We have released a new version 4 of SupportCalls System with full support for Office 2010 as well as some major redesign which I will talk to you in detail in the later part of this email. As you are all aware, Office 2010 was officially available in the month of June 2010, and our developers have been working extended hours to take advantage of the new features in Outlook 2010 such as new ribbons in the Outlook Explorer (instead of the command bars), support for customizing the context menu for different Outlook items, backstage (exclusive file menu) and much more. Though it took longer than expected for this version to come up, but nevertheless we are happy that we had invested our effort and time in fully supporting Outlook 2010 and we are sure you will be too.
Now earlier I mentioned about the major redesign, which is nothing but the separation of the SupportCalls Manager and Client install and functionality. In the previous versions, there was only one setup as well as one Outlook add-in and the managerial option pack (if chosen during the installation) only gives the user the ability to create new SupportCalls Outlook folders. Now in version 4, we have separated this single add-in into two add-ins (and consequently into separate setup for each), one for the helpdesk manager/administrator and one for normal technician.
- The SupportCalls Manager add-in provides administrative control over the helpdesk settings (such as editing the drop down lists, templates, changing helpdesk workflows and monitoring email folders etc) as well as access to administrative tools such as statistics, database export and summary reports to mention a few. The SupportCalls Manager is also responsible for monitoring email folders and mailboxes for automatic processing of incoming emails to support cases.
- · The SupportCalls Client add-in includes all the logic to work on support cases in the SupportCalls folders (such as Ongoing Cases, Resolved Cases etc). This client needs to be installed by every helpdesk technician/manager to able to interact and work on the support cases.
Another notable change in version 4 is the use of a dedicated database for storing all the intrinsic helpdesk settings and data (such as the drop down lists, templates, FAQs etc). Support cases are not stored on the database. Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server databases are supported. The reasons of saving the data on a database are manifold – to enable scalability, reliability and control access of the helpdesk. In the previous version, the settings data are stored in an Outlook item, which was prone to corruption due to multiple users edit. It also has the limitation of properly synchronizing between Outlook and the Exchange, due to which changes in the helpdesk data are not reflected concurrently for other technicians. There is also this limitation on the part of the Outlook item on the amount of data it can store.
So, what does the new changes mean for you?
- Highly scalable helpdesk
- Marked improvement over the previous version
- More secure access and control over the helpdesk settings with the separate Manager and Client tool.
- Support for Office 2010
Have existing version? Upgrade Instructions
Now, let me talk a bit on the upgrade as you are running the previous version 3. Upgrade to version 4 requires a different approach then it was before because of the redesign. Due to this, upgrade to version 4 is not done automatically (as we have two setups – manager and client). Instead, you (and all other technicians of the helpdesk) will need to uninstall the previous version from your control panel. Don’t worry, uninstalling will only remove the application files, not the SupportCalls Outlook folders and the settings data. Once uninstalled, you as the helpdesk manager/administrator, need to the install the manager setup and configure a database to be used for the helpdesk to store the settings data. Once a database is specified, SupportCalls Manager will automatically read all your existing settings and the data will be exported and carry forward to the database. You might require to re-register the product with your license key again. Once done, upgrade procedure is successful, and all your technicians can now start installing the SupportCalls Client. For more detail step-by-step guide to upgrade, refer to the upgrade instruction link on our website.
We have also updated our documentation section where you will find the latest manuals and guides (PDF) for version 4. The same manual (PDF) is included in the install (in both Manager and Client) and you can access it by clicking the ‘Help Topics’ button on the SupportCalls menus.
Important links:
If you have any queries on the new version, please feel free to write to us and we will help you. All the best!
