Getting started with Helpdesk
What to configure before the first ticket, in order, with the menu path for each step.
Required permission: helpdesk.configure
Before you begin
You need an administrator or manager account with helpdesk.configure. Decide which teams handle tickets, who manages each, and what response and resolution times you promise.
Steps
- Open Helpdesk once. The first time anyone opens Helpdesk > Configuration, the system adds a starter set: six helpdesk types (IT, HR, Facilities, Product Service, Warranty and Customer, with Arabic names), seven categories with subcategories such as Hardware, and three SLA policies. Opening it again adds nothing. No teams are created.
- Create the teams. Open Helpdesk > Configuration > Teams, press New, and fill in code, name, type, manager, default SLA, assignment method and how transfers into the team are accepted. See Set up teams and members.
- Add members. On each team press Members, add each person and choose a role: agent, senior agent, team leader, manager, specialist or observer.
- Review the SLA policies. Open Helpdesk > Configuration > SLA Policies. Keep the starter policies or add your own. See Set up SLA policies and routing rules.
- Check types and categories. Open Helpdesk Types and Categories. Add the ones your company uses, and put subcategories under their category. See Set up chains, categories and skills.
- Write routing rules. Open Routing Rules and add rules in the order they should run.
- Define escalation chains. Open Escalation Chains and add the ladder for each team, or for a category.
- Decide the features and fields. An administrator opens Applications > Helpdesk > Features and Fields. See Features and field settings.
- Give people permissions. See the table below.
- Raise a test ticket. Follow Raise a ticket and check that it lands on the right team and agent.
Permissions
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
helpdesk.view | Open Helpdesk, read tickets, queues and the dashboard. |
helpdesk.create | Raise tickets. |
helpdesk.edit | Edit tickets, change status, reply, add notes, tasks, links and time, merge. |
helpdesk.assign | Assign a ticket to an agent of the owning team. |
helpdesk.transfer | Request a transfer to another team. |
helpdesk.transfer.accept | Accept or reject a pending transfer. |
helpdesk.escalate | Escalate up to level L3. |
helpdesk.escalate.manager | Escalate to Manager or Executive. |
helpdesk.escalate.vendor | Escalate to a vendor. |
helpdesk.deescalate | Lower a ticket's level. |
helpdesk.collaborator | Add collaborating teams. |
helpdesk.history | Read the hand-off history and the analytics panel. |
helpdesk.manage | Run the SLA check. |
helpdesk.configure | Change teams, policies, rules, chains, types, categories and skills. |
A standard agent role can request a transfer and escalate to L2 or L3. It cannot assign, accept transfers, escalate to management or a vendor, or de-escalate. Give those to team leaders and managers.
What happens next
Agents can raise and work tickets. Routing places each new ticket on a team and an agent, and the SLA clock starts.
Good to know
- Codes are letters, digits and underscores. They are stored in capitals. Keep them under 30 characters.
- An inactive team, policy, type or category is not offered on new tickets, but existing tickets keep it.
- The SLA alerts at 80%, 90%, 100% and 120% are raised by pressing Run SLA check on the dashboard. See The SLA clock.