Creating and managing assignments

Creating and assigning assignments

You can create an assignment with or without using a template.

To create an assignment by using a template

To help ensure the accuracy and completeness of data, you can use a template to create a record. A template ensures consistency of information and saves time. System administrators can define templates for tickets and assignments. Applying a template also adds a Template Used system note in the Details section.

1. Navigate to the Ticket form (on the header bar, select ADD NEW > New Ticket).
2. In the Ticket form, in the Details section, select Assignments > New.
3. In the Assignments form, in the Select and apply template list, select the required template.
4. Click Apply template .
   The Assignment form is populated with fields from the template.
5. Enter other required information and click Save Assignment.

To create an assignment without using a template

1. Navigate to the Ticket form (on the header bar, select ADD NEW > New Ticket).
2. In the Ticket form, in the Details section, select Assignments > New.

3. In the Assignment form, enter details for required fields.
   When you create an assignment, some fields on the Assignment form are populated from the parent Ticket form such as Summary, Ticket ID, Technician, Category, and so on.

    View the Assignment form fields.

   Section name	Field name	Description
   Assignment Information	Summary	Enter a short summary about the task for which the assignment is created.
   	Category	This value is populated based on the category of the parent ticket but you can overwrite it according to your requirements. If Support Specialists are assigned to the selected category, the Assign Support Specialists dialog box is displayed where you can select a support specialist. If there is only one support specialist assigned to a category, the Technician field is populated when you select that category. For more information about categories, see Creating and managing categories.
   	Priority	Select an appropriate priority according to your business requirements. If your system administrator has configured priority hierarchy for your group, the Priority field is populated based on the hierarchy. For more information about priorities, see Creating and managing priorities.
   	Status	Select an appropriate status value for the assignment. The default status assigned is Open.
   	Ticket ID	This value is populated using information in the parent Ticket form.
   	Due by	Enter the due date and time. The value must be greater than the time when the assignment is created. If you change the priority of the assignment, you must select one of the following options: - Do Not Recalculate Due Date - Recalculate Due Date based on Open Date - Recalculate Due Date based on Current Date The Due by date will be automatically calculated based on the priority selected, if the priority is already configured with Due Duration.
   	Expected Response	This value is calculated and populated based on the corresponding value set for the selected priority, only if the priority is already configured with the Expected Response Duration field.
   	Expected Fix	This value is calculated and populated based on the corresponding value set for the selected priority, only if the priority is already configured with the Expected Fix Duration field.
   	Solution ID	This value is populated based on the information in the linked solution article. If you link multiple solutions to a ticket, the value is populated by using the last solution linked to the ticket.
   Technician Information	Technician	This value is populated based on the information in the Technician form.
   	Last Updated By	This value is populated with name of the user who saved the assignment most recently.
   	Group	This value is populated based on the information in the Technician form.
   	Opened By	This value is populated based on who created the assignment.
   Requestor Information	Requestor Name	This value is populated based on the information in the Requestor form.
   	Requestor Email	This value is populated based on the information in the Requestor form.
   	Phone	This value is populated based on the information in the Requestor form.
   	Callback Phone	Enter an alternate phone number.
   	Department	Select a department name. By default, if a requestor is assigned a department, that value is populated. If you change the requestor, the department and location values are updated based on the new requestor details.
   	Location	Select a location. By default, if a department is assigned a location, that value is populated. If you change the department, the location value is updated based on the new department.
   Additional Information		Enter any additional information about the assignment.

4. Click Save Assignment.

5. After you save an assignment, you can perform following actions:

    View the Assignment toolbar options.

   Field name	Description
   Assignment ID	Shows the assignment identification code.
   New email	Click to send a new email message.
   Search solution	Click to search for a relevant solution for the current assignment.
   Assign to	Select an option to assign the assignment.
   Actions	Select an option to perform an action on the ticket.
   Copy this assignment	Click to copy the current assignment data to create a new assignment. Note: The fields that are calculated for the new assignment such as Due By date, are not copied.
   Print this assignment	Click to print the assignment. You can also export the assignment summary in various formats.
   Clear form	Click to clear all the data entered in the Assignment form. The form is launched in New Assignment mode and all unsaved changes will be lost.
   Delete this record	Click to delete the assignment record.

