Using the Support Module in Tour deForce

Purpose

 

The purpose of this technical bulletin is provide an overview of the Support module, and how companies can use the Support module to manage support cases.  This document provides an overview of how the Support module is used, how to set up the Support module, and how to use the Support Notes feature included with the Support module.

 

This technical bulletin contains the following sections:

 

1. Overview of the Support Module
2. Accessing the Support Administration Utility
3. Setting up the Support Module
4. Using the Support Notes Feature
5. Adding and Viewing Attachments

 

Note: Read the documentation completely before using the Support module.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Overview of the Support Module

A new module added to Tour de Force in version 6.0 is the Support module.  The Support module is a new support/issue management system that has been added as a separate module to Tour de Force.  The Support module is a versatile piece that can be configured to meet the needs of companies who need to manage support cases or issue related cases.  

 

There are two main components to the Support module, with a third being optional:  The Support Administration utility, the Support Notes feature, and the Tour de Force Web API.  The main focuses of this technical bulletin are the Support Administration utility and the Support Notes feature.  

 

The TDF Web API is a separate piece that can be used for various other features related to Tour de Force and not exclusively for the Support module.  The Web API is mainly for companies that need a web integration piece added to their Support module, however it is not necessary to use the core functions of the Support module.

 

The Support Administration utility is used to configure the Support module.  Options such as the services offered by Support, and the cost of each service can be set up in the Support Administration utility.

 

The Support Notes feature is the second piece of the Support module and is directly tied to the Support record in Tour de Force.  The Support Notes are just that, notes generated by Support personnel. These notes can be related to the time spent on the request and the steps used to test or close the request.  If configured, the notes can also be sent to other users or an external contact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Accessing the Support Administration Utility

Accessing the Support Administration utility:

 

1. Open the Tour de Force Administration Console.

 

2. Expand the Advanced Features Setup section.

 

 

3. Select Support Administration and then click the Launch: Support Administration button.

 

 

3. Setting up the Support Module

The Support Administration utility is used to set up the various rules and permissions related to the Support module in Tour de Force.  Admins can use the Support Administration utility to set up charge rates, charge permissions, define the roles of each user who plans to use the Support module, define the services the company plans to provide, configure user rights in relation to the Support module, and view the notes in the support delivery queue.

 

The Support Administration utility is divided into six tabs:

 

General Tab

 

The general tab contains several options for configuring how the Support module handles support notes and support cases.  

 

 

There are seven fields located on the general tab:

 

Note: Not all of these fields are required fields and may not apply to how a company is using the Support module.

 

• Allow users to delete Support Notes – If this feature is enabled then every user who has access to the Support module can delete any Support Note in a Support record.  This feature is generally not selected as there are permissions to set whether an individual can delete a Support Note.

 

• Require users to enter a non-zero duration – This option is used to prevent users from entering in zero or null value into the duration field on a support note.  

 

 

• Make new notes “Public” by default – For companies that are integrating the Support module with the Tour de Force Web API this field is used to make Support Notes visible to the customer by default.  

 

• Prompt user for Contract on Support Item creation – This option is used to display the Contract record associated with the Account record the Support record is being created from.  This is useful for companies who have different types of maintenance contracts that are typically visible on the Contract record.

 

• Charge Unit (singular) – This field is used to designate the name of the charge unit that gets charged to customers.  For example, if the company used the term “Credits”, then this field would be “Credit” to designate the singular form.

 

• Charge Unit (plural) – This field is used to designate the name of the charge unit that gets charged to customers.  For example, if the company used the term “Credits”, then this field would be “Credits” to designate the plural form.

 

• Support Item “Status” values – The Support module in Tour de Force uses specific terminology to designate the status of a support case. However, not all companies may use that terminology on the Support record.  This section is used to specific what each value means in the Support record.  For example, the “Open” status may be called “Open” by one company but another company may define the “Open” status as “Awaiting Assistance”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Define Roles

 

The Define Roles tab is used to create new Internal and External support roles and then designate the UDF that needs to be associated with those roles.  Internal Support roles could be called “Front Line Support” or “Customer Service Representative”.  Internal Support roles should refer to users who work in the main office or any of the branches and directly deal with customers on day-to-day basis.  External Support roles could refer to any third party company that handles certain requests.  For example, a company may hire a third party company that has employees who are more familiar with SQL and can work in SQL if an issue arises that go beyond the capabilities of an Internal Support person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Define Services

 

Not every company is going to offer the same services to customers, and some companies may only offer one particular type of service.  The services that a company offers are going to be dependent on many factors such as the industry the company is located in and the personnel of the company.  

