FootPrints provides a number of different types of Issues:
Issue—An Issue is
normally used to log any event or problem. The name for this may
differ (Ticket, Entry, etc.) depending on how your system is configured.
An Issue can be opened, assigned, worked on, and closed by internal Agent users and Administrators. FootPrintscan automatically send notification email whenever an Issue is worked.
Request—A Request is
a preliminary Issue that is submitted by a Customer. FootPrints
Agents can then “take” the Request and turn it into a regular Issue, or
Requests can be automatically assigned to one or more Agents. (Administrators
can read the section on Auto Assign in the WebHelp or Reference Manual for
more information). Your Administrator can tell you how Requests
are handled in your organization.
Quick
Issue—Quick
Issues are templates that contain pre-filled information for standard
types of Customer problems and requests. For example, a Quick Issue template
for "Password Reset" would start out pre-filled with a description
of the problem, the problem categories pre-filled with "Network"
and "Password Reset", and perhaps a Status of "Closed".
The Agent only needs to fill in the user's contact information to submit
the Issue. The Workspace Administrator can create an unlimited number of
templates.
Master
Issue/Subtask—Sometimes an
Issue needs to be broken up into separate subtasks to be completed by
different users. When
a subtask is created for an Issue, the originating Issue automatically
becomes a Master Issue of that subtask. Multiple subtasks can be created
for an Issue.
Master
Quick Issue—Quick
Issue templates can also be defined to create Master Issues and related
subtasks automatically, for example, to define the New Hire process.
Global
Issue/GlobalLink—Global
Issues are used to designate important or frequently reported Issues that
will affect many users. Global Issues can be broadcast to all Agents,
are displayed on the Agent FootPrints
Homepage, and can optionally be displayed for Customers to subscribe to.
Whenever a new Issue is reported with the same problem as an existing
Global Issue, the Agent (or, optionally, the Customer) can link the Issue to the known Global Issue (called GlobalLinks). Global Issues can be closed
simultaneously with their GlobalLinks.
Solution—Solutions are
a special type of record in FootPrints
that make up the Knowledge Base. They are used to describe solutions to
common problems, frequently asked questions, document procedures, etc.
A Solution can be created from scratch or spun off from an Issue.
Solutions can be public or internal and they can be configured to require
an approval process before they are published.
Note
Issues and Requests can also be submitted and updated via
email. Please refer to the section on submission via email for more information.