Administration and Configuration Guide

Administration and

Configuration Guide

&

Version 7.9

Last updated May 2012- for version 7.9

CLICK HERE to review Version 8.0 documentation

New configurable features and revisions are shown in red: SMS text messaging option for Teams. Operator Logins and locked out accounts report. Sample surveys for specific SLA priorities. Outgoing emails option to use SSL. User No Call logging option to block all user access.

Operational new features are highlighted in the Operator Guide.

Check your current version in Help, About menu.

If you are on an earlier version then upgrades are available to customers from the support site – Do not upgrade from the down load registration page as this will

overwrite data and configuration.

Refer to the separate Installation Guides for Software installation and registration instructions.

Table of Contents

Introduction ... 1

Accessing the Application ... 2

Sitehelpdesk Alerter ... 2

Sitehelpdesk support philosophies ... 3

Quick Start ... 4

Upgrading from sitehelpdesk to sitehelpdesk-IT ... 4

Administration Menu Options... 5

Sites ... 5

Departments ... 5

User ... 5

Team ... 6

Operator ... 7

Priority (previously called Category) ... 7

Call Types ... 7 Call Status ... 8 FAQ ... 9 Links ... 10 Reply Messages ... 10 Whiteboard ... 10 Scripts ... 10 Call Templates ... 10 Survey ... 11

Scheduled Calls (Requires SLAmonitor ) ... 15

Configuration - Required options ... 16

Paths for attachments and reports ... 17

Optional Configuration Settings ... 18

Colours and Fonts ... 18

Email Integration ... 19

Outgoing email notifications... 19

Incoming email call logging ... 21

Default email format ... 21

SMS (mobile Phone) integration ... 21

Permissions ... 22

Check Open Call ... 22

Call Approval ... 22

Sessions Time out ... 23

User Call Logging Options ... 24

User Call Logging - Using Windows Authentication to identify the user ... 24

User Call Logging - From a drop down list of names ... 24

User Call Logging - Free Format name entry ... 26

User Call logging style and form content ... 27

No Menu Screen Layout – all details in framed pages ... 27

Top Menu Screen Layout ... 28

Select Department Screen Layout Options ... 28

User Logging Options – features ... 29

User Interface Feature Defaults ... 29

FAQs and Call History defaults ... 30

Display Feedback form ... 30

Display Links ... 31

Display Priority of Call. ... 31

Display User’s Phone and Department ... 32

Allow User to attach files ... 32

Allow user to Add Events and Allow User to Close Calls... 32

Do you want to display system events to Users?... 33

Allow User to select Call Type and Sub Type ... 33

Allow user to Reopen Closed Calls ... 33

Allow user to enter a Subject line ... 34

SLAmonitor ... 34

Call Field Definitions ... 34

Call update page field sizes and additional features ... 35

Call Lists Format ... 35

Service Catalogue ... 35

Windows Active Directory Integration ... 37

Terminology ... 37

Sitehelpdesk-IT configuration options ... 38

Tracking Hardware against Calls ... 38

Choosing the main identifier for hardware call logging ... 39

Hardware Locations and Models, free format entry or drop down selections ... 40

Inventory Management Integration ... 40

Change and Release Management ... 41

Problem Management... 41

Call Management Work Flow... 43

New Call Entry ... 43

Initial Assignments ... 43

Re-assigning a Call ... 44

Tasks ... 44

Assigning a New Call Activity ... 44

Linking Calls ... 44 Call Templates ... 45 Quick Fixes ... 45 Standard Procedures ... 46 Scripting ... 46 Glossary ... 48

Introduction

Sitehelpdesk has been designed for use by almost any support department in any type of organisation and is built specifically for support of internal staff.

Sitehelpdesk-IT includes all the features and configuration options of sitehelpdesk but has been designed more specifically for use by the IT support department to ITIL recommendations and a number of other IT related registers.

Multiple installations of sitehelpdesk and sitehelpdesk-IT with links to shared database tables provide an effective yet secure Service Desk for all the support departments in your organisation. Additional installations may be purchased at upgrade prices at any time.

If you are aiming to support your external customers then you should be using sitewebdesk which has been specifically designed for that task.

This guide provides additional background information for the configuration and management of your sitehelpdesk or sitehelpdesk-IT installation.

Please refer to the separate instructions for installing and licensing your software. There are other useful resources available to you that should be read when carrying out relevant tasks.

 Application Help.

o There is a brief ‘Getting Started’ guide under the Help menu option

o Each page has a button that will display relevant help on that page. This help text may also be searched upon from the Help, User Guide option.

 On line Community Help.

o The sitehelpdesk.com community support site provides customers with ‘Links’ to a number of technical reference documents.

o A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) database is available from the community support site.

This guide does not duplicate the above, instead it explores the

administration options and provides some guidance on the various ways that the product and your support department may be organized and managed to work effectively together.

 Notes, Tips and Cautions contained in this guide

o Notes – Interesting information related to the surrounding discussion

o Tips - Offers advice or teaches an easier way to do things

o Cautions – Advises you about potential problems and helps you avoid them.

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Accessing the Application  Operators

Support personnel (labeled ‘Operators’ by default) may login to the application using their web browser and going to the following URL (Uniform Resource Locator or web address).

HTTP://{your_server}/sitehelpdesk or alternatively via the pda interface at

HTTP://{your_server}/sitehelpdesk/pda/default.asp

Where {your_server} is the name of the machine or the DNS name where the sitehelpdesk support site is installed.

The Operator login id and access privileges are set from the Administration, Operators menu option.

If the domain\id is entered on the operator page the login page will pre-populate.

Caution: Always leave at least one Operator with the privilege to access the Administration menu options.

 Users

Internal personnel (labeled ‘User’ by default)may access theapplication using their web browser and going to the following URL

HTTP://{your_server}/sitehelpdesk/user/log.asp

Where {your_server} is the name of the machine or the DNS name where the sitehelpdesk support site is installed.

We advise that this URL is available to all staff in your organisation from a prominent link on your corporate Intranet site.

Within sitehelpdesk, ’Users’ are considered to be trusted users on your network and are not required to login to their support pages. There are a number of configuration options available to you to restrict access privileges and manage the features that are made available to Users. These are explored under the user configuration options sections in this guide.

