Segments are used to separate configuration details (message queues, custom properties, mailboxes, etc.) within iService into logical groupings. They are most commonly used to separate business units that have different sets of customers, topics, and mailboxes. However, since Segment Contact Properties can be made private they can also be used to provide access control over sensitive details for Agents. There are a number of business rules that are specific to Segments, which are described within the Business Rules section.
To learn about settings for segments that contain interactions, read the Standard Segment section below. To learn about segments that do not contain interactions and are only use for hierarchy or storing property values, read the Information Segment section below.
Standard segments contain the full set of configuration details, such as mailboxes, topics, filters etc. They are designed to accept incoming questions and publish a knowledge base using the defined topic structure.
Example of a standard segment with topics
1.Name – This is the name used to reference the Segment. It is the name listed in the Segment List and is a reference name only.
2.Description – This is a description for the Segment that is not used outside of the Segments page.
3.Parent Segment – Segments may be hierarchical. To make the new segment of child of an existing segment, select the parent from the drop down menu.
4.Standard Segment – Standard segments contain mailboxes to accept incoming mail and have their own topic tree for queuing messages. If the Standard Segment box is not checked, the segment will be considered informational only and will be used to define additional contact and organizational details only.
5.Default Notifications - Specify the default notifications for each type.
▪Topic Auto Response – If an auto response is selected, it will be used as the default for all topics in the segment that have "--Segment Default--" selected as their auto response.
▪Contact Creation Message – If a contact creation auto response is selected, it will be used to notify all new contacts created that an account has been created for them.
▪Agent Notification Message - The selected auto response template will be used to notify agents when a new message arrives.
▪Find Answers Notification Message - The selected auto response template will be used to notify customers when a Find Answers knowledge base article is updated.
6.Segment Default Service Level - The selected service level will be applied by default to all messages, unless a lower service level obtained from a contact property, interaction property, or topic is applicable to the message.
7.Segment default mailbox – there are some cases where iService doesn't know what mailbox to use unless it's specified. For example, when sending an agent email you must select the FROM mailbox. The default mailbox is used whenever a specific mailbox is not known. It's important to use a common name for your default mailbox that could be understood by any recipient (e.g., support@).
8.Get All Unassigned Interactions For Same Contact with Get Next – Sometimes customers will send multiple messages about the same question. This causes issues when using the Get Next assignment process because more than one agent may be assigned message from that customer. If this box is checked, when an agent clicks the Get Next button they will be given all unassigned messages from that customer. The feature does not impact the assignment algorithm. That is, iService will find the next message based on the service levels set and the agents skills. When that message is selected any additional unassigned messages from that customer will also be assigned to the agent.
Only standard segments contain mailboxes and topics. If the Standard Segment box is not checked, the segment configuration will appear as shown below without the mailbox or topic related tabs.
Segments are used to separate configuration details (message queues, custom properties, mailboxes, etc.) within iService into logical groupings. They are most commonly used to separate business units that have different sets of customers, topics, and mailboxes. However, since Segment Contact Properties can be made private they can also be used to provide access control over sensitive details for Agents. There are a number of business rules that are specific to Segments, which are described within the Business Rules section.
