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Nimsoft Service Desk User Guide

1. 82 RIVUAPLIBE C 82 Frequently A ae 99 SSUMRelated iii AA AAE 99 dl O A 104 Chapter 5 Searches 111 ler Jeu AS Search Functions Global Search Defined SEARCHES orc ree rent eres et ee Phe ttp ede veo inline ede Piedad dude ere su Pax des Te prune bR edu reve ee Pau E re ERENER Personal Searches iiit ii da Advanced Searches Search Look Ups Handling Searches edere restet vectes teen ee ene PER er dene eeepc cete RAN Use Global Search to access infOrmation cccssccccesssecesssececeeseeeceeaaececseeeecseaueeeceeaaecseneeeceeaaeesceeaeeceesureeseeaaes 121 Use Defined Sanches iere Addis Use Advanced S arch Er Use Personal Searches Extract Data of the Search Results OW A M Frequently Asked QuestlOns contr toe aot et ao rupe aaa eve eu on Pha eds en ke Y RR Rx V ERAN kan PEN EN E ER caus RR ERRER TRE ERN cando Contents 7 Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards 130 eJ a 130 Reporting Functionality aseo eerte aieia ore add ene eaae ne ene eng Pu nen cesses cin ne Kn kan aane ce exe Rab Ua dai 130 REDO i e c 130 DashibOards eet o e pepe Hates A p eed pee ba E ee uae E E A dada 131 Handling Reports and Dashboards
2. 146 Set a different page as Home landing Page ccccccccssscccssssececssssecceseeecsesseceeseseceesaececeessececsesseceesaeaeeessaeees 146 Update your SA E 147 Manage ES RS 147 PLOW RR NA 147 Frequently Asked QUESTIONS nares eror erri te ceetsbentiecshuacdensneataceuhtecesusnscdbecedteleeeneccestecs base rap aveo ee un Eras 152 Chapter 8 Request Management 155 O ie ie Gk Gn a ERE FERMER CHEN ES RARE ERE Oe oe Eee Tue TR Ee En s 155 About Request Management ccccsessssccececsesseeeseeecscsesessesesecscseesassesececeeeaassesececeeseaaeseseesceesesssaeseeseeeseaaaaeees 155 Service Request Life Cycle teet ek iere esteso deep T eed es gn Pan Re ve ER XR RDNEN E EEN Lee INFR Re eyed eek EA 155 8 Agent User Guide Request Management in Nimsoft Service Desk Request Management Functions List Service REQUEST Sortie enc Log Service Request Log Request Using Template eniro tero eni eitera RIGA Ey Exe eRER QUERER Fe ERE REO e ed Ra Rie E REED aan Search Requests Reports need Rer ak eR e eode Handling Service REQUESTS eee eee eterne tr Rete nete ek ee nen AEE E bancada ee Pen Revue eh Cebeveds eta ede pae ed y eu eU ee b HER a Y View Service Requests cct RR ER RR BRE CORRER TERES ERE CERE E NRA CXRKN nud TERRESTRE TRRKVR E VENERE RA RRKS BRE e RARE TERRE SERE e NER ERR RR n Log New TICKET ise ce tese ete Po ERR ERE eH Ee ara ia aia vanidad Vid Modify Existing T
3. 52 IT Service Management TM za ERER 52 Request EA iaaa aaa E aA Eia aA a a aaa aa aaa aA Ea aAa a Aaaa Aaaa E AE a Eaa 53 INCIDENT Mamnagermiellt ue orte ee eerte renes tete terr teria ee een ees Urn deber toco Rapt ea ved a EEan AE ere Pk ie aen danek 53 Problem o turn a AR PRI KR KERN SR XN ERR EAR EXER ERA LENS E ERA esapanusuaneen FAM UR Voas CERTE NT ANNE NER 54 Change A UOTE 54 Change APO iii A ci 54 Approval Groups onise eiae a an aaia aaa EE teu caaead diaweshtescasbcdienetatescecsdichacdaheessuasaadseretaresvesnttenes 55 Knowledge EE IMS TEC 56 Service Level Management srna DEDERE 57 E cie 58 Configuration Management oret a EUER ATE RARE ERE adn ERE ERR TREE YEN 58 ESCOIACIONS RM EET 59 Notiricatlofls tdo bereitet cR Ae er e ie EEE E E Ae ANa Eae AEE NEn a cs nnetasererd a AEE DEEA 60 Chapter 3 Layout and Navigation 61 Jp 61 Generic LAY Toll ETT 61 Header To Ho n ERR ERR TTE REED RD Me 62 Navigation Panel ciere RAN 62 LIST SCHEOCMS me N E E E N E E N E E A E 62 Tick LU das 65 A NN 66 MELENA A 67 A tebe ing E DIDI IU DLL 67 Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 68 aT 68 Ticket Tabs and Felder 68 A P 68 Additional Ticke
4. OIR EA RAAE RER AE AOE ESA N PE E AE SNE AE NR S EEE E RA E ET About Problem Management nore ee ena aae ade ER Pe ena na dn pira a iaa EA E cancaedeasveadanaes Problem Ticket Lite A Te PT Problem Management in Nimsoft Service Desk Problem Management FUNCtIONS ccccccccssssscecececsessseesecececeeseeeeesececeeeeseeseeeescessesneeeseeecseseseeaeseeeeeseesasaeseeeeseseseea EISE PErODIGITIS NA Report Problem sirio CETTE TE LED RTL D DL CULO DL ELLE Report Problem Using Template iei eete annin rua en ca an Fea Re Rx adn Rak iaar Eae Eaa Ena ar hana ice Search Problem S Sessan gines iade saa a tune Enid vae een wet ees nd ERE WR E RR Sind Red seb RR Reve ie EHE anden er nea qe Ye Red REPOS m RR TEE Handling Problem Tickets c cccccccccsssssecccecsessssseeeeeeceeseeeseeeeececseeaeeeeeeeceeeeseeseseeecesseeaeeeseeeceeseseeaeseeeeessesaeaeseeseseseseea View Problem Tickets co A EXER AA WERE E IRE Ren Report a Problem iieri rain A dad Modify Existing Problem Tickets Manage Ticket Relationships cc cccccccccssssssececececsesseaeeesececsesesaeeeeececeesesaeseeeesceesesaeaeseeeceeseseeaeseeecesseeaeeeeeesens ASSIBN a Problem TICKET reeni reitera ener URP ERE tne n eto e ERN Ede UE EE Tea vende oveavaadecsivanneeatdaass Created Change Ticket iiti ene eta Ri ER CIR ra qva RAT RAP x ER ER ARA VER FRAN RR Sede RR EXN AR eoa tbv Re
5. Closure Please note that the workflow design and configuration is internally managed by your Administrator and your Administrator may have modified the workflow to make it more suitable to the needs of your organization Chapter 10 Problem Management 183 Problem Management Functions Problem Management Functions List Problems The Problem Management Module which is a Ticket Module allows Service Desk Agents perform key function of logging new Problem Tickets either with or without using a template searching for existing Problem Ticket and generating reports related to Problem Tickets The Links to the various forms and screens under Problem Management Module are explained below The List Problems link under Problem Management in the Navigation Panel opens a list of all open Problem Tickets logged and assigned to you or your support group s Filter Requests x 3 lt Han Packet corruption from NAT at uS ma Dean SomiTst1 A ae OAM MD NM UEN Daiglish Sam TS Y PRB 39519 Users in Baroda ere unable to connect t Medium n Progress Daish Som ITS11 Print Ticket Records 1 to 301 3 Ticket List Ticket List Export Data Options Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view charts and ticket list of all open Problem Tickets logged in your queue You can see the same charts that you see on the Home Page under the Home Section the difference is
6. P 200 Handling Change A AN 200 VIEW Change TICKETS O seus bdahedetacasgudgneasaea tes svensaedss 201 Raise A NO 201 Classify a Champ Esin tergeser torte nett E nune Ere Ya e RR E Ree Fee E ne e ERN EUER caus VERRE EV ex REPE HEURE Fee e rn EE ERE EE 201 Modify Existing Change Tickets c cccccccccsssssscccccecseseseesecececseseessesececsesesessesececeeseseeaeseeececsesesaeseesescseesaeaeeeeeees 201 Manage Ticket Relationships cc cccccccccssssssececccecsesseaeseeeescseseeaeeeeeesceeseeaeseseescessesaeeeseeecssseseeaeseeeeessesseaeeeeeesees 202 View Approval related details 2 NA 203 Add Approvers or Reviewers to a Change Ticket cccccsscccccecsessseececececeeseaeeeeececeesesaeseseescessesaeeeseeeeseseaeaeees 203 Submit Change Tor Approval esera urare ennaa a e tara rena Ee EE Ea E covsunncardas eee ERES VERRE NEARE TETERE 203 View Approval COMMENLS ccccccccccecsessssesecececseseeaesecceeceeesseseeececeeeaesseeececeeseaeesesecsceeseaseseeeeeceeseaasaesecseeeeeaaaeees 204 Approve Or Rejecta PULS TOPPED Erai eia dara Eria enri e 204 Assign a Change TICKGt ose eese eer rn eet e RE E RR HER E ERR VERRE ERR E RR MERE E Eaa 204 Create Task Ticket iii E 204 Send Communications from the ticket cccccccesseeeeceeseeeeceeeeeeecseeeecseaaeeecsenaececeeeeceeaueeeseeeesseseeecseaeeeseeeaeens 204 Add Updates to the Ticket coorta ceo ne esa nane oae onse ane ne ena
7. eM n im tm n banger p DOELEN ame rt ET Pome IL jemu s a ett M co oe j owe o eee me iol e Tet moo o fa gt tQ lenem Hare normes ma c tee ah imo onem m tol case P amene annt e races campanas Demme Puer vta Gens nit emat CUTER P antec nam now mm re rome T KB Ade mh tm mmi Sete Pm n net nn ten ens et omne dm Potens dme es rnm te qr Hn anm ds m Te om mm Desis ee ee et ritrasse nd at mort t H AAA AR ccs pm emdl ub me qu oem T irem ccshprduss c AM ca uad ramas retenti of F atberee m HU ra free emm f Knowledge Management Functions You can view details of the KB Article like the Symptom Cause and Resolution details You can also see the Average Rating for the Knowledge Article Other features like how often the Article was viewed and the number of times it was used to solve a ticket will also be visible in the KB Article Specification section If you wish to give feedback on the usefulness of the KB Article you can do so from the Feedback Tab This tab will let you rate the usefulness of the KB Article indicate whether it was useful in solving your ticket or not and add a comment about the article You can also Relate a KB Article to other entities like Configuration Items CCTI of Configuration Items as well as Organization Site or Location from the Related Items tab on the KB Article Search KB Articles Reports Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Page which allows y
8. cccccccccceceessssscecececseseeesececececseaeseseesessseeeaeseeeeessesssaeeeeeeeees 168 Incident Management FUNCTIONS iion io copa pae aen onia nen naa Ra ed ea ka ERRARE EUR ER AY Ek au ad ea d ERO RAN aaa aaaeeeaa 170 List ee cp E 170 a TON 171 Report Incident Using Template occcccnonocococnncncnonononnnnnnncnnconnonnnnncnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnncnnnns 171 SOCIOS iii ROO Siri A dida Handling Incident Tickets View Incident Tickets Report an Incide E score eet eroe caia Modity Existing Incidents oe rrr th rennen Ro Fon nae a XY RA YRRY aug ANNE RR NAAR EROR KE eR A ERR Tro S oT ERA FE RR ERR x 174 Assign an Incident NN 174 Manage Ticket AO 174 Contents 9 Create a Problem or Change Ticket Create Task Tickets Manage Global ISSUG i tete eer E ootedacsavenecadnedvcdagartoetececsed ph eek ptas ecdeateauetocosneetedaatuetoesstectadccheedoenses Send Communications from the ticket Add Updates tothe Ticket s cnsccicecssassseeecevdemssbvsnsecdaceedveesdavesessauvduvastenneccscavedensdeee EEEE EAr rA EE E EEEE E View Ticket Activity D tails retrace n Fere Rer ra e AE Re Rea Exe EE EA Aae EEA aia Monitor SLA Compliance on the Ticket Updated Solution to the TICKET ei eter either ione thee tn i reaa ene ea E e aiea indien ien Add Solution to Knowledgebase siisii nasan eaae aaan eaaa eka e aaa aiea 176 Chapter 10 Problem Management
9. Affected Service Affected Service This toolbar appears on all types of tickets though there may be differences in the options allowed These differences could be either due to the ticket type or the permissions managed by your Administrator The table below explains the various actions and options seen in the Ticket Toolbar Toolbar Options Options Explanation This option on the Ticket Toolbar allows you to Create New Ticket without closing the existing ticket or going to the Navigation Menu Create New A i Information from the older ticket does not get carried forward to the new ticket This option on the Ticket Toolbar allows you to Create a New ticket with most of the information being copied over from the existing ticket Papiae All details including Requester Details and Request Details get carried over allowing you to create a new ticket without the need to enter the required information again You can also modify any of the fields as required This option in the Ticket Toolbar when taken first time on a New Ticket results in the ticket getting logged in Nimsoft Service Desk If the ticket matches conditions for any auto route it gets applied when the ticket Save is saved first time Save action also allows you to save changes and modification on the ticket later in its life cycle You have to click Save to preserve any change you make to a ticket like modification to the description setting pri
10. Assign an Incident Ticket If your ticket conditions match an existing auto route when the ticket is first saved the Auto Route will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will get automatically assigned to the appropriate Support Groups Auto Route is applied only when the ticket is first saved All subsequent assignments of the ticket either within a group or to another group can be done from the Take an Action Option on the ticket Toolbar Manage Ticket Relationships You can relate an Incident Ticket to another existing ticket from the Relate Tickets tab of the ticket 174 Agent User Guide Handling Incident Tickets Similarly the Incident could be related to a Configuration Items If so you can relate the Cl to the Incident Ticket You can also relate an attachment to the ticket Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within the tab Create a Problem or Change Ticket If the Incident classifies as a Problem and needs to be investigated as a Problem or if the Incident calls for a Change you can create an Incident or Problem ticket from the Incident Ticket Create Task Tickets You can create Task Tickets for completion of the actions on the Incident Ticket using either Task Templates configured by your administrator or without using Templates The task tickets can then be assigned to different agents for completion of the
11. Chapter 1 Introduction 19 Features for Operations the Knowledge Base from the ticket itself The solution suggested will be in Draft state and will be available to others once it is approved by the Application Administrator Agents can be alerted when creating or working on tickets for Identify contacts marked as users who are considered to be very important in the VIP Users organization This allows agents to prioritize or plan the ticket accordingly Agent s performance in handling the Service Desk Tasks can be monitored via feedback sought from End Users of IT support Participate in Survey and These Feedback Forms are directly sent to the Self Service Users Feedback by the Application as set up by the Administrator This Feedback can be used by Agents for performance measurement and improvement Agents can sort the Ticket List according to any column in the Sort Ticket Lists as pera Ticket List They can sort Tickets by Status Case ID Created or Preferred Selection Modified Dates etc and can also sort the Tickets in an ascending or descending order within that column Agents can Export Data from the Open Ticket List and the Ticket Export Data in PDF CSV Files Search List into PDF or CSV files for reporting and other purposes Agents can control the tickets and Dashboard Charts by filtering Filters to Control What You their view using various filter options available to them in the See on the Home Page Ticket Lists They can i
12. Chapter 2 Key Concepts 25 Core Application Concepts VIP User IT managers define how they want the IT service delivery managed and the Application Administrator helps in mapping these to the workflow in Nimsoft Service Desk Application Administrators are responsible for laying out this IT support process flow in Nimsoft Service Desk and thereby help delivery of IT Support as per set standards Application Administrators are responsible for activities like ensuring that appropriate up to date records are maintained in Nimsoft Service Desk and that the workflows configured enable effective utilization of Nimsoft Service Desk for supporting the organization s IT support goals They set up Nimsoft Service Desk records and workflows for the organization manage permissions to control who can do what and use Nimsoft Service Desk to ensure that IT Support delivery standards are maintained Often organizations have certain users whose requests need to be prioritized differently and handled in a specific way Such a contact would generally be considered a VIP User and requests logged by this person would be given more importance or be treated with higher priority Nimsoft Service Desk allows for contacts to be marked as VIP users When setting up the contact record in Nimsoft Service Desk the Administrator or individual creating the contact records can mark identified users as VIP Users When a VIP user is selected as Requester or Reque
13. Scheduled Changes Clicking on this link displays the change calendar wherein you can see a schedule of any change that is planned during the day week or month as per the preferences set by you Where a change ticket is approved and its planned start and completion date has been fixed the calendar will contain entries for the change and serve as a visual reminder of all scheduled changes Calendar Range f aen AA gt D e L_a mne H Schedted Charges 1 m All planned and proposed changes can be viewed from the Change Calendar thus giving visibility to the Agents on when an intended change is to be taken up My Outstanding Approvals Some of you as Service Desk Agents may also be part of the Change Approval Process and will need to approve a proposed change To facilitate viewing and acting on changes that need your approval you could be given access to My Outstanding Approvals link under Change Management Clicking on this links takes you to a listing of all change requests that are pending your approval 198 Agent User Guide Change Management Functions List Name Ticket Listing sm TER 9 B ae E Action on p Code Perdeq Agr Assigned Charge Assigned Group as i Individual Maregemert s Tick rere Ticket Chano oy o Risk Ancesament Prineity Outage HR the 11 Petals Type Approval Comments If there are any changes that are pending your approv
14. rnit ne ran neto oae nu n Ren exo Ea e ER a FEY ERR Sa SE aaa Dido Ya Noe XRAFRE ER ner REATRR T iieiea 132 View Reports related NO 133 View Reports related to Configuration Items o cccccononooooncnnnnnnononnnnnnnonononononnnononnnononnnnnnnonnnnnnnonnnnncnnanncnnononnos 133 Use Dashboard CHAMS NEEDED 133 Set Dashboard Chart as Home Page 5 ttm oed Ii eene e FRERR Ra ERR en E ERR USER ARR ER MER RATER EERATS 133 OW IDO me M 134 Frequently Asked Questions eios rtr tette e ES CURE earn ER eR rie Re ER RR TERT E tere cedeav ease Ce FON Ra RI EUER RANA VER COS RRR THER EE 136 Chapter 7 Home 138 O 138 Home Section Fulhctlons xpi A nene 138 BEC D 138 Create TICKET ue SQ 139 Create Ticket Using Template ccccccccccesssssssscecececsesesaeseeeeecseseeaeeeeececeeseeaeseeeeecsesneaeseeeesceeseeaeseeeesesesaaaeeeeeesees 140 AI SEAT A 140 Update My PreteremCes NS 141 Update My Profile cotarro ida ada 142 Change PassWord REN 144 NENIT ATION MEID A a AN 144 Product Documentations ei eree aE NETTO E a a EE aaa aE AEE O NEE SREE 144 NON 144 AE NN 145 Actions MOM HOME danna intentare ende hems 146 A AE sean oen Parere e E Plone e AE a Ra E Ten eek d ON EE EREE 146 Set Filters forthe TICKECILISES m
15. Affected Service Request Details Categorization Total Tee Spert PHM The exact label on each field name could also differ depending on the type of ticket being logged The sections and the information to be captured in the sections are explained in the table below Text Fields Explanation This section of the ticket form contains details of the person who is raising the request This includes name contact details and Requester Information organization related details for the requester Section The section contains two tabs Requester and Requested For This allows capturing details if the person requesting the service is doing it on behalf of someone else This section contains details about the ticket including the Ticket ID Status and Reason Code Phase as well as details when the ticket was logged and modified and who logged and modified the ticket Tickets Details Section E S e The information in this section is auto generated with fields like Status Reason Code Phase and Modified by which get automatically updated based on different actions taken on the ticket A ticket could be logged to report a service like the email service or web service going down The Affected Service Field allows the Affected Service agent to relate which Affected Service is being reported Clicking on the look up button opens a new window from where the agent can search and relate an Af
16. Agents who have access to this option will see an Add to Knowledgebase option on the ticket toolbar Clicking on this opens a new KB Articles records page where ticket Details Cause and Resolution get carried over into the record as Symptom Cause and Resolution respectively The KB Article that is added to the Knowledgebase is initially in the Draft State It is reviewed by a concerned person before it is moved to Approved state Only those KB Articles that are Approved will be available to users Additional Information Tab Admin Console The Additional Information tab of the ticket contains customer defined Customs Fields on the ticket forms For certain standard requests the Administrator may wish to include Additional Fields over and above the standard ticket fields available by default in the ticket form Your Administrator may create these Custom Fields using the Custom field Ticket Templates configured for Ticket types and specific CCTI The Additional Information tab appears on the ticket form after the ticket is saved logged The Admin Console refers to the Administrative modules of Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator which enable the Administrator set up Nimsoft Service Desk as needed for your organization This includes options for the Administrator to set up the workflow actions SLA targets on tickets manage permissions to the actions and Navigation panel links available to you as Service Desk Agents Chapter 18
17. Phase 4 Closure activities including Review for Major problems Chapter 10 Problem Management 181 Overview Problem Management in Nimsoft Service Desk 182 Agent User Guide The Problem Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk is used to provide workflow automation It creates a repeatable and measurable Problem Management process within an organization It is meant for logging and tracking work on Problem Tickets reported to the Service Desk Assignment of Problem Tickets can be handled using Auto Route based assignment or Default assignment of Problem Tickets to specific Group s Processing of a Problem Ticket follows the workflow designed and configured by your Administrator Depending on the actions taken on the ticket at different stages in the workflow the Problem Ticket moves along its life cycle The processes involve the various phases on Problem Management to identify a root cause of the Problem and find ways to solve root cause If the severity of the Problem is high it can be marked as Global Problem and other Incident Problem or Service Request tickets can be related to the Global Issue A Problem Ticket can be created off an Incident Ticket and a Problem Ticket could lead to the need for creation of a Change Ticket to resolve the Problem The default Nimsoft Service Desk Workflow for Problem Management is depicted below Overview infraDesk Default Problem Management Process Problem Management
18. This is because Permission to access various functions is controlled by your Administrator It is possible that the other Agent is part of a Role that is involved in Reporting Activities and has therefore been given access to the Reporting functions Why am I unable to see any Reports in the Reports link Service Desk Agents ability to view a particular report is controlled by Permissions managed by your Administrator If you see the Reports Link but do not see any Reports in the link this could be because your Administrator has not enabled permission for your Support Group s to view any report s related to that module This is also true if you do not see the Reports Link at all because your Administrator can control the links you see in the Navigation Panel Why am I unable to view a Dashboard Chart that I was able to view earlier The Dasboard Charts you view in your My Dashboard List is controlled by your Administrator If your Administrator has revoked permission for you or your Support Group s to view a Dashboard Chart you will not see it in the list of Charts available to you Why am I unable to extract a report If you have access to the report but if you are unable to view or extract the report there could be a problem with the reporting engine It would be advisable for you to report the issue your Administrator who could then take the matter further for resolution Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards 137 Over
19. A Change could be reactive caused by occurrence of a Problem in the existing IT Infrastructure or service or it could be proactive aimed at improving or enhancing efficiencies of existing IT infrastructure or structure The objective of Change Management is to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes Change Management also aims to minimize any undesirable disruptions to an existing IT service due to change implementation Change Management can be implemented through the Change Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk ITIL recommends that all change requests to move through a Change Approval Process wherein the proposed change is thoroughly analyzed its impact assessed and its need validated and justified This is done to ensure that the proposed benefits of the change are valid and the change if needed can be implemented with minimal risk ITSM ITIL Concepts Nimsoft Service Desk allows the administrator to set up a change approval process for requests that need approval Approval Groups can be set up to approve the change before a change progress in the ticket life cycle Change Approval Groups can be configured for different types of changes changes to different configuration items etc For minor changes where elaborate approval process is not needed contextual approvals can be sought For more complex changes Nimsoft Service Desk also allows for a multi level ap
20. AL 3 Knowledge Articles By Category Report For articles mocttied until 18 01 2011 APEL t Report Details Table e oj joloijolo ojujojalojojojo w a ru fim Li Dem mo el lol clololo e e e lejlelelele a You can modify the date range of the report and choose the KB Article Category for which you wish to extract the report Like other reports you can view this report on Screen or generate a PDF or CSV version of the report Handling Knowledge Articles When accessing Knowledge Articles you will take several actions related to the items in the Knowledgebase These actions are listed below Apply a Solution to a ticket You can update cause and resolution details of the ticket into the Solutions Details tab of the ticket This solution could be new that is not in the Knowledgebase and has not been updated from an existing KB Article or you can use a solution available in the Knowledgebase Search for Solutions from a ticket You can search for a solution matching your ticket needs directly from the ticket If a KB Article matches the need of the ticket you can apply the KB Article to the ticket The Cause and Resolution fields from the KB Article get automatically updated into the respective fields of the ticket 238 Agent User Guide Handling Knowledge Articles Use recently resolved tickets to find solution to an open ticket You can search for Solution Details applied to re
21. Click on Save Worklog button to save the Worklog To add a Worklog from the Activity tab of the Ticket Step 1 Click on the Add Worklog button in the Activity section The Worklog Details form will open in a new window Step 2 Add details of the work you wish to log Step 3 Update values into the Worklog Type field Step 4 Select whether you wish to make the Worklog visible to the client or not by marking Client Viewable field as Yes or No Step 5 Add time spent on the activity in minutes Step 6 Click on Save Worklog to save the Worklog The details of the Worklog added will get updated in the Activity tab of the Ticket Send my Worklog as an Email 88 Agent User Guide This feature will be available only if your Administrator has enabled it in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk To send your Worklog as an email Step 1 Go to the Worklog section of the Ticket and add a Worklog Update all required values as appropriate Step 2 Click on the Checkbox labeled Send as Email before you click Save Worklog Step 3 Click on Save Worklog An Email Communication template with the Worklog in the body of the email will open in a new window Step 4 Add Recipients in the To field of the Communication Template Step 5 Click on the Send Option to Send the Worklog as email How Do I The Worklog will be sent to the recipients identified by you Modify my Worklog Note You can modify only Worklogs that have be
22. If a request for Support is not via a tickets created either by the end user from the SSU Interface or via an email resulting in a Service Request you will need to log new tickets into Nimsoft Service Desk You can create a new ticket using the Create Ticket link under the respective Ticket Modules To create a New ticket you can click on the Create Ticket Link under the appropriate Ticket Module Clicking on this link displays a blank ticket form which opens up in a new window You can use this form to create a new ticket When you create a new ticket you will need to add in a few minimum values into the appropriate fields on the ticket Some minimum fields to update are e Requester Information into the Requester Details Section e Affected Services details if the request is related to some Service e Details about what service is being requested e Priority related information e Ticket Classification CCTI When you save the ticket the ticket details section like Ticket ID and Status will get automatically populated Log Ticket Using Template 76 Agent User Guide To expedite the Ticket Creation process and to ensure that all essential information related to the ticket is filled in your Administrator can provide Ticket Templates for Common Actions on Tickets Standard Requests related to each ticket type When you create a ticket using a template you will see several fields like Request Details Priority Categorization
23. On deb OM toot daer nat correct to MS word Deck Top Sotware Z cuen recens Income mal e a uc cn ier des op andre when re Dest Top Settwore Ottce Toots MS cueca id Unattie to Open Excel appiicabon trom Oufiook Desk Top Softewe Orce Toor MS Quico V Whenever SS Fees ia onting subocribed into Outat 2007 starts dics ii Search Result List Normally the page just displays a blank form with the search filters This is so because organizations could have a large repository of Articles in the knowledge Base and therefore displaying all records would mean searching through a list of unnecessary articles If you wish to view all KB Articles you can click on View and all available KB Articles will be listed in the table below To facilitate easy viewing you can filter the view by using appropriate Search Filters You can search using Category or by applying CCTI classification to the search You can also search using a Description or using key words to limit the search Like other lists you can sort the data from the column headings and export the data into PDF or CSV files You can also Print the KB Article from the list You can view any KB Article listed in the list below KB Article Average Rating seam orb nm al m e tm pa f pea av re Fu e tru ti rmm tm em n Ln tom mmn ay KB Arde Ls Classification LLL d
24. Overview A Problem is the unknown cause of one or more incidents A Problem is usually reported when an Incident is so severe that a Configuration Item fails or when Service Availability is severely affected Usually Problem Tickets are logged before a critical failure to identify the root cause of the incidents and prevent a failure However Problem Tickets can also be logged to review a failure and to take corrective action About Problem Management The primary objective of Problem Management is to find the Root Cause s or the Incidents which led to creation of the problem and resolve the Root Cause so that current incidents and their future recurrence is eliminated or at least the impact is minimized if incidents cannot be totally prevented Problem Ticket processing also involves investigation and diagnosis which is similar to the incident management process However the focus is entirely on identifying the root cause of incidents impacting the business Problem tickets deal with issues of more generic and global level compared to Incident tickets but the actions and activities related to them are very similar Problem Ticket Life Cycle A Problem typically passes through four phases which involve Phase 1 Reactive and Proactive problem detection Categorizing Prioritizing Phase 2 Detailed Investigation Diagnosis of Root cause offering work around Phase 3 Managing known Error Root cause removal through Change Management
25. Service Level Management is the process of identifying the level of IT services needed to support a business organization s IT needs and a means of designing a mechanism to ensure that the IT services are delivered as agreed upon Service Level Management also deals with defining a mechanism to monitor whether the identified service levels are being met Service Level Management involves setting up Service Level Agreements SLA to define what a service is and the level at which it must be provided Nimsoft Service Desk enables monitoring and measuring the Service Level Agreements in terms of time taken to respond to and resolve an issue uptime or availability of an IT service as per agreed upon timings etc Your Administrator can define the Service Targets against available Service Metrics The Administrator then sets up thresholds as Violation thresholds and Non violation thresholds which assist you as agents to ensure service delivery within the SLA Your Administrator can also set up actions to be taken when a given SLA target is missed This could include notification to concerned stakeholders or escalation of the ticket to another individual or team The sections below explain how tickets are monitored for SLA compliance and how SLA monitoring is applied to tickets handled by Service Desk This information could help you manage your ticket queues more effectively If Service Level Management and monitoring for tickets for SLA comp
26. Step 3 Choose an appropriate Communication Template or Draft the communication as required Step 4 Click on Send and your mail will be sent from Nimsoft Service Desk to the identified recipients reminding them about the Pending Approval Tasks Post Comments on a Change as Reviewer To post your review comments on a Change for which you are a Reviewer Step 1 Click on the URL link in the Email to review the Change ticket that requires your Review Comment Step 2 Reply to the Email Notification received keeping the Subject Line intact Ensure that the Subject Line starts with Re or RE and that it contains the Ticket Number Enter your Review Comments in the body of the Email and send it to the Support ID Your Review Comments will get associated with the Ticket Approve or Reject a Change 210 Agent User Guide You can Approve or Reject a Change from the My Outstanding Approvals link under Change Management To Approve or Reject a Change Step 1 Open the My Outstanding Approvals link under Change Management You can see a list of Change Tickets that are pending your approval Frequently Asked Questions All essential information including the Environments and or Locations affected Change Implementation Plan etc will be visible to you in the Ticket form Step 2 Enter your Approval Comments in the Approval Comments field You can add any information related to the Change in the Comments field Step 3 Depending on whe
27. Themes Themes can be changed from My Profile link under user services that allows the Logged in user to change the color and appearance of his her interface of Nimsoft Service Desk The user can choose from the available choices in the drop down menu to select what theme he she wants to use Threshold Threshold is the tolerance limit at which a pre defined action sets off In Nimsoft Service Desk time thresholds are associated to Service Targets to measure SLA Compliance Ticket Assignment Tickets Assignment refers to moving the ticket to a particular group or individual s queue for action on the ticket Ticket Assignment can be done by the routing engine via an Auto Route or manually by a Service Desk Agent Ticket Classification Categorization or Classification assists in grouping similar entities together in a logical way Ticket Classification refers to the categorization applied to classify a ticket As Service Desk Agents you can choose an appropriate CCTI categorization from an available list to classify a ticket Ticket Life Cycle Ticket Life Cycle refers to the progression of a ticket through different statuses from the time it is logged to the time it is closed The ticket progresses in its life cycle based on the work done on the ticket by the agent s working on it Ticket List Ticket List refers to a list of all open tickets in the queue of a logged in user The Ticket List displays a list of all tickets assigned to the lo
28. These KB Articles records are created either by your Administrator or by Service Desk Agents when they Add Solution to Knowledgebase from a ticket Stakeholder refers to all the people who are involved with a particular activity or ticket and who in one way or the other are to be informed about any activity on a ticket Status Submit Request Support Services Frequently Asked Questions For example stakeholders for an Incident Ticket could be the person reporting the Incident the person experiencing the Incident the Service Desk Agent group to whom the Incident Ticket is assigned and the supervisor or manager of the group owing the ticket All stakeholders need to be kept updated about activities on a ticket they are involved in Status indicates the current stage of the lifecycle of the entity In Nimsoft Service Desk Status is associated with Tickets Contacts Configuration Items and other records like Ticket Template or KB Articles As a Self Service User you will only be able to view the Status displayed against the record you will not be able to modify the status of any given record Contact Status Contact is the record maintained for people belonging to different groups associated with the organization The Administrator can set a Contact Status as Active or Inactive depending on whether this contact record can be used for any actions or not If a contact record is set to Inactive the contact cannot be used for sendi
29. This is useful if you are a change approver or reviewer This link allows you to easily view all tickets that need your approval or review and you can add your approval or review comments from this link Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports depending on the needs of your organization Service Desk Agents could sometimes be given access to these reports If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under each ticket module in the Navigation Panel Form Name H Open Tickets Aging Report Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods grouped by organization Open Tickets Aging Report By Group Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support group Open Tickets Aging Report By Individual Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support technician Ticket Status Report Displays the total number of tickets in different statuses classified by organization List of reports Clicking on the Reports link under Change Management allows you to view a list of Reports related to Change Requests The exact reports you see in your list depends on the type of reports configured by your Administrator and the reports to which Service Desk Agents have permissions You can choose the report you wish to view You can modify parameters like the date r
30. To create New Task Ticket Step 2 Click on Create New Task option and a New Task Ticket form will be displayed in a new window Information like the Who Assigned this Task and parent Ticket information will be automatically populated Step 3 Update information related to the Task like Task Name and Task Description Step 4 Prioritize and Categorize the Task Ticket if required as appropriate to your organization s procedures Step 5 Click on Save and the New Task Ticket will get saved You can update any further information in the Additional Information tab and update details like the Planned Start and End Date time in the Time to Completion tab Chapter 8 Request Management 165 Frequently Asked Questions Click to save any changes made to the details filled in Frequently Asked Questions Given below is a list of questions related to the Request Management Section of Nimsoft Service Desk For more generic questions related to all ticket types please look at Frequently Asked Questions in the Ticket Functionality Section Can I convert a Service Request into an Incident Ticket or a Change Ticket No you cannot convert a Service Request into an Incident or Change Ticket However if the Request that is logged matches classification as Incident or Change you can create an Incident or Change Ticket from the appropriate action under the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar This new Incident or Change ticket will
31. You can also sort the results using the column heading and if needed extract data of the search results into a PDF or CSV file Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports depending on the needs of your Organization Service Desk Agents could sometimes be given access to these reports If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under each ticket module in the navigation panel Form Name Open Tickets Aging Report Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods grouped by organization Open Tickets Aging Report By Group Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support group Open Tickets Aging Report By Individual Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support technician Ticket Status Report splays the total numb Clicking on the Reports link under Task Management allows you to view a list of Reports related to Tasks Handling Task Tickets The exact reports you see in your list depends on the type of reports configured by your Administrator and the reports to which Service Desk Agents have permissions You can choose the report you wish to view The report will open in a new window You can modify the date range and choose to view the reports either on screen on extract the report into a PDF or CSV form Handling Task Tickets In working with Tas
32. You can choose from among the dashboard charts that are made available to you by your Administrator You can choose and modify Dashboard charts related to Service Request Incidents Problems Change Task Configuration Items or Home To choose Charts to be displayed in the Dashboard Step 1 Click on the My Dashboard Link under Home Step 2 Choose the section for which the Dashboard Charts are to be displayed For example if you want to view the Incident Dashboard click on Incident Step 3 Choose the Grid Type as either 1X2 to view Two Charts or 2X2 to view 4 charts You can also choose the image size from the options given You can now choose the charts that you want to display in the dashboard To choose the charts Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards 135 Frequently Asked Questions Step 4 Click on Organize My Dashboard button A list of charts from which you can choose charts to be displayed will open in a new window This page will contain two section Available Dashboard Charts and Selected Dashboard Charts Step 5 Choose the Charts you wish to Display in the Dashboard from the Available Dashboard Charts list Step 6 Click on Add to add the charts to the Selected Dashboard Charts list You can also choose all available charts if the selection is small Step 7 Click on Apply Changes The new window will close automatically The Dashboard charts selected will now be displayed in the Dashboard page Frequently Asked
33. a 2 LOW Medium Low Low Worklogs are manual entries in the ticket to record information that is relevant or significant to the issue This information is not automatically captured by Nimsoft Service Desk Information such as findings on an issue that is being worked upon telephonic discussions related to the issue or issue resolution can be logged as Worklogs in the ticket While most Worklogs are updated by the Service Desk Agents a Self Service User can also add a Worklog into the ticket to give additional information related to the request The Service Desk Agent has the ability to share or hide Worklogs being added to a ticket by marking the ticket as Client Viewable Yes or No The Service Desk Agent can use the Worklog to communicate information related to the ticket like work done on a ticket to the customer by marking a Worklog as Client Viewable and thus making it visible to the requestor For internal communications within the team the Agent can disable the Client Viewable field thereby restricting visibility of the Worklog Ticket Related Concepts Nimsoft Service Desk also allows Worklog updates to be sent as Email to identified recipients The agent can check the Send as Email option before saving the Worklog to initiate the action of sending the Worklog as an Email This further reduces the Agents need to send out specific communication to the requestor or other stakeholders regarding any work done or updat
34. e Workflow Automation based on outcome of Submit for approval process by specifying next Action on Approval and Action on Rejection The default Nimsoft Service Desk Workflow for Management of Normal changes is depicted below Chapter 11 Change Management 193 Overview 194 Agent User Guide Raise Change infraDesk Normal Change Management Process Change Manager Update Cnange Details Evaluate Chenge Re Evaluate Change Change Assignment Assign CTiange to indiidualGroup seseeeeceacensenedgeseccenenenenenas Minar Change gt rmt Change fer Approval PS crac ms Submit Minor Change far Approval C 5 ves m Ww LLLI crrr rr rr raras cerrar rr rr rr rascar aa plete Successful Chang Implement Change i m Pos Posi Implementation implementation Review Raview lose Chang Close Change Close Change as Denied Complete Failed Change errrrrr rr rr rr rr rr a o ocece coro et Legend ER A InfraDesk Workflow Action M incident Prooass Activity Pe Custom Workflow Action gt gt Process Control Transfer As Workflows are managed by your Administrator the actual Workflow you use could be modified by your administrator to suit the needs of your organization There could be other workflows that apply specifically to Emergency changes Change tickets logged from Service Requests that need approval and then
35. etc are already populated When the request to support is related to a standard known activity Service Desk Agents can use these Ticket Templates to create a new ticket for the request Ticket Templates allow quick logging of standard or anticipated type of request and templates are made available to you by your Administrator These Ticket Templates could have Custom Fields which seek additional information besides the information fields on the standard ticket form These Custom Fields will be visible in the Additional Information Tab of the ticket The Create Ticket Using Template link under Home will display a list of all ticket templates that are available for different ticket types while the link under each Ticket Modules will list templates available for that type of ticket For example the Report Incident Using Template link under Incident Management will display templates available related to reporting Incidents Some common actions you will take while logging tickets from the templates are e Choose an appropriate template depending on the request e Update requester information e Add Affected Services Information if needed e Modify request details section to add or remove details specific to the need of the request e Set fields for Priority if needed Update the custom fields in the Additional Information Tab When you save the ticket ticket details like the Ticket ID and status and phase will get automatica
36. or an attachment description Ticket Description contains a brief explanation of why a customer has raised a particular request This information is recorded in the Details field of the ticket and gives information about what the user wants needs from Support Worklog Description field is usually filled in by the Agent to capture information about any work done towards resolution of IT in an organization Attachment Description is a field made available to give information relevant to the attachment This could be used to provide some details about what the attachment contains Some fields in the Nimsoft Service Desk forms require the user to select one out of a fixed set of alternatives for example Priority or Urgency of a Request The items that are available for the user to make One Fixed Choice from are made available in a Dropdown list A dropdown list is indicated by an icon with a single downward pointing arrow at the end of a field box Frequently Asked Questions End Users refer to the users of IT in an organization This could be people in different hierarchical positions in the organization who use IT to perform their day to day tasks End Users may or may not be having access to the Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk Environments Affected Escalation Function Global Attachment Global Search History Tab All IT objects that provide service to one particular kind of activity can be grouped into
37. the date time format will get set as per US format If you select any Locale except Default or English your Browser preference gets automatically updated to Cross Browser even if you have set the browser preference as Internet Explorer Sort Tickets by Status or Reason Code 150 Agent User Guide You can sort Tickets visible to you in the List Tickets tables To sort the Tickets How Do I Step 1 From the List Tickets screen go to the Ticket List To sort Tickets by Status click on the column heading Status The Tickets will get sorted in an alphabetically descending order Active New Pending Queued and Resolved Step 2 Click on the same column heading again and the Tickets will get sorted in an Alphabetically Ascending order You can sort the Ticket List from any column of the List Tickets Tables in all Ticket Modules Modify My Profile in Nimsoft Service Desk You can modify your profile from the Update My Profile Link under Home To update your profile Step 1 Go to the Update My Profile link under Home You will see your Contact Record as available in Nimsoft Service Desk Some fields like Job Title will be non editable while you will be able to modify most other fields Step 2 Make changes to the contact details or other fields as required Step 3 Click on Apply Changes and the changes to your profile will be updated in the Nimsoft Service Desk records Note You can modify only your contact de
38. 3 Layout and Navigation 61 Generic Layout Header Section Navigation Panel List Screens The header section contains the Nimsoft Service Desk Logo or the logo of your organization if set up by your administrator The Header section also contains the logged in user s name and icons for accessing the Home Page Product Documentation and for logging out of the application An important component of the header section is the Global Search field This feature allows agents to search Nimsoft Service Desk for Contact Records names and tickets from across the application The feature is explained in greater detail under the Search Functionality The Navigation Panel contains sections and links to the Tickets and non ticket modules of Nimsoft Service Desk You can access common actions like viewing or creating different types of tickets searching within any ticket module or viewing reports related to that module from the relevant links in the Navigation Panel The links you see under each visible section in the Navigation Panel are controlled by your Application Administrator It is therefore possible that the sections you see in the user guide may not be visible in your instance of the application The List Screen area displays contents related to the particular link on the Navigation Panel Hence depending on the link you are currently at the view of the screen differs The four main Screens are Ticket Home screens Search screens Li
39. A Dashboard is a user interface that integrates and presents required information generally in graphics mode in an easy to read way Dashboards are interactive displays that allow the user to drill down to details on the information presented Chapter 18 Glossary 275 Frequently Asked Questions Deputy Direct URL Links Draft State Description Dropdown List End Users 276 Agent User Guide A Deputy or Delegate is a person you have nominated as an alternate contact when you are out of office Nimsoft Service Desk diverts notifications meant for you to your deputy when you are out of office A contact nominated as Deputy can take up activities like Approving a Change when you are out of office Direct URL Links refers to the clickable links which directly take you to a given record or form from an email received from Nimsoft Service Desk Direct URL Links to the appropriate forms are also sent via Email as part of notification for approvals or service Draft State refers to the state of a Solution in the Knowledgebase When a Service Desk Agent adds a solution to the Knowledgebase it has to be approved by a competent person before the solution can be made available for use A KB Article remains in the Draft State till it is Approved In this state the KB Article will not be available for use when Agents Search Solutions for a ticket In Nimsoft Service Desk Description can be associated with a ticket detail ticket worklog
40. Additional Information When I print a Ticket what all fields will be visible in the Ticket All fields including the Custom Fields will be visible when you print a Ticket You can further choose to include activity fields of the ticket activity fields on related tickets and communications related to the ticket when you print the Ticket Why has the ticket logged via Email not have an attachment though the mail has an attachment There could be several reasons for this some known reasons are 1 The administrator can set the minimum size of an attachment that can get related to a ticket This helps in ensuring that very small files like Signature or Business cards that are part of an email as Attachment don t result in unnecessary attachments getting added to the ticket If the Attachment size was smaller than that minimum it will not get related to the ticket 2 Ifthe To CC and BCC fields of the Email have more than 512 characters this could lead to some unexpected behavior including email attachments not getting attached to the ticket 110 Agent User Guide Overview Chapter 5 Searches Overview This section deals with the various search options available to Service Desk Agents within Nimsoft Service Desk Application These search options are available across all ticket modules and the supporting modules in Nimsoft Service Desk Service Desk Agents while working on tickets may need to search for records tha
41. Category to broaden your search Frequently Asked Questions As Service Desk Agents you may have questions on how to search for various components of Nimsoft Service Desk Chapter 5 Searches 127 Frequently Asked Questions Can I create my own pre defined searches No all Pre Defined Searches are configured by your Administrator and are made available to you depending on Permissions to different groups and roles Can I search for Closed Tickets Yes you can search for Closed Tickets using status as a filter in the Advanced Search option under Search If you know the Ticket number you can also search for Closed Tickets using Global Search Can SSUs search for KB Articles Yes Self Service Users can search for KB Articles from the Self Service User Interface All KB Articles visible to Agnets Analysts however may not be visible to the Self Service User Your Administrator controls access to the KB Articles available in the Knowledgebase and may or may not give permission to access a particular item in the KB Articles Knowledgebase to Self Service Users It is also possible for your Administrator to disable access to the Knowledgebase for the Self Service Users If so Self Service Users will not be able to search for KB Articles Can SSUs search for KB Articles themselves from the SSU interface Yes Self Service Users have access to KB Articles listed in the Knowledgebase However they may not have access to a
42. Changes each requiring Approval from people with different specializations Nimsoft Service Desk allows setting up any number of different Approval Groups for different types of Changes For example the Administrator could set up one CAB for Network Related Changes another CAB for database related changes a third CAB for Hardware related changes and so on The Administrator can further setup Auto routes which based on the Type of ticket CCTI automatically route a ticket to a particular CAB for Approval For minor changes where an elaborate Approval Process is not needed but approval is required an Approval Group can have contextual approvers consisting of contacts like Requester s Manager Assigned Individual s Manager Group Lead etc Chapter 2 Key Concepts 55 ITSM ITIL Concepts The actual contact who will act as approver reviewer will be picked from the context of the ticket The Service Desk Agents can also manually choose Approvers and assign a ticket for Approval or Review if no Approval Group has been configured or related to the ticket based on Matching Conditions Besides Approvers Nimsoft Service Desk also allows for identifying Reviewers who could Review a Change While Reviewers have no direct say in whether a Change is Approved or Rejected they can provide comments related to the Change which may be considered by the Approvers while Approving or Rejecting a proposed Change Knowledge Management 56 Agent
43. Depending on whether a task in the flow is successful or it fails the next action is determined or next task ticket is fired Task Group refers to a collection of Tasks that need to be done to implement activities related to a ticket like implementation of a standard change The Administrator sets up Task Groups as a collection of all tasks to be done towards a particular planned activity When working on a Ticket where a given set of tasks need to be done the Agents can create all task tickets related to that task group using that Task Group Template Task Information Tab Task Order Templates The task Information Tab on a ticket contains details of the Task Tickets that have been created related to the main Parent ticket The Task Information tab appears on the ticket after the ticket is logged and a ticket number is generated for the ticket Task Order is a field on the Task Ticket Form which allows the Service Desk Agents to sequence Tasks Ticket that are related to the same larger activity If there are five Tasks to be done towards a Change ticket then each Task can be executed in a given sequence This allows organization of the Tasks to complete any activity in a synchronized way Templates are standardized pre formatted examples on which other documents can be based In Nimsoft Service Desk an Administrator can configure Ticket Templates and Communication Templates Chapter 18 Glossary 289 Frequently Asked Questions
44. Glossary 269 Frequently Asked Questions Administrator Administrators are Contact s who are instrumental in setting up Nimsoft Service Desk as per the requirement of the customer They play two key roles one of setting up and configuring the Application for the Organization s needs and the day to day upkeep and support to users Affected Services Configuration Items belonging to a particular class assigned a particular CCTI during the configuration managed by the Administrator are called Services If a service desk ticket is logged to report an issue faced in use of a specific IT service Agents can associate the Service with the ticket The Affected service field allows user to associate a service to the ticket All Requests for My Organization This option is available on SSU interface and allows the inclusion of all tickets belonging to Organizational unit of the logged in user and the sites and location below that organizational unit Tickets belonging to higher organization levels above the logged in user s level are not included Approval Approvals are checks and balances put in place to ensure that an action has required authorization for implementation Approvals ensure that the action being considered is thought through and any reactions are anticipated and planned for Approval Comments Approval Comments is a field on the Change Approval form which provides space of the Change Approver to provide comments when Approvin
45. Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator or Service Desk Agents with permission to configure new Cl records when configuring the CI Records Can I find out who last modified a CI record The History Tab of the Cl record contains details on all modifications made to the Cl record from the time it was created In this tab the most recent record of a change made to the record will be listed on top You can view this to see who last modified the Cl record 234 Agent User Guide Overview Chapter 14 Knowledge Management Overview This section deals with the links and actions available under Knowledge Management in the Navigation Panel It also outlines the actions Service Desk Agents can take related to the Knowledge Management Module Some of these links may not be available to you as the list is controlled by your Application Administrator Knowledge Management deals with storage and availability of solutions to Incidents or Problems that have occurred previously It also deals with storage and availability of KB Articles to queries regarding issues that users of IT generally report when using the IT service or IT object made available to them Knowledge Management allows Service Desk Agents to dig into an available repository of Knowledge Articles in the Knowledgebase to provide first line of support to the end users Storing Knowledge Articles to help resolve common and known issues saves the time spent by the Support team in investigati
46. Open Problems My Groups Open Problems Doite Edt Defsut Probiems Updated within last 7 Days Problems Updated within last 7 Days Dolot Ede Dofout Open Problems Not Updated within Last 7 D Open Problems Not Updated within Last 7 Days Delete Ede Defeut Probleme Open on Configuration ferns owned Problems Open on Configuration tems owned by Me Dela Edi Datoua Problems Reported by Me Problems Reported by Me pex Lan Detaut Show Problems Assigned to Inactive Contacts Show Protierms Assigned to Inactive Contacts pem Lan Dera My Open Probleme Delete Ean Dateut All Open goba issues Pre Defined If an existing search does not match your search criteria you can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own filters by which you need to filter the tickets The Advanced Search Options allow you to add one or more parameters to narrow your search Your Search Results will be displayed in the Search Results tab A list of all tickets that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below You can sort the results using the column heading and extract data of the search results into a PDF or CSV file Handling Problem Tickets Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports depending on the needs of your organization Service Desk Agents could sometimes be given access to these reports If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under each ticket module in the
47. Outage The Known Outages link under Support Services displays a list of all Planned and Known Outages or unavailability of an IT object or service Publishing this information allows the user to be aware of any service unavailability and plan their work accordingly Landing Page refers to the page that is displayed when a user logs into the application By default the Landing Page is the List Tickets screen in the Home Section Nimsoft Service Desk allows Agents to choose their own Landing Page as different from the default Location indicates the lowest level in a three level hierarchy of organizational unit in Nimsoft Service Desk below a Site in Nimsoft Service Desk A Site can have multiple Locations In large organizations with several locations a proposed Change could impact one or more locations This information can also be captured when planning a Change Details of Locations Affected can be captured in the Location Affected field in the Change Ticket Locked Ticket refers to the state of a ticket which does not allow modification of any field except the worklog field A ticket gets locked when a Service Desk Agent has the ticket form open and is working on the ticket This ensures that a ticket is not getting modified simultaneously by more than one person If configured accordingly a ticket can also be locked when it is in the approval process Look Up refers to a list of records or entities from which user can select one or mo
48. Problem ticket has one or more Open Child Tasks e Setfields configured for the action Do NOT get applied to the child task The action on the related tickets and child tasks depends on the configurations managed by your Administrator Can I delete a Global Attachment Yes you can delete a Global Attachment Chapter 9 Incident Management 179 Frequently Asked Questions However as the Global Attachment might be related to other Tickets Nimsoft Service Desk will display a message when you attempt to delete the Global Attachment warning you that deleting the Attachment would make it unavailable for the other Tickets to which it is attached You can choose to Unrelate the Attachment from the Ticket as it will then not appear in the Attachment Tab of the ticket but still be usable to other records Can I unrelate an Affected Service from an Incident ticket when it is in an investigation phase 180 Agent User Guide Yes you can unrelate an Affected Service from a Ticket when the Ticket is Open and pending resolution You cannot make any changes when the Ticket is Resolved in Resolution Phase or Closed Overview Chapter 10 Problem Management This section explains the links for forms and actions available under Problem Management in the Navigation Panel Some of these links may not be available to you because the actions allowed to each user group in your organization are controlled by your Application Administrator
49. SLA Compliance Tab of the ticket They can be notified of an approaching target threshold via Email and phone and can take action by responding appropriately to the Email or Phone notification The Target Status will indicate status of a ticket performance against a given SLA target Agents can view the target status and act on the ticket to avoid threshold violation and thereby breach of an SLA SLA monitoring for tickets threshold rules and actions can be configured by the Application Administrator as needed If SLA monitoring functionality is turned off by the administrator tickets will not contain the SLA Compliance tab Service Feedback is the process of soliciting feedback from the end users of support about the qualitative aspects of support delivery Service Feedback can be solicited via Feedback Surveys containing questions regarding the end users satisfaction level with identified parameters of a service This qualitative information regarding the customer s perception of the quality of service on given parameters gives the service provider a view of what the users think about the services provided Identifying the trends in satisfaction levels allows the service provider to develop action plans for continuous improvement The Application Administrator can set up a Service Feedback Questionnaire according to what feedback they would like to solicit from the end users of support Further the Administrator can set up the Feedback F
