Service level management

Use the Service Level Management feature to define and track the level of support that you provide to your clients, based on touches and touch types.

• A touch type is a form of communication or interaction with a contact that can be scheduled to build a relationship with the contact.
• A touch is an interaction of the specified type with an individual client. For each client, you determine how often to contact them and review their accounts and create a service model accordingly. The level of support is usually based on your firm's best practices or customer loyalty programs.

Service models are created by assigning service levels to contacts. Tiers can be configured to map to a service level such that setting the tier on a contact will also set their service level. For example, tier "A" contacts may be given the "Gold" service level by default. This mapping is configured by your administrator using NexJ Admin Console; however, service models can be customized at the contact level by changing touch type intervals.

The Service Level Management workspace

You can also access service level management information on the Contacts workspace

• Search for contacts based on their Service Level.
• Update the service level for multiple contacts at the same time.
• Generate the SLM Touches report.

In Summary tab in the detail view for an individual contact, use the Service Model card to:

• View all the touch types that apply to the contact, including their frequency, target date, and last time they occurred.
• Schedule an activity for each touch type.
• Reset the touch target date for a touch type.
• Update activity details for the last time that touch occurred.
• Change or reset the interval for each touch type.
• Reset the intervals for all touch types.

After an activity has been scheduled for a touch, you can also use Service Model card to edit the activity details or mark the activity as complete.

For more information about the predefined SLM Touches Report, see SLM Touches Report.

In addition to the SLM Touches report, you can also generate additional reports related to service level management on the Reports workspace

Service level management process

NexJ Service Level Management functionality allows firms to segment their clients by any criteria, and design programs that address the unique service needs of each segment. Users can apply service models and define frequencies to manage key client activities based on defined service levels and monitor their progress in real time within these segments.

The following diagram shows the high-level workflow for service level management.

The Service Level Management process consists of the following major steps:

1. Apply a service level to a contact, based on one of the following:  their tier, by default; individually for each contact; in batch based on any available search criteria. This generates a list of touches with touch target dates.
2. Schedule a touch by creating an activity to be associated with that touch type. If necessary, can defer a touch by changing its target date.  
3. Complete the touch by completing its associated activity. The next target date is then set for the touch type.

You can monitor touches using the Service Level Management worspace and the SLM Touches Report.

Service Level Management workspace

The Service Level Management workspace displays all unscheduled, scheduled, deferred, or completed touches, for any contact for whom you are on the coverage team. This information can be helpful when planning future meetings with contacts, and should be checked frequently to ensure that you stay on schedule with your service level commitments. 

Touches are displayed by touch type, and can be further filtered by contact name, period, service level, tier, and touch status.

For each touch, you can do the following:

• If the touch status is Unscheduled, select the Schedule Touch button

  

  to create an activity associated with this touch. Select the activity type you want to create and complete the New Schedule Item or New Task dialog as required. 

• If the touch status is Unscheduled, select the Set Touch Target button

  

  to defer the touch target date to a later date.
• If the touch status is Scheduled, click the overflow menu button

  

  and select Touch Properties to update the activity information for this touch.

• If the last touch date is specified, click the overflow menu button

  

  and select Last Touch Properties to update the activity information for the previous touch of this type.

To view or edit the activity associated with a scheduled or completed touch, click the link in the Touch Status column in the data table.

When creating or editing an activity associated with a touch, ensure that the Touch section of the dialog has the appropriate touch type selected.

Managing service models

A service model is a collection of touch types assigned to a contact. The service model is based on the contact's service level by default, but can also be customized for an individual contact.

The Service Model card, located in a contact's Summary tab in the Contacts workspace, shows which touch types are associated with the selected contact.  It also contains the interval, next scheduled touch, next target date, and last touch date for each touch type.

When the tier or service level is updated for a contact, any intervals that were previously set to "Prevent automatic updates" for the contact remain unchanged.

Modifying a contact's tier or service level

You can modify the tier or service level for a contact. Modifying the tier will also update the service level if your administrator has mapped tiers to service levels.

To modify a contact's tier or service level, navigate to the contact's profile. In the banner, click the menu button

Field name	Description	Required field
Service Level	A service level is a set of touches that occur with a contact at a predefined interval or frequency. For example, a Gold service level can specify quarterly reviews and monthly interactions with the contact. When a user applies the Gold service level to a contact, the contact's service model includes the quarterly review and monthly interactions with the contact. Info You can clear service levels by setting the service level of a contact to None.	Yes
Tier	A tier is a property assigned to contacts or companies to determine what kind of service plan they will receive. Administrators can map tiers to service levels in the NexJ Admin Console so selecting a tier can also change the value in the Service Level field. The Tier field does not display in the Detail tab if regionalized tier functionality has been enabled.	No

Batch updating contact tiers

If you want to update the tier for several contacts at once, you may do so in a batch update. Modifying the tier will also update the service level for contacts if your administrator has mapped tiers to service levels.

