By Yusuf Kaydawala, CRM Consultant, Manufacturing Unit, Infosys
Out of the many exciting features in the latest Siebel Innovation Pack, the most interesting feature for me is the Siebel mobile disconnected mode. Siebel mobile disconnected application allows users to access the CRM application on the browser in their tablets and smartphone even when the user is not connected to the Siebel application. Once the connectivity with the Siebel server is restored, the application provides capability to synchronize the changes back to server. This application is ideal for a travelling sales or field service technician who have access to the network for most of their time.
Disconnected mode functionality should work on all the latest mobile devices available in the market that are HTML 5-compliant. User can engage the disconnected mode functionality on Chrome or Safari browser with at least 50 MB of available storage on the mobile device.
I have mapped various tasks performed by a field technician with the capabilities of Siebel Mobile Disconnected mode:
|
Field Engineer's Task |
Task Details |
Siebel Mobile Disconnected
Capabilities |
|
Miscellaneous Tasks |
Logging
in the mobile application |
Supported |
|
Logging
off in the mobile application |
Not
supported | |
|
Viewing
broadcast message |
Not
supported | |
|
Creating
bookmark |
Not
supported | |
|
Invoking
Menu |
Not
supported | |
|
Back
button on UI |
Not
supported | |
|
Using
Calendar features |
Not
supported | |
|
Exchanging
data with external applications |
Not
supported | |
|
Create
Orders |
Supported | |
|
Preparing for a site visit |
Creating
Siebel Messages |
Supported |
|
Viewing
Service request |
Supported
for synced Service requests | |
|
Viewing
Account details like Service History, Assets, Entitlements and Contacts |
Supported
for synced Accounts | |
|
Viewing
My Activities |
Supported | |
|
Creating
Orders |
Supported | |
|
Running
queries |
Supported | |
|
Viewing
Assets |
Supported
for synced Assets | |
|
Viewing
Directions/Maps |
Not
supported | |
|
Checking
required parts |
Supported | |
|
Checking
steps and instructions for the job |
Supported | |
|
Checking
Own Inventory position |
Supported | |
|
Running
PDQs to find other Activities |
Not
supported | |
|
Performing service |
Changing
activity statuses |
Supported |
|
Capturing
time tracker |
Supported | |
|
Capturing
Part tracker |
Supported | |
|
Committing
Part tracker |
Supported | |
|
Capturing
expenses |
Supported | |
|
Creating
new Service Request |
Supported | |
|
Creating
new Activities |
Supported | |
|
Adding
Attachment to Service Request |
Not
supported | |
|
Viewing
All Parts in the application |
Supported
for synced parts | |
|
Closing a service call |
Closing
Activity |
Supported |
|
Invoking
Business rules / Validation on Activity closure |
Partially
Supported. DVM/WFs/Server scripting validations will not work |
One of the key considerations for the Disconnected Application is that only 50 MB of offline storage is possible. To overcome the storage limitation, the business admins needs to do a careful analysis of the data and setup data filters to determine the data that needs to be downloaded on the mobile device.
Siebel mobile provides the ability to configure filters on various business entities to only download relevant data for offline usage like:
- Accounts of only certain country
- Activities in certain statuses
- Products which can only be used as spare parts
Field service is one of the toughest jobs in the industry with field engineers servicing complicated equipment, often under unrealistic deadlines and customer expectations. The Siebel Mobile Disconnected application empowers the field engineer by enabling them to perform their daily tasks when they are on the road even without network connectivity.