12Using Communications Operations
Using Communications Operations
This chapter provides information for agents about managing email messages. It includes the following topics:
About Email Messages for Siebel Email Response
Agents receive incoming email messages in the Communications screen in the Communications List view. They select incoming email messages from their communications list. Their deployment might allow them to accept messages using the communications toolbar. In replying to email messages, agents can select appropriate templates and solutions, or they can compose free-form content. For more information, see Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
An agent can attach useful literature or files to a reply and use the spell check feature to find spelling errors. For more information about the spell check feature, see Spell Check.
Whether or not the Siebel database uses Unicode, incoming email content is converted to Unicode. If the Siebel database uses Unicode, then all characters are saved in the Siebel database after the conversion. Any characters that the in-use code set does not support are not saved after the conversion. When agents reply to incoming email, the Smart Character Set feature determines the character set of the reply. For information about this feature, see Smart Character Set for Siebel Email Response.
About Status Field Changes for Email Messages
The Set ParentEmail Status business service controls the Status field changes in an original email message (the parent email) and in subsequent email messages that are associated with the original message (child email).
The following table shows user actions and the resulting values in the Status field of parent and child email for parent outbound messages. For the user actions in this table, child messages are always outbound.
Table Status Field Values for Parent Outbound Email
| User Action | Parent Email Status | Child Email Status |
|---|---|---|
Action 1: Click the Reply, Reply to All, or Forward button for an outbound parent email with a Status field value of Done. Result: A child email is created. |
Done |
In Progress |
Action 2A: Click the Save as Draft button for the child email with a Status field value of In Progress. |
Done |
Draft |
Action 2B: Step off the child email with a Status field value of In Progress. |
Done |
Draft |
Action 3A: Click the Resume button for the child email with a Status field value of Draft. |
Done |
In Progress |
Action 3B: Step off the child email with a Status field value of Partial. |
Done |
Draft |
Action 4: Select Undo Record from the menu for the child email with a Status field value of In Progress. Result: All changes to the child email are reversed. |
Done |
In Progress |
Action 5A: Click the Delete button for the child email with a Status field value of In Progress. Result: The child record is deleted. |
Done |
None |
Action 5B: Click the Send button for the child email with a Status field value of In Progress. |
Done |
Queued then, Done |
Action 6: Assume the Status field value for the child email is Cancelled. Click the Re Send button for the child email with a Status field value of Cancelled. |
Done |
Queued then, Done or Cancelled |
Action 7A: Assume the Status field value for the child email is Partial. Click the Resume button for the child email with a Status field value of Partial. |
Partial or Done |
Partial or In Progress. |
Action 7B: Select the Recipient with the Status Failed. Correct the failed email address, then Click Send. |
Done or Partial |
Queued then, Done or Cancelled |
The following table shows user actions and the resulting values in the Status field of parent and child email for parent inbound messages. For the user actions in this table, child messages are always outbound.
Table Status Field Values for Parent Inbound Email
| User Action | Parent Email Status | First Child Email Status | Second Child Email Status | Third Child Email Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Action 1: Click the Reply, Reply to All, or Forward button for an inbound parent email with a Status field value of Not Started. Result: The first child email is created. |
In Progress |
In Progress |
None |
None |
Action 2: Click the Save as Draft button for the first child email with a Status field value of In Progress. |
In Progress |
Draft |
None |
None |
Action 3: Click the Reply, Reply to All, or Forward button for the parent email with a Status field value of In Progress. The second child email is created. |
In Progress |
Draft |
In Progress |
None |
Action 4: Click the Send button for the second child email with a Status field value of In Progress. |
In Progress |
Draft |
Done |
None |
Action 5: Click the Resume button for the first child email with a Status field value of Draft. |
In Progress |
In Progress |
Done |
None |
Action 6: Select Undo Record from the menu for the first child email with a Status field value of In Progress. Result: All changes to the first child email are reversed. |
In Progress |
In Progress |
Done |
None |
Action 7: Click the Delete button for the first child email with a Status field value of In Progress. Result: The first child email is deleted |
Done |
None |
Done |
None |
Action 8: Click the Reply, Reply to All, or Forward button for the inbound parent email with a Status field value of Done. Result: The third child email is created. |
In Progress |
None |
Done |
Draft |
Action 9A: Select Delete Record from the menu for the third child email with a Status field value of Draft. The third child email is deleted. |
Done |
None |
Done |
None |
Action 9B: Assume the Status field value for the first child email is Queued. Select Delete Record from the menu for the third child email with a Status field value of Draft. The third child email is deleted. |
In Progress |
Queued |
Done |
None |
Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response
To manage email messages, perform the following tasks:
Replying to Incoming Messages
After you send or cancel an outgoing message:
If you select the Remain on Same View After Send (Cancel) field in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen, then the outgoing message form continues to appear. You must navigate to the Communications List view to see a record of the sent message.
If you do not select the Remain on Same View After Send (Cancel) field in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen, then the Communications List view appears.
Complete the procedure in this topic to reply to an incoming message.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To reply to an incoming message
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
Select Inbox in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
In the list of email messages, select the incoming message to which you want to reply.
To see more details about this message you can:
Click the Body view tab to review the main text of the incoming message.
Click the Attachments view tab, and then click the Name field in the list of attachments to review the content of an attachment for the incoming message.
The original message also appears in the list of attachments.
(Optional) Click the More Info view tab to review information about the header, customer, attributes, and transmission of the incoming message.
(Optional) Click the History view tab to review any other messages that have the same email thread ID as the incoming message.
(Optional) Drill down on the Last Name field for the message to review information about the contact for the message.
Navigate to the outgoing message form:
Click Reply to respond to only the individual who sent the message.
Click Reply to All to respond to the individual who sent the message and to the individuals in the Cc: field of the message.
Click Forward to respond to the individuals whom you select in the outgoing message form.
The form for the incoming message appears at the top of the screen. To show or hide the body of the incoming message, you can click the show more or show less button in the top-right corner of the incoming message form.
The form for your outgoing message appears below the form for the incoming message.
(Optional) Link additional data to the email thread for the outgoing message.
Click the select button in the SR # (number), Opportunity, Contact, or Account field of the outgoing message form.
Select the appropriate record, and click OK.
If the SR # (number), Opportunity, Contact, or Account field already contains a value, then click the preview button to view more details about that value.
Enter text for the outgoing message in the area of the message body that is above the Thread ID reference.
At the top or bottom of the outgoing message form, click Delete if you want to delete the outgoing message. To expedite text entry, you can use templates. For more information, see Using Templates in Outgoing Messages.
(Optional) At the top or bottom of the outgoing message form, click Check Spelling to verify the spelling in the outgoing message.
(Optional) In the list of Outgoing Attachments that appears below the outgoing message form, insert the supporting documents in your outgoing message:
To add an attachment, click the Attachment icon (the paperclip), navigate to the attachment, and select it.