To batch update the tier of a set of contacts:

1. Navigate to the Contacts workspace. In the data table, select the contacts for whom you want to update the information.
2. On the top of the data table, click the menu button, select  

   

   Update >

   

   Tier , and then select a tier.
3. In the confirmation dialog that opens, confirm that the number of contacts that will be updated is correct and click OK .

The tiers are updated for the selected contacts.

Batch updating contact service levels

If you want to update the service level for several contacts at once, you may do so in a batch update.  

Info

Changes to service levels will not be applied to any existing contact that already has the service level you are modifying.

To batch update the service level for a set of contacts:

1. Navigate to the Contacts workspace. In the data table, select the contacts for whom you want to update the information.
2. On the top of the data table, click the menu button, select  

   

   Update >

   

   Service Level , and then select a service level.
3. In the Service Level Properties dialog, confirm that the number of contacts that will be updated and the default touch type information for this service level.

4. To modify the touch type details for all the contacts included in this service level change, select the Edit button for that touch type and update any of the following fields.

   Field name	Description	Required field
   Interval	Defines the frequency at which to repeat a touch. For example, you could choose a monthly, quarterly, or annually interval for repeating touches.	Yes
   First Touch Target	Define when the first touch occurs for each touch type. Choose one of the following options: Select Specific date for all selected contacts to choose a specific target date for all contacts. For example, if you plan to send a holiday greeting on the same date every year, you would select this value and then enter the date in the Start Date field. Select Distribute between start and end dates to stagger initial touches between specified dates. Enter the required target dates in the Start Date and End Date fields. The staggering logic used by the system will uniformly distribute the touches between the start and end target dates. Saturdays and Sundays will be excluded by default as target dates.	Yes
   Start Date	If the First Touch Target field is set to Specific date for all selected contacts, specify the initial target date for all contacts. If the First Touch Target field is set to Distribute between start and end dates, enter the required target dates between which the touch targets should be staggered in the Start Date and End Date fields.	Yes
   End Date	Only displayed in the First Touch Target field is set to Distribute between start and end dates. Enter the required target dates between which the touch targets should be staggered in the Start Date and End Date fields.	Yes

   After making the required changes, click OK in the Edit dialog for the touch type.

5. After updating all touch type details as required, click OK in the Service Level Properties dialog.
6. In the confirmation dialog that opens, confirm that the number of contacts that will be updated is correct and click OK .

The service levels are updated for the selected contacts that do not already have this service level.

Managing touches

You can manage individual touches from the Service Level Management workspace

Scheduling touches

If the touch status is Unscheduled, you can schedule a touch by creating an activity associated with the touch type.

For example, your client Tim Lamont's service model might require that you have a proactive touch every three months. When the  service model is assigned to Tim, it creates a touch with Proactive Touch type, Unscheduled status, Quarterly interval, and Touch Target Date in three months. 

When you schedule a touch, you create a new schedule item or new task of the same touch type for the same contact. For example, if you create an activity with Proactive Touch touch type, the status of the touch changes to Scheduled and the Scheduled field indicates when the activity is planned for.

You can schedule touches from two locations in NexJ CRM:

• To schedule a touch from the Service Level Management workspace

  

  , select the Schedule Touch button

  

  , choose the activity type you want to create, and then complete the New Schedule Item or New Task dialog as required.
• To schedule a touch from the Service Model card on the Summary tab in the Contacts workspace

  

  , expand the touch type tile. From the overflow menu, select

  

  Schedule Touch, choose the activity type you want to create, and then complete the New Schedule Item or New Task dialog as required.

In the Touches area on the New Schedule Item or the New Task dialog, ensure that the correct touch type is selected. For example, to ensure that an activity is considered a holiday greetings touch, select the Holiday Greetings touch type.

For more information about creating new activities, see Schedule items and Tasks.

When a touch is scheduled, the Edit and Mark as Complete buttons for the touch are enabled. You can edit the new activity details or mark the activity complete to complete the touch.

Deferring touch targets

There may be situations where you are unable to complete a touch by the target date. In these cases you can set a touch target to a later date.

For example, your client Tim Lamont's service model might require that you have a proactive touch every three months. When a proactive touch for this quarter is complete, the service model creates a new touch with Proactive Touch type, Unscheduled status, Quarterly interval, and Touch Target Date in three months.

