Chapter 15: Understanding Service Management

CHAPTER 15: UNDERSTANDING SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Objectives
The objectives are: Understand the service management tools available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Understand how a subject tree works and how it relates to service management cases Understand the service management process flow. Gain an understanding of how the service management process flow helps organizations manage and resolve cases by viewing a demonstration.

Introduction
This lesson introduces Microsoft Dynamics CRM service management functionality and explains how it helps organizations track information about cases, customer complaints or requests, and small projects. It covers the core components of service management and explains how the subject tree provides a structured approach for grouping and managing information. The lesson includes a demonstration that shows how the service management process flow helps an organization manage and resolve cases to ensure that customers receive the highest level of service.

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Getting Started with Service Management

The service management module of Microsoft Dynamics CRM consists of these core components: Cases Service management is about creating, managing, and tracking cases. Cases can include customer service requests (a car needing repair) and customer complaints (someone complaining about a fallen tree in the neighborhood) to mini-projects (an internal request to the IT department to add a new report to an internal application). Knowledge Base The Knowledge Base is a repository of articles containing problem resolution information, best practices, technical details, or any other documentation that business users access to address and resolve issues. Queues Queues are containers for work items, such as cases or inbound emails. By default, each user of cases has access to a personal Assigned and a personal In Progress queue. You can also define other shared queues to route cases to a holding place where users can access and move them to their personal queue. An example of a queue found in many services groups is an escalation queue. If a case is not resolved within a specified time frame or if it has a specified severity, it can be assigned to the escalation queue. You can also configure queues based on expertise or area. For example, all cases regarding cars may go to the Cars queue, while cases regarding trucks may go to a Trucks queue. Customer service representatives (CSRs) with expertise in cars monitor the car queue and CSRs with expertise in trucks monitor the truck queue. These elements can also be used as part of service management: Product Catalog In a retail organization, the product catalog lists the products sold by the organization. Service organizations may or may not use a product catalog. Contracts Contracts are the service agreements associated with a product. Retail organizations often use contracts; service organizations may not use them. For example, a service organization may use contracts as an internal tool to represent its guidelines for responding to customer issues.

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Service Scheduling Service scheduling allows an organization to schedule resources (people, facilities, and so on) and time slots to resolve cases.

Understanding Subject Trees

The subject tree is key to service management. Service management cases are always associated with a subject. Likewise, Knowledge Base articles are associated with a subject from the tree. The subject may also be used to determine routing or assignment of cases using workflow or other processes. Finally, the subject tree is used in reporting to categorize and view Knowledge Base articles and information about cases. The subject tree is a hierarchy of subjects or categories that provides a structured approach for grouping and managing information. The hierarchy will is unique to the business and does not contain any information until you create the subject tree. Work with your organization to carefully assess its case management goals and processes and how it currently routes and handles cases. Use this information to design a subject tree that meets the organization's needs. Here is an example of a subject tree for a business that sells auto parts: Parts Engines

Spark Plugs Filters Belts Hoses Wheels Tires Brakes Rims

Exhaust Emissions Mufflers

Interior Stereos Alarms Lights

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Here is an example of a local city government's subject tree for tracking cases related to land use and parks: Land Use Permitting

Lot Line Adjustment Parcel Subdivision Land Use Review Environmental Impact

Wetlands Slope Coastline Parks

Programs Swim Lessons Misc. Kid Programs Maintenance

Grounds Facilities

To realize the full functionality from case management, work with the organization to ensure its processes include selecting the appropriate subject for a case. Good routing and data analysis require users to select the appropriate subject, not just a default subject. For instance, in the above auto parts example, by applying a subject to all cases, you could later generate a report for all customer issues regarding Belts. Service Representatives could then find all Knowledge Base articles that are about Mufflers.

Procedure: Create a Subject Tree

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, and then click Business Management. 2. On the Business Management page, click Subjects. 3. Under Common Tasks, select Add a Subject.

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4. In the Add Subject dialog box, enter the required information and note any restrictions or requirements: Title: Enter a name for the subject. This is a required field. Parent Subject: If this is a child subject, enter the parent subject title and click the Lookup icon. Leave the Parent Subject box empty if you want the new subject to be a parent subject. Description: Enter a description of this subject.

5. Click OK. NOTE: To quickly create a new child subject for an existing subject, in the Subject Tree, select the parent, and then click Add a Subjectunder Common Tasks.

Understanding the Service Management Process Flow

In most organizations, service representatives are required to record contact with customers, such as case resolution and customer inquiries, complaints, or recommendations. Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps an organization find the balance between doing work and tracking the work done by providing a customer relationship product that does not require burdensome amounts of data entry. By providing a structure for tracking customer inquiries, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM service module helps service representatives: Simplify the case resolution process Improve relationships with customers Better track customer contacts and activities

Cases can be automatically routed to a queue or a service representative based on the characteristic of the case or customer to get it resolved as quickly as possible.

Demonstration: Using the Service Management Process Scenario

The service representative creates the first case of the day from a customer who wants to know what kind of [product maintenance items] to use for a particular product. The service representative creates a case for the customer, and then tries to resolve the case by browsing and searching for the answer in the posted Knowledge Base articles.

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The service representative looks for the customer's contract, informs the customer of their entitlement (the service they are contractually entitled to receive) and resolves the case. At the end of the day, the service manager takes several minutes to review the activities of the day. Goal The goal of this demonstration is to: Create a case. Search the Knowledge Base for a related article. Use Advanced Find to search for similar resolved cases. Look up related contracts. Resolve the case. Run the Case Summary Table report.

Step 1: Create a Case

Follow these steps to create the case: 1. In the Navigation Pane, click Service, and then click Cases. 2. On the Actions toolbar, click New. 3. On the General tab, enter information about the case: Title: [case title] Customer: [account name] Subject: [subject] Case origin: [origin]

4. On the Notes and Article tab, under Notes, click Click here to enter a new note, and then enter details about the Case. Notes: [description] 5. Click Save.

Step 2: Browse the Knowledge Base

Customer service organizations may experience high turnover. Therefore, it pays to capture the knowledge of experienced service workers and maintain that knowledge within the organization. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Knowledge Base provides a method for retaining knowledge.

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Knowledge Base articles can help new employees get up to speed and help service personnel find information about unusual, rare, or difficult problems. Knowledge base articles can provide clear and concise information that has been approved by the management team to ensure accuracy and consistency. Users can email Knowledge Base articles to customers as well. Follow these steps to search the Knowledge Base: In the open Case record, select the Notes and Articles tab. Under Knowledge Base Article, for Article, click the Lookup icon. In the drop-down list, select Full Text Search. Under Search for, enter [text]. Under In subject, click the Lookup icon. Select [subject] from the subject tree and click OK. 6. Under Options, select Exact Text. 7. Click Search. The list of articles that match the criteria appears. Select and open the [article] article. 8. Click Close. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Step 3: Use Advanced Find to Search Resolved Cases

Each resolved case can also serve as a piece of knowledge for future use. Use Advanced Find to search the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database for resolved cases and use their resolutions to help resolve similar cases. Follow these steps to search for resolved cases: 1. In the Standard toolbar, select Advanced Find. 2. Under Look For, select Cases. 3. Click Show Details and enter the following criteria: Status Equals Resolved Title Contains [search text]

4. Click Save and Close.

Step 4: Look Up Contracts

Contracts ensure that customers receive the appropriate service level. Follow these steps to view contracts from a case record: 1. If the Case record is not open, in the Navigation Pane, click Services, and then click Cases. In the list, select and open [case title]. 2. On the General tab, under Contract, enter [contract name] and click the Lookup icon.

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3. The search results confirm that [account name] does not have any available contract records. This means that they are not entitled to receive services for products they have purchased. The service representative explains to [account name] that he can provide information on how to [solution description], but he cannot book any services on damaged product] because the account does not currently have a service contract. 4. On the Notes and Articles tab, under Notes, click Click here to enter a new note. Enter [details about case status/resolution]. 5. Click Save and Close.

