═══ 1. Introduction and Overview ═══ HODstar Supporter provides a unique call tracking platform for your help desk staff. This platform not only provides call tracking but also the ability to model and document your networks. The call tracking features include automatic queue updates and call alarming. Your help desk staff start and watch multiple queues tracking any variety of call status and types. You control how often these queues automatically refresh themselves, or you can refresh them manually. You also can define the call types assigned to calls, and what triggers an alarm call requiring immediate attention. Other settings you control include call search keys, support groups, and support staff. HODstar Supporter includes the HODstar Monitor product. Help desk staff can immediately pull up a customer's network profile as they take the call. For example if a customer reports a printer problem, then you can immediately identify what printer that user has assigned and more importantly quickly determine if that problem will affect other customers using that same network resource. If a server goes down or a server loses any of its resources, you know at a glance who is affected and what other resources are managed by that downed server. HODstar Supporter/Monitor is network independent. It does not require a network to be installed or active on your machine. Nor does it require a special network to support your users. Any kind of network can be modeled using the Monitor facility. HODstar Monitor is intended primarily to be used as a reference tool. Your network administrators will decide how to model your network, and they decide what information to put in the HODstar Database. They also may be responsible for making sure the information in your database stays current, or they may provide that information to the help desk staff for database maintenance. Like all HODstar products HODstar Supporter is user friendly and designed to be easy to use: o Anytime a field is modified the field is highlighted in red and the window title changed so that users remember to save their changes. o Information is organized into logical 'pages' in a notebook to give a folder or book-like feel. o All features are accessible using either the keyboard or the mouse. Mouse options can be accessed from a menu line or using popup menus. o Drag-and-drop permits you to easily assign relationships between call and network objects, and list buttons may be used also. o HODstar Supporter runs from either the OS/2 Desktop or from the command-line. This reference is primarily used to provide online help for the HODstar Supporter, and to provide low-level detail for the system administrator. The following topics are covered in the User Reference: o Conventions Used in this Reference o Logon Security o Managing Calls o Managing Queues As you go through this Reference, next and previous sections will be highlighted. ═══ 2. Conventions Used in this Reference ═══ Throughout this reference and in the tutorials you will see the consistent use of conventions that help you quickly recognize and associate parts of the HODstar Supporter system. These conventions are as follows. o Terms o Symbols ═══ 2.1. Commonly Used Terms ═══ Throughout this reference and in the tutorials you will see several consistent terms. o Profiles Profiles always refer to a notebook. Notebooks are special windows that organize information into pages. Profiles are used to define calls, queues, and network resources and to give you the detail you need to use these. Profiles can be setup so that they will automatically refresh their display as often as you or your system administrator decide. o Lists Lists always refer to one or more profiles displayed to you as single-line entries in a single window. Lists are used to quickly summarize all the profiles that have been defined for calls, queues, and other resources. From a list you can select one or more of the profile entries and then show their profile notebooks. Lists are also used to delete one or more resources, and for queues to activate Queues Monitors. Lists can be setup so that they will automatically refresh their display as often as you or your system administrator decide. o Aliases Aliases are one-to-eight character names used to refer to all the different profiles in your system. A User alias for Jan Smith might be JSMITH. An alias for a printer might be BWLASER. Aliases are always associated with a brief description, a 64-character single line used to give more information on that profile alias. Nearly all Lists (see above) show both the Alias and its associated brief description. o Queue Monitors Sometimes also referred to as Active Queue Monitors, Monitors are a special kind of list. A Queue Monitor takes the criteria or information defined in its associated Queue Profile and uses it to scan for Call Profiles that match those criteria. Queue Monitors can be setup so that they will automatically refresh their display as often as you or your system administrator decide. ═══ 2.2. Commonly Used Symbols ═══ Throughout this reference and in the tutorials you will see several consistent symbols. These symbols are indentical to the icons used to represent objects in the Supporter system. You will sometimes see one or more of the following symbols when you first open a part of the reference. They tell you which object that part of the reference discusses. o (CONTROL.EXE) Control Panel This module controls logon and access level security. It must be active and logged-on with a valid user ID before using any other part of the HODstar system. o (CALLLIST.EXE) Calls List This module lists one-line summaries of all calls defined in the system. o (CALLPROF.EXE) Calls Profile This module display a call profile notebook. The Calls List and active Queue Monitors run this module when you highlight one or more entries and then select the View or Add options. o (QUESLIST.EXE) Queues List This module lists one-line summaries of all queues defined in the system. o (QUESPROF.EXE) Queues Profile This module display a queue profile notebook. The Queues List runs this module when you highlight one or more entries and then select the View, Change, or Add options. ═══ 3. Logon Security ═══ Logon Security Some versions of HODstar Supporter require logon security. Logon security protects you and your