To add literature, click the Add Literature icon (the sheet of paper), select the document from the list, and click Add.
At the top or bottom of the outgoing message form, click Send after you finish composing the outgoing message.
The outgoing message is sent.
(Optional) To view the record for the sent message, select Sent Items in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
Resending Outgoing Messages
When Communications Outbound Manager fails to send an outgoing message, the Status field of the outgoing message changes to Cancelled. You can resend these cancelled messages.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To resend an outgoing message
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
Select Cancelled Items in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
In the list of email messages, select the outgoing message that you want to resend.
Click Re-Send.
Resending Outgoing Messages That Have Failed Because of Incorrect Email Addresses
When Communications Manager fails to send an outgoing message to multiple recipients in which some of the recipients have incorrect email addresses, the Status field of the outgoing message changes to Partial. You can resend these messages to those recipients who failed on the first attempt.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To resend an outgoing message that failed because of incorrect email address
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
In the list of email messages, select the outgoing message with a Partial status that you want to resend.
Click Recipients and look for a Failed status.
Click Resume to navigate to the outgoing message form.
Correct the email address.
Click Send.
Using Templates in Outgoing Messages
To expedite entry of greeting, body, and closing text in outgoing messages, agents can use templates. Before using a template for body text, you must create the template, associate the template with a category, and include the category in a catalog. For more information about creating templates, see Creating Simple Templates. For more information about catalogs and categories, see About Catalogs and Categories for Siebel Email Response.
To use a template, you insert the template text into the outgoing message. Then you can change that text, if necessary. You can also delete that text, and insert other template text. You insert text for a solution into an outgoing message in the same way that you insert any other template text.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To use a template in an outgoing message
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
In the list of email messages, select the message for which you want to use a template.
Navigate to the outgoing message form:
If the message that you select does not have a status of Draft, perform one of the following actions:
Click Reply to respond to only the individual who sent the message.
Click Reply to All to respond to the individual who sent the message and to the individuals in the Cc: field of the message.
Click Forward to respond to the individuals whom you select in the outgoing message form.
If the message that you select has a status of Draft, then click Resume.
The form for the incoming message appears at the top of the screen. To show or hide the body of the incoming message, you can click the show more or show less button in the top-right corner of the incoming message form.
The form for your outgoing message appears below the form for the incoming message.
If you want to insert template text for the greeting of the message, then select the template in the Greeting field of the outgoing message form.
The greeting template text appears at the beginning of the outgoing message.
If you select another greeting template, then the template text replaces the greeting text of the outgoing message. If you delete the greeting template text and want to reinsert the same text, then you must clear the Greeting field, and then reselect the template in the Greeting field.
If you want to insert template text for the body of the message:
In the Categories field of the outgoing message form, select the category that applies to the body template.
Select the template in the Body field of the outgoing message form.
The body template text appears after the text for the greeting template. If you enter greeting or body text before you insert the template text for the body of the message, then the body template text appears after the text that you enter.
- If necessary, insert other body template text.
The text for each selected template appears below the text for the previously selected template.
If you delete the body template text and want to reinsert the same text, then you must reselect the category that applies to the template, and then reselect the template in the Body field.
If you want to insert template text for the closing of the message, then select the template in the Closing field of the outgoing message form
The closing template text appears at the end of the outgoing message above the Thread ID reference.
If you select another closing template, then the template text replaces the closing text of the outgoing message. If you delete the closing template text and want to reinsert the same text, then you must clear the Closing field, and then reselect the template in the Closing field.
Saving Drafts of Outgoing Messages
When composing an outgoing message, agents might not have the time or information that they need to complete the message and then send it. They can save this incomplete message, and then later retrieve this draft to complete the message before sending it. For more information, see Retrieving Drafts of Outgoing Messages.
You can also save a draft of a sent message.
After you save a draft of an outgoing message:
If you select the Remain on Same View After Send (Cancel) field in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen, then the outgoing message form continues to appear. You must navigate to the Communications List view to see a record of the draft of the outgoing message.
If you do not select the Remain on Same View After Send (Cancel) field in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen, then the Communications List view appears.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To save a draft of an outgoing message
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
Select Inbox or Sent Items in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
In the list of email messages, select the message that you want to save as a draft.
Navigate to the outgoing message form:
Click Reply to respond to only the individual who sent the message.
Click Reply to All to respond to the individual who sent the message and to the individuals in the Cc: field of the message.
Click Forward to respond to the individuals whom you select in the outgoing message form.
The form for the incoming message appears at the top of the screen. To show or hide the body of the incoming message, you can click the show more or show less button in the top-right corner of the incoming message form.
The form for your outgoing message appears below the form for the incoming message.
Enter text for the outgoing message in the area of the message body that is above the Thread ID reference.
At the top or bottom of the outgoing message form, click Delete if you want to delete the outgoing message. To expedite text entry, you can use templates. For more information, see Using Templates in Outgoing Messages.
At the top of the outgoing message form, click Save As Draft.
If you want to make further changes to the draft, then click Resume, enter the changes, and click Save As Draft again.
The message is saved as a draft.
Note: If you do not click Save As Draft, then the message is still saved as a draft when you navigate to another screen or view in Siebel Email Response.(Optional) To view the record for the draft message, select Drafts in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
Retrieving Drafts of Outgoing Messages
When composing an outgoing message, agents might not have the time or information that they need to complete the message and then send it. They can save this incomplete message, and then later retrieve this draft to complete the message before sending it. For more information, see Saving Drafts of Outgoing Messages.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To retrieve a draft of an outgoing message
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
Select Drafts in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
In the list of email messages, select the draft message.
Click Resume to navigate to the outgoing message form for the draft.
The form for the incoming message appears at the top of the screen. To show or hide the body of the incoming message, you can click the show more or show less button in the top-right corner of the incoming message form.
The form for your outgoing message appears below the form for the incoming message, and this form contains the draft text.
If necessary, change the content in the draft message.
Note: If you want to rescind your changed content, then you must delete that content. Do not click Delete to rescind your changed content. Click Delete only if you want to delete the draft message.To save the draft message, click Save As Draft at the top of the outgoing message form.
If you want to make further changes to the draft, then click Resume, enter the changes, and click Save As Draft again.
The message is saved as a draft.
Note: If you do not click Save As Draft, then the message is still saved as a draft when you navigate to another screen or view in Siebel Email Response.To send the draft message, click Send at the top or bottom of the outgoing message form.
The outgoing message is sent.
(Optional) To view the record for the sent message, select Sent Items in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
Saving Messages as Templates
An agent might decide that the content of a message is likely to apply to replies for future incoming messages. The agent can save the message as a simple template, so that the agent or other agents can use that simple template to expedite text entry in future outgoing messages.
