Web+Center Installation and Configuration Guide

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.

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.

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).

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.
Press the Submit button at the bottom of the page to submit your support case.

How to view or modify all cases for selected User Group

Customers can be configured through the Tech+Center to be a “Super User” level customer that can be configured to have view and editing rights to their own cases and also any cases that are associated with customers within a single User Group. To enable a customer to have expanded access rights to view a selected user group cases:

In the Tech Center, Click on the New Customer or Get Customer button to create or find an existing customer.
In the Customer Information form, select a defined User Group for the field label User Group Read Access.
Press the Submit button to save this setting.
The next time this customer logs on to the Customer+Center, they will have some additional options to display All Open Group Cases, All Group Cases, and All Closed Group Cases.
Only one user group can be specified.

How to view or modify an existing case

On the Registered User Support Options page, select either the Show All Cases, Show Open Cases, Show All Open Group Cases, Show All Group Cases and Show All Closed Group Cases and press the “Go” button.
To view or update any listed cases, click on the Case number hypertext link on the left hand side of the table.
On the Support Case Update form, you can modify the asset (if asset management is enabled) One Line Description, change categories, or add new history text. Any previously entered case information is displayed in the Case History area.
Problem summary as defined by support staff – May exist if completed by support staff
Problem resolution as defined by support staff – May exist if completed by support staff
To add new information to your support case, enter new information into the text box label Add New Case Information Below.
Cases that have already been closed by support staff cannot be updated.
If you need to update a closed case, create a new case and reference the old case number in your new case detailed description field.
Press Submit to process the case updates.

How to Update Your Registration Information

On the Registered User Support Options page, select the Update Registration option and press the “Go” button.

Complete the registration form changes and press the Submit button.

How to Logout

To log out of Customer+Center from the Registered User Options page:

Select the Log Out option in the Select One Option drop-down list at the top of the page and press the “Go” button.

Customizing the Customer+Center Application

The Customer+Center application is designed to be tightly integrated with your existing website navigational structure and look and feel. The entire Customer+Center application is written in ASP (Active Server Page) and all of the source is included with your Web+Center installation. The ASP code is ASCII HTML type scripting language that is easy to modify without compilers or extensive programming experience. We recommend that anybody modifying the ASP code should be a competent ASP programmer and be prepared to support any changes you make the Customer+Center ASP pages.

Internet Software Sciences offers consulting services to help create modifications to the Customer+Center ASP code to help integrate the application with your current site design.

To integrate the Customer+Center application with your current web site HTML navigation and layouts, one must edit the following 3 files. These files are located in the <Your Web+Center Directory>\customercenter\ directory.

Default.htm – This is the Customer+Center “home page”. This is a standard HTML file from which the Customer+Center various applications are launched. Open up this file using a standard ASCII editor and add your necessary banner, navigation bars, and image maps. Feel free to replace the graphics (default.gif) with your own graphics banner.

CCHeader.inc – This ASP “include” file gets “included” as the first part of any page displayed by the Customer+Center application. This page initially contains a minimal navigation framework which is designed to be modified by the company or organization with any necessary HTML banner, images, javascript, that needs to be displayed at the start of the HTML document.

CCFooter.inc – This ASP “include” file gets included as the last part of any page displayed by the Customer+Center application. This page initially contains a minimal footer links and closing HTML tags but it is designed to be modified to include any footer links or HTML code that appears at the end of the HTML document.

Customizing the Email Notification messages

Automatic email notifications are sent out to the customer after Self-Registration, case creation or updates or recovering lost Usernames and passwords. Pre-formatted text for these emails can be configured using the options within the Tech+Center administration tools. Other parts of the message can be modified by editing the Customer+Center ASP code that creates the email message before it is sent out.