50. Service Request Incident Problem Change or Task Ticket The Ticket Type determines things like assignment of a ticket SLAs applied to a ticket etc A Ticket is a transaction document that records all the information related to a Request It forms a basic entity in Trouble Ticketing Issue Tracking and Service Desk Applications like Nimsoft Service Desk All requests submitted to the Service Desk or Support Organization are logged and tracked via tickets logged and updated Time to Completion tab on Task Tickets contains details of the Planned Start and End Date of a Task Ticket It also contains fields for indicating the Actual Start and End Date of a Task Ticket The difference between the Planned and Actual Dates and Time if any can be seen in this tab Time Tracking refers to maintaining a record of the time spent on working on and resolving a ticket logged in Nimsoft Service Desk If enabled by your Administrator you will see fields that ask you to log time spent on an activity in the ticket Worklog section The individual time spent per worklog gets added up and this is maintained as Total Time Spent on a ticket A Time zone refers to a region on Earth bounded more or less by the lines of the longitude that has a uniform legally mandated Standard Time In globalized economies IT Service Management may involve situations where the Service Users and Service Support Groups are situated around the world in different countries and in
51. Service User for such request logs an Incident Ticket An Incident Ticket can be related to other tickets or can be marked as a Global Ticket or related to a Global Ticket Problem Ticket This form is used to gather details regarding a request relating to a Problem in the existing IT Object or service A Problem Ticket is used to log and track activities relating to finding the root cause of an issue and defines further activities towards resolving the problem A Problem Ticket can be related to another Problem Ticket and is usually related to several Incident Tickets as well Though a Problem Ticket is identical in look and feel to an Incident Ticket the Problem Ticket is usually open longer and is usually handled by a specialist in a given field Change Request This ticket type is used to gather details related to changes to an existing IT Object or IT Service The change could involve adding removing or altering anything in the existing Object or Service Chapter 2 Key Concepts 37 Ticket Related Concepts Ticket Life Cycle 38 Agent User Guide A Change Ticket is used to guide the requestor in thoroughly studying a change This includes investigating aspects like environments or locations affected Cls affected and planning the change in terms of defining an Implementation and Verification Plan as well as a Back out and Verification Plan All activities related to the Change can be logged and tracked using the Change Ti
52. User Guide Knowledge Management deals with gathering analyzing and storing of knowledge and information within an organization This enables improving efficiency by sharing by reducing the need to rediscover knowledge Often Users of an IT service may encounter minor issues which have a fairly simple solution or workaround Solutions to such problems or frequently occurring issues can be made know to all users of IT service including the Self Service Users This reduces the dependency on Support Service Desk Agents working with tickets could use information on how to handle an Incident or problem that has previously occurred This assists the Service Desk Agents in expediting the ticket resolution process To facilitate storage and retrieval of these solutions and work around Knowledge Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Application can be used Users can search for Articles in the Knowledge Base using a keyword or text Knowledge Base Articles could also contain response to common questions and issues faced by Self Services Users and new and other informative articles for the end users besides issue resolution steps of Service Desk Agents Knowledge Base Articles can be created by the Administrator or contact designated as Service Desk Agent but given access to create Knowledge Articles Service Desk Agents can also submit Solution Details from a ticket that they are working on as Knowledge Base Articles To ensure that the s
53. an Incident or when several Incidents arise due a common root cause it leads to recognition of a Problem These tickets are related and need to be linked An Incident or a Problem is designated as a Global issue when it represents a group of similar Service Requests or Incidents When the Global issue is addressed and resolved the other tickets also get addressed When a Global ticket is resolved or closed the status and reason codes for tickets related to it are also updated The solution applied to the Global Ticket is also applied and associated with the related tickets Note Resolution of a Global Ticket does not result in the Related Task Ticket getting Resolved To avoid a situation where related Parent Incident or Problem Tickets get resolved while Task Tickets are still open the Administrator can configure a workflow action with the Special Function of Check for Open Tasks associated with the Resolve action for Incident or Problem Tickets Global Attachment Service Desk Agents can upload attachments to the tickets When a user relates an Attachment to an entity such as a Ticket Configuration Item a Knowledge Article solution or an Organization it gets linked only to that one entity selected However if there is a document or file that is common to many issues and can be used by multiple people for multiple tickets it can be added to a Pool called Global Attachments Any Attachment being related to any relevan
54. be a child of the initial Service Request and get logged in Nimsoft Service Desk What you can do is controlled by the workflow that is locally set up in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Application You can see what option you have by looking at the Action Options available in the Take An Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Can I ignore a request if I know it is a duplicate issue or if the issue is already resolved If you ignore a Request that is already logged in Nimsoft Service Desk it will continue to appear in your Ticket List as a Ticket that has not been worked upon Depending on how your Instance has been configured you can Cancel the Request or Close the Request as duplicate or Close the Request as complete What actions are allowed to you in such a situation is controlled by the processes that are specific to your organization What should I do if I find that a ticket is a duplicate issue of an existing request from the same requester 166 Agent User Guide If you find that a Request is a duplicate of an already existing Ticket from the same Requester you can request for the Ticket to be deleted This option might be available to you in the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Your Administrator will be able to further decide if the Request can be deleted or may configure an action to directly delete the ticket Overview Chapter 9 Incident Management Overview This section explains the links for
55. be available in the lookup when you wish to create another Personal Search You can now select the columns that are to be included in the search Step 6 In the Select Display List field click on the lookup icon This field will display some field names from the selected form type Chapter 5 Searches 125 How Do I 126 Agent User Guide If you have chosen All Tickets as Form Type the lookup will display only those Standard and Custom fields that are common to ALL Ticket types When you click on the lookup icon the Select Columns lookup will be displayed This lookup allows you to conveniently choose fields or attributes that you wish to select as Column names You can add or remove columns by choosing the appropriate action in this lookup Step 7 When you are done choosing the columns for the Display list click on Apply Changes The columns selected will be listed in the Select Display List field You can click on the view icon to see details of the query Step 8 From the form below choose the value to define the search criteria For example if your Personal Search is to see all tickets in the Queued status you can select the Search Criteria as Status Queued by selecting the value Queued from the dropdown in the Status field For ticket related searches you have to choose at least one Search Criteria to be able to save the Personal Search record If you don t choose a Search Criteria a message prompting you to choose a
56. be used for any transaction in Nimsoft Service Desk An Inactive entity cannot be related to an Active entity in Nimsoft Service Desk For example an Inactive Configuration Item cannot be related to an Active Configuration Item An Incident refers to any unplanned interruption of an IT Service or deterioration in quality of Service available to the end user Loss of Internet connectivity or slow response time are examples of an incident Knowledge Article or KB Article refers to an item in the Knowledge Base The Knowledge Article could either be a solution to an incident that has previously occurred or other incidents that may occur in the IT Objects with steps to resolve the incident It could also be informative articles on how to use an IT Object or service or other such useful information Service Desk Agents and Self Service Users can access Knowledge Articles in the Knowledge Base depending on the permissions given by your Administrator Keywords Known Outages Landing Page Location Locations Affected Locked Tickets Look Up Frequently Asked Questions Keywords are significant terms words or phrases that capture the essence of a text They are used in searching through computerized information by matching keywords given by user with keywords for the item being searched Keywords can be used to search for Matching KB Articles from the Knowledgebase An interruption in availability of a system or service is known as an
57. between service providers and users of the services on a day to day basis It is also a focal point for requesting standard services and reporting incidents A Service Desk can also provide an interface for communication with users for other service management activities such as Change Problems Configuration Management release and continuity management etc All requests logged by with Support are handled by Service Desk Agents who work in different capacities to provide IT support to the users End Users of IT Support contact Service Desk via phone email or the Web requesting for support Their request is handled by the Service Desk as per defined processes and procedures IT Service Management ITSM 52 Agent User Guide Organizations use Information Technology to increase their productivity To be able to enhance efficiency the IT systems and services in the organization have to be available to the users at all times and especially at such time when the users need these services To ensure this availability IT support comes into play IT support deals with a range of organized services that provide support and assistance to the users of the IT systems and services This includes responding to questions about using a product application or service addressing difficulties in accessing a service and resolving issues related to malfunctioning or unavailability of a service IT Support also covers activities related to updates upgrad
58. by your Administrator Form Name A Open Tickets Aging Report Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods grouped by organization Open Tickets Aging Report By Group Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support group Open Tickets Aging Report By Individual Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support technician Clicking on a report name will display the report in a new window You will be able to select date range and also choose from some limited options available to you on the report form g d 21410911211 P G Aree hos rad ee Pp RR You can choose to view the report on screen or have the report extracted into a CSV or PDF format Nimsoft Service Desk offers the ability to view Dashboard displaying trends related to ticket Assignments Ticket Aging and Configuration Items related information etc Your Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards 131 Handling Reports and Dashboards Administrator can use available Pre Defined Searches or define new searches to create additional dashboard charts applicable to different forms As Service Desk Agents your ability to view the dashboard charts is controlled by your Administrator You will be able to view only those charts to which you have been given access by your Administrator Standard Dashboard of ticket related charts ar
59. caa dades Create Task Ticket inicio Abdala iii Manage Global Issue Send Communications from the ticket cccccececsecceceeseeeeceeeeececeeeeecseaaeeecseaeececeeeeeceesaeeeseneeeseseeeeceeqaeeeseenaeess Add Updates to the NA View Ticket Activity Details 5 rn nre rena esdeansecneancecasinvecesnasaeseus danscadeeavssauedeseas snassasuea daiedednesveacendes Update a Solution to the Ticket Add Solution to Knowledgebase 10 Agent User Guide Chapter 11 Change Management 192 OVErVIEW About Change Management Change Ticket Life cycle Change Management in Nimsoft Service Desk ccccssssccccecsesseeseceeecsesesaeseeececsesesaeseeececeeeaassesecsceeseaeaeeeeeees 193 Change Management F nctiOls 1e ea eon icono A ERRARE e uan En SR S o aor EAE Rea nee ERE Y Dido Kaos 195 List Change Requests omar ida ERE FE FAR ii ada 195 Create Change Request 2 tecoena det euro ttd score edv iii ended au urea se drea NNUS 196 Create Change Request Using Template cc cccccccccccsssscccececsesseesecececsesesaeseeececseesaeseeecscseseeaeeeeeescsesseaeaeeeesens 197 Search Change RegUEStS A TN 197 Scheduled Changes e a a a a aaa ea Aa TED eshu aus clsndavsuagneinad RE ESERE 198 My Outstanding Approvals rrr trot nadan dan Ere ha RE esa Re ERES ICRR E sa vest cas EET Rer Xa ken E EEUU PR ansiada 198 RE DOM e
60. details as appropriate to the Ticket you wish to log You may be required to provide required details in the Additional Information section before you save the Ticket Step 5 Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar Note The Ticket will get logged and other tabs will become available in case you wish to add more details to the Ticket Find Details of a Contact Listed in Nimsoft Service Desk 84 Agent User Guide You can search for a Contact listed in Nimsoft Service Desk in two ways e Using Global Search e Using the Name Search Lookup from a Ticket To find a Contact Using Global Search Step 1 Enter the Contact name first name or last name in the Global Search window and click Enter URL links to the Contact Record and Tickets related to the Contact will get displayed in the search result How Do I Step 2 To view details of the Contact click on the URL Contact Record for Contact name A new window with the Contact record will open up You can see all details related to the Contact as recorded in Nimsoft Service Desk To use Name Search lookup in a New Ticket Step 1 Click on the look up icon in the Requester Name field on the Requester Information section A Name Search form will open in a new window Step 2 In the search field enter the name first or last name of the Contact you are looking for and click Enter A list of Contacts with matching names will be displayed in the list below Step
61. either be response from Self Service Users of end users of IT Support or surveys meant for others like Service Desk Agents 250 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions To generate a report on the Survey Trends Step 1 Click on the Reports link under Service Feedback in the Navigation Panel You will see a report titled Service Feedback Survey Analysis Step 2 Click on the Report name The report viewer will open in a new window Step 3 Choose the Schedule Name This is the name of the Service Feedback Schedule that was sent out to the recipients Step 4 Choose whether you wish to include Response Details and if the data should include charts Step 5 Choose whether you wish to view the report On Screen on extract it into a PDF or CSV file Step 6 Click on Show The report will be displayed in the format chosen You can save the report if it is in a PDF or CSV file or view it for details Frequently Asked Questions This section lists questions that you may have regarding Service Feedback functionality Do Self Service Users receive email notification when a Feedback Schedule is initiated Yes all end users who are part of the Service Feedback process and are required to respond to Service Feedback Questionnaires will receive email notification intimating them about the Feedback Schedule However not all end users are part of all service feedback schedules The contacts end users related to a given schedule
62. fields of the Communication Template are editable and you can change any values in the template Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 107 How Do I Can I add a Communication Template for use in my tickets No Communication Templates are created and made available for use by your Administrator You will need Administrative Permissions to be able to configure Communication Templates Can I send an Email from a Ticket to contacts not listed in the Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Records Yes if you need to send communication from a Ticket to contacts outside the Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Records you can send an Email from the Send Mail Option in the Ticket Toolbar You could choose to send the mail either using a Communication Template or by drafting out an Email Using either option you will be able to add contacts that are outside Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Records Can I add a new contact to the Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Records Yes you can add new contacts to the Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Records if a contact you are raising a request for is not listed as a contact in Nimsoft Service Desk Records You can add a new contact from the Name Search Lookup that pops up when you wish to add someone as a Requestor or Requested For fields of a ticket Will I be notified in anyway when a ticket is assigned to me Nimsoft Service Desk sends out a notification mail when a ticket is assigned to you or to any Support Group that
63. from the available list use the dropdown list to view the options available under Class Select the Class you wish to apply to the Ticket If only one entry exists for that Class the other fields of Category Type and Item where details are created will get automatically populated If multiple entries exist you can choose the exact categorization that you wish to select for the Ticket from the list Step 3 When you select the required row the Categorization lookup window will automatically close and the CCTI fields of the Categorization section in the Ticket will be filled in Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar to save the changes How Do I Modify the Status of a Ticket Add a Worklog You cannot directly modify the Status Reason Code or Phase of a Ticket These fields are controlled by the workflow actions defined by your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator The fields change when you Take an Action on a Ticket from the Take an Action option on the Ticket Toolbar For example assume that a new Ticket is assigned to you To modify the status of the Ticket Step 1 Go through the Ticket to see what action is required towards the Ticket You first need to determine whether the Ticket is rightly assigned to your group or you and if you can work towards resolution of the Request Step 2 If you can work on the Request and provide resolution go to the Take an Action option on the Ticket Toolbar In the dropdown several o
64. have been reassigned to a higher queue therefore has been removed from your queue Does the same CCTI apply to tickets KB Articles and Configuration Items No the CCTI is set up individually for Tickets KB Articles and Configuration Items The CCTI is defined by your Administrator when configuring Nimsoft Service Desk for your organization Ticket Related Bulk of the activities you undertake as Service Desk Agents will be related to working with tickets While progressing a ticket through its life cycle you may have questions on what you can do and what you cannot This section lists FAQs related to Tickets and working on tickets Can I modify all fields of a ticket Yes you can modify all fields of a ticket where a manual entry is possible You will not be able to modify the Ticket Details Section containing the Ticket Number Phase Status and Reason Code Assigned to individual name and created and modified dates of the ticket Can I work on a Closed Ticket This depends on how your instance has been configured by your Administrator In most cases you will be required to Re open the Closed Ticket to be able to work on it again Normally modification of Resolved and Closed tickets is disabled However the exact setting is managed by your application administrator Can I modify a Closed Ticket This depends on how your instance has been configured by your Administrator In some cases the Administrator may allow modification
65. in the Activity tab No the approval comments will not be listed in the Activity tab You will however be able to see the approval comments in the Approvals tab of the ticket You can click on the row containing the Approver Name and view the approval comment Chapter 11 Change Management 213 Frequently Asked Questions Will Approvers or Reviewers be reminded by the Application if an approval remains pending after a given time period Nimsoft Service Desk allows for reminder notifications to be sent out if a Change is pending approval A notification will be sent out at a pre determined interval this duration is determined by your Administrator The system will send out a reminder at a fixed time interval reminding the Approvers that the ticket is pending for approval and the reminders will continue till such time that the Approval Condition is not met However no reminder notification is sent out to Reviewers for reviews that are pending Who gets notified about a ticket being Approved or Rejected This depends on the configurations managed by your Administrator Typically all stakeholders those who have a part in successful completion of the request will be notified about a request being approved or rejected This could include but is not limited to the ticket owner which is the Assigned To Individual Group the requestor of the ticket other Approvers and Reviewers and the Change Manager Your Administrator co
66. including Self Service Users with access to the Self Service login to Nimsoft Service Desk could be part of a Service Feedback Schedule You could be required to assist them with responding to the surveys Respond to a Service Feedback Questionnaire You will see a list of surveys seeking your feedback You can respond to the Questionnaire from the My Feedback link Extract a Report on Service Feedback Responses You can generate a report related to the feedback responses for a service feedback schedule You can use the report for own analysis or towards process improvement initiatives How Do I Respond to a Service Feedback Questionnaire When your Service Feedback is sought you will receive an email seeking your feedback The mail will also contain a Direct URL Link which you can click on to reach the questionnaire Chapter 15 Service Feedback 249 How Do I The content of the email and the details on the questionnaire are specified by your Application Administrator The Survey form can also be accessed from the My Feedback Link under Service Feedback section in the Navigation Panel To view and respond to the Survey Form from the Nimsoft Service Desk Interface Step 1 Click on the My Feedback Link under Service Feedback in the Navigation Panel The page will display a table with a list of Feedback Schedules that you are part of and need to respond to Step 2 Click on the Feedback Schedule in the list the details o
67. into CSV or PDF files Use Personal Searches You can create your own Personal Search queries for searches you use often This saves the effort needed to configure an Advanced Search query each time you want to execute it You can save the Personal Search query edit the query to modify the parameters delete the Personal Search query or modify and Save as a new query You can execute the search query similar to a Defined search and view output in the Search Results tab You can drill down a specific record or export the details into a CSV or PDF file Extract Data of the Search Results Chapter 5 Searches 121 How Do I How Do I Search for a Ticket You can export data of any search result and extract the details into a PDF or CSV file The Search Result tab will list all search output and display options that allow you to extract the list as CSV or PDF files You can use either any of the Predefined Search options including Defined Searches made available by the Administrator and by using Personal Searches that you have configured or use the Advanced Search option for an Adhoc search To search for Tickets using Predefined Search Step 1 Go to the Search link under Home Section or any of the Ticket Modules in the Navigation Panel A list of Predefined Searches will be displayed Step 2 Click on any of the available Predefined Searches A list of Tickets that match your predefined search criteria will be displayed in the Se
68. is managed by the application administrator Do end users who do not access Nimsoft Service Desk also receive Service Feedback Questionnaires If an end user who does not have access to the Service Feedback functionality has been made part of the Feedback process and is selected as a respondent for a Feedback Schedule the end user will receive notification about the Service Feedback While the contact may not be able to access the feedback form from the application he she can respond to the feedback questionnaire via the Direct URL link provided in the email How can I find out if a contact can be part of the Service Feedback Activity or not Chapter 15 Service Feedback 251 Frequently Asked Questions You can find out if a Contact is part of the Service Feedback Activity from the Contact Records In the Contact Records when you check the Application Tab of the Contact record form there is a check box Disable Service Feedback If this box is checked the contact will NOT be part of the Service Feedback Activity How do end users who do not access Nimsoft Service Desk respond to the Service Feedback Questionnaire End Users who do not access Nimsoft Service Desk can respond to the Service Feedback Questionnaire by clicking on the Direct URL link contained in the email notifying them about the Feedback Schedule When they click on the link the Feedback Survey Form will be displayed They can respond to the form directly w
69. list and associate it with the ticket Relate Ticket Look up Chapter 5 Searches 117 Search Functions 118 Agent User Guide This look up is displayed when you take the Relate Ticket Action from a ticket It allows you to view Open Tickets and relate one or more tickets to the current ticket The Relate Ticket Action initiates an automatic search for Open Tickets related to the Organization and those with the same CCTI Search by Ticket No TENTER mae cose Search Criteria Search Result vise el nc acsi ei eee Se o C smt ai us Lam unable to take prints find that no printer 386 79 has been configured for me Can you do the necessary things so that am able to take prints from the printer in cube 442 View Incide Active In Progress Record s 1to10f1 Relate From List A list of matching items is displayed in the Search Results Tab The number of items you see are only those records that matched the initial search criteria If you wish to broaden your search or search for a specific ticket using the Ticket ID Requester name or other criteria you can go to the Search Criteria Tab and search for tickets to relate Form Name m foe Coe formo On aaran fmt ie om nwo toe o ter Reston Code Vicit type w S co E sil un DA f Tar e Ticket Details Cid Dato From Comte Date te Mi
70. of Tickets in Resolved or Closed status whereas in most cases this feature may be disabled by your Administrator Can I re open a Closed Ticket This depends on how the workflow has been configured by your Administrator If the Administrator has allowed for Re Open of Closed Ticket then you will see an option of Re Open Closed Ticket in the Take an Action options in the Ticket Toolbar 104 Agent User Guide How Do I Can I delete a Ticket This depends on whether the permission to delete a Ticket has been given to you by your Administrator In most cases the ability to delete a ticket is limited to the Administrator only However if you have the permission to delete a Ticket you will be able to see the Delete Ticket option in the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Can I cancel a Ticket This depends on whether the permission to cancel a ticket has been given to you by your Administrator If you have the permission to cancel a Ticket you will be able to see the Close as Cancel or a similar term options in the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar How are Ticket Auto Assignments managed Ticket Assignments can be managed by Auto routes set up by your Administrator These Auto routes are applied when the ticket is Saved for the First time when a ticket ID gets associated with it the first time Your Administrator sets up Matching Conditions on tickets and configures Nimsoft Service Desk to Auto Route ticke
71. one environment For example an organization may have Production Environment Testing Environment Training Environment etc A Change that is proposed could affect any one or more environments Information related to the Environments Affected can be documented using the Environments Affected field of the Change ticket Moving a Request to a higher level of the support structure is referred to as Escalation This is done either when a Request cannot be handled by a lower level Support Group or when it requires specific inputs from a specific Support Group Function is a field in the Configuration Item record which indicates what a given Configuration Item is used for This helps identify a Configuration Item better and helps particularly when a Cl is part of a service Global Attachment refers to a file that can be made available for use in other tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk The file is also available for use as attachment in some other Nimsoft Service Desk entities such as solution in addition to tickets When uploading an attachment the Service Desk Agent can mark an attachment as Global Attachment Global Search is a feature in Nimsoft Service Desk that allows the logged in user to search for records stored in the user s instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Global Search executes a search for records from across ticket records Cl records Contact records and Solution records relevant to the search input The History Tab is a t
72. or individual Notification of ticket creation assignment worklog additions and any modification to the ticket can be sent out to the requester and other stakeholders directly by the application The requester can keep track of updates and progress on his her request via the notifications sent out by the Application or by logging into the Self Service Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk Application If the request is for information or service that can be delivered by the Level 1 Support Team the request is serviced and the ticket status is set as resolved by the Level 1 Support Person The Level 1 Support Person also takes decisions as to whether the request is to be reclassified as an Incident or a Change However if the request cannot be handled by the Level 1 Support it gets escalated to the Level 2 Support Group This group then works towards issue resolution and sets the ticket as resolved upon completion Each support individual or group that handles the request works towards resolution of the request as per the workflow set by the customer s Administrator While some requests may be worked upon as independent entities other requests require creation of child or Task tickets Additionally requests could get related to other tickets or be related to a global ticket when it is affecting a group of similar requests When the request has been fulfilled its status is set as resolved and it is closed as per the workflow defined by
73. out when a pre defined action is performed by the system Therefore automatic notification goes out if defined to those contacts who were pre defined to receive the communication For other contacts added to the approval cycle manually a manual notification will need to be sent Does the review comment from a Reviewer get appended to the ticket Yes when a Reviewer sends a review comment by replying to the email notification seeking review on the ticket this communication gets appended to the ticket The review comment can be seen in the Activity tab of the ticket If an Approver has requested for more information for a pending Change can I see this request for Additional Information from another Approver in the ticket Yes when an Approver requests for more information this communication gets appended to the ticket You will be able to see this in the Activity tab of the ticket Why am I not able to see any Approvers in the Approvals Tab although the Change Ticket is in Implementation Phase This could be because of the workflow process that is set up by your Administrator The Administrator can set up a workflow to say that a Change Ticket that matches certain conditions for example Change Type is Standard does not need approval and can directly be implemented If this is the case you will not see an option of Submit a ticket for Approval in the Take an Action options in the Ticket Toolbar Can I see the approval comments
74. processed From the Related CI tab you can view a list of all other CI records that are related to this Cl Cls can be related to each other in different relationship domains The Cl relationship chart will allow you to see this relationship and can be used for troubleshooting Search Configuration Items 228 Agent User Guide Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Configuration Items Page where you will be able to view a list of Predefined Searches Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and any Personal Searches that you have configured You can click on any available search to view the records You can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own search criteria to filter the search Your Search Results will be displayed in the Search Results tab A list of all Configuration Items that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below Reports Handling Configuration Items 4 Configuration Management Search Advanced Search Search Results Pre Defined Search list Category Han Available Predefined Searches Description Delete Edit Default My Configuration Items My Configuration tems Delete Edit Defaut Configuration tems related to me Configuration Rems related to me You can click on any record in the search result to view the details You can also sort the results using the column heading and extract data of the search re
75. related reports can be drawn to view performance in terms of SLA compliance Ticket volumes Ticket Aging etc Chapter 2 Key Concepts 35 Ticket Related Concepts Access to the reports is controlled via permissions managed by the Application Administrator Dashboards enable users to access real time information on performance against established Key Performance Indicators These key indicators ensure accountability and efficient functioning Dashboards provide the business perspective in a very clear fashion and help to align us with strategic goals Nimsoft Service Desk provides a collection of individually tailored Key Performance Indicators such as Ticket Aging performance related to SLA compliance etc to create dashboards for different user roles As application administrator you can define Key Performance Indicators and group them together to create various types of dashboards By enabling reporting and the generation of Dashboard charts to view ticket trends allows monitoring and better control of service desk operations Ticket Related Concepts Service Desk Tickets A ticket forms a basic entity in Trouble Ticketing Issue Tracking and Service Desk Applications like Nimsoft Service Desk A ticket is a transaction document that records all the information related to a request This includes details of a User Request Incident Change Request or a Task Work Order Tickets have different fields and tabs where specific informa
76. relevant section of the application All searches for records within Nimsoft Service Desk give the user a Direct URL link to the appropriate records and the user can click the link to go directly to the desired form or record Direct URL Links reduces user effort in viewing the desired record thereby enhancing usability Relationship refers to how two entities interact with each other and how they affect each other Nimsoft Service Desk allows creating and managing some critical relationships between two or more entities in the IT Service and Service Delivery domain Nimsoft Service Desk allows relationship between tickets and Configuration Items One ticket could be related to another tickets or it could be related to one or more Configuration Items Similarly one Configuration Items could be related to other Configuration Items and could be related to one or more tickets Categorization Core Application Concepts In tickets an Incident ticket may be related to other Incident tickets or may be related to a Global ticket Similarly a Change ticket may have been created out of a Problem ticket to resolve the Problem and hence it would have a Parent Child relationship with the Problem ticket Maintaining such relationship between tickets allows for some of the actions to be carried over from the parent ticket to the child ticket or from a Global Ticket to all related tickets This in turn ensures that all open issues related to each othe
77. revert to Service Request Fulfillment Change Management Functions Change Management Functions The Change Management Module which is a Ticket Module allows Service Desk Agents key functions of raising new Change Tickets either with or without using a template searching for existing Change Tickets and generating reports related to Change Tickets The Links to the various forms and screens under Change Management Module are explained below List Change Requests The List Change Requests link under Change Management in the Navigation Panel opens a list of all open Change Tickets logged and assigned to you or your support group s Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view charts and ticket list of all open Change Tickets logged in your queue You can see the same charts that you see on the Home Page under the Home Section the difference is that the data will be filtered to only Change Tickets Similarly the Ticket List area will display all open Change Tickets logged in your or your organization s queue Change Management Filter Requests Fiter By Status Assigned Group Assigned individus Organization Ste Ticket SLA Performance My Group s Tickets Print Ticket Bos Hardware Change Upgrade Request Medium Hardware Change Upgrade Request Medium Record s 1 to 16 ot 16 Export Data Options You can further filter the list by ticket status assigned indivi
78. send communication from the ticket you can manually send email communication from within the ticket You can use a communication template to send the mail and even set a communication to be sent at a future date and time A list of all incoming and outgoing communication which includes emails triggered by an auto route or a workflow action or manual notification from the ticket is listed in the Activity Tab of the ticket Handling Service Requests Add Updates to the Ticket You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the worklog Section All worklog updates can be seen from the Activity Tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and worklogs from related tickets View Activity Detail on Tickets You can click on the Activity Tab on the ticket to view details of all actions on the ticket This includes manual actions like Assignment done by the Agent Analyst working on the ticket as well as automatic actions executed by any auto routes that got applied to the ticket The Activity tab also lists details of all communications related to the ticket This includes any outgoing communication sent from the ticket manually or as automatic notifications as well as incoming communications received by the ticket The information will include details of the communications like directions incoming ou
79. service availability and group availability Search Frequently Asked Questions Schedule also refers to schedules created by administrator for automation of ticket creation for repetitive tasks based on needs of Schedule owners using Manage Schedules module Search can be associated with different items in service desk Some of these items are Global Search The Search Field that allows all users to search for records like ticket records KB Articles etc Self Service Users also have access to a limited number of simple solutions from Knowledge Base Configuration Items Search This search window in the Configuration Items CI look up form allows the logged in user to search for a particular Configuration from the many Configuration Items associated with that user You can type in the name or number of the Cl record to find the item Knowledgebase Search This search window in the Knowledge Base form allows the logged in user to search for a solution from the knowledgebase available in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Application You can type in any word in this window to search for knowledge KB Articles available to you as Self Service User Request Catalog Search This search window in the Request Catalog Form allows the logged in user to search for a particular Request Catalog from among the many made available to the Self Service User You can type in key words from the template name to search for an appropriate template R
80. that the data will be filtered to only Problem Tickets Similarly the Ticket List area will display all open Problem Tickets logged in your or your Organization s queue You can further filter the list by ticket status assigned individual assigned group organization and site You can also click on a ticket in the list to view more details export the ticket list into PDF or CSV files and print any selected ticket 184 Agent User Guide Problem Management Functions Report Problem Clicking on this link opens a blank new Problem Ticket form To report a new Problem update required information into the Requester Details Section Who is reporting the issue who is having the issue and the Request Details Section Symptom Description If the Problem is related to a Service update the Affected Service field Categorize and prioritize the ticket as appropriate Ticket Toolbar Requestor Details Ticket Details Affected Service eve ct oe Atak ene Beint To A Ota oman Pautms Te Ota Click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar and a new Problem Ticket will be logged The Ticket Details fields like Ticket Number Ticket Status etc will get automatically updated when you log the request After the ticket is logged other Tabs like Additional Information Tab Related Tickets tab etc will appear on the ticket If the ticket is related to a Global Issue or if the ticket has a wide spanni
81. that you configure will also get displayed in this tab after you save the search query Step 2 Click on the Advanced Search Tab The form that allows you to configure the Personal Search and choose the search criteria will be displayed Step 3 In the Form Type field select the form that you want to relate the search to The forms you can choose from are e All Tickets e Service Request e Incident e Problem e Change Request e Task e Configuration Item Once saved the Personal Search record will be listed under All Searches as well as under the Search form of the related Ticket module or Configuration Management Module So if you select the Form Type as All Tickets the Personal Search will be listed under All Searches and under the Search in all the ticket modules If you choose the form as Service Request the Personal Search will be listed under All Searches and Under Search Service Requests in the Request Management module Step 4 Enter a Personal Search Name to define your search query You will have to configure a unique name for the Personal Search You will not be able to save the record if the name is a duplicate of an existing search record Step 5 Choose a Category Name to appropriately classify the search record You can either choose an available category from the lookup or add a new category more suited to the search you are configuring If you add a new Category Name it will get added to the records and will
82. the Action Options available will vary The selected Action Option determines the status and reason code of the ticket Activity Log refers to a record of all actions that have been taken on a ticket logged in Nimsoft Service Desk Nimsoft Service Desk maintains a record of all Actions like status changes made by the routing engine via any Auto Routes manual Actions via the Take an Action option worklogs added to the ticket and communications sent and received from the ticket Frequently Asked Questions All this information is classified as Activity Log and is maintained in the Activity tab of the ticket Agents can view the Activity Log to understand the actions that have been taken on the ticket view communications sent from the ticket and received related to the ticket Agents can also view activity on related tickets if required by selecting the required option in the Activity Tab They can also filter the Activity logs to view only Activities of a particular type or logged by a particular user or the routing engine Activity Tab The Activity Tab is a tab that appears on a ticket once it is logged and assigned a ticket number This tab contains details of all the activities and actions that have been done on the ticket since it was logged Add to Knowledgebase Nimsoft Service Desk allows Agents and those working on the tickets to add a solution that they have applied to a ticket directly from the ticket into the Knowledgebase
83. the Can be used as Global section Step 6 Click on Attach The attachment will get related to your Ticket and will be visible in the Attachments list Frequently Asked Questions This section provides answers to questions users may encounter while accessing Knowledge Management Related functionality Why do I not see the Add to Knowledgebase icon in the Ticket Toolbar The actions and options you see in the Ticket Toolbar are controlled by your Administrator If you do not see the Add to Knowledgebase Icon in the Ticket Toolbar this could be because permission for this action has not been enabled by your Administrator Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 243 Frequently Asked Questions If I add a solution to the Knowledgebase will it be available automatically to everyone All KB Articles added by you will get added to the Knowledgebase in a Draft State KB Articles in the Draft State are first reviewed as determined by your Administrator If the Solution is found to be appropriate it is moved into an Approved State after which the Solution is visible to others Further the visibility of the Solution to different users and Support Groups is controlled via permissions by your Administrator Can I find out if the Solution applied to a Ticket was from an Article in the Knowledge Base Yes you can find out if an Article from the Knowledge Base was applied to the Ticket In the Solution Details tab of the ticket where a Caus
84. the Solution as Sticky Solution if you feel it has a universal applicability Review the solution spell check if needed Step 4 Click on Apply Changes to save the new KB Articles page Additional tabs of Keywords and Attachments become available Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks the function words as Keywords If required you can manually suggest keywords that you feel have been missed out Click on Apply Changes to save any changes you have made Close the window when you are done Search for a Solution Applicable to my Ticket 98 Agent User Guide You can search for a solution from within a Ticket form To search for solutions applicable to your Ticket Step 1 From the open Ticket to which you wish to apply the solution click on the Search Solution button in the General Information tab of the Ticket s Request Details section A new KB Articles page will be displayed in a new window Step 2 Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks keywords from the Ticket Description field and suggests KB Articles with matching keywords You can see a list of matching KB Articles to find one that matches the Ticket best Step 3 Click on the KB Article that you wish to use More information like Symptom Cause and Resolution will be displayed in the KB Articles Details page Step 4 If you wish to use the KB Article to resolve the Ticket click on Use as Solution The KB Article page will close and the Cause and Resolution will get popul
85. the graphical representation of how two or more Configuration Items are related to each other The Relationship Graph shows the relation between Configuration Items within a Relationship Domain Request Number is the unique identity number gets assigned to the request when it is first created The Request number is used to locate identify associate and track issues Request Catalog contains a list of pre populated Ticket Templates that a Requestor can use for submitting standard and oft occurring Requests These templates save requestor time ensure that all required information is captured and also assist in effective Auto Routing of Requests These templates are created and grouped as required by the Administrator Requester is the person who is requesting for the service either for self or for someone else The Requester field contains basic contact details of the person who has requested for the support or service Request Information Required Fields Resolution Resolution Time Resolved Response Time Frequently Asked Questions Request information area in the Submit Request Form captures information related to the request The user can fill in Details of the request stating what the request is about This section also has custom fields specified by the customer administrator The logged in user can also indicate the issue s priority or urgency in this section The fields you see in the Request Information is contr
86. the ticket For example a Communication Template can shoot out an Email to the requestor and the assigned to individual group when a ticket is assigned to an individual group either by the routing engine or by a Service Desk Agent Similarly if a ticket is being submitted for Approval notification can be sent out automatically to all stakeholders seeking action on the approval request Using Communication Templates to send out notification to all stake holders ensures that all communication regarding the transaction is comprehensive standardized and uniform irrespective of the actual sender s ability to communicate precisely Global Search Core Application Concepts Further as a Communication Template can be triggered to be sent automatically upon an action the administrator can ensure that all required communication is sent out ina timely manner without additional inputs from the Service Desk Agent who is working on the issue Global Search is a feature on Nimsoft Service Desk that allows you to search for records of Tickets KB Articles Configuration Items Contacts Groups Organization Site and Location from across all available records in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk You can search for information using text numeric or alpha numeric search input as well as use wild card characters like etc Global Search picks out all non trivial words from the search input dropping words like in of a after etc and sear
87. the ticket is already related to a Global Issue will be displayed Logically one Incident cannot be caused by more than one Global Issue and therefore you will not be allowed to relate a single Incident to multiple Global Issues Will an action I take on a Global Ticket apply to all related Tickets Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured such that when an Incident Problem Ticket is marked as Global actions taken on the Global Issue like Resolution and Closure can be inherited by the related Incident or Problem Tickets Therefore if you change the status of the Global Issue the action will get applied to related Incident or Problem Tickets However the actions do not get applied to Service Requests Change Request and Task Tickets that could be related to the Global Issue Will task tickets associated with a Global Ticket get automatically closed when I close a Global Issue When the status of a Global Issue is set to Resolved or Closed this sets off a workflow action on all incident or problem tickets that are related to the Global Issue Depending on the status of Child Tasks if any of the related Incident Problem ticket the actions can differ as indicated below If the Incident Problem ticket has No Open child tasks e Set fields configured for the action get applied to the Incident Problem ticket e Communication notification related to the action gets sent out to the owner of the Incident Problem ticket If the Incident
88. to search for information using Global Search Global Search picks out all non trivial words from the search input dropping trivial words like in of a after etc and searches for entries that contain words that match the search input Chapter 5 Searches 111 Search Functions Global Search executes the search across all the ticket modules configuration item records KB Articles records contact records and organization records and provides a list of all entries that match the search input Search Text Ceute Ticket Using Tempe AN Searches Update Uy Preferences Update My frotis Change Peaswort uvostoe et Wy Dashboartn Page Name Form Name Search Beute tor Deskop f Abe ty ene ot De tareng Gomi Xsis Maras Pati Qecurerisien KB Arncies Mesaage nor enough San nace Contact Records 1 Quitous ieceres mosema matis a buach on stant desa Jus and set ntes necs Ovtiook recewes MCOMP ma m a bunch on usara SPS tog and M 7 Message ot enough 298 apace enored Peri Se pus 02 ras for giadatfe re DeL space Gantact Recend for Ieettes Sunpet Laecutvti OTs ae Found X Open arts roster Conentes fy or Aspenes Ts Cestino support Execute End of Search tor Desktop Search Result Solutions Search Result Contact Records The search results are grouped according to the type of record for example Contacts KB Articles Configuration Items and Ticket
89. up to initiate actions such as assignment of a ticket to specific Support Groups or Individual based on certain parameters of the ticket Auto Routes can also be set up to initiate actions like automatically submitting the tickets for Approval or Review or creation of Child Task Tickets and their assignment Action Options are pre defined actions that guide the Service Desk Agents and Support Groups to follow the defined workflow process to take the ticket towards resolution Depending on the context of the ticket and the status of a ticket at a given stage different Action Options will be visible to the Agent working on the ticket For example assume that a new ticket is logged its Status is New and Reason Code is None Ideally the Service Desk Agent has to take an action of Accept Assignment to take ownership of the ticket to be able to work on it However at that stage other Action Options possible could be actions like Create Change Incident Re Assign to etc Sometimes a requester may cancel a request as soon as it is logged making Close as a logical action on a New request However a New Request cannot be resolved without first getting assigned to someone and the assignment being accepted Assigned state indicates that someone has accepted the assignment of the request and is working on it Such movement of tickets from one state to another is controlled by Action Options Action Option are a configured by the Appli
90. various users Users of a KB Article can rate the Article on a scale of 1 to 5 An average of rating given by several users adds up towards the average rating of the article Can I give Feedback on a KB Article more than once Yes you can give Feedback and Add comments to KB Articles more than once Each time that you have given a feedback to the KB Article it will be listed in the Feedback Comments table below Can I see the feedback comments given to a KB Article Yes you can view the feedback comments given to a KB Article All feedback comments given by all viewers will be listed in the Feedback Tab of the KB Article Can Self Service Users give feedback on an KB Article Yes Self Service Users can give feedback on KB Articles They can rate the KB Article state whether it was useful or not and add a comment to the article The comments will be visible to Agents on the Feedback Tab of the KB Article Can Self Service Users view feedback and comments on a KB Article No Self Service Users cannot view feedback comments on a KB Article They can only view the Rating of the KB Article 246 Agent User Guide Overview Chapter 15 Service Feedback Overview Service Feedback is a mechanism for soliciting feedback about the quality of services from the end users of IT Services and Support The Service Feedback Forms are configured by the Administrator and sent to recipients at specified intervals This section details the Ser
91. worklog from the Activity tab You can filter the list to view only certain types of actions and can also view activity on related tickets from this tab This tab contains details of the SLA monitoring that has been applied to the ticket and whether the SLA target has been met or missed Details of all SLA targets that get applied to the ticket at different stages of the ticket life cycle will be contained in this tab SLA Compliance You can click on an SLA target listed to view more information about the target like Base Metric that has been applied status of an action executed by the SLA monitor etc You can also add a comment regarding the SLA if required from this tab Ticket Toolbar Options 72 Agent User Guide Once a ticket is assigned to a Service Desk Agents the Agent is required to view the ticket provide the required service update the ticket and move it along towards the closure of the request Depending on whether the ticket is yet to be logged a blank newly created ticket form or the ticket is already logged some of the actions will be enabled or disabled Ticket Tabs and Fields Ticket Details Take Ownership Assign To individual Requester Requested For Requester Name Pending User Cal Back Y Set Status to Resolved Requester Phone Emal Create incident Ticket Create Change Request Organization Service Request Ste Location
92. you would like to extract the report Step 2 Click on the portion of the chart which displays the figure of Met SLA Missed SLA as required The List Tickets table below will list only those Tickets that have Met Missed the SLA Targets based on the selection You can extract this data into a PDF or CSV file using the data export options Find out which Service Targets will be applied to a Ticket in My Queue You can get information on the Service Targets that will get applied to your Ticket from the SLA Compliance tab of the Ticket To know more about the Targets that will be applied Step 1 Go to the SLA Compliance tab of the Ticket A list of all Service Targets applied to the Ticket will be displayed in the table below Step 2 In the Field Target Names a dropdown list will be available This dropdown will list the name of all Service Targets that will be applied to your Ticket You can filter the SLA Compliance list based on the Target Names Frequently Asked Questions Will I be notified if a Ticket assigned to me has breached an SLA target This depends on the SLA monitor based actions that have been configured by your Administrator Nimsoft Service Desk allows notifications to be sent to concerned individuals including the Ticket Owner when a SLA target is breached Chapter 16 Service Level Management 261 Frequently Asked Questions However this action may or may not be applied by your Administrator Who al
93. you are part of This notification mail will give basic details about the ticket and indicate that the ticket has been assigned to you or your group Can I control Notifications sent on my actions on a Ticket The Notifications that are sent out on actions on a Ticket are controlled by the workflow actions designed by your Administrator As Service Desk Agents you cannot control the Notifications that are sent out Will I be notified if my worklog has been modified Yes Nimsoft Service Desk will send out a communication to concerned stakeholders if a worklog is modified This communication will also get appended to the Activity Tab of the Ticket Can I modify my worklog after it is saved 108 Agent User Guide How Do I Yes you can modify any worklog you have added on a Ticket before the Ticket is closed To modify the worklog click on the row containing the worklog to see details of the worklog Here you will be able to modify the worklog Can I modify a worklog added by someone else No you cannot modify a worklog added by another member of your Support Group Only Your Administrator can modify a worklog added by others users of Nimsoft Service Desk Can my supervisor modify a worklog added by me No your supervisor or manager cannot modify a worklog added by you unless your supervisor belongs to the Administrator group in Nimsoft Service Desk Can I delete a worklog No you cannot delete a worklog that has been added to th
94. you can take on the Ticket You may see Action Options allowing you to Create Incident or Create Change 164 Agent User Guide How Do I Step 2 To create an Incident from the Service Request click on Create an Incident Action from the Take an Action options A new Incident Ticket form with all the details copied over from the parent Service Request will open in a new window In the Related Tickets section of both tickets the Parent Service Request and the Child Incident Ticket the information of the related ticket will be visible This relationship cannot get unrelated Step 3 Make required changes to the Ticket Description or CCTI as required and click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar to save any changes then assign the Incident Ticket to an appropriate individual or group for further action Further depending on the workflow followed in your own organization you may close the Service Request or keep it open till the Incident Ticket is resolved Create a New Task Ticket You can create a New Task Ticket from the Task Information tab of any Ticket Service Request Incident Problem or Change Ticket To create new Task Tickets Step 1 Go to the Task Information tab of the Ticket If Task Tickets have already been created for the Ticket they will be listed in this tab of the Ticket You can create New Tasks either manually or using an available Task Template The templates are made available to you by your Administrator
95. you execute the search the results will be displayed in the Search Results tab You can filter the Searches listed in the Searches tab to view only Personal Searches choosing Search Type or by Category You can modify a Personal Search like changing the name category search criteria etc and save the changes to an existing Personal Search You can also choose an existing Personal Searches modify the parameters and Save As a new Personal Search When you Save As a new search you will be prompted to choose a new Name and add description for the new record You can delete a Personal Search that you have configured All Personal Search queries are personal to you and are not shared automatically available to other contacts like other members of your Support Group or the Application Administrator You can configure a Personal Search by yourself without any dependence on the Application Administrator 114 Agent User Guide Search Functions Note You can edit or delete only those searches that you have configured You will not be able to edit or delete the search query for Defined Searches made available by your Application Administrator To be able to drill down to a specific record in the Search Results when configuring the Select Display list for ticket searches the first two Columns have to be Case ID and Ticket Type for Cl search the first Column has to be Cl Identifier Advanced Searches While worki
96. your Administrator Thus a ticket that is logged by an end user moves through a pre designed workflow process till the requester s issue is resolved or request fulfilled Users of Nimsoft Service Desk 24 Agent User Guide Depending on the role played in requesting and delivering IT Services and Support users are classified into Self Service Users Service Desk Agents and Administrators Each type of user has a different interface of the application and their ability to use the application differs depending on the type of interface they have access to Self Service Users Core Application Concepts Service Desk Agents Analysts Application Administrator Self Service Users Organizations use Information Technology IT to enhance productivity and to deliver business goals Employees of the organization who are the end users of the IT services may require support or assistance in using the available IT resources or they could request for new IT products or services These end users or requesters of IT Support are the Self Service Users in Nimsoft Service Desk and they are provided with the Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk Self Service Users can use their Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk to log and monitor own requests for support They can also use the Self Service User Interface to search the Knowledgebase for KB Articles to simple issues and use these solutions to resolve their own issues in using
97. your behalf will be diverted to your Deputy Note All Emails will continue to be diverted till you uncheck the Out Of Office checkbox Hence you will have to uncheck this box to receive notifications again Change my Nimsoft Service Desk Password You can change your Nimsoft Service Desk Password from the Change Password Link under Home in the Navigation Panel To change your password Step 1 Specify the old password you were using in the Old Password Field Step 2 Enter the new password you wish to set in the New Password Field Step 3 Retype the new password in the Confirm New Password field Step 4 Click on the update button to save the New Password The New Password will become applicable when you login next time Frequently Asked Questions 152 Agent User Guide As Service Desk Agents you may have questions relating to the actions you can perform using the Home Section ad about the features and functionality accessible from the Home Section This section contains a list of anticipated questions relating to the Home Section Frequently Asked Questions Can I choose what information I see on my home page Yes as the logged in user you can control the information visible to you on your home page to some extent You can apply filters to view only tickets assigned to you or tickets only in a particular status You can also control things like highlighting of rows visibility of charts etc using appropr