Sitehelpdesk Alerter

There is also a sitehelpdesk Alerter application that can be installed on individual Operator desktops. This displays a notification to Operators when new calls are

this from the support site and review the sitehelpdesk Alerter installation guide from the sitehelpdesk.com support site Software Upgrade menu.

Sitehelpdesk support philosophies

Sitehelpdesk has been designed with an emphasis on reducing the workload and increasing the effectiveness of the support department.

This is achieved by:

a) Providing staff with the facility to log and track their own support requests. b) Providing staff with on line FAQs, which you may build up over time.

c) Providing a support department intranet site for collaboration on support issues and shared sources of information via the links and knowledge base options. Cultural changes may be required to stop the interruptions by staff requesting immediate attention from support personnel. This can be done by:

1. Set your Service Level Agreements – These SLA’s are the agreed

times that you will respond to and fix calls. Make these widely known to staff. They may be as simple as categorizing calls as either High (affects everybody), Medium (one person unable to work) or Low (request not affecting ability to work). SLA’s may then provide a mechanism for dealing with calls in a consistent and fair manner. Staff should be discouraged from trying to jump the queue and appreciate that they would not like others jumping immediately in front of them.

The addition of the SLAmonitor module provides added benefits over the core features for SLA monitoring with features such as core support hours, email escalations, call deferral.

2. Get staff to log and track their own calls. You should be seeking to achieve at least 50% of calls being logged by staff themselves. Higher percentages may be obtained once the culture has shifted. This will reduce the work of the support staff and the number of interruptions. It also ensures more calls actually get logged. Once staff have logged a call and seen the efficient response to it then they will not hesitate to use the system in the future. This also gives them a reliable method to log support requests even when the support center is unmanned.

3. Shifting the culture towards self-help. Always be ready to say ‘can you

log a call please’ when staff interrupt you to make requests. Operators do not get recognition for unrecorded work done on the fly and statistics, SLA’s and volume of work reports will suffer. If work is sometimes done for staff ahead of logging calls then set up Templates to quickly record these after the event. If the resolution can be made available in FAQs consider setting this up via the tools menu and associating them to a call type / sub type.

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Quick Start

If you want to set up, configure and go live with the application as soon as possible then the following procedure is recommended.

 Obtain a license key for the total number of support staff.

 Set up any ‘Teams’ that you want your Operators to be organized by.

 Create the Operators that you are licensed for and allocate to their relevant team(s).

 Check the Administration, Configuration required options and, modify if need be.

 Enter your User Sites (locations) and Department descriptions (note these will get automatically populated if you import users from Active directory)

 Users may be imported from Active directory, imported straight into the database or created on the fly. The quickest way to roll out is either import users from AD or to allow users to be created on the fly. I.e for them to tell you who they are when logging a call, refer to the User Call Logging - Free Format name entry section below. More user records may be set up manually or imported later if you like.

 Provide your Operators with their Login credentials and the URL to sitehelpdesk.

 Create a link from your Intranet for Users to log and track their own calls (optional of course)

Caution: If you are planning on importing your own data then please refer to the Importing Data Guide available from the community web site to ensure the format is correct.

Upgrading from sitehelpdesk to sitehelpdesk-IT

Sitehelpdesk-IT is distributed as a zip file containing a set of new web pages. These pages will utilize the existing sitehelpdesk database and configuration pages but provide a number of new menu options and configurable features.

Simply unzip the sitehelpdesk-IT zip file and save the extracted files into your current sitehelpdesk installation folder, overwriting files as prompted. Your database and configuration will remain in tact. Login and check that the operators have the new sitehelpdesk-IT menu permissions checked in the Admin, Operator page.

Then check through the Administration, Configuration page and modify the sitehelpdesk-IT configuration options as required.

Upsizing to SQL Server

Do not attempt this without first contacting [email protected] for detailed instructions. Customers may also obtain upsizing instructions from the community web site.

Administration Menu Options

This section provides an overview of the administration options and identifies new features in red.

Use the on page help for full details.

Sites

If you set up Active Directory integration then sites will be automatically populated. Otherwise enter your main site (location) details. Tickets may be auto assigned to an Engineer or Team based on the Site (if no auto assign has been set against the selected Call Type / Sub Type)

If you have sitehelpdesk-IT and have set Locations as drop down selection via

configuration then a Locations buttons appears for related Locations, after selecting a site.

Departments

If you set up Active Directory integration then sites will be automatically populated. Otherwise set them up here.

Hourly Rate: This is the base rate used for charging time recorded against Call events. The cost code appears on billing reports. If you charge for your time, enter a base cost here. Time spent on tickets is entered via the Events option on the Call update page where there is a selectable Event Type. The Event Type is created under the Value List EVENT_TYPE, which also holds a multiplier to be used against the base hourly billing rate. Non billable time may therefore have a multiplier of 0.0 but any combination is possible.

User

Each user should have a Site and Department as a minimum.

Note: User name and email address supports apostrophe’s and telephone numbers may have + and # symbols

Page: 6 Urgent tick box, All calls generated for this user are automatically flagged as Urgent and are listed with a red exclamation mark

!

Department Head tick box, provides this user with a call history view of all the calls for the department to which they belong.

The change Approver has been extended to include this user as a valid Call Approver as well. Enable Call Approvals button to appear on the call update page at the

Configuration page.

The Active Directory integration is configured from the Administration, Configuration page. This document link explains the fields transferred from AD to sitehelpdesk. Click Here

There is an Active Directory sync option to compare the helpdesk to AD and allow update of the helpdesk for individually changed records. Note no update of AD will take place.

Team

Teams are used to organise and group Operators and also appear on all Operator selection drop downs so you can allocate calls to individuals or a team. There is a check box to ‘Display in Call assignments’. If unchecked then this Team does not appear for assigning on calls.

Check the boxes for Teams to receive emails and SMS text messages (in conjunction with a 2SMS account, see Configuration.

Hint: You could set up a Team for third party support allocation.

Operator

Set the menu options and privileges of Operators.

Operator accounts will get locked if too many unsuccessful attempts are made to login with the wrong password. Administrator may clear the lock here and also enquire on the history of operator logins. There is a Login Summary report available under the Reports menu to view all Operators most recent login and history.

The Manager selection allows you to allocate each Operator to a manager which is then used by SLAmonitor via Administration, Priority as an option for SLA notifications when thresholds are reached.

Check box to ‘Display in Call assignments’. If unchecked then this Operator does not appear for assigning on calls.