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

There are two special scripts (OneStepTicket.asp/OneStepTicketFileUp.asp and DoOneStepTicket.asp/DoOneStepTicketFileUp.asp) that you can include links to on your Customer+Center pages somewhere. This script (OneStepTicket.asp) asks users for a minimal amount of customer information (Last name, First name, Email and phone number) and then the standard case information (One Line Description, Categories and Detailed Description). Once users enter this information in and press Submit, the form will first create a new customer registration based on Last name + first name if their email has not already being registered and then it will create a case ticket for that customer. The default password for this user is initially set to “password”. If the email matches a user on the system already, it will not create a new customer ID but use that existing customer record to create a case. These cases can then be handled like any other case created by the Customer+Center or Tech+Center interfaces since they will be connected to valid Customer_ID’s and will be routed to appropriate groups as well just like cases entered with the Customer+Center two step approach. If users wish to update cases created with this form, they must log into the Customer+Center and perform a regular case update.
If one calls the OneStepTicketFileUp.asp as the first page, it will provide an optional form element to allow users to select and upload a file to the Help Desk Server for review by the Tech+Center support staff. The file is saved in a directory on the Web+Center server machine and can be accessed by tech staff over the web as well. The configuration settings for this file Upload feature can be found in the db_define.inc file located in the customercenter directory. One must configure a virtual directory where the files can be placed and this IIS virtual directory should only have read access (and not script or executable permissions set) for security concerns. Also, one must create and specify in the db_define.inc file the physical file path of the downloaded files. One can also specify if the files downloaded are to be renamed based on their associated case number or left as file name downloaded. All of these options are defined in the db_define.inc file.

A link to this page can be created by HTML code like:

<a href=OneStepTicket.asp>Submit a trouble ticket</a>

< a href=OneStepTicketFileUp.asp>Submit a trouble ticket</a>

How to Login using NT Authentication for Customer+Center Login

Customers log into the Customer+Center by providing a Login ID or username and a password. An optional method exists if all of the users are authenticated NT domain users.

If you want the Web+Center to directly log in users who are already authenticated on the domain with a single web page link click, follow these steps below:

Put your users NT login name into the customer Login ID field in the Web+Center customer database. The Web+Center customer database Logon ID is limited to 20 characters. You can enter this information into the customer record using customer import tools like ImportLDAP.asp and DoImportLDAP.asp or they can be entered individually in the Tech+Center.

Change the file permissions on just the DoAuthLogin.asp file in the customercenter directory and set the permissions for this file to just domain users.

Create a web link to this file like http://<ip or domain>/customer40/DoAuthLogin.asp

This page login script works by grabbing the LOGON_USER value from the HTTP headers and using that for the Customer+Center login user id. This field is then checked with the Customer+Center Customers Username field. If it exists, then the user will log into the Customer+Center.

File Download options for Customer+Center

A customer can attach or download a file to a support case if this feature has been enabled for the Customer+Center.

To Download a file for a support case:

Create and submit a support ticket.
Click continue on the page that displays the case number
Click on the case number to open up that support ticket again
Click on the Download File link.
Browser the Browse… button to locally navigate to the file to be downloaded
Press the Submit button
Verify that the file was successfully downloaded. Press the Continue Button.
The file should have been downloaded and included as a link in the case history field for that support case.
To download additional files, click on the Download File link as needed.

Refer to the Tech+Center System Configuration section on how to enable and configure the file download options for the Customer+Center.

3. Tech+Center

Tech+Center is the software used by support center personnel to access the Web+Center database and perform all the functions necessary to manage a customer support center. 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).

3.1 User Interface and Security

How to log in

Tech+Center is accessed over the public Internet, or over a private intranet (a private TCP/IP network), using either the Netscape Navigator or MS Internet Explorer web browser. The URL used to access Tech+Center in a standard installation has the following format:

http://<domain_name> /TechCenter/default.htm

where <domain_name> is either the web site Internet domain name or the computer name, and where “default.htm” is a static HTML “Welcome” page that can be customized as desired with corporate graphics and text. When this URL is first accessed you will be prompted for a username and password. After entering your username and password, you will be presented with the welcome page. Simply push the Continue button to bring up the Tech+Center user interface. Refer to the section on System Administration to learn how to register staff members and set up usernames and passwords.

