Administration Manual
for CCS HelpDesk 4.0
For Build 108
Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.
Welcome to CCS HelpDesk 4.0 Lite and Standard
CCS HelpDesk (formerly Outlook HelpDesk) leverages the power
of Outlook and Exchange Server to bring a robust, simple and effective help
desk system for your business.
CCS HelpDesk is available in three editions:
CCS HelpDesk Lite - Outlook interface only
CCS HelpDesk Standard -
Outlook interface, email conversion and Web interface for end-user
tickets
CCS HelpDesk Pro – Outlook interface, automatic email conversion
and full Web interface, SQL Export, Escalation Manager
CCS HelpDesk uses highly customized Outlook forms, the Web,
Email, and Exchange public folders to build a help desk that allows you to
efficiently track and resolve IT support issues.
CCS HelpDesk has several utilities to help you configure the
Help Desk application, as well as Reporting, Notification, and Knowledge Base
features. The utilities allow you to set colors of the ticket, to change
drop-down lists and manage numbering. Report Builder exports tickets to
Microsoft Excel for important analysis of help desk performance and problem
areas. The Knowledge Base provides the Help Desk with an invaluable repository
of information and experience on fixing user problems.
CCS
HelpDesk 4.0 works on all versions of Outlook that are 2000 and later. Version 4.0
does not support Outlook 98 and Outlook 97.
Creating
New Help Desk Tickets – Outlook, Web or Email
- Users
can enter tickets through Outlook client, through a Web browser or by
sending email to the Help Desk folder.
- While
creating the tickets, users can be presented with pre-set templates and
forms to fill out that are then are added to the ticket
- Certain
types of tickets can be set to require Approval before being accepted
- Notifications
are sent out when a new ticket is received. These notices can be set up by
Category and Importance so that the right people can be notified for each
ticket.
Assigning Tickets –
assign to yourself, to a tech, or to multiple techs.
- Once
the ticket is received, Help Desk staff reviews and assigns it.
- The
ticket can be assigned to “Self” or to another technician.
- Once
assigned, the tech gets an email notice about the assignment.
- A
ticket can be assigned to multiple techs. If assigned to multiple techs,
each tech can work on the same ticket or each can get a separate ticket.
Completing Tickets
- The
tech works on the ticket and enters in details, comments, and actions
taken into the History Log
- While
working on the ticket, the tech can send an update to the user through a
simple click of a button.
- The
tech can use Outlook Calendar to schedule appointments for service
- The
tech can copy the ticket to a personal Task so that it can sync with a PDA
or handheld computer.
- The
tech can enter in the time worked on the ticket; this is automatically
totaled.
- The
ticket can be reassigned at any time.
- The
ticket can be printed using the “Print Ticket” button.
- When
done, the tech can mark the ticket complete and send an email to the user.
Using
the Outlook forms
Outlook users can open up a new ticket with a button
that can be added to a toolbar in their Outlook client or by going directly to
the Help Desk folder in the Public Folders. The ticket is a specialized Outlook
form. It automatically puts the user information into the ticket. It has drop
lists that you control for Category, Type, and others. The Outlook ticket can
be set to pre-fill the Computer name. You can also set the ticket colors and
require certain fields to be filled in before submission. When the ticket is
submitted, staff can be notified. The notification can be for all tickets or
you can set up who gets notified based on Category and Importance.
Entering
tickets with a Web browser (Standard and Pro editions)
In addition to the Outlook forms, users can enter and view
tickets through a Web browser. You set up a Virtual Directory on the Exchange
or another web server. Users enter a URL such as http://yourcompany.com/helpdesk in
their browser and then can submit a new ticket or view existing tickets.
Another
option is to create a “Support Ticket” on your Web site. When the Submit button
on this Web form is pressed, the form data is sent as email to the Help Desk
where it is converted into a new ticket. Since this does not require a Windows
account, it can be available to customers or others outside your company.
Create
Tickets from Email
Users can create tickets by
sending email to the Help Desk folder. They address a message to the folder,
just like they do to a mailbox. Customers outside your company can send emails
to the Help Desk by using the SMTP address of the folder.
In the Standard and Pro versions,
an Event Sink on the Exchange server automatically converts the email into a
Help Desk ticket.
We also provide a “Create Ticket from Email” macro
that puts a button on the Outlook toolbar. This button can be used to manually
select and then create a ticket from an email.
