Difference between revisions of "Support Tickets"

From WHMCS Documentation

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The support ticket system is a fully featured ticket desk that allows you to handle all communication with your clients. Featuring threaded discussions, private notes, ticket flagging, varying priority levels, auto inactive ticket closing and much much more...  Admins can be assigned on a per department basis so they have access only to the area they are meant to be dealing with.
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The '''Support Ticket''' system is a fully featured ticket desk that allows you to handle all communication with your clients. It features threaded discussions, private notes, ticket flagging, varying priority levels, [[Predefined_Replies|predefined replies]], and automatic inactive ticket closure. You can assign Admins to specific departments, so that they only have access to their designated areas.
  
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==Departments==
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You can access this feature at '''Support > Support Tickets'''.
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==The Ticket List==
  
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[[File:Videotutorial.png‎|center|link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm6cAc5C3hg&hd=1|Watch Video Tutorial]]
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[[File:Support-tickets-view.png|thumb|The support ticket list]]
  
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When a client submits a support ticket the appropriate members of staff assigned to that department will receive a '''New Support Ticket Opened''' email and the ticket will display in the list of tickets.
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* The list displays all of the tickets in the '''Awaiting Reply''' status by default.
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* You can change the ticket order by clicking the table headings.
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* To view only those tickets with a certain status or department or to search click the '''Search/Filter''' tab.
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* You can access the most-commonly-used status lists directly in the '''Support''' menu in the navigation bar.
  
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Departments are the categories for tickets. The first step in the user ticket submission process is to choose their department. Different staff can be assigned to different departments so you can have the different areas handled by different people if required. Common departments are '''Sales, Support, Billing''' etc...
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=== Auto Refresh ===
  
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*To setup departments, go to '''Setup > Support > Support Departments''' and click Add New Department.
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The '''Auto Refresh''' feature reloads the ticket list automatically at frequencies ranging from every minute to every 15 minutes. You can configure this frequency in the '''Auto Refresh''' tab.
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*When creating a department you can enter a name and description to display to users. The email address will be used to send notifications relating to the ticket to clients and should be unique for each department..
 
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* The Clients Only option defines if it's a clients only department thereby requiring a login to submit there - for example Sales would be a public department while Support might be set to clients only.
 
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* The Pipe Replies Only option requires clients to login to the client area to open new tickets, attempts to open new tickets via email will not be successful. Tickets can still be responded to via email.
 
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*You can also setup if no auto responder email should be sent when a new ticket is opened and whether it's hidden or visible; hidden departments can only be accessed via a direct link.
 
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*After creating a department, you need to assign yourself and other staff to it as appropriate in '''Setup > Staff Management > Administrators''' by editing the staff profile before you will be able to access that department in Support > Support Tickets
 
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* For staff to receive email notifications of new tickets and client responses in a particular department, tick the '''Enable Ticket Notifications''' checkbox on the aforementioned page. Ticket attachments will not be emailed to staff.
 
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*In order to have '''emails from users automatically import''' into the ticket system as tickets, you need to configure [[Email Piping]].
 
  
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Once a department has been created it is possible to create [[Custom Fields]] to be asked for during ticket submission. Click the Edit icon next to the department and then the Custom Fields tab.
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=== Tools ===
  
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==The Ticket List==
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There are several bulk tools on this page.
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[[File:Ticket list.png|thumb|The support ticket list]]
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When a client submits a support ticket the appropriate members of staff assigned to that department will receive a New Support Ticket Opened email. To view the ticket navigate to '''Support > Support Tickets''' and the ticket list is displayed.
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* Click '''Close''' to close tickets.
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* Click '''Delete''' to delete tickets.
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* Click '''Merge''' to merge two tickets, with the older ticket merging into the newer ticket.
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* Click '''Block Sender & Delete''' to delete tickets and add the sender's email to the '''[[Banned Emails]]''' list.
  
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This page displays all tickets that are in status '''Awaiting Reply''' by default. The ticket order can be changed by clicking the table headings. To view only those tickets with a certain status, department or to search click the Search/Filter tab. The most commonly used status lists can accessed directly from the Support menu in the main admin navigation bar.
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=== Ticket Status ===
  
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The Auto Refresh feature reloads the ticket list automatically at frequencies ranging from every 1 minute to 15 minutes. This is configured via the Auto Refresh tab.
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A ticket starts in the '''Open''' status. This indicates that the client has not yet received a reply from a member of staff. After a reply, the status automatically changes to '''Answered'''.
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The status can also be changed manually from the view ticket screen, using the dropdown menu next to the ticket subject. A change in selection here is saved immediately using AJAX, without needing to reload the page. Custom statuses can also be created to help with management of tickets.  
  
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There are several bulk tools on this page; Close and Delete are self-explanatory. Merge will merge two tickets together, the newer ticket is merged into the older ticket. Block Sender & Delete not only deletes the ticket but also adds the sender's email to the Banned Emails list.
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For more information, see [[Support Ticket Statuses]].
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==Merging Tickets==
  
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A ticket starts life in the 'Open' status. This indicates a new ticket where the client has not yet received a reply from a member of staff.  Once you've replied the status automatically changes to 'Answered'. The status can also be changed manually from the view ticket screen, using the dropdown menu next to the ticket subject - a change in selection here is saved immediately using ajax without any need for a page reload. Custom statuses can also be created to help with management of tickets, please refer to the [[Support Ticket Statuses]] section for more info on this.
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When using '''Merge''':
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* A ticket will always merge into the earliest-opened ticket. This is the one with the lowest ID in the database. This is the same whether you merge from inside of a ticket or from the ticket list.
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* Unless it already appears in the subject, the subject of the ticket will have '''[MERGED]''' appended in the client's language.
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* The ticket status will take the status from the ticket that has received the latest reply.
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* A ticket that has been merged into another ticket will not appear in the ticket list, but accessing an old ticket URL will redirect to the appropriate ticket.
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* Replying to an old ticket via email will also redirect the reply to the appropriate ticket after the merge.
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* If you are merging tickets from multiple clients together, the client that had the oldest ticket would see the merged ticket in their client area.
  
