How to Use ConnectWise
DDK HelpDesk Customer Portal

The client portal is a web based application used by DDK Communications, Inc’s clients to enter technical issues/problems (called as service tickets (service ticket) (ST)) encountered by them in doing business with the company. It helps in putting together all service tickets in one central place accessible to all users and clients. This avoids the problem of collecting technical issues/problems from different clients communicated through different formats like emails, faxes, phones etc and then compiling them together. It is a more efficient way of managing service tickets.

It is helpful to DDK Communications, Inc as service tickets entered by various clients are visible on the service board. This helps not only in compiling all service tickets together but also in setting various priorities to service tickets, assigning resources and following through the life cycle of the service ticket.

Customer Login/Security:
Portal login

Users login into the customer portal using their email-id and password. Successful login into the application leads to service tickets list view.

Views in the Customer Portal
Main Menus of Customer Portal Icons:

• Service Entry: Used to enter new service tickets through the portal.
• Company’s Entries: A service ticket list view screen of the portal. It displays all the service tickets for the user/contact in the company.
• Knowledgebase: Used to search for service tickets depending upon key words/fields entered by the user.
• Members: Used for maintaining member lists of the portal. New members can be created from this screen.
• Invoice Search: Used to view closed invoices.
• Reports: Used to run service ticket Trend reports and/or the Executive Summary Report.
• Setup: Used to select an option for service status notification

Menus

Service Entries
Service entry screen is used to enter to a new Service request in the portal.

On creating a new service ticket in the portal the details (like name, address, telephone number) of the contact who has logged in the portal are defaulted on this page. These details are non editable for non administrators. However, these fields are editable for an administrator and they have rights to assign a service ticket against any other contact of his company.

User/contact then selects the service ticket type. Selection of the service type will be entered into the internal notes field of the service ticket on the helpdesk. This selection also determines which service board and notification procedure should take place pertaining to the service ticket.

A user has to write a summary of the service ticket in the Summary field to describe service ticket like in the Summary below and a detailed description of the problem in the Description of the problem field.

Other important fields that the user can access are Required Date, Emergency, P O Number.

Required Date: Date the user would like the service ticket to be completed.

Emergency check box: is used to mark a service ticket as urgent or of a higher priority than normal. The text Emergency will also be appended onto the summary and into the internal notes. Accordingly the notifications are sent to the appropriate person(s).

P O Number: This number is entered by a contact to signify they are ready to pay for this service ticket and that the following P O Number should be mentioned to charge against the service ticket.

Portal screen to enter new service ticket

Note: The new service type field contains user descriptions of problems that are linked to both the service board and the notifications.

For example:
Type: I have a problem

Edit view of a service ticket
The user can also make editions in the existing service tickets.

The screen allows additions to the problem description and the resolution. Text for already added problem description and resolution texts in fields cannot be modified. Text that is appended will be at the top and will have a date/time stamp along with the name of the person who entered the information. It is also possible to add documents against a service ticket. Once attached, these documents can be viewed by the users.

My Company’s Entries
This is the initial list view of all the service tickets for that company. It will be restricted for non-administrator users/contacts to only their records based on the contact field. However, administrators will be able to view all service tickets valid for his company.

Portal screen showing initial list view

It displays following details of a service ticket:

• Summary: A brief description of the service ticket.
• Contact: The name of the contact that created the service ticket.
• Entered: Date service ticket was entered
• Status: Various statuses a service ticket must go to be completed.
• Updated: Displays the last date the service ticket was updated.
• Assigned: Shows the resources that are assigned to a service ticket.
• Reqd Date: The Required Date is the date this service ticket has to be competed.
• Closed by: Displays open, closed or all service records

Add: User has the option to add a new service ticket.

Search: User has the option of searching for a service ticket depending upon various parameters. For example: A user can narrow down their search for a particular service ticket with status new by writing word new in the status field and clicking on search.

Clear: A user may like to make multiple searches depending upon various parameters and Clear is used to clear out the parameter values from the fields in order to make new searches.

Next and Previous: These are used to scroll to next or previous pages.

Members
A new contact in the portal can be created by clicking on Add New Contact on the members screen.

User needs to enter the contacts first and last name. Contacts password, default and home email ids need to be entered. The phone numbers and fax numbers of the contacts need to be entered.

The contacts are added on to the members screen

Editing of the details of the contacts can be done by clicking on the contact name in the list.

Note: Contacts cannot be deleted from a portal. However, contacts can be disabled from logging in the portal.

Knowledgebase Search
The Knowledgebase Search screen will allow user to search all service entries in the system.

Searches can be performed with all of the entered keywords, or with any of the keywords, or with an exact phrase depending on what option is chosen from the Look For drop down box. User can also type in search words.

Depending upon the search fields, all the published service ticket or all the service tickets valid for a user are displayed. An administrator can see all service tickets for his company.