98. 3 To view details of the Contact in the row containing the Contact record click View A new window with the Contact s record will open up You can see all details related to the Contact recorded in Nimsoft Service Desk Note To find out more details of a Contact in the Requester or Requested For field of a Ticket you can click on the View Contact Profile icon next to the field containing the Requester Name Add a New Contact to Nimsoft Service Desk Records You can add a New Contact to Nimsoft Service Desk Records from the Name Search lookup To find the Name Search lookup and add a New Contact Step 1 Go to Log Create Report Ticket type form in any Ticket module or under Home A blank Ticket Form will open up in a new window Step 2 In the Requestor Details section of the Ticket go to the Requestor Name field Click on the Name Search lookup next to the Requestor Name field The lookup will open in a new window Step 3 Click on the Add New Contact button in the Name Search lookup A New Contact Profile form opens up in a new window Step 4 Enter the required fields to create a New Contact Record and click Apply Changes The New Contact Record will get saved and additional tabs prompting for more information will open Step 5 Click on the Location tab to update details relating to the Organization Site and Location for the New Contact Update any other details as appropriate The New Contact Record w
99. A rodent Rosting Engine Assigned the ticket to cows Oncal Level 12 02 2011 06 55 48 AN Record s to tt of 11 SLA related notifications can be configured to be delivered by Phone or by Email to either the Support Group Phone or Email ID or to the contact ID of individual members of a support group A Service Target that gets applied to a ticket can have more than one threshold rule and each threshold rule can have an action or notification associated with it For example consider a Service Target for measuring Response time to a ticket logged in Service Desk Consider that there is an SLA of 15 minutes for a Support Group that the ticket is assigned to to acknowledge the ticket and accept assignment of the ticket The Administrator can configure three threshold rules for monitoring and ensuring SLA compliance The first Threshold Rule could get applied at 5 minutes after the ticket is logged and can have an action of Email Notification to the Support Group The second Threshold Rule could get applied at 10 minutes after the ticket is logged with the action of Phone Notification to the Support Group A third threshold rule could get applied at 15 minutes after the ticket is logged with the action of escalating the ticket to the Next Escalation Group 256 Agent User Guide Service Level Management Functions If the ticket is responded to within the first 5 minutes the Service Target is met No further target threshold rules get
100. Attachment to the ticket Any Cl or Attachment related by the Self Service User will be visible in the respective tabs in the ticket Will SSU be informed when I add a worklog to their request You have a choice of whether you wish to display a worklog to a Self Service User or not In the worklog section you can see a field labeled Client Viewable with the choice of marking the field Yes or No Only if you mark this field as Yes will the requester Self Service User be able to view the worklog that you add Otherwise the worklog remains hidden from the Self Service User Can SSUs view tickets I create on their behalf Yes Self Service Users can view any ticket you create on their behalf They will be able to view the ticket in their Ticket List in the Home Page of the Self Service User interface just like they see any ticket they have logged themselves via the interface Can an SSU log Incident or Change requests as well A Self Service User does not distinguish a ticket as a Service Request Incident or Change If a Self Service User creates a ticket using the Create Ticket option in their User Interface the request gets logged as a Service Request However Self Service Users can be provided Ticket Templates for logging their requests by your Administrator If a Self Service User creates tickets using these templates it can get logged as an Incident or Change Request and get auto assigned to a specific group or individual for furt
101. Change is part of routine operations for example adding new users to a system provisioning additional systems for new recruits to the organization etc the Change can be implemented without much assessment or analysis Such a Change is classified as Standard Sticky Solution refers to a solution in the Knowledgebase which is considered to be universally applicable or having applicability in numerous situations When suggesting or approving a solution in the knowledgebase the Service Desk Agent or the Administrator can mark a solution as Sticky Solution This will make the KB Article appear in all searches for KB Articles among the top solutions Support Groups are used to bring together Contacts either by their specialization by their physical location and working hours or by the action they perform in Support A Contact can be member of multiple groups Support Services refers to the services provided to the end users of IT Services in an organization Support Services include services such as responding to queries relating to how to utilize an IT service responding to reports of service unavailability or quality drop and activities undertaken to ensure that IT Services are available to end users when the services are needed Survey forms are service feedback questionnaires that are sent to end users of support The survey forms are sent to end users to solicit feedback on service satisfaction on identified parameters This field app
102. Configuration Item Status Solution Status as well as status of Organization Site Location Support Group or Contact records When Active is used to refer to Ticket Status it means that the Ticket is currently being worked upon This means that someone has acknowledged and accepted ownership of the ticket but has not completed work on it or set it to resolve When Active is used to refer to status of other entities like Configuration Item Solution Contact etc it implies that that the entity can be used for transactions like relationship to tickets in Nimsoft Service Desk Only those records which are active will show up in a search for the respective record For example when an Agent wants to associate a user as requester of a ticket only those users whose status is Active and belonging to an Organization that is active in Nimsoft Service Desk records will be displayed by the Name Search Look up Action Options refers to the options available to the agent in the Take An Action option on the ticket toolbar The Action Options visible in the Take An Action Toolbar option are controlled by the ticket workflow designed by the Administrator The Action Options list only those actions that the agent can take on a ticket at a given stage of the ticket life cycle Also only those Action Options that a Service Desk Agent has permission to use will be visible to a logged in users This means that depending on the current status of the ticket
103. Desk Agents Support Supervisors and managers identify trends related to performance To facilitate easy report creation each Ticket Modules allows you to generate a set of Pre Defined reports relating to the ticket volumes ticket aging SLA Compliance etc Clicking on the Reports link under each Ticket Module displays a list of Pre Configured Reports that are available to you You will be able to pull out reports corresponding to the Report Name displayed You can modify parameters like duration daily monthly and weekly These reports can either be seen on the Screen or you could extract the data as PDF or CSV files As first time users you may have questions related to how to perform a certain action using Nimsoft Service Desk This section identifies the common actions you are likely to perform and lists steps to undertake the action Create New Ticket How Do I You can create a New Ticket in two different ways e From each Ticket Module Using the Create Log Report Ticket Type link e From an existing Ticket using the Create New option in the Ticket Toolbar Step 1 Determine which type of Ticket you wish to create and click on the Module Name For example if you wish to create a New Service click on Request Management to view the links available under that Module Step 2 Click on the Log Service Request link or Report Create link under the other Ticket modules and a blank Service Request Ticket will open in a new Win
104. Details Affected Service Request Details Categorization Tene Spert Miri Gig o ct Total Tene Spent PPMM To create Incidents Problem or Change Tickets you need to use the Create Ticket Link under the respective Ticket Modules Create Ticket Using Template All Searches 140 Agent User Guide In the Create Ticket Using Template link you will find a list of pre defined ticket templates for logging Service Request reporting an Incidents or Problem or creating a new Change Request This is a consolidated list of all ticket templates across all ticket modules that are available to you You could use any template to log a new ticket Tickets logged using templates may match conditions of Auto Route that will apply when the ticket is saved first time If so the ticket will automatically get routed to the appropriate support group The All Searches option in the Home section allows you to search for tickets logged in any ticket modules and for Configuration Item records You can Search for different types of tickets either using a set of Pre defined Searches options or by using the Advanced Search to filter the records as you desire You can also configure a Personal Search by constructing a query and saving it for future use Home Section Functions You can use the available search queries to search for relevant ticket an
105. Dras Sect Aruet geet tw ew Cert Derer Geen isine oro ewi T0 wer Open iur ico Regani 5er cotum omo an Doe borce Secoow ur anser mt uae Saye Click on any search query and the results related to the search will be displayed in the Search Results tab You can click on any item in the search results tab to view the details of the record Pre Defined searches limit the search for records only within a given module of Nimsoft Service Desk Personal Searches For commonly used Advanced Search queries where you select the search criteria from the various fields from related forms you can configure a Personal Search Query and save that query for future use The Personal Search can be configured from the Advanced Search tab of the Search form from either All Searches link under Home or under Search under the ticket and Configuration Item modules To configure the Personal Search you can choose Form Type enter a Search Name and Category Name for appropriately classify your search and add a description if needed Beet e peh Cm cer M SAA Sepa nmn beige i209 aM L pinson rmon a Chapter 5 Searches 113 Search Functions You can then select the columns defining the column names for the search output When you click on the Select Display List lookup icon the Select Columns lookup will be displayed This lookup will display all the Standard and Custom fields of the chosen form type If you have sel
106. Integration Engine as part of a workflow action What is a locked ticket Can I unlock it 266 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions A ticket cannot be worked upon by more than one person at a time Hence when a ticket is being accessed and being worked upon by one Agent it becomes locked for another Agent Similarly Change Tickets are locked when they are in the Change Approval Process to prevent modifications to the ticket while it is under approval A locked ticket is indicated by a small lock icon which appears in the Tickets List alongside the ticket The ticket gets unlocked when the individual working on the ticket ends work on the ticket and closes the ticket window A Change ticket gets unlocked when the Change Approval process is complete and the ticket is either Approved or Rejected You will not be able to unlock a ticket however you can request your Application Administrator to unlock the ticket for you Chapter 18 Glossary Chapter 18 Glossary 267 Frequently Asked Questions Active Action Options Activity Log 268 Agent User Guide Below is a glossary of identified terms used in the product documentation as part of the explanations or as UI labels These terms have been explained with reference to how they are used in Nimsoft Service Desk Application Active refers to the status associated with an entity or record in Nimsoft Service Desk Active is a status associated with Ticket Status
107. Mark As Global or after will be related to this Global Issue Relate a Ticket to a Global Issue If a Ticket that you are working on is related to an existing Global Issue you can relate the Ticket to the Global Issue This will allow action on the Global Issue to be transmitted to the Related Ticket To relate a Ticket to a Global Issue Step 1 Go to the Manage Global Issue action on the Ticket Toolbar When you click on this a dropdown list with the actions you can take relating to marking the issue as global and relating the issue to a Global issue will be displayed Step 2 Click on Relate to Global in the actions in the dropdown list Chapter 9 Incident Management 177 Frequently Asked Questions A new window with a list of existing Global Issues will be displayed in a new window Step 3 Choose the Global Issue that you would like to Relate the Ticket with and click on Relate The window will close automatically and the Ticket will be related to the Global Issue Frequently Asked Questions As Service Desk Agents you may have questions related to how you can use the Incident Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Given Below are FAQs on Incident Management For answers to more generic questions related to all tickets please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the Ticket Functionality chapter Can I relate an Incident Ticket to a Change Ticket Yes you can relate an Incident Ticket to a Change Ticket b
108. Nimsoft Service Desk User Guide Agent 6 2 0 x apt nimsoft Legal Notices Copyright 2011 Nimsoft Corporation See the third party applications section for additional legal information Warranty The material contained in this document is provided as is and is subject to being changed without notice in future editions Further to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law Nimsoft Corporation disclaims all warranties either express or implied with regard to this manual and any information contained herein including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Nimsoft Corporation shall not be liable for errors or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing use or performance of this document or of any information contained herein Should Nimsoft Corporation and the user have a separate written agreement with warranty terms covering the material in this document that conflict with these terms the warranty terms in the separate agreement shall control Technology Licenses The hardware and or software described in this document are furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language without prior agreement and written consent from Nimsoft C
109. Questions As Service Desk Agents you may have questions related to Reports and Dashboards in Nimsoft Service Desk Why am I not able to change the charts I see in the list tickets dashboard There are two possible situations related to the viewing charts in the tickets dashboard 1 You do not see any charts in the List Tickets link just a list of tickets If this is the case the UI Preferences that you have set need to be checked In the UI Preferences link under home your setting to view charts in the ticket list could be checked as False If so you will not see any charts in the ticket lists You can change that parameter to True to be able to view the charts 2 You see space for charts but do not see any data in the charts If this is the case it could be that you have no tickets logged that match the criteria for the charts Therefore the space could display a message that there is no data to display If neither is true it would be advisable to contact your Administrator for help Can I completely remove the charts visible in the list tickets link and see only a list of tickets Yes it is possible to remove the charts visible in the list tickets link and to see only the ticket list You can do so by changing your UI preferences by choosing that link under Home in the Navigation Menu 136 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions Why am I not able to access Reporting function while another Agent in my group is able to
110. Request Handling Process A Service Request could involve a simple process of fulfilling a standard pre approved template based Request and closing it On the other hand a Service Request could involve providing the requester a workaround for the issue reported and creating an Incident Ticket out of the Service Request for resolution of the issue The Incident ticket could get related to a Problem ticket which could result in the creation of a Change Request Thus depending on the nature of the request and the workflow design a ticket could go through different processes towards closure The default workflow for Service Request available in Nimsoft Service Desk is demonstrated below Request Management Functions InfraDesk Default Request Management Process Service Desk L1 Categorize amp Validate for Fulfillment Change Management Execute Fulfillment Steps Contact Customer Please note that Workflows are managed by your Administrator and your Administrator may have modified the workflow to be more suitable to the specific needs of your organization Request Management Functions The Request Management Module which is a Ticket Module allows Service Desk Agents key functions of logging new Service Request either with or without using a template searching for existing Service Request and generating reports related to Service Request The Links to the various forms and screens under Request Ma
111. S 627 Mobile Comp TW CH LTP 108 In Use Computers Laptop Print Details Explorer Growser Active Computers Laptop TWAWHG DTP 107 el Desk Top HP US 613 Record s 1 to 33 of 185 Export Data Options Chapter 13 Configuration Management 227 Configuration Management Functions You can see a list of attributes related to the Cl record To narrow the listing you can filter the list based on the Class Category Type or Item classification applied to all Configuration Item records By clicking on any item you can view further details about the configuration item such as its attributes history relationship with other Cls etc As Service Desk Agents you may be able to modify the Cl records to some extent This depends on configurations and permissions managed by your Administrator The Configuration Item record also displays information on Related Tickets Related Cls and Related Contacts The Related tickets tab will display a list of all tickets that has been related to this Cl This helps assess the state of the Cl and helps plan ahead for any required maintenance A Configuration Item record can have contacts related to it in different capacities like Owner User Change Approver Change Reviewer and Support Provider If there is a Change Ticket logged related to the Cl based on workflows designed by your administrator the ticket could be sent to them for approval before the Change is
112. STIONS renere eaii a ae e e eaae EE a ERSE 266 Contents 13 Chapter 18 Glossary 267 Appendix A Licensing Information 294 14 Agent User Guide Chapter 1 Introduction Overview Service Desk is an organizational unit that acts as a central single point of contact between IT Service Providers and Users of IT Services It is also a focal point for requesting standard services and reporting Problems The IT Support Staff who are integral to the Service Desk function offering different levels of IT Support service are called Service Desk Agents These Agents Supervisors and Service Delivery Managers use Nimsoft Service Desk extensively for managing day to day IT Support Operations Service Desk Agents work on requests for IT service and support from the end users of IT services End users have access to the Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk You should refer to the Self Service User Guide for details about how Self Service Users access Nimsoft Service Desk and how Self Service Users interact with the Nimsoft Service Desk to access IT Support Service Desk Agents are responsible for ensuring that all requests for IT Support or Services are logged appropriately with all essential information being recorded in the ticket They move the ticket along according to the workflow to ensure that the request is appropriately handled and the issue is resolved Nimsoft Service Desk Application serves as a tool to record al
113. The concept of time zones also comes into play when calculating Service Availability and in auto routing tickets Time Zones are also useful in calculating Service Hours which is the agreed time period when a particular IT Service should be Available For example Monday Friday 08 00 to 17 00 except public holidays In Nimsoft Service Desk Service Hours can be specified for Configuration Items that are defined as Services labeled as Service Hours Business Hours for Support Groups availability and Time for Auto Routes A Time Zone Calendar period of applicability Work week pattern and Holiday List are taken into account when calculating Service Hours Deputy Alternate Contact Users of Nimsoft Service Desk perform various roles in their own capacity They may be recipients of notifications some of which might require their action or immediate attention If a recipient of the notification is out of office and cannot view the notification or take action on the request the processing of the request might get delayed To overcome this Nimsoft Service Desk allows users to identify another contact as their Deputy or Alternate contact The Alternate or Deputy has to be a contact within Nimsoft Service Desk and have at least one Organization Site Location and one group in common with the user When a Contact sets a flag to indicate that s he is Out Of Office notifications meant for the contact are diverted to the Deputy The Deputy c
114. Threshold VIP Users VIP Users in Nimsoft Service Desk are Contacts marked by your Administrator as high priority Contacts Their tickets are to be handled differently A message indicating that the user is a VIP User is flashed when that Contact is selected as Requester of a ticket Workflow The set of business steps required to execute a process Most process policy procedures describe the workflow to achieve the underlying process activities defined in a process Nimsoft Service Desk implements workflow through a combination of Ticket Templates Workflow Actions and Auto Routes Workflow Actions The Nimsoft Service Desk actions which can be executed based on business rules matching conditions associated with ticket types The combination of Workflow Actions associated with a ticket type defines the workflow for that process Worklog Worklog is a manual entry made in the ticket to record details of transactions that are not automatically captured by the system Worklogs are mostly updated by the Service Desk Agents who work on the ticket but occasionally a Self Service User who is a requester of the ticket can also add worklog to provide more information or update a ticket after it has been submitted Your Information Your Information area in the Self Service User Interface captures the logged in users details like Name Phone Number and Email ID While the Name field is grayed out and cannot be changed contact details like Phone
115. Tickets visible in your Ticket Lists from the Filters Bar above the Charts in the Ticket dashboard To select filters to the Ticket list Step 1 Go to the List Tickets link under Home in the Navigation Panel Step 2 In the Filter Bar above the Dashboard Charts you have several options available for filtering the lists Select the option by which you wish to filter the list For example if you are a member of multiple Support Groups and wish to see Tickets that are in Active and New Status that are assigned to one specific Group Step 3 From the Filter By click on Status a dropdown list is displayed From the list choose Status as Active and New Step 4 From the Filter By click on Assigned Group and a dropdown list is displayed From the list choose the group whose Tickets you wish to see Step 5 Click on Refresh and the Dashboard Charts and Ticket list will display the filtered list of only Active and New Tickets Assigned to that particular group You can apply filters to the List Tickets screen under all Ticket Modules in the same way Note The filters will be applicable only for the current logged in session Once you log out the filters get set to Default Modify the Default Filters for the Ticket List 148 Agent User Guide You can set individual Default Filters per Tickets Module to filter the Tickets that you can see in the List Tickets link To Modify Default Ticket List and set preferences Step 1 Go to
116. a valid contact you can create a request or an appropriate ticket on behalf of the Contact and process it What is a locked ticket Can I unlock it A ticket cannot be worked upon by more than one person at a time Hence when a ticket is being accessed and being worked upon by one Agent it becomes locked for another Agent Similarly Change Tickets are locked when they are in the Change Approval Process to prevent modifications to the ticket while it is under approval A locked ticket is indicated by a small lock icon which appears in the Tickets List alongside the ticket The ticket gets unlocked when the individual working on the ticket ends work on the ticket and closes the ticket window A Change ticket gets unlocked when the Change Approval process is complete and the ticket is either Approved or Rejected You will not be able to unlock a ticket however you can request your Application Administrator to unlock the ticket for you Why am I unable to log into Nimsoft Service Desk Application 102 Agent User Guide There could be several reasons for being unable to log into Nimsoft Service Desk e Have you checked your User ID and Password You will need correct credentials to be able to log in e There could be some issue with Nimsoft Service Desk due to which you are unable to log in e You have either an SSU license or a Floater license How Do I In these categories while multiple users can use Nimsoft Service Desk Ap
117. ab on Cl records forms It stores information of all changes and actions on a Configuration Item Information like what was changed when was the change made and who made the change can be seen in the History Tab of the Cl record Chapter 18 Glossary 277 Frequently Asked Questions Holiday list Holiday List refers to the known holidays for a calendar year Holiday Lists can be associated with Support Group Business Hours Service Availability SLA monitors and Auto Routes Implementation and Verification Plan Issue Services Inactive Incidents Knowledge Article 278 Agent User Guide Change Management as advocated by ITIL has to be done against a plan Post Implementation there has to be some mechanism to Verify whether the implementation has been successful or not It is therefore essential to have an implementation and verification plan when proposing a change Information relating to the Implementation and Verification plan is captured and shared in the Implementation and Verification Plan field of the Nimsoft Service Desk Change Ticket Issue Services is a section in the Self Service User Navigation Menu This section displays links that allow the logged in user to submit requests search for requests and take action on requests pending his her approval This indicates that the entity is not usable for transactions by Nimsoft Service Desk An organization contact Cl template etc that is marked as Inactive cannot
118. al these will be listed in the table above You can click on the ticket record and the ticket details will get populated into the form below Manned Start Pared End You can review the proposed change to study the change impact environment affected location affected etc You can also see if the change has an implementation plan If you are satisfied with the details and wish to give your approval to the change you can add an Approval Comments and click on Approve Your Approval will get attached to the ticket However if you are dissatisfied with the proposed change you can add your comments in the Approval Comments field and click on Reject Your rejection will get communicated to the concerned stakeholders and get updated on the ticket If you need more information regarding the change you can seek for more information using the Request More Info Action A new window will be displayed where you can type in the information you seek and click on Send Request Action Buttons Please type in details of your request for more information This will be sent to the Requester Assigned Individual as well as the other Approvers and Reviewers for this Change Request Have you received quotations from all 3 approved vendors for the new monitors Details field Chapter 11 Change Management 199 Handling Change Tickets Reports Your request will be sent to all stakeholders and will get appended to the ticket
119. alues on various parameters of a ticket Auto routes can be designed based on availability of resources at a location at a given time priority of the ticket CCTI etc Auto Routes are configured by your Application Administrator and can also be applied to tickets created by inbound email Europe Support Group US Auto Routing ps Support Group Engine gt O 9AM 5PM Requests from NP MM ry Users in USA 4 Requests from Requests from Users in Europe Users in Asia Auto Routes get applied only once on a new ticket when it is saved for the first time For all subsequent actions on the ticket after the first save the person working on the ticket has to manually choose an Action Option from the Take An Action tab on the ticket 44 Agent User Guide Action Options Prioritization Ticket Related Concepts The Administrator can set up auto routing of tickets when it is first saved to be done based on matching conditions on the Standard Ticket Fields and or Ticket Custom Fields Common fields used as Matching Conditions for Auto Routes are Ticket Type Ticket Priority Ticket CCTI etc The Administrator can also configure auto routes to be triggered by the Email ID to which the email request is sent and by the Ticket Description i e the Subject Line of an Email This allows users to request standard services via email and such emails can be auto routed to specific Groups for action Auto Routes can be set
120. an then act on the notification Chapter 2 Key Concepts 33 Core Application Concepts System Y S Notification No yr a Primary Contact dis Deputy Alternate Contact This enables a smooth processing of support requests even in the absence of an identified contact When configuring the Contact Record a Deputy Alternate Contact can be assigned as default deputy for the contact which can be changed by the contact as needed Communication Templates 34 Agent User Guide Communication is essential to pass on information regarding any transaction that has taken place related to a ticket raised by a requester To facilitate appropriately structured uniform and timely communication to all stakeholders related to a ticket the Administrator can create Communication Templates and make it available to different ticket types A Communication Template is a pre drafted email template which contains a draft of the text to be communicated and fields from the ticket as place holders for information When the Communication Template is used information from the relevant field of the ticket is populated into the communication in place of the Place Holders Different Communication Templates can be made available for different action on the ticket during the ticket life cycle Further communication templates can be associated to different workflow actions and auto routes and they can be sent out automatically on different actions on
121. and Email ID can be changed by the user before submitting the request Chapter 18 Glossary 293 Frequently Asked Questions Appendix A Licensing Information 294 Agent User Guide Liferay This product contains components of the Liferay Portal subject to the following terms Copyright c 2009 Liferay Inc Permission is hereby granted free of charge to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files the Software to deal in the Software without restriction including without limitation the rights to use copy modify merge publish distribute sublicense and or sell copies of the Software and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so subject to the following conditions The Above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT TORT OR OTHERWISE ARISING FROM OUT OF ORIN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USER OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE
122. ange assigned individual or any other field that has been enabled on the report When you are satisfied with the parameters click on Show and the report details will be populated You can choose to view the report on screen on extract the report into a PDF or CSV format Handling Change Tickets While working with Change Tickets you will be taking up activities such as viewing Change Tickets in your queue logging new Change Tickets modifying the tickets etc Besides the actions on other ticket types you would take up some activities specific to Change Tickets like submit change for approval view forward changes calendar Approve Change tickets etc The actions you take on a Change Ticket are listed below 200 Agent User Guide Handling Change Tickets View Change Tickets Raise a Change Classify a Change You can view all Change Tickets assigned to you and your support group s You can drill down to the detail of a ticket in the ticket list and modify the ticket if needed From the ticket list you can extract data on the tickets in the list and print a ticket for your reference You can Raise a new Change with or without using a Template from within the Change Management Module You can update the required values into the appropriate fields on the ticket and save the ticket You may need to update certain fields like Change Type CCTI etc to facilitate effective auto routing of the ticket Classification of a Cha
123. ant fields of the Knowledge Article form As Agents if you have used a new solution on a ticket and wish to share the details as a Knowledge Article you will also be able to add solutions to the knowledgebase directly from the ticket The solution will be stored in the Knowledgebase as a KB Article in a Draft State and will be reviewed depending on the Workflow in your Organization before it is Approved to be used by others accessing the Knowledgebase This section explains the steps to perform various actions while working with the ticket and non ticket modules of Nimsoft Service Desk For other common actions related to tickets see the How Do l in the Ticket Functionality Chapter Handle a Service Request that should be classified as Incident or Change Request All Requests submitted by the Self Service Users from the Self Service User Interface without using a Template made available to them will result in creation of a Service Request All Requests sent to the Support ID by Email will also result in creation of a Service Request You cannot directly convert the Service Request into another ticket type but you can create a new Incident or Change Ticket from the Service Request To create an Incident or Change Ticket from a Service Request Step 1 Click on the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Depending on the Status of the Ticket and the workflow configured by your Administrator you will see a list of Actions that
124. applied to the ticket Depending on configurations and changed ticket conditions another Service Target for measuring ticket Resolution Time could get applied On the other hand if the first threshold rule is missed and email notification gets sent and calculations towards the second threshold rule get applied If the ticket is responded to within the defined time the second threshold rule is met and SLA calculations stop If not the SLA monitor sends out Phone Notification to the Support Group ID If Phone Notification has been configured an automated voice notification will be made informing you of the SLA threshold violation The notification will also contain options on actions you can take on the ticket by responding to the voice notification You can choose from the pre configured options like Acknowledge Escalate Ticket Resolved etc to trigger a related workflow action on the ticket Based on your response a workflow action will get applied on the ticket enabling you to handle the ticket within agreed upon SLA targets Please note that for enabling SLA Phone Notifications you will need to buy the service from MIR3 Phone Notification is an external service provided by MIR3 and not a default feature available with Nimsoft Service Desk Currently Phone Notifications are supported only for SLA Notifications and not other notifications sent out by the application As Agents Analysts working on the ticket you can view all co
125. arch Result tab You can click on any record to drill down to the details of any Ticket record listed in the Search Results To search for Tickets using Advanced Search Step 1 In the Search Tickets Page visible under the Search Link in Home of the Ticket Modules go to the Advanced Search Tab A range of Search Parameters available for searching Tickets will be displayed Step 2 Enter the parameter you wish to apply to search for the record For example if you wish to search for Tickets matching a particular Case ID type in the Case ID A list of Tickets with the matching Case ID will be displayed in the Search Results tab You can choose from a range of parameters like Ticket Details Requestor Details Request Details as well as Custom Fields Search Solutions from a Ticket 122 Agent User Guide You can search for a solution from within a Ticket form To search for solutions applicable to your Ticket Step 1 From the open Ticket to which you wish to apply the solution click on the Search Solution button in the General Information tab of the Ticket s Request Details section Use Global Search How Do I A Search for KB Articles lookup will be displayed Step 2 Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks keywords from the Ticket Description field and suggests KB Articles with matching keywords You can see a list of matching KB Articles to find one that matches the Ticket best Step 3 Click on the KB Article that yo
126. ary Organization for the contact on basis of which these features shall be applied Your Administrator sets up a Primary Organization for the contact and this can be modified on need basis by the Administrator Only one Organization can be set as a contact s primary organization at any time Email Based Working Nimsoft Service Desk allows sending and receiving emails related to the ticket directly from the Application Several transactions on the ticket are managed via emails In addition to interacting with Nimsoft Service Desk through Web Interface a user can also interact with the application by sending in an Email to a Support Email address The user can log a new request via Email update an open ticket by responding to notification received via email The incoming Email is analyzed for the information of the Sender and the subject line of the message Based on presence of specific words or phrases Nimsoft Service Desk either creates a new Service Request or finds the existing ticket to which the message should be appended Thus an incoming email can result in creation of a new ticket or updating an existing ticket End users Self Service Users and Service Desk Agents also receive email notifications for Service Feedback Surveys Password Reset Outstanding Approval notifications etc If an Out of Office Flag is set the routing engine redirects email notifications to an identified Deputy Alternate Contact Chapter 2 Key Concept
127. ashboards In your working with Nimsoft Service Desk you may need to access reports and take up some actions in working with reports Some of these actions are listed below View Reports related to tickets A list of available reports will be visible to you under the reports section You can choose the report you wish to view modify date range and any other parameters which can be changed and view the report on Screen You can even extract the report into a PDF or CSV file View Reports related to Configuration Items A list of available reports will be available to you under the Reports Link in the Configuration Management Section You can choose any report you see in the link below and view the report either on screen or extract it as PDF or CSV file Use Dashboard Charts You can use the Dashboard Charts to drill down to the data represented For example if you want to view only those tickets that have breached the SLA and if you can view the SLA Status Chart in the Home screen you can click on the section representing tickets that have breached SLA and view the tickets that have breached the SLA Set Dashboard Chart as Home Page You can choose any Dashboard Chart as your Home Page By doing so the next time you log into Nimsoft Service Desk you will land on the page displaying the chosen Dashboard Chart Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards 133 How Do I How Do I Create Reports Related to Configuration Items Nimsoft S
128. assword of the user is changed Chapter 18 Glossary 271 Frequently Asked Questions Automatic Notifications Auto Route CAB CAB EC Communication sent to any or all stakeholders related to actions on tickets are known as Notifications Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured to automatically send out Notifications on actions such as ticket assignment ticket resolution outstanding approval notification etc Such Notifications sent by Nimsoft Service Desk without a Service Desk Agent or someone working on a ticket manually creating and sending a message are called Automatic Notifications Notifications are also used in Service Level Management Service Feedback modules Reset Password and such other actions Auto Routing is an automatic mechanism to assign route a new ticket when it is saved for the first time Auto routes get applied on the basis of predefined rules or values of parameters of the tickets Based on matching conditions specified for an auto route by the Administrator a new ticket qualifies for the auto route Set fields and action defined for auto route are executed Auto Routes can automatically assign a Request to an identified Support Group or an individual Change Advisory Boards CAB consists of groups of people who assist the Change Manager in planning prioritization risk assessment and scheduling a Change A CAB usually contains representation from all departments or entities associated or impacte
129. ata of the search results into a PDF or CSV file Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports depending on the needs of your organization Service Desk Agents could sometimes be given access to these reports If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under each ticket module in the Navigation Panel Handling Incident Tickets Clicking on the Reports link under Incident Management allows you to view a list of Reports related to Incident Request The exact reports you see in your list depends on the type of reports configured by your Administrator and the reports to which Service Desk Agents have permissions You can choose the report you wish to view Click on any report you wish to extract The report will open in a new window Report Name Report Format Created Between Start Date 01 01 2011 Bl End Date 01 2011 lii Forme Report As on moron m Report Details Chart 0 2 Days M27 Days 7 15 Days gt 15 Days You can modify the date range and make modification to any other parameters allowed To view the report click on Show the report will be displayed in the screen You can also choose to view the reports either on screen on extract the report into a PDF or CSV form Handling Incident Tickets To manage the Incidents reported to Service Desk you will execute some common actions on the Incident Tickets logged You would acc
130. atching the section will get displayed in the Ticket List below In the Home Page and the List tickets page under each Ticket Module you can see a list of all tickets in your or your group s queue in the Ticket List Area Each row contains records on one ticket including the status reason code ticket number description etc You can click on the ticket to view details The ticket will open in a new window You can print the ticket via the print icon or export the list into a PDF or CSV file for reporting and analysis You can also sort the data according to any column name if you wish to group the list in any particular order Chapter 3 Layout and Navigation 63 Generic Layout Filter Bar Search Screens Search Tab Advanced Search Tab Search Results Tab The Filter Bar allows you to manage what you see in your ticket queues By filtering the tickets as per status ticket type assigned to individual group organization etc you can limit the tickets you see in your queue as appropriate to your role If you wish to view only tickets assigned to you you can filter the records accordingly to restrict the number of tickets you view The Filter Bar allows you to set a ticket list that is uncluttered by Tickets that don t need your attention You can see details of any highlights applicable for the ticket rows or other symbols like Locked Tickets etc from the Legends icon You can also Reset all filters and restore default f
131. ated in the Solution Details tab of the Ticket Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar to associate the Solution to the Ticket You can also choose to Print the Solution if required How Do I Note If the CCTI of the Solution does not match the CCTI of the Ticket Nimsoft Service Desk will send out a message asking if you wish to reclassify the Ticket to match the CCTI of the Solution Click on OK to reclassify the Ticket If you click Cancel the solution details will be carried over to the Ticket without modifying the CCTI of the Ticket Use a Ticket to Resolve Another Ticket If you have used a cause and resolution for resolving one ticket and want to use the same cause and resolution to resolve another ticket you can use the first ticket to update the cause and resolution details of the second To Resolve one ticket using another Step 1 Click on Search Solution action on the ticket which you need to work on and resolve A list of KB Articles related to the ticket will be displayed in the Search for Knowledge Base Articles Look up Step 2 In the filters click on Include Recently Resolved Tickets checkbox This will enable Nimsoft Service Desk to display recently resolved tickets into the search for solutions of a ticket Step 3 Clear the Keywork search an any other Filters already set on the search screen using the Clear Button Step 4 Click on View A list of KB Articles and Recently Resolved Tickets will be
132. ation Item CI IT components like Hardware Software Applications Network devices documentation etc are examples of Configuration Items Records of Configuration Items including a history of all actions on a Configuration Item can be maintained in Nimsoft Service Desk Contact Record refers to the details of a Contact stored in Nimsoft Service Desk Besides basic contact details the Contact Record also lists the Organization Site and Location details of the Contact and indicates which group s the Contact is associated with Action like having access to login to Nimsoft Service Desk being part of approval process receiving service feedback forms etc are also controlled from the Contact Record Created Date refers to the date the entity was created in Nimsoft Service Desk Created date can be found on tickets Configuration Item records Contact Records Solution Records and Reports in Nimsoft Service Desk A customer may require Additional Fields in a ticket over and above the standard common fields provided by the Application Such fields that are specific to each customer are called Custom Fields These can be added to tickets based on Default custom field templates and CCTI based custom fields templates to be configured by Administrator Custom Fields are provided on Ticket Templates designed for known standard requests The visibility of the Custom Fields and which ticket type they apply to is controlled by the Administrator
133. ator This link displays information relating to the email and phone number to call for support and also lists the product s current version number 144 Agent User Guide My Dashboards Home Section Functions The Support Information is set by your Application Administrator when your slice is configured All details like the Message displayed and contact information is set up during slice configuration process You can also view information related to the product version that you are currently using This information could help Some Agents like Supervisors or Managers would be interested in gathering and viewing information related to the trends in terms of ticket volumes response time for tickets aging of tickets etc To enable a visual display of such information your Administrator could provide you access to the My Dashboard link under the Home Section Clicking on this link displays a collection of graphs and charts that you have been given access to luda eiii omen SA Refreshan GridLayout 1 Virows X 2 Ml columns Size pixels 250px x 200px Y Organize Dashboard Charts 1 My Tickets 2 Aging of Tickets 1 00 0 75 4 0 50 0 25 1 0 00 r Active New Pending PROS Bai 1 _ Refresh View Details The Dashboard Charts give you statistical information on the ticket queues and allow you to visualize the progress of task pending in the ticket queues Depend
134. ator your response could be to choose from given options by checking on a radio button or check boxes or filling in single line or multi line text answer Your Administrator can set up the Feedback Schedules to solicit feedback anonymously Some feedback schedules are addressed to specific respondents show User Name and allow respondents to respond only once Other Feedback Schedules can be configured to allow anonymous response and can also allow multiple responses from the same respondent The Service Feedback Schedules remain active only for a set duration as specified by your Administrator If you attempt to give your feedback after the schedule expires you will get a message indicating that the schedule has expired Handling Service Feedbacks Survey Reports If your Administrator has enabled your ability to view Service Feedback Reports you will be able to generate a Report indicating the interpretation of the Survey Results for a given survey You can choose the Schedule Name the name of the survey and indicate whether you wish to include the details of the response You can choose to view the report On Screen or in a PDF or CSV format Handling Service Feedbacks In your interaction with Nimsoft Service Desk you may be required to perform certain actions related to the Service Feedback Module Some of the main actions you will perform are listed below Guide End Users in responding to Feedback Questionnaires End users
135. avigate through Nimsoft Service Desk in two main ways via the Navigation Panel and via the Home Page Navigation Via Navigation Panel Via Home Page Users can primarily navigate to an appropriate section using the necessary link under each section of the Navigation Panel For example if you wish to log a Problem Tickets you can navigate to Problem Management Section Click on that and you will see options available to you related to Problem Management This could be List Problems Report Problem Report Problem using Template Search Problem Ticket and Reports You may or may not see all of these options as what you see is controlled by your Application Administrator You can navigate to existing tickets from the Home Page by clicking on a record in the ticket list or by choosing a grouping from the charts The Home Section in the Navigation Menu gives you a link to Navigation Help This link contains links to the most frequently used ticket related actions of Adding a new ticket or searching for an existing ticket You can click the appropriate link here to reach the action directly Chapter 3 Layout and Navigation 67 Overview Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality Overview This section deals with the common fields on all ticket forms and the common actions which Service Desk Agents can take across all Ticket Modules To make working with Nimsoft Service Desk Application easier for Service Desk Agents Nimsoft S
136. bout the environments and locations affected etc you can do so from the More Detailed Information tab If Approval is required you can now submit the ticket for approval and then progress towards its closure Change Management Functions Create Change Request Using Template Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view and select from a list of available templates to log a new Change Ticket The list of templates visible to you will be controlled by your Application Administrator When you select a Ticket Template a new Change Tickets opens in a new window Some of the fields will be pre populated based on how the Template has been configured by your Administrator The ticket could also contain the Additional Information tab where your Administrator could configure custom fields for information specific to the ticket being logged You can update the other details as appropriate and work on it as any other ticket If an Auto Route has been configured to match conditions on the ticket the ticket could get automatically moved further into its Workflow Search Change Requests Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Request Page where you will be able to view a list of Pre defined Search Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and any related Personal Searches that you have configured You can click on any existing search to view the search results Change Management F Ner
137. cation Administrator depending on the type of workflow they wish to establish for a request Action Options are a way of ensuring that the workflow for a given ticket type is followed by the Service Desk Agent or Support Group when working on the ticket Workflow actions can also be trigged by Auto routes which can be set off by some Matching Conditions For example if a ticket is a Standard Change Request for Creation of new User Accounts the request can be automatically assigned for approval via an auto route Chapter 2 Key Concepts 45 Ticket Related Concepts Ticket Worklog 46 Agent User Guide Nimsoft Service Desk allows the Agents to set a priority to a request based on its Urgency and Severity If an issue is impacting several users or if is impacting a large number of services or a business critical service its severity can be said to be high Similarly if an issue needs immediate resolution then the urgency can be set as high An issue with high urgency and high severity can be set as High Priority This Prioritization allows the Service Desk Agent to decide that the Request Ticket needs immediate attention and can help the agent move its resolution ahead of other open requests Guidelines regarding how to determine the Priority based on values assigned to Urgency and Severity of an issue is specific to each organization IMPACT HIGH MEDIUM LOW HIGH Critical High Medium MEDIUM High Medium Low gt o z ui o
138. cation administrator Change Password Navigation help Nimsoft Service Desk allows you to manage your own password and you can change your own password as and when needed You can change password by typing in the old password and then entering the new password twice The new password will become effective the next time you log in If you request for password reset an email notification will be sent to you with the reset password You can login and change your password accordingly This link under Home takes you to a section where you can access information on how you can access Global Search and how to optimize your search using Global Search The Navigation Help link also provides further links that allow you to perform common actions of logging different types of tickets and searching for different tickets Product Documentation The Product Documentation Link under Home brings you to the Nimsoft Service Desk Product Documentation page You can navigate through the product documentation to find information on the various screens and forms and to get help on how to perform common actions using Nimsoft Service Desk You can also access Product Documentation via the Help Link in the Header Section of Nimsoft Service Desk application Support Information The Support Information Link lists out contact details for Product Support The actual information contained in Contact information for support is controlled by your Administr
139. cently resolved tickets and use the solution from a recently resolved ticket to resolve an open ticket The Cause and Resolution fields from the resolved ticket will get automatically carried over into the respective fields of the ticket Add a Solution to the Knowledge Base If you have used a unique solution to a ticket and wish to share it with others you can add the solution to the knowldgebase directly from the ticket Once approved the KB Article will become available as a KB Article to other users with permission to access it Rate the usefulness of a KB Article You can give your feedback related to a KB Article by rating it on a scale of 1 to 5 You can also comment on the usefulness of an Article by stating whether it was useful in resolving the ticket or not and adding any comments related to the KB Article View user Feedback You can view feedback submitted by Self Service Users and other Service Desk Agents in the Feedback tab of the Knowledge Article The comments added by other users will be listed in this tab and can be used to review user feedback about the article Extract Reports related to Knowledge Management You can extract a report related to Knowledge Management to view information on the Average Rating for the Knowledge Article usage related information etc This can help in managing the Knowledge Base better Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 239 How Do I How Do I Add Solution to the Knowledgebase 240 Agen
140. ch Field cvm ves J gdtsQptwps com 617 231 7665 Trans World Packagn TAPS US HO 206Edgeco a View Samueison Arron tabppotwpscom 704 759 1265 Trans Work Packag n Charlotte Mig Plant Search Output Record s 1 10201 2 Clicking on the look up icon in the Requester Name field will display the Name Search lookup You can choose to view all contacts listed or filter your search by entering first name or last name or an alphabet with which the first or last name starts You can either view the contact details of a selected contact or use the contact in the requester details section of the ticket The Name Search Look up also allows you the option to add a new contact to the Nimsoft Service Desk records using the Add New Contacts option Categorization Look Up This look up is associated with the Search CCTI option on ticket forms Solution record forms and Configuration Item forms This look up allows you to choose a CCTI for a ticket Search Field eepication Search Filters Select Class Select Category Application E mal Search Output Application intraDesk Application intraDesk Record s 1 to 3 of 3 Clicking on the Search CCTI link will display the Categorization look up You can choose to filter the list based on available CCTI or view a complete list of all categorizations available to you You can choose any item appearing in your
141. channel partners customers etc using Sites as children under an Organization and using Locations as children under a Site A Contact in Nimsoft Service Desk has to be related to at least one Organization although one contact can be related to more than one organization Any one Organization will be set as the Primary Organization for the contact A Configuration Item Cl must be linked with an Organization Additionally Site and Location can be added for a Cl Core Application Concepts Primary Organization Nimsoft Service Desk allows customers to configure records for more than one Organization within their instance of the application An Organization can be configured for different related organizations like Service Users Service Providers and Vendors Each Organization can have its own set of multiple sites and locations Each Organization site and location has contacts that are related to it Contacts generally Service desk Agents could be made part of more than one organization This permits them to view ticket data of all organizations they may be required to support However some of the elements in the Nimsoft Service Desk GUI visible to the logged in user like inclusion or exclusion from Service Feedback Forms and ability for Self Service Users to view their organization s tickets are associated with Contact s organization To limit these organization based functional features one Organization has be set as the Prim
142. check on the Show Related Activity checkbox Activity from all related Tickets will get added to the list You can search for Tickets from the Search All Tickets link under Home If you want to search only for a particular ticket type you can use the Search Ticket link under the respective Ticket Module using the same steps You can use either any of the Predefined Search options to search for Tickets or go to Advanced Search to search using the available search parameters To search for Tickets using Predefined Search Step 1 Go to the Search link under Home Section or any of the Ticket Modules in the Navigation Panel A list of Predefined Searches made available to you by your Administrator will be displayed Step 2 Click on any of the available Predefined Searches A list of Tickets that match your predefined search criteria will be displayed in the Search Result tab Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 95 How Do I You can click on any record to view all details of the Ticket To search for Tickets using Advanced Search Step 1 In the Search Page visible under the Search Ticket Type link in Home of the Ticket Modules go to the Advanced Search Tab A range of Search Parameters available for searching Tickets will be displayed Step 2 Enter the parameter you wish to apply to search for the record For example if you wish to search for Tickets matching a particular Case ID type in the Case ID A list o
143. ches for entries that contain words that match the search input Global Search executes the search across the ticket modules contact records configuration item records KB Articles records and organization records and provides a list of all entries that match the search input The search results are grouped according to the type of record for example Contacts KB Articles Configuration Items Tickets etc In the search results Nimsoft Service Desk provides you direct links to the contact records tickets or KB Articles that get listed and you can click on the record to directly view the record details Global Search also takes into consideration your log in credentials and will list only those items that you or the support group s that you are part of have been granted permission to view This means that if your Administrator has restricted access of a particular Solution record or Configuration Item record for your support group that entity will not be displayed in your search results Global Search can be accessed from the Global Search Field above the Navigation Panel Reports and Dashboard Reports are used extensively to analyze performance draw trends and predict behavior base on past performance Nimsoft Service Desk enables users to access a wider range of reports as per the reporting needs of the organization Reports can be related to Tickets Configuration Management Knowledge Management and Service Feedback Ticket
144. cific target from the list or view all targets with a specified status A target status can have the following statuses Service Level Management Functions In Progress Threshold Condition has not been met Service Yes Yes Metric Calculation is still in progress Approaching Threshold Condition has not been met Counter No Yes Violation calculation indicates that a specified of target value has been crossed Met Violation Threshold has not been breached No Yes Appropriate action on the ticket has been taken within specified threshold time specified Missed Violation Threshold has been breached No Yes Appropriate action has not been taken on the ticket within threshold time specified Complete Defined action has been executed and the Service Yes No Target has been met within Non Violation Threshold Aborted Metric calculation stopped because the target Yes No In this became inapplicable before the End Event condition occurred For example the ticket got modified and Status is so the matching condition was no longer met so shown as old Service Target is no longer applicable Met Ignored When a Service Target gets applied due to changed Yes Yes matching conditions any threshold conditions that have been satisfied but no action has been executed will be skipped i e the earlier thresholds are ignored You can click on a Service Target that got applied to the ticket to view details of the ticket c
145. ck on the Activity Tab on the ticket to view details of all actions on the ticket This includes manual actions like Assignment done by the Agent Analyst working on the ticket as well as automatic actions executed by any auto routes that got applied to the ticket The Activity tab also lists details of all communications related to the ticket This includes any outgoing communication sent from the ticket manually or as automatic notifications as well as incoming communications received by the ticket The information will include details of the communications like directions incoming outgoing notification status message details You can also click on the Show Related Activity checkbox and view activity details on related tickets Update a Solution to the Ticket To resolve the ticket you can also choose to Search for a KB Article from the existing Knowledgebase If any KB Article listed is useful to the ticket you can apply the solution to the ticket and update the Solution Details tab of the ticket directly from the Knowledge base If you use a new solution you can manually update the cause and resolution fields in the Solutions Details Tab of the ticket Add Solution to Knowledgebase The solution will be stored in the Knowledgebase in a Draft State and it will be reviewed depending on the workflow in your organization before it is approved and available for use in the Knowledgebase 190 Agent User Guide How Do I Ho
