Easy to configure

Crafting a Solution that Works for You

One of the most significant factors that sets UsefulFeedback apart from the rest of the competition is its powerful array of built-in configuration tools. At nearly every functional point, the solution can be configured to meet your enterprise’s business requirements. As mentioned on our Rapid Implementation page, the inclusion of integrated configuration capabilities essentially removes the need for expensive, time-consuming software development work during the implementation process. This has a profound impact on the speed of implementation and, more significantly for the long-term, changes the game in terms of how you can essentially create a bespoke system that is perfectly aligned with your requirements.

Our configuration tools facilitate customisation both during and post-implementation. During implementation, the process of acquiring data—using forms—can be customised using the Forms Designer. In addition, how your case handlers interact with data—the system workflow—can be customised using the Workflow Designer.

Post-implementation, a wide variety of UsefulFeedback features can be modified & customised to further refine the user experience. This includes configuration of functional areas like user role allocation, team management, usage of classifications, specification of time limits, communication templates and task management.

 

Implementation Phase Configuration

During the initial implementation of UsefulFeedback, our primary goals are to listen to your needs and then collaborate with you to transform those needs into real-world software functionality. This process relies heavily on leveraging our integrated configuration capabilities to achieve your requirements and, after comprehensive testing, being able to produce a solution that makes sense for your enterprise.

At the vanguard of our configuration initiatives are two tools that empower organisations to take full control of their processes as well as how information is collected. These are:

• Workflow Designer: This tool provides a full event-driven framework that enables you to decide how UsefulFeedback functionality is triggered in your workflows; and,
• Form Designer: This tool enables your enterprise to specify exactly how to model collected data at all points in the case management process.

Let’s explore each of these tools in more detail.

 

Workflow Designer

The Workflow Designer is a powerful set of tools that provide enterprises with the capability to structure the management of forms, tasks, correspondence, knowledge articles and outcomes. Configuration goals are focused on defining complete wizard-driven processes from start to finish.

Workflows enable your organisation to automate business processes which, in the UsefulFeedback environment, are largely focused on the sharing of content and tasks between participants for action based on a set of defined procedures.

In short, the Workflow Designer is used to define components (i.e., items to be shared) and then specify settings that facilitate the use of those components (e.g., stages in a workflow, how tasks are created, configuring correspondence templates, etc.).

Workflow Components

• Creating Events and Stages: Create new workflow events (e.g., creating a new case) and associate tasks, correspondence and/or articles that are generated or made available during the event. You’re in full control of the sequencing, procedures and triggered-actions;
• Guide your Case Handlers: Fully customise the step-by-step wizard process with prompting text, links, images and formatted text. Populate helpful “What’s next” and “What’s done” panels with content that reminds, guides and prompts your case handlers along the way;
• Robust Task Management: Create tasks for your caseworkers and frontline staff, such as sending correspondence or verifying information. The system supports multiple task generation options, such as when a case is received, when an outcome is reached, etc. Tasks integrate seamlessly with your workflow parameters, allowing you to specify who should deal with certain tasks, define allotted timescales and case-related event triggers (e.g., close case after task completion);
• Correspondence: Configure messaging templates that can be auto-generated as part of a workflow event or made available to case handlers as an ad-hoc option. Templates empower your case handlers to rapidly create highly-relevant correspondence based on your unique customisations. For example, data can be retrieved from sources and included in correspondence (e.g., recipient data, case contacts, tasks, documents, etc.), templates can be formatted and timeframes can be stipulated (i.e., how long caseworkers are given to complete different types of correspondence); and,
• Flexible Case Outcomes: As part of the overall workflow, a case can have no stages or up to 4 stages (a stage is simply a segment of the workflow). With UsefulFeedback’s case outcome tool, organisations can build outcomes that can be used at different stages of a case’s workflow. Outcomes can be triggered by user action or dynamically based on a form event — for example, an outcome could end one stage and move the case to the next stage, such as an appeals process or an escalation.

Workflow Settings

• Case Stages: Fully configure the inclusion of stages in your workflows. Stages are useful in terms of segmenting multiple aspects of your case workflows, such as escalations, possible inclusion of 3rd-party participants, appeal processes and so on. UsefulFeedback supports the creation of up to 4 stages per case with multiple configuration options, such as target time for completion and the recording of case outcomes;
• Assigning Cases: UsefulFeedback offers full control over the assignment of new cases. Each new case can be assigned to a team or user; alternatively, cases can be dynamically assigned using a formula (e.g., based on information supplied in a form, based on conditional if-then criteria to re-assign to a different team, etc.);
• Case Prioritisation: Include a case rating feature that conveys the relative importance of the case. This could be specified within UsefulFeedback and also as the result of a form attribute;
  New Case Notifications: Specify whether e-mail and/or SMS notifications should be automatically sent to authorised team members; and,
• Customised Forms: Select stage-specific user designed forms to replace default forms.

 

Form Designer

UsefulFeedback’s Form Designer puts you in control of how data is collected, and modelled, at all points throughout the case management workflow. What sets UsefulFeedback apart from others is the use of intelligent forms that use responses to determine which subsequent questions should be asked. In this way, detailed question flows can be used to populate cases with quality data.

The Form Designer includes a number of features designed to facilitate the transmission of critical data to your case workflows, such as:

• Inclusion of attachments;
• Configure rules to validate form data before submission;
• Confirmation of entered data and automated e-mail acknowledgement of form completions;
• Configuration of forms for use by customers on a self-service portal;
• Integrated versioning to facilitate easy form management;
• Support of multiple form types, such as customer forms and workflow forms (linked to a task or used in a workflow);
• Pre-population of form attributes from an external system;
• Specify the appearance of form sections if certain conditions have been met; and,
• Configure attributes to trigger an action based on form data; for example, if certain answers are provided, then the system will trigger an e-mail, correspondence, a web service, another form, etc.