User interface windows

Tech+Center provides a convenient web browser Multi-Frame User Interface with three simultaneously visible frames (or windows).

On the left side of the screen is the Control Panel, a window that displays the main buttons used to access Tech+Center program features. The number and type of buttons displayed will depend upon the security level assigned to the user. For example, the Administration button will only be displayed on the user interface for a user with administrative privileges. The standard web browser Back button is also considered to be a part of the Tech+Center user interface and should be used freely whenever it’s convenient. Documentation on how to use these buttons can be found throughout this chapter. Refer to the section on System Administration for more information on Tech+Center security levels.

At the top of the screen is the Open Cases Window used for displaying a list of open cases that are currently assigned to a particular tech or support group. To display or refresh your own open cases, simply push the My Open Cases button on the control panel. To display or refresh the open cases currently assigned to another tech, or to a particular support group, simply push the Other Open Cases button and then click on the hypertext link for the desired tech or support group. Open cases are displayed in a table with five columns (case number, case priority, date opened, date last modified, one line description, and assigned tech or assigned support group). The case number is displayed as a hypertext link allowing easy navigation to the case form. All of the column headings (except for the one line description) are displayed as hypertext links which, if clicked on, will sort the table entries by that column. When a case is first assigned to a tech, the entry for that case in the Open Cases Window will be colored red until the assigned tech first reads the case (i.e. until the tech first navigates to the case form). The Open Cases Window can be resized by dragging the bottom border up or down.

Below the Open Cases Window is the general purpose User Window used for displaying a wide variety of Tech+Center pages that will be described throughout this document. This window can be resized by dragging the top border up or down.

3.2 Customer Management

Every case report that’s opened must be assigned to a customer that has already been registered with Web+Center. A customer can either self-register using Customer+Center, or can contact the support center by phone and request to be registered by a staff member. The options available for registration depend upon support center policy. Self-registration is described in the chapter on Customer+Center. This section describes how to use Tech+Center to register customers and manage customer information.

How to register a new customer

To register a new customer:

· Push the New Customer button on the control panel.

· Fill in the Customer Information form.

· Push the Submit button to create the new customer record.

When a customer record is created, a unique Customer ID is automatically generated using the customer First Name and Last Name, and therefore this information is required. All other customer information is optional. A customer E-mail address should be entered if the support staff intends to communicate with the customer by email. A Username and Password must be entered if the customer intends to access Customer+Center.

How to modify an existing customer

To modify an existing customer record:

· Find the desired record using the Get Customer button on the control panel.

· Modify the desired fields in the Customer Information form.

· Push the Submit button to save changes.

How to create Super User customers to view Group Cases

To create a customer that has the ability to review and update cases for a selected User Group as well as their own cases:

· Find the desired record using the Get Customer button on the control panel.

· Select a particular User Group for the Field User Group Read Access in the Customer Information form.

· Push the Submit button to save changes.

How to delete a customer

Only staff members with administrative privileges can delete a customer. Refer to the section on System Administration for more information.

How to search for a customer

To search for one or more customers:

· Push the Get Customer button on the control panel.

· Enter the desired search criteria in the Customer Search form.

· Push the Submit button to perform the search.

The set of all found customer records will be displayed in a summary list (a table), where each entry in the list will contain information for a particular customer. The Customer ID for each customer will be displayed as a hypertext link which, if clicked on, will display the customer record.

If Tech+Center has been configured to enable the displaying of Customer ID drop down lists, then the Customer ID can be entered by clicking on the field and selecting the desired Customer ID from the list. Otherwise the Customer ID must be entered manually. Refer to the section on System Configuration to learn how to enable this feature.

How to import customer records into the Web+Center Customer database

To import customer records into Web+Center customers table:

· Backup the database completely before attempting any data importing.

· Open up the ImportLDAP.asp and DoImportLDAP.asp files in the techcenter directory with an ASCII editor.

· Review the instructions in the ImportLDAP.asp file on how to customize this script for your selected import requirements. Edit the file and perform a test. You must convert your customer records into an Access or ODBC compliant database before performing the data import process.