146. cket Task Ticket Task Tickets provide a mechanism of work breakdown by identifying the individual tasks that need to be completed towards fulfillment of a Request resolution of an Incident or Problem or completion of a Change Task Tickets carry details of the actual activity that needs to be carried out towards fulfillment of any ticket and multiple tasks needed for completion of the request ticket can be managed and monitored through the single parent ticket All Task Tickets are assigned to the actual doers of the task while the parent ticket remains with one ticket owner The processes followed for managing the entire spectrum of requests handled by the Service Desk forms the mainstay of Service Desk Operations Each type of request would have its own unique requirement and would therefore mandate its own unique workflow for managing the Service Delivery Process Nimsoft Service Desk provides workflow features to manage the Life Cycle of all tickets from creation to closure The Administrator can configure different workflows for different type of tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk and can also make modifications to the workflow based on the nature of the request There are Three key components of the ticket which change as the ticket progress through its life cycle These are Status Reason Code and Phase Status One way of finding out which stage of its life cycle the Ticket is at is by the Status of the Ticket At any
147. cn pa nen reta ases ae aa cobeweatedd casdvevsunceness 205 View Ticket Activity Details sesessssesessseeesee eene nennen nnne nennen tnn nsns rniii kiin inriep rake 205 HowD o Misicorsd a dia 205 Frequently Asked Questions iieri tre en a dde E EATE Na a 211 Chapter 12 Task Management 215 OVER isle s ccce tu ML rM MU MM EM Me 215 About Task Management AN vend eoe 215 AA EIS vc 216 Task Management in Nimsoft Service Desk ccccccccccecesssssscecececeeseeeeeceeecessesaeeeseceessseseeaesececessesaeaeseeseseseseea 216 Task Management Functions ccccccccccessesssseeecececsesssaesecececeeseeaesesececeeeaaeseeecsceeseseeseseesceeeaeeseseesesesesesaeseesenseegeea 216 Listas TICKETS a 217 Search Task PPP NO 217 ROO iros 218 Contents 11 Handling Task Tickets etre da 219 MISTMECIIO pce A ed A AAA 219 Create Task E a A S 219 Use Task Groups or Task Flow Templates to create Task Tickets cccsesccccceceessssceseeeceesesesaeseeececeesesasaeeeeeees 219 Modity Existing Task Tickets io rero tte nnn Cac coveauessesosceavanddeas cass ERROR FED ed Ra Eare ERREPRESEN 220 Manage Ticket Relationships O 220 Assien aask TICKET fon e S M PH 220 Send Communications from the tic
148. co nono nnncnnnn non enne nono re ersinnen 238 Use recently resolved tickets to find solution to an open ticket ccconcococcnncnccononoonnncnnccnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnanennnncnncnnnns 239 Add a Solution to the Knowledge Base ccccssssscecccecsesesaeeecececsesneaeseeecececsesaeseeececeesesasseseeseessesaeaeeeeseeeseanaeees 239 Rate the usetulness of a KB Article rere recent ria ree rei ritenia aaia o ere RE ne Eyre Peiper Poe Exe ken ER e kao Euh 239 View user To or CK ae 239 Extract Reports related to Knowledge ManageMent ccccccnnonocoonnnncnnnonenonnnnncnncnnnnonnonnnncnnnnnonnnnnnncnnnonnnnncnncnnnns 239 syl H m 240 Frequently Asked QUESTIONS oer rt t ret reiten Ra err ER Ee Fer En En ERE Foe Re uai bae Fe A Ean Rae ERN LX PREX RR ev Ee RITTER TG 243 Chapter 15 Service Feedback 247 Je C 247 Service Feedback FUNCION sis ARTE EET NEES 247 NN 248 S rvey Repo ETATE 249 Handling Service Feedbacks ue Pase enhn on Marte hant rne ran BEBE nee eoe nk coacadvesadee ads B iu a ANTE SER QE RA KP RENE svar 249 Guide End Users in responding to Feedback Questionnaires esses enne enne 249 Respond to a Service Feedback Questionnaire ccoconocconcnncnocononnnnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnncnnononnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnns 249 Extract a Report on Service Feedback Responses cc ccsccccccs
149. cords in Nimsoft Service Desk The two main sections of the List Configuration Items screen are List Filters and Cl List The sections on the List Configuration Items screen are explained below The Cl List Filters section allows you to filter the Configuration Items visible to you in the list below You can filter the list either using the CCTI of the Configuration Item or using the Cl Status The Cl List contains a listing of all Configuration Items recorded in Nimsoft Service Desk You can sort the Cl list and export the Cl List into a PDF or CSV file List KB Articles Screen List Filters KB Articles List The List KB Articles Screen is the Home Screen for the Knowledge Management Module This screen displays a list of Active Solution Records in Nimsoft Service Desk The two main sections for the List KB Articles Screen are List Filters and Solution List The sections on the List KB Articles screen are explained below The KB Articles List Filters section allows you to filter the KB Articles displayed in the list below You can filter the list based on the KB Articles Category CCTI Keywords or Symptom Description After entering the search criteria you can use the View button to view the KB Articles list or Clear button to remove the search criteria The KB Articles list gets populated when you enter a search criterion or enter view in the Solution List Filter Sections The Solution List contains a listing of all Solution rec
150. ctions Chapter 2 Key Concepts 59 ITSM ITIL Concepts Notifications 60 Agent User Guide Escalation related information can be useful in analysis of performance and process improvement planning Notification is a message sent to an Individual or Group when a pre defined situation or event occurs For example when a ticket is Logged Updated Resolved Or Closed Nimsoft Service Desk Application can be set up to send out notification messages to the requestor and other identified stakeholders The Notification message could be to either inform the receiver of an event or to ask the recipient to take suitable action Notifications are sent to Approvers or Reviewers when a Change Request is submitted for Approval Similarly the Administrator may set up Nimsoft Service Desk to send out notifications when a request breaches a Service Level Target Notifications are also sent to identified respondents of a Service Feedback Schedule and when a contact requests Password Resetting Notifications can be automated notification sent using a communication template or manual message sent from the ticket by Service Desk Agents working on the ticket Notifications help in ensuring the required information is shared with all stakeholders in a timely manner Chapter 3 Layout and Navigation This section introduces you to the layout of the Nimsoft Service Desk Interface and aims to familiarize you with the look and feel of the application This s
151. cumentation link under Home or via the Help icon in the header section Access User Manual Product Documentation You can view the forms above and access the features and actions listed above if you or the Support Group s or Role s that you are part of are given Permission for the action or functionality mentioned Chapter 1 Introduction 21 Structure of User Guide Structure of User Guide The Service Desk Agents User Guide provides a detailed explanation of the ticket related modules and modules used for support related to the tickets A brief explanation of some supporting modules managed by the Administrator which in a way impact the Agents working on Nimsoft Service Desk are also explained The common ticket related functionality that applies to all ticket types is explained in detail in the Ticket Related Functionality section Other Key functionality such as Searches Reports and Dashboards etc are explained in the relevant section of this user guide The section on Key Concepts gives you a brief introduction to the fundamentals principles and thoughts that have driven the development of a feature or functionality of Nimsoft Service Desk The section on Layout and Navigation provides you a brief overview of the Home Screen and the various sections and actions within the Home Screen of Nimsoft Service Desk It also gives a brief overview how you can navigate across the Application The sections on Request Management I
152. d Relate CI to tickets If a ticket that you are working on is related to a Configuration Item you can relate the Cl to the ticket You can link multiple Cl records to one ticket You can also unrelate a Cl related to the ticket View Related CIs If a Configuration Item is related to other Configuration Items you can view the list of related Cls and also view a Relationship Graph that depicts how the Cls are related within one Relationship Domain View Related Contacts A CI can be related to contacts in different Relationship Types namely Owner User Support Provider Change Approver and Change Reviewer You can view details of contacts related to a Cl and also related contacts to the CI from the CI record Update CI Records If you have the permission managed by your Administrator you can modify the CI record forms by changing the field values relating contacts or other Cls to a given CI record etc These Changes will be reflected in the CI history record View CI Service Hours If a Configuration Items is classified as a Service you will be able to view the Service Hours of the CI from the CI record You can also add or update a Schedule if you have been given permission to modify the CI record 230 Agent User Guide How Do I How Do I View Nature of Relationship between Related CIs You can view a list of Configuration Items related to each other from the Related CI tab of the CI record From this tab you can also g
153. d by the Change A subset of the Change Advisory Board the Change Advisory Board Emergency Committee CAB EC takes decisions on emergency Changes The EC is usually put together at the time of an emergency Change and can be done based on the Change type Backout and Verification Plan 272 Agent User Guide A change may fail during implementation or some issues may be discovered during verification of the implementation ITIL therefore recommends that a Backout and Verification Plan be put in place before initiating a change This allows services to be restored to the pre change state Information relating to the Backout and Verification Plan can be captured and shared in the Backout and Verification Plan field for the change ticket Case Number Categorization Cause Change Approval Change Approver Change Calendar Frequently Asked Questions Case Number is the unique identification number given to a New ticket reported via Nimsoft Service Desk Each time a new request is generated a Case Number is generated Any subsequent tickets created as a child out of this ticket will carry the same case number as the parent ticket for easy reference and relationship tool It is also possible to opt for fixed Case number based on ticket type using slice configuration parameter Categorization is the process of logically grouping identified entities for a specific purpose Nimsoft Service Desk allows Categorization of Tickets Co
154. d CI tab The list is displayed in a separate window You can filter the list using the filter options available You can choose one or more Cls to relate from the list and relate the record s to the ticket Affected Services List This look up is associated with the relate Affected Service Action It allows you to view a list of Service records available in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk You can access the Affected Services List from the look up icon in the Affected Services field Form eme HA eid Erber eter Name derbi Function Atirtxtes Valve Be IB m ew Search Filters Search Output Vemm Cue T USHOANMEIS Web Server 100 Records 1105015 fe Chapter 5 Searches 119 Handling Searches Clicking on the look up icon displays the Affected Services List in a new window You can select a service from the services listed and relate it to the ticket KB Articles List This look up is associated with the Search Solution action on tickets It allows you to find a solution from the KB Articles knowledgebase You can access the Solution List from the Search Solution Action on the ticket s General Information tab Clicking on the Search Solution button displays the KB Articles List page in a new window You can filter KB Articles using the available filters and view a selected solution in the Solution Details tab If the solution is useful to the ticket and if you wo
155. d Late From Masae Date ty m I rodas Oy Como Oy Arny Yo Orsi Arey To nds men Campers type ten tere wO tema W Oen 100 Devon S Ger mpm XO Mre Faam ciii E f Orgerer atur LJ Lon Urna vcri Pcr Ser ces te w WA l a Requester Detalls ARA r ow cibetaits port Arne Vus V Alden Hann Afro Vane d ov w o i Custom Fields Alva me 2 Miedo Vado 3 Aliae Hera amp natu Vii z e You can also search within the Search Results if you have some input on what tickets you wish to relate Search Functions Any items matching the Search Input will be highlighted in the list below You can relate multiple tickets from the list Configuration Item List This look up is associated with the Relate Configuration Items field on tickets This look up allows you to view a list of configuration item records available in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Form Marne H AG www mw Search Fiters 40 dish woth Pret eel feina O Seer anton rt Ut not Mets Comp t Um Coders Latin tain Wi Eat Nem JC vem vemm un end Mtn Cone DARUM num Comenten m Er I meras or i Outpu CO am mepes mami EMMA nuon ome ome e mes a O Xe uwewieuher rancio IVA uus pm tnt Eadan Mae Moras 04002008 Hn Bi E Lit acen A Wd al A The Configuration Items list can be accessed from the Relate CI option on the ticket Relate
156. d or Configuration Item records You can either drill down a selected search output or extract the data into CSV or PDF files Update My Preferences Nimsoft Service Desk allows you some degree of freedom to manage the look and feel of your own interface of the application You can change the application theme select the sequence of the Charts displayed and set filters from this form You can choose whether you want to use Internet Explorer as the browser for accessing Nimsoft Service Desk or whether you want to use other browsers If you wish to use browsers other than Internet Explorer you can set the UI Compatibility Mode to Cross Browser and Nimsoft Service Desk will become accessible from other browsers form Name pame Us Perce os Pers Preference Mane and de Preference Vata Qetione You can also modify parameters like deciding whether you wish to use highlights for different rows in the ticket list and if yes should the highlight depend on ticket Priority Severity etc You can also determine whether you wish to see the Dashboard Charts in the Ticket Lists or whether the list should display only tickets Using the various UI Preference options you can modify the look and feel of your Nimsoft Service Desk Interface These preferences remain saved even after you log out to end your current session While you can filter the ticket lists using the various Filter Options in the Filter Bar you can also choos
157. d solutions to the knowledgebase directly from the ticket 176 Agent User Guide How Do I How Do I Mark an Incident as The solution will be stored in the Knowledgebase in a Draft State and will be reviewed depending on the workflow in your organization before it is Approved Once it is approved the KB Article can be viewed by those accessing the Knowledgebase This section explains steps to perform common actions related to Incident Tickets For more generic actions related to all tickets please refer to the How Do I section in the Ticket Functionality chapter Global Issue If a Ticket relates to group of similar incidents and if the action needed to resolve this one issue could resolve a group of related issues the Ticket can be marked as Global Issue This makes it possible to apply the action of the Global Issue to all the Related Tickets To Mark an Incident as a Global Issue Step 1 From the Ticket Toolbar click on Manage Global Issue A dropdown list is displayed which lets you mark the Ticket as Global Issue relate the Ticket to a Global Issue or to remove this relation Step 2 From the dropdown click on Mark as Global Issue The ticket will be marked as a Global Issue This can be seen from the fields alongside the Categorization Section of the Ticket The radio button indicating This Ticket is A Global Issue will be marked All Tickets that are related to this Ticket either before taking the action of
158. displayed in the list below If the ticket cause and resolution are useful to resolve the current ticket click on use solution The Cause and Resolution details from the resolved ticket will get updated into the current ticket The Ticket ID will get updated into the Resolved using Case ID field Note As the solution updated in the Solution Details Tab of the ticket is displayed when you want to use the resolution from one ticket to another only those tickets where a Solution Details is updated will be pulled out and displayed in the list Frequently Asked Questions SSU Related The end users of IT Support and Services use the Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk They can submit tickets view progress of their tickets and access some information about etc from the Self Service User Interface This section deals with questions that you as Service Desk Agents could have concerning actions done by and on behalf of Self Service Users Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 99 How Do I Will I be informed by email when a SSU adds a worklog or otherwise updates the ticket that is assigned to me Yes Nimsoft Service Desk automatically sends out a notification email to the assigned individual group if a Self Service User adds a worklog to the ticket The worklog can be seen in the Activity Tab of the Ticket However no notification is sent if the Self Service User Relates or Unrelates a Cl or relates an
159. ditional Information Tab of a ticket Manage Ticket Relationships You can relate a Problem Ticket to another existing ticket from the Relate Tickets tab of the ticket As problems often affect Services you can update the Affected Services Section of the ticket Similarly the Problem could be related to some Configuration Item s If so you can relate the Configuration Items to the Problem Ticket You can also relate an attachment to the ticket Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within the tab Assign a Problem Ticket 188 Agent User Guide Handling Problem Tickets If your ticket matches the conditions of an existing auto route when the ticket is saved for the first time the Auto Route will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will get automatically assigned to the appropriate support group Auto Route is applied only once when the ticket is first saved All subsequent assignments of the ticket either within a group or to another group can be done from the Take an Action option on the ticket Toolbar Create a Change Ticket If upon investigation of a Problem the resolution of the root cause calls for a Change in the IT object or service you can create a Change Ticket from the Problem Ticket The Change ticket can then be processed as per the change workflow Create Task Tickets You can create Task Tickets for completion of t
160. dow Step 3 Add details related to the requestor in the Requestor Tab To add Requestor Name you can type in the name of the contact and press Enter to automatically populate other details You can also search for a contact using the Name Search Lookup to search for the Contact Name You may be required to fill in Requested For tab If you do not update information into the Requested For tab details from the Requestor tab get carried over to this tab as well Step 4 Go to the Request Details Section of the Ticket Fill in a brief summary of the request in the Description Field This is likely to be a Required Field You can add more detailed information into the Details field Step 5 Set appropriate Priority to the Ticket from the Prioritization section Choose appropriate values for Impact Priority and Urgency Step 6 Categorize the Ticket appropriately depending on the CCTI options made available to you by your Administrator Step 7 Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar You will see that a new Ticket has been created Ticket Details section like the Ticket Number Status etc will get automatically updated To Create a New Ticket from the Ticket Toolbar of an Existing Ticket click on Create New option on the Ticket Toolbar Follow steps Step 3 to Step 7 to create a New Ticket If you wish to log a New Ticket that is exactly like an existing Ticket and or make just few modifications to it you can use the Copy t
161. dual assigned group organization and site You can also click on a ticket in the list to view more details export the ticket list into PDF or CSV files and print any selected ticket Chapter 11 Change Management 195 Change Management Functions Create Change Request 196 Agent User Guide Clicking on this link opens a blank new Change Ticket form To raise a new Change Request update required information into the Requester Details Section and the Request Details Section If the Change is related to a Service update the Affected Service field Categorize and prioritize the ticket as appropriate Some key fields on the change ticket are Change Type usually the action on the Change Ticket could be linked to the Change Type So choose an appropriate value for this field Similarly if the Change is likely to result in some downtime update information related to the outage in the field Ticket Toolbar Requestor Details Affected Service Request Details Categorization Click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar and a new Change Ticket will be logged The Ticket Details fields like Ticket Number Ticket Status etc will get automatically updated when you log the request After the ticket is logged other Tabs like Additional Information tab Related Tickets tab etc will appear on the ticket If you need to provide information like planned start and end date for the change details a
162. e Search Advanced Search Search Romaa e Category Hu Available Predefined Searches Description Derat Ab Scheduled Approved Qange Ad schede charge requests thet have tes approved and erating i Osima AB Satini Non Aggraved Os All scheduled changes eating wiprovw Octet My Groups Open Change Reque My Orougs Open Change Reque zs Octet Change Senueits Updated wii Change Requests Lipdated wet hast Y Days Dstma Open Change Requests Not LPI Open ange Mequeste Not Updated vithn Last 7 Oye Derat Change Requests Open on Conti Change Requests Open on Contigureten tone owned try Me Change Requests Reported by Me Change fequests Reported by Me Nerat Show Charge Requests Arun Show Change Request amp asaned to Inactive Contacts Der Mr Open Ogee Request My Opern Changes Request Pre Detined Search Lat If the available searches do not match your search criteria you can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own filters to filter the tickets You can choose all parameters in Advanced Search to filter your Search Your Search Results will be displayed in the Search Results tab Chapter 11 Change Management 197 Change Management Functions A list of all tickets that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below You can click any record to view details of the ticket You can also sort the results using the column heading or extract data of the search results into a PDF or CSV file
163. e Application Concepts Request Handling Process Self Service Users log requests for IT Support or Service by calling the Service Desk sending an email to the Support Email ID or using the Ticket forms from the Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk Application When users call the Service Desk the agent logs the request on behalf of the user When an email is sent a Service Request gets automatically logged and assigned to the Level 1 Support Team or default assigned Support Group The Default Assignment group for each ticket type is set up by your Application Administrator Yos pangs InfraDesk reste Request ad Ticket logs tickot Huet mo this an data incident i i Yos Yes Create incident Tichet Restore Service Close incident Tichet Chapter 2 Key Concepts 23 Core Application Concepts For repetitive common requests the administrator can configure Ticket Templates and make these Templates available to the Self Service User and Agents The Administrator can also set up Auto Routes for the tickets logged using these templates When the conditions on the ticket such as Priority Impact etc or other Custom Field Values match those of an auto route the ticket gets auto assigned to specific Group or Individual If an auto route is not applied and the request needs action from a specialist group or individual a Service Desk Agent manually routes the ticket to that group
164. e Ticket Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 91 How Do I Relate an Affected Service to a Ticket You can relate an Affected Service from the Affected Service section of the Ticket To relate an Affected Service to a Ticket Step 1 Click on the Affected CI lookup A new page with a list of available services will be displayed The list will be filtered to show Services available to the Requestor and the Requestor s organization Step 2 Modify the filters to either see more or fewer Services Step 3 Select a Service from the available list The Service will get updated in the Affected Services Field Note If you know the name of the Service you could type that into the Affected Services field If there is only one matching record that record will get attached If there are more the Affected Services Page with filtered records will open up You can choose the appropriate record and relate it to the Ticket Send Communications from the Ticket 92 Agent User Guide If you wish to send out emails to specific recipients from the Ticket you can do so from within the Ticket itself To manually send communications from the Ticket Step 1 Open the Ticket which you wish to send communication from Step 2 Go to the Send Mail option in the Ticket Toolbar When you click on this option an email communication window will be displayed Step 3 If you wish to use an available Communication Template choose the required
165. e Ticket It remains appended to the Ticket in the Activity Tab of the Ticket Can I restrict the visibility of my worklog Yes you can restrict the visibility of a worklog from the Self Service User who is a requestor of the Ticket However you cannot restrict the visibility of a worklog from other members of your Support Group or the Administrator What items can I search for using Global Search You can use Global Search to search for a variety of information stored in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk This includes e Ticket Records e Solution Records e Contact Records e Organization Site and Location Records e Groups Records e Navigation Help Can I use Ticket Description to search for Tickets Yes you can use the Ticket Description to search for Tickets To know how to use Ticket Description to search for tickets go to How do I Search for tickets using Ticket Description Can I use Custom Fields to search for a Ticket Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 109 How Do I Yes you can use Custom Fields to search for a Ticket using the Advanced Search option in the Search Ticket Type links To use Custom Fields to search for Tickets you can look for the Custom Fields in the Attributes section of the Advanced Search Tab Can I see Custom Fields when I print a Ticket Yes you can see all fields of a Ticket including the Custom Fields when you print a Ticket The Custom Fields appear in the section labeled
166. e and Resolution is provided there is a field KB Article ID This field will contain the KB Article if a solution from the Knowledge base has been used to update solution details of the ticket Why am I not able to view KB Articles that I was able to view some time back Visibility of KB Articles available to you as Service Desk Agents is controlled by your Administrator If you are not able to view an Article that you were able to view earlier it could be because your Administrator has either made the KB Article inactive or has restricted visibility of the KB Article to other groups Why is a Solution suggested by me not appearing in the Search KB Articles lists To be available for use all KB Articles must be in an Approved state and must be Active All KB Articles suggested by Service Desk Agents or others are first logged in Nimsoft Service Desk in a Draft state Your Administrator or someone who is designated to do this task will review the Solution suggested and change the state to Approved If you are unable to view a Solution suggested by you it could be either because the Solution is still in Draft state or the Status has been set as Inactive When I search for a Solution from a ticket is the search based on the CCTI of the Ticket 244 Agent User Guide No the search is not filtered based on CCTI of the Ticket the default criterion is Keywords Search When you search for a Solution from a Ticket the defaul
167. e carried out in a given sequence specified as Task Order Some aspects unique to Task Tickets are e Task Tickets can be created only as Child Tickets to Service Request Incidents Problem or Change Tickets You cannot create independent Task Tickets e Forrepetitive Tasks Templates for single tasks can be created by your Administrator e Task Group template can be created using templates of single Tasks e Task Flow template can be created using both Task Group and single Tasks e For Task Flow templates only automatic Action on successful completion and Action on failure can be configured by your Administrator for each member task For each task within a Task Group or a Task Flow an individual Task ticket is created When a Task Flow is applied all its Task tickets within it are NOT created at once Only on completion status Closed of all tasks of a group the Task tickets for next are created Task Tickets are fired in the sequence in which they are to be completed as specified in the Task Order Chapter 12 Task Management 215 Task Management Functions Task Ticket Life Cycle As Task Tickets are not created as independent entities they generally follow the life cycle of the parent ticket from which they are created The basic stages of a Task Ticket are e Creation e Assignment e Execution e Closure Task Management in Nimsoft Service Desk Nimsoft Service Desk extends Task Tickets as an additional module
168. e deciding about a change Any change that is to be implemented carries the chance of some risk of failure or disruption of an existing system or service It is therefore necessary to carry out adequate Risk Assessment prior to taking up a Change Nimsoft Service Desk therefore provides for the ability to record the result of Risk Assessment for a Change Request setting the risk level as Slight Negligible Notable Minimal or Significant Risk Assessment should lead to taking risk mitigation measures before hand Roles are used for inheriting permissions in Nimsoft Service Desk Contacts plus Groups can be related to a Role to pass down permissions assigned to a Role One person or team may have multiple Roles For example the Role of Configuration Manager and Change Manager may be carried out by a single person Roles in Nimsoft Service Desk define the level of access actions available to agents within Nimsoft Service Desk The Nimsoft Service Desk default Role configuration is designed to roughly map to the typical process roles in ITIL Nimsoft Service Desk allows automation of assignment of tickets communication from tickets and identified action on tickets using workflow tools configured based on Matching Conditions These automatic actions are carried out by the Routing Engine Details of when a task or activity is to be carried out can be fixed by a Schedule In Nimsoft Service Desk Schedules can be attached to Auto Routes SLA Targets
169. e on the ticket Time Tracking on Tickets Global Issue Nimsoft Service Desk allows tracking of the time spent on working towards resolving or closing each ticket Each individual Service Desk Agent who works on the ticket can log the time spent on the ticket This information can be filled into the Worklog Section of the ticket Nimsoft Service Desk also maintains an automatic total of all the time spent on the ticket by calculating time spent per worklog The total time spent can also be seen on the ticket Tracking time in this way allows the managers and supervisors identify the activities that occupy support most also it helps them keep track of the time spent working on each tickets by each agent This brings visibility to the time spent on support activities The Administrators can choose whether they wish to adopt time tracking on tickets or not ITIL processes recommend a well defined process starting with Service Request through Incident Management Problem Management and Change Management using appropriate Service Desk tickets Global Incident gl A Problem Internet connectivity disrupted Due to Global Issue Incident Incident Incident Ticket Ticket Ticket Credit Card Machine not Unable to browse through a Unable to send an email to working website external mail id Chapter 2 Key Concepts 47 Ticket Related Concepts When a specific error results in receipt of several Service Requests it leads to
170. e structured set of activities associated with a given ITIL Process Priority is a way of indicating how soon an issue needs to be looked into and whether or not an issue needs to be moved up in the queue when many tasks are competing for attention Chapter 18 Glossary 281 Frequently Asked Questions Reason Code Relation Domain Relationship Type Relationship Graph Request Number Request Catalog Requester 282 Agent User Guide Factors like whether an issue is causing stoppage of routing work or affecting a large number of users etc are taken into consideration when determining priority though these guidelines are specific to individual organizations By prioritizing the ticket appropriately Service Desk Agents can manage the ticket queues effectively The Reason Code is associated with the Status and indicates why the entity is in a particular Status For example a Change ticket may be in the Queued Status and its Reason Code could be Auto Routed Relationship Domain indicates the nature of relationship between related Configuration Items The relationship could be logical network power or service Relationship Type refers to how one Configuration Item is related to another within a given Relationship Domain Type could be parent child relationship in a logical domain or upstream of downstream of in a network domain This allows visualizing how the Cls relate to each other Relationship Graph indicates
171. e tab Assign a Task Ticket If the Task Ticket conditions match an existing Auto Route when the ticket is first saved the Auto Route will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will get automatically assigned to the appropriate Support Groups Auto Routes get applied only when the ticket is first saved All subsequent assignments of the ticket either within a group or to another group can be done from the Take an Action option on the ticket Toolbar Send Communications from the ticket If you need to send communication from the ticket you can manually send email communication from within the ticket You can also use a Communication Template to send the mail and even set a communication to be sent at a future date and time 220 Agent User Guide Handling Task Tickets You can view details of all communication sent manually and automatically by Nimsoft Service Desk from the Activity Tab of the ticket Add Updates to the Ticket You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the Worklog Section All Worklog updates can be seen from the Activity Tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and worklogs from related tickets View Ticket Activity Details You can click on the Activity Tab on the ticket to view details of all actions on the ticket This includes manual actions like Assignm
172. e to change the default filters Chapter 7 Home 141 Home Section Functions Depending on what information you would like to see in the List Tickets Page you can choose preferred default filters for the ticket lists You can choose the filters for all forms including the Home Page You can set these preferred filters and apply the filter preferences The preference will be saved and will get applied each time you log into Nimsoft Service Desk You can choose to reset all filters and restore default filters using the Reset Filters Icon along the Filter Bar Note Some items like placement of the PDF CSV or refresh icons filters etc vary depending on your browser preference Internet Explorer or Cross Browser When you set your locale preference as any available option except English the Browser preference automatically gets set as Cross Browser even if you have specified Internet Explorer as the preferred Browser Update My Profile 142 Agent User Guide Using the Update My Profile Link under Home you can make changes to information like your contact details location set locale preference etc You will not be able to edit all fields as some of the fields like Job Title will be read only The update my profile link also allows you to add additional information about yourself like awards and recognition any special notes etc using the Special Information Tab You can also use this link to see which organization y
173. e unique identification number given to an issue reported via Nimsoft Service Desk Each time a new request is generated a case number is generated Any subsequent tickets created out of this ticket will carry the case number as easy reference and relationship tool Case 45 32 45 Case 200 32 400 Incident Ticket incident Ticket i Case 45 17 Case 300 17 Change Request Change Request Case ld functionality turned On Case ld functionality turned Off Case ID enables maintenance of relationship between dependent or associated tickets This is useful where several tasks need to be completed for request fulfillment and therefore Child Tickets are created from an open Parent Ticket When a Child Ticket is created it inherits the Case ID of the parent ticket and a new Ticket ID gets further assigned to it For example if a ticket has an ID 325 95 and another child ticket is created form this request it may have a Ticket Number 325 123 This helps in analyzing all tasks that have been taken up towards one request completion The Administrator has the choice to decide if they wish to use a unique Case ID or not If the Case ID functionality is turned off a default case ID based on the ticket type gets associated with the ticket If Case ID functionality is not used all tickets of one type have a fixed Case ID and the Ticket ID remains the only dynamic aspect of the ticket identifier When a unique Case ID is used the S
174. e visible in the Home Screen and the List Tickets screen in all ticket modules of Nimsoft Service Desk Additional Dashboards can be accessed from the My Dashboard Link if access is permitted by the Administrator Depending on configurations managed by your Administrator you can also see My Dashboards link under Home section Here you can customize your Dashboard to include exclude charts from within those items that you have been granted permission to use Form Name Layout Selection Dashboard List Dashboard f B Refresh All Organize Dashboard Charts Grid Layout 1 Wirows X 2 columns Size pixels 250px x 200px Chart Names 1 My Tickets 2 Aging of Tickets 1 00 075 4 0 50 025 0 00 Active Neve Pending Refresh View Details Refresh View Details You can choose which dashboard you wish to include set the number of charts you wish to display etc depending on the list that has been made available to you These dashboards help you visualize your queues and activities and thereby manage them better If you wish you can set any Dashboard Page as your Home Landing Page For example if you or your support group works extensively with Incident Management and you wish to view the activities related to the Incident Management Dashboard you can set that page as your Home Landing Page Handling Reports and Dashboards 132 Agent User Guide Handling Reports and D
175. ears on the Incident and Problem ticket and the associated KB Articles database to capture the visible and directly experienced aspects of an issue Take an Action link in the Ticket Toolbar refers link that displays all the Action Options that an Agent can apply to process a Service Desk ticket during work flow such as change the Status and or Reason Code of a ticket The Take an Action option contains only those actions that can be taken on a ticket when it is in a particular state status and phase Task Task Flow Task Group Frequently Asked Questions Task refers to Task Tickets that can be created for delegating assigning to different resources towards activities of fulfillment Diagnosis Investigation Change evaluation Implementation and completion of an open ticket Task Ticket enable effective work breakdown by identifying individual Tasks that need to be done towards a larger activity They also provide an ability to assign activities to different resources Task Flow refers to a collection of Task Group s and or single tasks created for completion of any activity like standard change implementation The Administrator sets up a Task Flow where activities are to be done in a specified sequence or simultaneously but in a known order All task tickets related to a task flow are not created simultaneously rather the administrator sets up the action to be taken on a task when it is completed successfully and if it fails
176. ecause it is quite possible that an ongoing or impending change could have led to the incident There are no restrictions on the types of tickets you can relate to the Incident ticket Can I unmark a Ticket as a Global Incident Problem Yes if you wish to unmark a Ticket that is marked as Global Ticket Incident Problem you can do so However there could be other Incident or Problem Tickets which are related to this Ticket as a Global Ticket If so all the related Incident or Problem tickets will no longer remain related to this Ticket When you attempt to unmark the ticket as Global Ticket you will get a message notifying you that unmarking the ticket will cause all related incident problem tickets to be unrelated from this Ticket You can click OK if you wish to proceed Can I link a Global Incident to Global Problem 178 Agent User Guide No you cannot link a Global Incident to a Global Problem because an Incident or Problem can either be a Global Issue or be related to a Global Issue When you attempt to link one Global Issue incident or problem to another you will get a message informing you that the Ticket is already a Global Issue and you cannot link one Global Issue to another Frequently Asked Questions Can I link a single Incident to multiple Global Issues No you cannot link a single Incident to multiple Global Issues When you attempt to link an Incident to multiple Global Issues a message informing you that
177. ected the form type as All Tickets the form will display only those Standard and Custom fields that are common to All tickets Apply Changes Close Available Columns Selected Columns 15 created by fist name created by fist name 1 Case ticket identifier 16 crested by group kl created by group id 2 ticket type ticket type l 17 created by group name created by group name 3 Requester Name requester name 18 created by Jast name created by last name 4 Description ticket description 5 us is 20 created by user id created by user Id 8 Reason Code licket reason code 24 Department personi vl3 org name M Add AI 7 Assigned individual assigned to individual name B fist 22 Department person2 IVi3 org name aW 8 Created On created date a 9 Last Modified modifed date E pa 4 Remove 10 case jd case jd v Down 25 Emal person2 sit emeil 26 Employee Name ct employee name M Remove All Lost 27 form ja foem id 28 form name form name 29 Impact ticket impact code v After selecting the column names you can define the Search criteria by selecting appropriate values for the different ticket fields like Ticket Type Created Date Ticket ID Ticket Status or Reason Code values etc You have to select at least one criterion like Case ID Ticket ID or Created From for the query to be saved The query will be listed in the Searches tab and when
178. ection also contains a Relate Cls button Step 2 Click on the Relate Cls button a page with a list of available Configuration Items will open in a new window Step 3 The list will be filtered to display Cl records related to the Requestor and the Requestor s organization Modify the Filters as appropriate to view fewer or more Cl records Step 4 Choose any Cl you wish to relate You can choose multiple records Step 5 Click on Relate The CI records will get related to the Ticket You will now be able to see the related Cl records in the list in the Related Cls section Unrelate Records that I have related You can unrelate a Cl or an Attachment that has been related to the Ticket To unrelate an Attachment Step 1 Go to the Attachments tab on the Ticket to view a list of all Attachments to the Ticket Against each record you will see an option to Delete and Unrelate if the Attachment is a Global Attachment You will see the option to Delete if the attachment is not a Global Attachment Step 2 Click on Unrelate to unrelate the Global Attachment from the Ticket If the attachment is not a Global Attachment you can click on Delete The Attachment will no longer be related to the Ticket To Unrelate a Cl Step 1 Go to the Related Cls tab of the Ticket to view a list of Cl records related to the Ticket Against each record you will see an Unrelate Option Step 2 Click on Unrelate The Cl will no longer be related to th
179. ection also guides you on navigating through the application e Overview Nimsoft Service Desk exploits the commonality of features across all modules of the application There is a great deal of consistency in the various forms and the page layouts so as to ease navigation through the various fields The Header Section and the Navigation Panel appear across all screens while the layout of the screen itself varies depending on the function offered by a screen All ticket forms open in a new window and while individual fields on each ticket type differs the forms are broadly similar in look and feel The Generic Layout of Nimsoft Service Desk Application with an explanation of the layout of the four main screens and the Ticket Layout are explained below Generic Layout The generic layout of Nimsoft Service Desk Application has three broad sections the Header Section the Navigation Panel and the List Screens The Header Section and the Navigation Panel are fixed frames for all forms that open in the main window Header Section Logged In User Name Create Teme Cente Ter Weng fme Gan Al Tots Updte My esmorece Navigation IM T Panel Users are nct bie so comede VN High Requedt for ntomaten on emg cul Madun Need more space tor eestages Low Taste dong i M ter agro ch Mm ARP Trwrvemctun weai back ap on fo rh ERD Trwesmctions vent beck p on f Py NP Traccion wendy bnch p 00 P a Chapter
180. eeeeeceesesaeseeeesceeseeaeseseeeceeseesseseesceesesasaeeeeseseseeaeaeees 228 RED ORES eet LLL 229 Handling Configuration Itetms hene e eerta nva e ERE e Sn E a ERAT ER du Bd Ondina adds aaae 229 Mie Eisen is 230 MJEWw2ieh idiilcem T Pa snsealss eaea oa a a aa oaa epa aa aa a EE Ea aa ea 230 View RELATE GIS sacie nesans e ea a aE ea A E EE e aE Ena Ea e AA E ea eaa HAEE Na AENEA EN 230 VIEW Related CONTACTS ois sunneti sineereeon iee e aa E areae A aaa ia a a E AAEN aE 230 Update Cl RECOrdS insni O E A LUIS 230 METERS AR A nain esterni a a a a arae Ea E OEO E a e E EE OAR EEEa EEEE EE 230 HOWADO NT 231 Frequently Asked QUESTIONS roetine enerne e eiei ye cota Peers nie ee eve ene ex Aa isto fe eres desk Ee Dewey EE aN EE 234 Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 235 eJ E ONE 235 Knowledge Management Functions ccccssssescceceesessscecececeeseeseesecececeesessesecsceeseseeaeseesceesesesaesesececeeseaaeseeeeseeeseea 235 LISERBA ce Cr 236 Search KB Article tario 237 RP ii a id 237 12 Agent User Guide Handling Knowledge Articles iii lit 238 Apply a Solutionito a ticket vciiccdccctassicedesencanssicedcossseasaassacninvendecdsesessdicncehecdassnduadantedeedoWsudecdeascalensuseuiend cedededsaneatecs 238 Search for Solutions from a tiCket oooooccccnnocccnnoncccnnnonnnnnononnnnnnno
181. eflected in the History tab of the Cl Record View Service Hours of a CI You can view the Service Hours of a Cl from the Service Hours tab of the Cl Record To view Service Hours Step 1 Pull out the Cl Record either from the List Cl link or Search Cl link under Configuration Management Step 2 Go to the Service Hours tab of the Cl Record You can see the Cl availability hours information on any Holiday list associated with the Cl indicating when it will not be available during the said hours You may also see the Outage Maintenance Schedule for the Cl if this information has been configured by your Administrator View all Changes made to a CI You can view all changes made to a Configuration Item from the History Tab of the Configuration Item Record To view details of all actions on a Configuration Item Step 1 Open the Configuration Item Record for the appropriate Cl by accessing the Cl Record either from the List Cl Link or Search Cl Link Step 2 Click on the History Tab of the Cl Record You will see a history of all actions on the CI Record including details of the Field Status Last Field Value and Modified Value Step 3 Filter the list using either Field Name or Modified By to view changes either to the value or changes made by a particular contact You can compare the Last Field Value and Modified Value to identify the changes made to a Configuration Item Note You can also see if there are any tickets related
182. elf Service Users do not update type to a worklog Any update made by the Self Service User is classified as Client Note Underpinning Contract Urgency Values 292 Agent User Guide An Underpinning Contract is an agreement between the IT Support organization and the external service provider third party An Underpinning Contract supports achievement of The Third Party provides goods or Services that support delivery of an IT Service to a Customer The underpinning Contract defines targets and responsibilities that are required to meet agreed Service Level Targets in an SLA Urgency is used to indicate how quickly the user wants the issue to be addressed Depending on whether the issue is highly critical and needs immediate attention or can be attended to in the due routine the user can set Urgency as High Medium or Low Value refers to the information that is filled in into different fields in the Ticket or other record forms in Nimsoft Service Desk A value could be alpha numeric text a number date amp time an option selected from a dropdown multiple options chosen from a look up list etc The Administrator can specify what type of value any Custom Field will accept Frequently Asked Questions Violation Threshold Violation Thresholds when crossed indicates that the time for the action has exceed an agreed upon time and has breached the SLA the OLA or the Underpinning contract A Service Target can have only one Violation
183. en added by you You will not be able to modify Worklogs added by other agents To modify your Worklog Step 1 Click on the Activity tab in the Ticket You will be able to see all actions on the Ticket including the Worklogs that have been added to the Ticket Step 2 Select the Worklog you wish to modify The Worklog will get displayed in a new window Step 3 Make the required changes to the Worklog Step 4 Click on Save to save the changes you have made A communication will be sent out to the concerned stakeholders notifying them about the changes made to the Worklog Relate one Ticket to another Nimsoft Service Desk allows you to relate tickets to one another This is over and above a Parent Child relationship that is automatically created when one ticket is created from another for example an Incident Ticket is created from a Service Request You can relate tickets from the Related Ticket Tab on the ticket form To relate tickets Step 1 Click on the Related Ticket tab on the ticket You will see a form where any ticket that is related to the present ticket will be listed If no tickets are related to this the form will be blank You can also see a Relate button on the form Step 2 To initiate Relate ticket action click on this button An automatic search will be executed for tickets for the same Organization and having the same CCTI If there are any tickets that directly match these conditions the tickets
184. en any individual accepts ownership of the request the name changes to display the Assigned Individual name Attachment is a document or file that could provide more information related to the Request The Attachments area of the Submit Request Form allows the user to add attachments to the request The user can attach any document related to the Request or can be of use to Support in responding to the Request by specifying a file path Attachments can also be associated with Contact Records Solution Records and Configuration Item Records Attributes refers to the properties or characteristics associated with Configuration Items For example Make Model Manufacturer Manufacturing Date Warranty dates etc could be attributes of an IT object Each Attribute has a value which may or may not be unique Depending on the type of Attribute the Attribute value could be a number alpha numeric text or plain text Authorization Token The authorization token is a string which gets automatically associated with an outgoing communication from Nimsoft Service Desk to a user It is user specific When user uses the Link given in the communication to connect to Nimsoft Service Desk the token allows him to directly access the application without logging in such as when responding to a Service Feedback Survey The Authorization Token gets automatically generated when a user s login and password is created and it changes when the login and p
185. en approved When a ticket matches the Approval Criteria and is approved Nimsoft Service Desk sends out a notification that the request is approved and further action can be taken on the ticket You can also see the approval and related comments on the Approvals Tab of the ticket Chapter 11 Change Management 211 Frequently Asked Questions Can tickets get automatically assigned to Approvers for approval without any intervention from the Service Desk Agents Change Requests that need approval do not get assigned to Approvers When a Submit for Approval based action is taken Nimsoft Service Desk looks for matching Approval Groups If these have been set up the persons who are members of the Approval Reviewer Group are added on the Approval Tab of the Change Request and notification emails are sent out to them requesting action Can I add Approvers or Reviewers manually for a Ticket This depends on how Nimsoft Service Desk has been configured by your Administrator If the Approval Group is configured by Administrator with permission to Agent for modification on use you can modify Otherwise Agents cannot remove an Approver derived from Approval Group Agent can always add more Approvers manually to a Change Request Approval tab Can I remove Contacts I have added as Approvers or Reviewers No once you have added Approvers or Reviewers to the ticket you will not be able to unrelate them Once the action has been taken it mov
186. ent done by the Agent Analyst working on the ticket as well as automatic actions executed by any auto routes that got applied to the ticket The Activity tab also lists details of all communications related to the ticket This includes any outgoing communication sent from the ticket manually or as automatic notifications as well as incoming communications received by the ticket The information will include details of the communications like directions incoming outgoing notification status message details You can also click on the Show Related Activity checkbox and view activity details on related tickets Update Task Ticket Status You can update the Task Ticket Status using the options available in the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar The action you take will set the status of the ticket and the associated Reason Code The actions taken will move the Task Ticket through its life cycle Close a Task Ticket as Successful or Failed Once a Task is complete you can set the status to Closed form the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Chapter 12 Task Management 221 How Do I If the task is part of a Task Flow you would have to take specific action of Closed as Successful or Closed as Failed as this would also initiate a Workflow Actions which could be either initiating the next Task ticket in the Task Flow or aborting the Task Flow as failed Monitor SLA Compliance on the Ticket How Do I You can c
187. equests Search This search window in the Search Request form under Issue Services allows you to search for a request based on the Ticket Description By typing in either the entire description of key words from the description with appropriate wild card characters you can search for the ticket Service Level Agreement Service Metrics Formal agreement between the users of IT Support and the IT Support providers in terms of the level of support and an understanding about availability priorities conditions guarantee etc are called Service Level Agreements SLAs SLAs are formal or informal negotiated agreements between the Service Provider and the customer regarding the terms of service A metric is a well defined way to measure and quantify something of interest A set of Metrics form a system of related measures that enables quantification of an identified characteristic against a given set of values Chapter 18 Glossary 285 Frequently Asked Questions Service Request Service Targets Severity Site SLA Compliance Knowledgebase Stakeholders 286 Agent User Guide In Nimsoft Service Desk there are 18 pre defined Service Metrics Measuring Time as a unit of Service Quality These 18 Metrics act as measures of SLA Compliance for tickets Also see SLA Compliance Request from a user for information advice or access to a regular IT service or standard change like resetting password or new user are classified as Se
188. ere you will be able to view a list of Predefined Search Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and any related Personal Searches that you have configured Chapter 12 Task Management 217 Task Management Functions Reports 218 Agent User Guide Pre Defined Search list 4 Task Management Search Task Tickets Category 1 Available Predefined Sear Description Delete Edit Defaut My Groups Open Task Tic My Groups Open Task Tickets Delete Edt Detaut Task Tickets Updated with Task Tickets Updated within last 7 Days Delete Edt Defaut Open Task Tickets Not Up Open Task Tickets Not Updated within Last 7 Days Task Tickets Reported by Me Show Task Tickets Assigned to Inactive Contacts My Open Task Tickets Task Tickets Reported by Show Task Tickets Assig My Open Task Tickets Delete Edit Detaut Delete Edit Defaut Delete Edf Defaut You can click on any existing Search to view the search results If the existing searches do not match your search criteria you can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own search criteria to search for tickets Your Search Results will be displayed in the Search Results tab A list of all tickets that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below You can click on any ticket listed in the table to view the details of the ticket
189. ers to request and receive standard services for which a pre defined approval and qualification process exists e Provide information to users and customers about the availability of services and the procedure for obtaining them e Source and deliver the components of requested standard services e g licenses and software media e Assist with general information complaints or comments Service Request Life Cycle A Service Request typically passes through three phases which involve Phase 1 Logging Capturing information Validating Chapter 8 Request Management 155 Overview Phase 2 Fulfillment activities or escalation activities Phase 3 Closure activities At each Phase an appropriate Status and Reason Code will be associated with the ticket The movement of the ticket through its life cycle is determined by the workflows established for achieving the aims of Request Fulfillment Request Management in Nimsoft Service Desk 156 Agent User Guide The Request Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk is a tool to provide workflow automation for Service Requests It creates a repeatable and measurable Request Fulfillment process within an organization It is meant for logging and tracking work on Service Request received by Service Desk Assignment of Service requests can be managed using Auto Route based assignment or Default assignment to an Assigned Group Processing of a Service Request could involve workflows depicted in
190. ervice Desk Agents can use it to view all tickets that have been initiated and are related to one case and understand the issue better Chapter 2 Key Concepts 41 Ticket Related Concepts For example if a Service Request has been classified as an Incident and then converted into a Problem Ticket it is easy to find the historical data of all the related tickets using the Case ID Additionally this could help ensure complete issue resolution and better service for the end user Ticket Assignments Ticket Templates 42 Agent User Guide A ticket that is created needs to be acted upon by an individual or group so that required action can be taken towards issue resolution or request fulfillment This act of moving a request to the individual or group that is required to work upon it is called Ticket Assignment All tickets need to be Assigned to a specific individual or group in order for the Service Desk Agent who is to work on the ticket to become aware of the ticket and to work upon it Tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk can get Auto Assigned to specific support groups or can be manually assigned from one group to another When a Self Service User logs a ticket via email depending on the Subject line of the mail an auto route can get associated with the ticket and the ticket can get auto assigned to a specific group However if no such matching condition exists the ticket gets assigned to a default Support Group usually a
191. ervice Desk allows extraction of a range of reports to identify trends related to Configuration Items You can choose from a range of reports that you have been given access to To create reports related to Configuration Items Step 1 Go to the reports link under the Configuration Item Module You will see a list of Reports that you are allowed to access Step 2 From the list of available reports select the report you would like to prepare The report will open in a new window You can modify things like Date Range and Date of Report Extraction select the CCTI Class Attributes etc if required Step 3 Make any required modifications and choose whether you want to view the report on screen or would like to extract it into a PDF or CSV File Step 4 Click on Show and the report will be generated in the format desired Create Reports Related to Knowledge Articles 134 Agent User Guide Nimsoft Service Desk allows extraction of one consolidated report related to Knowledge Articles in the Knowledge Base If your Administrator has given you access to the reporting action you will see the Reports link under Knowledge Management To create a report related to Knowledge Articles Step 1 Go to the reports link under the Knowledge Management Module You will see the report that you are allowed to view Step 2 Click on the report name The report will open in a new window You can modify things like Date Range and Date of Report E
192. ervice Desk exploits commonality of features across all ticket modules Consistency is maintained as much as possible across the various ticket related forms There is uniformity across the different ticket related forms with minor variations brought in to capture information specific to a particular ticket type This section aims to familiarize you with the common fields and tabs on all tickets and common actions Service Desk Agents can take in all ticket related modules of Nimsoft Service Desk Ticket Tabs and Fields Ticket Fields All tickets need to have some minimum information that needs to be collected irrespective of the ticket type The ticket forms have fields with defined acceptable values to guide the Service Desk Agents in gathering and providing all essential information Once a request is saved and logged different tabs get associated to the ticket Below is an explanation of the fields and tabs you can see across all tickets The image below shows the broad section that can be found on all ticket forms These are the generic sections that are common across all new tickets created without using a template Each ticket type would have one or two additional fields to capture information pertinent to that ticket type Depending on ticket type the additional tabs on a ticket form could differ 68 Agent User Guide Ticket Tabs and Fields Ticket Toolbar Requestor Details
193. ervice Feedback to get end users viewpoint on the services provided As Service Desk Agents the feedback provides you with information on the satisfaction of the End users of Support with the quality of Support and Services provided by the IT Support and Service Desk The forms and sections under Service Feedback are explained below Chapter 15 Service Feedback 247 Service Feedback Functions My Feedbacks 248 Agent User Guide While all Service Desk Agents may not be made part of the Service Feedback process your feedback may be sought on aspects such as usefulness of certain applications used processes defined documentation provided etc If you or the Support Group s that you are part of have been enabled to receive Service Feedback forms you will receive Service Feedback Questionnaires soliciting your feedback The My Feedback Link under Service Feedback Section takes you to a page where the Service Feedback Questionnaires are listed Form Nane My freir f feedback List fo k y ad feeshac f Form Deads t ttem bdtiste i Survey 14 Questions You can view a list of all Service Feedback Questionnaires pending your feedback in the list Clicking on a form name populates the questionnaire into the section below The Questionnaire is a Survey Form created by your Administrator with questions about quality of response customer experience etc Depending on the question types set by the administr
194. es and changes to the IT infrastructure and IT services used by the customer IT Service Management is a discipline for implementing and managing high quality of Information Technology Services which is conceptually aligned to the customer s perspective of IT s contribution to the business goals ITSM is process focused and emphasizes continuous improvements It is performed by IT Service Providers through an appropriate mix of People Process and Information Technology It deals with ensuring uninterrupted availability of IT services to the users of that service as and when IT support or service is needed ITSM ITIL Concepts Nimsoft Service Desk offers users an ITSM based platform for receiving processing and resolving user requests for IT Support and Services Request Management A request from a user for information or advice regarding the use of an IT Object or IT service a request for a standard change or access to an IT service is called Service Request Service Request may also report an issue faced by the user The work flow or process that enable these Service Requests to be appropriately submitted routed approved monitored and delivered form part of Request Management Request Management is the process of managing a Service Request through its life cycle from submission of the request through to delivery of required information or execution of standard change or providing a work around solution or escalating the Request f
195. es the ticket forward in the workflow and can therefore not be changed Your Administrator however will be able to unrelate Approvers Reviewers from the ticket Can any Contact be appointed as Approver or Reviewer for a Change No Not all contacts listed in Nimsoft Service Desk can be used for Approval or Review When configuring the contact records in Nimsoft Service Desk your Administrator identifies whether a Contact can be used for Approval or not It is only these Contacts who will be available to you for appointing as Approvers or Reviewers of a Change Can I add more Approvers or Reviewers to a ticket which has already been submitted for approval 212 Agent User Guide Yes but no notification will be sent to the person added If the decision rule for approval requires that all Approvers must approve the newly added person s approval is also required In such a case the Agent who adds the Approver manually after submit action must send an email to the additional Approver so that he she can access the Change Request and approve reject the Change as per his decision Frequently Asked Questions When I manually add Approvers will the Approvers be sent a notification by Nimsoft Service Desk No Nimsoft Service Desk does not automatically sent notifications about a ticket that is assigned for approval when the Approvers or Reviewers are manually added to the ticket This is because the automatic communications are sent
196. ess functions related to logging and modifying tickets searching for ticket records generating reports etc All Common Actions on Tickets and Common Ticket Related Functionality are available on Incident Tickets View Incident Tickets Chapter 9 Incident Management 173 Handling Incident Tickets You can view all Incidents Tickets assigned to you and your Support Group s You can drill down to the detail of a ticket in the ticket list and modify the ticket if needed From the ticket list you can extract data on the tickets in the list and print a ticket for your reference Report an Incident You can Report a new Incidents with or without using a Template from within the Incident Management Module You can update the required values into the appropriate fields on the ticket and save the ticket You may need to specify the Severity of an Incident to help determine priority of the Incident Depending on the values associated with the ticket Workflow will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will be processed through its life cycle Modify Existing Incidents An Incident Tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk could be assigned to you either by an Auto Route which gets applied to the ticket or by manual action of assignment by another Service Desk Agent You can modify the values in the Incident ticket update the description modify CCTI Set Priority and update information into the Additional Information Tab of a ticket
197. et information on the nature of the relationship between the related Cls Step 1 Click on the Related CI tab to view a list of Cls that are related to the given CI record Step 2 The table lists the Relationship Domain whether the Cls share Logical Network Power or Service relationship Further Classification on the Relationship Type could be available depending on the Relationship domain You can also view a Relationship Graph to see the nature of the relationship To view the relationship graph Step 3 Click on the Relationship Graph button visible in the Related CI tab The Relationship Graph will be displayed in a new window You can also click on any CI visible in the graph to directly view records related to the other CI Chapter 13 Configuration Management 231 How Do I Relate an Attachment to the CI record Update a CI record 232 Agent User Guide You can relate attachments from the Attachments tab of the Ticket You can add either an available file Global Attachment or upload a new file Attachments can also be related to Knowledge Articles and Configuration Items in the same way To relate an attachment Step 1 Click on the Attachments tab of the Ticket A section containing the list of existing attachments and options to Relate Existing or Add New attachment will be displayed Step 2 If you wish to Relate an Existing Attachment Global Attachment click on the Relate Existing button An Attachment li
198. et templates that are made available to Self Service Users and or Agents by the Administrator You may or may not see some of the custom fields in the Additional Information because this depends on the configurations managed by your Administrator This tab contains details on what was done to resolve the ticket The Cause and Resolution fields in this section can either be updated using a solution from the Knowledge base a recently resolved ticket or you will be required to manually update the details based on what you did to resolve the ticket The Solution ID field indicates if a solution used is from the Knowledge base or a previously resolved ticket or a new solution was added to the ticket The ability to use a resolution from recently resolved tickets is controlled by your Application Administrator This tab allows agents to create Task Tickets needed for execution of the activities related to the ticket It also contains information about the Tasks Tickets that have been created and or assigned the progress of the task tickets etc You can click on the task to directly access the Task Ticket This tab allows agents to relate other tickets to the ticket displayed You can look up details of the other tickets that are logged search for a ticket using Ticket Number or other Search Criteria and chose which ticket is to be related This tab also contains information about the tickets that have been related to this ticket by you
199. ewers will be listed there You can also see information about whether an Approver has Approved or Rejected a Change or whether the Approval is still pending For all requests that are Approved you can see the Approval Comments in the Comments column Chapter 11 Change Management 205 How Do I Step 2 Click on the Comments listed The View Comments lookup will open in a new window Detailed comments on the Change Approval can be seen in this window 206 Agent User Guide How Do I View a Schedule of all Planned Changes A Forward Schedule of all Planned Changes is visible in the Scheduled Changes Link under Change Management To view a Schedule of all Planned Changes Step 1 Go to Scheduled Changes link under Change Management Step 2 Filter the calendar details to view details for either day week or month s view You can modify the start month of the calendar if needed You can see entry against dates time when a Change is scheduled The tooltip below gives further details about the Planned Change Select an Individual or Group as Approver or Reviewer You can select either individual contacts or all member of a group as Approver or Reviewer for a Change To select Approvers or Reviewers for a Change Step 1 Go to the Approvals tab on the Ticket You will be able to see details regarding whether the Ticket is in Approval Phase or not You will also see two buttons Add Approvers and Add Reviewers Step 2 Clic
200. existing Problem Tickets search for existing records related to Problem Tickets and generate reports related to Problem Tickets in your queue All Common Actions on Tickets and Common Ticket Related Functionality are available on Problem Tickets View Problem Tickets You can view all Problem Tickets assigned to you and your support group s You can drill down to the detail of a ticket in the ticket list and modify the ticket if needed Chapter 10 Problem Management 187 Handling Problem Tickets From the ticket list you can extract data on the tickets in the list and print a ticket for your reference Report a Problem You can Report a new Problem with or without using a Template from within the Problem Management Module You can update the required values into the appropriate fields on the ticket and save the ticket You may need to specify the Severity of a Problem to help determine priority of the Problem resolution Depending on the values associated with the ticket workflow will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will be processed through its life cycle Modify Existing Problem Tickets Problem Tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk could be assigned to you either by an Auto Route which gets applied to the ticket or by manual action of assignment by another Service Desk Agent You can modify the values in the Problem ticket update the description modify CCTI Set Priority and update information into the Ad
201. ey Concepts 53 ITSM ITIL Concepts Problem Management A Problem is the Unknown Cause of one or more Incidents It is often identified as a result of multiple smaller Incidents While Incident Management deals with quick restoration of service by applying a quick solution or work around Problem Management deals with determining and eliminating the Root Cause in such a way that recurrence of the problem can be prevented The objective of Problem Management is to minimize the adverse impacts of Incidents and Problems on the business caused by errors in the IT infrastructure and initiate actions to prevent recurrence of Incidents related to those errors Problem Management can be either reactive in nature responding to a series of incidents that have been detected or it can be Proactive where the concerned Support Group deals with identifying potential problems and ensuring that the problem does not disrupt services Problem Management can be implemented via the Problem Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Application The application administrator can configure workflow actions specific to handling problem tickets Change Management Change Approval 54 Agent User Guide Change is defined as Addition Modification or Removal of anything involved in delivery and support of an existing IT service This can include Configuration Items application software system software configurations access permissions or Documentation
202. f Tickets with the matching Case ID will be displayed in the Search Results tab You can choose from a range of parameters like Ticket Details Requestor Details Request Details as well as Custom Fields Preview and Print a Ticket You can print any Ticket that is visible to you in the Ticket List To preview and print a Ticket Step 1 Open the Ticket you wish to print Step 2 From the options in the Ticket Toolbar choose Print Option The Print Preview of the Ticket will open in a new window Step 3 Choose what details you wish to include You can choose to include or exclude the Activity details You can also include Activity details from Related Tickets or details of Communications from the Ticket You can print the Ticket as a Screen or as a PDF document Note You can also print the Ticket from the print icon on the Ticket list When you click on the print icon from the list the print preview page will be displayed You can make required adjustments and print the Ticket Export Data from Ticket Lists to PDF or CSV 96 Agent User Guide You can export data of the Tickets list you see under the List Tickets option under Home or any of the Ticket Modules To export data from the Ticket list Step 1 Go to the List Tickets link under Home or the other Ticket Modules In the Ticket list you can see the Export Data Options that let you export the list into a PDF or CSV file How Do I Step 2 If you wish t
203. f the survey will be populated in the form space below If the Feedback Schedule allows you to respond anonymously you will see Anonymous in the User Name field If the schedule indicates the respondent name the User Name field will display your Name as the logged in user Step 3 Complete the survey form by responding to the questions in the survey form Step 4 Click on Submit and your feedback will get submitted Once you have finished submitting the feedback the status will change to Submitted However if the feedback schedule is Anonymous and allows you to submit feedback again the status will continue to show as Pending To view to the questionnaire and respond from the direct URL Link Step 1 Click on the link to the Service Feedback Questionnaire it will open up the feedback form on your screen Step 2 Fill up the feedback form based on the questions asked or comments requested Step 3 Once you have completed filling in the form click on the Submit button to submit your feedback Note The service feedback forms remain active only for a set time period You cannot respond to it after its Active Date has passed If you attempt to log in to the link after the set time period you will get an error message as set up by your administrator Generate a Report on Survey Responses You can generate a report to view trends related to the responses given by the recipients of a Service Feedback Survey This could
204. fected Service This section provides fields that allow agents to capture basic General Information information related to the request This includes information like Section brief details and detailed description of the request source and fields for setting prioritization of the ticket Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 69 Prioritization Categorization Worklog Additional Ticket Tabs This section enables to agent to set priority of the ticket by choosing appropriate values for the Impact Severity and Urgency of the ticket Prioritization allows you to manage the ticket queues more efficiently Nimsoft Service Desk allows agents to Categorize tickets by applying an appropriate CCTI to the ticket You can search for the available CCTI and apply the categorization to the ticket Appropriate categorization facilitates better routing of the tickets This section of the ticket allows agents to update information regarding work that has been done on the ticket but does not automatically get captured by the system You can update a worklog choose what type of log it is and log the time spent on the activity You can also choose whether the worklogs should be made visible to the requestor or not You may also see a checkbox that you can check to allow you to send your worklog as an email to chosen recipients Once a ticket has been logged and a ticket number and status gets associated with it some tabs appear on the t
205. firm availability of a specific resource to look into the issue is eliminated a ticket can be auto routed to even a specialist group rather than first routing it to a level 1 group who then manually confirms availability of an individual and routes it accordingly It further ensures that a request is not waiting in the queue of an individual Service Desk Agent or Specialist when the person is not available to work on the request Further grouping of contacts into support groups eases the task of managing permissions to various action options and links All contacts who are members of a support group inherit permissions given to the group Agents can be member of more than one support group and access options applicable to all groups that they are associated with However only one of these groups will be designated as the primary group of the contact Chapter 2 Key Concepts 51 ITSM ITIL Concepts Service Desk All users with Self Service License become default members of Self Service Group as Primary Group A default Support Group called Public contains all other contacts assigned Floater or Fixed license Permission assigned to either group gets automatically transmitted to all users in your instance of the application Configuring the Support Group records and according permissions to a Support Group is managed by the Application Administrator Service Desk is an organizational unit that acts as a central single point of contact
206. forms and actions available under Incidents Management in the Navigation Panel The actions that Service Desk Agents can take on Incidents Tickets are also explained below Some of these links may not be available to you as the list is controlled by your Nimsoft Service Desk Application Administrator An Incident is an unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in the quality of an IT service Failure of a Configuration Items that has not yet impacted service is also an incident An Incidents Ticket can be logged by the Service Desk Agent directly or it can be created from a Service Request which actually reports an Incident About Incident Management Incident Management is the process of dealing with Incidents reported to Service Desk by the end users or other Service Desk Agents or automatically detected by Event Monitoring Tools The focus of Service Desk staff is to provide a solution or at least a work around to the Requester to restore the Affected Service as soon as possible After providing a work around the Incident ticket may be assigned to appropriate support groups who take the ownership for Investigation and Resolution of the issue The Key aim of Incident Management is to ensure that the service is restored to the pre incident level as soon as possible and to make sure that the user s service will be on line again as quickly as possible Incident Management Life cycle An Incident typically passes throu
207. from the ticket list You can filter the ticket list using the Filter Bar above the Dashboard Charts or view tickets grouped in the dashboard charts Log Request on Behalf of a Requester End Users of IT can request for support via email the End Users interface Phone or by walking in to Support All requests for support need to be logged as Tickets in Nimsoft Service Desk When users log a request via email or via the Self Service Users Interface tickets get logged automatically into Nimsoft Service Desk All Service Desk Agents need to do is classify the ticket according to the nature of support by creating an appropriate Child Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 75 Common Actions on Tickets Log New Ticket Ticket accept ownership and start working on the ticket or assign the ticket for resolution to an appropriate Support Groups or Individual for action When a user request service or support via Phone or walk in however a Service Desk Agents needs to log a ticket on behalf of the Requester You could log a new ticket in the appropriate Ticket Module by using an available Ticket Template or without using a template It is recommended that all requests reaching support whether it is for information or assistance in using an available service request for change or reporting an incident get logged as a Ticket As Service Desk Agents you will be responsible for logging tickets for all requests reaching the Service Desk
208. g or Rejecting a Change This is a required field and you will not be able to approve or reject the Change unless the Approval Comment field is updated The Change Reviewers who can not approve or reject a change can also comments in the Approval Comments field Approver Approver is a contact who is authorized to allow or deny the requested action on a request Approvers are required to give their approval to a request before the request can be processed Application Administrator The Application Administrator is the person who is responsible for configuring entities and records in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk and enabling Nimsoft Service Desk to meet the IT Support needs of your organization 270 Agent User Guide Article Frequently Asked Questions Many of the options you see or do not see when you log in using your credentials are managed by your Application Administrator Article refers to a Knowledge Base Article which is displayed when you search from KB Articles in the Knowledge Base This could either be a solution to a known issue which outlines the steps to resolve the known issue or an information article providing general information made available to you by your Administrator Assigned Individual Group Attachments Attributes This field displays the name of the Group to which the Request is assigned whether it is the Level 1 Support Group or any specialized group that the request is assigned to Wh
209. g the List KB Articles or Search KB Articles link directly under Knowledge Management What happens when I use a resolved ticket to resolve the current ticket When you use a resolved ticket re resolve the current ticket the Cause and Resolution fields get copied over into the current ticket The ID of the Ticket used to resolve the current ticket will be updated into the Resolved using Case field in the Solution Details Tab of the ticket How old can the Recently Resolved tickets be This depends on the configurations managed by your Administrator Depending upon the settings chosen the recently resolved tickets could include tickets resolved in the past O 30 90 180 or 365 days If the value is set to 0 you will not be able to use recently resolved tickets to find solutions to your current ticket Why do I get a No Matching Records found message when trying to search for Recently Resolved Tickets It is possible that there are no tickets with the same CCTI or same Key words in tickets that have been recently resolved If you have recently resolved tickets with matching CCTI or key words but the Solution Details Tab contains no information the ticket will not be displayed even though the ticket was recently resolved Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 245 Frequently Asked Questions What does the rating on a KB Article indicate The Rating displayed on a KB Article is an indicator of the average rating of the article given by
210. get a message asking you whether you wish to be logged out of the current session to be able to start a new session Can I create a ticket on behalf of someone else Yes as Service Desk Agents you can log Tickets on behalf others who are requesting for a service You can log the request on behalf of the actual requestor by selecting the Requestor name or Requested For Name as the person who has raised the request Can I cancel a Service Request Ticket Nimsoft Service Desk allows the action to Cancel a Service Request However whether you are able to take this action or not is controlled by the workflow designed by your Administrator If the action to Cancel a Request is allowed you will see this option under the Take an Action option in the ticket toolbar Why is a Request that was in my queue not visible in my queue anymore Tickets remain in your queue only for a stipulated time after which they are resolved or set as closed If you are not able to view a resolved or closed ticket it could be because the time for the ticket to remain in your queue has lapsed Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 103 How Do I Also a ticket that was in your queue could have been removed from your queue by another agent who accepted ownership of the request and closed the request You therefore do not see the request in your queue A ticket could also get removed from your queue by the SLA monitor if you missed the SLA for the ticket it could
211. gged in user or his her support group s Ticket Locks Ticket locks are used to indicate that the issue is being worked upon by someone else or it is not to be modified due to some reason In Nimsoft Service Desk a locked ticket can be identified by a lock icon that appears alongside the ticket description in the ticket list Ticket Modules Ticket Module refers to the five modules in Nimsoft Service Desk that deal with different types of tickets This includes Request Management Incident Management Problem Management Change Management and Task Management 290 Agent User Guide Ticket Templates Ticket Toolbar Ticket type Ticket Time to Completion Time Tracking Time Zone Frequently Asked Questions Ticket templates can be configured by the Administrator with details of common standard requests Ticket Templates have a pre designed format in which all required details are identified and populated into the request automatically Administrator can configure Ticket Templates for all type of tickets and can manage their use by applying permissions The Ticket Toolbar is the Menu Bar on the ticket which lists all possible actions that can be done on a ticket The Ticket Toolbar lists actions like creating a new ticket copying to new ticket printing a ticket managing ticket status etc The exact links on the Ticket Toolbar are controlled by your Administrator Ticket Type refers to whether the given ticket is classified as a
212. gh four phases These are Chapter 9 Incident Management 167 Overview Phase 1 Logging Categorizing prioritizing Initial Diagnosis Classifying as Major or Minor issue Phase 2 Searching Knowledgebase for a solution or work around If required escalating to higher support level for detailed Investigation Linking to an existing global issue or creating a child Problem ticket if required Phase 3 Restoring service as soon as possible using Work Around or solution Phase 4 Validation of Resolution by User and Closure activities At each Phase an appropriate Status and Reason Code will be associated with the ticket The movement of the ticket through its Life Cycle is determined by the workflow established for achieving the aims of Incident Management Incident Management in Nimsoft Service Desk 168 Agent User Guide The Incident Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk is used to provide Workflow automation It creates a repeatable and measurable Incident Management process within an Organization It is meant for logging and tracking work on Incident Tickets reported by the Service Desk Assignment of Incident Tickets can be handled using Auto Route based assignment or Default assignment of Incident Tickets to specific Group s Processing of an Incident Ticket typically follows the Workflow designed and configured by the Administrator The various actions taken at different stages in the workflow design move the ticket a
213. given time a ticket is in any one of the following statuses New Queued Active Pending Resolved or Closed Depending on the status of the ticket we can understand how far a ticket has traversed into its life cycle Reason Code There could be several reasons for a ticket to be in a given status This can be captured via the Reason Code field which explains why a ticket is in a particular status While the Ticket Related Concepts labels for the Status are fixed the Reason Code can be modified by the Application Administrator as per the conventions in the organization For example if a ticket has been submitted for approval the Status could be Pending and the Reason Code could be set as Pending Approval Similarly if a request has been canceled by the requestor after the ticket is logged the ticket could be in Closed status with reason code Closed as Canceled Phase Another way of finding out Life Stage of the ticket is via its Phase It is used to help segment and define the steps in a given process workflow For example an Incident that is assigned to an individual or support group could bein Investigation and Diagnosis Phase The default configuration of Nimsoft Service Desk defines some actions that transition tickets from one Phase to another while other actions could transition tickets within a phase Chapter 2 Key Concepts 39 Ticket Related Concepts Ticket Status 40 Agent User Guide New Ticket Creat
214. gned to you and to your support group s Create Ticket Home Section Functions Header Section Savagation Pree The Dashboard charts give a visual indication of the ticket volume ticket types ticket status tickets in your groups and either SLA Compliance or Aging of the tickets Under Home you see a consolidated data of open tickets of all different ticket types that have been logged and are assigned to you or to any group that you are member of By default the all tickets assigned to you and your group s will be listed in the Ticket List and the charts will display consolidated data of all tickets You can filter this list as per your own requirements using the Filter Bars above the dashboard charts You can view details of a ticket in the ticket list by clicking on any tickets in the ticket list You can print any ticket directly from the List Tickets screen by clicking on the printer icon in the ticket row You can also sort the tickets and export the ticket list into a PDF or CSV file using the export data options Nimsoft Service Desk allows you the ability to log new Service Request using the Create Ticket link under Home Clicking on this link will open a blank Service Request form which will open in a new window You can use this form to log a new Service Request Chapter 7 Home 139 Home Section Functions Ticket Details Ticket Menu Requestor
215. h are unique to each organization s context and specific to ticket types Nimsoft Service Desk allows your Administrator to create Custom Fields with their own specific values These Custom Fields can be included into ticket templates for specific types of tickets The Administrator can also mark some or all of these fields as Required fields and the user will be prompted to fill in values into these fields before submitting the ticket While setting up Custom Fields the Administrator can set the field type as a Text Number Datetime Check boxes List Radio Buttons etc Depending on the Field Type and the Value set appropriate values will need to be entered into the fields Chapter 2 Key Concepts 43 Ticket Related Concepts The Administrator can also create Section headers for the Custom Fields and group related Custom fields together This makes the presentation of Custom fields more organized and systematic Custom Fields can be used to set up auto routes and manage the workflow actions on the tickets Data on the Custom fields can also be made part of the pre defined searches and can be extracted into the reports drawn using the reporting engine Tickets when printed also show the details included in the custom fields Auto Routes Auto Routing is a mechanism of automatically assigning routing a New Ticket to a specific group or individual for action Auto Routes get applied to a ticket based on a set of pre defined rules and v
216. h options to search for tickets or generate Reports related to the tickets You may also take actions that would impact the other ticket modules and non ticket modules All Common Actions on Tickets and Common Ticket Related Functionality are available on Service Requests View Service Requests Log New Ticket You can view all Service Request assigned to you and your support group s You can drill down to the detail of a ticket in the ticket list and modify the ticket if needed From the ticket list you can extract data on the tickets in the list and print a ticket for your reference You can create a new Service Request with or without using a Template from within the Request Management Module You can update the required values into the appropriate fields on the ticket and save the ticket Depending on the workflow Actions that applies to the ticket the ticket will be processed through its life cycle Modify Existing Tickets Tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk could be assigned to you either by an Auto Route which gets applied to the ticket or by manual action of assignment by another Service Desk Agents You can modify values the ticket update the description modify CCTI Set Priority and update information into the additional information tab of a ticket Assign a Service Request Chapter 8 Request Management 161 Handling Service Requests If your ticket conditions match an existing auto route when the ticket
217. h results into a PDF or CSV file Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports depending on the needs of your organization Service Desk Agents can be given access to some of these reports on need basis by Administrator If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under each ticket module in the navigation panel Clicking on the Reports link under Request Management allows you to view a list of Reports related to Service Request Open Tickets Aging Report Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods grouped by organization Open Tickets Aging Report By Group Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support group Open Tickets Aging Report By Individual Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support technician Ticket Status Report Displays the total number of tickets in different statuses classifie List of reports Handling Service Requests You can choose the report you wish to view The report will open in a new window You can modify the date range and choose to view the reports either on screen on extract the report into a PDF or CSV form Handling Service Requests In your routine working with ticketing operations there are some common actions that you will take on Service Request You may need to access various searc
218. hat Cl to the ticket This helps get an idea on Tickets amp Configuration what is affected and can further clarify issues like priority Items assignment etc Similarly where one ticket is related to other tickets this relation can be captured on the ticket Agents can attach Files of up to 3 MB to a ticket This gives Upload an Attachment to a agents the ability to provide and view information that cannot Ticket normally be transmitted in the description details or worklog fields of the ticket Agents can mark any attachment that they feel is useful for more than one ticket for example resolution steps for an Incident as Mark Attachment as Global Global Attachment This allows the attachment to be available to be attached to more than one ticket at a time and can be shared by other requests in that instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Agents can benefit from Auto Routes configured by the Auto Routes to Manage Administrator This reduced the need for manual assignment of a Assignment of Tickets ticket to a particular queue and thereby ensures that the ticket is assigned to the right group in time Agents can choose to manually assign a ticket to an individual or Manual Assignment of a group depending on the nature of the request They can search Ticket for an appropriate individual or group for assignment from a convenient name search look up Agents can take identified or allowed actions on a ticket in a given state These Action Optio
219. he actions on the Problem using either Task Templates configured by your Administrator or without using templates The task tickets can then be assigned to different agents for completion of the tasks Manage Global Issue If the Problem is impacting several Configuration Items or Services you can mark the Ticket as Global Issue and relate all other tickets to this Global Ticket Similarly you can relate the Problem Ticket to an existing Global Issue Incident or Problem You can also unmark an issue as Global Issue and unrelate tickets from a Global Ticket Send Communications from the ticket If you need to send communication from the ticket you can manually send email communication from within the ticket You can use a communication template to send the mail and even set a communication to be sent at a future date and time You can view details of all communication sent manually and automatically by Nimsoft Service Desk from the Activity Tab of the ticket Chapter 10 Problem Management 189 Handling Problem Tickets Add Updates to the Ticket You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the worklog Section All worklog updates can be seen from the activity tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and worklogs from related tickets View Ticket Activity Details You can cli
220. he search criteria each time to execute the search you can save the search query as a Personal Search Chapter 5 Searches 123 How Do I 124 Agent User Guide For example consider the role of a Support Group lead who needs to ensure that all tickets assigned to the Support Group are worked upon and resolved You may want to routinely search for tickets in the queued status so that you can find out why they are in queued status how long they have been in this status and move the tickets appropriately You may want to execute a search for All Tickets in the Queued status with details like Ticket ID Reason Code Assigned to Individual etc For such a routinely executed search you can configure a Personal Search and save the search query for your own use You can configure a Personal Search for Ticket or Configuration Item records either from the All Searches link under Home or from the Search Ticket Type link under the Ticket or Configuration Management Modules The steps below are for configuring the personal search from the All Searches link Similar steps can be followed to configure a search from the respective Ticket modules or the Configuration Management module To configure the personal search Step 1 Click on the All Searches link under Home How Do I The Search All Tickets tab form will be displayed The Search tab lists all pre defined searches that you have been granted permission for Any new Personal Search
221. heck whether a Service Level Agreement SLA is applied to a ticket and monitor whether your ticket has met or missed the SLA targets You can also view if a ticket is approaching SLA threshold violation and work on your task accordingly This section lists the common actions you will take related to Task Tickets and provides the steps to execute the action Create a New Task Ticket 222 Agent User Guide You can create a New Task Ticket from the Task Information tab of any Ticket Service Request Incident Problem or Change Ticket To create new Task Tickets Step 1 Go to the Task Information tab of the Ticket If Task Tickets have already been created for the Ticket they will be listed in this tab of the Ticket You can create New Tasks either manually or using an available Task Template The templates are made available to you by your Administrator To create New Task Ticket Step 2 Click on Create New Task option and a New Task Ticket form will be displayed in a new window Information like the Who Assigned this Task and parent Ticket information will be automatically populated Step 3 Update information related to the Task like Task Name and Task Description Step 4 Prioritize and Categorize the Task Ticket if required as appropriate to your organization s procedures If you plan to create a Set Of Tasks towards completion of the request you can assign a Sort Order to the Task Ticket This will set the sequence in
222. her action How can the SSU Requester know what work has been done on their ticket When you add a worklog marked as Client Viewable the Requester will be able to see details of that entry using their Self Service User login This gives them an idea of the work that has been done on the ticket You could also choose to send your worklog as an email by clicking on Send as Email checkbox before saving the ticket Nimsoft Service Desk also sends out notification to the Self Service User Requester when there is a Status Change on the ticket The Self Service User can also see the current Status of the ticket and who it is assigned to in related fields on the ticket in the Self Service User interface Can SSUs search for KB Articles 100 Agent User Guide Yes Self Service Users can search for KB Articles from the Self Service User Interface All KB Articles visible to you however may not be visible to the Self Service User Your Administrator controls access to the KB Articles available in the Knowledgebase and may or may not give permission to access a particular item in the KB Articles Knowledgebase to Self Service Users It is also possible for your Administrator to disable access to the Knowledgebase for the Self Service Users If so Self Service Users will not be able to search for KB Articles How Do I Can SSUs search for KB Articles themselves from the SSU interface Yes Self Service Users have access to KB Articles listed in the Kno
223. hes can be saved for future use Agents can access Global Search to search their instance of Nimsoft Service Desk for Contact Records Configuration Items Tickets and KB Articles Agents can compose own Dashboard from out of permitted Charts on their Home Screen in Nimsoft Service Desk Agents can also sort the order of the Charts they see depending on permissions given by the Application Administrator Agents can drill down to view the records of the items displayed in the Dashboard Charts They can choose to view records displayed as grouped in the Charts and further drill down to any selected record directly from the Chart Agents can generate a variety of pre configured reports related to all type of tickets in Nimsoft Service Desk Depending on permissions managed by the administrator Agents can access reports on all ticket modules and non ticket modules like Configuration Management Knowledge Management and Service Feedback Agents can access the Knowledge Base to search Articles stored from previously occurred issues and resolutions to commonly known Incidents or Problems They can search for KB Articles using appropriate search keywords and copy the solution on to ticket Agents can also use recently resolved tickets to solve a current ticket Agents can contribute to the Knowledge Base by suggesting solutions to issues being reported They can propose a cause and resolution from a ticket they have worked on to be added to
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225. iate filters Why do I not see all the same items in my home page as my colleague What you see in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk is controlled in two ways 1 Views are controlled by your Administrator by way of permissions to view certain screens or to perform certain actions If your colleague belongs to a different support group chances are that the items visible to him her might be different 2 Views are managed by filters set using the filter bar of the Ul preferences controlled by the logged in user Your colleague could have set filters to control what is visible and could also have set a different page as a landing page Why am I not able to change the charts I see in the list tickets dashboard There are two possible situations related to the viewing charts in the tickets dashboard 1 You do not see any charts in the List Tickets link just a list of tickets If this is the case the UI Preferences that you have set need to be checked In the UI Preferences link under home your setting to view charts in the ticket list could be checked as False If so you will not see any charts in the ticket lists You can change that parameter to True to be able to view the charts 2 You see space for charts but do not see any data in the charts If this is the case it could be that you have no tickets logged that match the criteria for the charts Therefore the space could display a message that there is no data to display If ne
226. icket form Each tab contains either fields or tables relevant to the tickets Depending on the ticket type there could be some differences in the tabs that appear on the ticket Some of the tabs may or may not be visible to you depending on the ticket type and how Nimsoft Service Desk has been configured by your Administrator The table below lists the Ticket Information Tabs and provides an explanation of the information captured in each tab Text Tabs General Information Additional Information Explanation The General Information Tab of the ticket contains details like ticket description source prioritization and categorization It also contains the worklog section where agents can add a new worklog Tickets like Service Request Incident Tickets and Problem Tickets also contain a Search Solution button in the General Information tab You can use this button to search for solutions available in the Knowledge base of your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk The Additional Information tab contains any additional custom fields that are added by your Administrator to gather specific information related to a particular ticket type Your Administrator can create 70 Agent User Guide Solution Details Task Information Related Tickets Relate Cl Attachment Ticket Tabs and Fields Custom Fields applicable for different types of tickets These fields are added to the standard ticket form in the different tick
227. ify Ticket Status When working on the ticket you will need to move the ticket along its life cycle and move the ticket to a Resolved Status and then to closed status The ticket Status and Phase gets modified when you choose an action from the Take an Action option in the ticket toolbar The options available to you for the actions you can take on a ticket at a given point depends on the existing status and or phase and reason code associated with the ticket Depending on the Action Options available to you you can take an action to set the status of the ticket The Action Options available to you on a ticket at a given time are controlled by the workflow actions managed and configured by your Administrator When you Take an Action the Status and Reason Code get updated automatically and a new set of Action Options becomes available to you 80 Agent User Guide Common Actions on Tickets View details of Action on Tickets You can view details of all actions that have been taken on tickets including details of communication sent manually and automatically by Nimsoft Service Desk based on workflow configurations A list of all actions that have been taken on the tickets like worklog updates emails sent status changes etc will be available in the Activity Tab of the ticket You can click on any action to view the details You can filter the list to view only action by particular users of actions of a particular type You can a
228. ighlighted differently Can I work on a Ticket that is assigned to someone else in my group Yes you can work on any Ticket that is visible in your Ticket List even if it is assigned to someone else in your Support Group However when someone else is working on the Ticket it will be locked and you will not be able to make any modifications to the details fields or take an action on the ticket You can at the most add a worklog to the Ticket You will know that the ticket is locked when you see a small Lock icon in the row containing the ticket Why do I see no information in the Additional Information tab of a Ticket 106 Agent User Guide How Do I The Additional Information tab of a Ticket contains Custom Fields created by your Administrator for added information needed for certain type of Tickets If that tab has no information or fields it means that for that type of ticket no Custom Fields have been defined Can I know what actions have been taken on a Ticket Yes you can find out all actions that have been taken on a Ticket including communications sent or received worklogs added or modified and status changes from the Activity tab of the Ticket Why am I unable to see any Action Options in the Take an Action drop down list This is possible if there is some issue with the workflow action configured for that particular ticket type You will need to contact your Administrator to understand why there is no action being al
229. ill get updated in the Nimsoft Service Desk records Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 85 How Do I Note If you need to give the New Contact the ability to log into Nimsoft Service Desk you will need to check on the Enable Login field create a System User ID and provide details about the License Type Modify an Existing Ticket Categorize a Ticket 86 Agent User Guide You can make changes to any field on an existing Ticket except the Ticket Details section which gets updated automatically To make changes in an existing Ticket Step 1 Open the Ticket you wish to modify Step 2 Go to the tab or section you wish to modify For example if you wish to add information in the Additional Information tab click on the Additional Information tab to view the fields available Step 3 Make necessary additions or alterations Step 4 Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar to save the changes The categories applicable to Tickets in your Instance of Nimsoft Service Desk are managed by your Administrator While configuring Nimsoft Service Desk as per your organization s requirements your Administrator creates categorizations that can be applied to Tickets You can view the available categorization in the Categorization lookup To Categorize a Ticket Step 1 Click on the Search button in the Categorization Section of the Ticket The Categorization lookup will be displayed in a new window Step 2 To filter
230. ilters from the filter bar itself The Search Functionality is available within all Ticket Modules as well as in the supporting modules of Configuration Management and Knowledge Management The Search Screen accessible from the Search Ticket Type link under each module has the same layout The Search Screen contains three tabs Pre defined Search Advanced Search and Search Results The main screens and sections in the Search Screens are listed below The Search Tab lists the pre defined search options made available to you by your Administrator The exact item you can search for using the pre defined search is controlled by your Administrator The Advanced Search Tab contains various options for you to define your own search You can search using any single parameter like Case ID or you can filter the search to display an item matching several parameters You can save the search query as a Personal Search or just execute the search without saving the search query for future use The Search Results Tab displays the search results of either the Predefined Searches or the Advanced Searches You can further filter the number or entries to be displayed in the search results list List Configuration Items Screen 64 Agent User Guide List Filters CI List Ticket Layout The List Configuration Items Screen is the Home Screen for the Configuration Management Module This screen displays the list of Active Configuration Items Re
231. in your preferred language from among available options You can set a UI locale preference to be different from the default slice locale defined by your Application Administrator Currently you can access the application in English Chinese Japanese Portuguese and Spanish To set the Ul in your preferred language Step 1 Click on the My Profile link under Home The Update My Profile form will be displayed This form will display information like your name logged in user name contact details time zone information etc Step 2 Click on the dropdown icon in the Locale field The available locale options will be displayed Step 3 Click on the option you wish to select The selected option will be displayed in the field Step 4 Click on Apply Changes to set the preferred locale The locale preference gets applied The Date Format and Language fields get updated as per the selected locale For the changes to take effect you will need to log out and log back in to the application The Date format dd mm yyyy or mm dd yyyy and time displayed change depending on the locale selected If you want the Date Time format to be based on the Time Zone selected and want the UI to be displayed in English you can select the Default option under Locale If you select the Default option the UI will continue to be in English but the date time format will be controlled by the Time Zone selected If you choose the Locale as English US
232. ing on your need you can make adjustments in terms of the size of the charts visible the number of charts you wish to see within the given framework and choose the charts are to be displayed You can click on the dashboard charts to view further details The dashboards allow Service Desk Agents and Supervisors to monitor the progress of the support tickets and the actions on them Chapter 7 Home 145 Actions from Home If you wish you can set any Dashboard Chart page as your landing page The next time you log into Nimsoft Service Desk the Application will first display the Dashboard Chart that you have set as your Home Page Actions from Home You can use the Home Section for all operations related to Tickets These include viewing Ticket List creating new Tickets with or without a template searching for Tickets using Pre defined or Advanced search options and extracting Reports Besides the Ticket related actions there are some specific actions that you can take from the Home Section These are listed below Modify UI preferences You can modify and manage your interface to some extent and personalize your interface You can change the default theme of your Nimsoft Service Desk interface and choose a theme from the available options You can choose whether to use highlights on not and if using Highlights for the ticket rows you can choose the basis on which the rows should be highlighted Depending on the charts avai
233. ion Tracker Error Code lt lt Response RESPONDED for a phone Failed Code generated by MIR3 notification reflecting the status of the notification gt gt Relay Phone Notification has Expired as When a notification is not Failed Notifications the maximum expiration of sent within a pre defined lt lt Expiration Duration gt gt timeout duration configured minutes was reached for the system The default timeout is set to 15 mins And CANNOT be modified by the service desk agent Relay Phone The phone notification was When the target recipient Failed Notifications not sent because no list for phone notification recipients were specified in was empty or not available the To CC or BCC list Relay Phone Notification is undeliverable When an error occurs during Failed Notifications An error log will also be relay of phone notification generated as below and maximum retry attempts have been An unexpected failure reached The default retry occurred when attempting to attempts is set to 3 and relay the phone notification CANNOT be modified by the via the third party notification service desk agent system Relay Phone Notification could not be When an error occurs during Delayed Notifications delivered Delivery will be relay of phone notification retried after some time and maximum retry attempts have NOT been reached The default retry attempts is set at 3 and CANNOT be modified by the service desk agent Relay Phone No
234. ion Investigation Escalate Incident Log Incident implement Resolution Classify as Major Incident Initial Diagnosis Implement Submit for E Resolution Initial Diagnosis Resolution Resolve incident e Closure Categorization Resolve Major Incident Resolve as Successful Close Incident j Reinvestigate Incident Reclassify as Service Request The concept of Phase may or may not be applied when processing tickets in your organization The decision to include or exclude this concept can be taken by the IT Manager or Application Administrator as the case may be A ticket goes through a life cycle from when it is logged and assigned a ticket number to its closure Ticket Status refers to the current stage of the ticket in its life cycle Nimsoft Service Desk allows movement of a ticket through six statuses e New e Queued e Active e Pending e Resolved e Closed The progression of the request through these different statuses is controlled by the workflow that is defined by the administrator It is not necessary that the ticket moves through each status in a sequence The movement of the ticket from one Status to another is controlled through the current status of the ticket and its current state in the workflow Ticket Related Concepts Case Id for Tickets A Nimsoft Service Desk Ticket ID is made up of two components e Case ID e Ticket ID Case Number is th
235. is first saved the auto route will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will get automatically assigned to the appropriate support group as defined in the Auto Route All subsequent assignments of the ticket either within a group or to another group can be done from the Take an Action option on the ticket Toolbar Manage Ticket Relationships When reviewing a ticket assigned to you or in your queue you may wish to relate the ticket to another ticket You can relate two tickets from the Relate Tickets tab of the ticket Similarly a ticket could be related to a Configuration Items You can also relate an attachment to the ticket Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within the tab Create Incident Problem or Change Ticket If the Service Request is to be classified as an Incidents Problem or Change ticket you can use the available action from the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar The Incident Problem or Change will be created as Child to the parent Service Request Create Task Tickets Send Communica 162 Agent User Guide You can create Task Tickets for completion of the actions on the Service Request using either Task Templates configured by your administrator or without using templates The task tickets can then be assigned to different agents for completion of the tasks tions from the ticket If you need to
236. ither is true it would be advisable to contact your Administrator for help Can I completely remove the charts visible in the list tickets link and see only a list of tickets Yes it is possible to remove the charts visible in the list tickets link and to see only the ticket list You can do so by changing your UI preferences by choosing that link under Home in the Navigation Menu Can I have a uniform look for the ticket list with no highlights on any row Chapter 7 Home 153 Frequently Asked Questions Yes you can remove highlighting from the ticket list by changing your UI Preferences to disable highlighting of the ticket rows If you do so the rows will not be highlighted differently Can I choose any page as my preferred Landing Page Yes you can choose from a range of pages visible to you as your preferred Landing Page While the list tickets link under Home is the default Landing Page you can choose to make the other pages like List Ticket under any Ticket Module List Cl List KB Articles My Dashboards or choose from other pages as your preferred Landing Page On all pages that can be set as the Landing Page you will see a Push Pin Icon You can click the icon to set that page as your Landing Page This will come into effect the next time you log into Nimsoft Service Desk Will I see tickets for all organizations and support groups in my ticket list In the List Tickets link you can see tickets for all organizations and su
237. ithout needing to log into Nimsoft Service Desk Why have I not received a Service Feedback Survey while someone else has The ability of a contact in Nimsoft Service Desk to participate in the Service Feedback process by responding to Service Feedback Surveys is controlled by your Administrator If your Administrator has checked on Disable Service Feedback for the Organization or Group that you are part of or just you as a Contact you will not receive the service feedback forms If you do not see a Service Feedback form check if your ability to receive Service Feedback Questionnaires has been enabled by your Administrator Why am I unable to respond to a Service Feedback Survey which I received a notification about Service Feedback schedules are specified by your Administrator A give schedule remains active only for a specific period specified by your Administrator If you attempt to respond to a survey after this time you will not be able to give your feedback Why is the Status of a Service Feedback in my list showing as Pending even though I have already submitted my feedback If a Service Feedback Survey is set to be anonymous and allows you to submit a feedback more than once you will see the even though you have submitted a feedback the status is pending This is because you can submit a feedback on the survey more than once 252 Agent User Guide Overview Chapter 16 Service Level Management Overview
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239. k Management you will perform several actions on the Task Tickets like viewing your task ticket queues creating task tickets taking actions on the task tickets and moving it towards closure etc While some action available on other Ticket Modules may not be available on Task Tickets several Common Action on Tickets and Common Ticket Functionality are applicable to Task Tickets View Task Tickets You can view all Task Tickets assigned to you and your Support Group s You can drill down to the detail of a ticket in the Ticket List and modify the ticket if needed From the Ticket List you can extract data on the tickets in the list and print a ticket for your reference Create Task Tickets You cannot create Task Tickets from the Task Management Module as a Task Ticket is related to resolving a Parent Service Incident Problem or Change Ticket You can create Task Tickets from within an existing Service Request Incidents Problem or Change Ticket The Parent Ticket ID the ticket from which the Task Ticket was created will be carried on to the Task Ticket Some fields from the Parent Ticket will also be carried forward to the Task Ticket Use Task Groups or Task Flow Templates to create Task Tickets If you are creating Task Tickets for implementing a known change or a known activity where series of tasks need to be done towards resolution of a ticket you can create required Task Tickets using a Task Group Chapter 12 Task Ma
240. k on the Add Approvers or Add Reviewers button to add either Approvers or Reviewers for the Ticket The Name Search lookup will pop up To add individual contacts Step 3 You can view either individual contacts or choose a Group as Approver or Reviewer Select either contacts or groups from the Show field Step 4 Enter Contact Group name in the search field or simply hit search to view all contacts groups that can be marked as Approver Reviewer of the Change Step 5 Click on the names of individual group you wish to choose as Approver Reviewer for the Change The name search lookup will close automatically and the name s selected as Approver Reviewer will be populated in the Approvers list in the Approvals tab of the Ticket Submit a Change for Approval You can submit a Change for Approval only once To submit a New Change for Approval Chapter 11 Change Management 207 How Do I Step 1 Go to Take An Action option in the Ticket Tool Bar Click on the button to see a drop down on the Actions you can take on the Ticket Step 2 From the available Action options submit the Change for Approval or a similar type of Action Option made available to you by your Administrator Depending on the Ticket Type and other factors Approvers may automatically get associated to the Ticket If not you can manually add Approvers or Reviewers to the Ticket Withdraw a Change from Approval You can withdraw a Change from Approval on
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242. ket Templates are pre populated with baseline information and contain place holders for additionally needed information These Ticket Templates per ticket type can be made available to Self Service Users and or Service Desk Agents by enabling permissions for access to the users support group or role A ticket template can be configured by setting field values for standard ticket fields as well as providing values for Custom Fields on tickets When a user accesses the ticket template the set field values are populated in the ticket fields as configured by the application administrator Based on the set field values auto routes could get applied to the ticket action options become available on the ticket and certain fields get marked as required fields Using Ticket Templates eases the process of ticket creation for standard requests Task Ticket Templates can be used for Task Groups and Task Flows All ticket forms provided in Nimsoft Service Desk capture the essential information needed for that type of ticket However as per the customer s individual need or depending on the specific requirements of a given request the customer could need additional information to be captured into the ticket For example when creating a Ticket for Training Requests for employees for using particular software it may be considered important to include like Employee Name Employee Code and Availability Time To facilitate building of such fields whic
243. l be generated in the format desired Add Solution to the Solutions Knowledgebase Note You can add KB Articles to the Knowledgebase if your Administrator has enabled this functionality for your Support Group If this functionality is enabled you will find an Add Solution to Knowledgebase option on the Ticket Toolbar If you wish to add a Solution that you applied to a Ticket to the Knowledgebase you can do so directly from the Ticket This feature allows you to add the Symptom Cause and Resolution for an Incident Problem Ticket to be added to the Knowledgebase and making the Solution available for others To add Solution to the Knowledgebase Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 97 How Do I Step 1 Click on the Add to Knowledgebase link on the Ticket Toolbar A new KB Articles page will be displayed in a new window The Ticket Description will be picked as Short Symptom and the Ticket Detailed Description will be populated into the Symptom Description field If you have specified a Cause and Resolution in the Solution Details tab of the Ticket these details will be populated in the Cause and Resolution Field of the KB Article Step 2 Click on the look up in the Related to KB Articles Category field The KB Articles Category lookup will be displayed in a new window Step 3 Select an appropriate category for the Solution This is a compulsory field and you will have to fill in appropriate value here Mark
244. l requests received and to guide the Service Desk Agents towards Request Fulfillment Chapter 1 Introduction 15 Features for Operations Features for Operations Service Desk Agents can access a wide range of features of Nimsoft Service Desk to facilitate their overall delivery of IT Support to manage their IT Support needs Ticket Features Service Desk Agents in their routine handling of the flow of requests for IT Services and Support use the Ticket Modules of Nimsoft Service Desk to log and manage their queues Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a range of features applicable across all Ticket Modules These are listed below Features Common Fields and Features for All Ticket Types Ticket Templates Available for Quick Ticket Creation Communication Templates Associated to Ticket Types Notification to Stakeholders on Action on Tickets Categorization for Tickets Cl and KB Articles Prioritization of Tickets 16 Agent User Guide Explanation Most fields are common across all ticket types and these fields have a uniform look and feel making it easy for the agents to work on repetitive task of logging new requests Agents can have access to pre configured Ticket Templates for oft requested services frequently reported incidents and standard changes enabling Agents to log quick tickets for known issues Agents can access pre configured Communication Templates to send out communication from the tickets
245. l the Tickets I see in my Ticket List to view only those that need my action Yes you can control the Tickets in your Ticket List by using appropriate filters for the Ticket List To view only those Tickets that are assigned to you you can set filters to see only Tickets in Active Status or those assigned to only you Can I relate two Tickets that do not have a common CCTI Yes you can relate two Tickets that do not have a common CCTI This is because besides CCTI there could be other relationships possible between two tickets like a common organization or site a common root cause etc Can I see the Activities on Tickets that are related to each other without going to the other Tickets Yes you can see the Activities on Tickets that are related to each other without going to each related Ticket You can find this information in the Activity tab of the Ticket Can I use Ticket Number to relate tickets Yes if you know the ticket number of the tickets you wish to relate you can search for the ticket with that number from the Search form that is displayed when you attempt to Relate Tickets You can either search using the ticket number directly or search from within records displayed by the search Can I find out which Tickets in my list are High Priority Tickets Yes you can find out which Tickets are Higher Priority Tickets by choosing highlighting of the Ticket rows by Priority This will allow tickets of different Priority to be h
