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Business Requirements That Siebel Workflow Can Meet

The benefits of managing a business process are often not realized because the organization does not manage the business process consistently. This situation can occur due to the large number of business processes that exist in the business environment, or because of the dynamic nature of the information that the process monitors.

Managing important events is central to managing a business process. Workflow management is the act of managing an event in a way that properly handles the event. For example, a service department uses processes to manage an open service request or to meet a measurable response time. A workflow process can increase the visibility of these business processes in your organization and make sure that your organization handles them correctly.

Siebel Workflow is a customizable business application that allows you to define, manage, and enforce your business processes and establish process automation in Siebel CRM. Siebel Workflow coordinates the process automation technologies that Siebel CRM provides.

A workflow process is a graphically sequenced series of automation steps that support a business process. It specifies inputs and outputs for individual steps and for the entire workflow process. A workflow process can be simple, such as entering a product order, or complex, such as managing a call center. A workflow process can perform operations on data, can include conditional logic, and can call a business service, task UI, or subprocess.

You can use a workflow process to do the following:

• Escalate an event
• Notify people that an event is escalated
• Route and assign work
• Process work
• Enforce authorization and transition rules

A business is often managed according to the business processes that enforce the following items:

• Efficiency
• Quality of service
• Adherence to contractual agreements
• Profitability

The following are some examples of these business processes:

• Meet response time objectives for customer callbacks and open service requests
• Define review policies for important processes, such as contracts, quotes, or product shipments
• Monitor service requests or opportunities over time

Examples of Meeting Business Requirements

A service department can use a workflow process that meets the following business requirements:

• Implement standards to process calls. If Siebel CRM assigns a Severity 1 call, then send a page to the new owner.
• Meet contracted service agreements. If a customer purchases a support agreement, then make sure a callback occurs within two hours and make sure the problem is resolved within four hours.

A sales department can use a workflow process to meet the following business requirements:

• Implement discount authority. If a sales representative quotes a discount that exceeds the maximum discount allowed, then get the approval of the district sales manager or VP of Sales.
• Manage the pipeline. To promote sufficient levels of prospects at each stage of the sales cycle, each sales representative manages their own pipeline. If an area of the pipeline requires attention, then alert the representative or manager.
• Make sure forecasting is accurate. If a user forecasts an opportunity but never closes it, then flag the opportunity. If a forecast includes a wide discrepancy from the actual revenue, then flag the opportunity.