Nash J, Program Manager
We have released a new version 4 of SupportCalls System with full support for Office 2010 as well as some major redesign which I will talk to you in detail in the later part of this email. As you are all aware, Office 2010 was officially available in the month of June 2010, and our developers have been working extended hours to take advantage of the new features in Outlook 2010 such as new ribbons in the Outlook Explorer (instead of the command bars), support for customizing the context menu for different Outlook items, backstage (exclusive file menu) and much more. Though it took longer than expected for this version to come up, but nevertheless we are happy that we had invested our effort and time in fully supporting Outlook 2010 and we are sure you will be too.
Now earlier I mentioned about the major redesign, which is nothing but the separation of the SupportCalls Manager and Client install and functionality. In the previous versions, there was only one setup as well as one Outlook add-in and the managerial option pack (if chosen during the installation) only gives the user the ability to create new SupportCalls Outlook folders. Now in version 4, we have separated this single add-in into two add-ins (and consequently into separate setup for each), one for the helpdesk manager/administrator and one for normal technician.
· The SupportCalls Manager add-in provides administrative control over the helpdesk settings (such as editing the drop down lists, templates, changing helpdesk workflows and monitoring email folders etc) as well as access to administrative tools such as statistics, database export and summary reports to mention a few. The SupportCalls Manager is also responsible for monitoring email folders and mailboxes for automatic processing of incoming emails to support cases.
· The SupportCalls Client add-in includes all the logic to work on support cases in the SupportCalls folders (such as Ongoing Cases, Resolved Cases etc). This client needs to be installed by every helpdesk technician/manager to able to interact and work on the support cases.
Another notable change in version 4 is the use of a dedicated database for storing all the intrinsic helpdesk settings and data (such as the drop down lists, templates, FAQs etc). Support cases are not stored on the database. Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server databases are supported. The reasons of saving the data on a database are manifold – to enable scalability, reliability and control access of the helpdesk. In the previous version, the settings data are stored in an Outlook item, which was prone to corruption due to multiple users edit. It also has the limitation of properly synchronizing between Outlook and the Exchange, due to which changes in the helpdesk data are not reflected concurrently for other technicians. There is also this limitation on the part of the Outlook item on the amount of data it can store.
So, what does the new changes mean for you?
· Highly scalable helpdesk
· Marked improvement over the previous version
· More secure access and control over the helpdesk settings with the separate Manager and Client tool.
· Support for Office 2010
Now, let me talk a bit on the upgrade as you are running the previous version 3. Upgrade to version 4 requires a different approach then it was before because of the redesign. Due to this, upgrade to version 4 is not done automatically (as we have two setups – manager and client). Instead, you (and all other technicians of the helpdesk) will need to uninstall the previous version from your control panel. Don’t worry, uninstalling will only remove the application files, not the SupportCalls Outlook folders and the settings data. Once uninstalled, you as the helpdesk manager/administrator, need to the install the manager setup and configure a database to be used for the helpdesk to store the settings data. Once a database is specified, SupportCalls Manager will automatically read all your existing settings and the data will be exported and carry forward to the database. You might require to re-register the product with your license key again. Once done, upgrade procedure is successful, and all your technicians can now start installing the SupportCalls Client. For more detail step-by-step guide to upgrade, refer to the upgrade instruction link on our website.
We have also updated our documentation section where you will find the latest manuals and guides (PDF) for version 4. The same manual (PDF) is included in the install (in both Manager and Client) and you can access it by clicking the ‘Help Topics’ button on the SupportCalls menus.
Important links:
· Homepage – http://www.assistmyteam.net/SupportCalls/
· What’s new in version 4? – http://www.assistmyteam.com/SupportCalls/history/rev4.asp
· Upgrade Instructions (very important!) – http://www.assistmyteam.com/SupportCalls/UpgradeInstructions.asp
· Download – http://www.assistmyteam.net/SupportCalls/download.asp
· Requirements – http://www.assistmyteam.com/SupportCalls/requirements.asp
· Version History – http://www.assistmyteam.com/SupportCalls/versionshistory.asp
If you have any queries on the new version, please feel free to write to us and we will help you. All the best!
