Tag: Nov 2017

17D Release now available (Part II)

The 17 D release of Oracle Service Cloud (OSvC) is now generally available and it brings fantastic new features and enhancements. You can read Part I here.

OSvC Platform – Element Manager

This is probably the feature that most system integrators (SIs) and admins craved for. The ability to “package up” configurations and release them to another environment, in an automated fashion.

It is particularly useful when deploying changes from DEV to TEST or from TEST to LIVE environments. Or, when you have many interfaces (e.g. due to different languages) and need to replicate changes.

It allows packaging of configurations, customisations or developments, for migration into other OSvC interfaces or instances, managing dependencies automatically, and allowing roll-back of most recently deployment.

Important Note: The Element Manager only works from the Browser UI (BUI) and in the current release only allows the migration of reports, workspaces, workflows, and dashboards.

When fully deployed the Element Manager will not only benefit SIs but clients themselves as this feature will avoid manual replication of configurations across interfaces and instances, which significantly increases deployment time, effort and cost.

The link below includes a step-by-step demo provided by Oracle, on how the Element Manager works, and confirm how easy-to-use and user-friendly it is.

Oracle Service Cloud – Element Manager – Step-by-Step Demo

oracle_service_cloud_element_manager_1

 

17D Release now available (Part I)

The 17 D release of Oracle Service Cloud (OSvC) is now generally available and it brings exciting new features and enhancements to the ever more exciting Browser User Interface (BUI) – by the way if you’re confused about the release terminology, read this post “Oracle changing version terminology“.

Browser UI – Best and Proposed Answers

The new release allows agents, using the BUI, to select the answer(s) that helped them resolve the incident (from the list of all answers listed). Marked answer(s) will be given greater deference by the SmartAssistant.

Additionally, the well known Propose Answer functionality, available in the console (.NET client) is also available in the BUI now. Allowing agents to propose incident response as a new or potential answer in the knowledge base.

Browser UI – Assets, Agent Scripts, Multi-Edit, Product Linking

17D brings a whole raft of very useful functionality (previously available in the console) into the BUI. The ability to display and work Assets as well as use Agent Scripts is definitely something that many users will welcome.

Product linking is also available now, allowing those who have large numbers of products, categories and dispositions, to avoid going through long lists of menu items to find the appropriate option, simplifying the agent’s job.

Lastly, users can now take advantage of the multi-edit workspaces capability to edit multiple records in one go – something that I’m sure most of you would have been crying for in the BUI.

Oracle_service_cloud_17d_multi-edit

Browser UI – Input Controls

Continuing to enhance the functionality in the BUI, Oracle has made available in  the 17D release the the following controls:

  • Radio button
  • Text Box
  • Menu
  • List Box

Additionally 17D release supports workspace rule triggers, conditions and actions for those input controls. With this capability the BUI now supports the ability to trigger workspace rules, apply conditions and set the value on those input controls, as well as assign a value of the Text Box control to a field.

Browser UI – Workflows (Phase 1)

Desktop Workflows are widely used by the OSvC community, but so far weren’t available in the BUI. But, the new release supports workflows for workspaces and page navigation., even though it is still at a limited capacity.

The workspace elements supported are: Decision, Set Fields (except relative date field values), Create and Workspace (except assets), and Connector elements (except Exit Guide and Exit/Finish script connectors).

More detail on the Desktop Workflow elements supported by the BUI is shared in Answer ID 9845.

Browser UI – Service Level Agreements

The new release also brings SLAs runtime support to the BUI, adding the SLA container control (Relationship items) and SLA instance view control for Organisation and Contact workspaces.

Agents can then manage customers’ SLAs (type and amount of support you offered), complementing the capability of selecting the SLA instance in the incident (which was already there).

Important Note: The SLA management and configuration page is not yet available in the BUI, thus admins will have to still use the console to create and edit SLA instances, set response requirements, initial response and incident resolution times.

Browser UI – Analytics Auto Filtering and Report Queuing

Auto-filtering is now available in the BUI, and can be turned on and off at runtime. For those not familiar with it: with a report filter only the records that match the filter values are returned from the database and displayed on the report. On the other hand, with the auto-filter records that do not match the filter values are hidden, but not removed from the report’s output.

Auto-filter values selected apply only to the report page displayed, and will be lost as soon as the report refreshes, or when agents move to another report page. Even though, it is possible to lock auto-filter values.

It is also important to know that auto-filter fields are associated with the visible columns on the report, auto-filter values will definitely be lost when agents move to a different report level or linked report. Those will then have their own auto-filter options.

The coolest thing about it is that Oracle developed the auto-filter functionality following concepts of modern web design.

Oracle_service_cloud_17d_auto_filter