Escon Software and Solutions | Blog

SupportPortal 3.0 available

2009-01-22T02:57:00.000-08:00

SupportPortal 3.0 is now available.

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New Features For Your Customer Service and Support ...
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Quick Highlight:

- Content sensitive rules for received emails with auto-assignment and routing
- Spam filter in "incoming mail settings" configuration panel
- Allow "HTML in ticket text" option
- Send email notifications on ticket escalation events
- Sender email in "Departments" table. Ticket replies will be sent from that email.
- Options to assign ticket when creating by administrator/manager
- Use HTML fckEditor if "allow HTML in ticket" option is enabled
- Forum sends mail notification to moderators
- Updated "Message to visitor" form in Live Chat
- Allowed chat operator image in chat window header
- And much more ...

White Paper: Ticket/E-mail Management in Brief

2008-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

White Paper: Ticket/E-mail Management in The Brief

This article explains how the Ticket/E-mail Management system behaves when receiving service or support requests / tickets by the end-users. This system is part of Escon SupportPortal application, and is intended to be a central point for customer's request collection and communicating between end-users and service/support stuff.
A number of systems administrators are embarrassed when met with Ticket / Email management system configuration in order to meet a basic requirement: Collect requests from users into a single database application and assign tickets to the proper service/support specialist.
Since the system requires a good knowledge of the functions and features that can be configured, it is important to know how the system behaves. This is especially useful in the phase of implementation of the system, when several important parameters needs to be set, depending of the company's system requirements and work with end-customers is agreed.

Two Ways to Submit Requests

As you know, there are two ways in which end-user can send the requests to Escon HelpDesk and SupportPortal application:

I) Through the Web form, where the user types the following information sufficient to create a ticket and assign to service / support specialists:
1. General Information:
- Name and Email. Anonymous users enter this information only, if such a listing is previously allowed (Option in Config: General -> "Users must login to access site" is cleared).

- Target Department – Choose from drop-down list. You can allow the user to choose targeting department where wants to send a request / ticket, if this option is enabled (Option in Config: Departments –> "Allow user to select department when creating ticket" is set).

2. Ticket Details:
- Subject – Free entry
- Text – Free entry
- Attachment – File, Picture, ... – optional.
3. Verification Code – For anonymous end-users only, due to a spam protection.

II) By E-mail, where the user creates and sends an email to one of the e-mail addresses configured in the application. When an e-mail is received, the application automatically converts data in email to the ticket in the following manner:
- Subject to the Ticket subject
- Email address is used to identify users in the existing user's table.
- Message body to the Ticket text
- Message attachments to the Ticket attachment (all attachments are archived to one ticket attachment – using zip function)

System Behavior

Regardless of users can use both ways competitive, it is useful to know how the system behaves inside, after the request is received.
There are several different combinations of the configuration parameters that affect the behavior of the system. Such parameters are primarily related to the way the requests are assigned, but also to automated notification of users on the status of their request.

Configuration options that are important for system behavior are:
- Department list (Config : Departments),
- Support stuff list (Users : Support stuff)
- Email accounts settings (Config : Incoming email settings)
- SLA rules (Config : SLA rules)

Depending on the ways of using the system, there are three different business process scenarios in which the users require the different actions.

For the first way of sending requests (Customer End-User sends an email with email client pogram (MS Outlook, Fodora, Web-Based client, etc.) there are two different scenarios:
- Scenario (A) – Emails are collected manually by the support operator – After a signup to the operator's dashboard by clicking on the button "Get Email messages" (at the top of page Email : Inbox) and
- Scenario (B) – Emails are collected automatically by Cron job or Task manager at predefined time intervals (5 min, 10 min, ...).

For the second was of sending requests is where the Customer End-User sends request by the public or private Web-form and this is described as Scenario (C).

Within this scenario scheme the three different roles appears:
1. End-User / Customer
2. Help desk Operator, and
3. Service / Support Specialist.

On the picture bellow is displayed the scheme with compared three scenarios:

If you have any questions regarding the features and configuration described in this article, please contact us at support@myescon.com.

About Escon

Escon Information Consulting (http://www.myEscon.com) is a global provider of Service Management software solutions that capitalize on continuous changes in IT business technology: Help desk, Customer support software and CRM solutions. Escon provides software for enterprise solutions that give a competitive business advantage and total control over their IT infrastructures.