data. Logon IDs are defined in each person's User Profile. The ID is the User Alias assigned in that profile. Contact your system administrator for your User ID. System users have different levels of access. This access level also is assigned in the User Profile. System administrators control the access level of users, and also control the logon status of operators. Contact your system administrator to: o Increase your access level o Force-off your User ID o Reset your password Select one of the following options present these various aspects of Logon Security. o Logging-on A User profile must first be configured before a user can logon. The User profile determines the logon ID and access level for the user. o Changing password Users must change their password the very first time they log onto the system. It is a good security practice to change your password monthly. o Logging-off Logging-off ensures that your Supporter session shuts down cleanly. Abnormally terminated sessions may cause you problems the next time you try to logon. o Logon problem recovery Procedures to recover from known problems encountered when logging-on or off. ═══ 3.1. Logging-on ═══ Logging-on A User profile must first be configured before a user can logon. The User profile determines the logon ID and access level for the user. In many environments the logon ID is the first letter of the first name immediately followed by the first seven letters of the last name. For example, Jan Smith may have a logon ID of JSMITH. The first time a user logs on to HODstar Supporter the password is the same as the logon ID. The user must change the password before logging-on. Passwords can be from one to eight letters, numbers, and/or special characters. Upper/lower case is ignored for letters. Use the Tab key to move from field to field. Click the Logon button or use the Alt-L key combination to start the logon process. Logon status is shown in the title bar of the Control Panel. Status is either 'Initializing', 'LOGGED-ON', and 'NOT LOGGED-ON'. Logon will fail for any of the following reasons: 1. User ID is already logged-on and in use 2. User ID is not configured to the system 3. User ID specified is incorrect 4. Password specified is incorrect 5. Your PC is unable to access the HODstar Common Database 6. Your local Supporter configuration is corrupted Select Logon problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 3.2. Changing password ═══ Changing password The first time a user logs onto HODstar Supporter the password is the same as the logon ID. The user must change the password before logging-on. Passwords can be from one to eight letters, numbers, and/or special characters. Upper/lower case is ignored for letters. Change the password by first entering the logon ID and current password in their usual fields exactly as you do for logon. Then enter the new password in the New Password field. Specify the exact same new password in the New Password field. Use the Tab key to move from field to field. Click the Logon button or use the Alt-L key combination to start the logon process and change the password. Password changes will not take effect if someone else is already logged-on with the same User ID, or if the User profile does not exist in the system. Changing your password will fail for any of the following reasons: 1. User ID is already logged-on and in use 2. User ID is not configured to the system 3. User ID specified is incorrect 4. Password specified is identical to the User ID 5. Your PC is unable to access the HODstar Common Database 6. Your local Supporter configuration is corrupted Select Logon problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 3.3. Logging-off ═══ Logging-off Logoff by selecting the Logoff button or by using the Alt-L key combination from the Control Panel. You should always logoff Supporter before shutting down your workstation. Abnormally terminating Supporter may cause problems the next time you try to log back on. Select Logon problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 3.4. Logon problem recovery ═══ Most problem recovery will require assistance from your system administrator. Use this information to help your administrator identify and resolve the problem. Problem types are - 1. 'User ID was not found' The user ID specified was spelled incorrectly or has not yet been configured to the system. Make sure the spelling is correct or specify a different user ID. Contact your administrator to determine if you have been assigned a valid ID or if your ID has been defined. 2. 'Password is invalid' The password was spelled incorrectly or is not the same as the password currently defined for this user ID. Make sure the spelling is correct or specify a different user ID with a proven password. New IDs or IDs reset by the system administrator have a password indentical to the user ID. Contact your administrator to determine if you have been assigned a valid ID, or if your password has been changed. 3. 'Someone is already logged-on with user ID []' The user ID specified is already active on the system. This can be caused not only by someone else using this ID but also if the previous session was not correctly logged-off. Contact your system administrator to determine if the ID should be reset or if there is a security violation. 4. 'Unable to find the expected number of HODstar Common Database files' Your system is unable to connect to the HODstar Common Database or the Common database is missing or corrupted. Contact your system administrator to make sure you have a valid Supporter configuration, that your PC is able to connect to the Common Database, and that the Common Database is correctly defined. 5. 'Cannot start CONTROL.EXE' Your local Supporter configuration is missing or corrupted. Make sure that the directory and file specified in the Settings page of the Control Panel icon exists, and that the Startup and Working Directories are both defined to the correct path. Contact your system administrator is you are not able to get past these suggestions. 