· After customizing the script, run the script by entering: http://hostname/techcenter/importLDAP.asp.

· One could also review the ImportFilter.asp script in the TechCenter Directory.

· We do not recommend directly importing customer records using a MS database import tool since we carefully create certain index key fields that will not be properly created if you use a Data Import wizard tool.

· This process should only be attempted by qualified Web+Center administrators and configurators. Editing and configuring this file assumes some database knowledge.

How to export customer records in MS Outlook and PDA’s

To create a file that can be used to import customer records into MS Outlook Address book which can then be Hot-Sync with your PDA device:

Step 1 Creating the Import File

· Push the Get Customer button on the control panel.

· Press the Export Search link to the right of the Customer Search title.

· Enter any appropriate search criteria (User Groups, assignments, company, first or last names, etc) OR Do Not Enter any search criteria if you wish to export all customer records

· Select the appropriate Export File Type (Defaults to MS Outlook Tab Delimited Type)

· Select one of the existing categories for the address book category or enter a new address book in the text below the choice list.

· Press the Submit Button.

· It will ask whether to Save or Open the file. Select the Save Option

· In the Save As window, name the file as *.txt since we are creating a text based TAB delimited file.

Step 2 Import the TAB file into MS Outlook

· Now launch MS Outlook application

· Click on the Contacts icon.

· Select the File... Import and Export ... Option menu option.

· Select the option (Import from another program or file)

· Press the Next > button.

· Select the Tab Separated Values (Windows) as the file type to export form.

· Navigate to your file. It may have saved the file as *.txt.asp since some browsers will default to *.asp since the original script was called "asp". You should rename the file *.txt if the file has the extension *.asp.

· Select other import options as needed.

· Press Next

· The selected customers should now be imported into your address book with category information.

Step 3: Hot Sync with your Palm Pilot

· Connect your computer and your Palm with your HotSync cable or cradle.

· Press the HotSync button to transfer changed or new address book entries.

How to export Tech Staff records in MS Outlook and PDA’s

To create a file that can be used to import your Tech Staff Information (Phone numbers, etc) records into MS Outlook Address book which can then be Hot-Sync with your PDA device:

Step 1 Creating the Import File

· Push the Other Cases button on the control panel.

· Press the Export Tech Contact Information link at the bottom of the page.

· Select the option to export all tech staff members or a particular tech staff group.

· Select the appropriate Export File Type (Defaults to MS Outlook Tab Delimited Type)

· Select one of the existing categories for the address book category or enter a new address book category in the text below the choice list.

· Press the Submit Button.

· It will ask whether to Save or Open the file. Select the Save Option

· In the Save As window, name the file as *.txt since we are creating a text based TAB delimited file.

Step 2 Import the TAB file into MS Outlook

· Now launch MS Outlook application

· Click on the Contacts icon.

· Select the File... Import and Export ... Option menu option.

· Select the option (Import from another program or file)

· Press the Next > button.

· Select the Tab Separated Values (Windows) as the file type to export form.

· Select other import options as needed.

· Press Next

· The selected techs should now be imported into your address book with category information.

Step 3: Hot Sync with your Palm Pilot

· Connect your computer and your Palm with your HotSync cable or cradle.

· Press the HotSync button to transfer changed or new address book entries.

3.3 Case Management

Case management is at the heart of Web+Center customer support. When a customer needs help from a support center, two options are available (depending upon support center policy). 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. The case report is then used to record and track all relevant information regarding the case, from the time it’s opened to the time it’s resolved and closed. This information includes, among other things, customer information, a detailed description of the problem or question, a chronological history of all work done on the case, and a summary and resolution of the case. Once the case has been resolved and closed, it remains permanently stored in the Web+Center database which can then be accessed by both techs and customers as an aid to solving future problems. Techs have full access to the database through the search functions provided by Tech+Center, and customers have more limited access through the search functions provided by Customer+Center. This section describes the contents of a case report in detail, and describes the Tech+Center utilities available for managing cases.

