Customizing the ServiceDesk application in the AgileApps Cloud™

About ServiceDesk

ServiceDesk is an example of an application template that you can install and then customize to suit your purposes. However, while many application templates are somewhat “bare bones”, ServiceDesk is a full featured application that will work straight out of the box for many customer service operations. ServiceDesk is an example of a Dynamic Case Management application--one that evolves with you as your processes mature, and which allows for ad hoc procedures (Multi Step Tasks) to be created when existing processes don't quite fit. The primary advantage of the ServiceDesk application is that it provides a rich set of features for interacting with your customers. The primary disadvantage is that, while you can have as many database applications and dynamic case management applications running as you like, you can have only one ServiceDesk application running in your platform instance. If you need multiple applications, then, you should use ServiceDesk for the application in which interactions with external users is critical, since ServiceDesk provides additional features in that area. Here is a partial list of ServiceDesk features (for more, see ServiceDesk Features in the support wiki):

• Multiple Service Level Agreements, to meet contractual obligations
• Social Channel Integration, including Facebook and Twitter
• Quick Text, so agents can add boilerplate text with a mouse click
• Service Portal capability that lets customers track their cases, with options for Community interactions and a Knowledge Base.

To find out more about using ServiceDesk, see the ServiceDesk application page.

Customizing the Application

This discussion assumes that you will be building an “Onboarding” application, like the one described in the companion article, Building a Dynamic Case Management Application in the AgileApps Cloud (Links to that article and other useful pages can be found in the support wiki’s Article Index at http://agileappslive.info/wiki/Article_Index.) The instructions given here show you how to get started with the customization process. They show you how to:

• Change the application name.
• Change the background color and logo image in the Service Portal—a place customers can go to track cases and, depending on your configuration, engage in community interactions and/or access a knowledge base you provide
• Change the label of the main application object, Cases. (You can do that for any object).

Name the Application

At the outset, you are running the default Case Management application (Service Desk). It looks like this: (The “gear” icon in the upper right. It’s the main access point for customization and administration.)