Performing additional actions on a record

After you save a record, you can perform additional actions. The following topics apply to both ticket and assignment records. For the purpose of documentation, the following topics might refer to ticket records.

Sending an email message

Before you send an email, your system administrator must configure the email server and email accounts for incoming and outgoing email messages. For more information, see Configuring email. If the subject of an email is more than 255 characters, the email is not processed.

1. On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu  and select Help Desk.
2. From the Views list, select an option to filter the records.
3. Double-click the required record.
4. On the recordtoolbar, click New email .
5. To enter the recipient address, in the New Email dialog box, click Open Address Book next to the To field.
   If you have selected a requestor in the record form, the To field is populated. However, you can overwrite it.
6. In the Select email address dialog box, perform the following actions: 
   1. In the View list, select Requestors, Technicians, or All addresses.
      You can use the Filter field to search for specific email addresses.
   2. In the Email Address list, select the required email address, and click To at the bottom of the dialog box.
      If the required address is not in the list, enter the address manually.
   3. To populate the CC field, select the required email address, and click CC at the bottom of the dialog box.
   4. To populate the BCC field, select the required email address, and click BCC at the bottom of the dialog box.
   5. Click OK.
7. In the Subject field, enter a subject for the email message.
8. (Optional) To add attachments to the email message, click Browse to locate a file, and click Open.
    Repeat the steps for each additional attachment.
9. In the Message Text field, enter the email message.
10. To insert fields from the record form in the email message, in the Select Field list, select a field, and click the Insert in the message body link.
    Only those fields that have values populated appear in the Select Field list.
11. Click Send.
    After an email is sent, a confirmation message appears and an Email sent user note is created in the Details section that provides details about the email sent by the technician.

Assigning a record

The Assign To list allows you to assign the record using different options. The ticket is saved automatically as soon as any option is selected from the Assign To menu. 

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).

2. On the recordtoolbar, from the Assign To menu, select an appropriate option as described in the following table:

   Options	Details
   Assign to a Technician	Select this option to assign the record to a technician belonging to your group or a group other than your group. In the Select Technician dialog box, select a group. Select a technician from the list. Click OK.
   Assign to a Support Specialist	Select this option to assign the record to a support specialist. This option is enabled only when the category selected for the record has a support specialist assigned to it. In the Assign Support Specialists dialog box, select a group. Select a technician from the list. Click OK.
   Assign to a Group	Select this option to assign the record to a group. When you assign a record to a group, removes the Assign to technician details are removed. In the Select Group dialog box, select a group. Click OK.
   Assign to a Technician of my Groups	Select this option to assign the record to a technician belonging to your groups only. In the Select Technician dialog box, select a group. Select a technician from the list. Click OK.
   Assign to Myself	Select this option to assign the record to yourself.
   Clear Assignment	Select this option to clear the current technician details in the record form. However, the group remains assigned. A record must be assigned to a group at least when it is not assigned to a technician.

Performing quick actions on a record

Use the Actions menu to perform certain actions on a ticket. These quick actions menu instantly performs a selected action without prompting you for confirmation. You must save a ticket to enable the Actions menu and then the ticket is saved again automatically each time you select an option from the Actions menu. 

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).

2. On the recordtoolbar, from the Actions menu, select an appropriate option as described in the following table:

   Actions	Details
   Close Ticket	Select this option to close the ticket. The ticket status changes to the default status type Closed and the ticket becomes read-only.
   Reopen Ticket	Select this option to reopen the closed ticket. The ticket status changes to the default status type Open and ticket is available for editing.
   Increment Call Counter (For tickets only)	Select this option to increase the count in the Call Counter field by one. On the out-of-the-box Ticket form, the Call Counter field is not present. However, you can contact your system administrator to add the Call Counter field to the form. For example, you can use this field to increment the number of calls you had with the customers.
   Start Clock	Select this option to start the stopped clock for an SLA milestone. The clock starts as soon as a ticket is created, so the Start Clock option is disabled by default.
   Stop Clock	Select this option to stop the clock when required. This option also enables the Start Clock option. You can start the clock again when the issue that was blocking the ticket is resolved. A system note gets added when the clock stops or starts either through the Actions menu or through a Status change. You can customize the form to add the Clock Stopped Time field that shows the time when the clock was stopped.
   Responded (For tickets only)	Select this option to populate the value of the Responded field. This field is populated based on the date and time when a technician selects this option.

