Overview of Siebel CRM Desktop for IBM Notes

This chapter describes an overview of Oracle’s Siebel CRM Desktop for IBM Notes®. It includes the following topics:

Benefits of Using Siebel CRM Desktop

Oracle’s Siebel CRM Desktop for IBM Notes (Siebel CRM Desktop) is an application that integrates Siebel CRM processes and data in IBM Notes. It allows the user to do typical CRM work directly in a native IBM Notes environment. It centralizes essential business information in the familiar IBM Notes environment. This centralization complements the existing capabilities that a Siebel Business Application provides. The user can use Siebel CRM Desktop to do the following work:

Manage Siebel CRM data. Manage Siebel CRM data and link this data to CRM records directly in IBM Notes. The user can manage a calendar entry, emails, contacts, accounts, activities, opportunities, and so on directly in IBM Notes.
Synchronize data. Perform bidirectional, incremental synchronization between Siebel CRM Desktop in the IBM Notes client and the Siebel Server. This synchronization helps to keep data up-to-date and consistent.
Work while disconnected. Perform work even if disconnected from the corporate network.

Your organization can realize the following benefits:

Increased user adoption of your business processes and tools. Siebel CRM Desktop does not require the user to use an application that is new to the user.
Increased accessibility to data because the user is not required to log in to a Siebel Business Application to view and maintain CRM data.
Decreased training costs. Most users are already familiar with IBM Notes. You can focus your training on CRM business processes instead of spending time and resources on learning how to perform software interactions.

Scenarios for Using Siebel CRM Desktop

This topic describes several scenarios of how you can use Siebel CRM Desktop with IBM Notes. It includes the following topics:

The scenarios in this topic give examples of how you might use Siebel CRM Desktop. You might use Siebel CRM Desktop differently, depending on your business model.

Scenario for Working with an Opportunity

On Friday afternoon, a sales manager reviews the Big Deal opportunity and realizes that it has been inactive for some time. The manager does the following work in native IBM Notes to assign the To Do item to a sales representative:

Creates a new IBM Notes To Do item
Creates a relationship between an opportunity and the To Do item and completes other To Do item details
Sends the To Do item to the assigned owner

On Monday, the representative uses IBM Notes to view opportunities. This representative examines the opportunity and notices the new activity and the assignor, and then realizes that the demonstration must be revised. The representative can drill down on the activity record to view more information. On Thursday, the representative finishes revising the demonstration and changes the activity status to Done.

Scenario for Managing Contact Information

A sales representative works at High-Tech Office Expo and manages many customers, including a customer named Company Y. While at High-Tech Office Expo, the sales representative meets a new contact who is the CEO of Company X. This company is a competitor of Company Y. The sales representative also encounters an old college friend and they trade contact information.

The sales representative creates a new contact in IBM Notes and enters information about the CEO in this new contact record. While creating this contact, the representative links the contact to the existing Company X account. Next, the representative uses a scanner to scan the CEO’s business card and then attaches the scanned image to the contact. The representative must share this contact with colleagues, so the representative clicks the Share Bar. Siebel CRM Desktop then marks the contact as shared and toggles the Share Bar to indicate that the contact is shared.

In the same Contacts folder, the sales representative creates a new contact for the old college friend. The default option does not share the contact with the Siebel Server and the contact remains private.

The sales representative must call the VP of Sales at Company Y, who is represented in the Siebel CRM data as another contact. The representative finds the contact record and then finds the cell phone number for the contact. The contact record for the VP displays in IBM Notes along with all the other contacts that the representative can normally view in the Siebel Web Client. Assume another user at High-Tech Office Expo uses the Siebel Web Client to update the contact information for the VP. When the sales representative synchronizes, Siebel CRM Desktop displays this updated information directly in IBM Notes.

Scenario for Managing Account Information

Company Z is one of the smaller accounts that a sales representative manages. This company recently relocated and the representative must update the address details that are related to the account. The representative drills down on the account in the accounts view and then enters the new address in the form.

To make sure that everyone on the account team is aware of the new location, the representative sends an email to the account team. The representative uses the Email to Account Team button in IBM Notes to include all account team members. Siebel CRM Desktop enters email addresses for the entire account team in an email message and then displays the message. The representative types in a brief note about the new location and then sends the email.

While the representative is in the account record for Company Z, the representative decides to add a new contact to the account. To do this, the representative types the contact name in the text box under the Contacts section and then Siebel CRM Desktop displays the names of contacts who already exist. The representative chooses one of these contacts and then clicks Add to create a relationship. As an alternative, the representative can click the SalesBook icon and then choose an existing contact or create a new contact.

Scenario for Creating a Relationship Between an Email and an Opportunity

A sales representative opens an email from an external contact. This email explains that the purchasing director at the external contact changed. The representative knows that this information is important for the Big Deal opportunity, so the representative shares this email with the Siebel Server and then relates it with the opportunity. This work makes sure that the entire sales team who is working on this opportunity is aware that there is a new purchasing director. Siebel CRM Desktop synchronizes this information with the Siebel Server as an activity record that includes a relationship with the opportunity, along with the original email as an activity attachment.

When the representative shares the email with the Siebel Server, the representative can choose the sales data that the email describes. To create a relationship between the Big Deal opportunity and the email, the representative types the name in the Opportunity control. If the external contact is related to at least one opportunity, then Siebel CRM Desktop presents a filtered list of values while the representative types the value. The representative chooses the record for the Big Deal opportunity and then Siebel CRM Desktop links the email to the opportunity.

Scenario for Managing an Opportunity

After meeting with a contact at a key strategic account, a sales representative learns of an upcoming request for proposal that might help to improve the sales pipeline for the next quarter. To complete this work, the representative uses Siebel CRM Desktop to create a new opportunity in IBM Notes.

To begin, the representative clicks Opportunity on the toolbar and Siebel CRM Desktop opens a new opportunity form. The representative enters details for the new opportunity, including the name, related account, lead quality, sales method, sales stage, close date, and so on. The representative knows two contacts at the account, and that these contacts decide whether to place an order. The representative relates these contacts with the opportunity. The representative can choose one or more products and relate them with the opportunity. The representative can assign expected revenue values for the opportunity to indicate the projected opportunity value and to describe how that value is distributed across related products for the opportunity.

If the representative saves these details in IBM Notes and then synchronizes with the Siebel Server, then Siebel CRM makes the details available to other users who can access the account and contacts.

Overview for Using This Book

This book uses the following terms, unless noted otherwise:

The client is IBM Notes with the Siebel CRM Desktop plug-in installed.
A user is a person who uses the client.
The server is the Siebel Server.
An administrator is anyone who uses an administrative screen in the client to configure Siebel CRM Desktop. The Administration - Server Configuration screen is an example of an administrative screen.

Computer font indicates a value you enter or text that Siebel CRM displays. For example:

This is computer font

Italic text indicates a variable value. For example, the n and the method_name in the following format description are variables:

Named Method n: method_name

The following is an example of this code:

Named Method 2: WriteRecord

A predefined object is an object that comes already defined with Siebel CRM. The objects that Siebel Webtools displays in the Object List Editor immediately after you install the product, but before you make any customizations, are predefined objects.

Depending on the software configuration you purchase, your Siebel Business Application might not include all the features that this book describes.

Getting Help From Oracle

For help with using object types, create a service request (SR) on My Oracle Support. Alternatively, you can phone Oracle Global Customer Support directly to create a service request or get a status update on your current SR. Support phone numbers are listed on My Oracle Support. You can also contact your Oracle sales representative to request assistance from Oracle's Professional Services.