Version 13, last updated by nadia.romano at Dec 21 12:55 2011 UTC
Support Tickets Tool
Contents
1. Setting up the Support Tool
2. Configuring the Tickets tool fields and default values
3. Configuring the message and fields that you want your customers to see
5. Receiving email, and sending email responses
Overview
The Assembla Support tool allows non-Team members to submit tickets directly into a space via email or Web. This simple tool streamlines customer service by allowing your team to more efficiently attend to requests and bugs. Customers can also track the progress of their requests, enabling them to see the full value of the work that usually goes on behind the scenes. The Support tool lets your company stay transparent and efficient in its goals, without constantly scrambling to match complaints with solutions.
Whether your customers have an Assembla account or not, they can post support tickets in seconds. They can track the ticket as your developers work on it, and leave comments directly on the ticket or via email. By allowing your customers into the process without giving them accounts, you keep your workspace maximally efficient and secure. You can use custom settings and permissions to decide how involved you want your customers to be, and elect which privileges to give them. You can even write instructions and an email autoresponse for customers submitting tickets to make the experience as simple and straightforward as possible."
Common Scenarios
The most used scenarios for the Support Tool are:
- Allow clients or public in general to submit new tickets and follow up the progress
- Share some tickets with clients or with public in general.
1. Setting up the Support Tool
Adding the support tool to an existing space
- Go to the Admin-Tools Page and click on “More,” then click on the option “Add Support Tool.”
- In the Admin Page select the option to allow non-members to view the space. Later, we will change the permissions so that these users can only see the support tool and other data that you want to show them. Set "Non-member access: Allow VIEW for public access. "
Creating a new space pre-configured for Support
You can also create a preconfigured space for Support purposes from our catalog.
2. Configuring the Tickets tool fields and default values
This is the first step to accepting support tickets. You can add custom fields and add default values to properly identify new tickets.
Creating a custom field
Start by going to the Tickets tool and making sure that it contains the custom fields and default values that you want.
Go to Ticket tab and select the Settings subtab. Scroll down to custom fields. Under custom fields you can enter a new field. Then, choose the type of field: text, numeric, list, team list, date. If you choose list then you will have to enter the list options separated by a comma.
If you want a field to be required or hidden, click on edit and check the respective boxes.
For example, Assembla set a custom field titled “Support Category”
Setting a Default value
You can choose a default value for a certain field by going to the Ticket-Settings page. In the following case, a default value “New” was set to the field “Status”.
3. Configuring the message and fields that you want your customers to see
Writing an instruction message to your customers
Once you’re on the Support Tab click on “Settings.” You can type an instruction message to your customers using html.
This is how Assembla did it:
<div class="lightblue-box">
<p>Please use the <b>New Ticket</b> button below to submit a ticket for technical support. <strong>Include your workspace URL</strong> and any other information that will help us troubleshoot, including screenshots and detailed steps we can use to try to reproduce your issue.
</p>
<p>Please search the <a href="http://forum.assembla.com">Forum</a> for a solution before posting a ticket.</p>
</div>
And this is the instruction message customers see
Choose which fields you want your customers to see
Go to Support - Settings and choose “Permissions” (none, view, edit) for each field of the Support Ticket. For example, Assembla allows customers to view the fields “created on”, “reported by”, “status” and “assigned to” on the Support Tickets, and allows editing only on “Support view” and “Support category” ( note that * stands for required field).
This is an example of what customers see in Support Tickets.
This is an example of what a team member sees in the Tickets Tool, showing which fields they are allowed to edit. Note that in this case, a team member can choose Priority, to whom the ticket is assigned and Status, whereas in the previous case Status value was set to New by default.
4. Setting Permissions
Space and Tool Permissions
You will probably be accepting support requests from users that are not team members. That is why we set the permission to allow "VIEW" for public access. Now, we can turn OFF permission to other tabs, so that the users will only see the Support tab with their tickets. Later, you can turn on Read-only access to other tools.
On the Admin page, under Security choose Non-member access to view. Then, click on Security. Scroll down to find the table of custom permissions for tools. Select None for non-members. This will hide the tabs that have permission "None". For the Suppot tool, choose Edit. This will allow users to add and edit their tickets.
The following image shows the different tool permissions that were set for Members of the Space and for Non-members. As you can see, a non-member is not allowed to view or edit any tool other than “support” and “stream”.