Note that the ‘Restriction’ for ‘Access to My /Team requests only’ allows you to limit an Operator to only view and update calls that have been assigned to them or to the Team(s) to which they belong. They will not have access to other Operator’s or Team member assigned calls, or the All Open Calls option.

The Operator NT Account (domain\id) may be entered here and will complete the login page for faster access.

Priority (previously called Category)

Set up SLA priorities. There are additional options with SLAmonitor, refer to SLAmonitor guide.

Call Types

Set up Call types and associated sub types and check those that Users will also use. You may auto assign an SLA Priority and Operator / Team.

Page: 8 The Service Type provides a new level analysis for Call types/Sub types. It is effectively a higher (third) level grouping. By default this is set to Incident or Request but these can be changed via the Administration, Value List SERVICE_TYPE. Service Type Reporting is available from Top Call Types and Call Chart.

Task Lists button allows you to detail the tasks required to complete this type of call.

Tasks appear as check boxes in the Event window on the Call Update page and the call cannot be closed until they have been flagged as Complete.

You can turn on Service Catalogue from the Administration Configuration and may make the data available to Users (Business Catalogue) and Operators (Technical Catalogue) from their call pages.

The Call type page contains two Print icons, one for Technical Service Catalogue (details available to Operators) and one for Business Service Catalogue (details available to Users).

This information is made available from red icons on the User and Operator call pages. See examples in Configuration, Service Catalogue section.

Call Status

FAQ

From v7.6 the FAQ management is under Administration, and only a view of existing FAQs is available from the Tools menu. This is for improved control of FAQ content. FAQs are included in KB searches and may be made available to end user requestors (staff) by checking the Show User box.

You may search and update these from here and ensure they remain up to date and relevant. You may also add attachments with detailed descriptions and images to aid the end user.

There is a summary of the number of times the FAQ has been viewed and by clicking through you may see when they were viewed and if they resolved User issues.

Other features Include:

The facility to send the FAQ by email. The email system launched is the one specified in your Browser (Tools, Internet Options, Programs) Provide a printer friendly view of the FAQ- use the File, Print option in the browser window

Page: 10 Attachment buttons always show how many documents there are. The view for requestors does not have attachments via a button but provides the URL directly on their FAQ query page.

Links

Manage the Links that appear under tools menu. Saved reports appear here too.

Reply Messages

Create quick reply messages that can be selected when updating Events on Calls.

Whiteboard

Set ticker message and user welcome page.

Scripts

These are used to collect additional information when logging tickets, without cluttering the page with extra fields that are only sometimes relevant.

Call Templates

Configure Template names and complete the call details as far as practical. Template calls associated to a master template will be treated as Linked calls.

Survey

Create online survey of user satisfaction.

Enter a survey name and the description that will be presented with the survey. Select the ranking options. You may set your own options from the Value List – SURVEY_OPTIONS.

Save this survey. Then select again and enter your Questions. Word these in such a way as the user can select an appropriate option ranking.

Page: 12 URL links for that survey are presented at the bottom of the page.

The first may be put into the closure email (and be association to that call id). You may put this in the default closure email text via the Administration, Configuration page using code similar to the following (substituting your actual helpdesk web address): Note that the link includes the srv=X which is the survey id number.

The second General Survey URL may be sent directly to users or linked to on your Intranet site.

The third Sample Survey option is to generate emails to a sample number of users based on the number of calls between two dates. This can also be done for specific SLA priorities of calls to build surveys ignoring irrelevant ones.

Click <a href = 'http://your-server/sitehelpdesk/admin/survey.asp?srv=1&id=#callid#'>here</a> to take our survey

Feedback Charts

Two types of surveys may be distributed - Call related via call closure notification emails or General for customer satisfaction, distributed via email or URL (web) Links.

There are different chart views for each survey depending on whether they are Call Feedback or General Feedback surveys.

Call feedback displays a table of survey results organized by the support Operators and Teams and a chart of the survey results. You may enquire on each operator / Team to see the results details for them and enquire on the actual calls they relate to. You may also select a single Team and group all the team member call survey results into one chart.

General feedback option displays the chart for all the selected survey results.

Note that some Operators may belong to more than one Team in which case the sum of all Team selected feedbacks may be more than the sum of the individual

Page: 14 The Survey results are tabulated in the Responses button.

Scheduled Calls (Requires SLAmonitor )

Calls may be automatically generated by the SLAmonitor service. Set up the call template and then set up the schedule for the calls to be created, e.g daily, weekly, monthly etc.

Only one template can be selected at a time. Scheduled calls do not generate multiple linked template calls from a master. However, you can create several scheduled calls for the same frequency, e.g daily.

Note: SLAmonitor must be purchased, installed and running for the scheduled calls to be created. The assigned Operator will receive an email notification when the call is created if this notification is turned on under Configuration, Email.

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Configuration - Required options

Sitehelpdesk may be configured from the Administration, Configuration menu option. It is advisable to consider each one of these fully before going live but they may be altered at any time in the future. The effect of the configuration options is explored below.

We advise Internet Explorer is used to configure the helpdesk due to page handling issues with some other browsers. For this reason non IE browsers are given view access only.

Firstly, check the ‘Required’ settings, which ensure the application responds in the way it should.

Note: After making configuration changes be sure to click on one of the ‘Apply Changes’

buttons on the configuration page. You will need to log out and in again for all the changes to take affect.

Required:-Regional Settings

Paths for Attachments and Exports Call number offset

Optional:-Colours and Fonts

Email Integration (new features)

SMS (Mobile phone) Integration Permissions

Check open Calls Call Approval Session Timeout

User Logging options (new features)

SLAmonitor

Call field definitions Call List Format Service Catalogue

Windows Active Directory Integration Terminology

sitehelpdesk-IT Options

Hardware logging options (new feature)

Inventory Management Integration (SMS/WMImonitor/VAP, Centennial Discovery)

Change and Release Management Problem Management

Regional Settings

Sitehelpdesk provides for the entry and display of two formats for dates. UK format for dd/mm/yyyy

US format for mm/dd/yyyy

Other formats such as the use of ‘.’ rather than ‘/’ are available but will need some minor configuration changes to be carried out by us, email [email protected] for assistance.

Caution: Format of regional settings in sitehelpdesk must be the same as that of your web server.

