can configure the Customer Dashboard to display information from other business components as well. See Process for Configuring the Customer Dashboard for more information.

You can see which business components the Customer Dashboard is configured to display by using Siebel Tools to review the list of Business Object Components associated with the Persistent Customer Dashboard business object. See Adding Business Components to the Customer Dashboard Business Object.

The Customer Dashboard can be populated with data from a single business component or multiple business components. However, the Customer Dashboard does not display data from multiple business components at one time. Rather, it is configured to display data in different contexts. For example, when the user is in the Accounts screen and clicks the Update button, account information is displayed; when the user is in the Contacts screen and clicks the Update button, contact information is displayed.