Supportworks
Encyclopedia
Supportworks is an issue tracking system
designed for use in help desk
and information technology
(IT) environments. Two branches of the software are developed concurrently, Supportworks ITSM, a certified Information Technology Infrastructure Library
(ITIL) compatible IT service management
(ITSM) solution, and Supportworks Helpdesk Professional.
method to classify calls with each level increasing specificity of the classification. Supportworks groups analysts
into "support groups." Calls may be assigned to a support group, or to a specific analyst.
A call's state at any given time is denoted by one of several different "condition codes," each is expressed visually by a different color. Black indicates a pending state (that work is in progress on the call) or that the call is "closed" (required work is completed). Blue denotes a call that no one currently has responsibility for; that it has not been "assigned" to or "accepted" by an analyst. Green colored calls are "on hold," meaning further user input is required to complete the call and therefore "paused" for a specific amount of time. Red is reserved for calls that are "off hold" or that require urgent attention.
Each Supportworks call is associated with a service level agreement
(SLA). A call's SLA can be generated from its metadata
, such as the customer, department, site, inventory item, or problem profile associated with the call. Each SLA incorporates a "response time" and "fix time" related to the call. Triggers are programed based on the response time and fix time to ensure the SLA is not violated. For instance, if a call is approaching its fix time, but its issue has not been resolved, a help desk manager can be notified, the call can be transferred to a different group, or the call's condition code can be changed.
Supportworks provides a tool to track widespread incidents that may impact a variety of customers known as "issues." Calls can be associated with an issue and closed en masse when an issue has been corrected. Closing such an issue generates an email notification to all customers affected. When an analyst opens the Supportworks client, they are presented with a "Supportworks Today" page displaying, among other things, a list of the current issues.
application, e-mail integration through a shared mailbox, and the ability to populate a database of customers from external sources such as directory service
s using LDAP
, query results from external databases, CSV
files and Excel
documents. The form
s used to manage information in Supportworks can be customized with a graphical form designer tool
. Additional fields can be added to the Supportworks database to support such customizations when necessary.
Supportworks is packaged with a web-based self-service portal
, allowing customers to create calls in the system using a web browser
, without requiring assistance from an analyst
. When a customer creates a call through the self-service portal an email is generated with a reference number for the customer. The reference number allows them to track the progress of their call through the portal. Through this interface they are able to escalate their call, update their call, attach files to their call, and see which analyst is working on their call.
Supportworks can work with or independently of a complementary Hornbill product, Assetworks. Assetworks is an inventory control system
and can be used to track any arbitrary set of items. It contains a discovery feature, however, which allows it to auto-populate an inventory by auto-detecting devices connected to a computer network.
Issue tracking system
An issue tracking system is a computer software package that manages and maintains lists of issues, as needed by an organization...
designed for use in help desk
Help desk
A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind...
and information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) environments. Two branches of the software are developed concurrently, Supportworks ITSM, a certified Information Technology Infrastructure Library
Information Technology Infrastructure Library
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library , is a set of good practices for IT service management that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. In its current form , ITIL is published in a series of five core publications, each of which covers an ITSM lifecycle stage...
(ITIL) compatible IT service management
IT Service Management
IT service management is a discipline for managing information technology systems, philosophically centered on the customer's perspective of IT's contribution to the business. ITSM stands in deliberate contrast to technology-centered approaches to IT management and business interaction...
(ITSM) solution, and Supportworks Helpdesk Professional.
Design
Issues tracked in Supportworks are known as "calls." Calls are classified using a hierarchical model known as "problem profiles." This model enables a drill downDrill down
In information technology, to drill down means to move from summary information to detailed data by focusing in on something. In a GUI-environment, "drilling-down" may involve clicking on some representation in order to reveal more detail....
method to classify calls with each level increasing specificity of the classification. Supportworks groups analysts
Application analyst
In the USA, an application analyst is someone whose job is to support a given application or applications. This may entail some programming, some system administration skills, and the ability to analyse a given problem, diagnose it and find its root cause, and then either solve it or pass the...
into "support groups." Calls may be assigned to a support group, or to a specific analyst.