Spell checking features are in English by default – contact [email protected] for other languages including Danish, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian,

Portuguese, and Swedish.

Paths for attachments and reports

These are the absolute paths from the IIS server to the relevant folders under the sitehelpdesk directory. This is where the Call and FAQ file attachments are saved and where any report definitions are saved within the report builder.

The default paths are:

Attachments Path: c:\sitehelpdesk\attachments Saved Reports Path: c:\sitehelpdesk\reports\export

Note: This must be an absolute path on the server where sitehelpdesk is installed– the

UNC format is not valid.

The attachment files are saved with a name in the format ‘(CALLid) file name’ or ‘(FAQid) filename’

These can be searched upon via the Call Manager, Attachment Search option.

The reports are identified by the name given to them before saving. You may also specify a Link group heading to place them under. Link groups (Menu headings) are set up via the Administration, Value List called LINK_GROUPS. You may further edit the new report Link under the Administration, Links menu and give access to end users if you like.

The reports\export folder is also where the csv files are saved when exporting reports into spreadsheets.

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Optional Configuration Settings

Once the above configurations are reviewed and possibly changed, you can proceed to use the system in it’s default state. There are, however a number of configuration

options available to you that affect the way the application looks and behaves. These are explored in the next section.

Colours and Fonts

The options allow you to change the way that sitehelpdesk looks so that it may blend in with your corporate Intranet theme. If you know the Hex colour code for the required shade then type that directly over the default values. There is a colour picker available – click on the image to display the colour wheel then click on the desired shade and close the pop up window. You may also use a Menu background Image by saving your own gif or jpg file in the application image folder and entering the location here.

Tip: If the white menu chevrons are not clear then there are black images available in the black images sub folders. Copy these into IMAGES folder using the windows explorer. White images are also available again from the ‘white’ sub folder.

List Header Text colour Normal Text Type size

Menu Text colour

List Header Background colour

Call List row 1 colour

Call List row 2 colour

Heading Text Type size

Required Field Input colour Background colour Menu Background colour

Email Integration

There are two main types of email integration.

 Outgoing notifications to Operators/Users

 Incoming emails that generate call tickets.

Outgoing email notifications

The automatic notification to operators uses the IIS SMTP service. Full instructions for configuring email integration are available from the documents link on the customer web site or click here.

Select whether your web server uses CDONTS (usually Windows NT / 2000) or CDOSYS (Windows2003 +). The test email function will help you determine which is installed. If you receive a message saying ‘The "SendUsing" configuration value is invalid’. Then try the other option.

Select the format of the email – Text or HTML. HTML formats provide links back to the call ticket.

Select if using a Local SMTP service to send out emails from the IIS Server or a Remote email Server. If Remote then enter the email Server name (may be a MX record name) and any id and password if required to connect to the email server account used to send emails.

Enter the Port number used to send emails (usually port 25).

Select the SSL YES option if you email server requires SSL connections to send emails encrypted and the corresponding SSL port number (usually port 465)

Select either Client or system Event emails. Client event emails pass the event text across to your local email set up in the IE tools, Internet Option, Programs tab. System event emails uses the server SMTP set up and therefore does not require a local email client and can therefore also be generated from any PC.

To use the System driven Event emails and automatic email notifications you must enter a valid email address for the send automated emails from:(this will also be useful if you have EMLmonitor as it will capture any replies).

Enter the standard email footer to appear on Event emails sent via the system. Select whether you want to give Operators the option to select other people to send Event emails to. They can then add To, CC and BCC before sending the Event text by selecting staff names. There is also a user search option.

Page: 20 Answer Yes to each of the required email notifications detailed below.

Caution: The Operator must also have the email alerts box checked for them to receive emails. This may be used to opt in or out of email notifications. These may be altered in the Admin, Operators page or by each Operator from the notes icon at the top of the menu.

An email alert will then be sent to an Operator:

 When a call is first logged and assigned to an Operator (but not when assigning a call to yourself).

 When an existing call is reassigned to another Operator

 When a call is ‘auto assigned’ to an operator based on the Call sub type. The email contains all the call details.

You may configure the default text that accompanies the email. There are other options for outgoing email notifications.

 Automatically notify Users when their call is closed. Sends the resolution text in the email.

Tip: You can always send an email notification to the user at any time from the icon on the call update page via the Add Events option.

 Automatically notify assigned Operators of any events

o added by the user from their call enquiry page

o if a User closes their own call.

o if a call is re-opened by the user

o when another ‘unassigned’ Operator updates your tickets.

 Automatically notify customer of Call id when call is created

 Automatically notify end user of Call id when received by EMLmonitor

automation process

Some email options will only be relevant if you have elected to allow Users to add events, close or re-open their own calls in the configure User Options section below. You may enter the default text that accompanies the email.

Note: The subject line of the email cannot be reconfigured here as it is used by the system to identify and relate emails back to their original call id.

The addition of SLAmonitor will provide the facility to send automated email

notifications when calls reach SLA category thresholds and when follow ups fall due.

Incoming email call logging

With the addition of EMLmonitor, sitehelpdesk integrates with any email system with POP3 enabled to track incoming emails addressed to a designated mailbox.

EMLmonitorcontains a fully automated component that will optionally create a call ticket automatically from incoming emails. The emails may also be viewed in a new menu option named ‘ Email Queue’ to generate a new call log.

Attachments also come across from the email system.

Replies to emails generated by sitehelpdesk that are sent back from Users will be added to the original call as an Event (along with any additional attachments).

To turn on the EMLmonitor features, purchase and install the additional module then select Yes in the configuration page.

Default email format

The default email format is used when either manually or automatically creating users. Select the first part of the email address e.g. firstname.lastname or what ever is your corporate standard and then the last part e.g. @mycompany.com.

Using the details of their name this will then generate the email address.

Tip: This is particularly useful if you use the free format user call log entry – see the user

Options below.

Note: If your email format is not listed then inform [email protected]

SMS (mobile Phone) integration

Turn on this feature to receive the automated text notifications to a mobile phone when calls are assigned.

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Caution: The Operator must also have the SMS alerts box checked for them to receive text messages. This may be used to opt in or out of SMS notifications. These may be altered in the Admin, Operators page or by each Operator from the notes icon at the top of the home page.

SMS messages are sent out via a global network to which you must first register. There will then be a small charge for each message sent. There is no additional charge from sitehelpdesk.com for the SMS features or integration to the text messaging service.