Member View of the Space Non-Member View of the Space
Public and Private tickets - Showing a ticket to all Support users
When you get multiple requests regarding the same issue, you may want to show that issue in all of the user Support views. You can do this by editing the field "Permission type" and setting it to "Public"
If you use the Support Tool, you will now see a new field in the header for "Permission type". It has three options:
- Development Tickets: Only accessible to users of the Ticket Tool
- Private Support Tickets: Accessible to users of the Ticket Tool and people in the notification list.
- Public Support Tickets: Accessible to users of the Ticket Tool and users of the Support Tool. This is a way for you to publish tickets into the Support tool.
Showing a ticket to specific users
Sometimes, you will want to make your own ticket, and then show it to a particular customer or set of customres. Do this by putting the user names in the "Follow" field on the ticket. If the user is added to the follow list, he/she will see the ticket in the Support tool.
5. Receiving email, and sending email responses
Customers can send tickets by emailing to "<space_url_name>@tickets.assembla.com." Read more about email templates in the Email2Tickets Gateway wiki.
You can tell the system to send an email response whenever a customer posts a bug or request. This is useful if you expect to receive tickets by email. You can configure the message that you send them. On the Support Tab, click on Settings. Scroll down to Email getaway. Write your message of "Thank you, we got your request" in the field for "Autoresponder email content."
Using the Support Tool
Posting Bugs and Requests
- Through the Support Tab: Your customers can post bugs and requests directly into the system by going to your Support Tool url. It is not necessary to add them to your space. If you need to, you can allow for anonymus posting by going to Support-Settings.
- By email: If you go to Support-Settings you’ll see the email address of your support account under email getaway. You can allow anyone to post bugs and requests. Just choose the option “anyone” in “allow email from”. When a customers posts an issue by email, subject willl become Ticket title and Content of the email, the description. If an attachment is added, the file will be added to the Ticket automatically. Read more about email templates on Email to Ticket/Issue gateway wiki
- Create a Ticket for your client: Sometimes customers email us with their request and we create the tickets for them. In this case, your team members can create a Private Support Ticket. Then, add your customer login name or email to the notification list to give him permission to track the issue and keep him updated on the ticket. He/she will be able to comment on it just by replying to that email. The reply will be automatically posted as a comment under the respective ticket.
Team member workflow
When a customer or anyone in your team enters a request, the members of the space receive an email alert about the new ticket. The members of the space then view and edit the ticket via the Tickets tab in the workspace or else may reply to the email alert to update the ticket. The creator of the ticket will receive an email alert about new activity in the ticket. He can reply to that email alert to add a ticket comment or else update it in the Support tab of the workspace.
If your team finds that there’s a request shared by several clients you can opt to move that ticket into the public eye or else add your customers as followers.
FAQ
How do I allow registered users who are not a member of the space, or people who do not have any registered user account on Assembla, to be able to create support tickets?
First, Set Non-Member access to View in the Admin page. And then, in the Admin-Security page, set all Custom Permissions for Non-Members to None, except for the Support tool. In this case, you should choose Edit.
How do I allow members, non-members, and non-registered people to create support tickets via email?
First, you need to make sure to allow emails from anyone under email getaway in the Support-Settings page. Then, provide your customers with your support account <yourspace>@support.assembla.com
How do I allow the creator of support tickets to set the ticket to Public or Private?
In the Support-Settings page set the 'Permission Type' field to Edit
How do I create custom fields for support tickets?
The Support tool uses the same custom fields and default selections as the Ticket tool you can set them in the Tickets-Settings page.
How do I determine which ticket fields a creator of support tickets can view or edit?
Go to Support-Settings page and use the section Allow customers to View or Edit each field.
Can I set up an autoresponder for support tickets?
Yes, you’ll find that option in the Support-Settings page
Can I set instructions for my customers when they post a request or bug?
Yes, you’ll find that option in the Support-Settings Page. The instructions will appear in the Support Tab
Is it possible to sort incoming Tickets?I
Yes, you can do it by creating a custom field for the support ticket. For example, suppose I want to sort Tickets by “bugs” or “requests”. Then, I can create a custom field titled “type of ticket”, set it as required. Then, choose the option “List” and type the options for default values as “bugs, requests”.
Finally, I can create a new filter for Tickets so that they are grouped by “type of ticket”.