246. l will be notified if a Ticket I am working on has breached an SLA target This depends on who all have been selected as recipients of a notification when a ticket violates its SLA target Ideally the Ticket Owner other members of the Support Group and the Group Supervisor would be included in the notifications when a Ticket breaches an SLA target What happens if a Ticket violates an SLA target This depends on the actions defined by your Administrator When a Ticket violates an SLA threshold depending on whether it is a Violation Threshold or a Non violation threshold Nimsoft Service Desk will do one of the following e Take no action e Send out a notification e Escalate the ticket to the next level This action however is determined and configured by your Administrator Can I provide a note on why a Ticket breached an SLA Target And where You can provide a note on why a Ticket breached an SLA Target against the SLA Target record in the SLA Compliance tab on the Ticket You can add a comment in the Compliance Notes column Will a Ticket get automatically assigned to someone else if it breaches an SLA Target This depends on how the SLA monitor has been configured by your Administrator It is possible for your Administrator to set the action to automatically assign the Ticket to someone else if the Ticket breaches an SLA Target Do SLAs apply to all Ticket types Nimsoft Service Desk allows for SLA monitoring on all Ticket ty
247. lable to you you can modify the charts in your ticket dashboard You can even choose not to have any dashboard charts If you choose this the List Tickets link will display only Ticket List Set Filters for the Ticket Lists You can set your own Ticket Filters and save those filters for all future sessions You can choose individual filters for the Home Section and for each of the ticket modules These filters let you manage what you see in your ticket list and thereby manage your work better Set a different page as Home landing page 146 Agent User Guide While the default landing page in Nimsoft Service Desk is the List Tickets page under Home Nimsoft Service Desk allows you to choose any other page as your Landing Page You could choose to land on the List Tickets page of other Ticket Modules Dashboard Screen for any Dashboard List Cl Page List KB Articles Page Search or Reports How Do I Update your Profile You can update your contact details from the option available in the Home section You can also set an Out of Office flag and set email notifications meant for you to be diverted to a designated deputy You can also choose your locale preference and manage the language in which the UI and related actions appear for you Ability to view custom defined values like Custom fields on tickets action options etc in different languages depends on whether translations for these items are made available by you application admini
248. layed when you want to use the resolution from one ticket to another only those tickets where a Solution is updated will be pulled out and displayed in the list Relate an Attachment to the Knowledge Article 242 Agent User Guide You can relate attachments from the Attachments tab of the Ticket You can add either an available file Global Attachment or upload a new file Attachments can also be related to Knowledge Articles and Configuration Items in the same way Frequently Asked Questions To relate an attachment Step 1 Click on the Attachments tab of the Ticket A section containing the list of existing attachments and options to Relate Existing or Add New attachment will be displayed Step 2 If you wish to Relate an Existing Attachment Global Attachment click on the Relate Existing button An Attachment list lookup will be displayed Step 3 Choose the file you wish to attach You will get a message seeking confirmation of the action Click OK to relate the attachment to the Ticket To relate a new file to the Ticket Step 1 Click on Add New button A New Attachment screen will open up Step 2 Give the attachment a name and a brief description if needed Step 3 Choose the file type from the dropdown list Step 4 Click Browse to search for the attachment from your system or other systems accessible to you Select the appropriate file Step 5 If you wish to make the attachment available to others click Yes in
249. ld ticket This is so because tasks are always performed towards a larger activity requested for in the parent ticket Task Tickets can be assigned to different individuals or groups who are to carry out the actual task while the owner of the Parent Ticket can continue owning the main ticket and ensure that all tasks are completed before resolving or otherwise closing the parent ticket Chapter 2 Key Concepts 49 ITSM ITIL Concepts For repetitive tasks Templates for single tasks can be created by your Administrator Where a group of tasks need to be done to fulfill a standard request the Administrator can set up a Task Group template using templates of single Tasks Further Task flow template can be created using both Task groups and single Tasks For each task within a Task group or a Task flow an individual Task ticket is created The Administrator can configure workflows for the tasks to be assigned to a specific individual or group depending on the task template selected For tasks that need to be assigned to specific people auto routes can be set up and for tasks that need to be carried out in a specific sequence specified Task Order can be defined To execute a Task Flow all its Task tickets are NOT created at once Only on completion status Closed of all tasks of a group the Task tickets for next are created For Task Flow templates only automatic Action on successful completion and Action on failure can be configured by yo
250. le This could include suggestions for improvements or other general comments When you add a rating or a comment the Submit Feedback button will get enabled Step 4 Click on the Submit Feedback button Your rating will get added up towards calculating the Average Rating of the KB Article and the comments you add will get added to the Feedback section of the KB Article If the KB Article is accessed from the List KB Articles link or Search KB Articles Link When you access the KB Article from the List KB Articles or Search KB Articles link s you will see a list of KB Articles matching you search criteria Click on a KB Article you wish to view and rate The KB Article will be displayed in a new window You can see the details like Symptom cause and resolution in the Details Tab To rate the usefulness of the KB Article Step 1 Go to the Feedback Tab of the KB Article You will see radio buttons for Rating the Article on a scale of 1 to 5 You will also see ratings for usefulness of the KB Article asking whether you could use the KB Article to resolve the ticket Values given are Yes No or don t know Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 241 How Do I Step 2 Give a rating to the KB Article on a scale of 1 5 and choose Yes No or don t know to indicate if the KB Article was useful for resolving the ticket Step 3 Add a comment about the KB Article in the Comments section When you rate the KB Article or add a comment the Sub
251. level 1 Support Group This Support Group then modifies the ticket and manually assigns the ticket to an appropriate Support Group or Individual Based on availability of Resource expertise specialization etc a ticket can be assigned to a specific individual or to a support group and any member of the group can accept the assignment and act upon it Reassignment can be used to escalate to a group individual at higher level if nature and priority of a Ticket requires it Your Administrator can set up Auto Routes based on ticket templates used ticket CCTI priority etc as matching conditions for tickets to be auto assigned to different Support Groups In the context of IT support there are several oft repeated requests like request for permissions to use or access a resource reporting unavailability of some IT object or Service or request for some standard modification like upgrade to a latest version of software Ticket Related Concepts Custom Fields For such frequently requested tickets Ticket Templates can be configured and made available to users Ticket Templates offer a standardized information collection system for requests that can be anticipated by different sets of users It also facilitates applying effective auto routes to have a ticket assigned directly to a specific group individual rather than the ticket getting assigned by default to the Level 1 Support and thereafter moving to the appropriate queue Tic
252. lf Nimsoft Service Desk also provides the capability of defining a wide range of dashboard charts depending on the type of trend useful to the organization s needs Reporting Functionality Reports 130 Agent User Guide Nimsoft Service Desk allows agents to extract reports related to all modules This includes generating reports related to all ticket types reports related to Configuration Items and Knowledge Base Articles as well as reports related to SLA compliance Similarly the Administrator can define a variety of Dashboard Charts related to Tickets and Configuration Items Based on permissions you may have access to these dashboard charts The generic reporting and Dashboard Related functionality is explained below Reports related to a given module ticket related modules and supporting modules of Configuration Management and Knowledge Management can be accessed from within each module of Nimsoft Service Desk However the ability of Service Desk Agents in your support group s to view and generate reports in your instance is controlled by your Administrator Dashboards Reporting Functionality If you have been given permission to view and generate reports you will see a Reports link under the respective module in the Navigation Panel To view a report click on the reports link in the Navigation Panel A list of reports that you can generate will be displayed in the List of Reports form This list is also controlled
253. liance has been initiated by your Application Administrator you will see the actions explained below Chapter 16 Service Level Management 253 Service Level Management Functions Service Level Management Functions If Service Level Management is configured to be applied to tickets you will see an SLA Compliance tab on the tickets You will also be able to view actions on tickets that have been triggered by the SLA monitor These tabs are explained below SLA Compliance Tab on Tickets 254 Agent User Guide The SLA Compliance Tab gets displayed on a ticket after the ticket has been first saved This tab is visible only if SLA compliance monitoring has been enabled by the application administrator In the SLA Complaince tab you can see the Service Targets that get applied to a ticket in your queue You can also see information such as Status of a target and any notifications or actions triggered by the Service Target SLA Targets acted Compiance M tots n cs e E e I age uem 4 T v mwee eom T tta c c a a MA mtem Tanger o iet en om A enm Ra i tems hom mam eee E auna Oe e TI sen A ee e p lm at re ed ee sa a mat ee ere te I A f net SSSNNNNASN Depending on the matching conditions on a Service Target more than one Service Target can get applied to a ticket based on the values on the ticket You can filter the list of targets to view only a spe
254. ling Searches Use Global Search to access information You can use Global Search to access information from across the Nimsoft Service Desk Application The Global Search option will enable you to search for Contact Records Ticket Records Cl Records etc from across different modules Global Search will search and display all those records matching your search conditions but the result will be limited to only those records that you have access to based on permissions managed by the Application Administrator Use Defined Searches You can use a range of Defined search options made available to you per module These will enable a quick search for frequently accessed search queries To execute a Defined Search you just need to click on the Search Name in the Search tab The results of the search will be displayed in the Search Results tab You can drill down to the details of a specific record by clicking on the search result or export the list into a PDF or CSV file Use Advanced Search You can create your own search query to be executed one time using the Advanced Search forms You can use advanced search for Ticket KB Articles and Cl records You can select fields from the related forms use the dropdown or lookup options to choose the appropriate values to be included in your search and execute the search The results will be displayed in the Search Results tab from where you can drill down to a specific record or export the result
255. lity of this option in the Ticket Toolbar and the type of tickets on which this option appears is controlled by your Administrator This option on the Ticket Toolbar allows agents to add items into the Knowledge base If you wish to add a solution you have applied to a ticket you can use this option in the ticket toolbar Clicking on this link will take you to a new page where you can make required additions and add the solution to the Knowledge base Acceptance of your solution and publishing it to make it available to other users is controlled by your Administrator Add to Knowledge base This option on the ticket toolbar is available only on Incident and Problem Tickets The option allows you to mark the ticket as Global Issue unmark it as a Global Issue relate the ticket to a Global Issue or unrelate the ticket from a Global Issue This option on the Ticket Toolbar allows you to close the ticket window Close ie when you have finished working on the ticket Common Actions on Tickets Manage Global Issue When working on the Tickets logged as Service Desk Agents you may need to perform certain actions like viewing their ticket queues logging new tickets searching for tickets drawing reports etc Some common actions and associated links that are applicable across all Ticket Modules are explained below 74 Agent User Guide View Ticket List Common Actions on Tickets All requests for support or action reaching
256. ll KB Articles visible to you because your Administrator controls the KB Articles that are visible to the SSU What items can I search for using Global Search You can use Global Search to search for a variety of information stored in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk This includes e Ticket Records e KB Article Records e Contact Records e Organization Site and Location Records e Groups Records e Navigation Help Can use Ticket Description to search for Tickets 128 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions Yes you can use the Ticket Description to search for Tickets To know how to use Ticket Description to search for tickets go to How do Search for tickets using Ticket Description Can I use Custom Fields to search for a Ticket Yes you can use Custom Fields to search for a Ticket using the Advanced Search option in the Search Ticket Type links To use Custom Fields to search for Tickets you can look for the Custom Fields in the Attributes section of the Advanced Search Tab When I search for a Solution from a ticket is the search based on the CCTI of the Ticket No the search is not filtered based on CCTI of the Ticket the default criterion is Keywords Search When you search for a Solution from a Ticket the default criteria that gets applied is Keyword Search Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks keywords from the Description Symptom Description field of the Ticket and matches it with the keywords fo
257. lly updated Modify Existing Tickets Tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk could be assigned to you either by an Auto Route which gets applied to the ticket or by manual action of assignment by another Service Desk Agent As the Service Desk Agent working on the ticket you may need to modify values on a ticket in your queue or a ticket which you have logged to either update missing values or to correct existing values like change the Ticket Priority or CCTI Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 77 Common Actions on Tickets When the ticket is new only the General Information Tab on the ticket is visible All other tabs on the ticket like Additional Information Tab Relate Cl Tab etc get populated after the ticket is logged Some of the actions you can take to modify an existing ticket are e Update description priority or CCTI Values e Update details into the Additional Information Tab You can also relate the ticket to different entities and add a worklog related to the work you have done on the ticket Manage Ticket Relationships When reviewing a ticket assigned to you or in your queue you may wish to relate the ticket to another ticket The tickets could be related to the same Configuration Items Service or there could be some other logical relation between the two tickets You can relate two tickets from the Relate Tickets tab of the ticket Similarly a ticket could be related to a Configuration Items If
258. long its life cycle The processes could involve simple steps taken to restore the service and resolving the Incident Depending on the severity of the incident it can be marked as Global or related to a Global Incident An Incident Ticket could also lead to creation of a Problem Ticket which may then call for a Change and result in creation of a Change Ticket being logged The default Nimsoft Service Desk workflow for Incident Management is depicted below Overview InfraDesk Default Incident Management Process Please note that the ticket workflow is designed and configured by you Administrator and the Administrator may have modified the workflow to be more suitable to the specific needs of your Organization Chapter 9 Incident Management 169 Incident Management Functions Incident Management Functions List Incidents 170 Agent User Guide The Incidents Management Module which is a Ticket Module allows Service Desk Agents undertake key functions of reporting new Incident either with or without using a template searching for existing Incident Tickets and generating reports related to Incident Requests The Links to the various forms and screens under Incident Management Module are explained below The List Incidents link under Incident Management in the Navigation Panel opens a list of all open Incident Tickets logged and assigned to you or your Support Group s Incident Management Fiter By Statu
259. lowed on the ticket Can I unrelate CI Ticket or Attachments related to the ticket by someone else or by me Yes you can unrelate a Cl a Ticket or an Attachment related to a ticket that is visible to you in your queue The entity could have been related by you or by someone else To unrelate a Cl or a Ticket you can just click on the Unrelate link in the row containing the Cl or Ticket details To unrelate an Attachment click on the Delete button in the row containing the attachment Can I close a Parent Ticket without closing a related Task Ticket You should ideally not close a Parent Ticket without closing related Task Tickets However your ability to close a Parent Ticket without closing a related Task Ticket depends on how the workflow has been configured by your Nimsoft Service Desk Application Based on how the workflow is designed you may be informed about Open Child Tasks that you need to close before closing the Parent Ticket or you may be allowed to close the Parent Ticket despite of an Open Child Task Can I modify an Email created using Communication Template before it is sent Yes you can modify all fields and information in a Communication Template and an Email created using a Communication Template before the Email is sent This is because a Communication Template is intended to guide the communication when a communication is sent manually and is used to send out automatic notifications on certain actions All
260. lso view activities on related tickets by choosing the action to Show related on the activity tab Add Solution to Knowledgebase As Service Desk Agents you may have used a unique solution to a ticket and would wish to add the solution to the Knowledge base Nimsoft Service Desk allows you to add a solution to the knowledgebase directly from the ticket The details from the ticket become Symptom Description and the information in the Cause and Resolution fields on the Solution Details Tab are populated on to the Cause and Resolution fields of the Solution Item All Solutions submitted by you will be in Draft State and someone will review and approve your solution Once approved the solution will be available to users who are permitted by your Administrator to view the solution Monitor SLA Compliance on Tickets Search Ticket Requests logged in Nimsoft Service Desk can be monitored for SLA Compliance The Application Administrator can set up Service Targets against defined Service Metrics Depending on the ticket matching conditions if a Service Target gets applied to your ticket the ticket is monitored for SLA Compliance If your Administrator has set up SLA Monitoring on tickets you will see the SLA Compliance tab on the tickets You can see whether tickets are approaching a given SLA Threshold and whether the SLA has been met or missed You can view details of all Service Targets that got applied to the ticket and if required
261. ly when it is currently submitted for Approval and has not yet met the Approval Criteria Also the Action Option of Withdraw From Approval may or may not be enabled by your Administrator To withdraw a Change from Approval Step 1 Go to Take An Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Click on the button to see a dropdown indicating what Actions you are allowed to take on the Ticket These options are controlled by your Administrator Step 2 If available to you click on the Withdraw Change Submitted for Approval option The terminology might be different in your instance as the Action options are defined by your Administrator Step 3 You will be prompted to add a worklog before executing the Withdraw Change Submitted for Approval Action option A notification regarding withdrawal of the Change from the Approval process gets sent automatically to all stakeholders including all Approvers the Ticket Owner Requestor and the Change Manager Modify a Ticket that is in Approval Phase 208 Agent User Guide Note Depending on Configurations managed by your Administrator a Ticket that is in the Approval Phase could be locked and you would not be able to make any modifications to it The only option available to you in this case will be to add a Worklog to the Ticket It is recommended that if you wish to Modify the Change Ticket when it is in Approval Phase you must withdraw the ticket from Approval and then resubmit i
262. may see a Trends and Metrics module which contains a collection of reports related to delivery trends service level trends summary reports etc This reporting capability enables the administrator to monitor the quality of support and guide the working of Service Desk Agents in delivering IT Services and Support The links that you see in your Navigation Panel the actions you take on tickets the progression of a ticket towards its closure the special fields on tickets attributes for the Configuration Items ticket and communication templates and many such aspects of the working on Nimsoft Service Desk in your organization are managed by your Administrator The Admin Console allows your administrator to set up and configure Nimsoft Service Desk as per your organizational needs Chapter 17 Other Supporting Modules 265 Frequently Asked Questions The Administrator can use the Admin Console to design workflows and auto routes configure the ticket and communication templates set up Service Targets against some Service Metrics design and schedule feedback forms and manage permissions to various actions and links for each support group The Admin Console is also used to enable or disable certain actions as deemed appropriate to your organization s context As Service Desk Agents your working will be managed by the actions available to the Administrator in the Admin Console Frequently Asked Questions This section answers some questio
263. ment are explained in the sections below About Configuration Management Configuration Management deals with providing IT Management a control over the IT Assets such as hardware devices computer programs documentation outsourced services etc Configuration Management allows the management to Specify ownership status and version related information about a Configuration Item Maintain current records about a Configuration Item and a history of changes to the Configuration Item Create and maintain relationships between different Configuration Items Configuration Management enables everyone in Service Management and Service Support to access correct and accurate information about available Configuration Item s present physical and functional specification Configuration Management in Nimsoft Service Desk 226 Agent User Guide The Configuration Management Module in Nimsoft Service Desk provides a structured framework for maintaining an up to date record of all Cls of the organization Your Administrator can create and manage the Configuration Items Database in the Configuration Management Module Configuration Management Functions The Administrator can create new Configuration Item records by providing all required information about the Configuration Item like its make model warranty details and other specification The administrator can specify Categorization CCTI for the Configuration Item and associate a Cl wi
264. ministrator could configure custom fields for information specific to the ticket being logged You can modify any of the pre populated information and also add other information and save the Request Chapter 8 Request Management 159 Request Management Functions Reports 160 Agent User Guide Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Request Page where you will be able to view a list of Pre defined Search Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and the Personal Searches that you have configured You can click on any pre defined or Personal search to view the search results Predefined Searches Form Name Search Aevances Search Search Resutts west Reportes by Me Requests Gssqrec to mactve Contacts Default Default Default Default Default yn Open Service Requests My Greg s Open Service Requests Tickets Not Assigned to Any Group or n nidual segned to Any Group or n tacus Default Se n ce Request U Defauit Open Service Reques If an existing search does not match your search criteria you can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own filters by which you need to filter the tickets Your Search Results will be displayed in the Search Results tab A list of all tickets that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below You can sort the results using the column heading and extract data of the searc
265. mit button will be enabled Step 4 Click on Submit and your rating for the KB Article will be submitted You will be able to see the rating and comments in the table below Use a Ticket to Resolve Another Ticket If you have used a cause and resolution for resolving one ticket and want to use the same cause and resolution to resolve another ticket you can use the first ticket to update the cause and resolution details of the second To Resolve one ticket using another Step 1 Click on Search Solution action on the ticket which you need to work on and resolve A list of KB Articles related to the ticket will be displayed in the Search for Knowledge Base Articles Look up Step 2 In the filters click on Include Recently Resolved Tickets checkbox This will enable Nimsoft Service Desk to display recently resolved tickets into the search for solutions of a ticket Step 3 Clear the Keyword search and any other Filters already set on the search screen using the Clear Button Step 4 Click on View A list of KB Articles and Recently Resolved Tickets will be displayed in the list below If the ticket cause and resolution are useful to resolve the current ticket click on use solution The Cause and Resolution details from the resolved ticket will get updated into the current ticket The Ticket ID will get updated into the Resolved using Case ID field Note As the solution updated in the Solution Details Tab of the ticket is disp
266. mmunication Templates establishing workflows and auto routes setting up SLA targets and managing Service Feedback Surveys These enhance Agents working on the tickets and bring in greater accountability for what is being done on the tickets Supporting Functions Your Administrator does several actions in order to set up Nimsoft Service Desk to suit the needs of IT support in your organization and to manage how you as Service Desk Agents use Nimsoft Service Desk Some of these key functionalities are explained below Scheduled Activities There are some repetitive tasks that are generally undertaken by the Service Desk Agents for ongoing maintenance of the IT Infrastructure Report Creation Reviews etc as part of day to day tasks done by the Service Desk These tasks are assigned to a specific individual or group to be done at a fixed scheduled time As many of these tasks are mandatory and they are carried out at regular intervals your Administrator can set up a Schedule for such Tasks On the basis of the schedule tickets for undertaking the task are auto created and they get assigned to an identified Individual or Specified Group Examples of such routine tasks are taking Data Backups at pre defined intervals extracting a pre defined set of reports etc 264 Agent User Guide Supporting Functions Your Administrator can specify how often the task is to be done associate a Holiday List to the tasks and thus enable Nim
267. mmunications and actions on the ticket that have been triggered by the SLA Monitor In the Activity tab of the ticket you can view the communications and actions on the ticket in response to a Service Target that got applied to the ticket To view the details and status of a communication sent out either by Email or Phone you can click on an item in the activity list and view details If the notification has been made by Phone a Notification ID will be associated with the communication This can be used to check details of the communication handled by MIR3 Chapter 16 Service Level Management 257 Service Level Management Functions Notification Create Date rani oroesi am Detats mE Reo Te Sew 13022011 053122 DELIVERY ATTEWIT y TRACE OPENTI Oncat Leved 11919496201 131 Atc To Oma Ware You can use information about the Service Target and communications for monitoring and managing your actions with the SLA targets in perspective The trace logs in the message details can also be used to find out the status or any notification sent out in case there is a need to confirm the message delivery status Phone Notification Trace Logs If your application administrator has undertaken the required configurations to enable the action of Phone Notification in response to an SLA Target Threshold rule violation you can view the communication logs related to the status of the communicati
268. msoft Service Desk allows a four level hierarchical categorization at the Class Category Type and Item CCTI level Categorization can be applied to Tickets Configuration Items and KB Articles in the Knowledge base A class can have several categories under it each category could further have several types and each type can have several items Chapter 2 Key Concepts 31 Core Application Concepts Time Zones 32 Agent User Guide For example if the Class of a Configuration Item is Printer Category could be Laser Inkjet Industrial or Dot Matrix Further Laser printer could have Type as Epson HP Coolpix etc and the Item for HP could be 1100 i 1120 p etc Category Laser InkJet Type HP 1200 Epson install Decommission Repair Upgrade Such categorization of Configuration Items enables a structured way of maintaining records and assists in understanding of what is affected if there is an issue with the configuration Item Categorization of tickets facilitates effective auto routing of the tickets to the appropriate group For example the Administrator can set up an auto route that if a ticket has the Class Printers and Category Laser it should be auto assigned to a specified support group This reduces time involved in the ticket getting assigned to different groups and lessens unnecessary transactions between multiple groups KB Articles in the Knowledge Base can also be categorized t
269. n Action Options in the Ticket Toolbar Depending on the Change Type approvers and reviewers could be automatically associated with the ticket Approvers get associated with the ticket based on the Approval Groups that get related to the ticket based on the ticket Matching Conditions configured by the Application Administrator In some cases depending on Matching Conditions on the ticket and configurations managed by your Application Administrator a ticket get submitted to Contextual Approvers or Reviewers like Manager of Requester Group Lead of the Support Group Change Approver related a Cl that has been related to the ticket etc You can view details related to the Approvers and Reviewers that have gotten associated with the ticket and if allowed you can manually add Approvers or Reviewers to the ticket You may need to withdraw a Change that is in the approval process If so you can withdraw the Change using the available action for the Take an Action Option in the Ticket Toolbar Chapter 11 Change Management 203 Handling Change Tickets View Approval Comments You can view the status of a ticket that has been submitted for approval from the Approvals Tab This gives you an idea of the feedback from the Approver and whether the change is being approved or rejected Approve or Reject a Change If you are an Approver for a Change you can see and approve Change Requests assigned to you for approval The requests pending appr
270. nagement 219 Handling Task Tickets All Task Tickets related to the Task Ticket will get automatically created You can assign them out to individuals to take up the tasks For tasks that need to be done in a given order or with dependencies you can create task tickets using a Task Flow The Task Tickets will get fired in the Order in which they need to be done Depending on configurations set by your Administrator task tickets can be set to be triggered on the successful completion of a prior Task If a Task Flow is unsuccessful on the first attempt you can resubmit the Task Flow after taking care of the factor that caused the earlier Task Flow to fail This allows you to manage all tasks related to a ticket completion effectively Modify Existing Task Tickets When a Task Ticket is created or assigned to you you can update information related to Time to Completion by updating the planned start and end dates for the Tasks You can also update other Task Related Information from the various fields in the Task Ticket Manage Ticket Relationships You cannot relate a Task Ticket to other tickets You can relate a Task Ticket to Configuration Items and relate an Attachment to the Task Ticket If the Parent Ticket has Affected Services identified the information will be carried into the Task Ticket Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within th
271. nagement Module are explained below Chapter 8 Request Management 157 Request Management Functions List Service Requests The List Service Request link under Request Management in the Navigation Panel opens a list of all open Service Requests logged and assigned to you or your support group s Request Management Fitter Options 4 Fier e Status Assigned Oroup Assigned individual Orgarizeton Ste Testing disab ng of Mutti tier approval sf SRQ 394270 Request for testing router we 3 aa pestem bie Print Ticket remet Export Data Options Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view charts and ticket list of all open Service Request logged in your queue You can see the same charts that you see on the Home Page under the Home Section the difference is that the data will be filtered to include only Service Request Similarly the Ticket List area will display all open service request logged in your or your organization s queue Like the List Tickets forms under Home you can filter the list by ticket status assigned individual assigned group organization and site You can also click on a ticket in the list to view more details export the ticket list as PDF or CSV files and print any selected ticket Log Service Request 158 Agent User Guide Clicking on this link opens a blank new Service Request form To log a new Service Request update
272. navigation panel Form Name HH Open Tickets Aging Report Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods grouped by organization Open Tickets Aging Report By Group Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support group Open Tickets Aging Report By Individual Displays the number of open tickets in different aging periods classified by the assigned support technician Ticket Status Report Displays the total number of tickets in different statuses classified by organization List of reports Clicking on the Reports link under Problem Management allows you to view a list of Reports related to Problem Tickets The exact reports you see in your list depends on the type of reports configured by your Administrator and the reports to which Service Desk Agents have permissions You can choose the report you wish to view You will be able to modify the report date range and modify any other parameters if fields for this have been allowed by your Administrator Once you are satisfied with the report parameters you can click on the Show button The report will be displayed in the screen below You can also choose to extract the report into PDF or CSV format Handling Problem Tickets In your routine functioning with Problem Tickets you will perform some actions related Problem Tickets logged and assigned to you You could log new Problem Tickets modify
273. ncident Management Problem Management Change Management and Task Management guide on how to use these specific ticket forms and manage these different Ticket type The section on Configuration Management and Knowledge Management walk the user through the non ticket related modules of Configuration Management and Knowledgebase The section on Other Supporting Modules introduces you to certain features that are not directly visible to you as Agents but impacts how you work with the tickets and working towards effective Service Delivery Each section contains an explanation of the screens and forms within that unit and also has a set of related e How Do questions that guide you in carrying out various day to day operational activities using Nimsoft Service Desk e Frequently Asked Questions that answer questions anticipated from users related to that module You can directly go to any unit from the links in the Navigation Panel or browse through each individual section across the user guide 22 Agent User Guide Core Application Concepts Chapter 2 Key Concepts The design of Nimsoft Service Desk and the implementation of its features and functionality are guided by some key concepts Being aware of these key concepts and how they are applied in Nimsoft Service Desk will enable you to explore the features and functionality of Nimsoft Service Desk fully The Key Concepts categorized into three groups are explained below Cor
274. nclude or exclude details using appropriate filters as per their needs Agents can select the page they wish to use as Landing Page when they log into Nimsoft Service Desk This depends on the Define own Landing Page feature or function of the Application they use most They can specify any page except ticket forms and look ups including a Dashboard Page as the landing page Agents can update their own profile details like contact Manage Own Profile and numbers designation etc change the color scheme of Nimsoft Password Service Desk Interface and can change and manage own Nimsoft Service Desk Password using the Agent Interface Agent can choose the language they wish to use to interact with Choose preferred UI the application They can choose a locale setting different from language the default set by the administrator by choosing from available options Agents can set the Out of Office flag when they are away from Divert Notifications when the office and can divert all notification mails to a designated Out of Office Deputy Alternate contact This feature is available to all users including Self Service Users Access Navigation Help Agents can access Navigation Help which guides on using Global 20 Agent User Guide Features for Operations Search and assists in navigating to simple frequently occurring actions using Nimsoft Service Desk Application Agents can access the Nimsoft Service Desk User Manual via the Product Do
275. nctions of viewing existing Task Tickets searching for Task Tickets and generating reports related to Task Tickets 216 Agent User Guide Task Management Functions The Links to the various forms and screens under Task Management Module are explained below List Task Tickets The List Task Tickets link under Task Management in the Navigation Panel opens a list of all open Task Tickets logged and assigned to you or your Support Group s Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view charts and Ticket List of all open Task Tickets logged in your queue You can see the same charts that you see on the Home Page under the Home Section the difference is that the data will be filtered to only Task Tickets Similarly the Ticket List area will display all open Task Tickets logged in your or your Organization s queue Task Management Filter Requests ReTest of Reworked HW chnage Upgr Medium Print Ticket 1 Take Back up trom existing Server For f Medium Switching over to new Sever replacing Medium Record s 1108018 Ticket List Export Data Options You can further filter the list by ticket status assigned individual assigned group Organization and site You can also click on a ticket in the list to view more details export the Ticket List into PDF or CSV files and print any selected ticket Search Task Tickets Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Request Page wh
276. nfiguration Items and KB Articles Categorization in Nimsoft Service Desk has a four tiered approach to define an entity First tier is Class then a Category under that Class then a Type associated with the Category and finally an Item associated with the Type selected This is also referred to as CCTI which stands for Class Category Type and Item as a method of categorizing Configuration Items in Nimsoft Service Desk Cause is a field in the Solutions Details section of tickets An Incident or Problem occurs due to some reason which is usually identified upon investigation of the Incident or Problem This reason is referred to as the Cause ITSM recommends that all Change Requests pass through a Change Approval Process wherein a competent person or competent group of people study the Change and consider the implications of the Change before a Change is implemented This process of seeking permission to implement a Change is referred to as Change Approval A Change Approver is someone who participates in the Change Approval Process and decides whether a Change can be undertaken implemented or not Change Approvers have the authority to determine whether a proposed Change can be allowed The Change Calendar carries the forward schedule of all Planned Changes where the Planned Start Date and Planned End date of the Change are updated The Change Calendar displays entries related to the Planned Changes and allows you t
277. ng notifications selecting as deputy or for performing any other action with the application Configuration Item Status The status of a Configuration item is seen in the Configuration Item Look up when you wish to relate a configuration item to the ticket The Status of the Configuration could be set based either on what the Cl is used for or on its current life stage The Administrator can choose from a range of status options like New Configured Deprovisioned Active etc Ticket Status The Ticket Status visible in the Request List or Search Request List indicates what progress has been made on the request and what stage of completion the request is at A ticket status changes when the system by way of auto routes or the agent takes an action on the request A ticket status could be New Queued Pending Active Resolved or Closed The Submit Request link under Issue Services in the Navigation Menu allows the logged in user to submit a new request Clicking on this link opens a Submit Request Form where information related to the request can be captured Support Services link in the Navigation Menu lists items and links that allow the logged in user to access the News FAQs Knowledgebase and find out about any known Outages Chapter 18 Glossary 287 Frequently Asked Questions Standard Change Sticky Solution Support Groups Support Services Survey Forms Symptom Take an Action 288 Agent User Guide Where a
278. ng and experimenting with probable resolutions to known issues or issues which have been successfully resolved in the past The Knowledgebase can contain articles related to IT Objects and Services and symptom cause and resolution of Incidents that are carried over from tickets Knowledge Management Functions While working on providing Support to end users Service Desk agents working on tickets build a Knowledge Repository with KB Articles related to common Incidents known problems and to hold instructions to troubleshoot incidents and resolve minor queries The Knowledge Base also contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions which Self Service Users can access to know about IT services they access and thus reduce dependency on Support As Service Desk Agents the Knowledge Base assists greatly in reducing time to diagnose and resolve issues and gaining from past experience The forms and sections under Knowledge Management are explained below Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 235 Knowledge Management Functions List KB Articles 236 Agent User Guide KB Articles link under Knowledge Management takes you to a form where all articles in the Knowledgebase are listed You can see only a list of those KB Articles that you have permission to view WB Aricie Category Erter keywords Une ordy space to separate keyword Carce Apricaten MS Curva Nord ct Oui Syreton Descreten Filter Options utc aces rof wo O
279. ng impact and is a Global issue you can mark it appropriately using the Manage Global Issue option in the Ticket Toolbar You can now work on the ticket and progress towards its closure Report Problem Using Template Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view and select from a list of available templates to log a new Problem Ticket The list of templates visible to you will be controlled by your Application Administrator When you select a Ticket Template a new Problem Ticket opens in a new window Chapter 10 Problem Management 185 Problem Management Functions Search Problems Reports 186 Agent User Guide Some of the fields will be pre populated based on how the Template has been configured by your Administrator The ticket could also contain the Additional Information Tab where your Administrator could configure custom fields for information specific to the ticket being logged You can update the other details as appropriate and work on it as any other ticket Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Request Page where you will be able to view a list of Pre defined Search Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and any Personal Searches that you have configured You can click on any available search to view the search results 4 Problem Management Search Problems Avallable Predefined Searches Description Category lame Reite Ean Oeteut My Groups
280. ng on tickets you may need to search for an older ticket record tickets related to a particular case id a Configuration Item matching a particular CCTI or a solution modified between specific dates For such ad hoc searches you can use the Advanced Search option available to you with all modules of Nimsoft Service Desk Unlike in pre defined searches where the search conditions are pre defined and where you may be able to modify a few parameters when using Advanced Search you can choose your own search parameters and define what records you wish to search for You can access the Advanced Search Option from the Search records link under each module The Search form by default lists the pre defined searches You can view the Advanced Search options by clicking on the Advanced Search tab This displays an Advanced Search form where fields relevant to the record type will be available You can enter Matching Conditions to search for required records Chapter 5 Searches 115 Search Functions tees le eee Sae o Sew rh mil Pee fy TU eer o torch 0 a 6 i i _ 3 1 Persona foxes noes Y pera Deerener And Cv da man HN 7 i eed Darth AS Cased Reber tree A3 Suet Jer emes nee AS Reenter Name Kt despite AS Dermei ini sn ADN og az Cwe hoec ca _ Nessa Com Qu NM tee be Adee amem 0 e Frons ten 1 2l Weert Ugery Pet Sowie AL dd gt teamed bate Pv Vadte
281. nge allows effective auto routing of the Change Ticket and appropriate Approval process can get associated with the ticket if it is correctly classified You may need to e Classify the change by choosing a Change Type as Standard Normal Emergency or Break fix e Classify the change as Major or Minor e Select a Categorization for the ticket CCTI Depending on the values associated with the ticket like the Change Type and CCTI an appropriate Workflow will get applied to the ticket and the ticket will be processed through its life cycle Modify Existing Change Tickets Once a Change ticket is logged you can update further information related to the Change If the ticket is created using a Template you will need to update the Custom Fields if any You can prepare a Change Plan from the More Detailed Information tab on the ticket Some specific information you should include are Chapter 11 Change Management 201 Handling Change Tickets e Planned Start and End Date for the change e Change Risk Assessment e Cl Location or Environment that will be affected e Change Implementation Plans All information you present here will help with the Change Review and Approval Process Manage Ticket Relationships You can relate the Change Ticket to other existing ticket from the Relate Tickets tab of the ticket If the Change is likely to affect a Service or other Configuration Items you can relate these to the ticket from the
282. nment done by the Agent Analyst working on the ticket as well as automatic actions executed by any auto routes that got applied to the ticket The Activity tab also lists details of all communications related to the ticket This includes any outgoing communication sent from the ticket manually or as automatic notifications as well as incoming communications received by the ticket The information will include details of the communications like directions incoming outgoing notification status message details You can also click on the Show Related Activity checkbox and view activity details on related tickets Monitor SLA Compliance on the Ticket You can check whether an SLA is applied to a ticket and monitor whether your ticket has met or missed the SLA targets You can also view if a ticket is approaching SLA threshold violation and work on your task accordingly Update a Solution to the Ticket To resolve the ticket you can choose to Search for a KB Article from the existing Knowledgebase If any KB Article listed is useful to the ticket you can apply the KB Article to the ticket and update the Solution Details into the ticket directly from the Knowledge base If you use a new solution you can manually update the cause and resolution fields in the Solution Details Tab of the ticket Add Solution to Knowledgebase As Agents if you have used a new solution on a ticket and wish to share solution you will also be able to ad
283. ns bound by the state of the Action Options Controlled as ticket are controlled by the Administrator per the Workflow Such controlled action options help ensure conformity with the workflow designed and guide the agent towards the next plausible action on a ticket Agents involvement in manual action on tickets submitted for approval can be minimized via Approval Based Actions The Administrator can set up workflow actions to be automatically initiated upon Approval or Rejection of a ticket Approval Based Actions Agents can view Planned Scheduled Changes in the Change Calendar Based Activities Calendar This helps the agent working on the ticket to plan and prioritizes activities accordingly Chapter 1 Introduction 17 Features for Operations Agents can view details of the SLA applicable to a ticket and can also view the SLA status This will indicate whether the SLA is in SLA Management progress or the ticket has met or missed its SLA The agent can also add a comment to the SLA tab to provide additional information related to an SLA target Agents can review the activity logs on the ticket from the Activity tab to see all manual and automatic action on a ticket like changes in status communication sent out and worklogs on a ticket This helps agents review all actions on the ticket to decide further action Activity Log on Tickets Agents can add a worklog to indicate work done on a ticket They can control whether
284. ns users may encounter when accessing Nimsoft Service Desk features managed by the administrator Why am I not able to access Reporting function while another Agent in my group is able to This is because Permission to access various functions is controlled by your Administrator It is possible that the other Agent is part of a Role that is involved in Reporting Activities and has therefore been given access to the Reporting functions Can I create my own pre defined searches No all Pre Defined Searches are configured by your Administrator and are made available to you depending on Permissions to different groups and roles Can I create a Schedule for activities that I regularly need to take up While you cannot create a Schedule for Activities if there are tasks that are performed by you as per a fixed schedule you can request your supervisor or administrator to create a Schedule that will assign tickets for the Activities for you Can I know if the tickets assigned to me are part of a Scheduled Activity There will be no direct indication on the ticket that it is part of a Scheduled Activity However you can check the Ticket Details section of the ticket where the Ticket ID Status and Reason code etc are displayed If the ticket has been created by the Integration Engine and modified by the Routing Engine it is a system generated ticket This means the ticket is either part of a Scheduled Activity or it has been created by the
285. o view the ticket details on the calendar Chapter 18 Glossary 273 Frequently Asked Questions Change Impact Change Reviewer Change Type Client Note Client Viewable Communication 274 Agent User Guide Change Impact refers to the effect of a proposed Change Any Change in the existing IT services or IT Infrastructure Cls Configurations or software applications etc be it by modifying some existing service or adding a new service has some impact on the users of the service It is essential to identify the impact of the Change Change tickets therefore carry a Change Impact field where the Change Impact can be fixed as none medium high or low A Change Reviewer is someone who participates in the Change Approval process to Review and comment on the Change Change Reviewers assess the Change and suggest whether the Change can be Approved or not However they cannot approve or reject the Change Their review comments will not directly impact the progress of a Change ticket Change Type refers to further classification of a Change Request based on the nature and origin of a proposed Change Depending on whether a Change needs to follow a normal approval process or whether the approval process is to be modified for a given Change ticket the Change Type can be fixed as Standard Normal Emergency or Break fix Client Note is an option available to classify a worklog that is added to a ticket When an SSU updates a w
286. o New option in the Ticket Toolbar All details from the existing Ticket will get carried over into the New Ticket You can edit any information that was carried over into the New Ticket Note You can also Create New Service Request from the Create New link under Home Section Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 83 How Do I Create a New Ticket Using a Template You can create a New Ticket using a list of pre populated Ticket Templates made available to you You will find a list of all Templates related to each Ticket Type in the respective Ticket Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Under Home you will find a consolidated list of all Ticket Templates for all Ticket Types To Create a Ticket using a Template choose which type of Ticket you wish to log Step 1 Go to the Create Ticket Using Template link in the chosen Ticket Module A Ticket Template List form will be displayed The page will have a list of available Templates Step 2 Depending on the nature of the Ticket you wish to log click on an appropriate Ticket Template A Ticket Form will open in a new window Many fields in the form like description CCTI and priority related fields may be already filled in The Template could also have fields to be updated in the Additional Information Tab Step 3 Add details into the Requester Information section by entering Requester Name or using the Name Search lookup Step 4 Add missing information or modify the
287. o Sort the data to group the list in any way you can click on the column heading to sort the requests in an alphabetically or numerically ascending or descending order Step 3 Click on PDF or CSV icon depending on what format you wish to export the file Open or Save the file as required Note You can also export data related to Configuration Items from the List Cls link and data related to KB Articles from the List KB Articles link The Export Data option is also available from the various Search actions including Ticket Search Cl Search and KB Articles Search Create Reports Related to the Ticket Nimsoft Service Desk allows extraction of a range of reports to chart trends related to Tickets You can choose from a range of reports that you have been given access to To create reports related to each Ticket Type from the respective Ticket Modules Step 1 Go to the reports link under the appropriate Ticket Module For example if you want to extract a report related to Change Tickets go to the reports link under Change Management Module Step 2 From the list of available reports select the report you would like to prepare The report will open in a new window You can modify things like Date Range and Date of Report Extraction Step 3 Make any required modifications and choose whether you want to view the report on screen or would like to extract it into a PDF or CSV File Step 4 Click on Show and the report wil
288. o auto close in a specific number of days Others are set based on priority by default to require an agent to actively close the ticket Response time indicates the time taken by a Service Desk Agent to accept assignment of a ticket and thereby change the status of the ticket from New to Active Response time can be used as a measure to apply SLA Compliance monitoring Internally for OLAs Response time can also be considered when a ticket is reassigned to another group and the how quickly the group responds to the escalated ticket Chapter 18 Glossary 283 Frequently Asked Questions Request Fulfillment Reviewer Risk Assessment Roles Routing Engine Schedules 284 Agent User Guide Request Fulfillment is the process of dealing with Service Requests from the users The objectives of the Request Fulfillment process include e Providing channel for users to request and receive standard services for which a pre defined approval and qualification process exists e Providing information to users and customers about the availability of services and the procedure for obtaining them e Providing and deliver the components of requested standard services e g licenses and software media e Providing with general information complaints or comments A Reviewer is a contact who is consulted about a proposed change A reviewer has no authority to allow or stall the Change Approval Process but the views of a reviewer are considered whil
289. o be associated with contacts in the organization based upon the role they play with respect to the Cl as Owner User and Support etc Configuration Items can be associated with a ticket if an issue reported is related to a Configuration Item and thus historical data can be stored and pulled out as needed The Status of a Configuration Item indicates whether the Cl is currently in use or not and what stage of its life cycle the Cl is at Escalation is the action of moving an open request from its current position or from the person to whom it is currently assigned to a person or group at a higher level in the hierarchy A request can be escalated for one of the following two reasons e When the person who was originally required to resolve a request was unable to resolve it and therefore wanted to assign it to a specialist group or individual e When the response time for a request or resolution time for the request has elapsed and the issue has either not been responded to or resolved This escalation happens in response to an SLA violation Two actions are possible for escalation in case of SLA violation e Reassignment of the request to a higher level expert or team e Notification to a person at a higher level regarding a threshold violation Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured to automatically take either action for escalation by setting up suitable workflows and establishing these actions as part of the SLA threshold related a
290. o facilitate effective search for KB Articles with similar categorization When Service Desk Agents work on a ticket and use the Search Solution action KB Articles with same categorization are displayed as the preferred matching solutions This assists the Service Desk Agents is determining if the solution can be applied to a specific ticket or not thus reducing confusions in filtering through many irrelevant searches or search results In globalized economies IT service management may involve Service Users and Service Support Groups situated around the world in different countries and varying time zones Operating on 24X7 basis means that the time stamps for transactions must be recorded on a standard basis such as GMT or Universal Time Core Application Concepts A user can best utilize the time related information much more easily if his her view of time related information is expressed as per his her physical time zone Nimsoft Service Desk therefore takes into account the time zone of the logged in user and performs the necessary time conversions to user s time zone for displaying time related information In Nimsoft Service Desk Time Zone related calculations are applied to tickets particularly for calculating SLA Compliance in terms of Response Time Time taken by an assigned individual group to accept assignment and take ownership of a ticket and Resolution Time Time taken by an assigned individual group to resolve the ticket
291. o is having the issue and the Request Details Section Symptom Description If the Incident is related to a Service update the Affected Service field Categorize and prioritize the ticket as appropriate Ticket Toolbar Requestor Details Affected Service Request Details Categorization LL Sd ual nter Click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar and a new Incident Ticket will be logged The Ticket Details fields like Ticket Number Ticket Status etc will get automatically updated when you log the request After the ticket is logged other tabs like Additional Information tab Related Tickets tab etc will appear on the ticket If the ticket is related to a Global Issue or if the ticket is a Global issue you can mark it appropriately using the Manage Global Issue option in the Ticket Toolbar You can now work on the ticket and progress towards its closure Report Incident Using Template Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view and select from a list of available Templates to log a new Incident Ticket The list of Templates visible to you will be controlled by your Application Administrator When you select a Ticket Template a new Incident Tickets opens in a new window Chapter 9 Incident Management 171 Incident Management Functions Search Incidents Reports 172 Agent User Guide Some of the fields will be pre populated based on how the Template has been configured by you
292. o relate a Global Attachment Step 1 Click on the Attachments tab of the Ticket A section containing the list of existing attachments and options to Relate Existing or Add New attachment will be displayed Step 2 If you wish to Relate an Existing Attachment Global Attachment click on the Relate Existing button An Attachment list lookup will be displayed Step 3 Choose the file you wish to attach You will get a message seeking confirmation of the action Click OK to relate the attachment to the Ticket To relate a new file as attachment to the Ticket Step 1 Click on Add New button A New Attachment screen will open up Step 2 Give the attachment a name and a brief description if needed Step 3 Choose the file type from the dropdown list Step 4 Click Browse to search for the attachment from your system or other systems accessible to you Select the appropriate file Step 5 If you wish to make the attachment available to others click Yes in the Can be used as Global section Step 6 Click on Attach The attachment will get related to your Ticket and will be visible in the Attachments list How Do I Relate a Configuration Item to the Ticket You can relate a Configuration Item to the Ticket from the Relate Cls tab of the Ticket To Relate a Configuration Item to the Ticket Step 1 Click on the Relate Cls tab on the Ticket A section containing a list of already Related Configuration Items will be displayed This s
293. o these Emails to directly add a note to update the ticket Schedule Emails to be sent Agents can set up Email Communication to be sent to identified 18 Agent User Guide on a future date and time Direct URL Links Access Predefined and Advance Searches per module Create and Save Personal Searches Access Global Search for All Type of Records View Charts and Dashboard Drill Down to Data from the Charts on the Dashboard Generate Reports for Ticket and Non Ticket Modules Access Knowledge Base Articles to resolve tickets Add Articles to Knowledge Base Features for Operations recipients at a future date and time If the reminder is set using a Communication Template the reminder can be set to update values on ticket to reflect the values as on the date and time of email schedule Agents can receive Direct URL Links within notifications from the Application for My Outstanding Approvals Service Feedback Forms and Forgotten Password actions Clicking these links allows direct access to the respective page or form in Nimsoft Service Desk Agents can access a range of predefined searches as per permissions given by the Administrator and can also access Advanced Search Option to create own search For frequently executed search strings related to Tickets and Configuration Items Agents can configure their own Personal Searches by selecting fields from the forms Ticket and Configuration Item forms These searc