After you save a message as a template, the Status field of the template is Draft. You must change this field to Active, so that when agents create outgoing messages, this template is available for selection in the Body field of the outgoing message form. Also, templates are available for selection in the Body field of the outgoing message form only after you associate them with a category and include that category in a catalog. For more information about associating a template with a category and about including a category in a catalog, see Setting Up a Catalog for Siebel Email Response.
When you save a message as a template, the Thread ID reference from the message is not included in the template.
To save a message as a template, you select an initial message, and then navigate to the outgoing message form. When you save a message as a template, you also create a draft of that message. You can delete this draft message, or you can use this draft message to respond to the initial message that you select.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Email Messages for Siebel Email Response.
To save a message as a template
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the Communications List view.
Select Inbox, Sent Items, or Drafts in the Saved Queries field of the toolbar.
In the list of email messages, select the message for which you want to save a message template.
Navigate to the outgoing message form:
If the message that you select does not have a status of Draft, then perform one of the following actions:
Click Reply to respond to only the individual who sent the message.
Click Reply to All to respond to the individual who sent the message and to the individuals in the Cc: field of the message.
Click Forward to respond to the individuals whom you select in the outgoing message form.
If the message that you select has a status of Draft, then click Resume.
The form for the incoming message appears at the top of the screen. To show or hide the body of the incoming message, you can click the show more or show less button in the top-right corner of the incoming message form.
The form for your outgoing message appears below the form for the incoming message.
At the top of the outgoing message form, click Save as Template.
The Templates dialog box appears.
Change the fields and message text in the Templates dialog box as necessary, and click OK.
The template is created, and the form for your outgoing message appears again below the form for the incoming message.
To view the record for the template, navigate to the Communications screen, then the My Templates view.
Change the Status field of the template record from Draft to Active to make the template available to other users.
Specifying Preferences for Outbound Communications
This topic describes how users can specify outbound communications preferences.
To specify preferences for outbound communications
From the application-level menu, choose Tools, then User Preferences.
From the link bar, choose Outbound Communications.
Specify the preferences.
For more information about preference settings, see Preference Settings for Outbound Communications.
As necessary for the particular setting, log out of the Siebel application, and log in again.
The descriptions for each user preference setting indicate whether this step is required.
Preference Settings for Outbound Communications
This topic describes the preferences in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen. The preference settings are grouped by category. Each preference applies only to certain communications features.
Preferences for Send Email Category
This topic contains information about the outbound communications preferences in the Send Email category. These preferences apply to using some or all of the following Send commands: Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, or Send Page. Also refer to the settings under the Advanced Features category.
The Send Email category includes the following preferences:
Upon Sending Messages Generate. Specifies activity generation for messages sent using the Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, and Send Page commands. For more information, see Creating Activities for Send Commands.
The drop-down list displays the following values:
Public activities. Sets the Internal flag to FALSE for activity records that sent outbound messages generate. The Internal flag restricts visibility of activity records.
Private activities. Sets the Internal flag to TRUE for activity records that sent outbound messages generate.
No activities. Specifies that sent outbound messages do not generate activity records.
Default Profile. Specifies the default communications profile for a user for the Send Email and Send Fax commands.
The default profile information is copied to the From field in the Send Email and Send Fax windows. Alternatively, agents can specify the profile.
The profile provides access to the communications driver (the Internet SMTP/IMAP Server or Internet SMTP/POP3 Server driver) that serves as the interface from the Siebel Business Applications deployment to the email or fax server. For the Send Email and Send Fax commands, the profile handles outbound communications using the SMTP protocol.
The visibility applicable to the user determines the profiles that are available for selection. A profile is available in the following scenarios:
The user created the profile for personal use in the My Profiles view of the Communications screen.
The user’s responsibility is one of the responsibilities associated with the profile.
In the Mobile screen, you associate profiles applicable to wireless messages with the recipient’s mobile device. For more information, see Specifying Settings for Mobile Devices.
Default Recipient Class. Specifies the default choice for where recipient email or fax address information is populated for the Send Email and Send Fax commands. Choices are To, Cc, and Bcc.
For example, an individual user might generally want to populate recipients to the To field. However, depending on the user’s typical activities and on your company’s business needs, it might be more appropriate to populate recipients to the Cc or Bcc field instead of the To field.
Email Client. Specifies whether to use a supported third-party email client application for the Send Email command. If you do not specify a third-party option, then you can use the native Siebel email client. (You do not need to specify any value if the administrator sets a global setting.)
Available options follow:
Lotus Notes. Specifies that you use Lotus Notes for the Send Email command.
Microsoft Outlook. Specifies that you use Microsoft Outlook for the Send Email command.
Siebel Email Client. Specifies that you do not use a third-party email client. You use the email client option that Siebel Business Applications provide. This option is also referred to as the native Siebel email client.
External Email Client. Specifies that you use an external email client for the Send Email command.
Siebel Or Outlook Form. Specifies the Microsoft Outlook form you use if you specify Microsoft Outlook for the Email Client setting. The name you specify must match the name of the form the administrator installs and specifies. (You do not need to specify any value if the administrator sets a global setting.)
Siebel Or Lotus Form. Specifies the Lotus Notes form you use if you specify Lotus Notes for the Email Client setting. The name you specify must match the name of the form the administrator installs and specifies. (You do not need to specify any value if the administrator sets a global setting.)
Default Message Format. Specifies whether you can format and send email or fax messages composed in the Send Email or Send Fax windows using HTM or only plain text.
Specify the HTML option to enable HTML editing controls for Send Email and Send Fax, or specify Plain Text to edit and send messages as only plain text.
When the default message format is HTML, formatting is preserved for email and fax messages you send. Email messages are sent as HTML messages. Fax messages are, of course, sent as facsimiles.
This preference also specifies the templates you can select for Send Email and Send Fax. These templates are based on the setting of the HTML Template check box for each applicable template. HTML templates are listed when the default message format is HTML, and plain-text templates are listed when the default message format is Plain Text.
Related Topics
Sending Email Messages Using Native Siebel Email Client
Sending Email Messages Using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook
Editing and Formatting Controls for Send Email and Send Fax Commands
Preferences for Email Response Category
This topic contains information about the outbound communications preferences in the Email Response category. These preferences apply only to using Siebel Email Response. Also refer to the settings under the Advanced Features category.
The Email Response category includes the following preferences:
Default Greeting Template. Specifies a communications template (for the email channel) to use as a greeting for an email reply sent using Siebel Email Response. The template content is automatically inserted into the message.
Default Closing Template. Specifies a communications template (for the email channel) to use as a closing for an email reply sent using Siebel Email Response. The template content is automatically inserted into the message.
Default Message Format. Specifies whether you can format and send email replies to inbound messages using HTML or only plain text.
Specify the HTML option to enable HTML editing controls in the Outbound Message form, or specify Plain Text to edit and send messages as only plain text.
When the default message format is HTML, formatting is preserved for email messages you send. Messages are sent as HTML messages.
