OUTLOOK HELP DESK 3.0
Product Information and User Manual
for Standard Edition
Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.
Welcome
to Outlook Help Desk 3.0!
Outlook Help Desk 3.0 leverages the power of Outlook and
Exchange Server to bring a robust, simple and effective help desk system for
your business.
The program 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.
Outlook
Help Desk has several utilities to help you manage the Help Desk, as well as
Reporting and Knowledge Base features. The utilities allow you to set the
colors of the ticket, to change the drop-down lists and manage the 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.
Creating
New Help Desk Tickets – Outlook, Web or Email
- Users
can enter tickets through Outlook client, through a Web browser or by simply
sending email to the Help Desk folder.
- Help
Desk reviews and assigns the tickets
- Help
Desk staff can create and assign tickets directly.
- Notifications
are sent out when a new ticket is received. These notices can be set up to
go to a “high priority” email address (such as a pager or cell phone) for
the critical tickets and a regular email address for the normal tickets.
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. The tech’s name
can be pulled from the Global Address List
- 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 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.
Entering tickets with a
Web browser
In addition to using the Outlook forms, users can enter and
view tickets through a Web browser. You set up a Virtual Directory named
“helpdesk” on your OWA server. Users enter a URL such as http://yourcompany.com/helpdesk in
their browser and this brings up a logon page. Once authenticated, the users
can then submit a new ticket or view existing tickets.
Another option is to create a “Support Ticket” on your Web site.
This is a Web form that is geared towards external customers, though of course
your users could fill it out also. When the Submit button is pressed, the form
is sent as email to the Help Desk where it is converted into a new ticket.
Since this does not require a login, it can be available to anyone who can
access your web server.
The web
files are provided with purchase of the full release version.
Email to Help Desk creates
new ticket
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. A script in Exchange 5.5 and an Event Sink in Exchange 2000 and
2003 convert the email into a Help Desk ticket. Users and customers
outside your company can send emails to the Help Desk by using the SMTP address
of the folder.
The email
script and Event Sink are provided with purchase of the full release version.
Other ways to create tickets -- from
an Intranet page or the Outlook Toolbar
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. The full version comes with report templates ready to use.
See more information under 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 Outlook Help Desk system,
using the same Problem Categories and Types for sorting articles. New articles
can be created from tickets with the click of a button. See Knowledge
Base for more information.
Utilities
give you control over Outlook Help Desk:
- List
Manager lets
you control the contents of the drop-down boxes.
- Popup
Message lets
you configure a message to display to the users whenever they fill out a
new Ticket. The message is easily changed or turned on and off.
- Ticket
Colors allows
you to change the colors of the tickets on the fly.
- Ticket
Numbering sets
up sequential numbering with a prefix and/or suffix.
- Automatic
Notification
designates two email addresses to send notices to when a new Help Desk
Ticket is created. One address is for high priority tickets, the other
address is for all others.
- Ticket
Mode allows
you to switch the Help Desk Ticket's default mode from "end
user" to "help desk" depending on who is filling out the
tickets.
See Utilities for more information.
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.
Fully compatible with
Outlook 2002/XP and 2003, no security warning
Outlook
Help Desk 3.0 works on all versions of Outlook. However, Outlook 2002/XP and
2003, as well as versions of Outlook 98 and 2000 with Microsoft’s security
patch installed, will generate a security warning when programs try to access
the address book. Outlook Help Desk avoids generating this warning through the
use of Redemption.DLL.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
FULL
VERSION
COMPONENTS
The Full Release version consists of the Installation Package, OutlookHelpDesk30.Zip, plus two optional components:
A.
Email conversion scripts – emails can be sent to the Help
Desk and these scripts will automatically convert those emails into new Help
Desk tickets
B. Web interface
– these are web pages installed as a virtual directory on the Exchange server
to allow users and staff access to the Help Desk via the Web.
The files
and installation instructions for these optional components are part of the
purchase, but are delivered as separate downloads. Their installation manuals
are included in their downloads, not in this document.
