1.8 Customers

The Customers tab is used to create, modify and delete Customer Accounts.

A Customer is a User assigned the Customer Role. They can be internal or external to the organization and can raise Incidents through the Customer Portal or via email. Service Desk staff can also generate requests on behalf of the Customer.

Service Desk Customers can be created within this tab. The Administrator can also import Customers from a .CSV file, or synchronize the system with a directory server.

NOTE:If Customers are imported using a directory server and the mixed mode authentication method is disabled, the option to create Customers within the Users tab is not available.

1.8.1 Creating a Customer Account

Customer Information includes the following tabs:

  • Information

  • Aliases

  • Items

  • Requests

  • Contracts

1.8.2 Information Tab

This tab is used to enter contact information about a Customer, creating a new Customer account.

NOTE:If Custom Fields are to be created for Customer Information, it is recommended the Administrator complete the customization prior to creating Users. (See Administrator: Custom Fields.)

To create a Customer account using Internal Authentication:

  1. Select User>Customers

  2. Select New

  3. The Customer Information screen appears with the following fields:

  4. Customer Information Fields

     

    Access

     

    Title

    If enabled, select the appropriate title from the drop-down options. (This field is displayed if the Enable Titles option is set to Yes in the Admin>Setup>Setup>Privileges>Customer tab.)

    First Name*

    Customer's First Name.

    Last Name*

    Customer's Last Name.

    User Name*

    The login User name credentials for the User. If this is imported via LDAP or Active Directory, it can not be edited. Otherwise, enter a Username. Note that the value must be unique.

    Password/ Confirm Password

    The Default Password is set to the Customer's email address or a random string can be enabled by the Administrator in Setup>Privileges>System. See Authentication.

    Customers can reset their password from the Customer Portal, or a Service Desk User can reset it in the customer account details using the Reset Password button through the Customer> Information tab.

    Web Access

    Web Access allows Customers to view their account information and Incidents via the Customer Portal.

    Contact

     

    Primary Email*

    The Customer's Email address. System messages are sent to this address.

    Send To

    This field becomes when alternate email addresses are entered on the Aliases tab.

    Select the most appropriate email address to be set as the default address applied to Customer correspondence. When the Send To field is set to an alias address, the Primary Email address is not included in the cc list, unless specified in the request Information tab cc list.

    Org. Unit

    The Organizational Unit, be it a Company or Department with which the Customer is associated.

    (Organizational Units are created by the Supervisor, in Users >Organizational Units.)

    Delegates

    To assign a delegate for customer, click the search icon and select the required technicians.

    For more information about the delegate role, see Delegate

    Line Manager

    If relevant, assign a system user with the Customer Role who can approve/reject requests made by this Customer, as part of the Change Management or Service Request approval process. (This information can not be edited if the line manager details are set by the LDAP synch.)

    Room

    This field is visible if the Display Rooms option is set to Yes in the Setup>Privileges>Customer screen and there are Room details configured in Organizational Units.

    Address 1

    First line of Customer's address.

    Address 2

    Second line of Customer's address.

    City

    Customer's city details

    State

    Customer's State details. Options will be displayed for the State, once the Country is selected, if Regions are configured for the Country in the system.

    Zip/Postcode

    Customer's area code.

    Country

    Customer's country. The country selected will determine the time zone and state options for the Customer.

    Email Locale

    Set the default language for email correspondence.

    Phone

    Enter Phone details.

    Fax

    Enter the Customer's fax number, if relevant.

    Pager

    Enter the Customer's pager details, if relevant.

    Mobile

    A mobile number can be entered as a contact number or for use with SMS (Short Mail Service message). An SMS can be sent to notify the assigned Technician when a request is created.

    SMS Messaging options:

    1. From the drop-down list, select the SMS Service Provider.

    2. Override SMS Address. If your service provider does not appear in the list, click this checkbox and enter an alternate Service Provider.

    SMS Override

    Enter SMS Gateway override details for the Customer, if a number other than the one entered in the Mobile field is to be used to send/receive updates via SMS. Enter the complete SMS details in email address format, i.e., 000777891@smsgateway.provider.com.

    Partner

     

    Customer of

    Nominate the Partner Organization associate with the Customer. This is an external service provider who manages the Customer's request.

    (The option is enabled by the Administrator in Setup Privileges> Use >Edit Customer Partner. The Partner Organizations are defined by the Supervisor in the User>Partner Organizations tab.)

    Locale

     

    Time zone

    The Customer automatically adopts the default Timezone set for the system. However, the Timezone can be manually adjusted here for the specific Customer.

    Last Login

    Auto-populated with the date the Customer last logged into the system.

    Host

    The IP address of the last login for the Customer

    GPS

    The GPS coordinates of the last known address for the Customer. (This field is displayed when the Record GPS option is enabled in Admin>Setup>Setup>Privileges>Customer tab.)

    Roles

     

    Current*

    Multiple Roles can be assigned to a User. Select other Roles the Customer will use, by ticking the check boxes.

    Note: If the Technician Role is selected, a Supervisor must be allocated.

    Default Portal

    The Default Portal is the user interface a Customer, who is assigned multiple Roles, accesses by default when they log into the system.

    NOTE:If the Users Default Portal is set to Customer, the User details will not be accessible in the Users list, but included in the list within the User>Customer tab.