Step 5: Service Management Reports

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides multiple reports managers use to ensure that customers are receiving the highest levels of service. These reports include: Case Summary Table Report: Use this report to determine the types of cases that are being opened and resolved. You can select how data is grouped in both the rows and columns in this report. Neglected Cases Report: Use this report to identify cases that have not been contacted recently. The report displays a chart of cases that have had no changes to activities, notes, or the case itself, and no scheduled activities, within the specified number of days. Top Knowledge Base Article Report: Use this report to identify the most frequently used Knowledge Base articles. The report displays a chart grouped by the subject of the article or case, or by the product associated with the case. Service Activity Volume Report(../../Users/richard.choi/Desktop/rpt_ss_ServiceActivityVolume.htm): Use this report to review the patterns in service activity volume. The report displays the duration or the number of service activities, grouped by services, resources, time periods, and other criteria.

Procedure: Run a Report

1. 2. 3. 4. In the Navigation Pane, click Service, and then click Cases. In the list, select the cases to report on. On the Actions toolbar, select the Reports icon. Click Case Summary Table. In the Select Records dialog box, select The selected records. 5. Click Run Reports. The Report Viewer will display the report.

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Summary
This lesson introduced the core components of Microsoft Dynamics CRM service management. It covered the functionality that is available to help organizations track and manage customer interactions. The lesson explained the subject tree and how it provides a structure for an organization group and manage information. It explored the service management process flow, including: creating a case, browsing the Knowledge Base to resolve a case, using contracts to ensure that customers receive the correct level of service, and running reports to gain visibility into service activities and resolution.

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Test Your Knowledge

Contracts Component
1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM contracts component provides which benefit to users? (Select all that apply.) ( ) Designated representatives who provides service ( ) Effective tracking of customer service agreements ( ) Quick access for customer service representatives to service agreement details ( ) Attachments to customer service cases, which allows the case to be automatically deducted from the contract

Knowledge Base
2. Where is the Knowledge Base located in Microsoft Dynamics CRM? ( ) On the home page ( ) In the Workplace ( ) In the Service module ( ) In the Sales module

Core Elements
3. Which of these entities is the core elements for service management? ( ) Queues ( ) Knowledge Base ( ) Service scheduling ( ) Cases

Subject Tree
4. What is the subject tree? ( ) A list of subjects the customer might want to discuss ( ) A hierarchical list of business subjects ( ) A hierarchical list of categories to which users can be assigned ( ) A list of topics the service representative should discuss with the customer

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Settings
5. In which area under Settings is a subject tree created? ( ) Administration ( ) Business Management ( ) Product Catalog ( ) Data Management

Subjects
6. Subjects are associated with which of the following? (Select all that apply.) ( ) Products ( ) Cases ( ) Accounts ( ) Knowledge

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Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned

Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this chapter: 1.

2.

3.

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Solutions
Test Your Knowledge
Contracts Component
1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM contracts component provides which benefit to users? (Select all that apply.) ( ) Designated representatives who provides service () Effective tracking of customer service agreements () Quick access for customer service representatives to service agreement details ( ) Attachments to customer service cases, which allows the case to be automatically deducted from the contract

Knowledge Base
2. Where is the Knowledge Base located in Microsoft Dynamics CRM? ( ) On the home page ( ) In the Workplace () In the Service module ( ) In the Sales module

Core Elements
3. Which of these entities is the core elements for service management? ( ) Queues ( ) Knowledge Base ( ) Service scheduling () Cases

Subject Tree
4. What is the subject tree? ( ) A list of subjects the customer might want to discuss () A hierarchical list of business subjects ( ) A hierarchical list of categories to which users can be assigned ( ) A list of topics the service representative should discuss with the customer

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Settings
5. In which area under Settings is a subject tree created? ( ) Administration () Business Management ( ) Product Catalog ( ) Data Management

Subjects
6. Subjects are associated with which of the following? (Select all that apply.) () Products () Cases ( ) Accounts () Knowledge

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