Enabling integrated applications for external users

When the administrator integrates BMC Helix Digital Workplace with other BMC products, external users still see BMC Helix Digital Workplace items (requests, approvals, knowledge articles, and so on). Their searches are not limited to the items of the integrated product. For example, external users can search knowledge articles created in BMC Helix Business Workflows. To make these knowledge articles available for external users, the BMC Helix Digital Workplace administrator must configure the integration with BMC Helix Business Workflows.

External user access to BMC Helix Business Workflows

After completing the integration with BMC Helix Business Workflows, external users receive the following capabilities:

• Search, comment, and cancel cases created in BMC Helix Business Workflows.
• Search, request, comment on, and cancel services with questionnaires created in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog through the BMC Helix Innovation Studio connector.
• Receive and open notification details about a case agent's comments on a service request.
• Search approvals created in BMC Helix Business Workflows.
• Receive and open notification details about BMC Helix Business Workflows request status change.
• Search, review, and leave feedback on knowledge articles created in BMC Helix Business Workflows.
• View and complete To-dos, which are action items assigned to end users.

Scenario: External user access to BMC Helix Business Workflows

BMW, a BMC customer, has an external client base that needs to read troubleshooting guides about vehicle issues. The guides are created in the BMC Helix Business Workflows system and are available only to internal employees as a knowledge articles collection. The BMW manager enables the visibility of these articles for external users.

To enable external users to manage knowledge articles created in BMC Helix Business Workflows

1. Configure the Business Workflows provider; see List-of-providers.
2. Set the knowledge article visibility for external users; see Changing knowledge article statuses.

a. Select the external company of the user for whom the knowledge article will be visible.

b. Make the external article visible to external users.

To enable external users to manage cases created in BMC Helix Business Workflows

1. Configure the Business Workflows provider; see List-of-providers.
2. Configure the BMC Helix Innovation Studio connector; see BMC-Helix-Innovation-Studio-connector.
3. Create a Business Workflows subcatalog; see Granting access to subcatalogs in BMC Digital Workplace Catalog. 
4. In BMC Helix Business Workflows, create a case template, paying special attention to Case Company and Template Status.
5. In BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, create and publish a service that contains:

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  • Business Workflows subcatalog

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  • Business Workflows workflow (that contains the Create Case action)

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  • Mapped case template

To enable external users to manage approvals created in BMC Helix Business Workflows

1. Configure the Business Workflows provider; see List-of-providers.
2. In BMC Helix ITSM, to grant external users the Foundation Read permission, in the Application Name field, select com.bmc.arsys.rx.foundation; see Assigning IS Personas to People data.

External approvers can now receive and manage approval requests created in BMC Helix Business Workflows.

     3. (Optional) To enable external users to open approval details in BMC Helix Business Workflows:

a. In the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Admin console, select Configuration > Approval, enable the Case approval details feature, and specify the link to the external BMC Helix Business Workflows portal; see Configuring-how-approval-requests-are-displayed-in-BMC-Helix-Digital-Workplace-end-user-console.

b. Add the Support group that is used for the case template on the BMC Helix Business Workflows server.

c. Grant the external user a Case Agent role.

External user access to BMC Helix Virtual Agent

After completing the integration with BMC Helix Virtual Agent, external users receive the following capabilities:

• Search and open BMC Helix Business Workflows and BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management articles
• Submit and comment on BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog services in BMC Helix Virtual Agent

Scenario: External user access to BMC Helix Virtual Agent

BMW, a BMC customer, has an external client base that needs to read troubleshooting guides about vehicle issues. The guides are created in the BMC Helix Business Workflows system and are available only to internal employees as a knowledge articles collection. The BMW manager configures BMC Helix Virtual Agent and BMC Helix Business Workflows so that external users can log in to BMC Helix Digital Workplace, open BMC Helix Virtual Agent, and request the designated articles.

To enable BMC Helix Virtual Agent for external users

1. Make sure that the internal BMC Helix Digital Workplace and external portal are integrated with BMC Helix Single Sign-On. For more information, contact BMC Support.

       2. In the external portal, configure the BMC Helix Virtual Agent page :

a. As an external administrator, make sure that BMC Helix Innovation Studio is enabled in Application features; see Enabling-end-user-features.

b. Make BMC Helix Virtual Agent available to end users through the BMC Helix Digital Workplace end user console by using one or both of the following options:

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  • Create a separate tab or iframe; see Embedding-custom-pages-from-BMC-Helix-Innovation-Studio-or-external-sites.

Note: You must also log in to the BMC Helix Innovation Studio as a SaaS administrator, and add the external portal URL to the iframe security; see Embedding BMC Helix Innovation Studio views in external applications.

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  • Configure the BMC Helix Virtual Agent floating icon; see Embedding-the-chatbot-icon.

After the preceding steps, external users can use this integration to search for articles and request services. The following gif demonstrates how an external user opens a knowledge article created in BMC Helix Business Workflows:

External user access to Live Chat

After completing the integration with Live Chat, external users can get human assistance if they have issues in BMC Helix Digital Workplace.

Scenario: External user access to Live Chat

BMW, a BMC customer, has an external client base that needs to request car maintenance services. These services are created in the BMC Helix Business Workflows system and are available only to internal employees. BMW manager configures BMC Helix Virtual Agent, Live Chat, and BMC Helix Business Workflows so that external users can log in to BMC Helix Digital Workplace, open BMC Helix Virtual Agent, and request the designated services. If external users do not find answers of BMC Helix Virtual Agent helpful, they can switch to Live Chat.

To enable Live Chat for external users

1. Enable BMC Helix Business Workflows for external users.
2. Enable BMC Helix Virtual Agent for external users.

3. Configuring BMC Helix Business Workflows to work with Live Chat.

External user access to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround

If BMC Helix Digital Workplace is integrated with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround, knowledge articles created in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround become automatically visible to external users along with internal users in BMC Helix Digital Workplace. You do not need to add any additional configuration. To integrate BMC Helix Digital Workplace with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround, see Integrating-BMC-Helix-Knowledge-Management-by-ComAround-with-BMC-Helix-Digital-Workplace.

The only exception is  BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management and BMC Helix Business Workflows  knowledge articles that are synchronized with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. These articles retain the visibility permissions of their source BMC product. For example, if the BMC Helix Business Workflows administrator removes users of company A from the visibility group for a certain article, this change is applicable to the same article synchronized with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.