deep gray sea
sites and systems: InstantService Account Admin
May 8, 2004 The account admin system provides administrative and reporting tools to InstantService's customers. Admin users can create and manage departments and agents and run activity reports. I designed the brandable user interface and navigation system, and performed much of the rework. The UI went live in 2001.
Home page
This is the account admin home portal, displaying the InstantService brand. The horizontal menus across the top of the screen change depending on the user's privilege level and current location. Each main area in the application is represented by an icon; one of these appears on each page to reinforce the user's sense of location. View full size image...
Customer form
The customer form is used to configure the user interface of a small intro screen that appears prior to the customer chat session. This page lives in the departments area, and the menu items have changed to reflect this. A 3rd-level menu is used when several screens modify portions of the same thing, in this case a department. Breadcrumb navigation lets the user backtrack through the screens accessed prior to reaching this one. View full size image...
Permissions
The permissions screen is used by administrators to configure each user's privileges within the application. Permissions are finely-grained and easy to update; this helps large call centers be both flexible and closely-managed. View full size image...
Response Library
The response libraries store text and URLs that agents can use during a customer chat or mail session. The response libraries screen is used to view and select responses for editing. The example shows text responses for an agent, but responses can also be associated with departments. The HTML layout for this screen template was a lot of fun to work out. View full size image...
Private branding
Here's a different-looking home portal that sports the Sento brand. Some large call centers that are themselves service providers want all applications they offer customers to display a common logo and color scheme. The InstantService sales folks like this because it means they get to sell to high-volume users. The method I came up with to support multiple brands without dedicated machines was to set a cookie at login that stores the desired brand, and then retrieve the correct set of branded images and stylesheets throughout the session using the cookie value. View full size image...
About InstantService
InstantService is a privately-held application service provider in downtown Seattle. The company provides a real-time chat service to
dozens of technical support and customer service organizations. They are great people and have a growing business with
a reputation for good service.