Release 2.5.1 - Help Desk and Support Software updates

2008-05-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

A lot of news - Free Version available and more!

We're excited and you will be too about the release of Escon Help Desk and Customer Support solutions 2.5.1 (applies to SupportPortal and LiveHelp):

Windows liveAlert client
LiveAlert is a desktop application for Microsoft Windows, which resides in your system tray and connects to your support server. LiveAlert will notify staff users as new tickets and ticket replies. Whenever a new ticket is submitted, or a client has made a reply to an existing ticket, an alert is issued. The alert comes in the form of a small pop-up screen displayed on the Windows desktop. A sound file can also be chosen to play when an alert is received for audible notification. Also, whenever a new Live Chat request from your customer through your web site is sent to a server, an alert is issued and sound file plays. You can download Escon liveAlert free at http://escon.e-supportportal.com in Downloads section.
LDAP/Active Directory user management integration
If you are using LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) in your networking environment for accessing directory service and locating your organizations and users, now you can integrate your LDAP database into a User management. There is no need to manually replicate user's attributes: email address, passwords and groups. The LDAP integration functionality uses directory service data (Microsoft's Active Directory, Novell's NetWare Directory, etc.) and automatically replicates all changes into a customer database.
Install on shared servers without root permissions
Since most of our users doesn't have ability to change PHP.INI file and to set short_open_tag to 'On', we've developed a deployment version without tag setting. One obvious advantage to this is if your web host restricts you to a set host's configuration files, you can still install the application on shared web servers.
Empowered Search - Ranking functionality
Although search engine is very fast in search response time, their effectiveness in finding useful and relevant documents at the top of the search hit list needs to be improved. We've built an advanced algorithm, which fetch all available databases (e.g. Knowledge Base, Downloads, News, and Users) and retrieve pages with keyword results ranking. Additionally we now support for search strings less then 4 characters in length.
IMAP support

For users that prefer to use IMAP protocol as a method of accessing electronic mail that are kept on a mail server, the IMAP support has been added.
Integrating Knowledge Base with Dictionary

The site administrators can organize dictionary with the most used terms. Every of defined terms is linked with the knowledge base articles and appears underlined in text, so a user can see tooltip with the term described in dictionary.

Give your small and medium business the edge it needs

2008-04-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

At Escon, we built our reputation on innovative, reliable, and scalable software solutions. With industry-standard products, NOW is the time for small to medium businesses to take note.

From email requests handling, to creating an CRM Web suite, we can give you what you need – quickly and affordably:

Need to run Customer Support and Service solution on Windows or Linux-based apps?
Escon products are certified for Windows, Solaris, and Linux, offering top performance and energy efficiency. With standard web-lightweight platform introduced, you can achieve the best from your PHP/MySQL web-site capabilities.
Are you handling too many email and phone requests?
Get a 100% decrease in the number of email requests you get and deploy virtual service desk in minutes with Escon's HelpDesk.
Want to grow quickly and cut IT costs?
Escon’s SupportPortal software can reduce power and operating costs by 75%.
Do you manage your news and announcements?
Check out the News management features that offers news and announcements distribution, through web interface or through common news lists.
Looking for integrated web live chat solution?
Try Live Help feature, make your web-site live and start online chat with your customers

Get yours Service Support Software and experience continued improvement

Like hundreds of our customers, you can afford to receive quarterly product’s new features and improvements. The April features include:

1. Setting the operational hours

The operational/working hours that you configure to use while calculating the request due by date and time.

2. Configure Email templates

Set email templates for different help desk workflow tasks: Reply (to a customer), Assign (to a service specialist / support stuff), Close (to a customer).

3. Select Support/Service Department by web-form entry

An user can choose whether the request should be sent to the Support or to the Sales department (or any other, of course), while the Department manager gets automatic notification about every sent request. You can add as many departments you want to, and choose which could be public available or only to the registered users.

4. Download and Knowledge Base Report

The new report page is available where you can view how many hits each article or download receives like the most popular on the status page.