This preference also specifies the templates that appear in the Body drop-down list in the Outbound Message form. These templates are based on the setting of the HTML Template check box for each applicable template. HTML templates are listed when the default message format is HTML, and plain-text templates are listed when the default message format is Plain Text. For more information, see Configuring Communications Templates.
Include Original Message in Reply. Specifies if the content of the original inbound message is included in a reply to that message.
Remain on Same View After Send (Cancel). Specifies that, after clicking Send or Cancel in the Outbound Message form, the agent stays in the same view, and is not automatically navigated to the Communications list. If the agent clicks Send, then the next record in the current list of communications appears.
Preferences for Advanced Features Category
This topic contains information about the outbound communications preferences in the Advanced Features category. These settings apply to both the Send Email command and email replies you compose using Siebel Email Response.
The Advanced Features category includes the following preferences:
Language. Specifies the language that determines the templates that appear in the Body drop-down list for each of the Send commands or for the Outbound Message form for email replies. For more information about setting up languages, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide and Siebel Applications Administration Guide.
Templates appear only if the language you specify matches the language for the template. Template filtering is based on both the language and locale as well as other factors. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
If this field is blank, then template filtering applies to the language in effect for the Application Object Manager.
You can override this setting at runtime in the window for the Send command or in the Outbound Message form to display other templates.
Locale. Specifies the locale that determines the templates that appear in the Body drop-down list for each of the Send commands or for the Outbound Message form for email replies. For more information about setting up locales, see Siebel Global Deployment Guide and Siebel Applications Administration Guide.
Templates appear only if the locale you specify matches the locale for the template. Template filtering is based on both the language and locale as well as other factors. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
If this field is blank, then template filtering applies to the locale in effect for the Application Object Manager.
You can override this setting at runtime in the window for the Send command or in the Outbound Message form to display other templates.
Related Topics
Sending Email Messages Using Native Siebel Email Client
Sending Email Messages Using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook
Creating Communications Profiles for Personal Use
Each user can create profiles for personal use in the My Profiles view of the Communications screen. Such profiles are available to only the user who creates them.
Profiles that users create are generally applicable only to the Send Email and Send Fax commands. Administrators must generally create profiles for the Send Wireless Message command. For more information about using these commands, see Using Send Commands to Send Messages.
Communications administrators, who create communications profiles for various purposes, can provide guidance to users about creating personal profiles. These administrators can address the following issues:
Naming personal profiles.
The drivers for which to create profiles. For more information about communications drivers and profiles, see Communications Drivers Provided with Siebel Business Applications and Process of Setting Up Communications Driver Profiles.
The profile parameters and the override values. For more information about communications drivers provided with Siebel Business Applications and about driver parameters for which you can provide override values in profiles, see Managing Email, Fax, and Other Communications Products.
Using personal profiles.
To create a communications profile for personal use
Navigate to the Communications screen, then the My Profiles view.
The Profiles list displays the profiles that you created.
In the Profiles list, add a new record.
Enter the name of the profile.
The name can be any unique name among existing profiles. Existing profiles include the profiles that you cannot view. Typically, you specify your email address as the name. You also specify this name as a parameter override value for the From Address parameter.
Specify a communications driver on which to base this profile.
For profiles for email or fax, select Internet SMTP/IMAP Server or Internet SMTP/POP3 Server.
Specify parameter override values for the profile by performing the following steps:
In the Profile Parameter Overrides list, add a new record.
For the Name field, specify a driver parameter name for which you want to provide an override value.
For example, if you want to add the From Address parameter, then you might also want to provide a value for the Reply-To Address parameter. In some cases, your administrator might instruct you to add the SMTP Server parameter.
- For the Value field, specify the value for the parameter. Note the following examples:
For From Address, specify your own email address, using the appropriate form.
For Reply-To Address, specify a reply address if it differs from the From Address.
For SMTP Server, specify the name of the SMTP server that is to process your outbound email communications.
Using Send Commands to Send Messages
This topic describes using the Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, and Send Page commands. It contains the following information:
About Send Commands
By default, the Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, and Send Page commands are available in the File application-level menu for Siebel Business Applications users.
Apart from the Send Page command, these commands use communications drivers and profiles and are available when the communications infrastructure is in place. (The Send Email command does not use communications drivers and profiles when it is integrated with Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes.)
Employees can access these menu commands without a communications configuration. When you use the Send commands, you can specify communications templates to provide content. Siebel field data might be substituted in these templates. Alternatively, you can directly enter text or (for email or fax) attachments. Other users can create the templates for you, or you can create your own templates. For information about creating your own templates, see Configuring Communications Templates .
When you use the Send Email (with the native Siebel email client) or Send Fax commands, you can specify a profile to indicate who is sending the message. The profile might exist for your individual use or for group use, and typically includes your own email address or another email address as the sender. Alternatively, users might be allowed to create their own profiles. Among the profiles available to you, you can specify a default profile as a user preference. For information about creating your own profiles for email or fax, see Creating Communications Profiles for Personal Use. For information about specifying communications preferences for the Send commands, such as a preferred default profile, see Specifying Preferences for Outbound Communications. For more information about user preferences, see Siebel Applications Administration Guide.
Communications sent from the Siebel Web Client are processed immediately. When you are connected to the local database and disconnected from the enterprise database, communications for email, wireless message, or fax sent from the Siebel Mobile Web Client are saved until you synchronize. The Communications Outbound Manager server component then processes them for delivery.
Settings in the Spelling tab of the User Preferences screen generally apply to all of the Send commands. However, note the following exceptions:
The Always Check Spelling Before Sending setting applies to only Siebel Email Response.
The Ignore HTML Tags setting applies to only Siebel Email Response, Send Email, and Send Fax.
Sending Email Messages Using Native Siebel Email Client
This topic describes using the Send Email command when your default email client is the native Siebel email client. You can send email to any recipient. Optionally, you can include Siebel application content in the email. Email addresses are retrieved from the Siebel database for email to employees or contacts. For more information about editing and formatting controls for Send Email message text, see Editing and Formatting Controls for Send Email and Send Fax Commands.
Whether the Pick Recipient dialog box appears after Step 2 in the following procedure depends on the kind of data that currently has the focus when you choose the Send Email command. Note the following points:
If the current record is a person, such as a contact or employee, then the Pick Recipient dialog box does not appear. The Send Email window appears.
If the current record is an element, such as a service request or account, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears if generic recipients are configured. Choose generic recipients, such as the contacts associated with the current service request.
Note: Users must generally select a single record before invoking Send Email when using templates for which field substitution is performed. If they select multiple records, then selected generic recipients are drawn from all the selected records. However, field substitution applies only to the first selected record, and a single email message is sent to all recipients.If the current record is a Siebel attachment or literature item, then the Pick Recipient dialog box does not appear. The Send Email window appears, and the item is added as an attachment to the pending email message. (Siebel attachments with a URL type are not added as email attachments.)
