About the Support Ticket System

• Clients are provided access to a Support ticket system through which Audienceware manages delivery to client specifications
  • Clients can raise and resolve issues, raise change requests
  • Audienceware also uses the system to project manage new developments
• The Support ticket system may be thought of as a 'communication' aid, a means by which Client and Audienceware can inform eachother of issues, and progress with those issues, keeping the whole conversation thread together in one place.
  • If this is your first experience with such a system and would like more background, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue_tracking_system
• New tickets may be created online or via email (note - attachments are only viewable online)
• Audienceware will assign the ticket to a staff member as appropriate to the Client and issue
• Subscriptions to Updates - the ticket 'creator' is autmatically 'subscribed' to the ticket updates, as is the 'assignee' - others may be added via the Subscribed tab on any ticket
• You can view all Tickets on the Tickets tab on the main side menu

Categories

• All Tickets are categorised into one of 4 types by Audienceware:
  • Support (default) - general category for help required with systems or activities
  • Bug - a technical problem, e.g. a feature not working as expected
  • Development - changing or building a new feature, usually a defined scope of works based on defined business requirements (see Development)
  • Feature Request - request for a new feature, which will lead to a Development if known, or Discovery (see above) if not known

Priority

• All tickets are prioritised firstly by a Priority level, then by order (drag and drop) within each level
• Prioritisation is usually the Clients job, so that this communicates to Audienceware what is important, and the order in which issues or work needs to be addressed
• Priority levels correspond with the SLA definitions
  • Urgent
  • High
  • Normal (default)
  • Low
• Prioritisation does not affect charging rates, although this may be introduced later if clients want the option to escalate outside the SLA definitions, whilst maitaining affordability of Normal/Low rates.

Timing

• Response timing as defined by the SLA definitions assumes the ticket is first in the queue, i.e. that Audienceware is not fully engaged on a ticket prioritised above it
• Audienceware works through tickets in the order set by the client, one by one or on multiple tickets pending resource availability, and if waiting for input or any other dependency
• If the client is engaged on a 'contract' basis, there may be a fixed quota of hours per month for 'normal' priorty, whereby Audienceware will work on tickets flexibly across the month, 
• Reporting of delivery duration timing is not available as resources are not allocated on a fixed schedule, although an esimate of effort may be provided if possible and all the requirements and dependencies are known
• Clients can monitor progress via the online Usage Report
• If the client requests fixed timing, that may be available under 'high' or 'urgent' priority as this will require project management effort in order to schedule fixed resource allocation, and additional billable time may be incurred
• For PAYG clients, the above applies except for a fixed quota, and the volume of tickets worked on will be pending avialability, since there is no 'reserve' resource allocation

Status

• Audienceware will update status on all Tickets except Completed, which the Client is requested to do as part of Prioritisation, or may request Audienceware to do
• Status levels are:
  • Inserted - default for all new tickets, work not started
  • In Progress - work has begun or at least client/Audienceware are engaged in dialogue to define issues/scope of works
  • On Hold - work is paused, usually for a prolonged period of time e.g. if there is a dependency that must be addressed first
  • Review - work is complete, ready for client to review and confirm delivered, or if further input is required
  • Completed - work is completed and approved