 
==Replying to a Ticket==
 
==Replying to a Ticket==
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[[File:Ticket reply.png|thumb|The support ticket reply page]]
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To open a ticket and view the contents of it, from where you can submit a reply, simply click the subject in the ticket list. You will then be taken to the ticket view page. The clients' messages & staff replies will all be displayed to you here, along with any private admin notes. The order of ticket message can be changed in the [[Support_Tab#Ticket_Reply_List_Order|General Settings]].
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[[File:Ticket-reply.png|thumb|The support ticket reply page]]
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The most common task when viewing a ticket is making a reply, and so this tab is open by default when entering a ticket, providing a large text area for a reply to be entered into. If a Support Ticket Signature is configured in your admin profile, it will be pre-populated into this field.
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To open, view, and reply to a ticket, click the subject in the ticket list. In the ticket, you can view user messages and staff replies as well as any private admin notes. You can change the order in which ticket messages display in the '''[[Support_Tab#Ticket_Reply_List_Order|Support]]''' tab at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > General Settings''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > General Settings'''.
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Support ticket replies allow you to use both predefined replies, and insert links to KB articles automatically to make replying to common questions simple.
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When you reply to a ticket, if a '''Support Ticket Signature''' is in your admin profile, it will appear in the reply box. When replying, you can also use predefined replies and insert links to knowledgebase articles automatically.
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===Merge Fields===
 
===Merge Fields===
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Support ticket replies support 3 automatic data merge fields - [FIRSTNAME] [NAME] and [EMAIL]. These are most commonly used in Predefined Replies (discussed later on) but can also be used in the custom messages you right if it's easier to insert the merge field syntax rather than the actual value itself.
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Support ticket replies support three automatic data merge fields:
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===BBCode===
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* <tt>[FIRSTNAME]</tt>
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Limited BBCode can be use to format support ticket messages:
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* <tt>[NAME]</tt>
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* <tt>[EMAIL]</tt>
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* [b]Bold Text[/b]
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* [i]Italicised Text[/i]
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You can use these in predefined replies or in the custom messages you write.
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* [u]Underlined Text[/u]
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* [div] - Div container
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===Ticket Markdown===
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WHMCS supports [[Markdown_Editor|markdown formatting]] in ticket replies and notes.
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===Quoting a Reply===
 
===Quoting a Reply===
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To include a copy of a previous reply in your message, you can click the corresponding speech bubble icon next to the reply you want to quote and it will be automatically inserted to the message box using indentation to indicate it's quoted text.
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To include a copy of a previous reply in your message, click the icon for the desired reply.
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===File Attachments===
 
===File Attachments===
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Attachments can be sent with a reply, and these will be automatically attached to the notification email sent to the client as well as being downloadable from the client area at any time. To attach a file, click the Browse button and select the file on your computer, the file will be uploaded to the attachments directory. Clicking the Add More link allows multiple files to be attached with a single reply.
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Sending attachments automatically attaches them to the notification email that the client receives as well as making them accessible through the Client Area.
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To attach a file, click '''Browse''' and select the file. This uploads the file to the <tt>attachments</tt> directory.
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===Billing a Client===
 
===Billing a Client===
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It's also possible to create a [[Billable Items|billable item]] for a client upon replying to a ticket. This allows you to generate invoices, or log time spent on a ticket, in 1 single step for ultra convenience and time saving. Simply fill in the description, amount and invoice action in the '''Add Billing Entry''' section and it will be actioned when the reply is submitted.
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It's also possible to create a [[Billable Items|billable item]] for a client when you reply to a ticket. You can generate invoices or log time spent on a ticket.
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To do this, enter the description, amount, and invoice action in the '''Add Billing Entry''' section while replying to the ticket.
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===Post Reply Action===
 
===Post Reply Action===
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The Post Reply dropdown menu allows for the selection of the action to be taken upon clicking the Add Response button for example changing the ticket status and remaining in the ticket view or returning to the main ticket list.
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From '''Post Reply''', you can select an action to perform when you click '''Add Response'''. For example, you can change the ticket status and remain in the ticket view or you can return to the main ticket list.
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===Editing/Deleting a Reply===
 
===Editing/Deleting a Reply===
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Client & staff ticket replies can be edited by clicking the '''Edit''' button next to a message.
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To edit client and staff ticket replies, click '''Edit'''.
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To delete a message from a ticket, simply click the red delete icon located to the top right of the message.
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To delete a message from a ticket, click the red delete icon in the top-right of the message. Deleting the first message will delete the entire ticket.
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Deleting the '''first message''' in a ticket will delete the entire ticket.
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===Predefined Ticket Replies===
 
===Predefined Ticket Replies===
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Predefined ticket replies are useful if you get asked the same questions repeatedly via support tickets. With a predefined reply, this can be loaded into the reply box when replying to a users ticket and modified as required to answer the users question.
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Use predefined ticket replies for frequent responses:
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====Adding a Predefined Reply====
 
====Adding a Predefined Reply====
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To setup a predefined reply, go to '''Support > Predefined Replies'''. You will need to configure categories and predefined replies in the same way as [[Support_Center#Knowledgebase|knowledgebase articles]].
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To set up a predefined reply, go to '''Support > [[Predefined Replies]]'''. Configure categories and predefined replies in the same way as [[Knowledgebase|knowledgebase articles]].
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As mentioned previously, you can have predefined replies automatically customised to a user using the merge fields [FIRSTNAME] [NAME] and/or [EMAIL] anywhere within the message.
 
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====Using a Predefined Reply====
 
====Using a Predefined Reply====
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To use a predefined ticket reply when replying to a users ticket click the "Insert Predefined Ticket Reply" link located immediately below the text area for entering your reply.  A popup window will appear allowing you to select the reply you want to use and it will then be loaded into the reply message box once selected. The search field can also be used to find replies by title to save having to search through each category. You can then edit the reply as required to customise it to the user and then click Reply button as normal.
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To use a predefined ticket reply, click '''Insert Predefined Ticket Reply''' and select the desired reply. You can also search for replies by title.
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Finally once the reply has been composed click the '''Add Response''' button to record the reply against the ticket. The client will be sent a notification email containing a copy of the message.
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When you select the predefined reply, it will appear in the reply box and you can edit and send it normally.
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===Blocked Replies===
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<div class="docs-alert-info">
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<i class="fa fa-question-circle"></i>
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We added this functionality in WHMCS 8.3.
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</div>
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You may see a '''Blocked Replies''' message above the ticket subject. This indicates that WHMCS received, but did not import, one or more email replies. You can view and import these replies by clicking on the ticket subject in the message or by accessing them in the '''Support Ticket Mail Import Log''' at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > [[System Logs]]''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Utilities > Logs'''.
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For more information, see [[Blocked Support Email Replies]].
  