6. Control Panel disappears after logon This is caused by a missing or corrupted Supporter configuration. Contact your system administrator immediately. ═══ 4. Managing Calls ═══ A Call is a description of a customer call and all the events associated to that call. Events are any sort of action related to the customer call. The first event of all calls is the 'NEW' event to indicate that the call was reported and then created. Each time more work is done for the call, the customer calls in for a status, or more information is discovered then another event is added to the call. Typically the last event of a call is the 'CLOSED' event. Calls also may have one or more search keys associated with them. Search keys are words or phrases that help you and other users search for calls covering related topics. You should always assign serveral search keys that best identify the topic to each call. As calls are created they are added to the overall list of calls. Calls can be created, listed, viewed, updated, and deleted. Select one of the following options to present these various aspects of Calls. o Listing Calls All calls irregardless of their type and status are available to the Calls List. o Creating Calls Defining a Call Profile to record and start tracking a customer call. o Viewing/Updating Calls Viewing a Call Profile to determine its current status, or adding an event to track additional actions taken against the customer call. o Deleting Calls Calls can only be deleted from the Calls List. Deletion is permanent. o Call problem recovery Procedures to recover from known problems encountered while processing calls from Lists or Profiles. ═══ 4.1. Listing Calls ═══ Listing Calls All calls irregardless of their type and status are available to the Calls List. From the Calls List you do the following: 1. View/Update calls Selecting one or more calls and then clicking the View button displays the Profile for the selected calls. Calls displayed in View mode cannot be updated by default, but they can be locked for update. Select Viewing/Updating calls for more information. 2. Add calls Selecting the Add option from the Resources drop down and popup menus displays an initialized Call Profile ready for new data. The new call is locked and assigned to the user's ID. Select Creating calls for more information. 3. Delete calls Calls can be deleted only from the Calls List. Selecting one or more calls and then selecting the Delete option from the Resources drop down and popup menus removes the calls, all events associated to the calls, and any assigned search keys. Select Deleting calls for more information. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.2. Creating Calls ═══ Creating Calls These are the three general areas of information related to creating a call - 1. Defining the Call Profile The Call Profile is the first page of the Call notebook displayed. The Profile organizes three areas of information making up the Call. 2. Defining the Call Events Existing calls and calls newly created involve events, actions taken that relate to the customer call. The first event for all calls is the NEW event, though this event type can be overriden by the operator. 3. Assigning Search keys Search keys are words or phrases that help identify and narrow down call searching. Search keys are used when scanning the database for calls related to a problem reported by a customer. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.2.1. Defining the Call Profile ═══ Defining the Call Profile The Call Profile is the first page of the Call notebook displayed. The Profile organizes three areas of information making up the Call. These three information areas identify and give contact data for the customer reporting the call, the current status of the call, and general information detailing and summarizing the call. Additionally there are Profile Controls used to handle call updating. o Customer Information This area identifies and gives contact data for the customer reporting the call. The fields in this area are as follows - 1. Customer Alias This is the user ID defined for the customer in their User Profile. All customers defined in the database are available from this list. You can 'jump' to a specific customer by typing in the first letters of their alias. The corresponding name and telephone detail are automatically entered as the letters you type match a known alias. Press the Enter key to completely enter the alias when you see information displayed for the customer you are helping. Besides typing in letters you can also click the down arrow to the right of the box or use the up/down cursor arrows to page through all listed users. You can also type in an alias if the user you want is not listed. Note that this just concerns the call and does not actually define the user to the system (this must be done from the User Profile notebook). 2. Customer Group Once you have selected a customer the aliases for all groups that user is assigned to are listed in this box. Click the down arrow box to the right of the entry field or use the up/down cursors to select a specific group. By default if the customer is assigned to any group then the first (alphabetically) is selected. You can also type in a known alias if the group you want is not listed. Note that this just concerns the call and does not actually assign the user to that group (this must be done from the Group Profile notebook). 3. Call # The call number is automatically generated when initializing a new call and cannot be changed. This number is unique and can be given to the customer for faster future reference. 4. First Name The customer's First name. This value can be typed in or automatically loaded from the User Profile. 5. Last Name The customer's Last name. This value can be typed in or automatically loaded from the User Profile. 6. Phone The customer's phone number. This value can be typed in or automatically loaded from the User Profile. The number typed in is automatically formatted to U.S.A. standards unless preceded by the plus ('+') symbol. o Current Call Status This information reflects the current status of the call as controlled by the last event added to the call. 1. Priority Current priority controls how active queue monitors view and alarm calls, and to guide call operators in how to handle these calls. The lower the number the higher the priority of the call. Zero is the highest priority and will instantly alarm on an active queue monitor. Five is the lowest and never alarms. 2. Group This is the group to which the call is currently assigned. Group assignment is optional. The value displayed is the alias defined in a Group Profile. 