Click here to review the service and begin the registration process.

Please also contact [email protected] to confirm your registration for this service and enter your id and password for the service.

Permissions

Turning on this global permission allows Operators to create a new user on the fly. This may be either when they have searched and not found them on the new call search screen or when you use the free format User option - see below.

Caution: If you use the Free format user option to collect user names and details then you must turn this privilege on otherwise the Operator will not be able to create the user when they pick up the ticket from the Call queue.

An add User button will also be made available with EMLmonitor v1.5 manual entry via the Call, Check email page.

Check Open Call

When a call is logged from either the Operator or User New Call pages then once the details are entered all other open calls for that user will be displayed and they are prompted as to whether or not they still want to log the call.

This feature is useful where many people share a PC and there is a strong likely hood that the same problem would be logged many times.

Call Approval

Setting this option to Yes provides a button on the call update page which enables the operator to send an email request to a Users that has been flagged as a ‘Call Approver’. They then receive an email with a link back to approve or decline.

To ensure secure approval process the link back only works with the Windows

Authentication turn on in the User Call Logging section. An email will be automatically sent back to the Operator once approved or declined.

Sessions Time out

If an operator logs on from a remote PC or leaves their PC unattended of periods of time then there is a security risk that somebody else could gain access to the helpdesk by simply using their PC. To reduce this risk, set the time out value so that the Operator is automatically logged out if there is no activity with in the helpdesk application.

If you find that the logout period is too short then this can be increased up to a value of 1440 minutes (24 hours).

This may be overruled by any values set in the IIS server itself. Customers may refer to the online FAQ for configuring IIS

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User Call Logging Options

Sitehelpdesk has been designed for use on secure Local and Wide Area Networks (LAN/WAN) or Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s) over the Internet. For this reason, Users do not need to login to be able to log and track their support requests. Depending on how your business operates, you have a number of options for users to identify themselves.

1. Using Windows Authentication 2. From a drop down list

3. Free Format

Note: With all these options, the IP address of the machine where the call was logged is displayed in the subject field of the call so that you can clearly identify where the call originated even if incomplete or inaccurate information is provided.

There is also an option No user Access which will block all users from call logging and viewing call histories. Use this in sensitive environments where windows authentication is not turned on to thwart attempts to mimic other users and view their call history or to temporarily block access during system maintenance work etc.

User Call Logging - Using Windows Authentication to identify the user

This is the most ‘secure’ option. Saying Yes to using Windows Authentication will result in the user call log screen (http://{machine}/sitehelpdesk/user/log.asp) displaying the users name when they log a support call. This name is picked up from the User list in sitehelpdesk using their NT domain and account information. The user will not be able to change the name.

Caution: The User list must still be populated and include the Windows account information for this feature to work properly.

The advantage of using Windows authentication is that the user does not need to identify them selves when logging a call for the first time. They will also only log calls under their own name and can only view the history of their own calls.

Note that with the other options a cookie is placed on the machine so they do not need to identify them selves the next time but they can select another name if the machine is shared by a number of people.

If you use this option then you do not need to also prompt staff to enter their department or telephone number. However, staff move around and may need support from other locations so you may still want to display this.

You may allow staff to update their own permanent record from the user page. A red arrow then appears beside their name with a link through to edit their details.

If the user list is not too long then you can opt to provide a drop down list of user names for them to select. The next time they go to that page from their machine their name and related details will be automatically populated using a cookie.

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User Call Logging - Free Format name entry

This is the most versatile of all the options and allows for rapid deployment of the application. The user is allowed to type in their name to identify themselves.

We recommend this option if you are in a hurry to roll out the user call logging feature and have not populated the user list. This may be because you do not have an up to date user list or may operate in an environment where there is a high turnover of permanent or temporary staff.

All you then need to populate before going live are the Site and Department descriptions.

You must also make sure that the Permissions section of the configuration page allows Operators to add users i.e. without needing access to the administrator’s menu. When a new call is received from a new user and the operator opens that call, then the system checks to see if that name exists in the user list. If the name is not found the system displays a list of similar names (just in case it has been typed in differently). The Operator may then either select a name from the list displayed or press the button to create a new user. The new user entry screen is displayed pre populated with their name, site, department and telephone number (presuming you prompted for these when they logged the call) and the email address is generated automatically based on the format entered in the configuration page.

Caution: For the automatic creation of a user record with no additional data entry, you must prompt the user for their department and telephone number.

If a user does not log the call themselves the first time and requests support via the telephone or personally then the operator has a button on the user search page of the New Call screen to allow them to create that user there and then.

Recommended screen format for Free Format User entry:

or

The second screen shows the minimum required to provide sufficient details for automatically creating a complete new user record from the information provided.

User Call logging style and form content

The next section of the User configuration options allows you to choose the preferred layout of the user call log and decide how much information to ask the user.

sitehelpdesk has been designed to reduce the work of the support department by allowing you to collect as much information as required from the person who requires assistance. Each of the fields available will be discussed below.

The first thing to decide is the most suitable menu and screen layout that will best match your intranet site scheme.

 No Menu – all details displayed on one page

 Top Menu

 Left menu

There are two other layout options available to you, if you want to prompt for the user department before taking them to the call log page.

 Select Department - Top Menu

 Select Department - Left Menu

The following screen shots have the entire available user features turned on except the due date (new in 6.8 patch) and the Extra fields available in version 6.8 (see Call field Definitions section below). As we explore each option, you can decide whether you want to display and prompt for that much detail. There is also the Scripting tools that will enable you to collect even more information or provide self help for specific call types, with out cluttering up the call logging screen.

Page: 28

Top Menu Screen Layout

Left Menu Screen Layout

This option prompts for the department of that user first. They then click on the arrow image and are then presented with a list of open calls for their department before logging a call. There are two further options on layout with top or left menus.

User Logging Options – features  User Page Title

 Display Feedback form

 Display Links

 Display Category of Call

 Display User’s Phone and Department

 Allow User to Attach files

 Allow User to Close Calls

 Allow User to Add Events

 Do you want to display system Events

 Allow User to select Call Type and Sub Type

 Allow Users to reopen Closed Calls

 Allow user to enter a Subject line

 6 Extra definable fields and Due Date (see Call Fields definitions section) Title on User Logging Page

Enter the title to appear on the user log pages. Especially useful if you have multiple installations. Note also that the welcome message is changed from the Administration, Whiteboard page.

Page: 30 The system will always display the User Name and the Site (location) by default. If this is an existing user then the Site details will be retrieved from the User record. They are allowed to change the Site because we recognize that people do move around and may be at another location when requiring assistance.

FAQs and Call History defaults

Users are always given the option to see the FAQs and their Call history. If you do not want them to see these then the menu options will need to be removed from the page, however these are deemed as necessary to reduce the workload on the support department.

By allowing users to see their call history, they do not need to interrupt operators to obtain a status update.

By providing users with searchable FAQs you can build up a set of answers to common questions and preempt a number of support calls from being entered, freeing up staff from answering repetitive and simple queries. Attachments can be added to FAQs for further detailed information.

FAQ may be assigned to a Call Type / Sub Type (under Tools, FAQs) and the relevant FAQs are then automatically displayed to the user when the corresponding Call Type / Sub type is selected by them.

Note: Sitehelpdesk does not provide users with access to the knowledge base. This is because the knowledge base includes past call history information, some of which may be sensitive but also because knowledge bases require technical expertise to diagnose if the solution is relevant and still valid. It is not wise for Users to ‘have ago’ at fixing some problems themselves.

Display Feedback form

Adds a menu option for the Feedback form where Users can make comments, suggestions, complaints and praise. A new menu option is made available from the Administration menu to review and process any feedback received.

Display Links

Allows you to display URL and file Links to web sites, documents and other useful resources on your network. These are created by Operators with the necessary menu access via the Administration, Links menu.

First set up any group menu headings for your links using the Value List, ‘Link_Groups’ Then create your link using the Administration, Links menu.

Note: Users will only see those links where the ‘Display to Users’ flag is ticked.

You can select whether to display the link in the same or a new browser window.

These links may also display call related reports and graphs generated in the Report and Graph builder options

Display Priority of Call.

This will allow the user to select the severity or SLA priority of a call.

Use this with caution, as Users are likely to flag all requests as urgent. If you do not have a rigid SLA in place then you could prompt the user to tell you if they consider the

request to be High, Medium or Low to help you prioritize that call. Call Priorities are entered in the Administration, Priority menu option.

Page: 32

Display User’s Phone and Department

The current value for that User is displayed in these fields.

If you allow a Free Format user entry then you are advised to prompt for this, as this information is required to complete the new user record automatically from the information provided by the User.

Note: Any future changes made by the user here will apply to that call only and will not automatically update the user record.

Only valid departments may be entered so create all your Department descriptions under the Administration menu.

Allow User to attach files

If this is turned on then immediately after a call is logged and when the user is notified of the Call id, a button is made available so they can attach a file. The user can browse the network to select a file to attach to the call.

This may be any file type but will only be viewable by the operator if the corresponding program is available to open this type of file.

Attached files are copied across to the folder specified in the Administration,

Configuration set up path for Attachments and Reports. They are viewed by Operators from the ‘Attachment’ button on the call update page and may be searched on via the Call Management, Attachment Search option.

Allow user to Add Events and Allow User to Close Calls

Once a call has been created, a user may enquire upon that call via the Call History. By clicking on a Call No. they can see all the details of that call including events identifying who it is assigned to and the current status.

Note: That when adding Events, Operators have the option to hide them from the User With the two options to add events and close turned on, then the corresponding buttons are made available to users.

There are configuration options for notifying the Operator assigned to the call by email when users add their own events or close a call. Refer to the configuration section, Outgoing Email notifications.

Do you want to display system events to Users?

You can automatically hide all system driven Events from users (in addition to the once deliberately hidden when adding call Events.). Examples of system events are SLA threshold violations and general call updates.

Allow User to select Call Type and Sub Type

This will display the Call Type and Sub Type for the User to select. The Call type needs to be selected first and then only relevant Sub types are made available from the drop down selection box.

These Call Sub Types may also be used to auto assign to an Operator or automatically assign a Priority to the work. I.e. by the nature of the problem it is often possible to determine which Operator or Team is best qualified to resolve it and also to determine the SLA priority for dealing with it.

Tip: When setting up Call Sub Types there is an option to determine if that Sub Type is displayed to Users or not. Only display a limited number of simple and easily

recognizable options or the Users. Operators can always reassign to a more technical sub type analysis later. The Business Service Catalogue details may also be displayed. If the auto assign facility is not used then the Call will reside in the Call queue waiting to be assigned. If the call is auto assigned it will appear directly in the operator My Open Call and/or the Team Open calls menu.

Page: 34 Providing users with the option to re-open a closed call may help you clear calls more rapidly without the wait for a response from the user that their problem or request has been satisfactorily completed.

The standard closure email text may be edited to notify them that they may reopen the call if they are not satisfied that it is complete. There is an optional email notification to the Operator assigned to the call which is configured in the Email section above.

Allow user to enter a Subject line

To stream line the call collection page further you can opt not to request a subject line (summary) from the user. You must however enter a subject line to use by default, as the system requires that some text be entered here.

SLAmonitor

SLAmonitor is a separate executable program that resides on the web server and periodically checks the status of calls and notifies Operators and other assignees when a call has reached certain predefined SLA Category thresholds for escalation, response and fix times.

SLAmonitor also optionally informs operators by email when a ‘follow up’ is due.

SLAmonitor must be purchase separately. Refer to the SLAmonitor Administration guide for further information.

You can see if SLAmonitor is running and when it last checked the calls status from the operator login home page.

Call Field Definitions

Six additional definable fields may be presented to Operators and optionally also to Users. There is also an option to include a Due Date (see below). Use this to gather information required for all tickets. If you need additional information for only certain Call Types / Sub Types then consider using Scripts.

These fields may be useful for Operators to track where calls are coming in from (email, personal visit, telephone etc), whether a call is an Incident or Request, or to identify the types of closures required (upgraded, replaced, re-configured etc). Or they could be used to prompt for an expected completion date from the user.

Decide if these fields will be used and the label that will appear on the screens against them.

The data entry may be free format text or from predefined drop down lists maintained in Administration, Value Lists option, called CALL_EXTRA1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Specify if this is a required field or not i.e. should the validation process check that an entry or selection has been made – No (never – it is an optional field) Yes it is required when a call is created/updated or On Close (required when a call is changed to status ‘Closed’).

Finally select ‘yes’ if you want the users to be presented with these fields when logging their own calls and reviewing their call history.

Hint: We advise assigning user Extra fields in the order, 1,2,3 etc to help maintain the layout on the user call log page.

Call update page field sizes and additional features

You may alter the size of the Problem, Resolution and Event boxes here if you want to increase or reduce them from the defaults set.

You may also opt to receive a pop up error message box. This ensures that any validation errors are clearly seen when clicking on the operators Call update button.

An optional Due Date field may be enabled for Operator New/Update Calls pages and for Users to enter. If a date is entered then the format must be valid to UK/US format. You may also change the label associated with the due date field here.

Call Lists Format

You may select the columns to be included in the My/Team/All Open Calls lists and whether each wraps text or not. You may also select the main column to sort by. This includes Extra fields and Days since last Event entry and remaining to fix as well. Also note that you may click on list heading on the Call list pages to change from Ascending to Descending sort order.

Service Catalogue

Service catalogues are used to fully describe the services provided. The catalogue details are updated from Call type Sub type.

Technical Catalogue is used by Operators and when set to YES will be available on Call Update page from red button next to Call type / Sub type.

Page: 36 Similarly the Business Catalogue is available to users from a red button on their new call page.

If no Call type/ Sub type is selected the whole catalogue is listed.

Windows Active Directory Integration

As an alternative to manually setting up your user list, using the free format generation of user details or importing from other sources, you may import the details from your Active Directory.

Note: Because this is a web based application networked access to the Active Directory cannot be assumed by the system so integration is not seamless and does require the import button to be clicked on from the Administration, User page each time you want to import new User records.

Enter your Active Directory fully qualified Domain name (may need to be in upper case) the NT domain as well as an ID and password (password will be encrypted) for an account with administration rights on your active directory. Update the page then click on the AD test to confirm connection.

The import is carried out from the Administration, User page.

Terminology

You can alter any of the common terminology used in the product from the configuration page. Make the change, click on ‘apply changes’ and log out and in again to see the new terminology.

You are advised to keep the terminology brief to maintain the layout of the pages.

Note: This does not automatically change the terminology used in the help text or the Admin and Operator guides. Originals in MS Word format are available for edit from the community support site Links menu.

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Sitehelpdesk-IT configuration options

The options in this section only apply to sitehelpdesk-IT. If you only have sitehelpdesk installed then these configuration options will not have any useful effect and should not be altered.

Tracking Hardware against Calls

There are a number of options for creating your inventory records.

 Manually from the Hardware Inventory menu, Add button

 Import from WMImonitor or other supported PC auditing tools.

 Import from databases or spreadsheets.

Then you may also prompt to select an item when a call is logged. This is always an optional selection as not all calls will be inventory related.

When the User or Operator goes into the hardware entry field on the call log page a popup will display all the hardware that is associated directly to that User.

There is a further search facility in the inventory select window based on either asset number, host name or serial number. These may be renamed or rearranged (see below). The hardware item may be selected from the arrow icon next to it and the pop-up will close automatically.

Do you want an auto created sequential ID for each Asset; turning this on will auto create a sequential number in the asset field when a new item is created. (Top field on page).

If an inventory record is associated to a call then the system will maintain a history of calls by inventory item. The related call history may be viewed via the hardware page, which is available as a pop up from the arrow button on the Call update page.

Choosing the main identifier for hardware call logging

You can elect to use either the Hostname, Asset number or Serial number to identify your hardware items.

These fields may be given their own names using the Terminology section and the title displayed on the User and Operator new call log pages may also be defined here. The product was designed with the default to use the Host Name as the key identifier and this is displayed at the top of the Inventory item page. However, as many customers prefer to use their own asset number to identify the hardware, the defaults have been modified to accommodate that setup and the Asset number description is displayed in place of the Host name.

The decision as to which should be used relies mainly on what the Users/Operators are able to identify when logging a call. I.e. if you have a label stuck on the machine that shows the Asset number then use that as the main identifier.

To help clarify what is changed and where, we have provided screen shots against the configuration options below.

Page: 40 i.e. if you elect to use the serial number as the key identifier then the value against the Label ‘serial No’ will be saved in the asset id field – in this case item reference SER445.

Hardware Locations and Models, free format entry or drop down selections

The specific location of hardware items may be recorded and these may be configured for entry as free format descriptive text (e.g. third floor - east wing) or from a drop down selection (e.g. a room number)

If the drop down configuration option is chosen go to Administration, Sites and click on a site description then the Locations button and enter the relevant location for that site. Similarly, the specific model of hardware items may be recorded and these may be configured to be entered as free format descriptive text or from a drop down selection. If the drop down configuration option is chosen then go to Administration, Value List and select the list name HOST_MAKE. Click on a current list value description then the Models button and enter the related models for that Make of equipment.

There are four spare fields that you can use on the hardware register and these may be free format or drop down selections configured under Value Lists, HW_SPAREx.

Inventory Management Integration

Sitehelpdesk-IT provides the facility to import high level inventory records directly from the following hardware/software auditing and inventory management tools. Select your chosen inventory application from the drop down list.

 WMImonitor(contact [email protected] for further information and a quotation)

 HSImonitor (now superseded by WMImonitor)

 Visual Audit Pro

 Microsoft System Management Server

 Centennial Discovery

Once the integration is complete you may make direct enquiries on the latest data collections via the helpdesk inventory page.

Refer to the Hardware integration guide. Note there is a separate installation and administration guide for WMImonitor.

Customers may access these from the customer support site Links, Integrations menu. A new set of menu options will be available for the helpdesk. From the Hardware Summary you can import the high level information to sitehelpdesk-IT.

This will import predefined data into the helpdesk and create a relationship for enquiries back into the asset management tool database.

WMImonitor has an additional facility to match the data to specific fields and this should be set up before importing any hardware records. Refer to the WMImonitor admin guide.

Change and Release Management

Sitehelpdesk-IT provides Change and Release Management functionality to track Requests for Change. This feature will allow you to associate support requests and hardware to specific changes from within the Call Update page or the Change Management menu option.

Click on the configuration button to change the terminology used in Change and Release Management and the email / on screen text.

Problem Management

Sitehelpdesk-IT provides advanced Problem Management features and any Operator can be flagged as a Problem Manager via Administration, Operator and be given access to enhanced Problem Management features.

Note: Individual Operators will only gain access to these features if they have the access control to Change Management option ticked in the Administration, Operator page.

Page: 42 A new menu option appears and a Problem icon on Call Update Page

Refer to sitehelpdesk-IT Operator Guide for more information.

You may configure an email address and text for notifications when a call is flagged as a Problem (all Operators can flag a call as a Problem which then go into a Problem Call queue waiting to be analysed).

During analysis a Call can be used to generate a new problem or be associated to an existing problem. If a new Problem is created and assigned then an email is

automatically sent to the assigned Problem Manager. Enter a default text to accompany the notification.

There are new configurable Value Lists available for Problem Management that can be used for the Classification (PROB_CLASS), Impact (PROB_IMPACT) and Status (PROB_STATUS) on the Problem update page. Note: leave Closed PROB_STATUS as this is useful to exclude from Open Problem lists.

Call Management Work Flow New Call Entry

Entering a new call from a telephone call or personal visit is quick and easy to do. Use the Quick search facility to find a User. Just type in any part of their name and click on Search to display all users with those characters in their name. This does not need to be from the start of their name, as the search is based on whether the name ‘contains’ these characters. You can enter a department or site to narrow down the selection further if need be.

Click on the name to generate a new call screen pre populated with that User’s details. Complete the rest of the form and click on the ‘log call’ button.

Note: If you go directly to the New Call screen and select a User name from the drop down list by typing a character then that will take you to the first name that begins with that character. Typing a second character will only take you to a name that begins with that character, it will not take you to a name that has character one then character two. This is a limitation of the web browser based form.

Once the new call is logged, you are taken directly to the Call Update page where you can continue to work or even resolve that call if you wish.

Tip: If you are in the process of creating a new call and wish to start another new call record before completing the current one then place the mouse over the New Call menu option and right click the mouse and select ‘Open in New Window’.

Initial Assignments

When a call is logged by a User the new call ticket will either go directly to the Operator (or Team of Operators) based on the auto assignment for that Call Sub Type or be placed in the Call Queue waiting to be assigned to the appropriate Operator (or Team). When a new call is logged from the Call Manager menu, the Operator will be either auto populated from the auto assignment details held in the Call sub Type or selected by the person creating the new call.

Tip: There is an arrow button next to the Operator drop down selection list that displays a list of Operators showing their current workload. A selection may be made from this pop up window.

You may view the Operators status by hovering the mouse over the red select button by their name. Operator status is maintained in the Admin, Operators menu or by the Operator them selves in the Notes window (found at the top of the menu frame).

Page: 44

Re-assigning a Call

Operators may be given the privilege of re-assigning to another Operator or Team when their input on the call is complete and they need to hand over to somebody else. This privilege is available from the Administration, Operators page.

An audit log is recorded in the call details identifying the exact time that it was reassigned and identifies who reassigned the call.

Reassignments are suitable when call process need to run in sequence. I.e. part B cannot be started until part A is completed.

Tasks

Specific call sub types may have a set of tasks assigned to them and a call cannot be closed until these are complete. These tasks may contain any instructions.

Assigning a New Call Activity

Operators may create a new call from the details of an existing call by clicking on the ‘New Call’ button on the Call update page. All information will be passed across and a new call id allocated. The Operator should then edit the call description so it is clear what is required at the next stage.

This is useful when part B of a call needs to be dealt with by another Operator and also needs to be started before part A is complete (i.e. reassigning is inappropriate).

Linking Calls

Using the New Call button can also be used to create multiple Linked call tickets.

The master call ticket will display a link icon next to them in the call lists.

You can review a list of all Linked calls by clicking on the link icon in the Call update page and then open a linked call if you wish. You may also delete links and add new links from here. Clicking on this icon from a Call that has been linked to will display the master call id.

You may close all related calls when the master call is closed, with the same resolution text being automatically entered in all the related linked calls.

Tip: Another way to generate multiple but unrelated calls to ensure that they are dealt with promptly by the right people is to use the Call Template features.

Call Templates

There is an option under the Administration, Templates menu to create predefined calls. There are two main uses for these.

Quick Fixes

One is to allow the rapid creation of a call. This is particularly useful for small jobs that are done immediately on request. An operator is then unlikely to log a call after the event, particularly if logging the call takes longer than applying the fix. Using templates means that he can do this with one or two clicks of the mouse.

A Template call may be set up by entering a call description and checking the active box and saving. Then alter the template call details. Here you can set all the call parameters and even pre define it as being closed.

The operator then selects that template from the drop down on the new call screen, selects the user who the call relates to, possibly change the operator id but this can be

Page: 46 set to {current} in the Template, and then clicks update to both generate a new call and, if preset as closed, complete that call automatically.

Standard Procedures

It is also possible to predefine work procedures into the templates. An example of this may be a new user set up that involves a number of activities like ordering equipment, arranging a desk, scheduling their induction, configuring their PC, setting them up on the network etc. all these tasks may be created as templates and assigned to the right Operator or Team. One of these is then identified as the Master Template and all others associated to it. When an Operator selects the master template from the drop down list on the New Call screen and identifies the relevant User then saves it, all associated template calls will be created at the same time, each ‘Linked’ with their own call id.

Tip: Master Templates are prefixed with an * in the Template Call drop down list and the number of associated calls that will be auto generated are shown in brackets next to the description.

Scripting

The scripting tool allows you to set up to 20 routed scripts for each Call Type/ Sub Type. This then allows you to gather additional information for this type of call or to provide some self-help or other advice such as training requirements.

To setup a script go the Administration, Script menu option and select a Call Type and Sub Type that will invoke the script and enter a description for that script.

You can chose whether this script will be invoked by checking the ‘Active’ box.

Also decide whether it will be action on the Operator New Call screen and/or the User New Call screen. Now click on save and then select that script description from the list. Click on Questions button where you may enter up to 20 questions and route each one depending on the answer given.

The available responses are;

Click on an ‘OK’ button Useful when just providing information

Prompt for ‘Text’ Entry Used to capture additional information pertinent to the call being logged

‘Yes or No’ Answer to a question

Useful for specific information and when the next script depends on the outcome. I.e. you can route the script to another question or comment depending on whether Yes or No is selected

Once these are setup we advise testing thoroughly. You should not reach any dead ends because a ‘go to end’ will be inserted by the system if need be, but the logical flow does need to be checked.