References

This chapter describes how sales professionals can use the References screen to access accounts that can be designated as references, and to associate contacts, activities, profiles, and notes with each reference. It includes the following topics:

Scenario for Managing References

This topic gives one example of how reference management might be used. You might use reference management differently, depending on your business model.

A sales representative is attempting to win a 2,500-seat software sales opportunity for his company. In a series of meetings with the prospect, the sales representative demonstrates his product line and submits a quote. The sales representative receives a call from the prospective customer requesting a chance to speak with existing software customers as a point of reference before agreeing to the terms of the quote.

The sales representative searches the list of references, and performs a query to find accounts that meet specific criteria. The accounts must be designated as referenceable, in the same industry as the prospective customer, and listed as maintenance in the sales stage.

The sales representative finds companies that meet the criteria. She selects a company for the reference, and telephones the primary representative to get permission to use the customer as a reference. The representative agrees and sets up a conference call to discuss the opportunity with the prospect.

Process of Managing Accounts and References

The References screen provides you with customer reference information that you can use as a sales tool when managing sales, marketing, and public relations initiatives. As a sales team member, providing potential customers with a list of referenceable accounts adds immediate legitimacy to any sales situation and gives you a competitive advantage. You also can use the References screen to determine the best reference for a current initiative.

You can use the References list to search for accounts that are referenceable. A calendar view of reference activities is also available.

To manage accounts and references, perform the following tasks:

Designating an Account as a Reference

You can mark an account as referenceable using the check box in the account record’s Reference field. During the reference process, you can set the reference stages.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To designate an account as a reference

Navigate to the Accounts screen, then the Accounts List view.
Drill down on the Name field of an account record.
Navigate to the More Info view.
In the Account details form, select the Reference check box.

Associating an Activity with a Reference

In the Activities view, you can see each activity associated with an account. Activities associated with a reference appear in the Calendar view. Reference record fields provide information about the primary representative, the corporate sponsor, and so on. For more information about using the Calendar, see Siebel Fundamentals.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To associate an activity with a reference

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Activities view.
In the Activities list, create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.
For more information, see Activities.

Associating a Contact with a Reference

You can designate a specific contact within a referenceable account. This contact can provide you with reference information or the individual can be the point-of-contact for activities associated with the account.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To associate a contact with a reference

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Contacts view.
In the Contacts list, perform one of the following steps:
- Add an existing contact, select the contact from the Add Contacts dialog box, and click OK.
- Create a new record in the Contacts list, and complete the necessary fields for the contact.

Associating an Attachment with a Reference

The Attachments view lists attachments associated with a reference account. You can add new attachments or view attachments associated with the account. Reference Attachments include account attachments and reference attachments.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To associate an attachment with a reference

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Attachments view.
In the Attachments list, create a new record.

Viewing Reference Activities in the Calendar

The Calendar view details all reference activities associated with the account. In the calendar, you can view, by month, the number of reference activities associated with the account. This view allows you to manage the number of initiatives for the account and determine if the customer is being contacted too often. For information about adding a reference activity to the calendar, see Associating an Activity with a Reference.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To view reference activities in the calendar

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Calendar view.
The reference form appears with the calendar.
Drill down on the link for an activity in the calendar to view details about that activity.

Adding a Note to a Reference

The Reference screen’s Notes view allows you to add notes to the selected reference account. Notes can be shared with others, and notes can be designated as private. Reference notes are visible in both the Account screen and the Reference screen. If you create a note in either the Accounts screen or the Reference screen, then the note is accessible in both views.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To add a note to a reference

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Notes view, then the Private Notes or Shared Notes view.
In the Notes list, create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.

Adding Profile Information to a Reference

The Profile view allows you to update the account with information about the assets owned by the account, and information about the service profile. The service profile is a list of all external products the account is using in its operating environment. For example, if your company sells application software, then you might add information about the server hardware and end-user operating system used in conjunction with your products.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To add profile information to a reference

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference List view.
Drill down on the Stage field of a reference record.
Navigate to the Profile view.
The Profile list and the Service Profile list appear.
In the Profile list, create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.
In the Service Profile list, create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.

Searching for References

Use the All References Read Only and All References Across Organizations Read Only lists to search for references applicable to your accounts. These views are read-only; you cannot modify information, and a contacts list is not available. To use the reference contact information, contact the reference owner, whose User ID appears in the Primary Rep field.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To search for references

Navigate to the References screen, then the Reference Read Only List view.
In the References list, query for the references by specifying criteria in the appropriate fields.
In the reference record, drill down on the Primary Rep field to view reference owner information.

Viewing Reference Asset and Profile Charts

Reference charts provide a graphical analysis of referenced account assets and profiles. The Asset Analysis chart provides a graphical view of the assets. The Account External Product - Reference List chart provides a graphical representation of the profile information associated with all reference accounts. Both charts are read-only.

This task is a step in Process of Managing Accounts and References.

To view asset and profile analysis charts

Navigate to the References screen, then the Asset Analysis view or the Account External Product - Reference List view.
The reference assets or reference profile list appears with the analysis chart.
In the chart, select the type (3D, 2D) from the drop-down list, and then click Go.