    Details

     

    Notes

    Click on the field to enter any Customer relevant information.

* Denotes mandatory fields

  1. Click Done.

Emailing Customers Credentials

To email a newly created Customer details regarding their system log in details, click the Email button within the Customer Information screen. If Random Passwords is enabled, selecting Email will reset the Password and forward the details to the Customer. If Password Questions is enabled in Setup>Privileges>System, selecting Email will send a link to the Customer directing them to a page that includes the security questions set for their account and reset the password based on the answers provided. Customers must complete this process within an hour of the email being sent.

vCard Button

Select this option to download and open the Customer's information in an electronic business card format, to email or save outside the system.

1.8.3 Aliases Tab

The Aliases tab is used to enter additional email addresses. Email addresses in the Aliases tab allow the Customer to send emails to the System or Team support addresses from more than one address. The system creates requests from these emails. Notifications for requests created using an address in the Aliases tab, are sent to the main email address and cc'd to the alias address that was used to create the request.

When one or more alias email addresses have been created for a Customer, a Send To field is displayed on the Customer Information screen, which allows the most appropriate email address to be set as the default address applied to Customer correspondence. When the Send To field is set to an alias address the Primary Email address is not included in the cc list, unless specified in the request Information tab cc list.

To add an alias email address:

  1. Select User>Customers

  2. Click on the Customer name

    The Customer Information screen appears.

  3. In the Aliases tab click Edit

  4. Click Add

  5. Enter an alias email address

  6. Click Save.

    When an alias email address has been created for a Customer, a Send To field is displayed on the Customer Information screen, which allows the alias email address to be set as the default address applied to Customer correspondence.

To remove an alias email address, in Edit mode, tick the checkbox next to the relevant email address and then click Remove.

1.8.4 Items Tab

The Items tab lists the Items owned by the Customer. To access Shared Items, tick the Include Shared option. To view or edit the Item details, select the Item Number hyperlink. Select the Excel button to output the Item List to Excel format.

To add an Item:

  1. Select User>Customers

  2. Click on the Customer name

    The Customer Information screen appears.

  3. In the Information tab, click Edit

  4. In the Item tab, click Add

    The Find Item editor is displayed.

  5. Search for the relevant Item

    For details regarding an advanced Item search see: Advanced Search.

  6. Select the Item # hyperlink

    The selected Item will be associated with the Customer.

  7. Click Save

  8. Select Done

1.8.5 Requests Tab

The Requests tab is visible after the Customer has been created. It lists all requests related to the Customer and allows the User to create new requests for the Customer. To view details of a request, select the Task # or Problem Report hyperlink. To create a request for the Customer, select the New button.

1.8.6 Contracts Tab

The Contracts tab displays a Customer's current contract status. A Customer can be assigned an SLA or, when Billing is enabled, a Contract. A Customer can only have one active Contract, but contracts can be queued within the Contract >Customer tab, as required.

When Contracts are in use throughout the application, the timeframe set for Service Levels and Contract history are displayed within the Contracts tab. It is also possible to assign a Service Level and/or Contract within the Contracts tab.

To create a new Contract for a Customer:

  1. Select User>Customers

  2. Select the Customer Name

  3. Move to the Contracts tab

  4. Click Edit

    The system will display the Add button in the Customers tab

  5. Click Add

    The SLA options are displayed.

  6. Select a Service Level from the list

    When selected, the screen expands to display the Time, Start and End date fields.

  7. Define the Contract Time period

    For the Per Customer Contract Type the Time Period for the Contract can be defined:

    If Subscription is selected, the Start and End Dates are automatically completed by the system, but can be edited if required.

    If Time Limited Subscription is selected, the Support Hours field is displayed and the number of support hours purchased by the Customer should be entered. Also, the Start Date and End Date fields should be completed manually, entering the length of time for the subscription period.

    If Support Hours is selected, the number of support hours purchased by the Customers should be entered

    If Support Hours By Month is selected, define the number of Support Hours covered per month and on which day of the month the Contract is designated as the Rollover Day. The Start Date and End Date fields are automatically completed as an annual contract subscription but can be edited, as required.

    If the Start Date is set as a future date, the Pending Contract status is assigned. See Pending Contracts.

  8. Click Save

  9. Click Next to continue

    The system reverts to the Contracts summary screen.

  10. Click Save. Click Done.

To delete a current Contract, as a Supervisor User, select next to the Contract Number. Alternatively, to delete a current or queued Contract, within the Contract>Customers tab check the field next to the relevant Contract # and select the Delete button.

The Items tab within the Customer>Contracts screen is used to list all the Items with a Contract that are owned by a Customer.

The list of requests with the time recorded against the Contract is displayed within the Audit tab. The Summary view displays the list of requests with total number of Notes and Time allocated to the Contract, while the Detail view includes a breakdown of all Notes and the associated time related to each request.

Searching for Customers

To search for Customers within the Users>Customers tab:

  1. Go to Users>Customer

  2. Select

  3. Enter any known Customer details to find a specific Customer or to generate a Customer List based on date of creation, enter a Before or After creation date for the Customer.

  4. Click Search.

    The results will be displayed in a table with the Customer Name and contact information.

  5. Click on the Customer Name to open the Customer Information module or select the Email Address to send an email.

NOTE:To search for a Customer who has been deleted in the system, conduct the search within the Administrator Portal.