 
==Splitting Replies==
 
==Splitting Replies==
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[[File:Ticket split.png|thumb|Split Selected Ticket Replies]]
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[[File:Split-replies.png|thumb|Split Selected Ticket Replies]]
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Sometimes it may be necessary to move specific replies out from one support ticket and into a new one. If the message contains an attachment, this will be carried across into the new ticket too. To do this; tick the checkboxes in the top-right corner of the message(s) you wish to split into a new ticket, scroll to the bottom of the page and click '''Split Selected Replies'''.
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Sometimes it may be necessary to move specific replies out from one support ticket and into a new one. If the message contains an attachment, this will be carried across into the new ticket too.
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A prompt will appear where you may choose the department, priority and subject of the new ticket into which the messages will be moved. There is also a checkbox to send a new ticket notification email to the client if desired. Click Submit to perform the split. You will then be taken to the newly created ticket.
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To do this:
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'''TIP:''' To quickly return to the original ticket, click the "Other Tickets" tab.
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#Check the checkboxes in the top-right corner of the messages you wish to split into a new ticket.
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#Scroll to the bottom of the page and click '''Split Selected Replies'''.
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#In the prompt that appears, select a department, priority, and subject for the new ticket, and whether to send a new ticket notification.
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#Click '''Submit'''.
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To quickly return to the original ticket, click '''Other Tickets'''.
  
 
==Admin Notes==
 
==Admin Notes==
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The '''Add Note''' tab allows private staff-only messages to be recorded against a ticket. Clicking the tab provides a new text area to enter the note. When you submit it, will add the note and display it to all other admins viewing the ticket along with the staff member's name and date and time. Customers do not get any notification of notes being added and cannot see them.
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===Staff Mentions===
  
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The '''Add Note''' tab allows private staff-only messages to be recorded against a ticket. Clicking the tab provides a new text area into which the note can be typed, which upon submission will add the note and display it to all other admins viewing the ticket along with the staff member's name and date/time of adding. Customers do not get any notification of notes being added, and cannot see them.
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Staff mentions allow you to "tag" other administrative users and trigger an email notification to them as a quick and easy way to alert them to the note you have just added. To use a staff tag in a ticket note, just type the <tt>@</tt> followed by the staff member's name.
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For more information, see [[Staff_Mentions|Staff Mentions]].
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==Changing Associated Service==
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<div class="docs-alert-info"> We added this feature in WHMCS 7.10.</div>
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A client opening a ticket can select a related service, which will be highlighted when viewing the ticket via the admin area. Click '''Change Associated Service''' to change the service that a ticket is associated with. This is useful when a client doesn't choose a service when opening the ticket, or if a client chooses the wrong service. A change of associated service will be logged to the ticket log so all changes can be seen.
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[[File:AdminTicketRelatedServiceManagement.png]]
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When clicking '''Change Associated Service''', an AJAX call will fetch, if appropriate, the remaining services for a client if they aren't all displayed. If an admin user is already viewing all the services of a client on a ticket, an AJAX call will not take place.
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[[File:AdminTicketRelatedServiceManagementEdit.png]]
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==View Security Question==
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<div class="docs-alert-warning">
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We added '''View Security Question''' in WHMCS 8.0.
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</div>
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To access a user's security question information, click '''View Security Question''' in the top-right corner of their reply to the ticket. This allows you to view, but not change, the user's '''Security Question''' and '''Security Answer'''.
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If the user has not configured a question and answer at '''Hello, Name! > Security Settings''' in the Client Area, '''View Security Question''' will not display in their replies. Users cannot configure security questions until you add one or more questions at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > [[Security Questions]]'''.
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==Custom Fields==
 
==Custom Fields==
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You can set up custom fields for support departments on a per department basis. Use this to suit a given department's specific needs. These fields display on the '''[[Custom Fields]]''' tab within the ticket.
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==Options==
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The '''Options''' tab allows the attributes of the ticket to be modified. The department, subject, status, and priority can all be changed.
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Sometimes it may be useful for additional people to receive copies of the email messages in this ticket. To do this, enter their email addresses in the '''CC Recepients''' field. Multiple recipients can be entered in a comma separated list (for example, <tt>jeff@example.com,bob@example.com</tt>).
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To change the client a ticket is assigned to, adjust the '''Client ID'''. If the client's name, company, or email address is known, start typing this into the field. An AJAX list of the search results will appear. Click the appropriate client from the list to automatically fill in their '''Client ID'''.
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When two tickets are merged, the messages from both tickets will be arranged chronologically. In '''Merge Ticket''', enter the '''Ticket ID''' of the ticket to be combined. The newer ticket is merged into the older ticket.
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Flagging a ticket to another admin is useful if you want to bring the ticket to the attention of another staff member. Flagged tickets appear in a separate section at the top of the support ticket page to ensure they stand out from the main queue. The '''Support Ticket Flagged''' email will also be sent to the user. Flagging a ticket to oneself will not send the email.
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==Notifications==
  
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Support departments can have custom fields setup on a per department basis should a department have specific needs. And so if any have been setup they will be displayed on the '''[[Custom Fields]]''' tab within the ticket.
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Support ticket actions trigger email notifications as shown below:
  
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==Options==
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<table class="table table-bordered">
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<tr><th>Action</th><th class="text-center">Ticket Watchers</th><th class="text-center">Department Members*</th><th class="text-center">Flagged Admin</th><th class="text-center">Owner</th><th class="text-center">Users</th><th class="text-center">Contacts</th><th class="text-center">CC Recipients</th></tr><tr>
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<tr><td>Ticket Opened</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Client Reply</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Admin Reply</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Change of Ticket Options</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Change of Ticket Department</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Ticket Assigned</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Ticket Unassigned</td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td class="text-center"><span class="fa fa-check-circle"></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
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</table>
  
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The options tab allows the attributes of the ticket to be modified. The department, subject, status and priority can all be changed.
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<div class="docs-alert-warning">&nbsp; You will not receive an email notification for any changes you initiate yourself. Notifications may also depend on permissions and the origin of the ticket.</div>
  
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Sometimes it may be useful for additional people to receive copies of the email messages in this ticket, to achieve that enter their email addresses in the '''CC Recepients''' field. Multiple recipients can be entered in a comma separated list eg. jeff@example.com,bob@example.com
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''* Department Members only receive '''Client Reply''' and '''Change of Ticket Department''' notifications when there is no flagged admin user.''
  
