Date Formats
If you have problems running the reports, you may need to change the long date format on your web server. Click Start Menu, Control Panel, Regional Settings, then select the Date tab. Enter a long date format of dd MMMM yyyy. Do not include the day name in any date format.
Features
Here are just some of the features you will find in LBE Web Helpdesk:- Automatic escalation.
- Automatic e-mail notification when Jobs become overdue by specified number of hours.
- Full audit trail of what actions were taken and by whom.
- Create 'child' jobs which must be completed before the 'parent' job can be completed.
- Link files to Jobs - useful for e.g. screen dumps of error messages.
- Flexible filters of data allows you to e.g. show only overdue jobs assigned to yourself.
- E-mail notification keeps both customers and operators informed of progress.
- Manage support contracts by expiry date and/or number of new Jobs.
- Classify jobs into categories.
- Prioritization of jobs.
- Transfer of jobs between operators.
- Specify target completion dates.
- Maintain customer, contact and Asset/Inventory details.
- Individual privileges control those parts of the application available to each operator.
- Online help.
What's new in this version
- Automatic escalation.
- Upload files and Link files to Jobs - useful for e.g. screen
dumps of error messages.
- New Job Status - 'On Hold'.
- Manage support contracts by expiry date and/or number of new
Jobs.
- Job Target date changes when select a new Priority.
- Optionally allow operator to only see those Jobs assigned to them.
- Link Assets to Contacts.
- Cascading deletes - e.g. deleting a Customer will delete all
related records.
- Can hide records (e.g. Customers) without deleting them.
- Complete control over what Customer/Dept/Contact address information
is included in the History.
- Close any Child Jobs when closing a Parent Job.
- Individual Action Notes now stored in Operator Activity as
well as in the Job History
- Specify Organization Structure that you are supporting and
the system adapts. E.g. if you are dealing with internal customers only,
select "Single Customer, Multiple Departments" and the system will hide
references and input fields related to Customer in most windows
- Use of drop-downs/search boxes is now a personal preference
which can be chosen by each operator.
- Save complex/favorite searches - we now provide a link on every search page which you can save to repeat the search later.
Contacting LBE
Please send e-mail to LBE Support or visit our web-site for further contact information.
Trial Version
This evaluation version of LBE Web Helpdesk contains all the functionality of the full version with the following restrictions:
- It will expire 45 days after you first run it.
- The maximum number of concurrent users is limited to 5.
- It re-directs users to an evaluation message page when they log in.
- The number of trial days remaining is displayed at the top of each page.
You can purchase a licence for the required number of concurrent users (in packs of 5), or an unlimited licence. Once you purchase, we will send you a licence file which allows you to continue using the product and any data created during the trial period.
Ordering
You can order on-line on our secure server at our web site. We accept checks, credit cards, purchase orders and bank transfer payments. Licences are purchased for the number of concurrent users you require in units of 5. Pricing detail can be found at our web site.
If you have any other requirements, please contact us either by an e-mail to LBE Sales, or by telephone/fax, the numbers can be found at our web site.
Licensing
We charge per concurrent user, not individuals This means you only pay for the number of people you expect to be simultaneously using the helpdesk. By doing so, we can make LBE Web helpdesk affordable for small and medium sized enterprises. Licences are available in packs of 5 or an unlimited concurrent user licence.When an operator or guest logs in they consume a single licence. When they log out, this licence is released. If the user does not log out, the system will automatically log them out after an interval specified in the configuration, therefore you may need to order additional licences for this eventuality. If you do not have sufficient licences the system will not allow them entry and you may need to purchase additional licences.
If you wish to install LBE Web Helpdesk on several websites or different servers, you must purchase separate licences for each site
.Importing data from other programs
It may be that you are upgrading to LBE Helpdesk from:
- an in-house system
- another supplier's helpdesk system
or you wish to import e.g. Customer information from another database.
The best tool is probably Microsoft Access. This has very good data import wizards which should enable you to carry out this task with the minimum of problems. Before doing so, you must understand the structure of the database which LBE Helpdesk uses.
If you do have any problems or need advice, we are happy to help.
Our other Helpdesk products
Other Helpdesk Products
LBE Helpdesk 2.5
This is an early version which we distribute for free. There is no licence charge.LBE Desktop Helpdesk
Ideally suited for use by your helpdesk operators, the desktop environment allows us to provide a richer user interface.LBE Helpdesk Mail-in Server
Lets your customers send a simple e-mail to automatically create new helpdesk jobs, update their existing jobs and retrieve the current status. Works with LBE Desktop Helpdesk and LBE Web Helpdesk.Helpdesk Hosting
We can host your LBE Web Helpdesk on our website. This saves you the problems of finding a suitable webhost, installation and set up. Plus you don't have to buy a licence outright, in effect we rent the application to you for the length of the hosting agreement.Please visit our web-site for more information and to download.
Knowledge base
Using the Knowledge Base page, your users and operators can quickly find if their problem has been solved before. They can enter a word or phrase and the Knowledge Base will show them both the Problem and Solution for all closed Jobs which contain this word/phrase.
Log in as Operator
Helpdesk Operators are the people who use LBE Web Helpdesk to record information about problems and (hopefully) solve them. Each Operator needs to be registered with the system and each operator can be assigned access to particular parts of the system by their privileges. See later for more information.
Helpdesk Operators should access the system by pointing their web browser at oplogin.asp. This page will ask them for their name and a password (see later to find out how to set these up). LBE Web Helpdesk ships with an Operator named 'trial' with a password of 'password'. On the same page is a link which allows you to login as a Guest, we will ignore this for the moment.
If the name and password are accepted, you will be taken to the Jobs Search page. If you are running the trial version of LBE Web Helpdesk, you will be taken to the 'Trial Version' page, on which you can select an option from the drop-down menu.
Log in, then, if you are not taken directly to the Jobs Search page, select 'Jobs' from the drop-down list.