Other ways to create tickets -- from
an Intranet page
Users can create Help Desk tickets
by clicking on a link or button on an Intranet page. This launches an Outlook
form, not an HTML form. Click
here for more information.
A new Help
Desk ticket can also be launched from the Outlook Toolbar. No need to navigate
to the Help Desk folder to open a new ticket. Click here for
more information.
Generating
reports with Report Builder
Report Builder will help you track Help Desk performance and
identify problem areas. Report Builder exports tickets to an Excel spreadsheet
or text file. You can use date, status, and other filters to generate the
reports you want. See Report Builder.
Knowledge Base – valuable
information at your fingertips
The Knowledge Base provides a valuable and easily accessible
repository of information on Help Desk issues and fixes. The information is
readily available to Help Desk staff and users to help them speedily fix
problems. The Knowledge Base is an integrated with CCS HelpDesk system, using
the same Categories and Types for sorting articles. See Knowledge
Base.
Copy to Tasks for synching with PDA or handheld
The
Assigned Tickets have a “Copy to Tasks” button. This will make a copy of the
ticket in the tech’s personal Tasks folder. This copy can then be synched with
a PDA or handheld computer so the tech has the ticket information readily
available.
Linkage to CCS Network Inventory (optional)
Fully
compatible with Outlook 2000, 2002/XP, 2003 and 2007
CCS
HelpDesk 4.0 works on all versions of Outlook that are 2000 and later.
Utilities
give you control over CCS HelpDesk:
- List
Manager gives
you control of the contents of the drop-down boxes on the ticket.
- Popup
Message lets
you configure a message to display to the users whenever they fill out a
new ticket.
- Ticket
Colors allows
you to change the colors of the tickets.
- Data
Link lets you set up a link between the Help Desk
and CCS Network Inventory.
- Required
Fields designates which fields must be filled in on
Ticket Submission and on Ticket Completion
- Numbering sets up sequential numbering
with a prefix and/or suffix.
- Staff
Notification utility determines staff notification of new
tickets based on category and importance.
- Auto-reply allows sets up a message to
user when he or she enters a new ticket.
- Messages
on Assignment and Completion keeps users and staff
informed of ticket progress.
- License
Utility allows you to designate which staff members are
“Named Seats” with full access to the tickets.
- Record
Lock prevents message conflicts when multiple people
modify and then save the same ticket.
- Templates
allow you to pre-define text, hyperlinks, forms, or attachments that
go into the Description of the ticket. Users can then fill out these
predefined forms as part of the ticket submission.
See Utilities for more information.
LICENSE UTILITY
CCS
HelpDesk 4.0 includes a License Utility to manage program licensing and named
seats. The Trial Version includes a temporary License Key that will expire on a
pre-set date. The Trial Version is also limited to two Named Seats.
The full
release License Key is sent upon purchase of the program. To upgrade from the
trial version to the full release, you simply enter a License Key and save and
close the Utility. You will not lose any tickets or data.
A License
can be purchased at: http://www.crowcanyon.com/purchase
License
folder under the Utilities folder:
License Utility:
“Named
Seats” are people allowed to create, assign, modify, and close tickets -- in
other words, usually Help Desk staff and management. Named Seats are added with
the “Add new ..” button, which displays the Global Address List. Multiple names
can be selected at once from the GAL.
Each Named Seat can be given the right to Edit the Work Log and to be a
Global Approver, which allows that person to approve a ticket (this is useful
when the Approver is away or unresponsive)
Regular users (who don’t need licenses) can only create and view tickets,
but not modify them.
Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base
articles can be created directly in the Knowledge Base folder (go to Actions
menu, then “New KB Article”).
Also, every Assigned Ticket has a
“Create KB Article” button on the Use Knowledge Base tab. If you find that the
information and fixes in a ticket would be valuable to remember, you can create
a new KB article from the ticket with the click of a button. This new article
will have the same Category and Type as the ticket.
Knowledge Base articles can be
sent by email, using the “Send by Email” button on the article. This makes a
quick and easy way to send users fixes and solutions to common problems. The
Knowledge Base can also be used to keep track of Help Desk information, such as
“how-to” articles, configurations, and procedures.
Report Builder
Report Builder is used to generate reports on ticket
activity. It has numerous ways to filter and select what is displayed in the
report to get the information you need for managing the Help Desk. The report
can be displayed as an Excel spreadsheet, sent as an email, or pushed into a
Word document, an Adobe PDF, a text file, or a web page.
To use Report Builder, you can either:
A.
Go
to the Reports folder and double-click the "Report Builder" form.
This will bring up a new Report Builder. OR
B.
Go
to the Reports folder and double-click an existing Report template. You can create your own templates for later
use and save them to the Reports folder (instructions below).
In Report Builder, you can choose which fields to export by
individually checking them or by checking “Select all fields” to export all
fields. Report Builder is set to export from the Assigned Tickets folder by
default; you can switch folders with the “Change Folder” button.
Also, rather than export all tickets, you can select
Optional Filters to filter on Status, Priority, Date, and/or Specific Fields. These
filtering options let you tailor the exports to get the reports you want.
After making your choices, Report Builder will output the
ticket data to Excel, email, or a file format. Make the selections and press
the appropriate button. This will read each ticket that meets your criteria
into an Excel spreadsheet, email, or file, depending on your choice. For Excel
reports, Microsoft Excel needs to be on the PC that is running Report Builder.
Report Builder will not delete any data or information from
the tickets during and after the export.
If you want to create a new Report and save it with the
fields and filter choices you have selected, go to the Actions menu and choose "New
Report Builder". When this comes up, make your field and filter
selections, then give the Report a name. To save it, go to File/Save to save it,
then File/Move to Folder and choose the Reports folder.
CCS Help Desk provides a number of utilities that enable the system to be customized and configured to meet the needs of the organization.
GENERAL UTILITIES
List Manager
List Manager allows you to set the contents of the drop-down
boxes that are on the ticket forms:
·
Category
·
Type
·
Operating System (OS)
·
Status
·
Custom
Fields
·
Priority
·
Cause of Problem
OS: You can, if you wish, designate one
item in this list as the Default, meaning it will automatically be selected on
new tickets (the user, of course, can change this). Put an asterisk (*) after
an item to designate it as the default in the list.
STATUS: The first five (in the grey box)
cannot be changed. Other statuses can be added under those five.
PRIORITY: For Priority, you put the entries in
the High,
CUSTOM FIELDS: There are four fields on the ticket
that are customizable, two drop down boxes and two text fields. The labels for
these fields are customizable in List Manager. Simply type over the labels with
the new label name. For the two drop lists, enter in the selections that you
would like to show up on the ticket form, if you are using these fields. Like
in OS, you can put an asterisk (*) after an item to designate it as the default
in the list.
To modify Category and Type, press
the Change Category/Type button.
These two lists can be Linked
or Unlinked using the radio button
at the top. In either Linked or Unlinked mode, you can also designate certain
Types as requiring Approval.
Linked:
When linked,
the list of Types changes according to the Category that is chosen. For
instance, a Category might be Email and the Types might be “Address Book”,
“Can’t Send/Receive”, etc. and another Category might be Network and the Types
might be “Drive mapping”, “Logon Problems”, etc.
To set this
up, enter items in the Category list (each on its own line), then use the “First
Select Category” drop-down list under “Type” to select a Category. Enter the
Types for that Category. Change to another Category using the drop-down list
and modify the Type list there accordingly. Enter Types each on its own line.
Unlinked:
When
unlinked, the Category and Type lists operate independently. This might be used
if the Types are more general and you don’t want linkage between the two lists.
Approval:
To designate
a Type as Approval, add {A} at the end of the Type name. For example, a
Category of Hardware Request might have a Type list like this, where Desktop
and Laptop require approval (the person filling out the ticket designates who
the Approver is):
Desktop{A}
Keyboard
Laptop{A}
Monitor
Mouse
Printer
Other
Replacing List Manager
if deleted
CCS
HelpDesk comes with the List Manager form already in the Utilities folder. If
it is deleted, you can create a new one by using the Actions menu and choosing
"New List Manager". When the form comes up, choose File/Save, then
File/Move to Folder and select the Utilities folder. There must be only one
"List Manager" form in the Utilities folder.
Ticket Colors
Ticket Colors is a replica of the Help Desk Ticket. Using the Red, Green and Blue
boxes under Foreground and Background in the upper right, the colors of the
tickets can be changed. Once saved, this color scheme will be used on all Help
Desk Tickets, Assigned Tickets, and Knowledge Base articles.
Pre-fill Computer device: The box in the lower right sets
whether the computer name is automatically filled in on a new ticket. The name
is pulled from the registry of the computer that is being used to fill out the
ticket.
Pre-set Color Themes: The utility includes several
pre-set color themes, example “Country” color themes.
Popup Message
The Popup Message utility in the General Utilities folder
allows you to set up messages users will see when they open a new Help Desk
Ticket. This could be an informational notice (“Network down 10 pm – 1 am
tonight”) or a Yes/No box (“We are aware the Internet is down. Do you still
want to fill out a ticket?”). A message can easily be turned on and off with
the Message On checkbox and the Message number radio button.
Other boxes
allow you to set the Message Title and the Message Text. Up to three messages can be preconfigured
however only one can be displayed at a time.
Required Fields
This
utility allows you to set which fields are required before the Ticket can be
submitted or completed. Simply check the boxes next to the fields that should
be required (mandatory) for the user to fill in before submitting ticket.
Data Link
The Data
Link utility determines whether the Data tab on the Assigned Ticket shows or
not. This would usually be set to “Show” in the Help Desk program because you
would probably want to use the fields on the Data tab even if not connected to
an Asset database.
Assigned
Ticket “Data” tab:
If you do
not want to use this Data tab, simply uncheck the “Show” box. Note that
“Computer” and “OS” are on the General tab and are available for use even if
the Data tab is set to not show. The other fields are only on this tab.
The Data Source on the Data Link utility is set to “Yes”
only if the Help Desk program will connect with CCS Network Inventory or another
asset database. The CCS Network Inventory connection is built-in and simply has
to be chosen from that Data Source list to activate. (CCS Network Inventory is
a separate purchase. It can be used alone or it can connect with the Help Desk
program through the configuration on this Data Link utility).
Linkage to other asset databases requires custom programming from us, in which case we would add the database to the Data Source list.
NOTIFICATIONS
CCS Help Desk provides the capability of sending Email
notifications when certain events occur during the processing of a ticket.
These are configured using utilities in the Notifications folder:
·
Notification
of Ticket Completion
·
Auto-Reply
on Ticket Submission
·
Staff
Notification on Ticket Submission
·
Notification
on Ticket Assignment
Notification of Ticket Completion
- User Notification
When an ticket is completed a message can be sent to the user. Three
options are available to configure notification. Select the appropriate option
using the radio buttons.
Also, pre-set text can be included at that top of the completion message
to user. This can include text, links, and attachments. This can be used to
send the user a link to a survey or a form to fill out to rate, review, or
comment upon Help Desk performance.
- Staff Notification
When a ticket is completed a message can be sent to the assignee(s) if the
person closing the ticket is not the assignee or if there are multiple
assignee(s). Select the appropriate option using the radio buttons.
Also, one or more SMTP addresses can be sent a notification on EVERY
ticket that is completed. This is sometimes used by managers to keep track of
Help Desk progress.
Auto Reply on Ticket Submission
CCS Help Desk can be configured to automatically reply to
the end user when a ticket is submitted. Specific instructions regarding the
configuration of the message and the auto reply options are listed on the
utility configuration screen.
Staff Notification on
Ticket Submission
Staff Notification on Ticket Submission allows you to set
email addresses that will be notified when a new ticket is submitted to the Help
Desk folder. This notification works for any new ticket, whether entered from
Outlook, by email or the Web. Use SMTP addresses in the boxes.
The Default address(es) receives notice in cases where there
is no Category/Importance match. The Category and Importance drop downs allow
you to specify one or more SMTP addresses that get notified when a ticket is
created with that Category/Importance combination.
Notification on Ticket Assignment
When a ticket is assigned, CCS Help Desk can inform the
assignee(s) by email. This utility sets whether to send an email or not, with
options of displaying the notification before sending or simply sending it. If
the ticket is assigned to the same person making the assignment, the
notifications can be set to not send.
For user
notification on Assignment, the lower checkbox can set the user to be CC: on
the email when the ticket is assigned.
NUMBERING
The Numbering utility allows you to change the numbering of
the Help Desk Tickets and add prefixes or suffixes to the Ticket IDs. Ticket
IDs are issued when the ticket is assigned, not when the Help Desk ticket is
first created. (Note that “Case ID” is a randomly generated 9-digit number
given to each ticket when first created and is not related to Ticket
Numbering).
Knowledge Base Article Numbering
allows you to
change the sequential numbering of the Knowledge Base articles. The numbering
can be changed or reset using this form
Record Lock
Record Locks prevent tickets from being opened
simultaneously by different users. A “record lock” is created in the Record
Lock folder when a ticket is first opened. It is deleted when the ticket is
closed. If another user opens that ticket while the first user has it open, the
ticket will open in Read Only mode and tell who has it open and when it was
opened.
If the
ticket is not properly closed for some reason, the record lock for that ticket
will stay in the Record Lock folder which will only allow the ticket to be
opened as Read Only. In this case, the corresponding record lock should be
manually deleted to free up the ticket.
Templates
CCS Help Desk features an “auto-fill” function that allows
preconfigured templates and forms to populate the Description field on a new ticket. These templates can be setup to contain text, hyperlinks, or attachments.
To create a template, go to the Templates folder and choose Actions,
“New Template Form”. Fill it out and give the Template a name. Set the usage to
how you want this Template to be in the list of Templates for every ticket and
if you want it to automatically populate a ticket when a certain Category and
Type combination are chosen. Save it with File/Save, then File/Move to folder
(choose the Templates folder):
Features in version 4.0
New
Name: This new upgrade was
named "CCS HelpDesk 4.0 for Microsoft Outlook" to comply with
Microsoft's trademark agreements and naming conventions for certified Microsoft
Office products. It is an upgrade of Outlook Help Desk 3.0 and is the next
version in that line of programs.
New Options: One of our challenges has been to provide powerful features for our larger
customers while keeping the product simple and efficient for are smaller
customers. In support of this we now offer CCS HelpDesk Standard edition and
CCS HelpDesk Professional Edition. The professional edition includes additional
features typically required by larger organizations.
CCS
HelpDesk 4.0 for Microsoft Outlook builds on the success of our earlier versions of Outlook Help Desk. We
continue to have all the great features of version 3.0, including the email and
Web interfaces. In addition, version 4.0 comes with these new features and improvements:
Predefined Templates for new
ticket
·
Create forms (templates) that appear in
description field.
·
Can prompt the user to provide specific
information in ticket description.
Improved notification options
·
Utility to setup staff notification emails
based on selected problem category.
Assigned Tickets with KB integration and better logging
·
Expanded logging features and notifications.
·
Staff notes; log entries can be marked
private, and these entries are not sent to user.
·
Knowledge Base integration - create, display
or send a KB article from a ticket.
·
Improved time tracking.
·
Ticket highlighted if overdue or high
priority.
·
Four customizable fields.
·
Fields for additional contact and
vendor support ID.
·
Resolution box and drop-list summarize
the fix for future reference.
Improved Knowledge Base
·
Integrated with Assigned Ticket
·
Available and searchable over the Web
Automatic Reply to user when ticket is submitted
·
User gets response immediately that the
ticket has been received.
·
Each ticket is given a Case number that
the user can use when referring to a ticket.
·
Response is given whether ticket is
created by email, over the web or in Outlook.
Locking of Tickets prevents Conflict messages
·
New "Record Lock" utility
prevents conflicts
·
Only one person at a time can have the
ticket open for changes
·
Others can view the ticket as read-only
when it is locked.
Quick Resolution
·
Option to quickly record and close a
new ticket rather than assign it.
Ticket Assignment by designated staff
only
·
Only designated staff members can
assign tickets.
·
Users do not have access to the ticket
assignment page and cannot assign tickets.
Integration with Asset
Tracking/Auditing software
·
Assigned tickets can be set to
integrate CCS
Network Inventory, a powerful asset tracking software that we now offer as a separate purchase
·
Ticket can be linked to other asset
tracking software as needed
Enhanced Web pages - no login, KB
access, attachments uploading
·
no login required for Window users --
Integrated Windows Authentication used
·
Flexible listing of tickets
·
Knowledge Base available over Web
·
Attachments can be uploaded and viewed
over the Web
·
Separate user views, users only see
their own tickets
Improvements to Utilities
·
List Manager lets you set defaults for
each list.
·
Multiple Pop Up messages can be
configured.
·
The sending of Completion messages is
enhanced -- message can go to user or tech and a utility controls if the staff
is asked or not before sending message.
·
Ticket Color utility includes pre-set
themes that make it easy to change colors.
License Manager
·
License level information is tracked
and number of seats is validated - Note you need to make sure your license
level is up to date, see upgrade FAQs.
New features in CCS
HelpDesk Professional Edition (Late
2008 availability)
·
Escalation
Manager - escalate tickets and take action
(notification, change priority etc.) based on your service level criteria.
·
Full Web inteface support - adds web
support so staff can modify, add to log, and close tickets over the Web.
·
Export facility for export to SQL or
Access.
·
Desktop Snapshot - get realtime
hardware, software, capacity, audit log and other desktop information on
request right from the trouble ticket.