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of the FocalScope omnichannel suite, according to best practice.

Best practices for (re)configuring core FocalScope features

Standard Responses, Autoresponders, working-hours and SLA profiles, and Ticket Queues, are core features upon which other features rely on. It is, therefore, important to be aware of the effects on the rest of the system when changing any of the core feature configurations. This article details some best practises for adjusting core FocalScope features (as well as key things to watch out for when doing so) to minimize impact on other areas of the system.

Critical: It must be understood that

  1. Folders do not 'own' core features such as SLA / working-hours profiles, Standard Responses, or Ticket Queues; folders simply reference them
  2. If more than one folder references the same core feature--and the feature is changed--then  all folders referencing the same core feature will be affected; for example,
    1. Adjusting an SLA or working-hours profile from the Administration screen - There is no way to see which folders reference the same profiles, so the effects on the rest of the system can be unpredictable and downright disastrous
    2. Adjusting an SLA or working-hours profile from the folder properties - This method, too, obscures which other folders reference the same profiles, so the effects on the rest of the system can be unpredictable and downright disastrous

Prerequisites

A general familiarity with the core FocalScope features and their configuration.

Best Practices

General rules for adjusting core features

Before adjusting any core features, observe the following rules:

  1. Do not delete any SLA / working-hours profiles, Standard Responses, or Ticket Queues from the system unless your intention is to disable them completely
  2. Do not modify any existing SLA / working-hours profiles, Standard Responses, or Ticket Queues unless you really want to affect all folders referencing these features. If you are not 100% sure, then it is better to create a new SLA / working-hours profiles, Standard Responses, or Ticket Queues
  3. When setting up SLA / working-hours profiles, Standard Responses, or Ticket Queues, name each one properly so that the scope and function are understood from the name--this will help avoid confusion later on when core features may need to be updated

Adjusting 'working-hours profiles'

Special care must be taken to note the dependency of SLA profiles and Autoresponders on whichever working-hour profile is to be adjusted. Once a working-hours profile has been updated, all affected SLA profiles and Autoresponders will immediately change their behaviour according to the new configuration. If modifying an existing working-hours profile will cause unintended effects elsewhere in the system, consider creating a new working-hours profile specifically for the task in mind.

Do the following to determine which working-hours profile and SLA profile uses:

  1. Right-click a folder that uses an SLA profile and click [Properties]
  2. In the [Folder properties] window, click the [SLA] tab
  3. Note down which working-hours profile the SLA profile uses
  4. Please note: Repeat steps 1-3 for all other folders that use SLAs


Figure 1 - Checking SLA and working-hours profile association


Do the following to determine which working-hours profile an Autoresponders uses:

  1. Right-click a folder that uses an Autoresponder click [Properties] 
  2. In the [Folder properties] window, click the [Auto Responder] tab
  3. Note down which (if any) working-hours profile the Autoresponder uses
  4. Please note: Repeat steps 1-3 for all other folders that use Autoresponders



Figure 2 - Checking Autoresponder and working-hours profile association

Adjusting 'Standard Responses'

Whenever an agent commissions changes to a Standard Response they use frequently use, care must be taken by Administrators to consider the impact on Autoresponders that use the same Standard Response. If this is not your intention, do not modify an existing Standard Response; rather create a new one for the agent to use.

Do the following to determine which Standard Response(s) an Autoresponder uses:


  1. Right-click a folder that uses an Autoresponder and click [Properties]
  2. In the [Folder properties] window, click the [Auto Responder] tab
  3. Note down which Standard Responses are being used by the Autoresponder
  4. Please note: Repeat steps 1-3 for all other folders that use Autoresponders



Figure 3 - Checking Aurtoresponder and Standard Response association

Adjusting 'Ticket Queues'

A Ticket Queue could have been configured to run on several folders at a time, and just like other core features, modifying a Ticket Queue will affect all folders associated with it. Consider creating a new Ticket Queue if changing an existing one will cause issue in other areas of your FocalScope instance.

Do the following to determine which folders a Ticket Queue operates on:


  1. In the [Main menu], click [Screen > Administration]
  2. Click the [Administration] tab
  3. Navigate to the [Workflow Configuration > Ticket Queues] folder
  4. In the right-hand pane, double click the Ticket Queue that you wish to modify and note down the folders on which the Ticket Queue operates



Figure 4 - Checking Ticket Queues and Folder association

Adjusting 'SLA profiles'

And SLA profile can be assigned to multiple folders, thus modifying any SLA profile could have unintended effects on other folders. If in doubt, create a new SLA profile specifically for the folder where you need to use a new SLA configuration.

Do the following to determine which SLA profile a folder uses:


  1. Right-click a folder that uses an SLA profile and click [Properties]
  2. In the [Folder properties] window, click the [SLA] tab
  3. Note down which SLA profile the folder uses
  4. Please note: Repeat steps 1-3 for all other folders that use SLAs



Figure 5 - Checking SLA profiles and Folder association



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