To send email messages using the native Siebel email client
Optionally, select one or more records of contacts, employees, or other persons for whom email addresses are defined in the Siebel database.
Alternatively, select one or more records of attachments or literature items to send as attachments to the email message.
Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Email.
Press F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Email, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Email is the displayed ToolTip text.
If you do not specify recipients in Step 1, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears. If you specify recipients before invoking the command, then the Send Email window appears. If the Send Email window appears, then go to Step 4.
In the Pick Recipient dialog box, specify the recipient or specify no recipient yet.
The available recipients to choose from depend on the application context. For example, if Send Email is invoked from a Service Requests list, then the choices are Service Request Contact and Service Request Owner.
The Send Email window appears.
For the From field, specify the profile to represent who is sending the message.
The listed profiles are the profiles created for communications drivers that support email, such as Internet SMTP/IMAP Server or Internet SMTP/POP3 Server. In some cases, a profile might be automatically inserted into this field. You can specify a default profile in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen.
For the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipients that were automatically inserted in previous steps.
Type any additional recipient email addresses. The email addresses you enter are not automatically validated. You must verify that the email addresses you enter are valid.
Use the address book to enter additional recipients. Click To, Cc, or Bcc and explicitly specify individual persons from the address book dialog box. For each intended recipient, select the To, CC, or BCC check box. After specifying all recipients, click OK. Verify that the addresses appear correctly.
Optionally, for the Body drop-down list, choose the name of a communications template (with a Body type) to insert into the message body.
You can configure a template to insert automatically, according to where you invoked the Send Email command. For more information, see Configuring Default Templates for Send Email Command.
Field substitution applies to template text when you insert the text into a message. Substitution functions correctly if the fields must in the current list or form (containing focus) in the Siebel application. Field substitution applies to only a single selected record.
You can insert more than one template. Any template you choose is appended to the existing text.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on several factors, including channel, language, locale, and whether the template is HTML or plain text. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Click Change Language or Locale to change the language or locale, as necessary.
Setting the language and locale changes the list of available templates to those associated with the language and locale you specify.
Optionally, verify or enter text for the subject line.
Text might be automatically inserted into the subject line when you select a template.
Optionally, enter and format free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
For information about the available text-editing controls, see Editing and Formatting Controls for Send Email and Send Fax Commands.
Optionally, if you edit in plain text mode, then you can click Remove HTML Tags on the upper right to remove any HTML tagging in your message text.
Optionally, click the icons on the lower right to specify the operating system files (paper clip icon) or literature items (document icon) as attachments to the email message.
The attachments icon lets you specify files from the operating system as attachments and displays a list of all files and literature items you previously specified for the email message.
The literature icon displays a list of literature items you can specify as attachments.
The Attachments field displays the most recently specified attachment if you specify more than one attachment. All email attachments are saved as attachments to the activity record that is updated when the message is sent.
Optionally, check the spelling for your message.
Click Send, or click Cancel if you decide not to send the email message.
Note: If you cancel the email, then the corresponding Siebel activity record (created to track the send operation) is deleted.
Sending Email Messages Using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook
This topic describes using the Send Email command when your default email client is set to Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook. You can send email to any recipient. Optionally, you can include Siebel application content in the email. Email addresses are retrieved from the Siebel database for email to employees or contacts.
For additional information about using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook, see your documentation for these third-party products. For more information about setting user preferences for using third-party email clients, see Preference Settings for Outbound Communications.
Whether the Recipient field appears in the Recipient or Template dialog box after Step 2 in the following procedure depends on the kind of data that currently has the focus when you choose the Send Email command. Note the following points:
If the current record is a person, such as a contact or employee, then the Recipient field does not appear.
If the current record is an element, such as a service request or account, then the Recipient field appears if generic recipients are configured. Choose generic recipients, such as the contacts associated with the current service request.
Note: Users must generally select a single record before invoking Send Email when using templates for which field substitution is performed. If they select multiple records, then selected generic recipients are drawn from all the selected records. However, field substitution applies only to the first selected record, and a single email message is sent to all recipients.If the current record is a Siebel attachment or literature item, then the Recipient field appears if generic recipient are configured. The item is added as an attachment to the pending email message. (Siebel attachments with a URL type are not added as email attachments.)
To send email messages using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook
Optionally, select one or more records of contacts, employees, or other persons for whom email addresses are defined in the Siebel database.
Alternatively, select one or more records of attachments or literature items to send as attachments to the email message.
Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Email.
Press F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Email, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Email is the displayed ToolTip text. For more information about initiating work items, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.
In the Recipient or Template dialog box, perform the following steps:
From the Recipient field, specify the recipient or specify no recipient yet.
If you select recipients before invoking the command, then the Recipient field does not appear.
The available recipients to choose from depend on the application context. For example, if Send Email is invoked from a Service Requests list, then the choices are Service Request Contact and Service Request Owner.
From the Message Template field, choose the name of a communications template (with a Body type) to insert into the message body.
Field substitution applies to template text when you insert the text into a message. Substitution functions correctly if the fields exist in the current list or form (containing focus) in the Siebel application. Field substitution applies to only a single selected record.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on several factors, including channel, language, locale, and whether the template is HTML or plain text. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Note: If the current record type (business component) has a default template associated with it, then you do not need to specify a template. If you specify a template, then its text is appended to the default template text in the email message. Consult your administrator, or verify the software behavior to see whether a default template is configured.From the Attachments field, specify literature items from the Siebel database to add as attachments.
The literature icon (paper clip icon) displays a list of Siebel literature items you can specify as attachments.
The Attachments field displays the most recently specified attachment if you specify more than one attachment. You can add file attachments later from the Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook window. All email attachments are saved as attachments to the activity record that is created when the message is sent.
Click Change Language or Locale to change the language or locale, as necessary.
Setting the language and locale changes the list of available templates to those associated with the language and locale you specify.
- In the Recipient or Template dialog box, click OK to continue to the email message window for Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook.
In the Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook email message window, complete the following steps:
For the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipients that were automatically inserted in previous steps.
Specify any additional recipient email addresses from the email directories available through your email client program.
Optionally, verify or enter text for the subject line.
Text might be automatically inserted into the subject line when you select a template.
Optionally, enter and format free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
Optionally, specify operating system files as attachments to the email message.
Siebel literature items you previously specified are also saved as attachments for the email message.
All email attachments are saved as attachments to the activity record that is updated when the message is sent.
Optionally, check the spelling for your message, according to the support of your email client program.
Send the message, or cancel the message if you decide not to send the email message.
Note: If you cancel the email, then the corresponding Siebel activity record (created to track the send operation) is deleted.
Sending Email Messages Using an External Email Client in Siebel Open UI
This topic describes using the Send Email command when you are running Siebel Email Response in Siebel Open UI mode and want to send an email using the default email client as defined by your operating system. For more information about selecting an external email client, see Specifying Preferences for Outbound Communications. For more information about setting user preferences for using third-party email clients, see Preference Settings for Outbound Communications.