Jobs Search Page
You should be at the 'Jobs Search' page, if not, select 'Jobs' from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
At the top of the page you will see a table entitled 'Selection Options' with a number of entry fields in it. By default, the system retrieves all Open Jobs, however you can use the Selection options to search by particular criteria. Ignore this for the moment and click the 'Create New Job' link.
Creating a new helpdesk Job
There are a number of entry fields on this page, we will go through each of these in turn:Job id
This is a unique identifier for each Job and is generated by the system. It cannot be edited. Because we are creating a new Job, this number is not shown.
Customer/Dept/Contact
Each job must be assigned to a particular Customer Contact. Contacts belong to Customer Departments which in turn belong to Customers. You will see either a text box for you enter a full or partial customer name or a drop down list displays all the available values for you to select from, depending on your Personal Preferences. Just to the right of the drop-down list is a button which will be marked with a '+' to add a new item to the drop-down or 'Search', to select a Customer Contact. Click this button now.
+ button
A dialog box will be displayed which will prompt you for a new entry in the format
'Customer/Department/Contact' (dependent on the Organization Structure you have selected.
In this case, you must supply all three values, separated by a '/' character.
Type the following: 'My New Customer/All/Ms. J Smith' then
click the OK button. The new value will be displayed in the drop-down list.
Search button
A new window will open and display the Customer Contacts.
Either click the "Select this record" link or click the link to create a new Contact,
first.
Job Status
Either 'Open', 'On Hold' or 'Closed'. Leave it set to the dafault of 'Open'
Category
This allows you to categorize each helpdesk Job, which can help you in analyzing your helpdesk activity. You can add a new Category by clicking the '+' button.
Priority
Select a Priority from the drop-down list. Essentially this is just another classification for your helpdesk jobs, and should be used to determine the importance of each Job. You can add a new Priority by clicking the '+' button. If you change the Priority, the system will ask if you wish to reset the target date/time to the calculated value for that Priority.
Which Asset do you think the problem relates to?
This is an optional entry. You can assign this Job to a particular piece of equipment or software etc. Each Asset belongs to a Customer. You will see either a text box for you enter a full or partial asset number or a drop down list displays all the available values for you to select from, depending on the setting you have made in your Personal Preferences. Just to the right of the drop-down list is a button which will be marked with a '+' to add a new item to the drop-down or 'Search' to select an Asset.
Problem
This is where you describe the nature of the Problem which has led to the creation of this Job.
To Do
Use this as a reminder for any outstanding actions you need to take.
Solution
If the Job is completed, you should enter a brief description as to how it was solved. This is important as may enable Operators to solve similar Jobs in the future.
Notes
Use this to record any other information about the Job, e.g. machine setup. When you save, these Notes will be transferred to the Job History (see later).
Custom Fields
There are two Custom Fields, which you may have renamed from the Maintenance page. These are provided so that you can store information which is particular to the way you run your business.
Actioned at
Enter the date and time this Action was carried out. The system defaults to the current date and time at the web server which may or may not be the same as your time, depending on your geographic location.
To be completed by
This is the target completion date and time for the Job. The default value is determined by the default Priority and your Working Hours (see later).
Who carried out this Action?
Select the Operator who carried out this Action from the drop-down list. The selected value defaults to the name of the operator currently logged in, but may be changed if e.g. you are Actioning this job on behalf of another operator. You can add a new Operator by clicking the '+' button.
Pass this Job to Operator
It may be that another Operator needs to deal with this Job next, if so, select their name from the drop down list.
Time spent (this action)
You can keep track of how much time is spent on each Job by entering a value in these fields. Whatever is entered will be added to the running total for the Job. The system will automatically increment this value every minute. If you have the appropriate privileges, you can edit this value - at which point the auto-increment will cease.
Cost spent (this action)
This allows you to cost each Job, you might use this to keep track of e.g. the cost of any spares used in a repair job. The entered value will be added to the running total for the Job.
E-Mail Fields
These check boxes determine who e-mail is sent to and the contents of the e-mail.
- If the Customer Contact box is checked, the Customer Contact this Job is assigned to will be included in the recipients.
- If the 'Pass To' Operator box is checked the Operator selected in the 'Pass this Job to Operator' drop-down list above will be included in the recipients.
- If the Preview Message before sending is checked, you will be given a chance to edit the message before it is sent. For the purpose of this tutorial, make sure this box is checked.
Cancel Button
If you decide not to update, click the Cancel button. The Job will not be updated, and any new values you added to the drop-down lists will not be sent to the database. If you are Actioning an existing Job, it will also clear the 'Currently Opened by' indicator on the Job, so that other Operators can see that no one else is working on it.
Update Button
When you have entered all the information, click the Update button. Please do so now. This will take you to the 'Update Job' page.
Update Job Page
Assuming the Job was updated/created correctly, this will be confirmed. You will also be shown links which allow you to:
- Edit this job again
- Create child of this job
- Upload files to link to this Job
- Edit and send the mail message
- Return to Jobs search page
- Create a New Job
Sending e-mail
You should be at the Mail page, having just created a new Job and then clicked the 'Edit and send e-mail' link.
You will see a mail dialog, with To, CC, BCC, Subject and the message text itself. The recipients in the To field should already have been set, if you are using an SMTP server these should be the actual e-mail addresses rather than the people's names. If their e-mail addresses are not shown you need to define these for the Customer Contact and the Helpdesk Operator. You may add other recipients in any of the address fields.
The content of the email depends on template files which you may customize
When you are happy with the contents of the message, click the 'Send' button. The system will display a confirmation that the e-mail has been sent, or re-display the message if there is a problem.
Searching Jobs
The Jobs Search page has 'Selection Options' at the top of the page that allows you to restrict the Jobs retrieved
Search
This is a drop-down list which allows you to select what you wish to search on.
Search For
Enter the value you want to search for. E.g. if you selected Job Id in the Search drop-down, you would enter the Id of the Job you wanted to find in the Search For box. Using the next drop-down, you can choose what types of Jobs (Open, Closed, Held etc.) you want to be included in this search.
Sort by
Choose the value you wish to sort the returned records by, the drop-down Asc/Desc, allows you to choose Ascending or Descending sort.
