                                          HELPDESK PRO!

Key Features of HelpDesk Pro! Include;
*	Keeps track of Clients and Calls.  Quickly locate any call or client.  Records their full 		contact information as well deatails of the call.
*	Pop-up Calculator, Calendar, Word Processor
* 	Prints labels for Contacts.  Twenty five Avery Label sizes supported.
*	Prints a  Variety of Reports - both Clients and Calls.
* 	Graphical interface.
*	Microsoft Access source code included.
*	Affordable - Usually $495 Standalone or $775 Multi-user
*	Easy-to-learn and Use.
* 	Manual.


INSTALLATION
Access users
Simply only copy the mdb files into the c:\helpdesk directory and load up Access. Open FEHELP.MDB.  If you place the FEHELP.MDB and HELPTBL.MDB file in another directory you must start Access and access from the Tool Bar - File / Add-Ins / Attachment Manager and change the path to the directory in which you placed the HelpDesk Pro! files.

HelpDesk Pro! runs best on a 486 or higher PC.  Although Helpdesk Pro! will run 4 Megabytes of RAM, 8 megabytes or more is recommended.  

HelpDesk Pro is very easy to learn and use.


The following section describes the HelpDesk Pro! Main Menu.  

Let's take a brief look at each of the choices.  Remember, the best way to become an expert at using HelpDesk Pro! is by playing with the system.  It is easy and fun to use.


The HelpDesk Pro! MAIN MENU

Call Log -   (MAIN MENU CHOICE #1)
This brings up the Call Log entry form.  This form is central to HelpDesk Pro!  This is where you will keep track of all of the calls you receive and what action has been taken on each of the calls.  Calls can be added, modified and deleted. It is important to save a call after you have entered it.  The form is easy to fill out.


We are going to fill out a new call log item together. Before we access the Call Log form lets do a little setup on HelpDesk Pro! so that certain list boxes in the Call Log are populated when we enter our first call. 

Let's begin by clicking on the Maintenance Menu - the fifth button on the Main Menu.

Now click on the Analyst Maintenance Button.  The Analyst is the person the call will be assigned to.  Simply enter the First Name of the Analyst and Press the Tab Key. Your cursor should now be in the Last Name Field. Simply enter the last name of the analyst and click on the Save button.

If you wish to enter another analyst simply press Enter and go to the next line.  Whenever you go to the another line your information is automatically saved - you do not have to press enter each time you go to a new line.

When you have finished entering analysts press Save and then Exit to return to the Maintenance Menu.

Now click on the Priority button on the Maintenance Menu. We have populated HelpDesk Pro! with Low, Medium and High priorities.  If you do not wish to use these you can change them.  When you are finished press the Exit button to return to the Maintenance Menu.

If you are now on the Maintenance Menu press `Exit to Main Menu' to return to the HelpDesk Pro! Main Menu.

Next you can begin putting in a couple of Company/Contact records which will be used later on when we are entering a call in the Call Log.

Click on Company/Contact on the Main Menu.
You will now have on your screen the Company/Contact form.  This is a master form which stores information about companies and people who call you. If you are using HelpDesk Pro! internally you can place a department name in place of company name.

Let's go through each of the fields. Most are self explanatory. I will interject comments/tips wherever neccessary.

ID:
This must be a unique string of alpha and/or numeric. Duplicates will not be accepted.

Company Name:
As previously mentioned this is the Company or Department Name

Salutation:
This is the salutation of the primary contact from the company or department.  The Company/Master form conatins one primary contact. When you begin entering calls in the Call Log you can enter the actual caller if you wish.				

Contact First Name:
Primary company (or departmental)contact first name.

Contact Last Name:	
Primary company contact last name.

Contact Title:
Primary company contact title.

Address1:
Company Address Line 1

Address2:
Company Address Line 2 (if necessary)

City:
Company City

State:
Company State - can be modified for overseas users

Zip:
Company Zip Code - can be modified for overseas users

Country:
Company Country Location. Use only if you deal with people in different countries.	

Telephone:
The telephone number of the primary contact.

Fax:
The fax number of the primary contact.

