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Wednesday, April 30, 2008 

As a helpdesk product, HelpMaster Pro has the ability to send email to different people when different helpdesk events occur.  Some of these events include:

1. When a job is logged
2. When a job is closed
3. Whenever an action is added to a job
4. Whenever an SLA event has occurred
5. Whenever the Email Manager processes an email

In addition to these different actions that can trigger an email, the recipient of the email can also change depending on the context of the email.  From the Action screen in HelpMaster Pro, you can send email to the following people, or roles

1. The client who the job is logged for
2. The technician who is assigned the job
3. The technician who has just lost a job (in the case of a re-assignment)
4. All of the clients that are associated with a job (HelpMaster Pro supports the linking of multiple clients to each job)
5. Other miscellaneous email addresses
6. Combinations of the above.

In order to make all of this emailing quick and easy, HelpMaster Pro supports the concept of Email Templates – that is, pre-made emails that are ready to go.  In a helpdesk, or service environment, you often need to send the same content time and time again.  This is where email template can be a real time-saver.  These email templates can then be linked to specific actions to create a mini workflow.

For example, you can link an email template that will be sent to a client to let them know that their job has been logged to an action template that will assign the job, set the job status and also record the time, cost and cost-code of a particular action.  With all of this email being sent around the place, it is often a good idea to centralize the source of the email, that is, send the email with a specific “From” address.  HelpMaster Pro makes this easy by allow you to configure the “From” address of all email that gets sent.

Here are some advantages of using a common “From” address:

1. Each email is sent from a common email account eg. helpdesk@wizbangwidgets.com
2. When the recipient receives the email, if they reply to it, it will be sent back to a common location
3. When email is sent to a common location, you can then start leveraging the power of the Email Manager to automatically process it
4. Setting a different from address to your personal email address means that when clients respond, they will respond back to your helpdesk, not to you personally.  This is a great way to manage your incoming email volume.
5. The recipient of the email can have a standard point of email contact to work with instead of a new email address for every helpdesk technician that sends an email to them.

 HelpMaster Pro supports the setting of the “From” address in the following ways.

1. Setting the “From” address globally
2. Setting the “From” address for individual email templates
3. Setting the “From” address for each helpdesk technician
4. Setting the “From” address for the Priority Manager
5. Setting the “From” address for the Email Manager
6. Setting the “From” address for the Web Interface

With all of these different types of “From” address settings, how does HelpMaster Pro know which one to use?  The answer depends on the context, but as a general rule, HelpMaster Pro will start at number 1 on the list above and work through to number 6 and use the “From” address that has been configured for each of these settings.

For example

If a “From” address has been set for an email template (number 2)  which is then used by a helpdesk technician (number 3) who also has a different “From” address set, the technicians personal “From” address will be used.  He or she is higher on the list, so they trump the earlier settings.

In summary, by specifying a “From” address for the different types of email that HelpMaster Pro is capable of sending, you can achieve a greater workflow and a more streamlined support desk.  Your emailing will be cleaner, and you’ll gain a better understanding of how much email your helpdesk is both generating and receiving.

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