Show
You can choose to show the Jobs in Summary, Detailed or Job Sheet mode. Job sheet mode is meant to be used for you to print out the Job details for an engineer to take and complete on-site.
Records per page
Choose how many records are displayed. If there are more records than will fit on one page, you will be given links to the other pages.
Advanced Search
If you click this link, you will be shown a much more complex Selection Options which allows you to specify complex search queries.
Saving Searches
Below the selection options you will see a link "Right click, Copy Shortcut to save this search". Right click on this link and select Copy Shortcut. Then go to a folder that you wish to save the search to. Right click, select Copy Shortcut. Alternatively, just drag the link onto your desktop. Now, whenever you wish to repeat this search, just drag the shortcut onto your browser window. This technique can be used on any of the search pages.
Actioning an existing Job
Select 'Jobs' from the drop-down list at the top of the page. You will be taken to the Jobs Search page. If you remember the Job Id of the last Job we created, select Job Id from the 'Search' drop-down, then enter the value into the 'Search For' box. Click the Retrieve button. If you can't recall the Job Id, leave the box blank and all Jobs will be retrieved.
The system will display a table showing the selected Jobs. If you select 'Details' from the Selection Options box, you will see a complete record for each Job.
Most of the information should be familiar to you by now, except for the 'Currently Open by' column. This shows you the name of the Operator who currently has a particular Job open in their web browser for updating. Using this you can avoid two people attempting to work on the same Job at the same time.
The left most column may have several links (the actual number depends on your privileges) for each Job. For the moment we just want to Action an existing Job, so click the 'Action' link.
The system will display the 'Edit Helpdesk Job' page which is the same as the New Helpdesk Job page with the following exceptions:
- The Job Id is displayed.
- The Job History displays a full Audit trail of everything that has happened to the Job since it was created.
- A Delete button is shown (if you have that privilege) which allows you to delete the Job.
Make any changes you wish, then click the Update button. This will take you to the 'Update Job' page.
Creating a Child Job
A Child Job is simply a Job which must be completed before its parent job may be marked as completed. You might use this facility where e.g. you have a machine repair that needs components from several suppliers and you wish to track the progress of each 'sub-job'.
You should be on the 'Update Job' page having just Actioned a Job. Click the 'Create child of this job?' link.
This will send you back to the 'New Helpdesk Job' page which you have seen before. The only difference now is that the Parent Job Id is displayed. Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
You should be back at the 'Update Job' page. Notice that the 'Create child of this job?' link is not displayed - this is because a Child Job cannot be a Parent, i.e. there is no concept of 'grandchild', 'great-grandchild' etc. jobs.
Click the 'Action this Job Link' to take you back to the 'Edit Helpdesk Job' page, then click the link in the 'Parent Job Id'. This will open the 'Edit Helpdesk Job' page for the parent Job.
Mark the parent Job as Completed, then click the Update button. This will also close any child jobs.
Uploading files to link to a Job
Sometimes it can be useful to link files to a Job e.g. screen dumps of error messages. There are two ways you can do this:
- After updating/adding a Job you will be shown a link to "Upload files to link to this Job"
- Select Linked Files from the main menu - this only allows you to add files to a Job if it already has some linked files
We will assume you have just updated a Job and clicked on the link "Upload files to link to this Job". This will open a new window which allows you to to select the file you wish to be uploaded and enter a short description."
When the Upload button is clicked, the system will transfer the file to the location you have specified as your upload directory and create links from the Job to this file. The file will be named according to the following format:
XXXXXX_originalname_YYY.originalextension.Where XXXXXX is the Job Id and YYY is a number starting with 0 and incrementing if there already exists a linked file with the same original name. For example, if the original file is called screen.bmp and it is linked to Job Id 200, then the Linked file will be saved with a name of 0000200_screen_000.bmp
Customize e-mails sent by the helpdesk
The content and subject of each of these message types is read from a template text file, which you are free to modify. They are:
Templates for emails sent to the operator and contact when a Job is actioned:
email_job_closed_contact.txt
email_job_closed_operator.txt
email_job_hold_contact.txt
email_job_hold_operator.txt
email_job_open_contact.txt
email_job_open_operator.txt
Templates for emails sent to the operator and and the manager when a Job is
escalated:
email_job_escalate_manager.txt
email_job_escalate_operator.txt
These files must be placed in the same folder as you installed the web helpdesk.
If you delete them, a default subject and message body will be used.
You may edit these files using Notepad or similar text editor only. Here is an example of one:
'JOB EMAIL TEMPLATE - JOB STATUS = OPEN
'SENT TO - CONTACT
'
'Please see the helpfile for information on using/modifying this file
#SUBJECT=Helpdesk Job #JOB_ID
Your helpdesk job has been updated/created and can be viewed using this link:
#GSTLOGIN
(please use the entire url, which may have wrapped onto more than one line)
#HISTORY
Please note:
- In this particular example, this file only applies if the jobs status is OPEN. It is only sent to the Customer Contact, another template is used for the email sent to the Operator and for different Job statuses
- Any line starting with an apostrophe is ignored and will not form part of the email.
- If you put a new line character in, this will be included in the email.
- Special keywords (see list below), all start with the # character and will be replaced with the appropriate information from the Job.
- The email subject will be determined by the line containing #SUBJECT=This is the subject (note the lack of spaces before the = sign)
Special Keywords
#GSTLOGIN - this is the url which allows the guest to login and then go straight
to a particular Job
#OPLOGIN - this is the url which allows the operator to login and then go straight
to a particular Job
#JOB_ID - the job id
#PARENT_ID - the job id of any parent job
#CREATED - the date time the job was created.
#LAST_ACTIONED - the date time the job was actioned (same as CREATED if this
is the first action).
#ACTIONED_BY - the name of the operator that actioned the job
#TO_COMPLETE_BY - the target completion date.
#COMPLETED_ON - date the job was actually completed.
#JOB_STATUS - the current job status,
#HOURS_OVERDUE - how many hours overdue (negative if not)
#DAYS_OVERDUE - how many days overdue (negative if not)
#ELAPSED_HOURS - number of hours elapsed since first created (ignoring office
hours).