Case report description

This section describes in detail each item of information that appears in a case report (or case form).

Customer Information for the customer who owns the case is displayed at the top of the Case Form. This information is taken from the customer record, and a hypertext link is provided for easy navigation to that record.

If Asset Management is enabled, then an Asset Number field will appear at the top of the form. The case report can be attached to a particular company asset by entering the asset ID number in this field. The ID number for a particular asset can be found using the Get Asset button on the control panel. When an ID number is entered, a hypertext link appears enabling easy navigation to the asset record. Refer to the section on Asset Management for more information on assets.

The Duplicate Case field at the top of the form is used to link the case report to another case that contains duplicate information. Here’s an example of how it’s used. Suppose that a company installs a new software package on some of its computers, and suppose that the software has a bug which is discovered by the computer users, and suppose that each user then opens a case report complaining about the bug. The cases would then be assigned to a tech who would soon realize that they were all similar. Instead of attempting to track and document every case individually the tech would have the option to select one of the cases (at random) and treat it as a “master case” in which to document the history and resolution of the problem. The Duplicate Case field in the other case reports would then be used to reference the master case number. When a duplicate case number is entered, a hypertext link appears enabling easy navigation to the master case. Similarly, all case records that reference a particular master case can be easily found using the Search Engine.

The One Line Description field is used for entering a short description of the case. This description is displayed along with other case information in the Open Cases window.

The Reference field is designed to hold an external case reference number or other quick reference to the case. If the case is based on another tracking/work scheduler program number or purchase order number, that value can be saved into this field. This field can store up to 30 alpha-numeric characters. This field is also searchable with the Search Engine. Partial field entry searches can be used to find cases by the reference number by entering the starting text of the reference number. It can be used to store any character string up to 30 characters.

The Case History log is a permanent chronological record of the history of the case, including all relevant information such as a detailed case description and any work performed to resolve the case. Entries are appended to the log using the Append Case History field. Once an entry has been made it cannot be deleted or modified. The Case History log can be appended whenever desired by either a tech, or by the customer through Customer+Center. Whenever new information is appended, it is automatically stamped with the date and time, and the name of the person who made the entry. The stamp is colored red if the entry is made by a tech, and green if the entry is made by the customer.

The Case Summary and Case Resolution fields are used by techs to briefly and clearly summarize a case and its resolution after a case has been resolved. This information becomes available to customers through the customer Help Database. Refer to the section on How to create a Help Database for more information.

Including HTML Links in Case Summary or Resolution Fields

To include HTML tag references to images or to other http:// links for downloads within the Case Summary or Case Resolution fields, replace the single HTML starting and ending tag characters with “double tags” like “<<” and “>>” . A single tag will be converted to display the tag rather than to allowing it to be interpreted. For example to have a link to the yahoo site in your case summary or resolution, enter the following text:

Click the <<a href=http://www.yahoo.com>>Yahoo Link <</a>> to access Yahoo.

Category fields appear on the case form just below the Case Resolution field. The number of category fields displayed is configurable by the support staff. Categories are used to broadly categorize the type of information contained in a case report. They are used primarily to restrict case searches by customers and techs. Refer to the section on System Administration for a detailed discussion of categories.

The Assigned Group and Assigned Staff Member fields are used to specify the tech and support group that the case is currently assigned to. When a case is first created, the Assigned Tech field is automatically initialized to “Not Assigned”, and the Assigned Group field is initialized to the default support group or to a group configured based on category settings by the customer or the tech. See the section below on “How to view and route case reports” for more information on how these fields are used.

The Case Status field specifies whether a case is currently open or closed, and if the case is open, this field further specifies the open status. There are three general purpose open status levels. “Open (Active)” is used to indicate that the case is actively being worked on by the support staff. “Open (Waiting)” is used to indicate that the case is actively being worked on, but that the support staff is temporarily waiting for some event to occur before they can proceed. For example, they may be waiting for more information from the customer, or from some other third party. “Open (On Hold)” is used to indicate that the case is still open, but is not currently being worked on by the support staff for some reason. When a case report is first opened, the Case Status is automatically initialized to “Open (Active)”. The case status determines whether or not a case is displayed in the Open Cases window.

The Case Priority field is used to specify the priority (or urgency) of the case. Up to 10 priority levels are provided. When a case report is first opened, the Case Priority is automatically initialized to “Not Assigned”. The case priority is displayed along with other case information in the Open Cases window (in the column labeled “P”). The case priority values are configured under an Administration menu option.

Schedule Cases

Cases can be scheduled to be completed by a particular date and time. At the bottom of the case form, a Due Date and Due Time can be specified. The case can also be scheduled to be a “Single Event” case or a “Repeating” case with a repeat interval. If the case is marked as “Repeat”, a new duplicate case is automatically created when the original case is closed. The newly opened case has the same One-Line Description, Priority, Tech assignment, and group assignment as the original case with a new due date calculated by taking the old due date and adding the repeat interval to it. These schedule cases are created, stored, assigned and dispatched just like the other cases, but have the additional criteria of a due date and time.

To view scheduled Cases:

· Click on the Other Cases Button

· Select on Schedule Cases links near the bottom of this page to view:

All Open Scheduled Cases

All Single Event Scheduled Cases

All Repeating Event Scheduled Cases

All Late Scheduled Cases

All Schedule Cases due today

Scheduled Cases can also be viewed with the Case Search tool by appropriately setting the Scheduled Case drop down list in the lower right hand corner of the case search page.

How to open a new case

Case reports are always opened on behalf of a particular customer, and remain permanently attached to that customer. A customer record must already exist before a case can be opened. To learn how to create a new customer record refer to the section on Customer Management.

To create a new case report:

· Push the New Case button on the control panel.

· Enter the Customer ID for the customer who the case is being opened for.

· Push the Open Case button.

· Fill in the Case Form.

· Push the Submit button to create the new case record.

Recording “Time Spent” on a given case

If your system administrator has opted to make this capability available, you have the opportunity to specify the time spent (and hourly rate to be charged) whenever a case is created or updated. Each time the Case record is updated, you have an opportunity to add another line recording this information so that a given case may eventually have associated with it a number of lines recording time spent on this case and the rate to be charged for each of these lines. In addition each of these time-spent lines can be classified as “billable” or “non-billable”.

Where such lines have been classified as “billable” they play a role in the Automated Invoicing feature described elsewhere in this document under the heading “Creating and Managing Invoices”.

How to modify an existing case

To modify an existing case report:

· Find the desired case record using one of the two case search buttons (Get Case or Search Engine) on the control panel.

· Modify the desired Case Form fields.

· Push the Submit button to save changes.

How to delete a case

Only staff members with administrative privileges can delete a case record. Refer to the section on System Administration for more information.

How to route case reports

Tech+Center gives techs the ability to easily view a list of all open cases currently assigned to any particular tech or support group, and to easily assign (or route) case reports from one tech to another, or from one support group to another. This is one of the most powerful features of Tech+Center.

The Open Cases window is used for displaying the open cases that are currently assigned to a particular tech or support group. To display or refresh your own open cases, simply push the My Open Cases button on the control panel. To display or refresh the open cases currently assigned to another tech, or to a particular support group, or to find only scheduled cases, simply push the Other Open Cases button and then click on the hypertext link for the desired tech or support group or scheduled case type.

Case reports are routed by techs using the Assigned Group and Assigned Staff Member fields in the Case Form. When a case is assigned to a tech or support group, that case will appear in the Open Cases window (for that tech or group) as soon as the window is refreshed. When a case is closed, it will no longer appear in the Open Cases window for the assigned tech or support group.

To assign a case to a particular tech or support group:

· Find the desired case using the Get Case or Search Engine buttons on the control panel.

· Select the name of the tech into the Assigned Staff Member field, and/or select the name of the support group into the Assigned Group field.

· Push the Submit button.