The invocation of the default email client is done through the use of a mailto URL. Mailto URLs have the following characteristics:
They do not provide a mechanism to pass HTML to the email client. Only plain text email templates work with the defined External Email Client.
They do not allow for attachments to be passed to the email client. If attachments are required, then the user must manually attach them after the email client opens.
To send email messages using an External Email Client
Select a record or set of records in the Siebel application.
Note: Users must generally select a single record before invoking Send Email when using templates for which field substitution is performed. If they select multiple records, then selected generic recipients are drawn from all the selected records. However, field substitution applies only to the first selected record, and a single email message is sent to all recipients.Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Email.
Press F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Email, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Email is the displayed ToolTip text.
For more information about initiating work items, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.
In the Recipient or Template dialog box, perform the following steps:
If the Recipient field is shown, then specify the recipient or specify no recipient yet.
Note: Whether the Recipient field appears depends on the kind of data that currently has the focus when you choose the Send Email command.If the current record is a person, such as a contact or employee, then the Recipient field does not appear.
If the current record is some other entity, such as a service request or opportunity, then the Recipient field appears if recipients are configured for that object. The type of recipients varies by object, such as the contacts associated with the current service request or the employees associated with an opportunity.
If necessary, click Change Language or Locale to change the language or locale, as necessary.
From the Message Template field, choose the name of a communications template to insert into the message body.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on several factors, including channel, language, locale, and whether the template is HTML or plain text. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Note: If the current record type (business component) has a default template associated with it, then you do not need to specify a template. If you specify a template, then its text is appended to the default template text in the email message. Consult your administrator, or verify the software behavior to see whether a default template is configured.In the Recipient or Template dialog box, click OK to continue to the email message window for the external email client.
In the external email client, complete the following steps:
For the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipients that were automatically inserted in previous steps.
Specify any additional recipient email addresses from the email directories available through your email client program.
- Optionally, verify or enter text for the subject line. Text might be automatically inserted into the subject line when you select a template.
- Optionally, enter and format free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
- Optionally, specify files as attachments to the email message.
- Optionally, check the spelling for your message, according to the support of your email client program.
- Send the message, or cancel the message if you decide not to send the email message.
Note: When a message is canceled, the Status is set to Queued for the original activity.
Sending Faxes
You can send a fax to any recipient. Optionally, you can include Siebel application content in the fax. Fax addresses are retrieved from the Siebel database for faxes to employees or contacts.
Whether the Pick Recipient dialog box appears after Step 2 in the following procedure depends on the kind of data that currently has the focus when you choose the Send Fax command. Note the following points:
If the current record is a person, such as a contact or employee, then the Pick Recipient dialog box does not appear. The Send Fax window appears.
Note: The fax activity record is associated with a recipient derived from the current record (such as a contact or employee) if a user does not change the fax addressing information in the To, Cc, or Bcc line. In addition, the fax addressing field must be configured in Siebel Tools for your deployment.If the current record is an element, such as a service request or account, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears if generic recipients are configured. Choose generic recipients, such as the contacts associated with the current service request.
If the current record is a Siebel attachment or literature item, then the Pick Recipient dialog box does not appear. The Send Fax window appears, and the item is added as an attachment to the pending fax message. (Siebel attachments with a URL type are not added as email attachments.)
To send a fax
Optionally, select one or more records of contacts, employees, or other persons for whom fax numbers are defined in the Siebel database.
Alternatively, select one or more records of attachments or literature items to send as attachments to the fax message.
Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Fax.
Press Ctrl+F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Fax, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Fax is the displayed ToolTip text. For more information about initiating work items, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.
If you do not specify recipients in Step 1, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears. If you specify recipients before invoking the command, then the Send Fax window appears. If the Send Fax window appears, then go to Step 4.
In the Pick Recipient dialog box, specify the recipient or specify no recipient yet.
The available recipients to choose from depend on the application context. For example, if Send Fax is invoked from a Service Requests list, then the choices are Service Request Contact and Service Request Owner.
The Send Fax window appears.
For the From field, specify the profile to represent who is sending the message.
The listed profiles are the profiles created for communications drivers that support email or fax, such as Internet SMTP/IMAP Server or Internet SMTP/POP3 Server. In some cases, a profile might be automatically inserted into this field. You can specify a default profile in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen.
For the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipients that were automatically inserted in previous steps.
Type any additional recipient fax addresses, using the appropriate format for your fax integration.
Use the address book to enter additional recipients. Click To, Cc, or Bcc and explicitly specify individual persons from the address book dialog box. For each intended recipient, select the To, CC, or BCC check box. After specifying all recipients, click OK. Verify that the addresses appear correctly.
Optionally, for the Body drop-down list, choose the name of a communications template (with a Body type) to insert into the message body.
You can configure a template to insert automatically, according to where you invoke the Send Fax command. For more information, see Configuring Default Templates for Send Email Command.
Field substitution applies to template text when you insert the text into a message. Substitution functions correctly if the fields exist in the current list or form (containing focus) in the Siebel application.
You can insert more than one template. Any template you choose is appended to the existing text.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on several factors, including channel, language, locale, and whether the template is HTML or plain text. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Optionally, verify or enter text for the subject line.
Text might be automatically inserted into the subject line when you select a template.
Optionally, enter and format free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
For information about the available text-editing controls, see Editing and Formatting Controls for Send Email and Send Fax Commands.
Optionally, if you edit in plain text mode, then you can click Remove HTML Tags on the upper right to remove any HTML tagging in your message text.
Optionally, click the icons on the lower right to specify operating system files (paper clip icon) or literature items (document icon) as attachments to the fax message.
The attachments icon lets you specify files from the operating system as attachments and displays a list of all files and literature items you previously specified for the fax message.
The literature icon displays a list of literature items you can specify as attachments.
The Attachments field displays the most recently specified attachment if you specify more than one attachment. All fax attachments are saved as attachments to the activity record that is created when the message is sent.
Optionally, check the spelling for your message.
Click Send, or click Cancel if you decide not to send the fax.
Note: If you cancel the fax, then the corresponding Siebel activity record (created to track the send operation) is deleted.
Editing and Formatting Controls for Send Email and Send Fax Commands
For the Send Email command (native Siebel email client only) and for the Send Fax command, you can edit and format your message text before sending it by using controls in an editing bar that appears when you click in the message area of the Send Email or Send Fax window.
The editing bar appears only when HTML is the setting for the Send Email: Default Message Format preference in the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen. For more information about this user preference setting, see Preference Settings for Outbound Communications.
For email messages, message recipients who cannot view HTML messages in their email client program can instead view a plain-text version of each message. Formatting is eliminated from this plain-text version.
Managing Line Breaks for HTML Messages
When HTML editing is enabled, note the following behavior regarding line breaks:
Pressing ENTER creates a new paragraph.
