Genesys Social Engagement Overview

What It Is

Genesys eServices takes interactions (which may be defined as attempted acts of communication) and gives them a uniform representation that can be processed in the many ways available in the Genesys suite of products.

Genesys Social Engagement is the latest extension of the range of media that eServices can process. The system monitors a social media site, gathers items that fit a defined profile, and converts them into Genesys interactions. The 8.x releases provide interfaces with Facebook and Twitter.

Here is a simplified architecture diagram:

Component dependencies

When using only a Twitter media channel upgrade the following

• Cloud API driver for Twitter
• Workspace Desktop Edition
• Social media Plug-in for Workspace Desktop Edition

Note: will work with both SMS/DMS

When using only a Facebook media channel upgrade the following

• Workspace Desktop Edition
• Social media Plug-in for Workspace Desktop Edition

Note: If using SMS, then NO Cloud API driver for Facebook upgrade is required. If using DMS, then Cloud API driver for Facebook upgrade is required

When using both Facebook and Twitter media channels upgrade the following

• Cloud API driver for Twitter and Facebook
• Workspace Desktop Edition
• Social media Plug-in for Workspace Desktop Edition

Note: will work with both SMS/DMS

New in 8.5.2

• In Genesys Social Engagement 8.5.2, the connection with Twitter and Facebook is managed in a Genesys data center. This allows for simplified channel configuration, text analytics, and protection from changes in the Twitter and Facebook APIs.
• Twitter and Facebook data is managed by centralized apps in the Genesys data center. Data is stored for approximately three months.
• The Drivers no longer write into history files in the Social Media Server workspace folder. Instead, the queue on the cloud side keeps track of submitted posts.

For information on installing and configuring see Social Media Cloud Connectors for Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter Changes

• Simplified sourcing of tweets
  • You can now skip retweets, which cuts the volume of extraneous data in the Twitter feed.
  • The options str-follow-<any name> and str-track-<any name> are no longer available. These capabilities are covered by using keywords in setting up the Twitter channel.
• Removal of get-home-timeline
  • In version 8.5.1 and earlier, it was possible to source all posts submitted by the followers of a Twitter handle. This resulted in the sourcing of too many posts that were not relevant to engagement. The option get-home-timeline has been removed, making it no longer possible to source all posts submitted by the followers of the Twitter handle.

Facebook Changes

• Release 8.5.2 uses an upgraded version of Facebook’s API.
  Important

  Existing Genesys Social Engagement customers should be aware that Facebook has announced that the API used in Genesys Social Engagement 8.5.1 and earlier (the FQL API) will no longer be supported as of August 7th 2016. In order to ensure stable usage of Facebook with Genesys Social Engagement, it will be important to upgrade to Genesys Social Engagement version 8.5.2 or higher by that date.
• More efficient polling:
  • GSE 8.5.2 uses Facebook’s web hooks technology to improve the efficiency of polling posts and comments on Facebook pages.
  • Adaptive polling is employed for private messages. When a private message session is active, the polling frequency increases, then eventually tapers off when there are no active private message sessions.
  • Polling settings are locked. Customers cannot change the polling settings.
• In 8.5.2, you can only respond to Facebook posts using the Facebook page on which the post was submitted. You cannot, for example, respond as the individual who is logged in, nor as a separate Facebook page that your customer administers.
• By default, Facebook sources both private and public messages. In 8.5.2, Facebook no longer requires separate monitors for private messages and public messages. If you wish not to respond to a private message, the option can be turned off on Facebook.com.
• Facebook Channel monitors Pages and Events only. Monitoring the user's wall is not supported.
• Facebook is now more restrictive regarding the data it makes available via API. In 8.5.2, data such as birthday and gender are not available.