However, you might find out that the contact will be unavailable that month, because he is on vacation. In this case, you may want to defer the touch target date until the contact is available, the following month. When you defer the touch, the touch target date changes as required and the touch status changes to Deferred. 

You can only set a touch target date for unscheduled touches.

You can set a touch target date from either the Service Level Management workspace

• To set a new touch target date from the Service Level Management workspace, select the Set Touch Target button

  

  . In the Set Touch Target dialog that appears, specify a date in the Next Touch Target field and click OK.
• To set a new touch target date from the Service Model card on the Summary tab in the Contacts workspace, expand the touch type tile. From the overflow menu, select

  

  Set Touch Target. In the Set Touch Target dialog that appears, specify a date in the Next Touch Target field and click OK.

Reviewing and updating last touch information

Info

Touches must be completed before they can be counted towards the service model and considered the "last touch".

If a last touch of the specified touch type exists for a contact, you can view or edit its properties from either the Service Level Management workspace

• To review a contact's last touch of the specified type from the Service Level Management workspace, open the overflow menu

  

  and select Last Touch Properties. In the Edit Schedule Item or Edit Task dialog that appears, review or update the activity information and click OK.
• To review a contact's last touch of the specified type from the Service Model card on the Summary tab in the Contacts workspace, expand the touch type tile. From the overflow menu, select Last Touch Properties. In the Edit Schedule Item or Edit Task dialog that appears, review or update the activity information and click OK.

In the Touches area on the Edit Schedule Item or the Edit Task dialog, ensure that the correct touch type is selected. For example, to ensure that an activity is considered a holiday greetings touch, select the Holiday Greetings touch type.

You can also access the edit dialog for the activity from the Activities tab in a contact's profile or by clicking the Last Touch date for the touch in the Service Level Manager workspace.

For more information about editing activities, see Schedule items and Tasks.

Reviewing and updating scheduled or completed touch properties

You can view or edit the properties of a scheduled touch from either the Service Level Management workspace

• To review a scheduled or completed touch from the Service Level Management workspace , open the overflow menu

  

  and select Touch Properties. In the Edit Schedule Item or Edit Task dialog that appears, review or update the activity information and click OK.
• To review a scheduled touch from the Service Model card on the Summary tab in the Contacts workspace, expand the touch type tile and click Edit. In the Edit Schedule Item or Edit Task dialog that appears, review or update the activity information and click OK.

In the Touches area on the Edit Schedule Item or the Edit Task dialog, ensure that the correct touch type is selected. For example, to ensure that an activity is considered a holiday greetings touch, select the Holiday Greetings touch type.

You can also access the edit dialog for the activity from the Activities tab in a contact's profile or by clicking the "Scheduled" or "Completed" status for the touch in the Service Level Manager workspace.

For more information about editing activities, see Schedule items and Tasks.

Completing touches

You can complete a scheduled touch by changing the status of the associated activity to Completed.

After a touch is completed, you cannot change the Completed touch status to any other touch status.

After the touch is completed, the last touch date and the touch target date for the touch type are updated. You can see the updated dates on the Service Level Management workspace

For schedule items, the last touch date is the end date for the item. For tasks, the last touch date is the date when they are marked complete.

The next touch target date is generated based on the interval defined for the touch type.

To complete the touch from the Service Model card on the Summary tab in the Contacts workspace,  expand the touch type tile and click Mark as Complete. The touch status changed to Unscheduled and the last touch date is updated.

You can also complete a touch by editing the activity and setting the Status field to Completed. You can the access the edit dialog for the activity from the Activities tab in a contact's profile or by clicking the "Scheduled" status for the touch in the Service Level Manager workspace.

For more information about editing activities, see Schedule items and Tasks.

Updating touch type intervals

Intervals determine the next touch target date. They are specified for each touch type as part of the service model definition for the service level. You can update the interval for a touch type for an individual contact from the Service Model card on the Summary tab on the Contacts workspace. 

To update the interval for a touch type, expand the touch type tile. From the overflow menu, select Update Interval. In the Touch Type Interval Properties dialog that appears, specify a frequency in the Interval field and click OK.

You can also select Prevent automatic updates to preserve this interval for this touch type. Selecting  Prevent automatic updates   for the interval for this touch type means it will not be affected by batch updates and it can only be modified manually by the advisor.

Resetting touch type intervals

You can reset the intervals to reflect the service model for the contact's service level.

• To reset the interval for a touch type, expand the touch type tile. From the overflow menu on the tile, select Reset Interval.
• To reset the intervals for all touch types for the contact, open the overflow menu 

  

  on the top of the Service Model card and select Reset all Intervals.