 

 

Once a Support UDF has been set the company can then set a few parameters related to each service offered:

 

• Description – The name of the service.  

 

• Minutes per unit – This field is used to set how many minutes can elapse on a Support case before one unit of credit is charged.

 

• Minimum Charge Time – This field is used to set the minimum amount of time that needs to elapse before credits begin being charged to the customer.

 

• Block Unit Charge – Not every service being offered is going to be dependent on the amount of time that has elapsed on the support case.  This field is used to designate the static amount of credits that can be charged for that service type, regardless of elapsed time.

 

• Charge Options – This field is used to set how a support case gets charged to the customer.  There are two options: Auto Charge or Prompt User. If the Auto Charge option is set then that means the Support module is going to auto charge the customer based on the values in the Minutes per unit, Minimum Charge Time, and Block Unit Charge fields.  If Prompt User is selected then the user is going to be prompted to apply charges to the support case.

 

Support User Rights

 

The Support User Rights tab is used to configure the permissions related to the Support module for each user in Tour de Force. These rights are used to control how certain users interact with the Support module and what options those users have available to them when closing a support case.

 

 

There are eight fields to take note of on the Support User Rights tab:

 

• Override automated charges – If this option is checked then that user has the right to override the credit charge on the support case if automatic charging has been set up for the Support module.

 

• Add Manual Charges – If this option is checked then that user has the right to add additional charges to the support case that go beyond the elapsed time spent on the support case.

 

• Reverse charges – If this option is checked then that user has the ability to reverse the credit charge on a support case.

 

• Alter privacy status of others’ notes – If this option is checked then that user has the ability to mark another user’s support notes as either Public or Private.

 

• Default Service – This field is used to set a default service for a specific user.

 

• Default Note Privacy – This field is used to set whether a new support note that gets created, gets automatically marked as Public or Private.

 

• Can Close Item – If this field is checked then that means the user has the ability to close the support case.

 

• Note Edit Rights – Configures the user’s support note edit rights.  There are three options:

 

• None – Cannot edit an existing note, even if that user was the user who created the note.
• Own – Can edit an existing note as long as the user was the user who created the note.
• All – Can edit any notes, regardless of whether that user is the owner of the note.

 

• Office – This field is used to designate what branch or location the user is located.  This Information gets populated from the User Information tab.

 

 

Advanced

 

This tab is used to configure the charge note that gets added to a support case when a credit charge is applied to the case.  Users can edit whether the note is private, public, allow external delivery of the note, and the text that the note contains.  Once a charge gets applied, text in the Note Text field gets added to the support case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Support Note Delivery

 

Before any support notes can be delivered, the Support Note Delivery system needs to be set up and enabled.  Once enabled the Support Note Delivery tab shows all of the support notes that are in the delivery queue to be sent out to customers or any internal users.

 

 

Before the Support Notes Delivery system can be used, the system needs to be configured. The Support Note Delivery system is a thread of the Alert Service, and runs off of the same service.  Even if the company is not using Alerts and Notifications, the Alert Service still needs to be installed and set up before the Support Note feature can be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clicking the Edit Support Note Delivery Settings button opens the service configuration window.

 

 

The following fields need to be filled out in this screen before the Support Note delivery system can be used:

 

• Email Server - This information includes the exchange server name or IP Address.  This is generally the same information as the Email Logging and Alert Service.

 

• Username – The username used to log into the domain for the Email Server filled out.  The username field must contain the domain name.

 

• Password – The password used for that username to log into the domain.

 

• Sender Email – The sender can be any email address that is capable of sending outbound emails, but Tour de Force recommends using the email address of the user logged into the Email Server.

 

• Polling Interval – This field is used to designate how often the service checks for new notes to send.  This field is measured in seconds.

 

• Port Number – Check the port being used to send out emails on the email server.  In most cases this port is going to be 25, and this field defaults to 25.  However, the port number needs to be the same as the port number being used to send out emails.

 

• SSL – This field should be checked if the company is using a SSL for their web site.  In most cases this field is not going to be checked.

 

• Enabled – Enables the service.

 

The Send Test Message button can be used to send out a test message to select users.  However, before the Support Note Delivery system can be tested, the Alert service must be stopped.  If the Alert Service is running when a test message is sent, all of the Alerts configured in the Alerts and Notifications utility are going to get sent out as well.  

 

 

4. Using the Support Notes

The second component to the Support module is the Support Notes feature.  The Support Notes feature is located on the Support record, and is included as a profile tab that includes note functions.  On the Support Notes tab users have the ability to create, edit, and send notes related to the support case being worked on.  Users can create new notes to keep track of the time spent on the case, as well as highlight any steps they needed to take to solve the issue.  If the user has the appropriate permission, and the Support Notes Delivery system has been set up, then they can send notes to other support members and even external contacts.

