Automation of notifications in tickets
If YetiForce is meant to be a key tool for the optimization of procedures, then some of the processes need to be automated. One of the ways to do it, is to automate the support process, which is based on the Tickets module. All tools required for it are built-in by default to YetiForce so they need to be activated and adjusted to the requirements of a company.
Introduction
The automation of a support process isn't dedicated solely to IT companies or entities, which signed a support service contract. This process is for every company, which needs to automate and organise its communication with an account.
YetiForce uses the ticket system to keep track of problems reported by our customers [only the companies which signed an SLA agreement can report bugs to our system]. Additionally, each customer can receive an access data to the Customer Portal where they can monitor all tickets, and if needed, open a new ticket.
Notifications can be used differently in other companies. In companies which receive many inquiries or have small customers, it is a good practice to sort all received emails as either a new notification or an update of one that already exists. This way the responsibility to monitor every email is taken from an email client/employee and shifted to the support team.
The greatest advantage of the support process is the fact that all information related to a particular problem is organised. Please see an example of process configuration presented below.
Preparations
Draft of the process
Before performing any configuration it is a good idea to draw the process on a sheet of paper and consult it with the decision makers responsible for the support process in a company. The key to success in every deployment is to document the processes, which will be carried out in the system.
If the processes need to be modified, it is important to bear in mind that various processes within the YetiForce system are interrelated. When there are changes, the system analyst should write down all of them to analyse which will have an impact on the rest of the system.
Testing environment
Not only the YetiForce system takes part in testing, but also the entire environment that is involved in the automation process, e.g. testing mail accounts, accounts, contacts, users, system configuration, etc. Sending notifications is a key element in may companies, so if there is no control over them, it may have a significant influence on the company's image.
A good practice involves the isolation of a testing server, so it doesn't have access to the Internet and it cannot send any notifications. However, it's impossible to disconnect the Internet in many companies, so special care needs to be taken when testing.
Configuration
- Configured outgoing mail server.
- Configured mail scanner.
- Activate workflows:
- Ticket change: Send Email to Record Account
- Ticket change: Send Email to Record Contact
- Ticket change: Send Email to Record Owner
- Ticket Closed: Send Email to Record Account
- Ticket Closed: Send Email to Record Contact
- Ticket Closed: Send Email to Record Owner
- Ticket Creation: Send Email to Record Account
- Ticket Creation: Send Email to Record Contact
- Ticket Creation: Send Email to Record Owner
Business logic
Notifications in general
Under the basis of task names in workflows, tickets are for:- Accounts assigned to tickets.
- Contacts assigned to tickets.
- Employees assigned to tickets.
If there is no need for all notifications to be sent to everyone, it is possible to activate only the required ones. By default, the activation of notifications doesn't enable the possibility to send emails, because it is required to activate them separately on every Account, Contact and Employee. There is a field "Permission to send emails" in each of these modules and if it is ticked and other mechanisms enabled, notifications are sent.
Additionally, in workflow tasks, there is not only a possibility to define a person to whom the notification will be sent, but also to define when it will be sent. By default, there are four situations:
- A ticket is created- a notification informing about a new ticket is sent to an account and an employee.
- A ticket is related - this situation is considered as a creation of a ticket and each time a contact is related to a ticket, a notification is sent.
- A status is changed - each time a status is changed, a notification is sent.
- A ticket is closed - when a status is changed to closed, the system sends a notification.
The sample process
Step 1
First, a ticket should be entered to YetiForce. The system allows to add tickets in one of the following ways:- Manually by an employee.
- On the basis of a filled in form [webforms].
- On the basis of a sent email [email scanner].
- Manually in the Customer Portal by an account.
Template A
Welcome to the YetiForce platform
Ticket H1010 has been created (by Maciej Stencel).
Added H1010: notification test
- Status: In realization
- Priority: Low
- Assigned To: Maciej Stencel
- Account: YetiForce
Description: test
If you don't want to receive any notifications from our project management system, please inform us by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you are not an addressee of this message, please notify us about it and delete the message.
Step 2
In most companies, a created ticket is assigned to a group and, in the second step, it can be assigned to a specific employee. It can be performed in one of the following ways:- Tickets assigned to groups can be distributed to specific employees by a head of department.
- Tickets assigned to groups can be self-assigned by employees from this specific group.
Step 3
When a ticket is in its realization process, it is updated when comments are added, fields filled in and documents attached. A notification might be sent to everyone involved [Account, Contact, Employees] after each modification. The ticket is updated when the Account enters data to the Customer Portal or answers one of the notifications.
Yetiforce has pre-prepared notifications in workflows and when the ticket is modified, the system can send email notifications.
Template B
Welcome to the YetiForce platform
Ticket H1010 has been updated (by Maciej Stencel).
- Ticket Status is updated as In realization from Waiting for reply
Modification H1010: notification test
- Status: In realization
- Priority: Low
- Assigned To: Maciej Stencel
- Account: YetiForce
Description: test
Comments: comments content
If you don't want to receive any notifications from our project management system, please inform us by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you are not an addressee of this message, please notify us about it and delete the message.
Step 4
When a ticket is closed, YetiForce sends a notification that contains details about the entire ticket, and in particular, about its resolution.Template C
Welcome to the YetiForce platform
Ticket H1010 has been closed (by Maciej Stencel).
- Ticket Status is updated as Closed from In realization
Closed H1010: notification test
- Status: Closed
- Priority: Low
- Assigned To: Maciej Stencel
- Account: PromoNotes
Description: test
Ticket Resolution:
If you don't want to receive any notifications from our project management system, please inform us by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you are not an addressee of this message, please notify us about it and delete the message.