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To change the client a ticket is assigned to adjust the '''Client ID''' value. If the client's name, company or email address is known start typing this into the field, an ajax list of the search results will appear. Click the appropriate client from the list to automatically fill in their Client ID.
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===Definitions===
  
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Two tickets can be merged together into one, the messages from both tickets will be arranged chronologically. In the '''Merge Ticket''' field enter the Ticket ID of the ticket to be combined, the newer ticket is merged into the older ticket.
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* '''Ticket Watchers''' — Any admin user who is watching a ticket via the Admin Area.
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* '''Department Members''' — Any admin user who chose to receive ticket notifications for a given Support Ticket department and has the '''Support Emails Admin''' role.
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* '''Assigned User''' — Any admin user to is assigned to or unassigned from a ticket.
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* '''Owner''' — The related client's [[Users_And_Accounts|account owner]].
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* '''User''' — A user with access to the related client.
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* '''Contact''' — The related client's contacts.
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* '''CC Recipients''' — A recipient who has been added to the ticket to receive a carbon copy (CC) of ticket-related emails.
  
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Flagging a ticket to another admin is useful if you want to bring the ticket to the attention of another staff member.  Flagged tickets appear in a separate section at the top of the support ticket page to ensure they stand out from the main queue. The 'Support Ticket Flagged' email will also be sent to the user. N.B. Flagging a ticket to oneself will not send the flag email.
 
  
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==Log==
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==Ticket Tags/Tag Cloud==
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The '''Ticket Tags''' section only displays in the sidebar when viewing a support ticket in the Admin Area. It links tickets that have a common item (for example, tickets that all report the same issue). You could use this to save a case ID from an external system (for example, if you wish to follow up with those tickets once it is marked as resolved).  To use, enter the desired tag text and press Return to save.
  
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The ticket log displays an audit trail of all the actions applied to this ticket such as department changes, tickets flaggings, adding of notes, changes of ownership and status changes.
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Tags associated with tickets in the support ticket list are displayed in the ''Tag Cloud'' section of the sidebar of the '''Support > Support Tickets''' list.
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To find all the tickets linked to the tag, use the same name for the tag and then search by tag from '''Search/Filter''' on the support ticket list page. The will display the list of tickets linked to the tag.
  
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==Log==
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The ticket log displays an audit trail of all the actions applied to this ticket. This includes department changes, tickets flaggings, adding of notes, changes of ownership, and status changes.
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==Opening a New Ticket==
 
==Opening a New Ticket==
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[[File:Open ticket.png|thumb|The open support ticket page]]
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[[File:Open-new-ticket.jpg|thumb|The open support ticket page]]
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Staff can open support tickets from within the administration area by navigating to '''Support > Open New Ticket'''. On the following page enter the details of the recipient, if they are not a client fill their name in the "To" field and the "Email Address" field. If they are a client use the Client Search field to search by name, company and email addresses, clicking the client's name will automatically fill in the recipient's details.
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Staff can open support tickets from within the administration area by navigating to '''Support > Open New Ticket'''. There, enter the details of the recipient.
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If the client has contacts or sub-accounts configured an additional dropdown menu will be displayed named "Contacts". If you wish the ticket message to be emailed to the sub-account/contacts select their name from the menu, leave this dropdown at "None" for it to be delivered to the master account.
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*If they are not a client, fill their name in the '''To''' field and the '''Email Address''' field.
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*If they are a client, use the '''Client Search''' field to search by name, company, and email addresses. Clicking the client's name will automatically fill in the recipient's details.
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If the client has contacts or sub-accounts configured, a '''Contacts''' menu will appear. If you wish the ticket message to be emailed to the contact, select their name from the menu. Select '''None''' to deliver it to the master account.
  
 
==Automated Knowledgebase Article Suggestions==
 
==Automated Knowledgebase Article Suggestions==
−
[[File:Kb suggestion.png|thumb|Suggesting Knowledgebase Articles]]
+
[[File:Knowledgebase-suggestions.JPG|thumb|Suggesting Knowledgebase Articles]]
−
As a user enters a message for submission as a support ticket, WHMCS can lookup and display relevant articles that match keywords in the submission text and display them to the user in an attempt to answer a clients question without them needing to ever submit the ticket. This is designed to help reduce common support questions. To turn this feature on or off, go to '''Setup > General Settings > Support tab > Knowledgebase Suggestions'''
+
 +
As a user enters a message for submission as a support ticket, WHMCS can lookup and display relevant articles that match keywords in the submission text. This can provide an answer to a user without them needing to ever submit the ticket. This is designed to help reduce common support questions. To enable or disable this, use '''Knowledgebase Suggestions''' in the '''[[Support Tab|Support]]''' tab at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > General Settings''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > General Settings'''.
 +
 +
You will need at least five articles with 30 words in each before the suggestions start working. This uses MySQL full text searching for matches.
 +
 +
==Ticket Reply Ratings==
 +
 
 +
[[File:Ticket_reply_rating.png|200px|thumb|right]]
 +
Ticket reply ratings allow your customers to rate responses they receive on tickets in the ticket system. They also allow you to monitor customers' reactions to the support they receive from your staff. To enable the ticket rating feature, go to the '''[[Support Tab|Support]]''' tab at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > General Settings''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > General Settings'''. Then, check '''Support Ticket Ratings'''.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Ticket_reply_stars_admin.png|200px|thumb|right]]
  
−
There needs to be at least 5 articles with 30 words in each before the suggestions start working as it uses MySQL full text searching for likeness matches.
+
When enabled, each reply in the client area will show a row of stars for the user to choose from in rating the response. They range from 1 being poor to 5 being excellent. Rating a reply is optional, so not every reply will get a rating. Ratings display when viewing the ticket in the admin area and there is also a report in the Reporting section that allows you to monitor these ratings:
 +
 
 +
'''Ticket Ratings Reviewer''' allows you to filter based on specific star ratings and within a given date range.
 +
 
 +
==Feedback Request==
  
−
==Ticket Rating==
+
<div class="docs-alert-info">
 +
We moved this feature to a new location in WHMCS 7.0.
 +
</div>
 +
 +
[[File:Feedback_request.png|200px|thumb|right]]
 +
In WHMCS 7.0 and later, you can enable emails requesting a user to provide feedback for their support ticket experience on a per-department basis. On upgrading to WHMCS 7.0, if you have enabled '''Ticket Feedback''', it will be enabled by default for all existing departments. If you do not have it enabled, it will not be enabled for any departments automatically.
 +
 
 +
'''[[Support_Tickets#Departments|Feedback Request]]''' determines whether an email request will be sent for a user to provide feedback for their support ticket experience. The results of the feedback emails can be reviewed via the '''[[Reports#Ticket_Feedback_Scores|Ticket Feedback Scores]]''' and '''[[Reports#Ticket_Feedback_Comments|Ticket Feedback Comments]]''' reports at '''Reports > [[Reports]]'''.
 +
 +
==Auto Closing==
  
−
Ticket rating allows your customers to rate the responses they get to tickets and this then allows you to monitor how pleased your customers are with the support they receive from your staff. To enable the ticket rating feature, go to Config > General Settings > Support and tick the box for "Support Ticket Rating"
+
This feature allows you to have support tickets automatically closed after a certain time of inactivity has passed. By default this closes tickets set to '''Answered''' or '''Customer Reply'''.  
  