Pressing SHIFT+ENTER creates a new line.
Managing Links and HTML Elements from Other Sources
For email messages, when HTML editing is enabled, you can directly enter URL or mailto links, and they are automatically converted to links in the HTML output. Examples of these links follow:
www.example.com
http://www.example.com
ftp://ftp.example.gov
mailto:user@example.com
You might select graphics or other tag-based elements that appear on Web pages, such as horizontal rules or tables, by dragging the mouse pointer. In some cases, you can copy and paste such elements into the Send Email or Fax message body.
If you use plain-text mode in the Send Email or Send Fax window, then you can remove any remnant HTML formatting by clicking the Remove HTML Tags button.
Editing and Formatting Options
This topic lists HTML formatting options in the order in which they appear from left to right in the user interface. The following HTML formatting options are available:
Find Or Replace. Click the arrow to display the Find controls above the editing bar or to hide these controls. When the Find controls appear above the editing bar, click the arrow on the left to toggle between the Find controls and the Find and Replace controls. Enter text to find, or enter replacement text, and then click Go. Find operations are not case-sensitive.
Cut. Click to cut selected text to the clipboard.
Copy. Click to copy selected text to the clipboard.
Paste. Click to paste text from the clipboard into the message area. Depending on the source, the text you paste might include HTML formatting.
Font. Choose a font from a drop-down list to apply to selected text. Available fonts include Arial (the default), Verdana, Times New Roman, and Courier.
Size. Choose a size from a drop-down list to apply to selected text. Point sizes include 8 (the default), 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, and 36.
Font Color. Click the arrow to display font colors above the editing bar, and then click to choose a color to apply to selected text.
Bold. Click to apply bold formatting to selected text or to remove bold formatting.
Italic. Click to apply italic formatting to selected text or to remove italic formatting.
Underline. Click to apply underlining to selected text or to remove underlining.
Ordered List. Click to apply numbering to selected text or to remove numbering. Apply numbering to make the text an ordered list.
Unordered List. Click to apply bullets to selected text or to remove bullets. Apply bullets to make the text an unordered list. Bullets appear differently at different levels of indenting.
Indent. Click to increase indenting for selected paragraphs.
Outdent. Click to decrease indenting for selected paragraphs.
Left Align. Click to left-align selected paragraphs.
Center Align. Click to center selected paragraphs.
Right Align. Click to right-align selected paragraphs.
Sending Wireless Messages
You can send a wireless message to any recipient whose mobile device and device address information is stored in the Siebel database. Optionally, you can include Siebel application content in the wireless message.
Whether the Pick Recipient dialog box appears after Step 2 in the following procedure depends on the kind of data that currently has the focus when you choose the Send Wireless Message command. Note the following points:
If the current record is a person, such as a contact or employee, then the Pick Recipient dialog box does not appear. The Send Wireless Message window appears.
If the current record is an element, such as a service request or account, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears if generic recipients are configured. Choose generic recipients, such as the contacts associated with the current service request.
To send a wireless message
Optionally, select one or more records for contacts, employees, or other persons for whom mobile device information is defined in the Siebel database.
Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Wireless Message.
Press Alt+F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Wireless Message, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Wireless Message is the displayed ToolTip text. For more information about initiating work items, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.
If you do not specify recipients in Step 1, then the Pick Recipient dialog box appears. If you specify recipients before invoking the command, then the Send Wireless Message window appears. If the Send Wireless Message window appears, then go to Step 4.
In the Pick Recipient dialog box, specify the recipient or specify no recipient yet.
The available recipients to choose from depend on the application context. For example, if Send Wireless Message is invoked from a Service Requests list, then the choices are Service Request Contact and Service Request Owner.
The Send Wireless Message window appears.
For the To field, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipients that were automatically inserted in previous steps. (No more than one recipient appears in the To line, but all specified recipients receive the message.)
Click the select button to the right of the To field, and explicitly specify individual persons from the Siebel database for the To field.
Optionally, from the Body drop-down list, choose the name of a communications template (with a Body type) to insert into the message body.
Field substitution applies to template text when you insert the text into a message. Substitution functions correctly if the fields exist in the current list or form (containing focus) in the Siebel application.
You can insert more than one template. Any template you choose is appended to the existing text.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on several factors, including channel, language, and locale. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Optionally, enter free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
Note: Wireless network operators and wireless messaging protocols impose limits of message text length. Customers must consult their network operators to find out the limits that apply, and then observe the limits.Optionally, check the spelling for your message.
Click Send, or click Cancel if you decide not to send the wireless message.
Note: If you cancel the wireless message, then the corresponding Siebel activity record (created to track the send operation) is deleted.
Sending Pages
You can send a page to any recipient whose paging data is stored in the Siebel database. Optionally, you can include Siebel application content in the page.
The Send Page command requires the Page Manager server component. For more information about setting up and using Page Manager, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide.
Siebel Paging, and not the Send Page command, uses the Modem-based TAP Paging driver.
To send a page
Optionally, select a record for a contact, an employee, or another person for whom paging data is defined in the Siebel database.
Perform one of the following steps:
From the application-level menu, choose File, then Send Page.
Press Shift+F9.
Click to the right of Initiate Work Item on the communications toolbar, then click Send Page, or click Initiate Work Item when Send Page is the displayed ToolTip text. For more information about initiating work items, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.
For the To field, perform one or more of the following steps:
Verify any recipient that was automatically inserted in previous steps.
Click the select button to the right of the To field, and explicitly specify an individual person from the Siebel database for the To field.
Specify page addressing information, including the pager company, paging phone number, and pager PIN, as appropriate.
Optionally, from the Body drop-down list, choose the name of a communications template (with a Body type) to insert into the message body.
Field substitution applies to template text when you insert the text into a message. Substitution functions correctly if the fields exist in the current list or form (containing focus) in the Siebel application.
You can insert more than one template. Any template you choose is appended to the existing text.
The listed templates are subject to filtering that is based on channel and other factors. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.
Optionally, enter free-form text to modify or add to the template text.
Optionally, check the spelling for your message.
Click Send.
Creating Activities for Send Commands
Activity records can be generated for all of the Send commands that you use to send outbound communications. These Send commands include Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, and Send Page. For more information about using the Send commands, see Using Send Commands to Send Messages.
This topic contains the following information:
In the Outbound Communications view of the User Preferences screen, you can specify whether to generate activity records for the Send commands and, if so, whether the activity records are public or private. For more information about setting the Upon Sending Messages Generate preference, see Preference Settings for Outbound Communications.
Each activity record documents a communication initiated in the Siebel application. Generally, this activity is also a child record of another record that was current when the command was invoked. For example, if the Send Email command is invoked when a service request record was active, then the activity record for the email message is a child of the service request record and you can access it from the service request. You can populate other fields to complete the activity record to accommodate your company’s use of activities.