#ELAPSED_DAYS - number of days elapsed since first created (ignoring office
hours).
#PROBLEM - Problem description
#TO_DO - To Do description
#SOLUTION - Solution description
#HISTORY - the complete job history
#PASSED_TO - the operator this job was passed on to
#CURRENTLY_OPENED_BY - who has the job open at the moment (if anyone)
#EMAIL_PASSED_TO - the email address of the operator it was passed to
#TIME_SPENT - the amount of time logged against this action ONLY
#MONEY_SPENT - the amount of money logged against this action ONLY
#TOTAL_TIME_SPENT - the amount of time spent so far
#TOTAL_MONEY_SPENT - the amount of money spent so far
#NOTES - the notes of the last action
#CATEGORY - Current job category
#PRIORITY - Current job priority
#JOB_CUSTOM1 - Job Custom1 field value
#JOB_CUSTOM2 - Job Custom2 field value
#ASSET_NUMBER - Asset information (if relevant)
#ASSET_DESCRIPTION
#ASSET_MANUFACTURER
#ASSET_MODEL_NUMBER
#ASSET_SERIAL_NUMBER
#ASSET_PURCHASE_DATE
#ASSET_COMMENT
#ASSET_DISPOSAL_DATE
#ASSET_PURCHASE_ORDER
#ASSET_INVOICE_NUMBER
#ASSET_PURCHASE_PRICE
#ASSET_VENDOR
#ASSET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION
#CONTACT_TITLE - customer contact information:
#CONTACT_FORENAME
#CONTACT_SURNAME
#CONTACT_JOB_TITLE
#DEPARTMENT_NAME
#DEPARTMENT_LOCATION
#CUSTOMER_NAME
#CUSTOMER_REFERENCE
#CONTRACT_EXPIRY
#JOB_ALLOWANCE
What are Guests?
Guests are Customer Contacts who you have allowed to access the Web Helpdesk. Guest access minimizes telephone calls or e-mails to your helpdesk because customers can:
- Create their own jobs.
- Monitor the progress of their jobs in real-time.
- Update their jobs as further information is found, or related problems appear.
If you require a Guest to have more privileges you should define a special Operator, specify the privileges you wish them to have, then tell them the password needed to log on as that Operator
A Customer Contact must have an e-mail address and a password specified (see here for details) before they can log in as a Guest. You must also have allowed Guest access when configuring LBE Web Helpdesk.
Logging as a Guest
Point your browser at gstlogin.asp. The system will display the Guest Login page and asks for an e-mail address and a password. If the Guest has forgotten their password they can click the 'I have forgotten my password' button and the system will mail the password associated with the entered e-mail addess.
The default database doesn't have any Guests registered so, click on the 'register' link now.
Registering a new Guest
You should be at the 'Guest Registration' page. This page allows a new Guest to enter their information into the Helpdesk system. If you wish to prevent Guests from self-registering you will need to disable this when configuring LBE Web Helpdesk.
The required fields on this screen are:
- E-mail address - this is how they are recognized by the system.
- Surname - we need to know how to address them.
- Password - controls access.
Depending on your configuration and Organization Structure there may be a drop-down list for them to choose the Customer/Department they belong to or text boxes to enter this information. If a drop-down list is provided then they must make a selection before continuing.
If text boxes are provided then these values are optional. If they provide Customer and Department information they will automatically be assigned to that Department and Customer if it already exists, if not, it will be created. A Helpdesk Operator with the appropriate privileges can re-assign them to another Customer/Department if they made a mistake (e.g. not entering the exact name of an existing Customer). If no Customer/Department information is provided they will be assigned to a Customer called 'Guests', and a department 'All Departments'.
For now, enter your e-mail address, surname and password then click the Submit button.
Assuming registration was successful you will be shown a link which takes you back to the 'Guest Login' page, where you should enter the e-mail address and password you provided earlier.
When you click the Submit button you will be taken to the 'Trial Version' page or straight to the Jobs Search page. Notice that at the top of the page you have a short menu, with a limited set of options available to you.
If you are not already at the 'Jobs Search' page, select the 'Search Jobs' link at the top of the page. If you then click the Retrieve button, you will notice that no Jobs are retrieved despite the fact we created some earlier. This is because the Guest user can only see those Jobs where they are the Customer Contact.
Customer Hierarchy
LBE Web Helpdesk uses a hierarchy of Customer Information as follows:
CustomersDepartmentsContacts
You can specify an Organization Structure that matches your structure and the system will adapt by hiding irrelevant information. E.g. if you are dealing with internal customers only, select "Single Customer, Multiple Departments" and the system will hide references and input fields related to Customer in most windows
Adding/Editing a Customer
You should be at the 'Customers Maintenance' page.
At the top of the page you will see a 'Selection Options' box, this is used to specify which Customers are retrieved. You can select an item you wish to search against (e.g. Customer Name) then enter the value you are looking for. You don't need to type the full value as the search will retrieve all records where your value is part of the selected search item. You can specify the sort order the Customers are displayed in and the number of records to show per page.
For now, leave the search value empty and click Retrieve. This will return all Customers. LBE Web Helpdesk ships with a sample Customer named 'Sample Customer' and this should be displayed below the 'Selection Options' box.
At the end of the customer information there should be a number of links: Edit, Delete, Departments, Contacts and Assets. We will return to the first two of these shortly. The Departments link is a quick way of displaying the Departments that belong to this Customer, similarly the Contacts link will show this Customer's Contacts, and the Assets link will show the Assets that belong to this Customer.
Click the 'New Customer' link just below the 'Selection Options' box. This will take you to the 'New Customer' page.
There are a number of entry fields on this page, we will go through each of them in turn:
Name
This is how the Customer will be identified.
Reference
You might use this field if you already have some form of reference number for each customer.
Address/Tel/Fax/Mobile
These entry fields are straightforward.