−
When enabled, each reply in the client area will show a row of stars for the user to choose from in rating the response. They range from 1 Poor to 5 Excellent.  Rating a reply is optional so not every reply will get a rating. Those that do will be shown when viewing the ticket in the admin area and there are also 3 reports in the Reporting section that allow you to monitor the ratings, they are:
+
The ticket statuses that auto close can be adjusted via '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > [[Support Ticket Statuses|Ticket Statuses]]''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > Support > Ticket Statuses'''.  
  
−
*Staff Ticket Ratings Graph - Showing the average ticket rating for each staff member
+
To set the length of time of inactivity before closure, go to '''Support Ticket Settings''' at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > [[Automation Settings]]''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > Automation Settings'''. Then, enter the time in hours (for example, <tt>48</tt> indicates two days) in '''Close Inactive Tickets'''.
−
*Ticket Rating Totals Graph - Showing the number of replies rated at each of the 5 statuses
 
−
*Ticket Ratings Reviewer - Allowing you to filter and view replies with specific ratings within a given date range
 
  
−
==Auto Closing==
+
When closing the ticket, WHMCS sends a '''Support Ticket Auto Close Notification''' email to the user. You can customise that email at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > [[Email Templates]]''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > Email Templates'''.
−
 
 
−
*This feature allows you to have support tickets automatically closed after a certain time of inactivity has passed.
 
−
*To set the length of time of inactivity before closure, go to '''Setup > Automation Settings > Support Ticket Settings > Close Inactive Tickets''' and enter the time in hours (for example 48 = 2 days)
 
−
*Tickets set to '''On Hold''' or '''In Progress''' are not closed automatically, only those set to Open or Answered
 
−
*When closing the ticket, the email template '''Support Ticket Auto Close Notification''' is sent to the user. You can customise that email in '''Setup > Email Templates''' as normal
 
  
 
==Automated Escalations==
 
==Automated Escalations==
−
The status, department and priority of a ticket can be changed automatically after a set time. For more information refer to the [[Support_Ticket_Escalations|Support Ticket Escalations]] page.
 
  
 +
The status, department, and priority of a ticket can be changed automatically after a set time. For more information, see [[Support_Ticket_Escalations|Support Ticket Escalations]].
 +
 
==Allowed File Attachments==
 
==Allowed File Attachments==
 +
 
 +
Support tickets allow admins and users to upload and send files.
 +
 
 +
* To configure the list of file types that users can upload, go to the '''[[Support_Tab|Support]]''' tab at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > General Settings''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > General Settings'''.
 +
* Admins can upload all file types.
 +
 
 +
===Ticket Attachments===
 +
 +
Thumbnail previews of attachments display beneath the ticket message if you enable them in the '''[[Support_Tab|Support]]''' tab at '''Configuration (<i class="fa fa-wrench" aria-hidden="true"></i>) > System Settings > General Settings''' or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, '''Setup > General Settings'''.
 +
 
 +
[[File:attachment-thumbnails.png]]
 +
 
 +
==== Attachment Forwarding ====
  
−
Support tickets and replies allow a file to be uploaded along with them for if the user needs to send you something or if you need to send the user something.
+
Ticket attachments will not be forwarded to staff members in notification emails. This is to prevent potentially sensitive attachments being re-transmitted via email and reduce email bandwidth consumption.
 +
 +
==== Unnamed Files and Missing Extensions ====
 +
 +
Prior to WHMCS 8.3, the system ignored attachments that did not have a filename or extension. WHMCS 8.3 and later handles these files according to this logic:
 +
 +
* The system converts filenames that contain special characters or are otherwise unsafe to a safe name.
 +
* If there is not a filename, the filename will become <tt>attachment_*</tt>, incrementing <tt>*</tt> for each attachment. For example, <tt>attachment_1</tt> and <tt>attachment_2</tt>.
 +
* If there is no extension, the system will attempt to determine a file type.
 +
** If this fails, the system assigns <tt>.unknown</tt> as the extension.
 +
** If the system-determined extension is not in this list of extensions, the system will ignore the file.
  
−
The list of allowed file types is configured by going to '''Setup > General Settings > Support tab'''.  By default, the allowed file types are .jpg, .gif, .jpeg, and .png (ie. image files).  It is not possible to allow the user to upload PHP files due to the security risks this creates. You can add new allowed file types to the list such as .pdf, .zip, etc...  Just add them into the allowed extensions field separating each allowed ending with a comma.
+
==Ticket Reply Badges==
 +
 
 +
Every ticket reply includes a badge based on the correspondent's email address, the associated account for the ticket, and the WHMCS system:
 +
 +
* '''Authorized User''' indicates a user who is associated with the account but is not the account owner.
 +
* '''Registered User''' indicates a user who can log in to the WHMCS Client Area but who is not associated with the account and is not the account owner. (This was '''External User''' in WHMCS 8.1 and earlier.)
 +
* '''Guest''' indicates an email address that is not associated with any account, user, or contact in WHMCS.
 +
** If the submitter exists on multiple client accounts, the system cannot automatically determine the correct account and will assign a '''Guest''' badge to the ticket. The ticket can then be assigned to a client account from the Admin Area via the '''Options''' tab on the ticket.
 +
* '''Owner''' indicates the user who is the account owner.
 +
* '''Operator''' indicates a WHMCS admin user.
 +
* '''Sub-account''' indicates an address in the account's list of contacts.
 +
   
 +
For more information about users, accounts, and account owners, see [[Users and Accounts]].
  