The owner for an activity that a Send command generates is the sender of the communication. If the Siebel application can match activity recipients with persons in the Siebel database, then the recipients are contacts. For more information, see Contact Matching for Activity Records.
Activity Types for Send Commands
The following table shows the types for activity records that each Send command generates.
For Siebel Email Response, activity records for inbound email messages use the Email - Inbound activity type, and activity records for outbound email messages use the Email - Outbound activity type. For more information about activity records and attachments, see Administering Communications Inbound Receiver.
Table Activity Records for Send Commands
| Send Command | Activity Type |
|---|---|
Send Email |
Email - Outbound |
Send Fax |
Fax - Outbound |
Send Wireless Message |
Wireless Message |
Send Page |
Paging |
Text from the Subject line of the message appears in the Description field of the activity record. (For wireless messages and pages, this text comes from the Subject field of the template.) Message body text appears in the Comments field of the activity record. This text can have a maximum possible size of 1,500 characters.
For the Send Email and Send Fax commands, message body text appears in the Email Body field. This text can have a size of at least 16,000 characters. (The actual length depends on your Siebel database.)
For the Send Email and Send Fax commands, message body content that is longer than the Email Body field allowance is saved as activity attachments. The attachment files are named SiebelLongEmailBody.txt (for plain-text messages) or SiebelLongEmailBody.htm (for HTML messages). If you use Microsoft Outlook as your email client, then RTF messages are saved in HTML format.
For the Send Email and Send Fax commands, attachments (such as files or literature items) to email or fax messages are saved as attachments to the activity record.
Contact Matching for Activity Records
If the Siebel application can match activity recipients with persons in the Siebel database, then the recipients are contacts. For the Send Email command, this matching is based primarily on the email address. If more than one record that includes the same email address exists in the Siebel database, then the first such record is associated with the activity as a contact.
For a third-party email integration with Lotus Notes, an email address for Lotus Notes is passed back to the Siebel application to match recipients to contacts and to associate these contacts with the activity. If no match is found in the Siebel database, then the recipients are not associated with the activity as contacts.
For a third-party email integration with Microsoft Outlook, an email address might not be passed back to the Siebel application to match recipients to contacts and to associate these contacts with the activity. If the email address is not passed back, then the Siebel application tries to match recipients to contacts by using the first and last names of the recipient, or by using the first, middle, and last names. If no match is found in the Siebel database, then the recipients are not associated with the activity as contacts.
Specifying Settings for Mobile Devices
In the Mobile screen, you can manage your mobile devices and wireless messaging addresses for these devices. You can perform the following actions:
Register your mobile devices and specify device priority.
Specify mobile device addresses and specify address priority.
Specify the types of wireless messages you want to receive automatically from the Siebel application.
You can access the Mobile screen in the following Siebel applications: Siebel Call Center, Siebel Sales, Siebel Service, and Siebel Partner Portal.
To specify settings for mobile devices
Navigate to the Mobile screen.
The Message Delivery view appears (the default view in this screen).
In the Mobile Devices list, select the mobile device you want to work with, or, if necessary, create a new mobile device record.
Configure the selected device as described in the following topics:
Configuring Mobile Devices (Message Delivery view)
Configuring Message Delivery (Message Delivery view)
Configuring Mobile Alerts (Mobile Alerts view)
Configuring Mobile Devices
In the Message Delivery view, you can register your mobile devices and establish the device priority. The Mobile Devices list includes the following fields to support wireless messaging:
Device Name. Enter any name you want for your device. It can be any descriptive name, for example, John Cheng’s Nokia cell phone. The mobile device name must be unique for each device that you register.
Device Priority. Select a priority, from 1 - Highest to 6 - Unranked, for each mobile device you register. Wireless messages are generally sent to the mobile device with the highest device priority.
To guarantee message delivery, make sure that only one registered device is assigned the highest device priority. Only one device registered for a particular user can have a device priority set to 1 - Highest. Any other registered devices must have the device priority set to 2 or a higher number. Do not attempt to register any additional devices if a device with priority 6 already exists.
Configuring Message Delivery
In the Message Delivery view, you can enter wireless messaging address information for each of your mobile devices. You must enter information in the following fields to define a wireless messaging address:
Message Delivery Profile. Select a profile. The profile describes the network and message type to use to send wireless messages to your device.
For example, your device is connected to the ABC wireless network operator. ABC can accept messages using the SMTP protocol. ABC then transmits the messages to your mobile device using the SMS protocol. This transmission can occur if your administrator creates a message delivery profile, such as ABC Network SMTP, for the Internet SMTP/IMAP Server or Internet SMTP/POP3 Server communications driver.
To receive messages, you must associate the appropriate profile with your mobile device if your administrator has not done so. Consult your administrator for guidance about the profile to choose, or to have a profile added for your device. For more information about using communications profiles for message delivery, see Configuring Communications Drivers and Profiles for Wireless Messaging.
Device Address. Enter a unique identifier for a particular mobile device. This identifier enables messages to be sent to this device. Frequently, the device address is the phone number.
Address Priority. Select a priority, from 1 - Highest to 6 - Unranked, for each address of each mobile device. Wireless messages are sent to the device with the highest device priority and to the highest priority address for that device.
To guarantee message delivery, make sure that only one device address is assigned the highest address priority. Only one address for a particular mobile device can have an address priority set to 1 - Highest. Any other address must have the address priority set to 2 or a higher number. Do not attempt to define any additional addresses if an address with priority 6 already exists.
Configuring Mobile Alerts
In the Mobile Alerts view, you can select the types of event-driven wireless message alerts that you want to receive on your device. Before configuring mobile alerts, you must configure your mobile device. For more information, see Configuring Mobile Devices and Configuring Message Delivery.
Normally, all event-driven alert messages are sent to the highest priority device and address for a recipient. In this scenario, individual settings for receiving alerts are ignored. However, if your system administrator allows it, then you can override the device priority settings in the Mobile Alerts list and specify that a specific device receives an alert.
When you enable an alert for a particular device in the Mobile Alerts list, the alert is sent to the highest priority address for that device. Existing priority settings for the device are ignored. For information about alert configuration in your organization, consult your system administrator.
For example, your system administrator can activate an alert so that you automatically receive a wireless message alert each time you are assigned a new activity. In this scenario, you can enable or disable this specific alert for a mobile device by creating a record in the Mobile Alerts list for each alert and setting the alert’s status to On or Off.
The following settings are available in the Mobile Alerts list:
Alert Name. Select the particular alert you want to enable or disable for the selected device in the Mobile Devices list. To see more alerts from which you can select, contact your system administrator.
Status. For each mobile alert that you add to a device, specify whether the alert is activated or deactivated as follows:
To enable an alert so you receive wireless message alerts of the specified type on this device, set the value to On.
To disable an alert so you do not receive message alerts of the specified type on any device, set the value to Off.