3. Rep This is the support staff member (User) to which the call is currently assigned. User assignment is optional. The value displayed is the alias defined in a User Profile. 4. Call Type Type shows the current category assigned to the call. Call type is required and always displayed once a call is successfully opened. 5. Last refresh Last refresh is the time (in 24-hour military) that the Call Profile was refreshed to reflect the current status. o Call Summary and Detail 1. Summary A 64-character single line that best sums up the subject of the call. This line is displayed in all lists and monitors and should be brief and accurate to help other users recognize the call subject. 2. General call description Up to 3,072 characters (two-three typed pages) of text to more fully detail the call. The text can be formatted. o Profile Controls Controls determine how calls are displayed, created, and updated. 1. Lock A call must be locked before a user can update or add an event to the call. A call is locked when this box is checked. The value to the immediate right of the check box displays the user currently updating the locked call. This field will display '(none)' when the call is unlocked and available. When updating or adding a new call unlock the call as soon as possible to release the call to other support staff. 2. Save The Save button updates the Call Profile with the information displayed in the Customer and Call Information areas (Current Status is updated only when processing events). A call must be locked to the current user before this button is available. 3. Add New Event The Add New Event button displays the Event popup panel for a new event, and when saved updates the current status of the call. A call must be locked to the current user before this button is available. 4. New Call The New Call button clears the Call Profile and initializes a new call number. The Lock box is checked and assigned to the current user. New calls are not permanent until saved and a first event added. 5. Help The Help button displays the Supporter User's Online Reference for the section you are currently reading. 6. Refresh The Refresh button updates the Call Profile with the current information and status of a displayed call. An existing call must be displayed before this button is available. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.2.2. Defining Call Events ═══ Defining Call Events Existing calls and calls newly created involve events, actions taken that relate to the customer call. The first event for all calls is the NEW event, though this event type can be overriden by the operator. The NEW call event is a popup panel displayed after clicking the Save button from the Call Profile for the first time. A new call is not permanently saved until the NEW event is defined and Filed. There are two areas of information used to define an event, and another area of Event controls used to manage the event. These areas are described as follows: o Call Header The first information area, shown at the top of the event panel, is the Call Header. The information displayed here helps identify the call owning the event and what type of call the event describes. The only field in the Call Header the user can change is the Call Type drop down list. The call types listed are defined by your system administrator. o Event Details The second information area, shown in the middle of the event panel, is the Event details area. All fields in this area describe the action taken for the call for this event, and all can be changed by the user. These fields are as follows: 1. Minutes The value specified here is the time in minutes the user worked on the call. The value must be numeric and can be from 0 to 9,999. The default value is 0. 2. Priority The value selected from the priority list determines the relative importance of the call. The lower the number the more critical the call. A priority of 0 is the highest priority; calls with a 0 priority will alarm as soon as detected by an active queue monitor. A priority of 5 is the lowest priority and will never alarm. Priorities 1 through 4 will alarm in the time periods determined by your system administrators. The default value is 3. 3. Group Specifying a value for this field assigns the call to a support group. The value specified for Group is an alias for a support group. Group alias is optional. What you specify can be typed in or selected from a list of all defined support groups displayed when clicking the list Groups button. The value specified here controls how the list Staff button behaves (discussed in the Staff item below). 4. Type The value selected from the Type list describes what kind of event, what action, was performed for the call. The values listed are defined by your system administrator. An event type must be specified. The default is the first (alphabetically) item in the list, or '(none)' if no event types have been defined for your system. 5. Staff Specifying a value for this field assigns the call to a support staff user. The value specified for Staff is an alias for a user with support responsibility. User alias is optional. What you specify can be typed in or selected from a list of defined support staff members displayed when clicking the list Users button. The value specified in the Group field controls how the list Staff button behaves. If no group alias is specified (i.e. the field shows '(none)') then the list displayed is of all support staff. Otherwise only support staff assigned to the group are shown. If you want to assign the call to a support staff member not in the indicated group, and you want to use the list buttons, then first define the user and then define the group or just type in the respective aliases. 6. Next Action The values listed for Next Action depend on the event Type defined previously. Next Action controls how the call will be handled in the future. Currently the only Next Action displayed is for Rescheduled calls (calls set to activate after a certain time and date to prevent them from alarming). Otherwise the value available in the list is 'NONE'. 