If you have bought the program and do not have these files, please contact us
at support@crowcanyon.com
INSTALLATION
The Installation Package, OutlookHelpDesk30.Zip, contains this UserManual_30.doc,
the Software License Agreement, and "OutlookHelpDesk30.PST".
The Outlook Help Desk 3.0 set of folders will be copied from
the PST file to the Public Folders. This is done with an Outlook client. It
only has to be done once, and then the public folders are available to anyone
in the Exchange organization.
The Help Desk folders can sit anywhere in the Exchange
Public Folder hierarchy as long as they retain the folder structure:
First, make sure you have the rights to create new folders
under whatever folder you will be placing the Help Desk folders. The best way
to test if you have rights is to try to create a new folder at the location you
want. If you cannot, you will need to get this permission from your Exchange
administrator (or have the administrator do the installation).
If you are using the demo and upgrading from that to the
full release, see Upgrading from Demo before
proceeding.
1.
Unzip
the “OutlookHelpDesk30.zip” and extract the files. Remember where you put
"OutlookHelpDesk305E.PST"; you will need it for the next step.
2.
Using
an Outlook client, connect to an Exchange Server, and then:
In Outlook 2000, go to Tools/Services/Add
and select Personal Folders. In Outlook
2002, go to File/New/Outlook Data File and choose Personal Folder under
“Types of Storage”. In both versions,
when the “Create or Open” dialog box comes up, browse to the "
OutlookHelpDesk305E.PST" file that you just unzipped. Choose
"OK" in the next dialog box accepting the defaults.
In Outlook 2003, go to File/Open/Outlook
Data File and navigate to the “OutlookHelpDesk305E" file that you just
unzipped and press OK.
3.
You
will now have another set of folders under "Outlook Help Desk 305E
Release". Expand this set of folders. If you only see a Deleted Items and
Search folder, see Appendix A
on how to make all folders visible in Outlook 2003.
4.
In
the "Outlook Help Desk 305E Release" set of folders, select the Help
Desk folder then right-click it and select Copy "Help Desk" (or go to
Edit/Copy to Folder on the top menu). In the "Copy Folder" dialog box
that comes up, select the folder where you want to place the Help Desk. This
will copy the Help Desk and the folders under it to the location you have
chosen.
Note:
Outlook may give you a warning message like the one below when you copy, but
you can safely ignore this. It seems to be a bug in Outlook and does not affect
anything.
5.
Under
this newly created Help Desk folder in the public folders, there also should be
"Assigned Help Desk Tickets", “Knowledge Base”, “Reports”, and
"Utilities”. These should have copied over when you copied the "Help
Desk" folder in step #4. Set permissions for the folders as follows:
Help Desk
Default = Author
Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing
Editor (or Owner)
Assigned Help Desk Tickets,
Knowledge Base, Reports
Default = Reviewer
Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing
Editor (or Owner)
Knowledge Base
Default = Reviewer
Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing
Editor (or Owner)
Reports
Default = Reviewer
Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing
Editor (or Owner)
Utilities
Default = Reviewer
Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing
Editor (or Owner)
People doing ticket assigning (if
different than Help Desk staff): Custom role with Read Items, Folder Visible, Edit items (All), Delete items (None)
The custom "Help Desk Ticket" form will now come
up when you choose "New” or click the white space in the Help Desk folder.
OR
Once the
folders are copied to the Public Folders, delete the Personal Folder you added
in step #2. In Outlook 2000, go to Tools/Services, highlight "Outlook Help
Desk 305E Release" and press "Remove". In Outlook 2002, go to
File/Data File Management, highlight the PST file and hit “Remove”. In Outlook
2003, right-click “Outlook Help Desk 305E Release” and choose Close.
Setting up Web Interface
Users
can also submit and view tickets through a Web browser. This is a separate setup.
See UserManual_30_Web2K
for Exchange 2000 or 2003 (or UserManual_30_Web55
for Exchange 5.5) for more information and screen shots.