Default Group Assignments

All cases must always be assigned to some group. The initial group assignment defaults to a defined “Default Group” if no group assignment is made by the tech or when a case is created by the customer. An optional initial group assignment for cases created by the customer or the tech can be made based on a configured category and specific category items. Refer to the section under Administration called “How to configure initial group assignments by category selections” for more information on this feature.

Auto-email

Two Auto-Email Notification mechanisms are provided that can be enabled on a tech-by-tech basis. The first mechanism, when enabled for a particular tech, will cause an email message to be automatically sent to that tech whenever a case is first assigned to that tech. The second mechanism, when enabled for a particular tech in a particular support group, will cause an email message to be automatically sent to that tech whenever a case is first assigned to that support group. Refer to the section on System Administration for details on how to enable this feature.

A second email can be sent to a Tech’s Cell phone email address by placing an email address into the Cell Email field under the Tech’s Work Information column. A very brief email is sent to this address with the customers name, company, phone numbers, and short problem description. To disable this feature, simply remove the cell phone email address from that column.

How to e-mail case reports to customers

Case reports can only be sent to customers for whom an email address has been previously registered with the support center. Refer to the section on Customer Management for more information.

To send a case report by email to a customer:

· Push the E-Mail Case button on the control panel.

· Enter the Customer ID of the customer you want to send a case to.

· Enter the Case Number of the case you want to send.

· Enter a Reply-To Address (or accept the default).

· Enter Additional Notes to append to the email message if desired.

· Push the E-Mail Case button to send the case.

The Reply-To Address is the email address of the sender. This will usually be the general purpose email address of the customer support center. If a Tech+Center default Reply-To Address has been configured, then the default address will automatically appear in the Reply-To Address field. However, a tech may override this field, perhaps by entering his/her own personal email address. Refer to the section on System Administration to learn how to configure a default Reply-To Address.

How the customer Help Database is created

When a case report is resolved and closed, it automatically becomes permanantly archived in the Web+Center database. Additionally, words from case one-line, history, summary and resolutions can be added to the Knowledge Base or Help Database. Once the case words are mapped into the knowledge base, it can then be searched by both techs and customers as an aid to resolving future cases. Techs have full access to all information in this database through the search functions provided by Tech+Center. Customers, on the other hand, have more limited access through the search functions provided by Customer+Center.

The limited view that customers have of the Web+Center database is referred to as the Help Database. The archived case information that is available to customers through the Help Database is limited to Case Summaries and Case Resolutions. Of course this information is also accessible to techs through Tech+Center. A case summary and resolution must be composed by a tech after a case has been resolved. The summary is a clear description of the case problem, and the resolution is a clear statement of what was done to solve the problem. The Help Database can be created as case summaries and resolutions are imported into the knowledge base. The Help Database is only as useful as the information recorded in the case summaries and resolutions. Techs should therefore take care to write clearly and accurately, and to include as many keywords as possible that can be matched during a search. In many instances it may not be appropriate to enter any information at all into a case summary and resolution. For example, if a customer opens a case to simply request to have a telephone installed in their office, then obviously there is nothing gained here by composing a case summary and resolution and that case does not have to be added to the knowledge base.

Adding selected cases to the knowledge base

A single support case can be instantly added to knowledge base within the case form by clicking on the Add to KB link just below the red case number. Cases should first be saved to the database before they are added to the database by clicking the Submit button. Clicking on the Add To KB link will add the configured case fields to the knowledge base that have been selected using the Knowledge base configuration options available to the system administrator.

How to export assigned cases into Outlook Tasks and hot-sync with PDA’s

To create a file that can be used to import assigned case records into MS Outlook Task book which can then be Hot-Sync with your PDA device:

Step 1 Creating the Import File

· Push the MyCases or the Other Cases button on the control panel.

· If exporting other tech cases, select the tech to view their support cases.

· Press the Export link to the right of the Assign Cases for Tech title.

· Select the appropriate Export File Type (Defaults to MS Outlook Tab Delimited Type)