Contract Expiry Date
If you wish, you may set the expiry date for this customer's support contract. After this time, you will no longer be able to Action Jobs for this customer (unless you have override privilege ). If you don't wish to use this facility, set it to a date far in the future.
If the Customer's contract expiry date has passed, none of their Contacts will be able to log in as a Guest.
New Jobs Allowance
If you wish, you may limit the number of new Jobs this customer's support contract allows. Each time a new job is created, this figure will reduce, when it reaches zero, you will no longer be able to create new Jobs for this customer (unless you have override privilege). If you don't wish to use this facility, set it to a large value.
If the Customer has used up all their New Jobs Allowance, their Contacts will not be able to create new Jobs when they log in as Guest.
Custom 1/Custom 2
These entry fields may well have been renamed by you. They are provided so that you can keep information about each Customer that is particular to the way you run your business.
Notes
Any further information you wish to keep.
Delete Button
This is not shown when creating a new Customer, if you were editing an existing Customer this would allow you to delete the Customer.
When you are happy with your entries, click the Update button.
Adding/Editing Departments
You should be at the 'Update Customer' page having just created a new Customer. Assuming there were no errors, the system will display the following links:
- Edit this Customer will take you to the 'Edit Customer' page and allow you to make changes to the Customer you have just created.
- Edit the Default Department. When a new Customer is created, the system also creates a default Department for it. You can click this link to edit this Department.
- Edit this Contact. When a new Customer is created, the system also creates a default Contact which belongs to the default Department it has just created. You can click this link to edit this Contact.
Click the 'Edit the Default Department' link. This will display the 'Edit Customer Department' page. We will look at each entry field in turn:
Name
This identifies the Department
Location
You might use this to keep e.g. a building or floor number
Custom 1/Custom 2
These entry fields may well have been renamed by you. They are provided so that you can keep information about each Department that is particular to the way you run your business.
Customer
You will see either a text box for you enter a full or partial customer name or a drop down list which displays all the available values for you to select from, depending on your Personal Preferences and your Organization Structure. Just to the right of the drop-down list there may be a button marked with a '+' to add a new item to the drop-down or 'Search' to select a Customer.
You may change the selected Customer if you wish, this will have the effect of moving the Department (and all of the Customer Contacts which belong to that Department) to the new Customer.
Delete Button
This is only shown when editing an existing Department.
Update Button
This will update the database and create any new Customer you may have added by clicking the '+' button (see above).
Make any changes you wish, then click the Update button. The ' Update Customer Department' page will displayed, confirming that the update was successful or displaying any errors.
Now press the Back button on your browser until you reach the 'Update Customer' page, then click the 'Edit this Contact' link to edit the default Contact for the Customer we created earlier.
Adding/Editing Contacts
You should be at the 'Edit Customer Contact' page. Most of the entry fields on this page are self-explanatory, so we will just explain the others:
Customer/Department
You will see either a text box for you enter a full or partial department name or a drop down list which displays all the available values for you to select from, depending on your Personal Preferences and your Organization Structure. Just to the right of the drop-down list there may be a button which will be marked with a '+' to add a new item to the drop-down or 'Search' to select a Department.
Password
If you wish this Contact to have Guest access to the Helpdesk, you must enter a password for them.
Delete Button
This is only shown when editing an existing Contact.
Update Button
This will update the database and create any new Customer/Department you may have added by clicking the '+' button (see above).
Make any changes you wish, then click the Update button. The ' Update Customer Contact' page will displayed, confirming that the update was successful or displaying any errors.
Adding/Editing Assets
Assets are items (usually physical) which belong to a Customer, e.g. hardware, software, furnishings, fittings etc. By identifying the Asset that is involved in a Helpdesk Job, you may be able to reduce future problems.
To view the Assets for a particular Customer, select 'Customers' from the drop-down list at the top of the page. You can then choose the Customer, and click the 'Assets' link on that Customer's information, or click the 'Existing Assets' link and enter the Customer Name in the 'Selection Options' box at the top of the page.
We will assume you have reached the 'Customer Assets/Inventory Maintenance' page. To create a new Asset, click the 'New Customer Asset' link. This will take you to the 'New Customer Asset' page. Most of the information on this page is self-explanatory, so we will just look at two of the entry fields:
Asset Type
This displays a drop-down list of Asset Types, you may change the selected Asset Types if you wish. Next to this drop-down list is a '+' button, click this to add a new Asset Types to the list.
Customer
You will see either a text box for you enter a full or partial customer name or a drop down list which displays all the available values for you to select from, depending on your Personal Preferences and your Organization Structure. Just to the right of the drop-down list there may be a button which will be marked with a '+' to add a new item to the drop-down or 'Search' to select a Customer.
You may change the selected Customer if you wish, this will have the effect of moving the Asset to the new Customer.
Delete Button
This is only shown when editing an existing Asset. You can not delete any Assets which have Jobs linked to them.
Update Button
This will update the database and create any new Customer and/or Asset Types you may have added by clicking the '+' button (see above).
Make any changes you wish, then click the Update button. The ' Update Customer Asset' page will displayed, confirming that the update was successful or displaying any errors.
Personal Preferences
Select Maintenance from the main menu. The Maintenance page will be displayed, find the section titled Personal Preferences.
This gives you the choice of using Search boxes or drop-down lists on those pages where you have to select a Customer, Contact or Asset. Choosing Search boxes will speed up the loading of pages as the system does not have to populate the drop-down list, they can also make it easier to find the value you wish to use.
You may also choose what you want to happen when you change the Priority of a Job - the system can prompt you to reset the target date/time based on the new Priority or you can opt for it to be left unchanged.
Linked File Options
Select Maintenance from the main menu. The Maintenance page will be displayed, find the section titled System Options.
Default Location for Files Linked to Jobs
Enter the default location where you keep your linked files. You should use a UNC path (e.g. \\servername\c\foldername\filename) so that all operators can access these files regardless of their drive mappings.
Allow changes to Linked files when Job is closed?
If this box is checked, you can still make changes to a Job's linked files, even if the Job is closed.