 

Post-Implementation Configuration

The configuration options do not stop, even after UsefulFeedback is up and running for your enterprise. Administrators have access to a wide variety of settings and parameter options designed to further refine the functionality of UsefulFeedback so that it more closely aligns with your unique business needs.

Some key configurable areas of interest include:

User Roles & Permissions

Pre-implementation, user role types can be fully configured to reflect how caseworkers will interact with UsefulFeedback. The system supports interfaces for both power users (e.g., management, dedicated caseworkers) and basic users (e.g., call centre staff, new case data entry personnel). Specific access for either type can be defined directly in UsefulFeedback, such as restricting access to services based on team assignment, accessibility to contact records, access to reports and so on.

Team Management

Comprehensive management of teams and user members (e.g., complaint team, finance team, appeals team, etc.). This includes configuration of team privileges, team-specific content for correspondence (e.g., logos, paragraphs), notices displayed to team members on login and full administration of user membership in teams.

Classifications

A classification is the reason why a customer is contacting your organisation. Classifications can be as simple or complex as needed based on business need. In a complaint management environment, common classifications may include the underlying reasons behind a complaint such as failure to keep customer informed, lack of choice and dispute of cost. Classifications are associated with teams, which enables different teams to use classifications that are aligned with their case management work.

In addition to acting as an organisational tool, classifications can be used to support the categorisation of the root causes of complaints. Correlating classifications with complaints is facilitated by UsefulFeedback’s auto-populate feature, which selects keywords from complainant text and then associates those keywords with the classification.

Building a robust set of connected data has a beneficial impact on case handler usage of UsefulFeedback, particularly for frontline users who may lack IT expertise or are still familiarising themselves with your organisation’s policies & procedures. This knowledge-building is conveyed using our guidance functionality — based on the classification, links to knowledgebase articles/guidance notes will automatically appear when a case handler is completing a complaint form. This enables case handlers to quickly access the relevant information they need in order to address complaints properly.

Creating and managing classifications, as well as associated guidance notes and keywords, are managed directly within UsefulFeedback via our configuration menus.

Timescale Management

UsefulFeedback supports both SLA and regulatory requirements via the use of configurable timescales for both cases and tasks. In terms of case timescale management, administrators can easily define target times for the completion of case stages that are based on resolution ratings. For example, a case with a low rating (i.e., below average importance) could be assigned an internal resolution period of 35 days; that is, teams are given up to 35 days to resolve the case.

In terms of task timescale management, like cases, a time period (expressed as a number of days) can be assigned for each task type; for example, case handlers may be given 1 working day to forward details of a compliment and may be given 15 days to respond to an information request. Admins can also specify whether or not an e-mail notification should be sent when a task is overdue.

In addition, administrators can align UsefulFeedback with data retention regulations by specifying exactly how long the system should retain sensitive personal data. After the defined time period has passed, closed cases will still exist in the system but all references to customer data will be automatically removed.

Correspondence Templates

While the behaviour and handling of correspondence templates is configured during implementation, the actual template content can be defined and/or modified at any time via UsefulFeedback’s configuration menus. An intuitive WYSIWYG editor enables administrators to include a wide variety of data—retrieved from specified sources—in correspondence templates. This empowers organisations to craft highly detailed and personalised messages that appear automatically for caseworkers — your complaint teams can always include case-specific information in messages, as needed.

As discussed in detail on our Correspondence page, the correspondence template system has a significant positive impact on the efficiency of your workflows, effectively speeding up the communication process without sacrificing customer engagement. Message templates can be fully formatted in terms of look & feel and branding to support your enterprise’s communication standards.

Service Menu

The service menu is a powerful configuration tool that enables your enterprise to build an accessible menu-driven portal that supports the speedy allocation of service requests to appropriate teams as well as facilitating the case creation process.

Service menus can be configured according to your preference: structured, unstructured, product oriented, business structure oriented, etc. The menu, and all associated sub-menus, are presented as a tree that leads to an actionable item such as creating a case for a complaint, compliment, query or replying to a service request. Designed for internal usage, the service menu empowers front office staff to easily launch cases without a need for IT expertise.

Behind-the-scenes, UsefulFeedback processes all requests based on your configuration parameters. Examples of configuration parameters include:

• Establishing service categories (e.g., service departments/divisions within your organisation);
• Specifying teams for each service category;
• Defining services that will be assigned to the team, which can also be linked to a form, article or link. Services can be highly varied based on need; examples include a suggestion, complaint, product enquiry, approval request, service request, information request, etc.;
• If no team assignment has been pre-configured, then the service menu tree allows staff to assign cases to a specific team; and,
• Re-assign a request from one team to another or from one case type to another.

 

A Holistic Solution on Your Terms

UsefulFeedback offers a wholly unique experience for enterprises who want a powerful complaint management system that actually performs according to their business needs. Out-of-the-box and fully-bespoke solutions are often not relevant enough to address the requirements of the specific business sector or, in the case of custom developed solutions, are time-consuming, difficult to maintain and quite costly.

UsefulFeedback bridges these gaps by offering a holistic solution that is powerful, robust and flexible enough to meet your business requirements regardless of your industry. Our fully integrated configuration tools—used during and after implementation—empower enterprises to craft a case management solution that makes sense for frontline staff, senior management and everyone in-between.