−
<div class="docs-alert-info">
+
==Ticket Watchers==
−
<span class="title">Note</span><br/>
+
−
The file upload restrictions do not apply to admin users and an admin user can attach any type of file to a ticket.
+
Any admin-level user with access to view a support ticket can watch the ticket. Watching a ticket subscribes the admin user to email notifications of any replies, notes, or changes to the ticket options.
 +
 +
To watch a ticket, click '''Watch Ticket''' in the admin area ticket sidebar.
 +
 +
An email notification be generated for any of the following actions:
 +
 +
*A client or user posting a reply.
 +
*Another admin user posting a reply.
 +
*Another admin user posting a ticket note.
 +
*A change of ticket options by another admin user.
 +
*A ticket being assigned to your admin user.
 +
*A closure of the ticket by the client or user.
 +
 +
For a full overview of support ticket notifications, including ticket watcher notifications, see [[Ticket Notifications]].
 +
 +
An admin user can unsubscribe from receiving notifications for a ticket at any time by clicking '''Unwatch Ticket'''. This is only visible in tickets that the admin user is currently watching.
 +
 +
==Ticket Collision Detection==
 +
 +
Collision detection prevents you from replying to a ticket or making changes when the status of a ticket has changed since you originally opened it.
 +
 +
<div class="docs-alert-warning">
 +
<span class="title">Example</span><br/>
 +
You open the ticket at 10:45am. You begin to type a reply but, before you finish, you become distracted. You return to the ticket 15 minutes later. You submit your reply, not realising that, in the lapsed time, another member of staff has already replied to the ticket. The collision detection will alert you to this before sending the reply to the customer, avoiding the confusing extra reply.
 
</div>
 
</div>
 +
 +
You will receive a warning message if any changes have been made to a ticket when performing any of the following actions:
 +
 +
* Change of department.
 +
* Change of assignment or flagged user.
 +
* Change of priority.
 +
* Change of status.
 +
* Submitting a reply.
 +
* Making a change to the ticket options.
 +
 +
The alert you receive will provide details about what has changed and ask you to confirm whether you wish to continue.
 +
 +
[[File:TicketCollisionDetectionModal.png]]
 +
 +
The following attributes of a ticket will trigger a collision detection warning:
 +
 +
* Department
 +
* Ticket Subject
 +
* Ticket Priority
 +
* Assigned Client
 +
* Assigned Admin User
 +
* CC Recipients
 +
* Last Reply Time
 +
* Ticket Status
  
−
If enabled under '''Setup > General Settings > Support tab''' thumbnail previews of any image attachments will be displayed beneath the ticket message itself:
+
==Email Piping and Importing==
  
−
[[File:Ticketthumbs.jpg]]
+
You can automatically send user emails into the ticket system as tickets and ticket replies. To do this, you will need to either pipe or import the email into WHMCS (email piping and email importing).  
  
−
<div class="docs-alert-info">
+
* For more information about email piping, see [[Email Piping]].
−
<span class="title">Note</span><br/>
+
* For more information about email importing, see [[Email Importing]].
−
Ticket attachments will not be forwarded to staff members in the notification emails. This prevents potentially sensitive attachments being transmitted by email and big files clogging up inboxes/data allowance if being checked via mobile phone.
 
−
</div>
 

Latest revision as of 20:59, 23 June 2022

The Support Ticket system is a fully featured ticket desk that allows you to handle all communication with your clients. It features threaded discussions, private notes, ticket flagging, varying priority levels, predefined replies, and automatic inactive ticket closure. You can assign Admins to specific departments, so that they only have access to their designated areas.

You can access this feature at Support > Support Tickets.

The Ticket List

The support ticket list

When a client submits a support ticket the appropriate members of staff assigned to that department will receive a New Support Ticket Opened email and the ticket will display in the list of tickets.

  • The list displays all of the tickets in the Awaiting Reply status by default.
  • You can change the ticket order by clicking the table headings.
  • To view only those tickets with a certain status or department or to search click the Search/Filter tab.
  • You can access the most-commonly-used status lists directly in the Support menu in the navigation bar.

Auto Refresh

The Auto Refresh feature reloads the ticket list automatically at frequencies ranging from every minute to every 15 minutes. You can configure this frequency in the Auto Refresh tab.

Tools

There are several bulk tools on this page.

  • Click Close to close tickets.
  • Click Delete to delete tickets.
  • Click Merge to merge two tickets, with the older ticket merging into the newer ticket.
  • Click Block Sender & Delete to delete tickets and add the sender's email to the Banned Emails list.

Ticket Status

A ticket starts in the Open status. This indicates that the client has not yet received a reply from a member of staff. After a reply, the status automatically changes to Answered.

The status can also be changed manually from the view ticket screen, using the dropdown menu next to the ticket subject. A change in selection here is saved immediately using AJAX, without needing to reload the page. Custom statuses can also be created to help with management of tickets.

For more information, see Support Ticket Statuses.

Merging Tickets

When using Merge:

  • A ticket will always merge into the earliest-opened ticket. This is the one with the lowest ID in the database. This is the same whether you merge from inside of a ticket or from the ticket list.
  • Unless it already appears in the subject, the subject of the ticket will have [MERGED] appended in the client's language.
  • The ticket status will take the status from the ticket that has received the latest reply.
  • A ticket that has been merged into another ticket will not appear in the ticket list, but accessing an old ticket URL will redirect to the appropriate ticket.
  • Replying to an old ticket via email will also redirect the reply to the appropriate ticket after the merge.
  • If you are merging tickets from multiple clients together, the client that had the oldest ticket would see the merged ticket in their client area.

Replying to a Ticket

The support ticket reply page

To open, view, and reply to a ticket, click the subject in the ticket list. In the ticket, you can view user messages and staff replies as well as any private admin notes. You can change the order in which ticket messages display in the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.

When you reply to a ticket, if a Support Ticket Signature is in your admin profile, it will appear in the reply box. When replying, you can also use predefined replies and insert links to knowledgebase articles automatically.

Merge Fields

Support ticket replies support three automatic data merge fields:

  • [FIRSTNAME]
  • [NAME]
  • [EMAIL]

You can use these in predefined replies or in the custom messages you write.

Ticket Markdown

WHMCS supports markdown formatting in ticket replies and notes.

Quoting a Reply

To include a copy of a previous reply in your message, click the icon for the desired reply.

File Attachments

Sending attachments automatically attaches them to the notification email that the client receives as well as making them accessible through the Client Area.

To attach a file, click Browse and select the file. This uploads the file to the attachments directory.

Billing a Client

It's also possible to create a billable item for a client when you reply to a ticket. You can generate invoices or log time spent on a ticket.

To do this, enter the description, amount, and invoice action in the Add Billing Entry section while replying to the ticket.

Post Reply Action

From Post Reply, you can select an action to perform when you click Add Response. For example, you can change the ticket status and remain in the ticket view or you can return to the main ticket list.