.. and a lot of other component’s improvements, which includes improved Installation procedure, where the PHP short_open_tag is set automatically to avoid installation crash; improved Configuration Panel, for easy navigation between numerous configuration option; ability to use regular PHP expression for the advanced additional fields validation; improved newsletter sending to avoid Spam filtering - message headers modification;

And even more from our Services

If you feel that our product’s customization capabilities is not enough to set your own support index page look and feel, we can make your own page template – for free! Just send to us your favorite layout screenshot, and we’ll build your page template, even if you are trial user.

Custom Layout Theme - Using Joomla templates

2008-03-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Customizing Look and Feel with free or commercial Open Source templates

Escon products now includes functionality to use Joomla templates to control and change software overall look and design at your whim.

We've taken a new approach to software layout customization. Since the Joomla template market is one of the most significant in Open Source Content management Systems, and holds dozens of excellent and fashioned designs, we've built a feature which allows to use the Joomla templates.

Software administrators are now able to choose any of available templates on the market, and then download them to /templates directory of HelpDesk or SupportPortal installation. The installed template shall be then available to choose within Configuration panel and Appearance menu.

Of course, the current approaches to theme customization still exists: "Portal Customization" page that enabled color and logo selection using a simple configuration screen and/or enabled replacement of the stock CSS style sheet with a custom one which allows significantly more control.

Open-Source Products Integration

2008-02-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

Escon releases the latest version of their leading-edge service management solutions. Escon develops new software features, promoting better web layout and overall design. SupportPortal and other products are enhanced with creative menus and navigation and also integrated with the Joomla content management system.

Escon Information Consulting today unveils version 2.0 for layout design of its service support applications. By improving custom design and adding new features, including vertical menus and submenus, Escon delivers superior freedom in using its software and better end-user collaboration capabilities.

Through an all-new dashboard-style welcome page, users can view elements that direct them to view and resolve requests, edit knowledge base articles, create, edit and review content news items, create product catalogs, edit user profiles and rights and more, making it easier to use. From new vertical menus, to icons, to shortcuts, design 2.0 just looks and feels completely new.

The new 2.0 release will make it possible for many future updates and services, enabling Escon products to offer even better integration into organization’s web site and serving benefits to clients of all kinds. Site index page is now available as tightly integrated into any owner’s site with the most freshly information: latest News, Knowledge base articles and latest downloads.

The Joomla Add-on

Furthermore, the Escon applications are also asked to provide another functions: integrating with open-source content management system and to feeds a Web publishing system. Now you can add Escon SupportPortal and SupportPortal+ menu into Joomla. This add-on allows users to navigate through the Escon menus and to be displayed as Joomla module. The Escon products login form is added to Joomla modules, also.

For more information on all Escon Information Consulting products and services, visit http://www.myescon.com/.

LiveHelp Hosted announced

2008-01-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

Escon LiveHelp hosted version is now available

Escon LiveHelp, instant messaging applications designed to provide online assistance to users of a web site, is now available as FREE for 60 for registered users in Hosted version.

Registered users are to able to fully use LiveHelp features and benefits, even without installing it at web site.

Starts to deliver hosting option

2007-12-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

Escon software available as hosted

Escon has developed new capabilities and options, and enhancements, including unbundled pricing and flexible payment plans. The new features were specifically designed from information outlined through extensive customer feedback collected during the past three months.

Escon Information Consulting plans to deliver new service during February 2008. We'll continually follow changes in the way software is delivered to businesses and consumers.

New features in SupportPortal 1.3 release

2007-10-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

SupportPortal: Customizing Look and Feel, and more

Escon SupportPortal 1.3 will include free extensions and and free post-installation support to add functionality and themes to change the look and feel at your whim. SupportPortal also has made some welcome changes without breaking anything in the process, but there are features that could still use some work.

Look and feel customization is a top feature request here at Escon SupportPortal. It also presents an interesting engineering challenge for a software like ours: accommodate a wide variety of custom styles while delivering new features and avoiding unpleasant surprises.

We've taken two approaches to theme customization. The first is a "Customize Theme" page that enabled color and logo selection using a simple configuration screen. The second approach enabled replacement of the stock CSS style sheet with a custom one.

The configuration page method is simple to use, and if customers lacks the power to change the actual layout and finer details of the page, they can use more powerful CSS replacement method which allows significantly more control.

Escon has developed a few Custom Themes, with developed main menu look and feel, so customers are free to choose their favorite: Vista, Aero, and Gray.