Examples for Collaborative Customer Service

The following topics describe two examples that let the partner work on service requests in collaboration with the brand owner:

• "Example of the Partner Logging Service Requests and Working on Them with the Brand Owner"

• "Example of the Partner Logging Service Requests and Transferring Them to the Brand Owner"

Example of the Partner Logging Service Requests and Working on Them with the Brand Owner

This topic gives one example of how the partners work on customer service requests in collaboration with the brand owner. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business model

In this example, the partner acts as the primary service provider but collaborates with the brand owner to get service issues resolved when the partner receives service requests that require expertise from the brand owner.

For example, you might use this example if your partner is a value-added reseller of your company's complex manufacturing equipment. Your partner's field service technicians are on site installing new equipment, and have a problem with the computer's software that require a software patch. The field service technician would log a service request in the Siebel PRM Portal's Self-Service screen to get help from the brand owner and to request the patch.

This example consists of the following tasks:

• "Logging Service Requests (Partner)"

• "Using Self-Service to Get Help (Partner)"

• "Responding to the Partner's Self-Service Request (Brand Owner)"

Logging Service Requests (Partner)

In this example, your partners enter service requests using the Siebel PRM Portal. The partner might get these service requests through its call center or through other customer contacts.

To enter a new service request through the Siebel PRM Portal 

1. In the Siebel PRM Portal, the partner navigates to the Service screen.

2. In the Service Requests list, the partner clicks New to add a new record to that list.

3. The partner enters information about the service request in the new record.

Using Self-Service to Get Help (Partner)

To get help in solving the problem that they logged, partners can enter a service request in the Self-Service screen of the Siebel PRM Portal.

To enter a new self-service request through the Siebel PRM Portal 

1. In the Siebel PRM Portal, the partner navigates to the Self-Service screen.

2. In the service requests list, the partner clicks New to add a new record to that list.

3. The partner enters information about the service request in the new record.

Responding to the Partner's Self-Service Request (Brand Owner)

The partner's self-service request is in the same queue as the other service requests that come to your company, and is assigned to a service agent in your company in the same way as other service requests are assigned. For example, you can configure Assignment Manager to assign the service request to a service agent based on your service agents' expertise, availability, or other factors.

Because your Siebel Business Applications share a single database, this service request appears in the Siebel PRM Manager or in any other Siebel Business Application that your service agents use to track service requests.

After your service agent responds to the self-service request, your service agent and the partner can continue to work together on the service request, if necessary, by logging updates to the service request.

To respond to a service request 

1. Navigate to the Service screen, then the Service Request list view.

   The Service Request list appears, with the service requests that list you as owner.

2. After researching the service request, you as service agent can enter an activity, which appears as an update on the Siebel PRM Portal. Further updates logged by the partner through the Self-Service screen is visible to you in the Activities list in the Service screen of the Siebel PRM Manager.

3. You as a service agent can also add Attachments and Solutions to the Service Request record. The partner can view these through the Siebel PRM Portal as attachments to the service request in the Self-Service screen.

Example of the Partner Logging Service Requests and Transferring Them to the Brand Owner

This topic gives one example of how the partners work on customer service requests in collaboration with the brand owner. You might use this feature differently, depending on your business model

In this example, service requests are created by the partner companies and assigned to employees of the brand owner company. This example is appropriate for you if your partners receive customer service requests, and your company is responsible for fulfilling the service requests.

You might use this example in many different businesses. To give just one example, you could use it if your partners are resellers of satellite TV services, who take the orders for the service in the store, while the brand owner handles the actual installation of the satellite dish and the decoder. Whenever the reseller receives an order, the reseller logs a service request and assigns it to the brand owner so the brand owner can dispatch a field service technician to perform the installation.

This example consists of the following tasks:

• "Entering Service Requests (Partner)"

• "Assigning Service Requests to Brand Owner Employees (Brand Owner)"

• "Working on Service Requests (Brand Owner)"

• "Tracking the Service Request (Brand Owner)"

Entering Service Requests (Partner)

In this example, your partners receive new service requests and enter them into the Siebel Business Application using the Siebel PRM Portal.

You must set up Siebel Assignment Manager to assign service requests to the appropriate employee or organization in your company when partners enter service requests. Assignment Manager can assign service request based on employees' skills, product expertise, geography, or other criteria. For more information about Siebel Assignment Manager, see Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide.

To enter a new service request through the Siebel PRM Portal 

1. In the Siebel PRM Portal, the partner navigates to the Service screen.

2. In the Service Requests list, the partner clicks New to add a new record to that list.

3. The partner enters information about the service request in the new record.

   Assignment Manager has been set up to assign the service request to the appropriate organization or employee in your company.

Assigning Service Requests to Brand Owner Employees (Brand Owner)

If Assignment Manager has assigned the service request to an organization in your company, you must assign service requests to the appropriate service agent or field service technician in your company.

You can assign service requests manually. An employee at your company with access to the All Service Requests view can assign the service request to the appropriate employee, by choosing the employee name in the service request's Owner field.

Alternatively, you can have set up Assignment Manager to assign service requests to the appropriate employee automatically when they were entered by the partner.

In either situation, the service agent responsible for the request sees it in the My Service Requests view. For more information about Siebel Assignment Manager, see Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide.

Working on Service Requests (Brand Owner)

When the service request has been assigned to your service agent, the agent can view it in Siebel PRM Manager, Siebel Service, Siebel Call Center, or another Siebel Business Application by displaying the My Service Requests view of the Service screen. Because Siebel Business Applications use the same database, you do not have to export this record from Siebel PRM to other Siebel Business Applications.

To view a new service request 

1. Navigate to the Service screen, then the Service Requests list view.

2. In the Service Requests list, drill down on the name of the new service request.

3. Click the appropriate view tabs to see more details about the service request.

4. After researching the service request and solving the customer's problem, the service agent chooses Closed in the Status field of the service request.

Tracking the Service Request (Brand Owner)

As your employees work on these service requests, you can track their progress using the Siebel PRM Manager, or their managers can track their progress using Siebel Service. Again, because Siebel Business Applications use the same database, you do not have to worry about exchanging data among different Siebel Business Applications.

You can track your employees' progress as they work on their service requests by displaying the service requests, viewing the activities attached to it, and checking the status field to see if the service request has been closed.

Your service agents' managers can track their reports' service requests by displaying the My Team's Service Requests view.

To track employee's service requests 

1. Navigate to the Service screen, then the Service Requests List, and the My Team's Service Requests view.

2. In the My Teams Service Requests list, drill down on the name of a service request you want to track.

3. Click the Activities view tab.

   The activities attached to that service request appear.