Setting up the Event Sink
DLL or script to convert emails into Help Desk tickets
A script in
Exchange 5.5 and an Event Sink in Exchange 2000/2003 convert emails to the Help
Desk folder into new Help Desk tickets. This
is a separate setup. See UserManual_30_Email55
for Exchange 5.5 and UserManual_30_Email2K
for Exchange 2000/2003.
Creating tickets from an Intranet
page
Users can create Help Desk tickets
by clicking on a link or button on an Intranet page. Since this launches an
Outlook form, not an HTML form, the user needs to have Outlook installed
locally with a profile that connects to the Exchange server. This solution
works best on an intranet when you want to put a hyperlink to the Help
Desk. Click here to view sample HTML code to set this
up. The sample code shows how to set up a button on a Web page that will
open a Help Desk Ticket. This code can be adapted for your needs. Note that you
will need to have the correct path to the Help Desk folder in the code.
Creating tickets from the Outlook
Toolbar
A
new Help Desk Ticket can be opened from a button on a toolbar in Outlook. We
provide an Outlook COM Addin that installs a
"New Help Desk Ticket" button. This COM Addin
comes with a Setup.exe that can be run on each client that needs the toolbar
button.
The exact path to the Help Desk folder is hard-coded into
the COM Addin, so:
1. If your path is Public Folders\All Public Folders\Help
Desk, then download this file:
<http://www.crowcanyon.com/Downloads/OHDToolbar30.Zip>
2. If your path is not this, please contact support@crowcanyon.com so we can make
up a COM Addin with your path.
Redemption.DLL and the Outlook Security warning box
Outlook Help Desk 3.0 works on all
versions of Outlook (note the Outlook 97 limitations below). However, versions of Outlook 98 and
2000 with Microsoft’s security patch installed and all Outlook 2002 and 2003
clients will generate a security warning when programs try to access the
address book.
Outlook Help Desk 3.0 avoids generating this warning through
the use of Redemption.DLL. We provide this DLL free of charge with Outlook Help
Desk (download here).
Redemption should be installed on PCs with the secure versions of Outlook. It
comes with an Install.exe that requires only a few quick clicks. The DLL can
also be installed through a login batch file. The installation is simply
copying the DLL locally and then registering it with REGSVR32.
Secure versions of Outlook will not raise the security
warning when using the Help Desk after this DLL is installed. If they do not
have Redemption.DLL installed, Outlook Help Desk will continue to function
properly, but the users will be faced with security warning boxes.
Use the following chart to determine if the Outlook client
has the Security Update installed (go to Help/About Microsoft Outlook to view
version number):
|
Outlook
97 |
Redemption
not needed, no security warnings |
|
Outlook
98 |
Version
8.5.7806 and later |
|
Outlook
2000 |
Version
9.0.0.4201 and later |
|
Outlook
2002 |
All versions
(10.0.x.x) |
|
Outlook
2003 |
All
versions (11.0.x.x) |
Redemption.DLL
(also known as Outlook Redemption) is a third-party COM object that uses
Extended MAPI to provide secure access to Outlook and Exchange. More information
on Outlook Redemption is available at http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/
CDO.dll must be installed
to assign/reassign tickets or run Reports
Help Desk staff members will need CDO.DLL installed in the
following situations:
- If
they are assigning or reassigning tickets and do not have Redemption
installed.
- If
they are running Reports, whether they have Redemption or not.
CDO.DLL is
Collaboration Data Objects (CDO). It is part of the Outlook installation, but
is not installed by default. It can be easily added to Outlook by running
Outlook setup, selecting "Add or Remove Features", then
setting Collaboration Data Objects to "Run from My Computer".
Outlook
97 Limitations
Users with
Outlook 97 can submit tickets in Outlook Help Desk 3.0. However, they cannot
view Assigned Help Desk Tickets in Outlook 97. They can use the Web forms to
view Assigned tickets. Help Desk staff needs Outlook 98 or higher to work with
the Assigned tickets.
UPGRADING FROM DEMO
Upgrading From Demo to Full Release
If you
used the demo only for testing and do not need to retain any tickets, just
delete the demo folders in the Public Folders and follow the Full
Version Installation instructions to add in the full version.