A call's state at any given time is denoted by one of several different "condition codes," each is expressed visually by a different color. Black indicates a pending state (that work is in progress on the call) or that the call is "closed" (required work is completed). Blue denotes a call that no one currently has responsibility for; that it has not been "assigned" to or "accepted" by an analyst. Green colored calls are "on hold," meaning further user input is required to complete the call and therefore "paused" for a specific amount of time. Red is reserved for calls that are "off hold" or that require urgent attention.
Each Supportworks call is associated with a service level agreement
Service Level Agreement
A service-level agreement is a part of a service contract where the level of service is formally defined. In practice, the term SLA is sometimes used to refer to the contracted delivery time or performance...
(SLA). A call's SLA can be generated from its metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
, such as the customer, department, site, inventory item, or problem profile associated with the call. Each SLA incorporates a "response time" and "fix time" related to the call. Triggers are programed based on the response time and fix time to ensure the SLA is not violated. For instance, if a call is approaching its fix time, but its issue has not been resolved, a help desk manager can be notified, the call can be transferred to a different group, or the call's condition code can be changed.
Supportworks provides a tool to track widespread incidents that may impact a variety of customers known as "issues." Calls can be associated with an issue and closed en masse when an issue has been corrected. Closing such an issue generates an email notification to all customers affected. When an analyst opens the Supportworks client, they are presented with a "Supportworks Today" page displaying, among other things, a list of the current issues.
Features
Supportworks provides an integrated knowledge baseKnowledge base
A knowledge base is a special kind of database for knowledge management. A Knowledge Base provides a means for information to be collected, organised, shared, searched and utilised.-Types:...
application, e-mail integration through a shared mailbox, and the ability to populate a database of customers from external sources such as directory service
Directory service
A directory service is the software system that stores, organizes and provides access to information in a directory. In software engineering, a directory is a map between names and values. It allows the lookup of values given a name, similar to a dictionary...
s using LDAP
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is an application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol network...
, query results from external databases, CSV
Comma-separated values
A comma-separated values file stores tabular data in plain-text form. As a result, such a file is easily human-readable ....
files and Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
documents. The form
Form (web)
A webform on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for processing. Webforms resemble paper or database forms because internet users fill out the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields...
s used to manage information in Supportworks can be customized with a graphical form designer tool
Form (programming)
In component-based programming , a form is an easy way to create a GUI window. A form contains components and controls, which are a high-level representation of standard GUI widgets; it's easier to manipulate the high-level wrappers than to deal with the underlying API.At design time, visual...
. Additional fields can be added to the Supportworks database to support such customizations when necessary.
Supportworks is packaged with a web-based self-service portal
Web portal
A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
, allowing customers to create calls in the system using a web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, without requiring assistance from an analyst
Application analyst
In the USA, an application analyst is someone whose job is to support a given application or applications. This may entail some programming, some system administration skills, and the ability to analyse a given problem, diagnose it and find its root cause, and then either solve it or pass the...
. When a customer creates a call through the self-service portal an email is generated with a reference number for the customer. The reference number allows them to track the progress of their call through the portal. Through this interface they are able to escalate their call, update their call, attach files to their call, and see which analyst is working on their call.
Supportworks can work with or independently of a complementary Hornbill product, Assetworks. Assetworks is an inventory control system
Inventory control system
An inventory control system is a process for managing and locating objects or materials. In common usage, the term may also refer to just the software components......
and can be used to track any arbitrary set of items. It contains a discovery feature, however, which allows it to auto-populate an inventory by auto-detecting devices connected to a computer network.
See also
- Comparison of issue tracking systemsComparison of issue tracking systemsThis article is a comparison of issue tracking systems which are notable, including bug tracking systems, help desk and service desk issue tracking systems, and asset management systems...
- Comparison of help desk issue tracking softwareComparison of help desk issue tracking softwareThis article is a comparison of notable issue tracking systems used primarily for help desks and service desks rather than for bug tracking or project management.- External links :* * * * * *...