Oracle Forms Module Implementation Checklist

This chapter provides a checklist of steps needed to implement the Oracle Forms-based module of Oracle TeleService.

This chapter covers the following topics:

Setups in Integrated Applications

This section provides guidelines for implementing integrated applications that are required to make your application work properly. References are provided to sections of this guide with additional setup details.

Implementation Tasks for the Oracle Forms-Based Module

This section provides you with a checklist of implementation steps for the Oracle Forms-based module of Oracle TeleService. Use this checklist to determine which chapters and sections of this implementation guide are relevant to you.

The steps are listed in suggested implementation order. Not all steps depend on previous steps, but many do.

Follow the references to detailed information and procedures in this and other guides.

Implementation Step Description References
Set up resources. You must set up agents as resources using Assignment Manager before you can assign ownership of service requests to them.
You must set up resource groups with the usage of "Support" to assign service requests to groups.
Set up business processes. You must set up business processes to enable the defaulting of response and resolution times from the default service level agreement and to use service charges and Oracle Service Contracts.
A business process provides a general classification of the work performed. Examples include depot repair, field service, and customer support.
Set up service request statuses. Service request statuses provide a classification system which makes it possible for your organization to track the stage of a response to a customer problem from the initial customer contact to resolution.
Group the statuses into status groups. Status groups make it possible to assign different statuses to different service request types and to create permissible status transitions.
Set up service request types. Agents use service request types to classify the customer problem.
Different service request types can capture different information about the customer problem and even generate tasks for resolution.
Map service request types to responsibilities. Mapping service request types to responsibilities restricts their use to users logging in under those responsibilities. This mapping provides the basis of standard service request security.
Organize service requests into categories for Oracle iSupport. If you are using Oracle iSupport, creating categories organizes service request types into meaningful groups on the customer Web portal user interface. You can add images to help customers identify the correct service request type for their problem.
Set up service request severities. Service request severity reflects the support agent's perception of the reported service request. Service request severity is a mandatory field in the service request.
Set up service request urgencies. The Urgency field indicates the customer's perception of the urgency of the service request. Urgency is an optional field in service requests.
Set up problem codes and map them to service request types, inventory items (individual items or categories), or a combination of the two. Problem codes standardize the description of customer requests. Mapping them makes it possible to narrow an agent's choice to only those problem codes appropriate to each customer problem.
Set up resolution codes and map them to specify where they are to be used. Resolution codes provide a uniform way for agents to specify how a service request is resolved.
You can specify which resolution codes are relevant to which service requests by mapping resolution codes to problem codes, service request types, inventory items (individual items or categories), or a combination of the three.
Set up service request linking. You link service requests to indicate that one service request is a duplicate or the cause of another, for instance.
Specify the valid languages for the service request by setting up the Language Field. Agents use this field to indicate a customer's preferred language for a specific service request.
Set up Message Action Codes. This step is required only if you want to use the Oracle Workflow messaging feature.
Set up task types and priorities. This step is required only if you are using tasks for resolution of service requests.
Create additional note types. Note types classify the information your organization keeps on service request, tasks, and customers.
You can create note types in addition to those included with your application.
Set up service request security. Service request security is built on top of the standard application security. It makes it possible for you to restrict by responsibility the ability of users to view and update service requests and related objects.
Set up work assignment and distribution. Setting up assignment and distribution of service requests and related tasks to groups and individuals involves setups of service territories, system profiles, and Universal Work Queue.
Set up automatic notifications. By setting up automatic notifications, you can keep interested parties, including customers and agents, informed of any service request updates.
Capture of additional service request information. You can capture of additional service request information in a structured question and answer format at the time a service request is created by agents in the Contact Center and by customers on their Oracle iSupport web portal.
This capture of information using this feature is unique to the Contact Center and is incompatible with the extensible attributes architecture that you can use to capture additional information in the HTML modules.
The captured information is stored in service request notes, however, so is visible in all modules.
Automatic task generation for service requests. You can have the application automatically generate tasks for newly-created service requests. You can:
These two methods of generating tasks are mutually exclusive. You must choose one.
Set up automatic closure of service requests and tasks. You can set up the application to automatically close service requests when all their tasks are closed and prevent the closure of service requests when tasks are still open.
The closing of service requests tasks is independent of the service request status.
If you do not implement closure automation, agents must remember to close all tasks when they close a service request and remember to close the service request after all tasks are completed.
Set up the default response and resolution times. Even if you do not use Oracle Service Contracts, you must still set up a default service level agreement to enable the defaulting of due dates on tasks and service request actions.
Set up duplicate checking for service requests. You can have the application to flag existing service requests as potential duplicates if they are similar and were created within the time frame you specify. The application determines if the service requests are similar based on one or both of the following two types of information:

  • The customer and item

  • Incident address and the information captured through service request attributes
Enable multiple time zone support. Enabling multiple time zone support makes it possible for agents to use different time zones to view service request deadlines. This makes it easier to talk with customers about response and resolution times in the context of the customer time zone.
Set up relationship plans. Use relationship plans to alert agents to customer needs. Whenever an agent is working on a customer record that meets the conditions you specify, the application can automatically display an alert message or launch a script that guides the agent through the interaction with the customer.
Validate global address formats. Agents can enter customer mailing addresses in the formats appropriate for the country where the customer is located.
Six preset address formats are available. You can create additional ones.
Enable service request reports. You can print the contents of service requests and in HTML, PDF, RTF, and XSL formats via an integration with Oracle XML Publisher.
Implement Charges. Charges is a component of the Oracle TeleService application that is used by many Oracle applications including Oracle Field Service and Oracle Depot Repair.
You can use charges to:

  • Create orders for shipments

  • Create return orders (RMA)

  • Bill customers for any services provided to them
If you are using Charges for items tracked by Oracle Installed Base, then you must set up service activities and Oracle Installed Base Transaction Subtypes. You must perform the setups if you are using Charges to handle orders and returns for items tracked by Oracle Installed Base, for example, units returned as part of Return Material Authorizations (RMAs) and other customer support logistics.
Set up electronic approvals and records. You can set up service requests to require electronic approvals and to generate electronic audit records whenever an agent sets the service request to a specific status.
You set up the approval rules in Oracle Approvals Management and the e-record templates in Oracle E-Records.
Set up Web collaboration. By enabling the real-time collaboration features of the Oracle Collaboration Suite, you can make it possible for agents and customers to participate in Web conferences, chats, and to share their computer desktops. Agents can use this capability to take control of the customer's computer and provide remote support.
Set up display of customer information summaries (customer profiles). You can provide summaries of customer information, such as the number of open and escalated service requests, payments in arrears, and the number of expiring contracts.
In the Oracle-Forms-based interface, agents can view the information in three places:

  • The Dashboard tab

    Available in the Contact Center (Oracle TeleService) and E-Business Center (Oracle TeleSales).

  • The Profile window

    Available in the Service Request and Override Customer Criticality windows in Oracle TeleService and the Repair Order window in Oracle Depot Repair.
Set up Contact Center search preferences. You can customize searches in the Contact Center by:

  • Setting up service key search preferences

  • Limiting searches to a specific country

  • Modify the list of service keys used for searches

  • Configuring customer search window defaults
Set up additional actions for the Contact Center. The Install Base and Orders tabs of the Contact Center include actions agents can use to speed up tasks such as the creation of service requests for an installed base item or the creation of a new item instance.
You can use the Oracle Applications Form Personalization to create new actions of your own or add code using the CUSTOM.pll stub library.
Perform additional Contact Center setups. Additional setups include:

  • Setting up critical customers

  • Setting up the Quick Menu

  • Setting up call wrap-up

  • Setting up party and account numbering

  • Enabling Oracle Knowledge Management

  • Enabling Oracle Scripting

  • Specifying the defaults for overriding customer criticality
Enable telephony in the Contact Center or the Service Request windows. For both the Contact Center and the Service Request windows, you can implement telephony either by:

  • Integration with Oracle Advanced Inbound, Oracle Universal Work Queue, and Oracle Advanced Outbound

  • Direct integration with third-party CTI software
Set up any customer tabs in the Contact Center. You can create two custom tabs in the Contact Center window by modifying the code for the Contact Center form and the associated library.
Enable Oracle Enterprise Asset Management integration for the Service Request window. Agents can create service requests for internal assets maintained in Oracle Enterprise Asset Management using the Service Request window. The Contact Center does not support the integration.
Enable Oracle Email Center integration. When you implement Oracle Email Center and enable the integration, agents can:

  • Compose and send e-mails to customers and customer contacts with one click

  • Use e-mail templates to populate the body of the e-mail, including information about the customer and the service request

  • View replies from customers

  • View a history of sent e-mails and their replies

  • Access the archived e-mail messages themselves
Set up any custom tabs in the Service Request window. You can add two custom tabs in the Service Request window by modifying the code for the Service Request form and the associated library.
Set up indexing of text in service request summaries and notes for searches. You must run the Service Request Synchronize Index concurrent program to make it possible for agents to search for text in the summary and note fields of service requests.
Set up any additional system profiles and lookups. You can use the Functional Administrator responsibility to obtain a list of all system profiles and lookups relevant to your implementation by searching by application. You search for "Service" for system profiles and lookups related to service requests, and "Customer Care" for those related to the Contact Center and other customer-related features.