Searching and linking a solution to a record

After you create and save a record, you can link a solution to it. If you do not have edit permission for a ticket, you cannot link a solution to it. Contact your system administrator to enable edit permission. You must save the ticket or assignment after linking a solution to it.

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).
2. On the recordtoolbar, click Search solution .
3. In the Link: Solution dialog box, select a search option.
4. In the Search field, enter your preferred keywords and click Search .
   By default, the Search field is populated with the record summary. However, you can overwrite it with your preferred keywords.
5. From the results, select a solution and click Link.
6. (Optional) In the Add New Ticket Note dialog box, if you want to add the summary of the solution into the resolution of the ticket, click Yes.
7. (Optional) In the New Ticket Notes dialog box, enter details in the required fields. For more information, see Adding notes to a record.
8. Click Add / Update Note .
   The linked solution's ID is displayed in the Solution Information section of the Ticket form.

Adding notes to a record

After a record is created, the system adds system notes in the Ticket Notes section whenever a specific action is performed on the ticket. You can add user notes to keep track of the actions performed on the ticket. You can use these notes to generate specific reports.

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).

2. In the Details section, select Ticket Notes > New.

3. Click Add/Update Note.
   Enter details in the New Ticket Notes dialog box. The following table shows details of the fields on the New Ticket Notes dialog box:

   Field	Details
   Note Type	Select the type of note you want to add: Ticket Description Technician Note Ticket Resolution
   Activity Code	Select the activity code for the note. For more information, see Creating and managing activity codes.
   Private note (hidden from Requestor) (For tickets only)	To make the note visible to requestors, clear the check box. (2020 Release 03) To make all ticket notes private by default, select the Mark Notes as Private check box in the Ticket Notes Default Behavior section. After you have selected the check box, it continues to remain selected. (2020 Release 03) To make all ticket notes public by default, clear the Mark Notes as Private check box in the Ticket Notes Default Behavior section. After you have cleared the check box, it continues to remain cleared. For more information, see To configure system settings.
   Enter note details	Enter the actions performed on the ticket.
   Duration	This value is populated automatically based on the time spent on an activity since the last note was added. For the activity codes which have the Track Time field selected, the Duration needs to have a positive value. For the activity codes that have the Track Time field cleared, Duration is not calculated. However, in both cases, you can override the Duration manually. (2020 Release 03) The format of this field is ddd:hh:mm:ss.
   Technician	The value is populated based on the information in the Ticket form.
   Requestor (For tickets only)	The value is populated only if the note is added by a requestor from Self Service.

Based on the browser that you are using, you can insert or paste images to notes:

Creating a solution from record notes

After you have added a record note, you can create a solution depending on the note you added. You must add at least one ticket note to be able to create a solution from the Ticket Notes section. If there are multiple User notes, you must select an appropriate note to create the solution.

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).
2. In the Details section, select Ticket Notes > Create Solution  .
   The ticket summary gets copied to the solution summary and the note text gets copied to the solution text but you can overwrite these values. For more information, see Creating a new solution.

Adding attachments to a record

You can attach files up to 29 MB to your records. You can open or save an attachment using the Download Attachments option. The download behavior—whether the attachment is saved or opened for viewing, depends on your browser settings.

1. Open a record from the Help Desk (from the hamburger menu , select Help Desk > double-click the required record).
2. In the Attachments section, click New and perform any of the following actions:
   • To locate and select the required file from the local storage, in the Attachments dialog box, click Browse.
   • To select a web file, in the URL Link field, enter the required URL.
3. Click Attach.

Linking or unlinking assets to tickets

In the Ticket form, you can link or unlink assets to tickets. It enables technicians to associate the asset with a specific ticket. Multiple tickets can be linked to a single asset.

1. On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu   and select Help Desk > double-click the ticket.
2. In the Ticket form, from the Requestor Name field, select the requestor.
   The Asset Name field is populated with the list of assets that are associated with the selected requestor.
3. To link the asset, from the Asset Name list, select the asset to link to the ticket.
4. To unlink the asset, from the Asset Name list, clear the asset to link to the ticket.
5. Click Save Ticket.