Uploading
When the end user uploads a file, it is actually the web server which is doing the work, and it is impersonating the Anonymous User (IUSR_machinename) to do so. When the system checks to see if the linked files exist, it executes this check on the web server under the anonymous user's (IUSR_machinename) authentication, just as if you were to physically logon to the web server as the anonymous user, then try to use windows explorer to get to the same file.
Therefore, the Anonymous User (IUSR_machinename) needs to have Create permissions in this folder and needs to be able to reach it via the path you enter above. If the machine containing the linked files is NOT the same machine as the web server, then the anonymous user on the web server would not be authenticated on the target machine. You may need to make this user a domain user.
You will find further useful information at: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q207/6/71.asp. In particular, make sure that Auto Password Synchronization is OFF.
Downloading
When a linked file is presented on the web page it can be presented as either a file: or http: link.
- file: type links can only be accessed from within your network
- http: links can be accessed through your web site
To enable the system to display linked files with http: links, you need to configure LBE Web Helpdesk and specify a value for LinkUrl which points to the location of the linked files. If you leave LinkUrl set to "" (the default), linked files will be displayed using a file: link and any users will need network privileges to see these files.
Job History Order Options
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page, then find the System Options section.
When a Job is Actioned, the system keeps an audit trail of the information in the Job History. You can choose to have this entered so that most recent Actions are shown first or last. Click the link entitled 'Job History Order'. This will take you to the 'Job History Order' page. Select the order you wish the Job History to be kept, then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem. The change will only affect new Jobs, existing Jobs will carry on using whatever the setting was at the time they were created.
Items to Include in Job History
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page, then find the System Options section. Click the link entitled 'Items to include in Job History' this will take you to a page with check boxes for each of the items that you wish to be included.
Custom Fields
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Custom Fields are used provided in a number of places throughout LBE Web Helpdesk. These fields may be renamed by you and used to store information which is particular to your business. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Custom Fields'. You should see a link entitled 'Rename Custom Fields'.
Click the 'Rename Custom Fields' link. This will take you to the 'Custom Fields' page. You will see a table with a row for each section which uses Custom Fields. Change the value in each of the two custom fields to whatever you wish. then click the Update button.
(N.B. If you don't wish to use one or more custom fields, set them to blank, this will prevent them from being displayed in any of the web pages.)
If you wish the custom field to display a drop-down list of options, enter a list of phrases separated by a semi-colon (;). The first phrase will be used as the caption, the rest as the options in the drop-down list. For example, entering "Charge Code;Internal;External;No charge" will display a field named "Charge Code" with a drop-down list containing the values "Internal", "External" and "No charge"
If you want to make selection of a value optional, enter a blank as one of the phrases, e.g. "Charge Code;;Internal;External;No charge" will give a drop-down list where the first option is empty.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Organization Structure
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page, then find the System Options section. Click the Organization Structure link.
This will take you to a page where you can choose the Organisation Structure setting that matches the type of Organization you are supporting:There are 4 options:
| Option | Typically used by |
| (A) Single Customer, single Department, multiple Contacts | Helpdesk of a small company supporting internal users only. |
| (B) Single Customer, multiple Departments, multiple Contacts | Helpdesk of a medium to large company supporting internal users only. |
| (C) Multiple Customers, not split into Departments, multiple Contacts | Helpdesk supporting a number of small external companies. |
| (D) Multiple Customers, Departments and Contacts | Helpdesk supporting a number of medium to large external companies. |
If in doubt, choose the default Organization Structure is (D).
Select the appropriate Organization Structure from the drop-down list at the bottom of the window. You may change this value at any time as long as your data support it. For example if you already have several Customers defined, the system will not let you select options C and D. In this case you will need to delete all but one Customer before you can make these choices. (see also - how to hide records).
N.B. It is possible to e.g. create multiple Customers after you have set your organization structure to option A or B. However if you do so, the system will automatically reset the Organization type to the appropriate value.
Auto-escalation Notification
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page, then find the System Options section.
Select Auto-escalation Notification. This will take you to a page where you
can control the notification e-mails produced when a Job is escalated in priority.
You can specify if the Operator assigned to each escalated job is notified and/or
another e-mail address (e.g. to notify a manager).
Asset Types
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Asset Types are a way of classifying Customer Assets, doing so helps you to identify which types of Asset cause more than their fair share of helpdesk problems. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Asset Types'. You should see two links, 'Existing Asset Types' and 'New Asset Type'.
Click the 'Existing Asset Types' link. This will take you to the 'Asset Types Maintenance' page. At the top of the page is a 'Selection Options' box. This allows you to search for a particular Asset Type, specify the sort order of retrieved records and limit the number of records displayed per page.
We wish to retrieve all Asset Types, so leave the 'Containing' entry field empty and click the Retrieve button. You should see several records retrieved.
Each Asset Type has:
- Name - this identifies the Asset Type.
- Custom Fields - These are two Custom Fields, which you may have renamed from the Maintenance page. These are provided so that you can store information which is particular to the way you run your business.
- Edit link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
- Delete link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
Editing
Click the 'Edit' link. This will take you to the 'Edit Asset Type' page. Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Click the Back button on your browser until you return to the 'Asset Types Maintenance' page, then click the Refresh button on your browser, or click the Retrieve button on the page, and you will see the changes you have made reflected in the retrieved records.
New
Now click the 'New Asset Type' link, this will take you to the 'New Asset Type' page, which is identical to when you were editing an Asset Type, except that all the entry fields are empty. Give your new Asset Type a name then click the Update button.
Deleting
Move back to the 'Asset Types Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, your new Asset Type will be included in the retrieved records. Click the Delete link. This will display the 'Update Asset Type' page with a Delete button which allows you to confirm the deletion. Click this button now and the system will display a message confirming the deletion was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Move back to the 'Asset Types Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, the Asset Type you have just deleted will not be included in the retrieved records.
Categories
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Categories are a way of classifying Jobs, doing so helps you to identify which types of Job cause more than their fair share of helpdesk problems. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Categories'. You should see two links, 'Existing Categories' and 'New Category'.
