This article explains how the Ticket/E-mail Management system behaves when receiving service or support requests / tickets by the end-users. This system is part of Escon SupportPortal application, and is intended to be a central point for customer's request collection and communicating between end-users and service/support stuff.
A number of systems administrators are embarrassed when met with Ticket / Email management system configuration in order to meet a basic requirement: Collect requests from users into a single database application and assign tickets to the proper service/support specialist.
Since the system requires a good knowledge of the functions and features that can be configured, it is important to know how the system behaves. This is especially useful in the phase of implementation of the system, when several important parameters needs to be set, depending of the company's system requirements and work with end-customers is agreed.
Two Ways to Submit Requests
As you know, there are two ways in which end-user can send the requests to Escon HelpDesk and SupportPortal application:
I) Through the Web form, where the user types the following information sufficient to create a ticket and assign to service / support specialists:
1. General Information:
- Name and Email. Anonymous users enter this information only, if such a listing is previously allowed (Option in Config: General -> "Users must login to access site" is cleared).
- Target Department – Choose from drop-down list. You can allow the user to choose targeting department where wants to send a request / ticket, if this option is enabled (Option in Config: Departments –> "Allow user to select department when creating ticket" is set).
2. Ticket Details:
- Subject – Free entry
- Text – Free entry
- Attachment – File, Picture, ... – optional.
3. Verification Code – For anonymous end-users only, due to a spam protection.
II) By E-mail, where the user creates and sends an email to one of the e-mail addresses configured in the application. When an e-mail is received, the application automatically converts data in email to the ticket in the following manner:
- Subject to the Ticket subject
- Email address is used to identify users in the existing user's table.
- Message body to the Ticket text
- Message attachments to the Ticket attachment (all attachments are archived to one ticket attachment – using zip function)
System Behavior
Regardless of users can use both ways competitive, it is useful to know how the system behaves inside, after the request is received.
There are several different combinations of the configuration parameters that affect the behavior of the system. Such parameters are primarily related to the way the requests are assigned, but also to automated notification of users on the status of their request.
Configuration options that are important for system behavior are:
- Department list (Config : Departments),
- Support stuff list (Users : Support stuff)
- Email accounts settings (Config : Incoming email settings)
- SLA rules (Config : SLA rules)
Depending on the ways of using the system, there are three different business process scenarios in which the users require the different actions.
For the first way of sending requests (Customer End-User sends an email with email client pogram (MS Outlook, Fodora, Web-Based client, etc.) there are two different scenarios:
- Scenario (A) – Emails are collected manually by the support operator – After a signup to the operator's dashboard by clicking on the button "Get Email messages" (at the top of page Email : Inbox) and
- Scenario (B) – Emails are collected automatically by Cron job or Task manager at predefined time intervals (5 min, 10 min, ...).
For the second was of sending requests is where the Customer End-User sends request by the public or private Web-form and this is described as Scenario (C).
Within this scenario scheme the three different roles appears:
1. End-User / Customer
2. Help desk Operator, and
3. Service / Support Specialist.
On the picture bellow is displayed the scheme with compared three scenarios:
If you have any questions regarding the features and configuration described in this article, please contact us at support@myescon.com.
About Escon
Escon Information Consulting (http://www.myEscon.com) is a global provider of Service Management software solutions that capitalize on continuous changes in IT business technology: Help desk, Customer support software and CRM solutions. Escon provides software for enterprise solutions that give a competitive business advantage and total control over their IT infrastructures.
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