294. ocation Organization in Nimsoft Service Desk refers to the Customer company which is using Nimsoft Service Desk to manage its IT Support and Service Delivery and any other companies that are associated with it as Vendors Suppliers Customers etc Site in Nimsoft Service Desk can be taken as a Physical geographical site which could mean a city or country division of the organization Depending on the scale and geographical spread of the organization Site can also be taken as department or division within the organization Location in Nimsoft Service Desk refers to the physical geographical location for example city or building where an organizational unit is housed Depending on the scale and geographical spread of the organization Site can also be taken as building or cabin where the organizational department is housed In Nimsoft Service Desk Organization Records are configured with Organization as the parent Site as child under Organization and Location as child under Site Site USA Site india Site Japan 4 4 Location Location Location Location Boston Now York Mumbai Tokyo 28 Agent User Guide Nimsoft Service Desk allows customers to configure records for multiple Organizations within each instance of the application For example a customer organization besides maintaining Organization Site and Location details for its own company can also maintain separate organization records for its suppliers vendors
295. ocess based on the workflow design and task tickets could be logged to undertake different components of a change The various elements of Change Management are explained in the sections below About Change Management The rate of change in technologies and the associated need for change in the IT Service Offerings is mounting A change that is not well planned can however lead to problems Therefore there is a need for tightly managed and controlled approach towards Change Change Management is the process responsible for ensuring that e Standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes e All changes to service assets and Configuration Items are recorded in the Configuration Management System e Overall business risk is minimized Change Ticket Life cycle 192 Agent User Guide A proposed change typically passes through four phases which involve Phase 1 Raise Change Capture detail of proposed change Overview Phase 2 Evaluate Change and record analysis of Risks impacts on Cls Services Environments etc and plan details for implementation verification contingency of back out etc Submit for Approval action to initiate Approval cycle Phase 3 Approval Rejection or Requests for more information by Approver Reviewer Phase 4 Implementation and verification of change Action on successful implementation Action on failed change Phase 5 Change Post Implementa
296. olled by your Application Administrator Required Fields are those fields in the Ticket forms where it is compulsory for you to fill in appropriate values before submitting the request or while making changes to an existing request The fields that are to be marked as Required Fields are chosen by your Application Administrator All required fields are marked by a Red Asterisk Resolution can refer to either ways to resolve an incident to restore service or steps to overcome some issue being faced by the user It can also refer to the final step towards providing a service requested for by the end user Tickets need to be progressed towards resolution through different actions to service the request The Resolved status is set on Service Desk tickets when the request issue error has been removed from the infrastructure Some tickets are set to auto close in a specific number of days after transition to Resolved status Others are set based on priority by default to require an agent to actively close the ticket generally after verifying with the Requester Resolution Time indicates the time taken by a Service Desk Agent working on a ticket resolution to resolve the ticket thereby changing the status of the ticket from Active to Resolved Resolution time can be used as a measure to apply SLA Compliance monitoring The Resolved status is set on Problem tickets when the error has been removed from the infrastructure Some tickets are set t
297. olution is appropriate all KB Articles are first suggested in Draft State Once reviewed the Administrator sets the Solution as Active The Administrator can also set the solution as inactive if it is no longer valid ITSM ITIL Concepts Access to all Knowledge Articles and the ability of Service Desk Agents to Add to Knowledgebase is managed by Permissions Service Level Management A Service Level Agreement is an agreement between an IT Service Provider and a Service User that describes the IT Service and the performance expected When applied to support of IT Service the time taken to respond and time taken to resolve User s Requests form the basic measure of actual Service Level against an agreed performance target Service Level Management deals with the process of negotiating Service Level Agreements and of ensuring that these are met Service Level Management is responsible for ensuring that all IT Service Management processes Operational Level Agreements and Underpinning contracts are appropriate for the agreed Service Level Targets Service Level Management monitors and reports on Service Targets Regular reviews related to services and actual performance and agreed upon service level targets with the customer are desirable for continuous improvements The Key units to measure SLA Performance are Service Metrics Service Metric defines what is to be measured This can be a measurement such as Ticket Response time i e the
298. on sent out from Nimsoft Service Desk and the response received from MIR3 There are two background jobs that run to enable Nimsoft Service Desk to identify messages that need to be relayed to MIR3 and to relay the response from MIR 3 to those messages The table below shows the trace log messages generated in response to various scenarios of the SLA notification related messages exchanged between Nimsoft Service Desk and MIR 3 Response Notification Overridden by When an action is performed Notification Tracker another action taken on the on the ticket before the Overridden ticket recipient has responded to the phone notification Response Notification was Suppressed When the SLA Target is Suppressed Tracker as the SLA Target that completed for the ticket as a generated the Notification result of the SLA getting was Inactive missed or met Response Notification was responded When the recipient responds Notification 258 Agent User Guide Service Level Management Functions Tracker The selected response was to a phone notification Succeeded lt lt Textual Name of the before the SLA getting option the recipient selected missed gt gt Response Notification has not been When a phone notification Delivered Tracker responded yet has been relayed to the recipient and the SLA is in progress Response Notification has failed with Any MIR3 status other than Notificat
299. onditions when the target was applied and other details like base metric target name etc Ticket Details Ticket Conditions WA Comtapos target Dotate Tichet Tyee Case Cresto On bnc foo NOZIO 11 06 3 48 AM Inge heme Maso Vii Fees to anger Hesponse Tree tos dbupoert Grove 4a Swop iopet reo Phase wtw Ding Desa Queved rene Resting Arms Megroster Cruuraale Aloe Sort Order Mensurad Vaiva Threshoki Valve Que My Matin Action Content Lint 2 da jadian 000500 ADD 01 0041 A Comomted ts Acton s umet 0o 1060 Visage OP ona aM Comit E de mes 061000 A 01 AM Meet Hare Nok ale Depending on the status of a Service Target you can plan and prioritize your activities and manage your ticket queues Chapter 16 Service Level Management 255 Service Level Management Functions You can also add a compliance note to a Service Target for example giving reason why a SLA target was missed When you click on the edit icon in the table the Compliance Tab becomes editable and you can add a note to that field Notifications and Actions related to SLA To help Service Desk Agents Analysts manage their work and ensure service delivery within agreed upon SLA thresholds the Administrator can set up and configure notifications to be sent out at specified intervals intimating the support group working on the ticket about an approaching SLA target threshold Details of these notificati
300. ons and actions triggered by the SLA monitor can be seen in the Activity tab of the ticket Actions on ticket Activity Tab chats 3eited Ch tchmeren w Show Rollos Activity Vew As Add Wonvog SLA Ceapfeace v user Type User Oescripbon Date 3x46 rodem Ager NSCOEV Aon Taber sous Resolves 12 05 2011 1234 29 AM OUTGONO PHONE Sent comm te Oncat Leve Probsbe 300 66 rodea SLA manitor Hosen lassi 1222011 07 00 01 AM Communication Oat nadert SLA Monter Acton Taben SLA Escalation 12022011 96 586 01 au Acton SMA rodent SA Gontor Assigned e ticket to group Oncal Level 12022011 08 58 01 au Assqiment QUTGOINGEMAL Sect comm to Oncal Leve Subject ALERT xx ow roon RA Mondor T agreement DLA Viciado Autodesk muy de 12 02 2011 06 54 01 AM Commusiceton NE Sent comm to Oncal Level Sebject Probable 390 46 SA Mon AGR 06 66 01 4 I x rodent SLA Mostor ponian dai A200 VAM Corrusicaten aac CUTGONG PHONE Sent comm te Oncat Leve SabjectProbabie a na s ETT xx rodeat SL A tostor SLA violation for ticket 300 48 120200011 06 5 01 AM A CUTGONO EVAL Sest comm to Subject Ticket Ausignment z 00 45 HSCO N 2 02 0011 06 52 63 meom noson Adun NSOOEV Tichet Isager 00 48 Prorty Crbcal assigned to vane 06 am aca Tikes to 300 48 bajen Roving Engine Acton Taken Auto Assignment Changed the states 10 Qutut0 WEN 102 511 09 53 38 4M Acton Reason Cede Pending spare
301. or further processing as an Incident In some organizations all requests that are logged and handled by the service desk are logged as Service Requests An agent working on the request may later want to create an Incident ticket or a Problem ticket or a change request against the Service Request if required and work towards closure of the Request The process and progress on Service Requests can be managed using the Request Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Application where the application administrator can configure workflow actions specific to handling Service Requests Incident Management ITIL defines an Incident as any event which is not part of the standard operation of the service and which causes or may cause an interruption or a reduction of the quality of the service An Incident could be due to a known existing issue or could be result of a failure or error in the IT object or device The process of incident detection and recording classification and initial support investigation and diagnosis and resolution and recovery and final closure of the incident form part of the Incident Management Process The objective of Incident Management is to restore normal operations as quickly as possible with the least possible impact on either the business or the user at a cost effective price The Incident Management Process can be implemented through the Incident Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk Chapter 2 K
302. or by others You can unrelate tickets that have been manually related This tab allows Agents to relate Configuration Items Cls to the ticket You can look up details of available Configuration Items and relate appropriate Cls to the ticket This tab also contains a list of the Cls that have been related to this ticket by you or by others You can unrelate Cls that have been related to the ticket This tab allows Agents to relate an Attachment to the Ticket You can choose to either relate an available attachment from within Nimsoft Service Desk Global Attachment or to add a new attachment to the ticket Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 71 Ticket Tabs and Fields Activity This tab contains a list of all attachments that have been related to the ticket by you or others You can unrelate or delete an attachment that you have added This tab displays information about all the actions that have been performed on the ticket This includes information about automatic actions or assignment or routing performed by the routing engine status and reason code changes resulting from an action taken on the ticket communications sent out and received related to the ticket as well as worklogs updated by the agents or the Self Service User You can click on an activity detail listed and view more information like details of a communication sent out delivery status notification ID for a phone notification etc You can also add a
303. or not the requester or customer views this worklog by marking a worklog as Client Viewable Yes or No Control Visibility of Worklogs to the Requester Agents can use Nimsoft Service Desk Tickets to track the effort hours spent on an issue resolution This gives a view of the time spent of working on a ticket Time Tracking on Tickets via worklogs Service Desk Agents can print a ticket to capture all details of the ticket including information from the Custom Fields under the Additional Information tab of the ticket and communication details Print a Ticket You can view the forms above and access the features and actions listed above if you or the Support Group s or Role s that you are part of are given Permission for the action or functionality mentioned Non Ticket Features Service Desk Agents interact constantly with the Ticket Modules of Nimsoft Service Desk to log and manage the flow of requests landing at the Service Desk Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a range of features that are not directly related to the Ticket Modules but enable effective and efficient handling of tickets by the Service Desk Some of these are explained below Features Explanation Agents can receive notification Emails from Nimsoft Service Desk View Email notifications and when a ticket is assigned to their queue or there is an update or Email based Actions on tickets escalation related action on tickets They can respond t
304. ords available in Nimsoft Service Desk You can sort the list visible and export the KB Articles List details into a PDF or CSV file Ticket Layout Chapter 3 Layout and Navigation 65 Navigation Navigation 66 Agent User Guide All tickets forms both new tickets and existing tickets open in a new window The ticket forms are separate forms and do not have the Header Section and Navigation Panel as the screens of the application Ticket Toolbar BD Create New BR covytonew J Save mie Sencha Oe pre BY tote an Action Requestor Details Affected Service Request Details Categorization While each ticket would have specific fields depending on the needs of the specific ticket type broadly the tickets contain e Ticket Toolbar which allows the logged in user to take actions on the ticket e Requester Details which contains details of who has raised the request and for whom e Ticket Details which contains the Ticket ID Ticket Status and other auto populated details e Request Details which contains details of what service or action is being requested e Prioritization Fields which allow the logged in user to set priority for the ticket e Categorization Fields which allow the logged in user to categorize the ticket e Worklog Section which allows the logged in user to update work done on the ticket You can n
305. ority etc This option in the Ticket Toolbar allows agents to manually send communication from the ticket You can choose to send a Send Mail communication either using an available template or by manually drafting a communication Communication sent using the Send Mail Option will contain required ticket details along with the message being communicated Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 73 Common Actions on Tickets This option in the Ticket Toolbar allows agents to print the ticket for further reference You can use this option to take a print of the ticket along with all fields including the Additional Information tabs and Communication History You can print the ticket as a screen or as a PDF document The Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar contains all the Action that you can take on a ticket at that particular stage of the ticket s life cycle Take an Action The options visible in the Take an Action option are controlled by the workflow configured by your Administrator The Action you choose from the Take an Action option will lead to the Status and or Reason Code and or Phase of the ticket to change This option in the Ticket Toolbar is enabled only on a New Ticket It allows you to apply a ticket template rather than creating a new ticket from a blank ticket form You can choose which template you wish to apply from the options that are available to you in the drop down list Apply Ticket Template Availabi
306. orklog on an existing ticket the worklog gets added as Client Note Similarly if the client has sent out any communication related to the ticket via phone or email and this needs to be appended to the ticket it can be added as Client Note Client Viewable is an option in tickets that allow the Worklog to be visible to the requestor Client Viewable Worklogs contains input and details that could be of interest to the requestor The agent can mark a Worklog as Client Viewable Communication refers to both incoming and outgoing Email Communication from Nimsoft Service Desk related to a ticket or some other functionality such as Service Feedback SLA management etc Communication can be manual where a Service Desk Agent manually sends out a mail from the ticket Communication can also be in the form of Automatic Notifications sent out by Nimsoft Service Desk Frequently Asked Questions Communication Templates Configuration Items Contact Records Created Date Custom Fields Dashboard Communication Template is a pre configured Email template made available by the Administrator Communication Templates can be made available for sending manual communication from the ticket Communication Templates can also be attached to auto routes ticket action options approvals etc and can go out as Automatic Notifications when an associated action is taken on the ticket Any component of an IT Infrastructure is referred to as Configur
307. orm to be sent out automatically either at a fixed duration or after a fixed number of requests When a Service Feedback is scheduled a notification is sent to the respondent identified in the schedule the respondents can see the Survey in the My Feedback link They can respond to the feedback as appropriate thereby providing input about the quality of support Configuration Management 58 Agent User Guide Escalations ITSM ITIL Concepts Any component of an IT infrastructure that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT Service is referred to as Configuration Item All IT objects like Hardware Software Networking Devices Peripherals Documentation etc are examples of Configuration Items Configuration Item Records are maintained through their life cycle in a Configuration Management System where records of Incidents Problems and Changes related to the Cl are stored and can be retrieved Nimsoft Service Desk maintains records of Configuration Items belonging to the organization Configuration Items can be grouped and classified according to their Class Category Type and Item All essential attributes of a Configuration Item like it Make Model Manufacturing Date Warranty details etc can be stored in the Cl record One Configuration Item can be related to several other Cl records in a logical network power or service domain depending on how the two items are related to each other Further Configuration Items can als
308. orporation as governed by United States and international copyright laws Restricted Rights Legend If software is for use in the performance of a U S Government prime contract or subcontract Software is delivered and licensed as Commercial computer software as defined in DFAR 252 227 7014 June 1995 or as a commercial item as defined in FAR 2 101 a or as Restricted computer software as defined in FAR 52 227 19 June 1987 or any equivalent agency regulation or contract clause Use duplication or disclosure of Software is subject to Nimsoft Corporation s standard commercial license terms and non DOD Departments and Agencies of the U S Government will receive no greater than Restricted Rights as defined in FAR 52 227 19 c 1 2 June 1987 U S Government users will receive no greater than Limited Rights as defined in FAR 52 227 14 June 1987 or DFAR 252 227 7015 b 2 November 1995 as applicable in any technical data Trademarks Adobe Acrobat Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Exchange are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated Intel and Pentium are U S registered trademarks of Intel Corporation Java TM is a U S trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc Microsoft and Windows are U S registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Netscape TM is a U S trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation Oracle is a U S registered trademark of Oracle Corporation Redwood City California UNIX is a registe
309. ou are a member of and thereby understand what permissions and access could be allowed to you when working with Nimsoft Service Desk The Update My profile link can also be used to delegate to a Deputy when you go out of office and want your mails from Nimsoft Service Desk to be diverted to someone else during your absence You can simply check the Out Of Office check box and select a deputy from the look up under the Deputy Delegate field Home Section Functions Contact Records The First Name Middle Name Last Name CENE v Somitst1 o psigish Emai Job Tiie Department User Details I ITS11 twps com jT Servcie OfficesQube Ping Tene Zone Fats GMT 05 00 AmericaNew York il Deputy Alternate E r ve 7 Enable Login Out of Office Verkpstrick Jason St x Other l Information Contact Details Location open tems Application Special Notes Attachments remesscrs Tabs Phone Details Business m 617 231 7685 Contact Details Home 617 674 3396 Clesr xij Clear v Employee ID External ID Notification Mechanism Pager Type Pager Emel Address Additional Manager SEMNIRIS Sees saba BY Information i HR Generalist Contractor Start Dete End Date xl xj wi You can select a Deputy from the lookup which displays a list of contacts who have at least one group in common with you AND also belong to the O
310. ou to search the Knowledgebase for available Knowledge Base Articles You can enter appropriate search filters to search for the articles available in the records Knowledge Management cilia Search Criteria Sesech Resuts C Erter keywords Use only space to seperate keywords Keyword Search a v Description Search Class Category Type tem Filter Criteria TOT Ul Quer 3il cwr S Co RT All KB Articles matching the search query will be displayed in the table in the search results tab You can click on the KB Article listed to view further details or further filter the result based on when it was modified If required you can extract data from the search result into a PDF or CSV file Note Keyword based search may display unexpected results when searching for articles that are not in English language For languages other than English it is better to use Full text search If your Administrator has given you permission to this link you will be able to view a page that displays reports related to Knowledge Articles You will see a single consolidated report about the Knowledge Articles Chapter 14 Knowledge Management 237 Handling Knowledge Articles You can click on the link to view the Report The report will be displayed in a new window Report Format Report Name IS Modified Between Start Date BR Enadete 16012011 Format On Screen we KB Article Category
311. oval will be listed in the My Outstanding Approvals Link You can view all ticket details and approve the tickets here Assign a Change Ticket If your ticket conditions match an existing Auto Route which matches conditions for Action on Approval the ticket will get automatically assigned to an appropriate Support Group for Change Implementation If no Auto Route exists or matches your Ticket s Condition you can manually assign the Ticket from the Take an Action Option on the ticket Toolbar Create Task Tickets You can create Task Tickets for completion of the actions on the Change using either Task Templates configured by your administrator or without using templates For Standard known changes you can associate a Task Group or Task Flow that leads up to the completion of all Tasks associated with the change The task tickets can then be assigned to different agents for completion of the tasks Send Communications from the ticket If you need to send communication from the ticket you can manually send email communication from within the ticket You can also use a communication template to send the mail or even set a communication to be sent at a future date and time You can view details of all communication sent manually and automatically by Nimsoft Service Desk from the Activity Tab of the ticket 204 Agent User Guide How Do I Add Updates to the Ticket You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related
312. pes However whether SLA Targets get applied to all Ticket types or not is determined by your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator Why do I not see the SLA tab on my Tickets It is possible your Administrator has disabled SLA monitoring in your Instance of Nimsoft Service Desk If SLA monitoring is disabled you will not see the SLA Compliance tab on Tickets and SLA Targets will not apply to Tickets in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk 262 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions What can I do if a Ticket has breached its SLA Targets You can add a note against the Compliance Notes Column of the ticket indicating why an SLA was missed All other actions when an SLA is breached are managed by your own organizational policies Chapter 16 Service Level Management 263 Overview Chapter 17 Other Supporting Modules Overview This section introduces you to the functionality that is controlled by your Administrator You may experience these while working on the tickets and would even view and use some of the features depending on permissions and configurations managed by your Administrator To enable Service Desk Agents to manage the delivery of the IT Service and Support activities your Administrator manages configurations and permissions that guide working on the tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk This behind the Scene configurations includes setting up contacts groups and roles configuring Ticket Templates and Co
313. plication only a particular number of users depending on the number of licenses brought by your company are able to log in at a time If a large number of other users have logged in already and all available Nimsoft Service Desk licenses are used up you will not be able to log in till someone else logs out e There is a planned outage and Nimsoft Service Desk Application is not available for that duration e Your Internet connection is not working If so you will also not be able to connect to other websites on Internet e The application server that serves you the Nimsoft Service Desk Application has not been started turned on e Administrator has made you an Inactive Contact for some specific reason e The Organization OR site OR Location to which you have been assigned in Nimsoft Service Desk has been made Inactive e The Administrator has reset your password and you are trying to log in with the old password e You have yourself changed your password and are still typing in the earlier password as a habit e You may have made a spelling error in either User Name or Password Will I be able to log into Nimsoft Service Desk from two systems simultaneously No you cannot log into Nimsoft Service Desk from two systems at a time Depending on how your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk has been configured by your Application Administrator you will be directly logged out of the current session and can begin a new session or you will
314. pport groups that you are a member of You will not see tickets for organizations or support groups that you are not part of 154 Agent User Guide Overview Chapter 8 Request Management Overview This section explains links to the forms and actions available under Request Management in the Navigation Panel It also explains the actions Service Desk Agents can take on Service Request Some of the links and actions mentioned in the document below may not be available to you because Service Desk Agents ability to view and access the links is controlled by your Application Administrator Service Request is generally the starting point for all interactions between the users of IT Support and the Service Desk All tickets logged by the Self Service Users without using a Ticket Template get logged as Service Request Similarly all ticket logged via email sent to the Support ID get logged as Service Request An Agent usually offering L1 Support reviews the request and moves it along in its life cycle About Request Management Request Management is the process of managing a Service Request through its life cycle from submission of the request through to delivery of required information or execution of standard change or providing a work around solution or escalating the Request for further processing as an Incident Request Management involves establishing a Request Fulfillment Process with aims to e Provide a channel for us
315. ppropriate groups when certain Matching Conditions are fulfilled by the Ticket If the Task Ticket is created using a template and the template sets the field for Assigned to Individual or Assigned to group the Task Ticket gets assigned If the Task Ticket matches the conditions of an active Auto Route when it is saved first time and the Auto Route set fields are set to assign it assignment will take place ATask Ticket template based set fields can override the set field values of an Auto Route if the administrator has specifically selected Override Auto Route for the Task template Chapter 12 Task Management 223 Frequently Asked Questions Can Task Tickets remain open when the parent ticket is closed This depends on how Nimsoft Service Desk has been configured by your Administrator Your Administrator can set up a condition that before a Parent Ticket is closed Nimsoft Service Desk must check for all Open Tasks If this condition is set Nimsoft Service Desk will search for open Task Tickets and send out a warning message that the Parent Ticket cannot be closed as the associated Task Tickets are open Can I unrelate a Task Tickets created by me No you cannot directly unrelate a Task Tickets that you have created However depending on how Nimsoft Service Desk has been configured by your Administrator you may be allowed the action of Close as Cancelled to Cancel the Task Tickets If not you will need to contact yo
316. proval cycle wherein a change can be moved through multiple approvals before it is considered finally approved and can be taken further A Self Service User who is a Change Approver or Change Reviewer can view a list of tickets pending his her approval or review through the Self Service User Interface The Self Service User can click on the ticket to see all details associated with the change S He can also use a link provided to Approve or Reject the Change Seek Additional Information and add comments related to the Change A change once approved can then be assigned to a competent group individual for implementation of the change The Change Approval Process can be managed via workflow actions and approval groups configured by the Application Administrator Depending on the configurations made by the application administrator Service Desk Agents may be able to add or remove approvers or reviewers from an approval group that gets associated with the ticket Approval Groups Inclusion of an Approval Process for proposed changes is a standard ITIL requirement for Change Management It further suggests formation of a Change Advisory Board CAB and an Emergency Committee EC to deal with normal and emergency changes respectively CABs and ECs also called E CABs are Approval Groups Nimsoft Service Desk allows creation and management of CABs to approve different types of Changes in the organization As there could be different types of
317. ptions on what actions you can perform on the Ticket will become visible to you These options are controlled by the workflow actions designed by your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator Step 3 To accept ownership of the Ticket click on Accept Assignment When you take this action you can see that the Status will change to Active and the Reason Code will change to In Progress Depending on the workflow that is followed in your organization you can move the Ticket towards resolution and closure Note Some actions will cause only the Reason Code and or Status to change without changing the Status and or Phase The terminology used for Reason Code and Phase is individual to each organization and is determined by your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator You can add a Worklog to a Ticket in two ways e From the Worklog Section in the General Information tab of the Ticket e To adda Worklog from the Activity tab To add a Worklog from the General Information tab of the Ticket Step 1 Go to the Worklog section of the Ticket and enter details of the Worklog you wish to add Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 87 How Do I Step 2 Select an appropriate value for Worklog Type from the Type Field Step 3 Depending on whether you want the Requestor to see your Worklog or not select Yes or No in the Client Viewable field Step 4 Update the time spent on the activity The value is to be added in minutes Step 5
318. quently Asked Questions Can a Task Ticket be assigned to another Agent by me if I am unable to take it up This would depend on how the workflow has been configured by your Administrator Nimsoft Service Desk allows the flexibility for you to assign the ticket to another Agent if you are unable to take up the Task that is assigned to you You will be able to see the option to Assign to Individual or Assign to Group in the Take an Action option in the ticket toolbar Chapter 12 Task Management 225 Overview Chapter 13 Configuration Management Overview This section deals with the links and actions available under Configuration Management in the Navigation Panel Some actions that you can take related to Configuration Items are also explained below Some of these links may not be available to you as the list is controlled by your Application Administrator Configuration Items also known as the IT Assets of an Organization include a wide range of items including the physical hardware and other devices software applications product or process documentation etc Organizations need to maintain up to date records of the Configuration Items CI in an organized way so that historical information about the configuration item its relationship to other Cls and other details about its use is available Configuration Items are managed within the Configuration Management module of the application The actions related to Configuration Manage
319. r Administrator The ticket could also contain the Additional Information Tab where your Administrator could configure custom fields for information specific to the ticket being logged You can update the other details as appropriate and work on it as any other ticket Clicking on this link takes you to a Search Request Page where you will be able to view a list of Pre defined Search Options that have been made available to you by your Application Administrator and any related Personal Searches that you have configured Incident Management Search Incidents Category Na Available Predefined Searches Incidents Reported by Me Description Default Incidents Reported by Me Default Show Incidents Assigned to Inacti Show Incidents Assigned to Inactive Contacts Default My Open incidents My Open incidents Default All Open global issues All Open global issues Default My Groups Open Incidents My Groups Open Incidents Pre Defined Search list You can click on any existing search to view the search results If an existing search does not match your search criteria you can also choose to run an Advanced Search where you can select your own filters by which you need to filter the tickets The result of your search will be displayed in the Search Results tab A list of all tickets that match your search criteria will be listed in the table below You can sort the results using the column heading and extract d
320. r KB Articles available in the Knowledgebase to suggest matching solutions If required you can change the search criteria to CCTI using the same lookup Can I search for all contacts in a Support Group Yes you can search for all contacts in a given Support Group using the Global Search Option by entering the support group name in Global Search Field You can Click on the Group Record to view all contacts associated with that Group Chapter 5 Searches 129 Overview Chapter 6 Reports and Dashboards Overview This section deals with the various Reports that can be extracted by Service Desk Agents from the Nimsoft Service Desk Application and the different Dashboard Charts that they have access to The report generation actions are available across all Ticket Modules as well as the supporting modules in Nimsoft Service Desk Reports and Dashboards give a visual indication of the trends related to the activities handled by the Service Desk Service Desk Agents particularly Supervisors and Managers need to generate and view reports to be able to identify service delivery patterns compliance with set standards etc and to make corrections if required Nimsoft Service Desk therefore provides the ability to extract a wide range of reports related to Ticket Configuration Items Knowledgebase Articles Service Feedback Forms etc Service Desk Agents can access reports related to a given module from within the relevant module itse
321. r are handled appropriately minimizing human intervention in these actions Ticket 1 Related Ticket 2 pe ina ronsm Two tickets related to each other Due to Due to Global Issue Global Issue Incident Incident Ticket Ticket ___ Create Child Tidit n Child Ticket Parent Ticket Parent Child ticket relationship Global Issue relationships In Configuration Management relationship refers to the link between two Configuration Items and their dependencies on each other For example an Application may be linked to the Servers it runs on and the Servers may be dependent on a Power Source which provides them with uninterrupted power supply Maintaining such relations between Configuration Items allows related Cls to become part of an IT service and also to see how an Incident Problem Change related to one CI can impact other related Cls A Configuration Item can be related to a ticket by either the End User Requestor or by the Service Desk Agent working on the ticket The Requestor or the Service Desk Agent can also relate an Attachment to the ticket This allows additional information that cannot be directly captured onto the ticket to be available for viewing when working on the ticket Information on Related Tickets and Related Configuration Items and Attachments can be seen in the respective tabs in all ticket types Categorization is the process of logically grouping objects and entities for a specific purpose Ni
322. re to associate with the currently open record such as a Ticket or Cl etc Some Lookups also have search and filter features Some frequently used Look Ups are associated with name search solution search Cl search Attachment Search etc A Look up is depicted with a double downward pointing arrow at the end of the field box Chapter 18 Glossary 279 Frequently Asked Questions Matching Conditions Some workflow items such as Auto routes Action Options etc are applied to Service Desk tickets based on the specifics of a Ticket These specifics are captured as Matching Conditions in form of Fields and their values while defining the entity Auto Route Action Options etc My Outstanding Approvals My Outstanding Approvals allows the Agent to see all the tasks that are pending his her approval or review An Agent can see a list of tickets pending approval or review and click on any ticket to view its details My Profile My Profile displays general information about the logged in user like contact details department and job title It also has fields that let the logged in user change the look and feel of his her Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk Navigation Panel The right side pane of the Nimsoft Service Desk Application which contains the modules of Nimsoft Service Desk and links to the action under each module is called the Navigation Panel Non Violation Threshold Non Violation Thresholds are set as reminders that the ac
323. red trademark of the Open Group Contact Nimsoft For your convenience Nimsoft provides a single site where you can access information about Nimsoft products At http support nimsoft com you can access the following Online and telephone contact information for technical assistance and customer services Information about user communities and forums Product and documentation downloads Nimsoft Support policies and guidelines Other helpful resources appropriate for your product Provide Feedback If you have comments or questions about Nimsoft product documentation you can send a message to support nimsoft com Contents Contents Chapter 1 Introduction A ieoi aa as Eten ae e aaa E e a e ii o i aa Ea E n a aaaea aaa NE eEESEEEEEE Features for Operations cccccccccccsssssssscecececsessseseeeesceeseaeeeeeeseeessseaeees Efe dd uds M Non Ticket Features oiere cere sonet riore Rae eee ER De E Etene Structure of User Guide sensisse sssini isinin Chapter 2 Key Concepts Core Application Concepts sessesssee esee rennen enne enne Request Handling Process ccccceessecesssneeceeseeeeceeeeeecseeeeceesreeeeeaaes Users of Nimsoft Service Desk oooocoocccnococcconanoncnonancnnnnnnncccconanonnonnnnos A Pin Authentication for Contacts essen Organization Site and Location ooooooccnccnonononooncnnnnnnnnonannnnnnncnnnnnnono Primary Organ
324. required information into the Requester Details Section and the Request Details Section If the Request is related to a Service update the Affected Service field Categorize and prioritize the ticket as appropriate Click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar and a new Service Request will be logged Request Management Functions WwW Sove Wd Deci ME pine BBB tate on Action Ticket Toolbar Requestor Details Affected Service Request Details Categorization Total Tene Spert LM The Ticket Details fields like Ticket Number Ticket Status etc will get automatically updated when you save the request After the ticket is logged other Tabs like Additional Information Tab Related Tickets tab etc will be visible on the ticket You can now work on the ticket and work towards its closure Log Request Using Template Search Requests Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view and select from a list of available templates to log a new service request The list of templates visible to you will be controlled by your Application Administrator When you select a Ticket Templates a new Service Request Ticket opens in a new window Some of the fields will be pre populated based on how the Template has been configured by your Administrator The ticket could also contain the Additional Information Tab where your Ad
325. respective tabs on the ticket You can also relate an attachment to the ticket Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within the tab 202 Agent User Guide Handling Change Tickets View Approval related details In the Approvals tab of the ticket you can view details like whether the ticket is currently in Approval or Not Approval Type whether the ticket has needs approval of ALL approvers Any ONE Approver or Any One Approval or Rejection If any workflow action has been associated with the ticket based on Approval or Rejection by the Change Approvers this action will also get displayed in the Approvals Tab The tab also lists all Approves and Reviewers that are associated with the ticket either automatically based on Matching Conditions configured by the Application Administrator or manually by Agents working on the ticker You can also view approval comments by each Approver or Reviewer Add Approvers or Reviewers to a Change Ticket Depending on how the Approval Group has been configured by you Application Administrator you may be allowed to add Approvers or Reviewers to a Change Ticket that has to be submitted for Approval You can choose either Contacts or Support Groups as Approvers or Reviewers for the ticket Submit Change for Approval You can submit a Change for Approval by taking the appropriate action from the Take a
326. rganization you belong to e Ifyou belong to an Organization at first level all contacts of the Organization its sites and Locations shall be considered e Ifyou belong to an organization at site level all contacts of that site and all locations below shall be considered e f you belong to an Organization at Location level only contacts of that location shall be considered You can also set your preferred locale and thereby manage the language in which the Nimsoft Service Desk UI is made rendered for you You can choose from the available Locale Option in the dropdown and set your preference as Default English Chinese Japanese Spanish or Portuguese When you set your locale the date time format is rendered as per the locale you have selected The various forms fields and labels managed by the Application will be rendered as per the locale selected However some buttons and fields managed by the Browser like confirmation prompts like Ok Cancel Confirm etc will be rendered as per the Browser settings Note Some features like Table Sorting Spell Checker or Keyword search may not function appropriately in languages other than English Your ability to view custom defined fields like Custom fields on tickets and CI records workflow action options communication templates etc depend on whether Chapter 7 Home 143 Home Section Functions translations for these items are made available by your appli
327. rvice Requests Issues faced by End users while availing IT services can also be reported through a Service Request Service Targets are applied to Ticket management activities of Service Desk using Service Metrics to monitor SLA Compliance Individual Targets can be defined for tickets based on matching conditions like Ticket Type CCTI affected service Assigned To group etc Matching Conditions are used to identify Requests to which the Target is applicable Further time thresholds must be attached to the Service Targets to measure SLA Compliance of a Request Severity is a way of defining how debilitating an Incident is If an Incident is causing breakdown in the normal functioning and is causing stoppage of work the severity can be considered as major This field will be available on Incident and Problem tickets Site is used to depict either geographical or functional distribution of an Organization in Nimsoft Service Desk An Organization can have multiple Sites SLA Compliance indicates whether the terms of formal agreement with the customer in terms of response and resolution of a request have been met or not By defining Service Targets based on appropriate Service Metrics and applying them to ticket processing activities it is possible to monitor whether SLAs are missed or met Knowledgebase refers to the records of KB Articles related to known issues and potential issues that are stored in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk
328. s Assigned Group Assigned indeyidual Organization Ste Filter Requests My Tickets Aging of Tickets Listed My Group s Tickets Medum Active Medium pa EJE Dolglish Som ITS11 Medum Active High Resolved Pending Closure iT eey response tmp LR ERE Prod was referring to Production stalitics of I 280 60 Extremely slow NFS traffic and frequent 258 52 Routing problems are observed when a Print Ticket FERRE 3 8 Record s 1 to 13 of 13 Clicking on this link opens a page where you can view charts and Ticket List of all open Incident Tickets logged in your queue You can see the same charts that you see on the Home Page under the Home Section the difference is that the data will be filtered to only Incident Tickets Similarly the Ticket List area will display all open Incident Tickets logged in your or your organization s queue You can further filter the list by ticket status assigned individual assigned group organization and site You can also click on a ticket in the list to view more details export the ticket list into PDF or CSV files and print any selected ticket Export Data Options Incident Management Functions Report Incident Clicking on this link opens a blank new Incident Ticket form To report a new Incident update required information into the Requester Details Section Who is reporting the issue wh
329. s etc In the search results Nimsoft Service Desk provides you Direct Links to the contact records tickets or KB Articles that get listed so you can click on the record to go directly to the record and view the details Defined Searches Service Desk Agents Supervisors or Managers may as part of the day to day operations need to search for certain specific type of records such as ticket volumes tickets aging or tickets SLA Compliance during a specified date range To facilitate easy search for such oft needed records Nimsoft Service Desk enables the Administrator the ability to create a list of pre defined search queries The Administrator can define the search query and create a pre defined search Access to pre defined searches is controlled by your Administrator You can view a list of pre defined searches available to you from the Search Ticket Type link under all modules available to you in the navigation panel For example if you wish to view pre defined searches under Request Management you can click on the Search Service Requests link You will see a list of pre defined searches available to you 112 Agent User Guide Search Functions Desirgra uo per Dew eso Ber oe Ras eee AS Pese fer ce Pus oe mt ctam Id M Oper Lar a asosan y Come Iers ca Tas Dene Uy Dene o pu Saree Renews Uy Drone e Deer Se ee Rom Doaa Tarara hat suyos ta ary Dini V 9s ud casts ou asegre ary Gas PPP 2
330. s 29 Core Application Concepts Direct URLs Relationships 30 Agent User Guide Service Desk Agents working on the Ticket could receive email notification of a ticket being assigned to their queue A Service Desk Agent working on a ticket can send an email from the ticket to identified recipients to manually provide the recipient an update from the ticket Agents can also send their worklogs as emails to identified recipients The Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator can also set up notifications to be sent out by email on certain actions on tickets like status changes SLA Target violations etc without any intervention from the Service Desk Agent Emails can also be sent with predefined XML format for Message Body and Nimsoft Service Desk processes these Emails as configured for the specific XML format This feature is useful for other applications to interact with Nimsoft Service Desk In the Notifications sent to a user from Nimsoft Service Desk a link can be included which enables the recipient to go directly to an appropriate form or record in the Nimsoft Service Desk Application These links are called Direct URLs For example direct URL can link a user to Outstanding Approval for a specific Change Request or A Direct URL link for a Service Feedback Form Providing these Direct URL links eases the login related efforts for the user when accessing the respective records The user can use the link provided and directly log into the
331. so you can relate the ticket to the Configuration Items from the Relate Cl tab Some entities that you can relate to a ticket are e Relate the ticket to other tickets e Relate Configuration Item s to the ticket e Relate an Attachment to the ticket You can use easy view and search options available with the Relate actions to search for entities you wish to relate and to relate the ticket to other entities Any relationships you add to the ticket will be visible in the respective tabs of the ticket You can unrelate any related entity from within the tab Manage Ticket Assignments Assignment of a ticket when it is logged saved for the first time can be managed by an Auto route configured by your Administrator If the conditions on your ticket when it is first logged like ticket CCTI Priority etc match an existing Auto route the ticket gets automatically routed to the appropriate Support Group In the absence of an Auto route you can manually route the ticket to an appropriate Individual or Support Group You can assign a Ticket from the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar 78 Agent User Guide Common Actions on Tickets For all subsequent assignments of the ticket after it is first saved you can manually assign the ticket using the appropriate Action Options from the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Create a Child Ticket If a ticket in your queue needs to be classified as a different ticket yo
332. sociate the Solution to the Ticket You can also choose to Print the KB Article if required 94 Agent User Guide How Do I Note If the CCTI of the Solution does not match the CCTI of the Ticket Nimsoft Service Desk will send out a message asking if you wish to reclassify the Ticket to match the CCTI of the Solution Click on OK to reclassify the Ticket If you click Cancel the solution details will be carried over to the Ticket without modifying the CCTI of the Ticket Find out what Actions have been taken on the Ticket Search for Ticket You can find details of all Actions that have been taken on a Ticket including Status Change Assignments and Communications from the Activity tab of the Ticket To view the Actions on the Ticket Step 1 Click on the Activity tab of the Ticket You will see a list of all the activities that have been taken on the Ticket Step 2 If you wish to see only Actions related to Assignments filter your search to choose Type as Assignment You can see that only Assignment Related Actions are now listed You can similarly choose to view any other type of Action Step 3 To view Actions performed by a particular user filter the list by User For example when you choose Routing Engine from the User list all Actions performed by the Routing Engine will be displayed Note You can also view Actions on Related Tickets from the Activity Tab of the Ticket To view Actions on related Tickets
333. soft Service Desk to automatically create and assign ticket for the task to be done as designed This ensures that all planned and scheduled activities are undertaken regularly without requiring Service Desk Agents to remember these tasks manually and create tickets for the tasks over and over again As Service Desk Agents you will not be involved in setting up Scheduled Activities However the tickets for undertaking these Scheduled Activities could be assigned to you or your Support Group You will find these tickets being assigned to you regularly as per the schedule Tickets for the Scheduled Activities are assigned by the Integration Engine and will be assigned to a specific individual at a predetermined time If you have any such routine activities that are done by you or your support group you could ask the Application Administrator to set up the task as a Scheduled Activity Trends and Metrics Admin Console Nimsoft Service Desk comes with its reporting engine and is capable of delivering a wide range of reports to suit a wide spectrum of organizational needs As Agents your Administrator may give you the ability to view and extract reports related to the different ticket types and related to Configuration Items These links if required permission is given will be visible within the respective module of Nimsoft Service Desk Besides these reports depending on permissions granted by your Application Administrator you
334. sssssssecececsesesssecececeesesesseseeececseesseseeeesceeesaeaeeeeeens 249 O A 249 Frequently Asked Questions ccccessssecccecsesseseesececeeseeasseeececeeseseesesecsceseeseasesececeeeaeseeseesceceesesaeseeeceseeseaaeseeeeeseeseea 251 Chapter 16 Service Level Management 253 eJ EE 253 Service Level Management Functions ccccceeececeeseeeeceeeeececeeececseaueeeceeaaececsueeeceeaueeeceeeessesueeecseaaeescneeeeeessnreeeenaaes 254 SLA Compliance Tab on Tickets ccccessccccccecsessseesecececseseeaesesececseseeaeseeceecseseaeeseeececeeseaeeseseesceeseaasaeseesenesesaaaeees 254 Notifications and Actions related to SLA oooocccnnnoccccnonacanononcnonononononanonononnnncnnnnnnnronnn co enne neni sienten tenens nnns 256 Phone Notification Trace Logs cccccccccccecsssssseeecececsesseaeeeeececsesesaeeeeececeeseeaesesecsceesesaeaeseescessesesaeseeeessseseaeeeeeesees 258 OW EPDye EET 260 Frequently Asked QUESTIONS x vise rero era ere phot nu eaa ea TN ER FERT Y EV a Fe NER TEE canada Vae FRE EREA EAEE Eaa r AEREO 261 Chapter 17 Other Supporting Modules 264 VETO IC m TON 264 Supportine FUNCTIONS E TTE ETE TDI DELIS sd 264 Scheduled Activities ede reor eel EP KE SKRROS 264 Trends nparadg d 265 AdmirniConsole 2 denote entdp etn wet rea ni nte Ea tw adea pe uU dedica 265 Frequently Asked QUE
335. st Configuration Items screen and List KB Articles screens These are explained in detail below Tickets Home Screen The Ticket Home screen can be accessed from the Home Section and from the List Tickets link under each Ticket Module The Tickets Home Screen contains the Dashboard Charts that display Ticket status for the Tickets in the given ticket queue The Filter Bar above the dashboard charts enables the logged in user to filter the Ticket List using the various filter options available The Ticket List contains details of the Tickets currently in the logged in user s queue 62 Agent User Guide Charts Ticket List Generic Layout Header Section Dashboard Charts gree i i i 1 Ticket List TITTDDITTTTTITTITTITTITITTITTT TEEPERSERT ERR ELE i HE EN J 1 317 72717 7 7 7 1727171010 prperirp riti tig Navigation Panel The major sections in the Ticket Home Screen are explained below You can see charts showing tickets by Status Aging or SLA Performance and Group s As Agent Users you have some freedom to choose the charts you wish to see depending on the permission granted by your Administrator The charts are a visual representation of your Tickets queue and you can drill down to group and individual records directly by clicking on the relevant area of the chart The charts get refreshed to show current data trends When you click on any section of the chart the Tickets m
336. st lookup will be displayed Step 3 Choose the file you wish to attach You will get a message seeking confirmation of the action Click OK to relate the attachment to the Ticket To relate a new file to the Ticket Step 1 Click on Add New button A New Attachment screen will open up Step 2 Give the attachment a name and a brief description if needed Step 3 Choose the file type from the dropdown list Step 4 Click Browse to search for the attachment from your system or other systems accessible to you Select the appropriate file Step 5 If you wish to make the attachment available to others click Yes in the Can be used as Global section Step 6 Click on Attach The attachment will get related to your Ticket and will be visible in the Attachments list You can modify a Cl record from the Configuration Record form To update a Cl Record Step 1 Pull out the Cl record either from the List Cl link or Search Cl link under Configuration Management Step 2 Identify the field where you wish to update the information For example if you wish to change an attribute value like Warranty Expiry Date click on the Pencil icon visible against the Attribute Value The value in the field is editable and you will be able to modify the record How Do I Step 3 Before proceeding to change any other value you will need to save the change Click on Save in the Cl Record Toolbar and the change will be save All changes made will be r
337. sted For during ticket creation a message is displayed indicating the requester is a VIP User This guides the Service Desk Agent in according appropriate priority to the request Also the row in the ticket list containing the request from a VIP User is highlighted in a different color from the other user s request This further helps distinguish VIP users and prioritizing their request appropriately Pin Authentication for Contacts 26 Agent User Guide Service Desk works on requests from registered users of IT Services and Support Often these requests for support are logged via emails or vial Phone Calls to the Service Desk Some requests logged with support especially Change Requests could require authentication of the requester This becomes even more important in case of requests raised via phone where the Service Desk Agent would need some way of validating the requester To facilitate such authentication contacts in Nimsoft Service Desk can be assigned PIN Numbers The PIN Number of the contacts can be accessed along with other details of the contact in the Contact Records stored in Nimsoft Service Desk Core Application Concepts PIN Number Authentication allows the Service Desk Agent who is working on the request some degree of control in carrying out pre approved standard changes based on the workflow designed for such activities or tasks Chapter 2 Key Concepts 27 Core Application Concepts Organization Site and L
338. strator or not Manage your password How Do I You can change your Nimsoft Service Desk password from the link available in the Home Section This reduces your dependency on the Administrator or others for password change You will use Nimsoft Service Desk for several day to day transactions The questions below guide you on performing common actions associated to the Home section in Nimsoft Service Desk Change Themes of Nimsoft Service Desk You can choose from a set of available themes to manage the appearance of your interface of Nimsoft Service Desk To change themes of your Nimsoft Service Desk Interface Step 1 Go to the UI Preferences link under Home in the Navigation Panel In the UI Preferences tab you can see various parameters of your User Interface that you can modify Step 2 Click on Default Theme Setting parameter Below the table against the Preference Name you will see the Preference Value field will become editable Step 3 From the dropdown list against the Preference value field select the theme that you would like to apply Chapter 7 Home 147 How Do I Step 4 When you select a theme different from the one active during your current login the Save Preference field will get enabled Click on Save Preference to save the preferred theme Step 5 Click on the Apply Preference button and the preferred theme will get saved Filter Tickets Visible in the Ticket Lists on the Home Page You can filter
339. sults into a PDF or CSV file Nimsoft Service Desk comes with a capability of generating a range of reports relating to the Configuration Items recorded in Nimsoft Service Desk Service Desk Agents could sometimes be given access to these reports If you have been given access to reports you will see a Reports Link under Configuration Management in the navigation panel Clicking on this link will display a list of available Reports that you can extract The exact type of reports you see in your list depends on the type of reports configured by your Administrator and the reports which Service Desk Agents have permissions to access You can choose the report you wish to view and further drill down into the details of the item you see on the report to view complete details You can choose to view the report on screen or to extract the data into PDF or CSV files Handling Configuration Items While working with the Ticket Modules you will be accessing Configuration Item Records You may also access the CI Records to view details of a Cl or provide information related to the CI Some actions you will take regularly related to the Configuration Items are listed below Chapter 13 Configuration Management 229 Handling Configuration Items View CI Records You can view a list of available Cl records and drill down into any record to view further details You can even export the Cl list into a PDF or CSV file and print details of a Cl recor
340. t already exist in Nimsoft Service Desk This could include search for records that need to be associated with the tickets like Requester Name Configuration Items etc Agents may also search for ticket records solution records or other information relevant to their work with Nimsoft Service Desk To enable such searches Nimsoft Service Desk comes with an inbuilt search capability Depending on what information you are looking for you can use Global Search Pre defined Searches and Advanced Searches You can also search for records using your own Personal Search queries You will also see several search lookups while working with ticket or Cl records like the Name Search Lookup showing contact records Affected Services lookup displaying Configuration item records Attachments lookup displayed while relating an attachment to a record etc Search Functions Global Search Nimsoft Service Desk enables users to use a range of searches both within each module and across all modules The available search functions are explained below Global Search is a feature on Nimsoft Service Desk that allows you to search for records of Tickets KB Articles Configuration Items Contacts Groups Organization Site and Location from across all available records in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk The Global Search can be accessed from the Global Search field above the Navigation Panel You can use text numeric or alpha numeric search input
341. t Cote Y panapat izana A 2 a a Cowitet Ey Cover ey An Grou Ac amp rd E Ris L AAA io f nsi mes hens 7 Ammon tere ANDAR Joue Cem v ar ree grel mrmee vece l intar uper amece pue f Can C aTa herw APTA vase arma nare s The Advanced Search executes a match for all records that exactly match your search parameters Advanced search is available to search for records matching the search input within that module All records that match your search results will be displayed in the search results tab You can click on the record that matches your need to view details of the record You can also sort the search results and if needed you can extract the search output into a PDF or CSV file Search Look Ups There are several smaller searches for specific records which can be accessed from within the ticket or Configuration Item record forms These searches allow you to select records from within an available list Some of the frequently used look up searches are Name Search Look Up 116 Agent User Guide Search Functions This look up is associated with the Requester Details or contact details section of ticket forms and Configuration Item forms This look up allows you to view a list of contacts available in your instance Nimsoft Service Desk Form Name gt Add New Cortact Chose E Erter ether First Neme Last Name Emad Phone or User ld Sear