Editing/Deleting a Reply

To edit client and staff ticket replies, click Edit.

To delete a message from a ticket, click the red delete icon in the top-right of the message. Deleting the first message will delete the entire ticket.

Predefined Ticket Replies

Use predefined ticket replies for frequent responses:

Adding a Predefined Reply

To set up a predefined reply, go to Support > Predefined Replies. Configure categories and predefined replies in the same way as knowledgebase articles.

Using a Predefined Reply

To use a predefined ticket reply, click Insert Predefined Ticket Reply and select the desired reply. You can also search for replies by title.

When you select the predefined reply, it will appear in the reply box and you can edit and send it normally.

Blocked Replies

We added this functionality in WHMCS 8.3.

You may see a Blocked Replies message above the ticket subject. This indicates that WHMCS received, but did not import, one or more email replies. You can view and import these replies by clicking on the ticket subject in the message or by accessing them in the Support Ticket Mail Import Log at Configuration () > System Logs or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Utilities > Logs.

For more information, see Blocked Support Email Replies.

Splitting Replies

Split Selected Ticket Replies

Sometimes it may be necessary to move specific replies out from one support ticket and into a new one. If the message contains an attachment, this will be carried across into the new ticket too.

To do this:

  1. Check the checkboxes in the top-right corner of the messages you wish to split into a new ticket.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Split Selected Replies.
  3. In the prompt that appears, select a department, priority, and subject for the new ticket, and whether to send a new ticket notification.
  4. Click Submit.

To quickly return to the original ticket, click Other Tickets.

Admin Notes

The Add Note tab allows private staff-only messages to be recorded against a ticket. Clicking the tab provides a new text area to enter the note. When you submit it, will add the note and display it to all other admins viewing the ticket along with the staff member's name and date and time. Customers do not get any notification of notes being added and cannot see them.

Staff Mentions

Staff mentions allow you to "tag" other administrative users and trigger an email notification to them as a quick and easy way to alert them to the note you have just added. To use a staff tag in a ticket note, just type the @ followed by the staff member's name.

For more information, see Staff Mentions.

Changing Associated Service

We added this feature in WHMCS 7.10.

A client opening a ticket can select a related service, which will be highlighted when viewing the ticket via the admin area. Click Change Associated Service to change the service that a ticket is associated with. This is useful when a client doesn't choose a service when opening the ticket, or if a client chooses the wrong service. A change of associated service will be logged to the ticket log so all changes can be seen.

AdminTicketRelatedServiceManagement.png

When clicking Change Associated Service, an AJAX call will fetch, if appropriate, the remaining services for a client if they aren't all displayed. If an admin user is already viewing all the services of a client on a ticket, an AJAX call will not take place.

AdminTicketRelatedServiceManagementEdit.png

View Security Question

We added View Security Question in WHMCS 8.0.

To access a user's security question information, click View Security Question in the top-right corner of their reply to the ticket. This allows you to view, but not change, the user's Security Question and Security Answer.

If the user has not configured a question and answer at Hello, Name! > Security Settings in the Client Area, View Security Question will not display in their replies. Users cannot configure security questions until you add one or more questions at Configuration () > System Settings > Security Questions.

Custom Fields

You can set up custom fields for support departments on a per department basis. Use this to suit a given department's specific needs. These fields display on the Custom Fields tab within the ticket.

Options

The Options tab allows the attributes of the ticket to be modified. The department, subject, status, and priority can all be changed.

Sometimes it may be useful for additional people to receive copies of the email messages in this ticket. To do this, enter their email addresses in the CC Recepients field. Multiple recipients can be entered in a comma separated list (for example, jeff@example.com,bob@example.com).

To change the client a ticket is assigned to, adjust the Client ID. If the client's name, company, or email address is known, start typing this into the field. An AJAX list of the search results will appear. Click the appropriate client from the list to automatically fill in their Client ID.

When two tickets are merged, the messages from both tickets will be arranged chronologically. In Merge Ticket, enter the Ticket ID of the ticket to be combined. The newer ticket is merged into the older ticket.

Flagging a ticket to another admin is useful if you want to bring the ticket to the attention of another staff member. Flagged tickets appear in a separate section at the top of the support ticket page to ensure they stand out from the main queue. The Support Ticket Flagged email will also be sent to the user. Flagging a ticket to oneself will not send the email.

Notifications

Support ticket actions trigger email notifications as shown below:

ActionTicket WatchersDepartment Members*Flagged AdminOwnerUsersContactsCC Recipients
Ticket Opened
Client Reply
Admin Reply
Change of Ticket Options
Change of Ticket Department
Ticket Assigned
Ticket Unassigned
  You will not receive an email notification for any changes you initiate yourself. Notifications may also depend on permissions and the origin of the ticket.

* Department Members only receive Client Reply and Change of Ticket Department notifications when there is no flagged admin user.

Definitions

  • Ticket Watchers — Any admin user who is watching a ticket via the Admin Area.
  • Department Members — Any admin user who chose to receive ticket notifications for a given Support Ticket department and has the Support Emails Admin role.
  • Assigned User — Any admin user to is assigned to or unassigned from a ticket.
  • Owner — The related client's account owner.
  • User — A user with access to the related client.
  • Contact — The related client's contacts.
  • CC Recipients — A recipient who has been added to the ticket to receive a carbon copy (CC) of ticket-related emails.


Ticket Tags/Tag Cloud

The Ticket Tags section only displays in the sidebar when viewing a support ticket in the Admin Area. It links tickets that have a common item (for example, tickets that all report the same issue). You could use this to save a case ID from an external system (for example, if you wish to follow up with those tickets once it is marked as resolved). To use, enter the desired tag text and press Return to save.

Tags associated with tickets in the support ticket list are displayed in the Tag Cloud section of the sidebar of the Support > Support Tickets list. To find all the tickets linked to the tag, use the same name for the tag and then search by tag from Search/Filter on the support ticket list page. The will display the list of tickets linked to the tag.

Log

The ticket log displays an audit trail of all the actions applied to this ticket. This includes department changes, tickets flaggings, adding of notes, changes of ownership, and status changes.

Opening a New Ticket

The open support ticket page

Staff can open support tickets from within the administration area by navigating to Support > Open New Ticket. There, enter the details of the recipient.

  • If they are not a client, fill their name in the To field and the Email Address field.
  • If they are a client, use the Client Search field to search by name, company, and email addresses. Clicking the client's name will automatically fill in the recipient's details.

