Collaboration (Business Edition)

Business Edition only Whether it is a Buyer and Seller discussing details of a purchasing agreement, or a Customer Service Representative assisting a customer in placing an order, e-commerce collaboration is necessary to maintain the communication flow between parties. Traditionally, exchange of information has been achieved through phone or fax. WebSphere Commerce supports e-commerce collaboration functionality by offering two Web-based features within the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator:

Collaborative workspaces provides a collaborative interface using Lotus QuickPlace to support business discussions, such as negotiating contract terms and conditions between a Buyer and a Seller (or Account Representative for the Seller) and amongst the business users within the Seller's organization. Collaborative workspaces support asynchronous communication. Collaborative workspaces can be created by using the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator and the WebSphere Commerce default QuickPlace template. Only an Account Representative or Account Manager with QuickPlace Manager access to a collaborative workspace can add Buyers to the workspace. To use collaborative workspaces, a Site Administration must ensure that member data is on an LDAP server with WebSphere Commerce, not a relational database. The Site Administration must also install and configure QuickPlace on a separate server from the machine where you have WebSphere Commerce and LDAP. For installation instructions, refer to the WebSphere Commerce Additional Software Guide. The details about the collaborative workspaces and workspace member information are managed through the WebSphere Commerce system. Any discussion threads, postings, or file attachments used for collaboration are stored on the QuickPlace server.

Note: To use the collaboration functions, your store must be set up for them. To enable collaboration in a store based on a sample, see Configuring flows.

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