7. Queue Specifying a value for this field assigns the call to a support queue. The value specified for Queue is an alias for a Queue Monitor used by support staff to track calls. This value is optional, but remember that queues defined to only search for calls assigned to them will ignore this call. You can type in the queue alias or use the list Queues button to display a list of all Queues and select the queue alias from the list. 8. Event Summary A 64-character single-line that you use to best summarize additional information describing the event or action taken for this call. o Event Controls There are three buttons used to control the event popup. The Help button displays the Supporter Online User's Reference to show the information you are reading. The others are as follows. 1. File Changes This button is displayed when adding or changing an event. Click this button to save your changes and return to the Event History page. To cancel changes use the Alt-F4 key combination or double-click the upper left box of the popup panel. 2. Exit This button is displayed when viewing an event. Click this button to return to the Event History page. 3. Refresh This button is available when in View or Change event mode. When clicked the information is updated to show the current saved status of the event. Any changes made are lost. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.2.3. Assigning Search Keys ═══ Assigning Search Keys Search keys are words or phrases that help identify and narrow down call searching. Search keys are used when scanning the database for calls related to a problem reported by a customer. The list to the left of the screen are all search keys defined by your system administrator. Those to the right are the keys currently assigned to this call. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.3. Viewing/Updating Calls ═══ Viewing/Updating calls Call profiles are initially displayed in a read-only View mode, whether displayed from an active Queue Monitor or from the Calls List. In this view mode the operator can read and refresh the information displayed but cannot make permanent changes to the call. Once you lock the call you are able to make changes to the call and its events. Select any of the following for information on updating calls: o Defining the Call Profile o Defining the Call Events o Assigning Search Keys Words or phrases the best identify important aspects of a customer call and used to find other related calls. o Events History Record of all events or actions performed while handling the customer call. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.3.1. Events History ═══ Events History The large white area in the middle of the page lists the history of events, or actions, taken for this call and filed by support staff. This list is updated using the Refresh button to the lower right of the page. The event at the very top of the list is the first and oldest, usually the NEW event. The event at the bottom of the list is the most recent and determines the current status of the call as shown on the Call Profile page. You can View and Change events by highlighting the appropriate row with the mouse pointer and then clicking the appropriate button at the bottom of the screen. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.3.2. Analyzing Calls ═══ Analyzing Calls The Analysis page of the Call Profile notebook is a powerful research tool to review other existing calls in the database to answer the call you currently are working on. This page is only available when in View or Change mode. This research tool is as flexible as you determine. You can not only search for calls with related header information but you can also search the contents of all calls for any criteria not already defined by your system administrator. All calls in the database, whether closed or in progress, are scanned. This includes library calls as well. Select one of the following for more detail. o Defining Analysis Criteria o Reviewing Matched Calls ═══ 4.3.3. Defining Analysis Criteria ═══ There are two general areas of search criteria displayed on the Analysis page. Both are optional but one does influence the other. o The Same as this Call's Box The top Same as this Call's criteria box analyzes those calls with the same header information as your current call. You choose which part of the current call's header to use as search criteria. When any option is checked then only calls with the same detail are scanned. When two or all three options are checked then they must all be true before a call is retrieved from the database (true AND true AND true). Note that those retrieved calls are then scanned using your Fuzzy 'long search' criteria if that option is checked (more on this below). The three options within the Same as this Call's criteria box are as follows. - Call Type When checked only calls with the same type as the current call are scanned. The current call type is determined by the last event added to a call, and is shown in the Current Status box on the first page of every call's Profile notebook. - Search Keys When checked only calls with one or more of the same search keys assigned to the current calls are scanned. This option is always processed as an OR search. The number of matched search keys increases the overall Confidence rating assigned to each scanned call. - Customer When checked only calls opened for the same customer (using the customer Alias) as the current call are scanned. o The Fuzzy 'long search' criteria Box The bottom Fuzzy 'long search' criteria box allows you to specify any search criteria to locate other calls related to the call you currently are working on. These criteria are scanned against the pool of calls built using any checked options in the above Same as this Call's box. If no options were checked in the above box the Fuzzy criteria you specify are scanned against all calls in the database. The criteria you specify can be individual words or phrases. For example you could search on all calls containing the word 'operat' or instead 'operating systems'. These terms are case sensitive so 'operat' will not locate 'Operat', 'OPERAT, or 'oPeRaT'. Enter your search criteria in the text box to the right of the Fuzzy search controls. Criteria are separated by pressing the Enter key after each word or phrase, i.e. operat(Enter), OPERAT(Enter). Note that Fuzzy seaches are very powerful and flexible, but they can take a long time depending upon how many search terms and phrases you specify. 