Time Zone: 
If you deal with multiple time zones you can use this optional field to track the time zone in which a company is located.

Comments:
Usefull comments on the Company/Contact.  This is a scrolling memo field. You can put up to sixteen pages of information here.

Software version:
I put this here in case you are a software developer and issue multiple releases of a software/hardware product. You can easily identify which version of a particular product a company is using.  This can prove valuable if you wish to contact people to upgrade or when trying to determine a Call Log solution.

So, you can enter all of the fields on the Company/Contact field now, either with actual information or you can make something up. You can easily delete it when we are finished.

When you complete and entry press the Save Button and then the New Button.

*TIP - If you accidentally press the Enter key when you leave the Software Version field - the record will automatically be saved and a blank form will be brought up. This can also be 		used as a shortcut if you do not wish to push the Save and New Buttons.


After you have finished entering information press the Exit button to return to the HelpDesk Pro! Main Menu.

At this point you have learned most of what it takes to enter information into HelpDesk Pro!  Pretty easy isn't it?

You should now be on the Main Menu.

We are ready to enter a call.


Press the Call Log Button on the Main Menu.

Start Time/Date:  	
These fields will automatically be filled in when you select a Company Name. You can fill them in if you do not wish to record the current time/date, for example if the call came in yesterday and you did not have a chance to record it.

Rec By:
Begin by typing in the Rec By (received by field). If  you are the only person taking calls or of you do not wish to fill in this field you can bypass it.

Company Name:
This is a drop down list box. You can either type the name of the company you wish to record or click on the arrow and select from the list. The list is in alphabetical order so it is easy to find an entry. Notice that if you start typing HelpDesk Pro! is intelligent enough to fill in the rest of the 	information once it has determined a unique name.  For example, if the only entry you had that begins with the letter A is Apple, when you type in A the rest of the word will be filled in.
			

If the Company you type in and press Tab is not in the Company Master you will be prompted to add it. If you say yes, you will be placed in the Company/Contact form. You can then fill in the information and press Save and Exit and return to the Call Log form. You can then continue.  We added this feature in case you forgot to initially set up a record for a Company/Contact.
			
You will also notice that the rest of the fields in the box - Contact First Name, Last Name, Address, City, etc. through Fax are all looked up from the Company Contact form which you previously filled in.  The ID field is also filled in.

You can now tab to the next field which is Caller Name.

Caller Name:
This is the name of the person calling. Not necessarily the primary contact. This is an optional field.

Caller Phone:
The telephone number of the caller.

ID Number:
The ID of the Company. This is looked up automatically - do not change it.

Close:
When you are ready to Close a call you simply cliick on the Close button and the date and time are automatically filled in. You can overwrite the date and time if you wish. Also the status automatically changes to Closed.

Assigned To:
Either type in the Analysts name or click on the little arrow and select the proper Analyst from the drop down list box. If you type in the Analysts Name Helpdesk Pro! is smart enough to know when you have typed in enough information to make the name identifiable.

Status:
Is automatically set to open. When you press the Close button the status is changed to Closed.

Problem Category:
This field is optional and can be used to identify problem categories which you can later sort/report on.

Priority Level:
The choices for this field are initially set to Low, Medium and High.  If you wish to change them you can do so through the Maintenance Menu.

Call Description:
This is the initial information the caller describes to you. This is a scrolling field which can hold sixteen pages of information.

Resolution:
This is the final resolution of the problem. This field may be filled in after a number of activities have been recorded.

Activity (Button)
This button opens up the Activities screen. This is used to record the progress of a call toward resolution.  To close the Activity window you simply click on the Activity button a second time and the window shuts.  


After you have filled in all of the fields you can simply press the Save Button button and then the New Button to clear rhe screen.  When you want to exit the Call Log screen simply click on the Exit Button.

The Open Items Button gives you a quick snapshot of the Open Items in a spreadsheet view.  You can double click on the ID field (the first column) in a row in the spreadsheet and you will be brought automatically to that record in full form view.  You must then click on the All Items Button to make both the Closed and Open items accessible in form view.

To Search on any accessible field simply put your cursor in that field and select File Find.  Put in the criteria and press Find First.  To find the next record that meets your criteria simply click on Find Next.

To change the Sort Order the records appear as you page through them simply place your cursor in the field which you want to sort on and press the Right Mouse Button. You can then sort ascending or decending. Please note this does not physically change the sort order on your disk.

As you work with the Call Log form you will discover your preferred way to work.


Now Back to the Main Menu...

Company/Contact -  (MAIN MENU CHOICE #2)
This is the Master form that keeps track of all of the Companies that you deal with.  It also tracks the primary contact.  This form populates the drop down list box on the Call Log form. We have already worked with this form.

REPORTS -  (MAIN MENU CHOICE #3)

Let's go over each of the choices on the Reports Sub-Menu.  You can also write your own reports if you own Microsoft Access.

Call Log Open and Closed Items  -  (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #1)
This report provides information on all items in the Call Log - both Open and Closed. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report contains many details and is printed out a call to a page.

Call Log Open Items - Full Details -   (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #2)
This report provides information on all Open Items in the Call Log. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report contains many details and is printed out a call to a page.

Call Log Closed Items  - Full Details -    (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #3)
This report provides information on all Closed Items in the Call Log. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report contains many details and is printed out a call to a page.

Call Log By Analyst - Spreadsheet Fashion -   (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #4)
This report provides information on the activity of the analysts who have been assigned calls. You can specify a start and end date. The report is in a rows/columns format.

Call Log Open and Closed Items - Spreadsheet Format - (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #5)
This report provides information on all items in the Call Log - both Open and Closed. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report is in a rows/columns format.

Call Log Open Items - Spreadsheet Format -  (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #6)
This report provides information on all Open Items in the Call Log. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report is in a rows/columns format.

Call Log Closed Items  - Spreadsheet Format -  (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #7)
This report provides information on all Closed Items in the Call Log. You can select a beginning date and an end date.  The report is in a rows/columns format.

Call Log By Company - Spreadsheet Format -  (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #8)
This report provides information on calls in the Call Log form by company.  Usefull if you want to see all calls placed by a company or wish to view the Call Log in Company ascending The report is in a rows/columns format.

Call Log By Company - Spreadsheet Format -  (REPORTS MENU CHOICE #9)
This report provides information on all Companies in the Company/Contact Form. You can select the name of a company or leave the input box blank for all companies. The report is very detailed and shows one company/contact to a page.


Now, let's go back to the Main Menu...

MAILING LABELS -   (MAIN MENU CHOICE #4)
This is where you print labels for Company/Contacts.  The format used for the mailing labels is specified in the Set Labels Size Choice on the Menu.  This must be set before you can produce mailing labels.  The label size field is a choice field with a drop down menu.  Simply select the Avery Label size you need.  You only have to reset this when you are changing label sizes not each time you produce labels.

       
MAINTENANCE MENU -   (MAIN MENU CHOICE #5)
This is where set certain parameters before you begin working with Helpdesk Pro! You can also modify settings as you go along.  It is also the place where you can import and export information. 

Analyst Maintenance
Enter the names of the analysts in this form that you wish to appear when you click on the drop down list box in the Call Log form.  You can add, modify and delete analyst names here.

Priority Maintenance
Enter the priorities (ie high, medium, low...) that you wish to appear when you click on the drop down list box in the Call Log form.  You can add, modify and delete priorities here.

Export Company Contacts
This choice allows you to export records from the Company/Contact table.  The format of the export file is ASCII comma delimited. The layout of the file is included at the end of this manual.

Import Company Contacts
This choice allows you to import records into the Company/contact table.  The format of the import file must be ASCII comma delimited. The layout of the file required by Helpdesk Pro! is included at the end of this manual.

That completes our overview of Helpdesk Pro! Please keep in mind that we are available for additional customization.  You may now order HelpDesk Pro! is you wish. 

Helpdesk pro! is written entirely in Microsoft Access. The source code is included with the database. Upon registration you are free to do your own customization if you own Microsoft Access but we cannot provide technical support to databases which you customize.

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