342. t User Guide Note You can add KB Articles to the Knowledgebase if your Administrator has enabled this functionality for your Support Group If this functionality is enabled you will find an Add to Knowledgebase option on the Ticket Toolbar If you wish to add a Solution that you applied to a Ticket to the Knowledgebase you can do so directly from the Ticket This feature allows you to add the Symptom Cause and Resolution for an Incident Problem Ticket to be added to the Knowledgebase and making the KB Article available for others To add Solution to the Knowledgebase Step 1 Click on the Add to Knowledgebase link on the Ticket Toolbar A new KB Articles page will be displayed in a new window The Ticket Description will be picked as Short Symptom and the Details will be populated into the Symptom Description field If you have specified a Cause and Resolution in the Solution Details tab of the Ticket these details will be populated in the Cause and Resolution Field of the Solution Step 2 Click on the look up in the Related to KB Article Category field The KB Article Category lookup will be displayed in a new window Step 3 Select an appropriate category for the Solution This is a compulsory field and you will have to fill in appropriate value here Mark the Solution as Sticky Solution if you feel it has a universal applicability Review the solution spell check if needed Step 4 Click on Apply Changes to save
343. t aDeSe 70 6 Agent User Guide Ticket Toolbar O PtiO is eee E M EE Common Actions on Tickets MIRI qui Log Request on Behalf ofa REQUESTER osineen isana a a REY CER ando EE CENTER A NEUE 6 75 LOS AN acid PH Log Ticket Using Template re citer xe Sero etr RR EYE ev dais Modify Existing Tickets Manage Ticket Relationships Manage Ticket A ner rio eoi na p eX Sek RR ho ea Yan ia e S RR Rue KR E n CER SERRE ecavsnaseuness Saaseevoescandentenseosse Create a Child Ticket T Create Task Tickets A A A Send Communications from the ticket Add Updates to the Ticket oerte ere ten eee eren ene ae ier iE Ee r ces buna erain AEE Ee d iin aE S ananin Modity Ticket StAtUs ssi oo ene tinte Fera ce stedeesansneanaganueensandaaonadevaeussaasaeted CERTE ERA esapanssuanaen Fa d Ua Vos FERT ENTE AER ERR View details Of Action On Me c reied reena aaa deen EE Taeka nieda KAE aeni oiie EEE wia Add Solution to Knowledgebase icc cicscicccssccccessacossccsacececesssctecsacevsevcanecsccassesventecceacceauedsendececscouaenveandaccddcestecnveasde 81 Monitor SLA Compliance on Tickets ccccsscccccecsesensseecececsesesaeeecececeesesaseesececeesesesseseeececseaesaeseeececsesesaeseeseeeseneea 81 Search WICK OTs O NR 81 VIEW IRE DOMES MMC T
344. t criteria that gets applied is Keyword Search Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks keywords from the Description Symptom Description field of the Ticket and matches it with the keywords for KB Articles available in the Knowledgebase to suggest matching solutions If required you can change the search criteria to CCTI using the same lookup Frequently Asked Questions Can I use a KB Article that does not match the Ticket CCTI Nimsoft Service Desk does not stop you from applying a Solution that does not match the CCTI of the ticket However a warning message indicates that the Ticket will need to be reclassified as the CCTI of the Ticket and the CCTI of the Solution do not match You can click OK to apply the solution if you find it feasible Can I Email an Article directly from the Knowledge base No you cannot Email an Article directly from the Knowledge base If you wish to send out a Solution via Email you can copy the KB Article and send it out using the Send Mail option of the Ticket Can I extract details of a Related Solution listed in the Knowledgebase Yes you can extract data of the KB Articles listed in the List KB Articles Link under Knowledge Management You have the option of extracting the data into a PDF of a CSV file Please note that you will not be able to extract data of the KB Articles listed when you search for Solutions from a Ticket This option is only available when you search for KB Articles usin
345. t for approval after making the required modifications How Do I To modify a Ticket that is in Approval Phase Step 1 Go to the field where you would like to make modifications and enter the details like any normal Change in the field values or text Step 2 Update details from the other Tabs like Additional Information relate etc if needed Step 3 Click on Save in the Ticket Toolbar All modifications will get saved into the Ticket As the Ticket is currently under Approval Nimsoft Service Desk will send out a notification that the Ticket has been modified to all stakeholders including the Approver Reviewers and Change Manager Chapter 11 Change Management 209 How Do I Follow up with Concerned Individuals Regarding Pending Approvals Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured to send out automatic reminder Notifications to Approvers for a Pending Approval This configuration however depends on how your instance has been set up by your Administrator To manually send communication regarding Pending Approvals Step 1 Click on the Send Mail option on the Ticket Toolbar An Email Communication window will be displayed You may have a ready Communication Template made available for sending communication for following up on Outstanding Approval Notifications The availability of Communication Templates is also controlled by your Administrator Step 2 Add the list of contacts to whom you wish to send the reminder
346. t form or record like ticket record CCTI record Organization or Contact record can be marked as Global Attachment This in turn can be made available for relating with other forms and records Marking an attachment as Global Attachment makes it available in Nimsoft Service Desk records and subsequently it can be accessed by other entities as well From this Pool others can also attach the file to other Nimsoft Service Desk entities A Global attachment is listed in the Lookup when a User needs to select a document to attach When a user tries to delete an attachment which is global a warning message is displayed If it is deleted it will be removed from all entities to which it had been attached Scheduled Activities 48 Agent User Guide Ticket Related Concepts In order to manage and maintain IT objects and the IT infrastructure of an organization a set of fixed activities tasks need to be undertaken by way of routine maintenance This could involve simple tasks like a routine disk cleanup review of the database to ensure that it is updated and relevant routine audit of the available infrastructure etc As Service Desk Agents you may have a set of tasks that you are required to take up as part of your routine activities You can request these to be made into a Schedule and tickets for these activities can get auto assigned to you as per the schedule This saves you the need to maintain a separate schedule for your rou
347. t least Case ID Ticket ID or Created Date from will be displayed You can choose more than one Search Criteria to broaden or narrow your search appropriately If you wish to verify the search output before actually saving the record click on Search to Preview the results If the output does not fully meet your needs you can modify the search parameters Step 9 After you have finished choosing the Search criteria click on Save The new Personal Search will be saved and will now get listed in the Search tab You can click on the Personal Search to execute the search query You can also edit the Personal Search after you have saved it or modify the search criteria and use the Save As action to create a new Personal Search using the modified search criteria You can also delete a Personal Search if you no longer need it When you click on Save As a lookup will be displayed prompting you to select a new Personal Search Name and Description You can enter the relevant information and save the new Personal Search Note To be able to drill down to a specific record listed in the Search Result for Ticket related Searches Case ID and Ticket Type have to be the first two columns of the Select Display List For Cl related Personal Search Cl Identifier has to be the first column in the Select Display List Frequently Asked Questions All Personal Searches that you configure can be viewed modified or managed only by you as
348. tails and information about your Deputy All other fields can by updated only by your Administrator Designate a Deputy when I Am Out of Office You can designate someone as your Deputy when you are Out of Office When you designate a Deputy Email communication meant for you will be diverted to your Deputy who can act on those mails on your behalf To Designate a Deputy Step 1 Go to the Update My Profile link under Home in the Navigation Panel Step 2 In the Update My Profile form there is an Out of Office checkbox Click on the checkbox to raise the Out Of Office flag The contact record might have a Deputy Designated already If so mails will automatically get diverted to the designated individual Chapter 7 Home 151 Frequently Asked Questions Step 3 Clear the name of the person already nominated by deleting the details in the field Step 4 Click on the look up and the Name Search Look up will open in a new window Step 5 Click on View and the details of the list of contacts belonging to an Organization Site location and a group to which you belong will get populated in the table below Step 6 Choose the person you wish to designate as Deputy when you are out of office The Name Search look up will close and the Deputy Field will contain the name of the person you have chosen as your Deputy Step 7 Click on Apply Changes and the out of office flag will be raised Notifications from Nimsoft Service Desk on
349. tasks Manage Global Issue If the Incident is impacting several Configuration Items or Services or if the similar incident is being reported by several users you can mark the main Incident Ticket as Global Issue and relate all other tickets to this Global Ticket Similarly you can relate a ticket to an existing Global Issue Incident or Problem You can also unmark an issue as Global Issue and unrelate tickets from a Global Ticket Send Communications from the ticket If you need to send communication from the ticket you can manually send email communication from within the ticket You can use a communication template to send the mail and even set a communication to be sent at a future date and time You can view details of all communication sent and received manually or automatically through workflow actions from the Activity Tab of the ticket Add Updates to the Ticket Chapter 9 Incident Management 175 Handling Incident Tickets You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the worklog Section All worklog updates can be seen from the Activity Tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and worklogs from related tickets View Ticket Activity Details You can click on the Activity Tab on the ticket to view details of all actions on the ticket This includes manual actions like Assig
350. tched click on Sent The Communication Window will close The email will be added as Communication in the Activity Tab of the ticket You can view the mail in the Activity tab If you open the communication you can see that the Status will be Scheduled indicating that the mail is scheduled to be delivered at a specified time You can also see a Delete Option available You can delete the mail anytime before it is dispatched Note If you have used a Communication Template to populate the email you can set the action of Regenerate Message on Send If you set this action Nimsoft Service Desk will auto update the ticket details like status and reason code or other fields populated by place markers in the template This lets you send communication that is reflective of current state when the ticket is sent Search Solutions from a Ticket You can search for a solution from within a Ticket form To search for KB Articles applicable to your Ticket Step 3 Click on the KB Article that you wish to use More information like Symptom Cause and Resolution will be displayed in the Solutions Details tab Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 93 How Do I Step 4 If you wish to use the KB Article to the Ticket click on Use as Solution The Search KB Article lookup will close and the cause and resolution details will get populated in the Solutions Details tab of the Ticket Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar to as
351. template from the list of templates available in the dropdown list When you choose the template most fields will get populated automatically Step 4 Draft the communication that you wish to send out or suitable modify the communication prepared using the template Step 5 Click on Send and the communication will be sent out from the Ticket to the identified recipients How Do I Set Emails to be sent at a future date You can set an email communication to be sent out at a future date using the Send Mail Action in the ticket toolbar The communication window displays a field Do not deliver before from where you can set a future date and time for the communication To set a dispatch date for your email Step 1 Click on the Send Mail option on the Ticket Toolbar An Email Communication form will open in a new window Step 2 Draft the email text you wish to send To draft the email you can choose a Communication Template from the Available drop down list The email body will get updated based on the communication template you choose If you do not wish to use a template you can manually create the email by filling out the required information into the email body Step 3 Click on the Calendar Icon on the Do not deliver before field The Calendar will be displayed In the calendar choose the date on which you want the mail to be sent Step 4 When you are satisfied with the details on the email and the date it is to be dispa
352. tgoing notification status message details You can also click on the Show Related Activity checkbox and view activity details on related tickets Monitor SLA Compliance on the Ticket You can check whether a Service Level Agreement SLA is applied to a ticket and monitor whether your ticket has met or missed the SLA targets You can also view if a ticket is approaching SLA threshold violation and work on your tasks accordingly Update a Solution to the Ticket To resolve the ticket you can also choose to search for a Solution from the existing Knowledgebase You can also choose to use resolution from another recently resolved ticket if this action is allowed by your application administrator If any KB Article listed is useful to the ticket you can apply the solution to the ticket and update the details of the solution into the ticket directly from the Knowledgebase or the recently resolved ticket The Solution Details tab on the ticket will display the source of the solution if you pick an existing KB Article to resolve the ticket Chapter 8 Request Management 163 How Do I If you use a new solution you can manually update the cause and resolution fields in the Solution Details Tab of the ticket Add Solution to Knowledgebase How Do I The Add Solution to Knowledgebase action on the Ticket Menu allows you to create new Knowledge Base Article with inputs from the ticket getting automatically populated in the relev
353. th different contacts in different roles like Owner User Vendor Service Provider etc Configuration Items can also be related to other Configuration Items in different relationship domains A relationship graph which depicts the nature of these relationships can be viewed on the Cl record As Service Desk Agents you will play a limited role in creating or managing Configuration Items however you will use available Cl records and relate Cls to tickets and view information on how Cls are related to each other Every time a ticket is created related to a Configuration Item this information is stored in the Cl History tab You can view this to know more about the performance of a Cl Configuration Management Functions Depending on the permissions managed by your Administrator as Service Desk Agents you would be able to view an available list of Configuration Items and Search for Cl records In some cases you may have the ability to extract reports related to Configuration Items records The screens and forms related to Configuration Management are explained below List Configuration Items The List Configuration Items link under Configuration Management allows you to view a listing of all Cl records stored in your instance of Nimsoft Service Desk Page Name s z TW ALB DTP Desk Top Desk Top HP US 649 Personal Computer 119 Deprovisioned tarde ete System Box gt Laptop HP U
354. the IT Support Desk result in Tickets being created in the required Ticket Modules of Nimsoft Service Desk As Service Desk Agents to be able to work on these requests you need to be able view the tickets in your queue s drill down to the detail of the tickets in your queue and then work upon it To facilitate your ability to view your ticket queues either holistically for all ticket type or just per ticket type Nimsoft Service Desk provides a List Tickets Link in each Ticket Modules and in the Home Section To View tickets in your queue you can click on the List Tickets link Clicking on this link displays the ticket dashboard charts and the ticket list related to that module You will see a list of all open tickets that are assigned to you and all support groups that you are a member of The List Tickets option under the Home section will display a consolidated list of all types of tickets in your queue s while the List Tickets option under specific Ticket Modules will list tickets only related to that module The ticket list displays all details related to the ticket like the ticket number SLA status ticket status and reason code etc Some of the actions you can take from the Ticket List are e Click on an individual ticket record to view details of the ticket e Sortthe data in the ticket list to group the data in ascending or descending order per column header e Export the data into PDF or CSV files e Printa ticket directly
355. the Update My Preferences link under Home in the Navigation Panel Click on the Filters tab to see the Filter options You can choose your preferred default Filters from this tab How Do I Step 2 Select the page for which you want to apply the filters For example if you wish to apply default filters for the Request Management Module choose Service Request Step 3 From the Filter By bar click on the parameter you would like to filter your Ticket List Clicking on the parameter will display a dropdown list You can choose multiple options by clicking on the required checkboxes Step 4 Click on Set Filters and your preferences will be set for that Module You can repeat this for other modules as well to set personalized preferences for the Ticket Lists Step 5 Click on Apply Preferences and your preferences will get applied and for all further sessions the Ticket List will display Tickets filtered by your preferences Restore Default Filters You can undo any filters you have set and restore Default Filters To restore Default Filters Step 1 On the List Tickets Screen there are three Icons Ticket Legends Refresh Screen and Reset Filters Step 2 Click on the Reset Filters icon All the filters that you had set will be removed and the system will be reset to default Chapter 7 Home 149 How Do I View the UI in my preferred language You can access Nimsoft Service Desk UI including the ticket forms etc
356. the available IT service The Self Service User Interface of Nimsoft Service Desk allows the end user of IT to take some control of their IT Support and Service requirements Service Desk Agents or Analysts Employees of the IT Support Team in an organization and those involved in providing IT support and services are called Service Desk Agents or Analysts SDAs They are mainly the providers of IT Support and Service to the end users the Self Service Users of IT in an organization Service Desk Agents could be engaged in a range of IT support activities ranging from Level 1 Support on known and straightforward issues to specialized help on highly complex issues related to effective use of IT for delivering business goals The Service Desk Agents Supervisors or Managers use Nimsoft Service Desk extensively to log requests for requestors across the organization and to track and monitor resolution and closure of the various requests that have been logged Nimsoft Service Desk provides Service Desk Agents a convenient ITSM based tool for managing the flow of requests for IT services and support Application Administrator The purpose of IT support is to ensure that the IT services in an organization are available to the users at the time that they need them and to see to it that IT works towards optimization of efforts in activity completion Towards this goal IT departments use Nimsoft Service Desk to streamline their IT support functions
357. the logged in user who has configured the Personal Search These records are not automatically shared with other members of your Support Group s or the Application Administrator Search for all CIs with one CCTI You can search for all Cls having the same CCTI using the Advanced Search Option in the Search Configuration Items link To search for all Configuration Items with the same CCTI Step 1 Click on the Search Configuration Item link under Configuration Management The list area will display a list of Pre defined Searches related to Configuration Items Step 2 Click on the Advanced Search Tab The list area will display the Advanced Search Parameters You can search for a Configuration Item matching one or more of the parameters you set To search for all Cls with one CCTI Step 3 Specify the Class in the Parameters below When you specify Class the Category list related to the Class will become available You can choose a Category from this list Similarly choose Type and Item to specify the exact CCTI related to which you want to search for Configuration Items Step 4 Click on Search The Search Results Tab will display a list of all Configuration Items that have a matching CCTI Note You will have to specify Class before you specify a Category a Category before you specify a Type and a Type before you specify an Item as they are hierarchically linked You can choose to search only by Class or only by Class and
358. the new KB Article page Additional tabs of Keywords and Attachments become available Nimsoft Service Desk automatically picks the function words as Keywords If required you can manually suggest keywords that you feel have been missed out Click on Apply Changes to save any changes you have made Close the window when you are done How Do I Comment on the Usefulness of a KB Article If you find a KB Article useful you can comment on its usefulness from the Feedback section of the Article Depending on how you accessed the KB Article your steps to add a Feedback Comment will differ The steps to give a feedback are listed below If the KB Article is accessed from the Search Solution Action on a Ticket When you access the KB Article from a Ticket you will see a KB Articles List matching your ticket description due to a default Keyword Search Step 1 Click on an Article in the list to view its details The details of the KB Article will be displayed in the KB Articles Details Tab Here you can see the Average Rating of the Article as well as details of the article like Symptom Cause and Resolution At the bottom of the Article after details associated with the KB Article you will see the Feedback Section of the KB Article Step 2 Give a Rating to the KB Article You can choose a rating from 1 5 depending on how useful you found the KB Article Step 3 Add any comments you wish to provide related to the KB Artic
359. ther you wish to Approve or Reject the Change click on Approve or Reject button in the field above Your Approval Rejection of the Ticket will be registered in Nimsoft Service Desk and concerned stakeholders will be notified about your decision Note If you receive an Approval Request by Email you can simply respond to Approval Email Notifications by inserting the word Approved or Rejected as the first word in the message body of the reply Any other comment must be entered only after the mentioned keywords You can also click on the Direct URL link in the Email to reach the request that is pending your Approval Frequently Asked Questions As Service Desk Agents you may have questions related to how you can use the Change Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk This section deals with questions that you may encounter when working with the Change Management Module How is the role of an Approver different from the role of a Reviewer An Approver is someone who has the authority to allow or disallow an action from happening or an activity from being undertaken The role of an Approver comes with the authority of saying whether or not a planned action can happen A Reviewer on the other hand has a more advisory role While the Reviewer can look at the open item and make comments on whether it can be done or not the role lacks authority to allow or block the action from taking place How will I know that a ticket has be
360. tic notifications to recipients on specific actions like change in ticket status or assignment for approval You can view Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 79 Common Actions on Tickets details of all communication sent manually and automatically from the Activity Tab of the ticket Add Updates to the Ticket As Service Desk Agents you will be undertaking some work towards resolving the tickets in your queue You can provide an update on all work you are undertaking related to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the worklog Section Some options available to you relating to worklogs are e Select a worklog type to classify the work e Set the worklog to be viewable or not viewable to the client e Update time spent on the activity e Send the worklog as an Email All worklog updates can be seen from the Activity Tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and worklogs from related tickets To resolve the ticket you can also choose to Search for a Solution from the existing Knowledgebase You can search for solutions from within the ticket The Search Solutions Action will display KB Articles related to the ticket by matching Keywords from the ticket and matching it with available KB Articles If a Solution is suitable to the needs of the ticket you can use the solution The solution details get populated into the ticket Solutions Tab Mod
361. ties e The Email Address of the sender matches the Email Address of an existing contact in Nimsoft Service Desk e The Email Address does not match that of any contact recorded in Nimsoft Service Desk If the email address matches that of an existing contact the subject line such as Case ID or Ticket ID 4 of the Email is analyzed to check if the Email is linked to an existing Ticket in Nimsoft Service Desk If a match is found then the Email can be linked up and the communication gets added to the appropriate Ticket If it cannot be linked to an existing Ticket a new Service request is created The contact name as per Nimsoft Service Desk is inserted as a Requester Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 101 How Do I What happens when The subject line is inserted as the Ticket Description and the Message Body gets updated as the Details for the Ticket Any attachment to such Email is treated as an attachment to the new Ticket created In case the senders Email address does not match contacts in Nimsoft Service Desk a Ticket is created and assigned to default group without Requester Information Such Tickets are reviewed and if appropriate the Requester details are modified and the Ticket is handled as per the workflow Otherwise the Ticket is deleted by administrator later on a user sends a Request using Email to me As an agent you first need to check if the user is a contact in Nimsoft Service Desk If the user is
362. tification could not be delivered to In case of notification failure the trace logs can be used to identify the cause of failure How Do I Find Out if My Ticket has missed its SLA Target You can view information related to whether a Ticket has met or missed its SLA Target by looking at the SLA Compliance tab of the Ticket To find out if the Ticket has missed its SLA Target Step 1 Go to the SLA Compliance tab of the Ticket A list of all Service Targets applied to the Ticket will be displayed in the table below Information on whether the Ticket met or missed its SLA Target can be viewed from the Compliance column Step 2 Click on the SLA Target row to know more information about the Target that was applied and the Ticket conditions when the Target was applied Extract Information Related to My Tickets that have Met or Missed the SLA Targets 260 Agent User Guide Frequently Asked Questions You can extract data on Tickets that have met or missed the SLA Targets from the reports in the different Ticket modules if such a pre defined report is made available to you by your Administrator You can update your preference to view the Tickets SLA Performance Chart in your Charts Dashboard If you can view the chart you can extract data on Tickets that have missed or met SLA from the chart To extract data on Tickets which have missed SLA Step 1 Go to the List Tickets page either from Home or the Ticket Module for which
363. tification is undeliverable When an unknown error Failed Notifications An error log will also be occurs within Nimsoft generated as below Service Desk during the phone notification relay An unexpected failure process occurred while processing the notification for delivery Relay Phone Notification was suppressed When there is action taken Suppressed Chapter 16 Service Level Management 259 How Do I Notifications as another action has already been taken on the ticket on the ticket before the notification could actually be sent to MIR3 server since they are either marked as inactive or their phone number is not available lt lt list of recipients to whom notification was not delivered gt gt some recipients because of non availability of their phone numbers or because they were inactive Relay Phone Notification was suppressed When any one of the Suppressed Notifications as one of the previous previously relayed notifications has already been notifications for the responded to currently applied SLA Target have already been responded to by the recipient Relay Phone Notification was suppressed When the SLA target does Suppressed Notifications as the SLA Target that not apply anymore to the generated Notification is ticket and is therefore inactive marked as met or missed Relay Phone The following recipients did When a phone notification Delivered Notification not receive the no
364. time taken for a ticket to move from New Status to Active Status Ticket resolution time time taken for the ticket to move from Active Status to Resolved Status etc When several groups are involved in working on a ticket one after another the performances of individual groups can be monitored in terms of Group Response Time and Group Ticket Holding Time Nimsoft Service Desk provides a set of pre defined metrics which can be applied to measure SLA Compliance of a ticket Service Target Service Target defines the time allocated for completing the activity being monitored against a service level metric For example based on the Service Level Agreements Ticket Response Time could be set as 15 minutes The time allotted is called the Threshold value While monitoring the Service Target the Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator can set Violation and Non violation thresholds and define action to be taken on threshold violation Chapter 2 Key Concepts 57 ITSM ITIL Concepts Service Feedback SLA measurements are also governed by factors like Support Group Business hours the time that the service group is available to work on requests and Service Availability what is the time a service is agreed to be made available The SLA Compliance of a ticket can be measured and monitored by Service Targets that are configured against predefined Service Metrics Service Desk Agents working on a ticket can view details about an SLA target in the
365. tine tasks You can request your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator to create required schedules for you Nimsoft Service Desk allows the Administrator the ability to set up schedules to create appropriate tickets based on a specified ticket template for such activities tasks The tickets are assigned to identified individual or group at fixed intervals The administrator can specify what time the ticket shall be created and set a recurrence pattern for repeated creation of the ticket Once created these tickets will get automatically assigned to the specified individual or group for processing Setting up a Schedule leads to a ticket being created for the activity at the designated date and time and getting auto assigned to the Schedule Owner and this ensures that a scheduled activity is performed as per a schedule Task Management Operating within the frame work of Request Management Incident Management Problem Management and Change Management Service Desk needs to carry out smaller units of work by different resources towards completion of the main Service Desk Ticket These units of work done towards completion of a ticket are termed as Tasks Nimsoft Service Desk provides Task management as an additional module of ticketing functionality to facilitate management of task tickets Task tickets can be created only from a Parent Service Request Incident or Problem Ticket or a Change Ticket and related to the parent ticket as a Chi
366. tion Review and closure Change Management in Nimsoft Service Desk The Change Management Module of Nimsoft Service Desk can be used to provide workflow automation for Approval and submission of Change Tickets The following features are available to be used to manage the Change process e Ticket Templates for standard pre approved changes and corresponding Task ticket templates Ticket Templates and Task Templates will be made available by your Administrator e More Detailed Information Tab to capture details applicable only to Change Management e Displaying a Forward schedule of Changes in a Calendar e Configuration of Alternative Workflow based on Change Type such as Normal Standard Emergency or Break Fix change or alternative workflows for Major versus Minor change e Approver Groups for Change Advisory Board CAB Emergency E CAB and other specialty based Approval groups and Reviewer groups e Multi level Approval process supported by Action Option to Submit for approval Withdraw from approval and possibility of multiple approval levels e Email Notifications to Approvers Reviewers with details of proposed change to initiate each Approval cycle upon Submit for Approval action e Manual addition of Approver Reviewers to a specific ticket when required e Support of automated decision rules based on Approval Type for example All Approvers must approve Any one Approver can approve etc to conclude an approval process
367. tion related to the request can be recorded and stored A Ticket also carries records of the efforts undertaken to diagnose and resolve the problem and steps taken towards fulfilling the request Request Torestore Incident Forrootcause Problem Ticket an incident Ticket analysis Ticket l To implement Standard Requests pos a change i i Task To implement Change Ticket change Request Depending on the type of request or the steps needed towards fulfillment of the request Nimsoft Service Desk provides five Ticket Forms Workflow configurations can be made for each of the ticket types based on the request processing policies of your organization e Service Request 36 Agent User Guide Ticket Related Concepts e Incident Ticket e Problem Ticket e Change Request e TaskTicket Service Request A Service Request form is used to log and manage requests for information or guidance on using an available IT service or for requesting a new IT service to be made available All requests submitted by Self Service Users without using a ticket template or via Email get logged as Service Requests Depending on the nature of the request a Service Request can then be classified as an Incident or Change Incident Ticket This form is used to gather details regarding an interruption to a service or drop in quality of an IT service that is reported Request logged using specific Ticket Templates provided to the Self
368. tivity is due for completion against an agreed upon contract You could have more than one Non Violation Thresholds set up towards a Service Target to ensure that the Service Agreements are met Notifications Notification refers to the communication sent from the ticket intimating the recipient regarding an action that has been taken on a ticket Notification can be sent on ticket assignment SLA threshold violation ticket resolution etc Operating Level Agreement Internal agreements between different internal departments of the support organization regarding terms of service priorities conditions etc are called Operational Level Agreements OLAs Usually an organization will set up a series of OLAs internally to meet an SLA externally Organization 280 Agent User Guide Outage Permissions Phase Predefined Searches Problem Process Priority Frequently Asked Questions Organization is the detail of the customer s company its vendors supplies support providers etc maintained in Nimsoft Service Desk A customer slice may have more than one Organization record A failure or interruption in the availability or functioning of a service is called an Outage An Outage could result due to a sudden failure or non availability of a service or an outage could be caused due to a planned maintenance or change Permission refers to the authority to do some action or see an option in Nimsoft Service Desk The Administra
369. to enable smooth execution of tasks necessary to offer an IT Service supported by the Service Desk The advantage of using Task Tickets is that the ownership of the parent ticket can remain with one Agent who is responsible for it while individual units of work are carried out by resources who are assigned the Task tickets They close the Task tickets as and when work is completed Using an administrator configured Workflow Actions Agents can check if all child tasks have been closed or not while closing a Parent ticket Based on configurations Task Tickets can be Auto Created for a ticket in a specified condition Task Management does NOT offer Solution Details tab Task Information tab and Related Tickets Tab The details of the Parent Ticket can be seen on the Task Ticket form itself Task Tickets display an additional Time to Completion tab to record planned and actual start date and End Date for a Task with its duration Other tabs viz Additional Information Tab Related Cls Tab Attachments Tab Activities Tab and SLA Compliance Tab are available Task templates Task group templates Task Flow templates Auto routes and Workflow Actions related to task tickets are configured by your administrator for Task tickets These will be available to you based on permissions managed by your Administrator Task Management Functions The Task Management Module which is a Ticket Module allows Service Desk Agents perform key fu
370. to the Configuration Item by clicking on the Related Tickets Tab Chapter 13 Configuration Management 233 Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions Can I unrelate CI Ticket or Attachments related to the ticket by someone else or by me Yes you can unrelate a Cl a Ticket or an Attachment related to a ticket that is visible to you in your queue The entity could have been related by you or by someone else To unrelate a Cl or a Ticket you can just click on the Unrelate link in the row containing the Cl or Ticket details To unrelate an Attachment click on the Delete button in the row containing the attachment Will I be notified if a CI related by me is unrelated from the ticket You will not be sent any notification if a Cl record is unrelated from a ticket You will not see the Cl listed in the Related Tickets tab of the ticket Why am I unable to view a Configuration Item that I was able to view earlier You can only view those Configuration Items that are currently Active in Nimsoft Service Desk Records If a Configuration Item record has been made Inactive by your Nimsoft Service Desk Administrator you will not be able to view it in the List Cl or Search Cl links Which Configuration Items appear in the Affected Services List Only those Configuration Items where the Class is specified as Service appear in the Affected Service List The categorization assigned to a Configuration Item is managed by your
371. to the ticket by adding a Worklog to the ticket You can also track the time you have spent on the ticket in the Worklog Section All Worklog updates can be seen from the Activity Tab of the ticket You can also choose to view Activities and Worklog from related tickets View Ticket Activity Details How Do I You can click on the Activity Tab on the ticket to view details of all actions on the ticket This includes manual actions like Assignment done by the Agent Analyst working on the ticket as well as automatic actions executed by any auto routes that got applied to the ticket The Activity tab also lists details of all communications related to the ticket This includes any outgoing communication sent from the ticket manually or as automatic notifications as well as incoming communications received by the ticket The information will include details of the communications like directions incoming outgoing notification status message details You can also click on the Show Related Activity checkbox and view activity details on related tickets This section explains the various actions that you may take on a Change Ticket and lists out steps to perform those actions View Approval and Review Comments You can view Approval or Review comments from the Approvals tab of the Ticket To view Approval or Review comments Step 1 Go to the Approval tab of the Ticket A list of contacts associated to the Ticket as Approvers and Revi
372. tor manages permissions for a range of actions available to the Agents and Self Service Users Phase is associated with tickets in Nimsoft Service Desk It allows segmentation of the Workflow actions It is used to define the steps in a given process workflow The default configuration of Nimsoft Service Desk defines some actions that transition tickets through phases and others that transition tickets within a phase Predefined Search refers to a list of pre configured queries that have been made available by the Administrator Predefined Searches are created for enabling an easy search for information that agents frequently need to search for Predefined Searches also form a background for reports that can be generated from the different modules An unknown underlying cause of an Incident which causes the Incident to reoccur is termed as Problem A problem has a root cause which needs to be identified and corrected to prevent the problem from having larger consequences Process is a structured set of Activities designed to accomplish a specific Objective A Process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs A Process may include any of the roles responsibilities and tools and management control required to reliably deliver the outputs A Process may define Policies Standards Guidelines Activities and Work Instructions if they are needed Nimsoft Service Desk automates the workflow steps required to accomplish th
373. ts with those Matching Conditions to a specific Support Group or in some cases an individual When a new ticket is logged the routing engine matches the conditions fields on the ticket for Matching Conditions configured by the Administrator If the ticket matches any condition the ticket is automatically routed to that support group Your Administrator can also configure the Email Subject Line to be the Matching Condition for an auto route If this is configured emails bearing the exact Subject line will be auto routed to the specified group Can Tickets be manually assigned Yes you can manually assign tickets to specific individuals or groups In the Take an Action Option you will see an action of Assign to Individual or Group You can use this action to manually assign a ticket Can I search for Closed Tickets Yes you can search for Closed Tickets using status as a filter in the Advanced Search option under Search If you know the Ticket number you can also search for Closed Tickets using Global Search Can I directly change the Status or Phase of a Ticket Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 105 How Do I No you cannot directly change the Status Reason Code or Phase of the Ticket These values change automatically based on the workflow designed by your Administrator The Status Reason Code and Phase change when you Take an Action on the Ticket from the Take an Action option on the Ticket Toolbar Can I contro
374. u will need to create the new ticket from the Take an Action option in the Ticket Toolbar Depending on the Action Options made available to you you can create Incidents Problem and Change Requests from a Service Request Similar action will also be available to you on other tickets Create Task Tickets You can create Task Tickets for completion of the actions on the Service Request using either Task Templates configured by your administrator or without using templates The task tickets can then be assigned to different agents for completion of the task When creating Task Tickets from Task Templates you can choose a Task Group or a Task Flow This allows you to manage the task assignment and completion better Send Communications from the ticket As Service Desk Agents you may need to send specific communication to the requester or other stakeholders about a ticket you are working on Nimsoft Service Desk allows you to send communication from within the ticket You can use the Send Mail option in the ticket toolbar to send email communication to a recipient Some options available for Sending communication from the ticket are e Send communication using a Communication Template e Set a communication to be sent at a future date and time e Set a condition for the ticket values to be automatically updated when sent at a future date and time e Send worklog as email to recipients Nimsoft Service Desk can be set up to send automa
375. u wish to use More information like Symptom Cause and KB Article will be displayed in the KB Articles Details page Step 4 If you wish to use the KB Article to the Ticket click on Use KB Article The Search KB Article s lookup will close and the Cause and Resolution will get populated in the Solution Details tab of the Ticket Click on Save option in the Ticket Toolbar to associate the Solution to the Ticket You can also choose to Print the Solution applied to the ticket if required Note If the CCTI of the Solution applied does not match the CCTI of the Ticket Nimsoft Service Desk will send out a message asking if you wish to reclassify the Ticket to match the CCTI of the Solution applied Click on OK to reclassify the Ticket If you click Cancel the solution details will be carried over to the Ticket without modifying the CCTI of the Ticket You can use Global Search from any fixed page or form in Nimsoft Service Desk The Global Search field will always be visible in the Header Section above the Navigation Panel To use Global Search Step 1 Enter a short phrase or alpha numeric text on what you wish to search for and click Enter The search results will be visible in the Global Search Page Step 2 From the list of search results click on the URL link to the record you wish to view and the record will be displayed Configure a Personal Search Query For commonly executed advanced searches where you choose t
376. uld add other recipients into the list When does a planned Change become visible in the Scheduled Changes Calendar 214 Agent User Guide A planned Change becomes visible in the Scheduled Changes Calendar as soon as the ticket contains the required details like the Planned Start and End date for a Change Overview Chapter 12 Task Management Overview This section explains the links for forms and actions available under Task Management in the Navigation Panel The various actions you can take on Task Tickets are also explained Some of these links may not be available to you as the list is controlled by your Application Administrator Operating within the frame work of Request management Incidents Problem and Change Management different resources working with the Service Desk would need to carry out smaller units of work towards completion of the main Service Desk ticket These are termed Tasks Tasks tickets are logged and managed in the Task Management module of the application The common actions related to Tasks are explained in the section below About Task Management Nimsoft Service Desk provides Task management as an additional module of ticketing functionality to facilitate execution of activities related to resolution of a ticket Several independent or associated tasks can be created towards completion of a Known or Planned activity Some of these tasks will need to be assigned to specific people and need to b
377. uld like to apply the solution you can do so from the Solution Details tab of the list KB Articles form Attachment List This look up is associated with the relate attachment action Where an attachment is considered useful for many entities it can be marked as a Global Attachment and stored in Nimsoft Service Desk records The Attachment list displays a list of available Global Attachments You can filter the ist by selecting a type from the drop a EEEE Compressed zip gz rar tar jar Document Link Executable exe bat com Image bmp gif jpeg jpg png tif Msi Message msg Office Document doc rtf ppt xls Other Files Portable Document pdf ps System Application Logs Jog Text bd csv dat so Web cs h m html js Search Output Record s 1 to 10 of 21 Fj You can access the Attachment list from the Attachments tab on the ticket or from the Attachments tab on a KB Article or Contact Record form Clicking the Relate Existing link on the Attachments tab displays the Attachment list where you can view a list of available attachments and relate the attachment to the ticket Handling Searches While working with tickets and other supporting modules you will need to access different search function Some of the key Search Related Functions are listed below 120 Agent User Guide Hand
378. ur Administrator for each task Using an administrator configured Workflow action Agents can check if all children Tasks have been closed or not while closing a Parent ticket ITSM ITIL Concepts Support Groups 50 Agent User Guide Support Groups refers to the grouping all Service Desk Agents who provides support on similar type of requests Grouping all those capable of handling similar type of request helps in assigning tickets to a specific group rather than an individual this reduces dependency on any one individual to work on the issue This is advantageous because when a ticket is assigned to a group anyone from the group can take ownership of the issue and start working on it Such Grouping of Agents who can work on an issue is particularly helpful in 24X7 type of support environments or in geographically dispersed support environments where accepting assignment on the issue could be dependent on which member of the group is working at a given time Network qum ert Servers Support Group e E Support Group ServiceDesk Agent c Service Desk Service Desk Service Desk Service Desk Agent a Agent b Agent d Agent e ITSM ITIL Concepts Another advantage of grouping agents into support groups is that it allows configuration of auto routes on tickets As any one member of the group will be available to handle a request at a given time the ticket will get looked into in a timely manner As the need to manually con
379. ur Administrator to delete the Task Tickets Can I create Task Tickets for a parent ticket from a Task group and then cancel some of the Task Tickets created No once you create a Task Ticket using the template all tasks of the Task Group will get created You cannot delete a Task from the Task Group Task Flow Can I add more Task Tickets for a parent ticket after I have created Tasks using a Task Group template Yes you can add more Task Tickets for a Parent Ticket even after you have created Tasks using a Task Group Template The new Tasks can either be created using another task template or manually by filling in required information What action must be taken in Nimsoft Service Desk if a Task for Task Tickets cannot be completed properly successfully An action option that changes the status of the Task Tickets to CLOSED and sets the Reason Code that includes any of the words Denied Rejected should be selected for execution if the Task could not be completed appropriately successfully Administrator should Name such an action Closed as unsuccessful And also ensure the Reason Code contains the required word Can I resubmit a Task Flow if the Task Flow failed earlier Yes if a Task Flow Failed earlier and was therefore not completed you can resubmit the Task Flow either from a workflow action Take an Action Option in the Ticket Toolbar or from the Create Tasks using Task Flow Template 224 Agent User Guide Fre
380. varying time zones Nimsoft Service Desk therefore takes into account the Time Zone of the logged in user and performs the necessary time conversions to user s time zone for displaying time related information Time Zone information can also be associated with Auto routes Service Availability and SLA Calculations Chapter 18 Glossary 291 Frequently Asked Questions Trends and Metrics Type Trends and Metrics is a module of Nimsoft Service Desk which displays a range of Reports and charts identifying the various trends related to the tickets logged in Nimsoft Service Desk These trends and metrics charts and reports allow the Administrator and IT Managers to visualize how the IT Support division is functioning and manage improve the support activities accordingly Type is a method of classification used in Nimsoft Service Desk In the Self Service User interface type can be Ticket Type Self Service Users can choose Type for a Request when they submit a new request If the option is visible to them They can choose Type from the Dropdown list visible to them when they Submit Request for support or service Worklog Type A Service Desk Agent can update a Type of worklog as Client Note Update Work etc This classification is visible in the table which displays all client viewable worklogs in an existing request A Self Service User might also see details on incoming or outgoing mails as Communications in the Worklog table S
381. vice Feedback Related actions that Service Desk Agents have access to Service Feedback is a method of getting the end users opinion about the quality of services received for IT Services and Support Nimsoft Service Desk provides the Administrator the ability to design Service Feedback forms and set up schedules for when the feedback forms are to be sent out to the end users Your Administrator can also pull out reports related to the feedback received Service Desk Agents may or may not be made part of the Service Feedback process If you are part of the Service Feedback process as respondent to a Service Feedback Schedule email notification regarding the schedule will be sent out to you You can also view any Service Feedback Surveys that you are part of in the My Feedback link under Service Feedback Module As Agents you do not work directly with setting up the survey or in scheduling the Service Feedback Surveys Not all contacts receive Service Feedback Surveys and therefore you may or may not be asked to provide your feedback as part of the Service Feedback process The Self Service Users or the end users of the IT Services will be asked for feedback on the quality of service provided by the Service Desk Self Service Users could come back with questions relating to the service feedback forms that they receive This section explains functions related to Service Management Service Feedback Functions Organizations use S
382. view Chapter 7 Home Overview This section deals with the links to forms and actions that can be accessed from the Home Section in the Navigation Panel It identifies the actions that Service Desk Agents can take from the Home Section The Home Section displays the charts and ticket list for all ticket type in your queue or in queues of the Support Group s of which you are a member This section contains links for creating new Service Request Search all tickets and links that allow you to manage your profile and password This section also contains links to information pages like that Navigation Help Support Information and Product Documentation The actual links that you can see could vary as this list is controlled by your Administrator Generally the links below are grouped under Home Section of Nimsoft Service Desk Application for Service Desk Agents Home Section Functions List Tickets 138 Agent User Guide These are the actions that Service Desk Agents have access to under the Home Section Some of these links may not be available to you as the ability to view and use any link in the Navigation Panel is managed by your Administrator The Ticket List link under Home is the default landing page when you log into Nimsoft Service Desk You can set any other fixed form or page as the landing page based on your working with Nimsoft Service Desk The List Tickets page displays a Dashboard Chart and a list of tickets assi
383. w Do I All actions on Problem Tickets are similar to actions on Incident Tickets Please refer to the How Do I section in the Incident Management chapter for actions specific to Incident and Problem Tickets For more generic actions related to all tickets please refer to the How Do section in the Ticket Functionality chapter Frequently Asked Questions You may have questions related to how you can use the Problem Management Module As the issues related to Problem Management are similar to those related to Incidents please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the Incident Management chapter For answers to more generic questions related to all tickets please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the Ticket Functionality chapter Chapter 10 Problem Management 191 Overview Chapter 11 Change Management Overview This section explains the links for forms and actions available under Change Management module in the Navigation Panel Some of these links may not be available to you as the actions you can access are controlled by your Application Administrator A Change is the addition modification or removal of authorized planned or supported service or service component and its associated documentation In order to ensure that all changes are well planned and approved Change Management comes into play Change Tickets are logged and managed in the Change Management Module Change tickets go through a Change Approval Pr
384. which the Tasks need to be performed Step 5 Click on Save and the New Task Ticket will get saved Frequently Asked Questions You can update any further information in the Additional Information tab and update details like the Planned Start and End Date time in the Time to Completion tab Click to save any changes made to the details filled in Frequently Asked Questions This section answers some questions that users may encounter when working with Task Tickets Can I Create a Task Ticket directly from the Task Management module No you cannot create Task Tickets directly from the Task Management Module This is because Task Tickets are created as final activities to be done towards completion of a ticket A Task Ticket therefore cannot be created independent of a Service Request an Incident Problem or Change Ticket Do Task Tickets get created automatically by the system Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured to automatically create Task Ticket when certain conditions are fulfilled by the Ticket For example if a Normal Change is Approved certain tasks will need to be done towards execution of the Change Therefore your Administrator can make required configurations to allow Task Tickets to be automatically created when a Normal Change for a particular type of ticket is Approved Can Task Tickets get automatically assigned Nimsoft Service Desk can be configured to automatically create and assign Task Tickets to a
385. will be listed in the look up If the ticket s you wish to relate are in this list you can directly relate these to the ticket Step 3 If the automatic Search Result does not list tickets you wish to relate click on the Search Criteria Tab You can see various search options available to you Enter the appropriate filter to search for tickets you could relate For example if you wish to search using Ticket ID Requester Name etc you can use the appropriate filter Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 89 How Do I The search results tab will list all tickets that match your search criteria You can choose any ticket s and relate them to your ticket To relate the ticket s click on the Checkbox against each ticket you wish to relate After you have chosen the ticket s that you wish to relate click on the Relate button The tickets will get related to your ticket Note If you know the ticket number for the ticket you wish to relate you can enter the ticket ID into the Find Within Results field If the ticket is already listed as part of the search it will get highlighted This is a faster method of relating tickets Relate an Attachment to the Ticket 90 Agent User Guide You can relate attachments from the Attachments tab of the Ticket You can add either an available file Global Attachment or upload a new file Attachments can also be related to Knowledge Articles and Configuration Items in the same way T
386. without having to type out a detailed message Communication Templates can also be configured to be automatically sent to identified recipients based on some action on the ticket As Communication Templates can be associated to different actions on tickets automatic notifications can be configured to be sent out on action on ticket This reduces the need for manual notifications to different stakeholders Agents also have the option of sending out manual notification to specific stakeholders by using the Send Mail option on the ticket Agents can choose appropriate Categorization for tickets that they log and can use Categorization to search for Tickets Configuration Items and KB Articles Agents can analyze factors like Severity Impact and Urgency to further identify Priority of a ticket logged in their queue They can set these fields according to the nature of the issue reported Features for Operations Po and manage their efforts on issue resolution accordingly Where a ticket is related to many other tickets and is the cause of several other tickets the Service Desk Agent can mark the Mark a Ticket as Global issue as Global Issue Ticket All other issues related to this can then be related to this Global Issue Actions on the global ticket can be carried forward on the other tickets that are related to the Global Issue Where a ticket concerns a Configuration Item the Service Desk Relate Tickets to other Agent can relate t
387. wledgebase However they may not have access to all KB Articles visible to you because your Administrator controls the KB Articles that are visible to the SSU Can an SSU view all KB Articles of Knowledge base or only those relevant to his Service Request SSU can view all KB Articles to which access has been provided by your Administrator Usually Self Service Users have access to only very simple non technical KB Articles which they can easily implement by themselves However what KB Articles for Self Service Users is controlled by your Administrator Can an SSU ask more information about a solution that he she thinks is useful to him but needs to know more Yes Self Service Users can come back requesting for more information about a KB Articles that may be useful to them Nimsoft Service Desk however does not provide a structured platform for such communication within the ticket or the knowledgebase Nimsoft Service Desk Features Related Nimsoft Service Desk offers a wide range of features that could be accessible to you as Service Desk Agents You may have questions regarding these features This section deals with FAQs you may have related to Nimsoft Service Desk Features What happens when a User sends a Request through Email to Nimsoft Service Desk When a user sends an Email to Nimsoft Service Desk the first action is matching the Email Address to that or all existing contacts in Nimsoft Service Desk There are two possibili
388. xtraction and select the KB Article Category Step 3 Make any required modifications and choose whether you want to view the report on screen or would like to extract it into a PDF or CSV File Step 4 Click on Show and the report will be generated in the format desired How Do I View Reports Related to Service Feedback Surveys Nimsoft Service Desk allows extraction of one consolidated report related to Service Feedback Questionnaire Responses If your Administrator has given you access to the reporting action you will see the Reports link under Service Feedback Module To create a report related to Service Feedback Questionnaires Step 1 Go to the reports link under the Service Feedback Module You will see the report that you are allowed to view Step 2 Click on the report name The report will open in a new window Choose the Schedule Name for which you would want to view the Survey Result trend Step 3 Make any required modifications and choose whether you want to view the report on screen or would like to extract it into a PDF or CSV File Step 4 Click on Show and the report will be generated in the format desired Note You cannot extract a consolidated report for all surveys You will have to specify the name of the service feedback schedule for which you want to extract the report Choose Dashboard Charts displayed You can choose Dashboard Charts that are displayed from the My Dashboard Link under Home
389. you can add a note about the SLA Status in the comments column Chapter 4 Ticket Related Functionality 81 How Do I View Reports How Do I 82 Agent User Guide As Service Desk Agents you may need to search for a ticket either for your own use or to provide details about the ticket to a requester To facilitate easy search for tickets each Ticket Module and the Home Section contains a Search Ticket Type link Clicking on this link displays a Search Tickets form here you can choose to run any of the listed Predefined Searches or any Personal Searches that you have configured to search for tickets You can also choose to run an adhoc search using the field options available in the Advanced Search Tab to execute a search matching your own Search Criteria While the All Searches link under Home will allow you to search across all ticket types the Search Ticket Type link under the other Ticket Modules will enable you to search for that specific type of ticket For example the Search Service Request link under Request Management will display a list or Service Request related Predefined Searches and Personal Searches and the Advanced Search will also be limited to searching for records related to Service Requests All search results will be displayed in the Search Results Tab You can drill down to the details of any ticket listed and if needed you can extract details of the search into a PDF or CSV file Reports allow Service

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