'Extremely' complex searches can even slow down your database server for your fellow team members. In the Search box you determine how deeply to scan calls for Fuzzy search criteria. Note that just the call header detail is scanned - call events are not scanned. - Summaries When checked the 64-character description line for each call is scanned for the specified fuzzy criteria. - Notes When checked the 3,072-character text box for each call is scanned for the specified fuzzy criteria. You also control how these parts of the call are scanned as whether to scan calls where all criteria are true (AND), or just any of the criteria (OR). The default is any of them. - AND When AND is checked then all of the criteria in the box must be found. If both Summaries and Notes are checked the criteria must be found in both parts of the call. - OR When OR is checked then any of the criteria can be found in any of the parts of a call. The number of matched Fuzzy search criteria increases the overall Confidence rating assigned to each scanned call. Click the Start button once you have specified all the criteria you wish to search on. Note that you may need to make more than one pass to analyze all calls related to the call you currently are working on. Select Reviewing Matched Calls for help on how to use the Calls Matching Search Criteria panel that is popped up once you have started the analysis process. ═══ 4.3.4. Reviewing Matched Calls ═══ The Calls Matching Search Criteria panel is displayed during the analysis process. A warning message is displayed and you are returned to the Call Profile notebook if no calls were matched. Otherwise all matched calls are listed in the top Headers of Matched Calls box and the corresponding summary and notes for each call is displayed in the Call Detail box just below. This panel 'floats' over the Call Profile notebook. You can then compare the matched calls display with the call profile notebook side-by-side and go back to any of the pages of the notebook. Use standard copy and paste information between the Call Detail box and the profile Summary and Detail fields (i.e. highlight the desired text with the mouse or the keyboard, press the Ctrl-Insert key combination, click in the target field, then press the Shift-Insert key combination). You can use the up and down cursor keys or the mouse to review individual calls in the Matched Calls box. The corresponding detail for each call is shown as you scroll or select a header. The Confidence level for each also is displayed as you scroll through the list. The confidence level gives you a feel for the preciseness of your search criteria. The more specified criteria that match then the higher the confidence level - it is possible to get a confidence level of over 100%. A very high confidence level does not necessarily mean that the matched call is exactly the answer to your current call but instead just that your search criteria closely relate the calls. You can display the full Call Profile notebook for each matched call by selecting the header and clicking the View button. Once the Call Profiles are displayed you can choose to lock those calls to make changes. Select Defining Analysis Criteria to review setting up search criteria. ═══ 4.4. Deleting Calls ═══ Deleting calls Calls can only be deleted from the Calls List. Once deleted calls cannot be recovered except from database backups. Delete calls by selecting one or more calls from the Calls List. When selecting more than one call use the mouse pointer to drag the pointer up or down with the left mouse button help down. To selectively highlight calls not next to each other hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard as you click on each entry to be deleted. When one or more calls are selected display the Resources menu either by clicking on the Resources option on the menu bar or by clicking the right mouse button while the pointer is over the Calls List area. When the menu is displayed select the Delete option. A message box will display asking you to confirm deleting the selected calls. Click the 'Yes' button to delete the calls, or 'No' to cancel. Select Call problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 4.5. Call problem recovery ═══ o 'The Control Panel is not active' All Supporter modules require that the user both start the Control Panel and logon to the Supporter system before they will start. When a Supporter module displays this error it will automatically try to start the Control Panel so that you can logon. Once you click the OK button on this message box the module will close itself. After logging-on restart the module. o 'You are not logged into a HODstar session' All Supporter modules require that the user both start the Control Panel and logon to the Supporter system before they will start. If you have logged-on but you are getting this error then the system administrator may have forced off your session or you may be encountering a problem maintaining a connection with the HODstar Common Database. Contact your system administrator if you are not able to logon or to use Supporter after logon. ═══ 5. Managing Queues ═══ Queues provide a way to list certain types of calls. Queues are configured for the types of calls they list, and for how often they automatically scan through the call database to find those calls. Calls that have not been processed within a specific time will be alarmed by queues running in monitor mode. New calls and on-going calls can 'time-out' to trigger an alarm. Queues must be running in monitor mode to trigger alarms. Queues can be created, listed, monitored, viewed, changed, and deleted. Select one of the following options present these various aspects of Managing Queues. o List Queues Currently defined queues are shown using the Queues List object in the HODstar folder. Queue monitors are activated from the Queues List, and Queue Profiles can be started from the List to add, change, or view calls. Multiple queues can also be deleted from the Queues List. o Monitor Queues Queue monitors are used to track specific kinds of calls as determined by how the Queue Profile is defined. Monitors also search for calls that have alarmed (timed-out from having no action taken against them), and will alarm calls that have exceed the priority timeout defined in the Queue Profile. o Create Queues A Queue Profile must be defined