 

When a Support case comes through the system, or the user is entering a case on the behalf of a customer, the Support record in Tour de Force is used to track and manage that support case.  In version 6.0 the Support record has been changed to accommodate the new Support features, and offers a much more robust feature set than in previous versions.

 

The biggest change made to the Support record is the Support Notes tab.  This tab is included on the Support record by default, but can be hidden in the Screen Designer utility by hiding the profile tab.  

 

This section of the technical bulletin provides instructions on how to create a new Support note using the Support Note feature:

 

1. Create a new Support record, or open an existing Support record.

 

2. Click the Support Note tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. On the Support Notes tab, click the Add Note button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The note form displays.  The note form contains a few functions for the user to help them create a new support note.

 

 

• Support Note Templates – If the company has created templates for the Support record then the user can load the template into the support note form.

 

• Notes detail – This section allows for users to type a new support note, detailing the information that needs to be included in the new note.  There is no character limit on this field.

 

• Service – This field contains all of the Service Types, if Service Types were set up in the Support Administration utility.

 

• Note Type – This field allows users to set the note as a private note, or a public note that can be viewed by the client.

 

• Duration – This field is used to set the length of time spent on the details of the note.  For example, of the user is detailing steps to solve a problem the duration field is used to keep track of the time spent figuring out the steps for the resolution, and not how long it takes to type the note.

 

• Billable – This field is used to indicate whether the time spent on the details of the note is billable time or non-billable time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. After filling out the details of the note, click the Save button to save and post the note.

 

6. The new note gets added to the Support Notes section.

 

 

7. After the note has been added to the Support record, the note gets automatically sent to the Web site if the company is using the Web API.  However, the note does not get automatically sent to the client.

 

8. In order to send the note to a client, right click on the note and select Send.

 

 

 

The Send Support Note screen displays.

 

9. The Internal Contacts and External Contacts sections show all of the contacts that have been given roles in Support Administration utility.  Select the external contact that needs to have the note sent to and click the Send button.

 

 

10. Once the Send button is clicked, the note gets added to the Support Delivery Queue.  The note then gets sent as an email to the desired contact detailing the information in the note.  After a note has been sent to a user, the note indicates as such after a few minutes have elapsed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Adding and Viewing Attachments

An attachment can also be added to a note. If the client has a Web API that allows for this capability, clients can also attach their own attachments to a Support Note.  These attachments then get added to their note, which can then be viewed by the support personnel.   This section provides an overview of how to add an attachment, and how to view any attachments added by a client.

 

Adding a new attachment

 

After a Support Note has been created, the user can then add an attachment to the note before sending the note.  To begin adding a new attachment, right click on the desired note and select Attachments.

 

 

From here the user has a few options available to them.  The user can click the Add option to add the attachment by browsing out to a file location and adding the file, much like how adding an attachment works in other areas of Tour de Force.  The user can also click the Paste Clipboard Contents As File which automatically adds the last file added to the clipboard as an attachment.

 

After an attachment has been added, the note can be sent to the external contact.  The attachment also gets sent with the email.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing attachments

 

If a customer or a support personnel user adds an attachment that attachment can then be viewed from the Support Notes tab.  There are several ways to view attachments related to a Support case.  If the customer has added an attachment to a specific note, then the user can right click the note and view the attachment.

 

 

There is also a way to view all of the attachments added to a Support case.  Click the Files button, on the Support Notes toolbar, to bring up a new dialog window that displays all files added to the notes.

 

 

Summary

 

The purpose of this technical bulletin is provide an overview of the Support module, and how companies can use the Support module to manage support cases.  This document provides an overview of how the Support module is used, how to set up the Support module, and how to use the Support Notes feature included with the Support module.

 

For further assistance, please submit a support request at http://www.tourdeforcesupport.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer

Copyright © 2014 by Tour de Force CRM, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of The Tour de Force CRM, Inc. Tour de Force is a registered trademark of Tour de Force CRM, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. The Tour de Force CRM, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents of this document and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability, satisfactory quality or fitness for any particular purpose. The contents of this document are believed to be current and accurate as of its date of publication. Changes to this document between reprinting’s and other important information about the software product are made or published in release notes, and you are urged to obtain the current release notes for the software product. We welcome user comments and reserve the right to revise this publication and/or make improvements or changes to the products or programs described in this publication at any time without notice. The usage of the Tour de Force Software shall be pursuant to a Tour de Force CRM, Inc. end user license agreement.