If you
want to retain any tickets from the demo, first make sure they are all assigned
tickets. Then rename the demo Help Desk folder to “Help Desk Old”. Follow the Full Version Installation to install the full release set of
folders. After the new program is in place, copy all Assigned Tickets from the
demo Assigned Help Desk Tickets folder to the new Assigned Help Desk Tickets
folder.
Once all
the tickets are copied over, go to the Utilities folder and open the Upgrade
Utility. Use button 4 (“Update Assigned tickets in other folders”) on this
utility. When “Choose Folder” opens, select the new Assigned Help Desk Tickets
folder. This will convert the demo Tickets into full release Tickets in that
folder.
Using Report Builder
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 double-click an existing Report template. The program
comes with several pre-built reports ready for use in the Reports folder, or
you can create your own templates for later use and save them to the Reports
folder (instructions below).
With Report Builder open, you can choose which fields to
export by individually checking them or by checking “Select all fields” to
export all the fields. Report Builder is set to export from the Assigned Help
Desk Tickets folder by default, but you can switch folders with the “Change Folder”
button.
Also, rather than export all tickets, you can filter on a
date range, status, or priority. The Advanced Filtering tab gives you 12 other
fields to filter on. These filtering options let you tailor your exports to get
the reports you want.
After making your choices, press one of the Export buttons.
This will read each ticket that meets your criteria into either an Excel
spreadsheet or a text file. It will not delete any data or information from the
tickets during the export.
If you choose Excel, this will bring up a spreadsheet
populated with the exported fields. (If you are doing an Excel export, you need
Microsoft Excel on the PC that is running Report Builder. Excel does not need
to be opened, but it does need to be installed.)
If you export to a Text File, you will need to enter a file
path and name in the boxes below the Text File button. The export will create a
comma-delimited file in the directory you specify. It will not display the text
file. This text file can be imported into Microsoft Access or other databases.
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.
Knowledge Base
articles can be created directly in the Knowledge Base folder (go to Actions
menu, then “New KB Article”).
Also, every Assigned Help Desk
Ticket has a “Create KB Article” button. 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 Problem 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.
LIST
MANAGER
From the Utilities folder, open "List Manager".
This utility will allow you to set the contents of the drop-down boxes that are
on the Help Desk Ticket forms:
·
Problem Category
·
Problem Type
·
Priority
·
When
needed
·
Maker/Model
·
Operating
System.
On the first page of List Manager,
you can set the When Needed, Maker/Model, Operating System and Priority boxes.
For Priority, you put the entries in the High,
On the second page of List Manager, you can set the Problem
Category and Problem Type lists. These two lists can be linked or unlinked.
Linked:
When linked,
changing the Problem Category changes what is listed in the Problem Type. For instance,
a Problem Category might be Email and the Problem Types might be “Address
Book”, “Can’t Send/Receive”, etc. and another Problem Category might be Network
and the Types might be “Drive mapping”, “Logon Problems”, etc.
To set this
up, enter whatever you want into the Problem Categories list (each on its own
line), then use the “Select Problem Category” drop-down list to select a
Problem Category. Add, modify or delete the list of Problem Types for that
Problem Category. You can switch from Problem Category to Problem Category
using the drop-down lists and modify the Problem Type lists accordingly. Enter
the Problem Types each on its own line.
Unlinked:
When
unlinked, they operate independently so that if the Problem Category changes,
this has no effect on the Problem Type. This might be used if the Problem Types
are more general and you don’t want linkage between the two lists. In this
case, put whatever you want in the two lists, then press Close
and save the List Manager.
Outlook Help
Desk 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.
POPUP MESSAGE
The Popup Message utility in the Utilities folder allows you
to set up a message that end 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?”). The message can easily be turned on and off with
the Message On checkbox. Other boxes allow you to set the Message Title and the
Message Text.
FIVE
UTILITIES
From the Utilities folder, open "Five Utilities”. This
form has five utilities, each on its own tab.