Click the 'Existing Categories' link. This will take you to the 'Category Maintenance' page. At the top of the page is a 'Selection Options' box. This allows you to search for a particular Category, specify the sort order of retrieved records and limit the number of records displayed per page.
We wish to retrieve all Categories, so leave the 'Containing' entry field empty and click the Retrieve button. You should see several records retrieved.
Each Category has:
- Name - this identifies the Category.
- Default - if this value is 'Yes' then any new Jobs will automatically default to this Category. Only one Category can be marked as the default.
- Custom Fields - These are two Custom Fields, which you may have renamed from the Maintenance page. These are provided so that you can store information which is particular to the way you run your business.
- Edit link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
- Delete link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
Editing
Click the 'Edit' link. This will take you to the 'Edit Category' page. Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Click the Back button on your browser until you return to the 'Categories Maintenance' page, then click the Refresh button on your browser, or click the Retrieve button on the page, and you will see the changes you have made reflected in the retrieved records.
New
Now click the 'New Category' link, this will take you to the 'New Category' page, which is identical to when you were editing an Category, except that all the entry fields are empty. Give your new Category a name then click the Update button.
Deleting
Move back to the 'Categories Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, your new Category will be included in the retrieved records. Click the Delete link. This will display the 'Update Category' page with a Delete button which allows you to confirm the deletion. Click this button now and the system will display a message confirming the deletion was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Move back to the 'Categories Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, the Category you have just deleted will not be included in the retrieved records.
Priorities
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Priorities are a way of classifying Jobs, doing so helps you to manage the order in which you deal with Jobs. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Priorities'. You should see two links, 'Existing Priorities' and 'New Priority'.
Click the 'Existing Priorities' link. This will take you to the 'Priorities Maintenance' page. At the top of the page is a 'Selection Options' box. This allows you to search for a particular Priority, specify the sort order of retrieved records and limit the number of records displayed per page.
We wish to retrieve all Priorities, so leave the 'Containing' entry field empty and click the Retrieve button. You should see several records retrieved.
Each Priority has:
- Name - this identifies the Priority.
- Sequence - You can use this to define a hierarchy of Priorities, e.g Sequence 1 might be 'High', Sequence 99 might be low.
- Target Date/Time - this defines how the system will calculate the target completion date/time for a new Job according to the Priority assigned to it.
- Default - if this value is 'Yes' then any new Jobs will automatically default to this Priority. Only one Priority can be marked as the default.
- Custom Fields - These are two Custom Fields, which you may have renamed from the Maintenance page. These are provided so that you can store information which is particular to the way you run your business.
- Automatic Escalation - When a Job with this Priority goes overdue by the specified number of hours, it's Priority will be changed to the next highest in sequence.
- Edit link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
- Delete link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
Editing
Click the 'Edit' link. This will take you to the 'Edit Priority' page. Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Click the Back button on your browser until you return to the 'Priorities Maintenance' page, then click the Refresh button on your browser, or click the Retrieve button on the page, and you will see the changes you have made reflected in the retrieved records.
New
Now click the 'New Priority' link, this will take you to the 'New Priority' page, which is identical to when you were editing an Priority, except that all the entry fields are empty. Give your new Priority a name then click the Update button.
Deleting
Move back to the 'Priorities Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, your new Priority will be included in the retrieved records. Click the Delete link. This will display the 'Update Priority' page with a Delete button which allows you to confirm the deletion. Click this button now and the system will display a message confirming the deletion was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Move back to the 'Priorities Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, the Priority you have just deleted will not be included in the retrieved records.
Working Hours
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Working Hours are used in the calculation of a Job's default Target Completion date/time, based on the default Priority. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Working Hours'. You should see a link entitled 'Edit Working Hours'.
Click the 'Edit Working Hours' link. This will take you to the 'Working Hours' page. You will see a table with a row for each day of the week. Enter the start and end times for each day using 24 hour notation for the hours. Setting all times for a day to 00 will make it a non-working day.
Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Helpdesk Operators
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Helpdesk Operators are the people who use the helpdesk system. Scroll down until you can see the section entitled 'Helpdesk Operators'. You should see two links, 'Existing Helpdesk Operators' and 'New Helpdesk Operator'.
Click the 'Existing Helpdesk Operators' link. This will take you to the 'Helpdesk Operators Maintenance' page. At the top of the page is a 'Selection Options' box. This allows you to search for a particular Helpdesk Operator, specify the sort order of retrieved records and limit the number of records displayed per page.
We wish to retrieve all Helpdesk Operators, so leave the 'Containing' entry field empty and click the Retrieve button. You should see at least one record retrieved.
Each Helpdesk Operator has:
- Name - this identifies the Helpdesk Operator.
- E-mail - The system needs to know the Operator's e-mail address if you are using any of the e-mail functionality.
- Custom Fields - These are two Custom Fields, which you may have renamed from the Maintenance page. These are provided so that you can store information which is particular to the way you run your business.
- Edit link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
- Delete link - If you have the appropriate privileges, this link will be displayed.
Editing
Click the 'Edit' link. This will take you to the 'Edit Helpdesk Operator' page. You will see a number of additional fields displayed:
- Password - this is needed for the Operator to access the helpdesk. If you are editing an existing Operator, the password will not be displayed. Leave it blank to keep the existing password or enter a new password to change it.
- Privileges - You can control which parts of the system each Operator has access to by switching on and off the privileges shown here. For example, if you wished your Customers to have more access than the Guest user provided, you could define an Operator with just those privileges you wanted, then tell them the Operator name and password to log in with.
Most privileges are self-explanatory, some need further explanation:
- Change Contact - Without this privilege, this Operator cannot amend the selected Contact for an existing Job.
- Edit Time Spent - The Time Spent value on the Action Job window automatically increments for each minute the window is open. If the Operator has this privilege they may overwrite the value.
- May see all Operator's Jobs - Without this privilege, the Operator can only see and action Jobs which have been assigned to them.
- Override Customer Contract Expired - Without this privilege, when a Customer's support contract expires -either by date or they have used up all their New Jobs allowance, you will not be able to add/action Jobs for this Customer.
