In MyTechDesk there are three types of users:

• group manager (full rights to resources),
  
• staff members (delegated rights to resources),
  
• and requestors (fixed and highly limited rights to resources).

The group manager can control access rights for staff members.
See Appendix 3 on page 33 for more information on access rights.

Whenever a date is required to be entered in a ticket field (e.g. a due date or completion date) a link is provided that opens a small window that allows you to choose the date (and time) by selecting from a value list.

MyTechDesk presents color-coded information in ticket lists.

• Low priority tickets are indicated with a blue down arrow.
  
• Tickets that are overdue (current date is later than due date) are shown in red.
  
• Tickets that are set to high priority are indicated with a red exclamation mark.
  
• Tickets that are set to critical priority are indicated with a blinking exclamation mark.

A group manager can define up to five custom fields in the system.
Once created, these fields are available in new and existing tickets, and may be used as filters in the report generator.

For more report flexibility the ticket database may be filtered by date (and time) range and then exported as a comma or tab delimited text file, allowing the group manager to generate reports out of alternate database report generators, including Crystal ReportsR.

Quick-help links (denoted by the circle-in-question mark) are embedded in many of the pages.

Clicking on this symbol pulls up a contextual help window containing useful information such as a field's function or requirements for the text that is to be entered in the field.

At the option of the group manager, end-users may create requestor accounts and submit their own tickets.
This feature of MyTechDesk allows managers and staff to focus on ticket management and problem resolution rather than data entry.
It also allows end-users to check the status of their ticket without needing to contact support staff.

Publishing your group information on the directory enables requestor (end-user) ticket submissions.
This feature is protected by a group password which is required in order to submit a new ticket or create a new requestor account.

In New (ticket) view, when selecting a person in the Requestor field, existing requestors may be searched in two ways:

• by selecting from a drop-down list,
  
• or by typing in the first few characters of their first or last name.

This feature can be useful in large groups with many requestors.

The group manager can upload any JPEG formatted file to the MyTechDesk server for use as a logo.
This file will appear on the requestor home page.

Messaging provides users with the ability to send messages to staff members.
A notification feature automatically sends email notification to the recipient to alert them that a message has been sent.

Up to 25MB of on-line storage is available for the storing of files on the MyTechDesk server.
Stored files may be up to 10MB in file size.
Additional space may be purchased.

In the event that a staff or requestor forgets their password, the group manager may reset the password, allowing the staff or requestor to log back in and reset their password.

Each staff home page includes statistics on the percentage of assigned tickets that are completed.
For the group manager this statistic shows the percentage complete of all tickets in the system.

Tickets may be printed by selecting Print View while within any ticket screen.
A custom footer may be added to all printed tickets by the group manager.

MyTechDesk provides the group manager the ability to generate a wide range of reports by selecting field filters and date ranges.
Formatted reports are displayed in the browser window ready for printing (reports are printed from within the browser environment).

The Ticket List screen allows tickets to be searched in three ways:

• by filtering field data,
  
• by entering the ticket number,
  
• or by searching for content in either the Task or Resolution area of the ticket.

At the option of the group manager, staff may self-assign tickets.
This feature of MyTechDesk helps reduce the workload on the group manager.
A link to a list of unassigned tickets is provided on all staff home pages.

At the option of the staff member assigned to the incident, ticket status notification may be sent via email to the requestor whenever a ticket is updated.

Whenever non-default filter options are selected in the ticket list filter (List Ticket screen on page 8), these filter options are saved and the "Filter settings are enabled" indicator appears.

MyTechDesk provides the manager with the ability to organize support staff and requestors into smaller organizational units by assigning them to sub-groups and locations. Once sub-groups and locations are assigned to staff and requestors, reports can be generated and sorted using data in these fields.

Whenever a field entry calls for detailed text entry, such as when entering an incident description or resolution actions taken by the assignee, a link is provided that opens a large popup window to allow for more convenient text entry.

When staff member update a ticket with a response they are required to enter a time spent.
Having this data in the system provides the group manager to generate reports on staff performance and do more detailed analysis of the costs of support.

The group manager may disable and re-enable staff accounts as desired.