If the client has contacts or sub-accounts configured, a Contacts menu will appear. If you wish the ticket message to be emailed to the contact, select their name from the menu. Select None to deliver it to the master account.

Automated Knowledgebase Article Suggestions

Suggesting Knowledgebase Articles

As a user enters a message for submission as a support ticket, WHMCS can lookup and display relevant articles that match keywords in the submission text. This can provide an answer to a user without them needing to ever submit the ticket. This is designed to help reduce common support questions. To enable or disable this, use Knowledgebase Suggestions in the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.

You will need at least five articles with 30 words in each before the suggestions start working. This uses MySQL full text searching for matches.

Ticket Reply Ratings

Ticket reply rating.png

Ticket reply ratings allow your customers to rate responses they receive on tickets in the ticket system. They also allow you to monitor customers' reactions to the support they receive from your staff. To enable the ticket rating feature, go to the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings. Then, check Support Ticket Ratings.

Ticket reply stars admin.png

When enabled, each reply in the client area will show a row of stars for the user to choose from in rating the response. They range from 1 being poor to 5 being excellent. Rating a reply is optional, so not every reply will get a rating. Ratings display when viewing the ticket in the admin area and there is also a report in the Reporting section that allows you to monitor these ratings:

Ticket Ratings Reviewer allows you to filter based on specific star ratings and within a given date range.

Feedback Request

We moved this feature to a new location in WHMCS 7.0.

Feedback request.png

In WHMCS 7.0 and later, you can enable emails requesting a user to provide feedback for their support ticket experience on a per-department basis. On upgrading to WHMCS 7.0, if you have enabled Ticket Feedback, it will be enabled by default for all existing departments. If you do not have it enabled, it will not be enabled for any departments automatically.

Feedback Request determines whether an email request will be sent for a user to provide feedback for their support ticket experience. The results of the feedback emails can be reviewed via the Ticket Feedback Scores and Ticket Feedback Comments reports at Reports > Reports.

Auto Closing

This feature allows you to have support tickets automatically closed after a certain time of inactivity has passed. By default this closes tickets set to Answered or Customer Reply.

The ticket statuses that auto close can be adjusted via Configuration () > System Settings > Ticket Statuses or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Support > Ticket Statuses.

To set the length of time of inactivity before closure, go to Support Ticket Settings at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Automation Settings. Then, enter the time in hours (for example, 48 indicates two days) in Close Inactive Tickets.

When closing the ticket, WHMCS sends a Support Ticket Auto Close Notification email to the user. You can customise that email at Configuration () > System Settings > Email Templates or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Email Templates.

Automated Escalations

The status, department, and priority of a ticket can be changed automatically after a set time. For more information, see Support Ticket Escalations.

Allowed File Attachments

Support tickets allow admins and users to upload and send files.

  • To configure the list of file types that users can upload, go to the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.
  • Admins can upload all file types.

Ticket Attachments

Thumbnail previews of attachments display beneath the ticket message if you enable them in the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.

Attachment-thumbnails.png

Attachment Forwarding

Ticket attachments will not be forwarded to staff members in notification emails. This is to prevent potentially sensitive attachments being re-transmitted via email and reduce email bandwidth consumption.

Unnamed Files and Missing Extensions

Prior to WHMCS 8.3, the system ignored attachments that did not have a filename or extension. WHMCS 8.3 and later handles these files according to this logic:

  • The system converts filenames that contain special characters or are otherwise unsafe to a safe name.
  • If there is not a filename, the filename will become attachment_*, incrementing * for each attachment. For example, attachment_1 and attachment_2.
  • If there is no extension, the system will attempt to determine a file type.
    • If this fails, the system assigns .unknown as the extension.
    • If the system-determined extension is not in this list of extensions, the system will ignore the file.

Ticket Reply Badges

Every ticket reply includes a badge based on the correspondent's email address, the associated account for the ticket, and the WHMCS system:

  • Authorized User indicates a user who is associated with the account but is not the account owner.
  • Registered User indicates a user who can log in to the WHMCS Client Area but who is not associated with the account and is not the account owner. (This was External User in WHMCS 8.1 and earlier.)
  • Guest indicates an email address that is not associated with any account, user, or contact in WHMCS.
    • If the submitter exists on multiple client accounts, the system cannot automatically determine the correct account and will assign a Guest badge to the ticket. The ticket can then be assigned to a client account from the Admin Area via the Options tab on the ticket.
  • Owner indicates the user who is the account owner.
  • Operator indicates a WHMCS admin user.
  • Sub-account indicates an address in the account's list of contacts.

For more information about users, accounts, and account owners, see Users and Accounts.

Ticket Watchers

Any admin-level user with access to view a support ticket can watch the ticket. Watching a ticket subscribes the admin user to email notifications of any replies, notes, or changes to the ticket options.

To watch a ticket, click Watch Ticket in the admin area ticket sidebar.

An email notification be generated for any of the following actions:

  • A client or user posting a reply.
  • Another admin user posting a reply.
  • Another admin user posting a ticket note.
  • A change of ticket options by another admin user.
  • A ticket being assigned to your admin user.
  • A closure of the ticket by the client or user.

For a full overview of support ticket notifications, including ticket watcher notifications, see Ticket Notifications.

An admin user can unsubscribe from receiving notifications for a ticket at any time by clicking Unwatch Ticket. This is only visible in tickets that the admin user is currently watching.

Ticket Collision Detection

Collision detection prevents you from replying to a ticket or making changes when the status of a ticket has changed since you originally opened it.

Example
You open the ticket at 10:45am. You begin to type a reply but, before you finish, you become distracted. You return to the ticket 15 minutes later. You submit your reply, not realising that, in the lapsed time, another member of staff has already replied to the ticket. The collision detection will alert you to this before sending the reply to the customer, avoiding the confusing extra reply.

You will receive a warning message if any changes have been made to a ticket when performing any of the following actions:

  • Change of department.
  • Change of assignment or flagged user.
  • Change of priority.
  • Change of status.
  • Submitting a reply.
  • Making a change to the ticket options.

The alert you receive will provide details about what has changed and ask you to confirm whether you wish to continue.

TicketCollisionDetectionModal.png

The following attributes of a ticket will trigger a collision detection warning:

  • Department
  • Ticket Subject
  • Ticket Priority
  • Assigned Client
  • Assigned Admin User
  • CC Recipients
  • Last Reply Time
  • Ticket Status

Email Piping and Importing

You can automatically send user emails into the ticket system as tickets and ticket replies. To do this, you will need to either pipe or import the email into WHMCS (email piping and email importing).

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