Siebel Advisor Administration Guide > Overview of Building Advisor Applications >

About Using Siebel Advisor

Use the Advisor application to involve customers in an interactive dialogue to understand their needs and recommend appropriate solutions as an initial point in the buying process. Siebel Advisor allows customers to base their decision on their needs, without extensive product knowledge.

The Advisor applications open from a link in another application. For example, a sales application in which a user can configure and purchase a car might include a Need Help? link. When the user clicks Need Help?, the Advisor application opens, displaying a list of questions. For example, if a customer is shopping for a car, Advisor might present the following questions:

• What will be the maximum number of passengers in your car?
• What are your storage needs?
• What are your priority considerations (safety, fuel, economy, transmission)?

Based on the user's answers, a product or solution appears that can be added to a Siebel quote or shopping cart. To allow the user to further refine their configuration, an Advisor session is often integrated with a server-based Configurator application. The Advisor application collects the user's requirements to provide a possible solution. A link to the Configurator application is provided so the user can further configure that solution.

The Advisor links are provided in Siebel Catalog, shopping cart, and quote applications.

For information on creating an Advisor application, see Roadmap for Creating an Advisor Application.