Support System

[stuaz]

Hello All,

Im looking at creating a system that I can record Support requests sent to by my clients.
It will contain details about the request and then if its been solved etc etc. and then to provide an ability to search this in case a problem arrises that has happen before.

Is there anything available at the moment which perhaps could give me some ideas, or a head start?

Any questions just ask.

[Pasvorto]

Depending on the volume, you could do something that simple in Excel with a little bit of VBA

[stuaz]

Well I was looking at something that will be permanent, at the moment i just have a table set up in Excel and record it there, but its not very user friendly. As i want this to be given to my staff, so a possible form entry screen was preferable.

[Hack]

As with anything, you need to start with system specifications.

Do you have something in writing that states:

This system will.....with every single function that you want to be in it documented?

In so far as it will be for internal use, it would seem putting this together would be fairly simple.

I would use a database as a backend for both ease and history.

What database software do you have available? How many calls per day do you get?

[stuaz]

Support requests:
Required areas –
• Description of problem
• Time and Date
• Company/Person request has come to
• Form of request – (Phone, email, JIRA)
• Problem assigned to (member of staff)
• How long the request has taken (time)

Then there must be an option to declare the request as ‘Solved’ and then you can place an entry of how it was solved.

This would then put the request into a history file of which can be searched, for reference.

Also some reports to print to display Open Request calls and maybe what calls have been solved. And to maybe print out what requests haven’t been solved out every day?

I have access to all the Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel) etc. as well as a few software languages.

I have made a simple version in Access, but is there a way you can make that as a .exe rather than opening up Access fully each time to use it?

Hope this was helpful, I do have a full document of the Specs, but unfortunately its in the Office (doh!)

[Hack]

Do not write the application in Access, just use Access as your database, and write a front end for it in Visual Basic.

[stuaz]

Yeah, i may try that. For the search facility, would that be easy to recreate in VB?

[stuaz]

When i try to link to the Access database it says "Cannot find installable ISSAM" i have had this message before and cant remember how to fix it :s

(Visual Basic 6)

[Al42]

how are you connecting to the database? (Please say you're writing code, not using a data control.)

[stuaz]

data control.......i am a noob :P

[Al42]

Delete the data control from your form and read the tutorial in the first post in this thread.

[dclamp]

how do your clients send requests to you? Are they manually entered, or are you going to have them entered via the client through a client program?

[stuaz]

My clients will send us requests via emails or phones, which i then want my staff to enter them manually.

[stuaz]

I have attached a Access database of what i want VB to do, hopefully it will make more sense than my ramberling

[Hack]

Have you gone through the ADO tutorial?

[stuaz]

yes i have read through it, but I'm at home at the moment so cant test it because all my resources are at work