- Can see data relating to the following Customers - By selecting anything
other than "All Customers", you will restrict this operator to only
seeing data related to the chosen customer, (N.B. This also affects those
reports with "Customer" in their title, but not any others).
Make any changes you wish then click the Update button.
The system will display a message confirming the update was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Click the Back button on your browser until you return to the 'Helpdesk Operators Maintenance' page, then click the Refresh button on your browser, or click the Retrieve button on the page, and you will see the changes you have made reflected in the retrieved records.
New
Now click the 'New Helpdesk Operator' link, this will take you to the 'New Helpdesk Operator' page, which is identical to when you were editing a Helpdesk Operator, except that all the entry fields are empty. Give your new Helpdesk Operator a name then click the Update button.
Deleting
Move back to the 'Helpdesk Operators Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, your new Helpdesk Operator will be included in the retrieved records. Click the Delete link. This will display the 'Update Helpdesk Operator' page with a Delete button which allows you to confirm the deletion. Click this button now and the system will display a message confirming the deletion was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Move back to the 'Helpdesk Operators Maintenance' page and click the Retrieve button, the Helpdesk Operator you have just deleted will not be included in the retrieved records.
Clear Operator Activity
You should be at the 'Maintenance' page. If not, select 'Maintenance' from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
Each time a Job is actioned, the system records cost, time, the operator and date of the action. This is in addition to the Job History. This Operator Activity information enables you to report on the efficiency of each operator. Occasionally you may wish to clear this information for a specified period.
Click the link entitled 'Clear Operator Activity '. This will take you to the 'Clear Operator Activity' page. Select the start and end dates for the period you wish to clear, then click the Delete button.The system will display a message confirming the operation was successful or any error messages if there was a problem.
Logging Off
Each connected user consumes valuable server resources. In addition your licence may allow you a limited number of concurrent users for LBE Web Helpdesk. Therefore it is important for you to log off the system when you are finished rather than depending on the system to automatically log you off, which will happen after a period of inactivity defined by the Session.Timeout value when configuring LBE Web Helpdesk
Hiding Records without Deleting them
Deleting records is permanent and when e.g. you delete a Customer, all related records are deleted as well. This will obviously affect your reporting. Sometimes you might want to disable e.g. a Customer or Operator so that they can't be used.
To do this you will need to open the database in the relevant tool and update a record manually. Most tables in the database have a column named Deleted. Normally this is set to 0. To disable this record, set the value to 1. For example, to hide a particular Customer, open the Customers table, locate the Customer record you wish to disable and set the Deleted value to 1. You can do this for Customers, Departments, Contacts, Operators, Assets, Asset Types, Categories and Prioirities.
Error Logging
Warning messages are displayed to the user. More serious errors are saved in a database table named 'exception' along with the date, time, remote address, login name and the error message. You can delete records at any time, using MS Access, SQL Server Enterprise Manager or Oracle Sql Plus as appropriate.
Protecting your data
Security
If you are using Oracle or Sql Server as your database, you may wish to modify the standard scripts that are provided (see either MSSQL or ORACLE folders in the helpdesk installation directory) so that the user and object security is suitable for your organization.
The Access database could be secured, but we have chosen not to do so because we feel that this causes more problems than it solves.
Once you have the web helpdesk up and running you should delete the testfile.asp file. The results generated by this file could give a potential hacker valuable information about the setup of your system - especially the location of your database.
If you are using Access, you have to give the anonymous user (IUSR_machinename)
Full Control permissions in the folder containing the helpdesk.mdb file. To
simplify installation, we install this file in the web helpdesk folder. However,
once you have the system running OK, you should move the helpdesk.mdb into a
different folder (preferably one not below the inetpub folder). You will then
need to amend the location with the Configure LBE Web
Helpdesk utility to reflect its new location. Give the anonymous user Full
Control permissions in the new location and allow them read and Execute permissions
only in the web helpdesk folder.
Data
Access is not as robust as Oracle or Sql Server. It is more prone to corruption, which can be caused by e.g. faulty network cards, 'blue screens', out of date database drivers. However, many people have used it for years without problems. Nevertheless it is vital you have a good backup policy in place.
Sql Server and Oracle are much more robust, coping easily with 'blue screens' etc. However, you still need to have a backup policy which you know works (i.e. you have successfully restored a backup as a test).
Compacting your Access database
As your Access database grows, records are deleted and moved; you will find that you need to compact it to recover lost space. Doing so also can prevent corruption. To compact your Access database, you will need MS Access or use our Desktop Helpdesk.
Database Structure
The following diagram shows the major tables in the helpdesk database. You may find it helpful if you are creating your own reports or importing data from other programs:
Reports
LBE Helpdesk ships with a large number of reports. Click the Reports option in the main menu to see a list
Creating your own reports
LBE Helpdesk comes with many reports, however you may reach a point at which you need to write your own. There are a number of options:
- Create your own reports in Access.
- Purchase a reporting tool.
- Download a free reporting tool from e.g. Seagate
- Commission LBE to write them for you
Probably the best option is to use Access. If you are using an Access database for the helpdesk then you can create the reports directly into the same database. If you are using either Sql Server or Oracle, then it is probably best to create a new Access database and link to the helpdesk tables.
When creating your reports, please bear in mind the database structure.
Customization
In Configuring we showed how you could change the title of each page and the logo displayed. You can do this without needing to know HTML.
If you wish to make more radical changes then the following options are available to you:
- Edit the pagehead.asp file. This controls the heading for every page. You will need to know HTML and some VBScript to edit this.
- Edit the stylesheet file (lbe.css). You will need some basic understanding of style sheets.
- Modify individual pages. This will give you fine control over each page but you will need to understand HTML and VBScript.
- Commission a custom version. We are happy to discuss costs for creating a custom version of LBE Web Helpdesk. Please e-mail us with details of your requirements.
If you choose any of the above options, you need to be aware that this will limit your options for future upgrades as you, or we, will need to re-apply to the new release any modifications you have made.
Copyright Leigh Business Enterprises Ltd. 2003