1. TICKET NUMBERING allows you to change the sequential numbering of the Help
Desk Tickets and add prefixes or suffixes to the Tickets automatically. Ticket
IDs are issued when the ticket is assigned, not when the Help Desk ticket is
first created. This is so that the numbering sequence is not filled with gaps
caused by users opening a ticket and then canceling or by tickets that the help
desk determines do not need to become Assigned Help Desk Tickets.
KNOWLEDGE BASE NUMBERING allows you to change the sequential numbering of the
Knowledge Base articles. The numbering can be changed or reset using this form
2. AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATION allows you to set email addresses that will be
notified whenever a new ticket is entered in the Help Desk folder. This
notification works for any new ticket, whether entered from Outlook or by email
or the Web. Use SMTP addresses in the boxes.
The High Importance box allows you to specify an address
that gets notified about critical tickets only, such as a pager or cell phone
address. This allows you to quickly identify and react to important issues, thereby
increasing your response time.
How users can mark an item “High Importance”:
A. Outlook form – the end user page of
a new Help Desk Ticket has an “Emergency or High Importance” check box
B. Web form – the web form has an
“Emergency or High Importance” check box
C. Email to Help Desk – an email can be
marked high or low importance (they are “normal” by default).
Use the “Send Test Message” button to see if the addresses
work. The notification is not sent to the person filling out the ticket if his
or her email address is in the list. Presumably, the person knows there is a
new ticket in the Help Desk folder and does not need to be notified.
3. TICKET MODE allows you to set new Help Desk Tickets to open in either
end user or assign mode. Most of the time, you will want to leave it at the
default "End User". However, if the Help Desk is entering the
tickets, you will want to switch to "Help Desk" mode. This brings the
tickets up ready to assign, which is easier on the Help Desk if they are
entering most or all of the Tickets (for instance, if they are taking calls
from users).
4. TURN OFF WARNING MESSAGE allows you to permanently turn off
the message box that Outlook Help Desk shows when assigning a message. This message
box is meant for users with Outlook set to ‘Warn before permanently deleting
items’. When assigning a ticket, Outlook Help Desk deletes the ticket from the
Help Desk folder, which causes Outlook to warn. Our message tells you to say
“Yes” to this Outlook warning; otherwise, the Help Desk ticket will not be
deleted. If you know to answer “Yes” to Outlook’s warning or if you do not have
Outlook set to ‘Warn before permanently deleting items’, then you do not need
our box to show up.
5. 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. It is fun to experiment with this and see what
color combinations come up. Once saved, this color scheme will be used on all
Help Desk Tickets and Assigned Help Desk Tickets. Also, the title “Help Desk
Ticket” can be modified on this form and the titles on the tickets will be
changed also.
With different colors:
Outlook
Help Desk comes with the Five Utilities form already in the Utilities folder.
If it is deleted, you can create a new one by using the Actions menu and
choosing "New Five Utilities 30". When the form comes up, choose
File/Save, then File/Move to Folder and select the Utilities
folder.
- Knowledge Base - Outlook Help Desk will now
include an integrated Knowledge Base. All the efforts and experience the
Help Desk staff gains through completing IT support requests can now be
compiled into a readily available list of articles. With one click of a
button on our Help Desk Ticket, a KB article can be created to serve as a
valuable reference for future support.
- Assigned Ticket can be printed – The Assigned Help Desk
Tickets now have a “Print Ticket” button that allows you to print out a
nicely formatted ticket.
- All messages are formatted better – The Update, Completion, and
Assignment messages are now in HTML format. They are easier to read and better
looking.
- Report templates can be saved and reused - Report Builders can be saved
and rerun over and over. You can build a standard daily, weekly or monthly
report template, then reuse it whenever needed.
We send the program with several templates already created and ready for
your use.
- Report
Builder exports full History Log and Description - The full History Log and
Description can now be exported with Report Builder. In previous versions,
only a truncated part of the Description was exported. This limitation has
been removed and these fields can now be used to build reports and provide
valuable insight into Help Desk activity.