Linking or unlinking assets to assignments

In the Assignment form, you can link or unlink assets to assignments. It enables technicians to associate the asset with a specific assignment. Multiple assignment can be linked to a single asset.

1.  On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu   and select Help Desk > double-click the ticket.
2. From the Details section, click Assignments, select the assignment and click Edit .
3. In the Assignment form, from the Requestor Name field, select the requestor.
   The Asset Name field is populated with the list of assets that are associated with the selected requestor.
4. To link the asset, from the Asset Name list, select the asset to link to the assignment.
5. To unlink the asset, from the Asset Name list, clear the asset to link to the assignment.
6. Click Save Ticket.

Linking predecessors and successors to an assignment

You can link assignments of a ticket to each other as predecessors and successors to be completed in a certain order. This function helps you set a hierarchy of assignments to maintain the flow of tasks. Before you link predecessors and successors to an assignment, you must first ensure that your system administrator has configured the assignment status progression. For more information, see Configuring assignment status progression . You can add more than one successors and predecessors to an assignment. The predecessor-successor relationship is a tree relationship, not a sequential one, and can have different workflows. Depending upon the workflow, there can be two or more assignments that should be completed simultaneously.
You cannot link an assignment as both a predecessor and successor of an assignment, because this creates a circular loop in the workflow execution.

The following procedure uses an example to help understand this feature better. This example sets up a workflow where assignment 002 is worked on first and after it is closed, a technician is notified to start working on the next assignment in the flow. So assignment 001 is completed next. When assignment 001 is closed, assignments 003 and 004 are worked on. So the workflow hierarchy for assignments is set as 002 > 001 > 003 > 004.

Prerequisites

• Ensure you have created a ticket with at least three assignments linked to it, such as a ticket in our example that has four linked assignments having IDs 001,002,003, and 004.
• Ensure you have configured Assignment Status Progression with an appropriate condition, such as when a predecessor assignment status is Closed, update the successor assignment's status from Open to In Progress.

To link predecessors and successors to an assignment

1. Open a Ticket from the Help Desk (hamburger menu  > Help Desk > double-click the required record).
2. In the Ticket form, click the Assignments tab.
3. Select an assignment, such as 001 and click Edit .
4. To link a predecessor to the current assignment, in the Assignment form, select Predecessor > Link.
5. In the Select from Assignments dialog box, select an assignment to make it a predecessor of the current assignment, such as 002, and click OK.
   Assignment 002 is now the predecessor of assignment 001. So based on the condition in the prerequisite, only after assignment 002 is closed, assignment 001 goes in the In Progress state, and you can start working on it.
6. To link a successor to the current assignment, in the Assignment form, select Successor > Link.
7. In the Select from Assignments dialog box, select an assignment to make it a successor of the current assignment, such as 003, and click OK.
   After assignment 001 is closed, assignment 003 goes in the In Progress state, and you can start working on it.
8. To link one more successor to the current assignment, such as 004, repeat steps 6 and 7.
   You can make 004 a successor of 003, so that 004 is completed after 003.

Editing or closing an assignment

You can edit a ticket or an assignment from the Help Desk or from the Assignment tab of the Ticket form. To edit a closed assignment, you must reopen it from the Actions menu first.

1. On the header bar, click the hamburger menu  and select Help Desk.
2. In Views, select All Assignments.
3. From the list, double-click the required assignment.

4. In the Assignment form, perform one of the following actions:

   Action	Steps
   To edit an assignment	Edit the required fields. Click Save Assignment.
   To close an assignment	In the Assignment Information section, in the Status field, select Closed. In the message box, click OK.

Calculating Technician Charge of an assignment

If you customize an Assignment form to include the Charge field, Track-It! automatically calculates and tallies the total technician charges whenever an assignment note is created.

For this scenario, it is assumed that you:

• Created a custom Assignment form that includes the Charge field
• Specified a value in the Hourly Rate field of your technician profiles

Provided that the above conditions exist, Track-It! automatically calculates and tallies the charges for the Assignment based on the following behavior:

Example

For this example, assume there are three technicians (Technician A, Technician B, and Technician C) with three different hourly rates and they are all working on a particular assignment.  The following table describes how the charges are calculated and displayed in the Assignment: