User’s Guide

May 2003

Web+Center Version 4.01

Chapters:

1. Introduction to Web+Center

2. Customer+Center

3. Tech+Center

4. Business+Center

5.0 Pocket+Center

1. Introduction to Web+Center

Welcome to Web+Center by Internet Software Sciences. This chapter presents an overview of the main features of Web+Center, and introduces the concepts and terminology that will be used throughout the rest of this document. We hope that Web+Center proves to be a valuable tool for your customer support or Help Desk center.

Additional Web+Center training material is available in the c:\<your Web+Center installation directory>\documentation\ directory. This directory contains Power Point training modules and MS word versions of the complete documentation. These documents can be used or modified in training your support organization for using Web+Center. Please review this documentation directory for additional or newly released documentation .

1.1 What is Web+Center?

Web+Center is a suite of powerful and easy to use Web-based Customer Relationship Management tools for Help Desk, Customer support, and contact management. Web+Center Internet based Help Desk and Contact Management applications for customer support can either replace or supplement a traditional telephone based Help Desk. It is flexible enough to be used effectively in either a small customer support center staffed by a handful of people, or a large support center organized into several independent support groups. It can be used as either an Internal Help Desk application for tracking case reports opened by internal customers (company employees and staff), or as an External Help Desk application for tracking case reports opened by external customers (purchasers of products and services) who have Internet access. When used with an Internal Help Desk, Web+Center also provides Asset Management functions for tracking case reports associated with particular company assets such as computers and telecommunication equipment. Web+Center’s new component, Business+Center is a comprehensive Sales/Contact Management component to help record customer notes, route and assign contacts to contact reps, and inform customers and contacts through email notification alerts. Lastly, a new Tech interface has been developed for Pocket PC’s that can be accessed through the Pocket+Center application. This web-based application allows techs to log into the web+center application using a pocket explorer on a pocket pc with various remote connectivity options. This web-based user interface is designed to work efficiently on the small pocket PC screen and browsers.

Web+Center is installed and operated as an Internet web site that runs on a PC under the Windows NT/2000/XP Internet Information Server. Web+Center can be installed and operated on either the public Internet or on a private intranet (a private TCP/IP network), and can be accessed from any computer with either the Netscape Navigator web browser, or the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser. No other special purpose client software is needed. Web+Center can support either a Microsoft Access database, or a Microsoft SQL Server database depending upon the needs of the customer support center.

Web+Center has three main software components called Customer+Center, Tech+Center, and Business+Center. Each component is accessed with a web browser, and each has its own convenient user interface and customer support features. Customer+Center is for access by customers, and Tech+Center is for access by support staff members (or “techs”). Business+Center is for access for sales or other contact relationship management (CRM) positions.

Customer+Center has the following features:

· WWW browser based User Interface provides convenient access to Customer+Center features. The login page can be customized with corporate text and graphics as desired.

· Customer+Center is designed to be tightly integrated with your existing website with all your current banners, footers, and navigation HTML code. Simple integration of your site’s navigation HTML into two Customer+Center files will create the necessary navigation links on every Customer+Center page. All of the web scripting code used in the Customer+Center component is provided as part of Web+Center allowing 100% customization of the web functionality.

· Password Security requires customers to log into Customer+Center to access its features. Customers must first register a username and password which are then used for all future logins. There are two options for registration. Customers can either use the Self-Registration option (if enabled), or they can telephone the customer support center and request to be registered by a staff member. Customers receive automatic email notification confirming their registration. Lost usernames and passwords can be recovered in a secure manner.

· Case Management functions allow customers to open new cases, and to update and track the status of their open cases without ever having to make a phone call. Customers receive automatic email notification (if enabled) whenever a case is updated or resolved by the customer support staff.

· Optional Asset Management functions provide support for Internal Help Desks. If enabled, customers can attach case reports to specific company assets.

· Customers can easily search an online Help Database consisting of previously resolved case reports. This enables customers the opportunity to search for solutions to problems on their own without having to open a case, and without having to wait for action by the customer support staff. The Help database is configured and built by administration knowledge base options available in the Tech+Center administration menu.

· Customers can also access a “Frequently Asked Questions” list of problems and solutions that have been identified from tech staff as important or frequently referenced. This list can be configured using options under the reports menu item with the Tech+Center application.

· Customers can also access a single case submit page (OneStepTicket.asp/OneStepTicketFileUp.asp) that can perform customer registration and case record creation in a single simple form. This is useful where users might submit trouble tickets but not be too concerned with follow-up or updates and do not want to perform a complete customer registration process. The One Step Ticket also supports an optional File Upload feature to let customers upload one file to the Help Desk directly from their web browser.

· Customers can take web-based customer surveys once a case is closed providing feed-back to support organizations.

Tech+Center has the following features:

· WWW browser based Multi-Frame User Interface provides convenient access to Tech+Center features. Three simultaneously visible frames (or windows) are provided including a frame for control buttons, a frame for displaying open cases that are assigned to techs and support groups, and a general purpose frame for displaying all other Tech+Center user pages. The login page can be customized with corporate text and graphics as desired.

· Password Security requires techs to log into Tech+Center to access its features. Access by techs to particular customer support features is restricted through the assignment of Multi-Level Access Privileges.

· Customer Management functions allow techs to register new customers, manage information for existing customers, and send case reports to customers by email. A search function allows techs to quickly and easily find customer records.

· Case Management functions allow techs to open new cases for customers, and to update and track the status of all existing open cases in the system. Techs can easily view all open cases assigned to any particular tech or support group, and can easily assign (or route) case reports from one tech to another, or from one support group to another. A Help Database that can be searched by both techs and customers is automatically created as open cases become resolved and archived. Auto-Email Notification (if enabled) will cause an email message to be automatically sent to a tech whenever a case is first assigned to that tech, and will also cause an email message to be automatically sent to a set of selected techs in a particular support group whenever a case is first assigned to that group. A cell phone email address can also be configured to be sent a very brief Cell-phone viewable alert by configuring the cell phone email address under the Tech’s Home information column.

· Optional Asset Management functions provide support for Internal Help Desks. If enabled, techs can easily attach case reports to specific company assets. Program functions are provided for conveniently building and maintaining the assets DB. A search function allows techs to quickly and easily find asset records.

· A powerful Multi-Criteria Case Search Engine allows techs to easily perform complex case searches without any knowledge of SQL.

· Dispatch Management functions allow dispatchers working at a telephone based Help Desk to monitor the availability of customer support staff so that incoming phone calls can be efficiently dispatched. Techs can signal their availability by toggling the Available/Busy button on the Tech+Center user interface control panel.

· Extensive System Management functions allow techs with administrative privileges to register new staff members, assign access privileges, create support groups, assign staff members to support groups, enable/disable email notification features, and much more.

· A configurable set of Knowledge Base Management tools and utilities allow you to create an efficient knowledge base that can be used by customers or techs searching for solutions.

· Export Customer and Staff Databases Feature allows Business+Center users to export/import their customer database and their support staff information to MS Outlook Address book and then allow Hot-Sync of customer and staff information to their Palm or other Personal Digital Assistant.

· Export Assigned Cases allows Tech+Center users to export/import their assigned cases to MS Outlook Task List and then allow Hot-Sync of the assigned tasks to their Palm or other Personal Digital Assistant.

· Group Calendar Feature allows Tech+Center users to create and share calendar events for meetings, tasks, case assignments or other appointments with other techs.

· Customer Surveys allows a web-based customer survey to be sent to the customer once a case is closed. A web-based tool allows easy creation and viewing results of customer surveys.

Business+Center has the following features:

· WWW browser based Multi-Frame User Interface provides convenient access to Business+Center features. Three simultaneously visible frames (or windows) are provided including a frame for control buttons, a frame for displaying customer records and customer searches and other contact related data view and input screens.

· Password Security requires contact reps to log into Business+Center to access its features. Access by contact reps to particular contact management support features is restricted through the assignment of Multi-Level Access Privileges.

· Customer Management functions allow contact reps to register new customers, manage detailed and running information for new or existing customers. A search function allows contact reps to quickly and easily find customer records and annotate new customer profiles into the database

· Contact Management functions allow contact reps to “assign” customers to one or more contact reps and define customers into selected user groups for easy business/sales routing operations.

· Email List Notification functions allow contact reps to quickly create and distribute email messages to selected groups of users. Additional functions allow email messages to be personalized and include embedded links to email list removal options as part of the email message.

· Contact Reps Availability Screens provide up to date contact information for sales organizations and show current availability status and notes

· Integration with Tech+Center component allows contact reps to check the status of customer support issues or to directly log or view support cases for customers.

· Group Calendar Feature allows Business+Center users to create and share calendar events for meetings, tasks, case assignments or other appointments with other Business+Center users.

1.2 Web+Center Organizational Model (OM)

Web+Center is designed around a natural and widely implemented customer support center organizational model. This section describes that model, and describes (in general) how Web+Center supports that model. This section does not attempt to touch on all the features of Web+Center. Detailed descriptions of particular Web+Center program functions can be found throughout the rest of this document.

The Web+Center OM has five central components:

· Customers

· Dispatchers

· Techs

· Administrators

· Support Groups

· Contact Reps

The Web+Center OM organizes support staff personnel into 4 main categories depending upon their function and security level: Techs, Dispatchers, Administrators, and contact Reps. Dispatchers play the role of traditional Help Desk personnel who answer phone calls and route new cases to appropriate technical personnel. Techs are the technical personnel who have the knowledge to solve problems and answer questions for customers who contact the support center for help. Contact Reps are personnel who may be in sales or other customer contact positions where detailed notes and customer contact records are created rather than tracking and managing support cases for customers. Contact reps are registered as “techs” in the system but will primarily use the Business+Center component. Administrators are administrative personnel whose functions are described in the chapters on System Administration and System Configuration, and won’t be discussed here.

The Web+Center OM further organizes Techs into one or more Support Groups, where traditionally each support group has its own limited area of expertise. Every support center must have at least one support group. Techs may belong to more than one group at a time. The Web+Center OM requires that one support group be designated the “default group” whose purpose is described below. If the support center has only a single support group, then that group is automatically designated the default. Otherwise any desired group can be chosen. The concept of support group, along with the ability of staff members to easily assign (or route) case reports from one tech to another, or from one support group to another, is central to the Web+Center OM, and is the key to Web+Center’s power and flexibility. Support groups allow users of Web+Center to effectively manage both small and large customer support centers, and allow support centers to easily change and grow.

In the Web+Center OM, Customers are people who use the services of a customer support center to solve problems, ask questions, or make requests regarding the products or services provided by the company or institution that operates the support center. A support center can be operated either as an Internal Help Desk for the benefit of staff and employees (“internal customers”), or it can be operated as an External Help Desk for the benefit of people who purchase the products or services of the company (“external customers”). Of course a support center can also be operated as both an Internal and External Help Desk.

When a customer needs help from a customer support center, two options are available. The customer can either use a web browser to log into Customer+Center and open a case report over the Internet, or the customer can telephone the support center and have a staff member open a case on their behalf. Some support centers may offer only one or the other of these two options depending upon support center policy. In any event, every case report must be opened on behalf of some customer. So what happens to the newly opened case report? Where does it go? Who is it assigned to, and how?

Here’s what happens. Every case report in the Web+Center database (whether opened or closed) must be assigned to a support group. When a case is first opened by a customer (or by a staff member on behalf of a customer) it is automatically assigned to the default support group. The case can also be assigned directly to another group if the group is initially set by categories selected by the customer or tech. The Web+Center OM requires that one or more support staff members called Primary Dispatchers monitor the default group for any newly opened cases. This is done using the Tech+Center user interface which has a window for viewing all open cases assigned to any particular tech or support group. The primary dispatcher is the first person to look at new cases, and is the one who must decide which tech or support group a new case should first be assigned to. Tech+Center provides the ability to easily assign (or route) case reports to techs and to support groups. If the support center is small and has a single support group (in which case the dispatchers would probably know all the techs), then the dispatcher would assign a new case directly to the appropriate tech. On the other hand, if the support center is large and has more than one support group (in which case the dispatcher may not even know the techs), then the dispatcher would assign a new case to the appropriate support group, but not necessarily to a particular tech. In the latter case, each support group would be expected to have one or more Group Dispatchers (techs who belong to the group) who would be responsible for monitoring the support group for any newly opened cases, and assign them appropriately. If a tech is assigned a case that really should be handled by someone else, the tech has the option to reassign the case (along with an explanation in the case history log if necessary) to another tech or support group, or back to the primary dispatcher.

Web+Center Primary Dispatchers are analogous to telephone dispatchers in a traditional Help Desk environment. In a customer support center that supports both a telephone based Help Desk and a Web+Center based Help Desk it may be desirable to have the same dispatchers operate both desks. On the one hand, a dispatcher could monitor the default support group for cases that have been newly opened by customers over the Internet, and on the other hand the same dispatcher could open new cases on behalf of customers who call in by phone. In either case, the new case reports would end up in the Web+Center database, and would be routed to the appropriate support group and tech.

2. Customer+Center

Customer+Center is the software used by customers to open and track case reports with a Web+Center based Help Desk. It is also used by customers to search the Help Database for solutions to problems and questions without having to contact the Help Desk at all. This chapter describes those functions in detail. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the basic concepts introduced in section 1.2 Web+Center Organizational Model (OM).

Chapter topics:

Accessing the Customer+Center Home Page

How to view the “Top 10” support cases

How to search the Help Database

Hints and other information on Help Database Searches

How to self-register

How to log in

How to retrieve a lost username and password

How to open a new case

How to view or modify an existing case

How to update your registration information

How to log out

Customizing the Customer+Center Homepage

How to create a one-step-ticket for customer registration and case creation

How to login using NT Authentication for Customer+Center Login

File Download options for Customer+Center

Accessing the Customer+Center Home Page

To access the Customer+Center Home Page, enter the following URL into the browser window:

· http://Your_Host_Name/CustomerCenter/

OR try:

· http://Your_Host_Name/CustomerCenter/default.htm

where:

· Your_Host_Name is either your local area network host name or the domain name of your web site (such as www.mycompany.com).

Note: If you cannot view the Customer+Center Home page, please verify that the Web+Center application is properly installed and configured. Refer to the Web+Center installation guide for more details.

How to view the Top 10 Support cases

· Click on the Top 10 reported problems link on the Customer+Center home page to view important cases (Problem summary and resolutions) that have been identified by support staff.

How to search the Help Database

· Click on the Search Help Database button on the Customer+Center home page

· Enter your search criteria which can be based on a combination of case category selections and key words.

· Select the appropriate category choice for each category or select the default (Ignore) to disable this category as part of the search..

· Enter a single keyword or group of words into the Keyword box.

· Press the Search Help Database button at the bottom of the page.

Hints and other information on Help Database Searches

· To narrow the search, select more categories or enter fewer keyword(s).

· To widen the search, select fewer or no categories and enter more keywords or even just part of a single keyword.

· The Customer+Center search engine displays 15 matches for each page. Additional matches can be retrieved clicking the page numbers or the “next” button.

· Users do not have to be registered or log in to use the Help Database search.

· It is helpful to enter Error code numbers or exact screen text as keyword (s) if it is available.

· The Customer+Center search results only returns case records that meet the following conditions:

· If any matching categories are entered, only cases that have the selected categories.

· Any word or words entered in a text string search must be in the knowledge base. The knowledge base is configured and built using options available with the Tech+Center administration menu.

· Only cases where there is information in the case summary and case resolution fields.

How to self-register

To self register with the Customer+Center:

· Click on the New User button on the Customer+Center home page.

· Complete the Customer Registration form. Include a username and password that can be used for future Customer+Center access.

· When all registration fields are completed, press the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

· After completing the Customer+Center registration, a registration confirmation email is sent that includes the Username and password for future reference.

How to log in

To log into the Customer+Center, enter your Username and Password that you previously entered during registration and press the Login button located on the Customer+Center home page.

How to retrieve a lost username and password

To recover your lost username or password or both:

· Enter your previously registered email address and clicking on the Lost ID button on the Customer+Center Home page.

· If a match is found, it will send an email to that address with the Username and password login information.

How to open a new support case

Support cases can only be created for registered “Customers”. Once a user has self registered or registered by support staff, navigate to the Customer+Center Options page by logging in.

· To open a new support case, select the Create New Case option in the Select One Option drop-down box and press the “Go” button.

· On the New Support Case Entry form, complete the 5 steps outlined below including:

· If Web+Center is configured to be an internal Help Desk with the Asset Management feature enabled, an optional Asset Assignment will appear on the case form. To assign a particular asset to this case, press the Find Asset link. Once you select an asset, you will be returned back to the New Support Case Entry form. Be sure to assign this field before filling in the other fields.

· Briefy Summarize your problem or question in the One Line Description text box.

· Select the most appropriate category for each of the category choice boxes listed.

· Describe the problem in detail in the text area box. Error messages and other text can be “cut” and “pasted” into the problem detail text box.