- Report
Builder exports to a Comma-separated Text file in addition to Excel - Tickets can be exported to a
text file that can then be imported directly into a database, such as
Microsoft Access. This export contains the full Description and History
Log, as well as all the other fields.
- Streamlined
Interface - The
forms are simpler and easier to read, providing a sleeker, more
professional look. We won't claim that you will solve the IT support
issues faster, but the forms will be much more pleasing to use.
- Sync with a PDA with "Copy to Tasks"
feature - People
sometimes want their assigned tickets in a PDA or
handheld computer. However, tickets (which are tasks) in public folders do
not sync to PDAs or pocket PCs. With this new
feature, Technicians can now make a "reminder" copy of the
Ticket in their personal Tasks folder and sync that with the PDA. They
will need to use Outlook to update and complete the Ticket, but they will
be able to work more effectively with Ticket reminders in their handheld
devices.
- Event Sink instead of script to convert Exchange
2000 emails into Tickets - Version 3.0 uses a COM+ Component (a DLL) that takes
advantage of the Web Storage System event sinks in Exchange 2000. This DLL
replaces the Agent script and uses the Exchange server resources more
efficiently and securely. It will automatically convert incoming emails to
the Help Desk folder into new Tickets.
- Completely overhauled Upgrade Utility makes it
much easier to upgrade – The Upgrade Utility now copies the folders, renames
the old folders, moves and upgrades the tickets and passes the settings in
the Utilities from the old system to the new one automatically. This makes
it much, much easier to upgrade!
- Popup Message for Users - A new utility allows you to
create a popup message that end users will see before they fill out a
ticket. You can turn this message on and off at will with a simple check
box. The box can be informational ("Server upgrade this
weekend.") or a Yes/No box ("We are aware the Internet
connection is down. Do you still want to create a new Ticket?"). The
text of this box can be changed instantly. A great way to communicate with
your users!\
- Special Notifications for High Importance
tickets -- End
users can mark a ticket "Emergency or High Importance" and this
will send an email to a specially designated email or pager address.
Standard tickets will go to the usual notification address. This allows
you to get immediate and specific notice of critical tickets.
- Task Splitter -- One ticket can be split into
multiple tasks
-- Sometimes, one ticket requires multiple staffers to work on parts of it
separately. It could be a ticket to upgrade a company with three
locations, for example. One ticket is created, but you could split the
ticket up when assigning it so that each site has a separate task to
complete.
- One-pass Resolution -- Help Desk staff can now
enter and complete a ticket in one pass. Some tickets are handled
immediately and do not need to be assigned and kept open. A ticket can be
opened and resolved in one session, making the Help Desk more efficient.
- Web can be used in two ways -- For internal users, you can
set up the Outlook Help Desk web pages. Users log in and fill out a ticket
that is similar to the Outlook-based tickets. Users can also view the
contents of the Help Desk folders. For external users, you can set up a
Web form that generates an email to the Help Desk folder. This email from the
Web form is then converted to a new Help Desk Ticket like any other email
using our event sink or agent script.
- Entries in the Log can be automatically emailed -- When you add a new entry to
the History Log, this can also be sent to the user. That way, the fix to
the problem can be simultaneously sent to the user and recorded in
the Log. Also, you can keep track of email correspondence with the user in
this way.
- Date Completed is not a locked field – Date Completed is no longer a
locked field because you may mark a ticket “Complete” after you actually
complete the task. By not being locked, you can change the Date Completed
to record the actual time completed rather then the time you are marking
it complete.
- Reset Colors and instructions on Ticket Colors
form – The
Ticket Colors utility now has a “Reset Colors” button to put the colors
back to the white and gray defaults that come with the program. Also,
there are instructions on the utility on how to get the Red, Green, Blue
numbers for colors.
“Disappearing”
folders in Help Desk demo in Outlook 2003
If you
install the demo and do not see the Help Desk folder, like the view on the
left, simply click the folder icon at the extreme bottom right (the one that is
yellowed in the right-hand view) and you will see the folders:
