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How It Works |
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Team
Helpdesk
makes working on support requests very easy by seamlessly
integrating the process of submitting, assigning,
tracking and fulfilling support requests
inside
Microsoft Outlook and SharePoint!
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Team Helpdesk consists of two separate
installs – managerial and client:
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The managerial install is for helpdesk administrator
who would configure and maintain the Team Helpdesk
folders, drop down lists, templates, FAQs and other
helpdesk settings.
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The client install is
for the technicians to enable them to work on
support cases in Outlook with the configured Team
Helpdesk folders. |
NOTE: Each of this tool is installed on individual computer
as an extension to Microsoft Outlook and only relies
on Microsoft Outlook for the front-end and your
exchange server and SharePoint, as the back-ends.
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Step 1.
Manager creates a settings
database |
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After the managerial tool is
installed, helpdesk administrator
will be given a choice of database
options where all the settings,
templates and other helpdesk data
will be stored centrally.
Database
options include Microsoft
Exchange, Microsoft
Access and SQL Server.
If
Microsoft Exchange is
selected, the settings data
will be stored under the
Team Helpdesk Settings
public folder in Exchange.
This option removes the
dependency of an external
database and works even on
WAN and HTTP connection to
Exchange. This database
option is ideal for a
helpdesk team that has fewer
technicians.
If a network Access or SQL Server
database is selected, this database
needs to be configured in a way that
it is
accessible on the network by all
support staffs. This means, Team
Helpdesk with a dedicated database
only works on local network. This
database option is ideal for a
helpdesk team that has a large
number of technicians. |
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Step 2.
Manager configures helpdesk settings
and drop downs |
Helpdesk administrator defines drop-down lists such as
technicians, callers, problems,
assets, as well as emails and SMS
templates, predefined replies,
messaging options, web access etc.
With these
global settings, manager can
streamline the behavior on
how all technicians work on
support cases in Outlook.
Administrator can also set the
manager add-in to monitor any number
of mailboxes and email folders, for
automatic processing of incoming
emails to support cases. This
process cuts the overhead of
manually generating support cases
from emails, thus diverting valuable
human resources to resolving the
case. |
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Step 3.
Manager maps helpdesk fields
from Outlook to SharePoint |
The next step is for
the helpdesk manager to configure a
SharePoint list to be used as for
storing copies of support cases that
were generated in the 'Ongoing
Cases' subfolder of Team Helpdesk in
Outlook. New fields in the
SharePoint list can be automatically
created to match the data type and
title of the Outlook helpdesk
fields.
If the
particular mapped field
takes a drop down list in
Outlook such as Problem
Category, Problem Type,
Status, Callers Name etc,
the same drop down list
values would be available in
the configured list
automatically. Over time, as
manager make changes to the
drop down lists in Outlook,
Team Helpdesk would
automatically update the
values in SharePoint too.
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Step 4: Technician
installs client add-in
portion of Team Helpdesk |
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The client
tool consists of an Outlook
add-in that has all the
logic and functionalities of
the helpdesk application.
Each technician of the
helpdesk who would work on
support cases needs to
install the Team Helpdesk
Client tool.
After a
successful install, you will
see that additional menus,
toolbars or ribbons are
added in the explorer and
inspector windows of
Microsoft Outlook.
(Note: Apart from the
managerial tool, helpdesk
administrators also need to
install the client tool if
they have to work on support
cases themselves). |
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Step 5. Caller submits
support request via email, webform or phone call |
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experiencing technical challenges
can self-service the answer to their
problem by accessing the web-based
knowledge base (through the Team
Helpdesk Customer Web Service site).
If a solution is not found, the
end-user requests for support by sending an email,
by making a phone call or simply, by
filling a web form. These support
requests are then logged and
converted to cases in Outlook.
Further details and drop-down lists
(such as the classification of
problems the request falls into) can
then be set, by a supervisor or
manager.
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Step 6. Assign technicians to the case
Typically, a manager or
senior technician assigns
the best technicians to the
case for fulfillment of the
service and speedy
resolution. Furthermore, in
the helpdesk settings,
administrator can link and
associate individual
technician to a caller, or
to a problem type such that
when a new support request
email is received, if there
is a match between
technician and the caller
(read as sender), or if a
problem type is found in the
email subject, the
associated technician will
get assigned automatically
to the case.
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Assigned technicians then
get notified through an
automated email or SMS.
Optionally, the due date of
the case is entered into the
personal calendar of the
technicians' mailbox. |
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Step 7. Technicians collaborate to resolve the case
The assigned technician then proceeds to
fulfill and resolve the case, either
in Outlook or via Technician Web
Access (TWA). Helpdesk manager may
enforce a Service Level Agreement (SLA),
set due date and other deliverables
on the particular case for the
assigned technicians, for quality
check purposes. Further correspondence
to the caller might follow (in the
form of emails, SMS, phone calls).
All activities related to the case are
logged and technician can fill time
spent and assign additional
technician if needed. Relevant asset
information and fixes related to the
case can be accessed and tracked
right from the case form itself.
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Step 8. Caller follows-up via email |
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The caller then can escalate, withdraw,
reopen or simply track the history
of their support cases online with
Caller Web Access (CWA).
Alternatively, caller can reply back
to email from the helpdesk and the
response automatically triggers an
escalation on that particular
support case. If a response from the
caller on an existing case is
received, the concerned technicians
are notified automatically. If the
case has been resolved, Team
Helpdesk automatically re-opens and
marks it as an ongoing case. |
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Step 9.
Technician closes case after
providing a resolution |
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Certain pre-defined Outlook views can
be used to track the progress of cases. Once
every parameter of the caller's request has
been fulfilled, a case be is closed. The
closed case is then moved to the
Resolved Cases folder. At the same
time, the caller gets notified
automatically on the closure of the
case. |
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Step 10. Technician adds
resolution to knowledge base |
| A closed case can be a good source of
future reference and technician
can create a new knowledge base entry
based on the case. It is then
available in the list of articles
under the integrated knowledge base, categorized and sorted, ready for
your technicians to draw from when
similar issues arise. Helpdesk
administrator can publish these
articles on to the Customer Web
Service site for providing first
level support to potential support
requests from end-users.
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Step 11.
Manager generates statistical and
trend reports |
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helpdesk efficiency, senior management runs
the statistical tool from time to time,
collecting valuable intelligence and trends
and generating meaningful reports.
For day
to day knowledge of the helpdesk,
they can generate summary reports to
get appraisal on the current
happenings on the helpdesk and track
recent cases generated, worked,
closed or reopened. |
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Step 12.
Manager archives old cases to database or PST
Over time,
the Team Helpdesk folders (in
Exchange) will be accumulated with
support cases mostly resolved ones.
Helpdesk managers can either archive
the old case items to a PST file or
can export the case data to an
external database such as Oracle,
SQL or Access. Archiving
periodically keeps the exchange
folder from getting too big and
unwieldy, which could cause
Exchange/Microsoft Outlook
performance to slow down. |
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New!
Take a video tour |
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Quickly learn how to install,
configure and work with Team
Helpdesk and how to get the most out
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