Dynamic Agent Desktop: Workspaces

The dynamic agent desktop in RightNow CX is your staff members’ portal to your knowledge base. It is comprised of a set of complementary features. One of them is the Workspace, a configuration of the content pane, including the fields, controls, and ribbon that display when working with answers, contacts, incidents, opportunities, organizations, tasks, chat, etc.

Workspaces define the appearance of the agent desktop when staff members add, view, and edit records in RightNow CX. When you open a record the workspace determines the layout of fields, controls, and tabs on the content pane as well as the arrangement of buttons on the ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar.

The workspaces used by staff members are defined in their staff profile, with one workspace associated for each type of record the profile can access. Different profiles can use different workspaces. However, each editor within a profile must be set to use a specific workspace, so all staff who shares a profile will use the same set of workspaces.

Listed next to each workspace’s name is its workspace type, based on the type of record it opens. The workspace type determines which fields and controls can be added to the workspace.

Some workspace types are multi-edit, meaning they are used when staff members open multiple records of the same record type at the same time (up to 250 records can be edited at once).

Custom workspaces are used to provide your team with access to records stored in custom objects. Custom workspaces are created on a workspace designer consisting of a ribbon and a design space. You define a workspace by dragging and dropping fields and controls from the ribbon to the design space.

You can create a custom workspace from scratch by starting with a blank workspace. You can also copy an existing workspace or import a workspace from an exported workspace file to use as the basis for a new workspace. Then you can tailor the design by adding and removing fields and controls, adjusting properties, and arranging the layout to suit your business needs.

To create a custom workspace click new on the ribbon and in the Start With a Blank Workspace section, select a workspace type.

If you delete a workspace that is selected for a standard object editor in a profile, the profile will revert to the standard workspace for the editor type. If you delete a workspace that is selected for a custom object editor in a profile, the profile will revert to no workspace selection.

By default, most workspace types are blank on top with a single tab on the bottom. You can adjust the location of the tabbed area on the workspace. You can also adjust the space allotted to the two main areas of the workspace.

If you save changes to a workspace that staff members are using at the time, they will need to log out and then log back in to see the changes you have applied.

To save time when creating workspaces in multiple interfaces, RightNow CX lets you export a workspace as an XML file containing descriptions of all the workspace elements, including fields, controls, layout, and rules. The XML file can then be used by the import wizard to import the workspace to another interface.

Workspace notes are not included when exporting a workspace to an XML file. When a workspace is exported as an XML file, the file includes a hash value that will be used when the file is imported to determine if the file has been modified externally. If the file has been modified, it will not be available for importing, and an error message notifies you that the file is invalid.

If items from the workspace you are importing are not used by the workspace type you are converting it to, the next window lists these invalid items and informs you that they will be replaced by spacers, field placeholders, or removed from the imported workspace.