and configured before users can begin to selectively monitor specific kinds of calls. The Profile also controls if new and on-going calls should time-out and trigger alarms to notify users. o View/Change Queues Once created users will want to see what search and alarm criteria are being used for active Queue Monitors, and modify those settings as help desk needs change. o Delete Queues Over time queues may become obsolete and will need to be removed from the system. o Queue problem recovery Procedures to recover from known problems encountered while processing calls from Lists or Profiles. ═══ 5.1. List Queues ═══ List Queues From the Queues List you can do the following: o Activate Queue Monitors Queue monitors are activated only from the Queues List. You come here after logging-on to track your calls. Activate one or more queues by selecting the respective entries and then clicking the Monitor the Queues button. o Create Queues Activate the Queue Profile to create queues by selecting the Add option from the Resources menu. Display the Resources menu either by clicking the Resources option on the menu bar or by clicking the right mouse button while the pointer is over the Queues List area. o View Queues You can view the profile for one or more queues by selecting the respective entries and then clicking the View button. o Change Queues You can change the profile for one or more queues by selecting the respective entries and then selecting the Change option from the Resources menu. o Delete Queues You can delete the profile for one or more queues by selecting the respective entries and then selecting the Delete option from the Resources menu. Once deleted queues cannot be recovered except from database backups. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.2. Monitor Queues ═══ Monitor Queues Queue monitors are used to track specific kinds of calls as determined by how the Queue Profile is defined. Monitors also search for calls that have alarmed (timed-out from having no action taken against them), and will alarm calls that have exceed the priority timeout defined in the Queue Profile. During the refresh process the Queue Monitor first scans all calls and accumulates a list of those matching criteria from the Queue Profile. If the Profile has been setup to alarm calls that have timed-out then new or on-going calls matching alarm criteria are tagged. If no ALARM event has already been posted to each call then the Monitor adds that event. Alarmed calls may be displayed in a list, trigger a beeping alarm, and/or run an external program (these events are defined in the Queue Profile). Select Alarmed Calls for more detail. The different parts of the Queue Monitor screen are as follows. o Queue Type This displays the kind of calls being tracked by this queue monitor. The type is either Active or Library. Active calls are all calls associated to customers, irregardless of their actual (i.e. NEW, CLOSED, etc.) status. Library calls are re-formatted and not associated to customers; they are used strictly for lookup and research purposes. o Matched Calls List All calls found in the database matching the queue's search criteria are listed in this area as a one-line summary for each call. o Current Status Information presented in this area are displayed strictly for your reference. The fields shown in this area are as follows: 1. Alarms? The total number of alarmed calls detected from the last refresh pass are displayed in thos field. 2. Total The total number of calls detected in the last refresh pass and displayed in the Matched Calls List area is displayed here. 3. Last pass Displays the last time (24-hour format) the Matched Calls List was refreshed either by the user or automatically by the Queue Monitor. 4. Sleep time Shows the time period (in minutes) the Queue Monitor waits before automatically refreshing the list of Matched Calls. o Assigned to queue When checked this option will only match calls that not only meet the queue profile's search criteria but are also directly assigned to this queue name. The default for this option is defined in the queue profile but can be overridden by the user to search for calls related to this queue. o Queue's call types When checked this option will only match calls by their types as defined in the queue's profile. The default for this option is defined in the queue profile but can be overridden by the user to search for all calls related to this queue irrgardless of their call type. o Refresh Clicking the Refresh button updates the list of Matched Calls and scans for newly alarmed calls. o Add Clicking the Add button displays an initialized Call Profile to define a new customer call for the system. o View Clicking the View button displays the Call Profile for one or more selected calls in the Matched Calls List. Once the profiles are displayed the user can lock them to add additional events for the selected calls. o Change Queues Clicking this button permits you to select a new Queue Profile to activate and monitor instead of the current profile. Select Changing Monitored Queue for more detail. o Help Clicking the Help button displays this information from the online Supporter User Reference for Queue Monitors. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.2.1. Alarmed Calls ═══ Alarmed Calls When an activated Queue Monitor refreshes itself and its Queue Profile is configured to detect alarmed calls it will display this panel to list those calls. Alarms are generated whenever a new or on-going call has timed-out from no activity. The areas of this Alarm Popup panel are as follows. o Beep alarm A Queue Monitor detecting alarmed calls will trigger a beeping alarm to notify the user if this action has been enabled in the Queue Profile. Disabling this check box will stop the alarm while the user browses the list of alarmed calls. o Alarmed Calls List One-line summaries of all calls that have been alarmed are listed here. o Acknowledge Clicking the Acknowledge button for the selected alarmed call will display its Call Profile. Once displayed the user can lock the call to add an event. o Ignore When clicked the Alarmed Calls Popup panel is closed and the beeping turned off. Click this button if the alarmed calls are better handled by another user. o Refresh When clicked the Alarmed Calls List is refreshed to scan for the current list of calls still alarming. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.2.2. Changing Monitored Queue ═══ Changing Monitored Queue When clicked this displays a list of all defined queues. The user may select a new queue to begin monitoring instead. The previous queue will no longer be monitored. This process is identical to selecting the Monitor the Queues button from the Queues List: to activate queues. You can disable this active Queue Monitor by selecting the '(none)' entry at the top of the list. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.3. Create Queues ═══ Create Queues There are three pages organizing different information for queues. All information must be specified before the queue can be activated and monitored. These pages are as follows. o Queue Profile The Queue Profile page specifies the name and description of the queue, and information determining how and what the queue processes. Select Queue Profile o Call Types The Call Types page specifies what types of calls the queue processes. By default the queue will process all defined types of calls. Select Call Types o Alarms The Alarms page is configured if new and on-going calls will be timed-out by this queue when it is active. Enabled alarms have different time-out periods based on each call's priority. Select Alarms for detail. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.3.1. Queue Profile ═══ The Queue Profile page specifies the name and description of the queue, and information determining how and what the queue processes. This information is then used once this queue as been activated for Queue Monitoring. The different fields on this page are as follows. o Alias This is a one-to-eight character name that uniquely identifies this queue from your other defined queues. The Alias can be any combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. All letters are converted to upper case. o Last Updated This value is a timestamp showing the date and time this profile as last added/updated. The user can change this timestamp only by using the Add and Change buttons. o Description A 64-character single-line that best summarizes what this queue is and is intended for. Description as well as Alias are displayed from the Queues List and from the Change Queue option in active Queue Monitors. o Queue Type This controls whether the Queue monitors active calls or library calls. Active calls are those associated with a customer and sre used to keep a record of that customer's call. Library calls are those no longer associated with a customer but instead cleaned-up and edited to serve as a research or look-up resource when investigating new calls. o Call Events to Ignore All defined call events are listed in this box. Those that have been selected or highlighted will be ignored by the active Queue Monitor. Use the mouse pointer to select one or more call types to ignore. Select multiple entries next to each other by clicking on an entry with the left mouse button and dragging the pointer either up or down. Select multiple entries NOT next to each other by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on those call types you wish to ignore. o Monitor Override Defaults These settings establish defaults for the controls available on an active Queue Monitor. The user can override these settings from the active Monitor. 1. Only show calls assigned to queue When enabled a call must be directly assigned to this queue before it will be picked up and processed by the active queue monitor. You may want to disable this option to scan for calls related but not assigned to this queue. 2. Only show by queue's call types When enabled only calls with types assigned to this queue (see the Call Types You may want to disable this option to scan for calls with call types not assigned but related to this queue. o Assigned to... When enabled only calls assigned to either the specified support staff user or group will be picked up and processed by the active Queue Monitor. 1. Group The value entered here must be a valid Group alias defined in the system. The alias can be typed in or selected from a list of all defined support groups displayed by clicking the add from list button. Only groups with the Support Responsibility option enabled in their Profile will be displayed. 2. User The value entered here must be a valid User alias defined in the system. The alias can be typed in or selected from a list of all defined support staff users displayed by clicking the add from list button. Only users with an access level of operator or above enabled in their profile are displayed. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.3.2. Call Types ═══ The Call Types page specifies what types of calls the active Queue Monitor processes. By default the queue will process all defined types of calls. The different areas of the Call Types page are as follows. o Types monitored All defined call types are listed in this area. By default the active Queue Monitor will scan for all call types listed in this area. o Types ignored Call with the types listed in this area will not be picked and processed by the active Queue Monitor. Move call types from the Types monitored to here by selecting one or more of the monitored types and clicking the add ==> button, or by merely double-clicking the entries under Types monitored list. Click the Save button when through to make the changes permanent. o add ==> This button is used to move one or more selected call types from the Types monitored list to the Types ignored list. o <== del This button is used to move one or more selected call types from the Types ignored list back to the Types monitored list. o Save Click this button to make permanent any changes made. o Help Click this button to display this information from the online Supporter Users Reference for defining Call Types ignored by active Queue Monitors. o Refresh Click this button to display what call types are processed or ignored for this queue once it is activated as a Queue Monitor. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.3.3. Alarms ═══ The Alarms page is configured if new and on-going calls will be timed-out by this queue when active. Enabled alarms have different time-out periods based on each call's priority. By default both new calls and on-going calls will timeout and trigger alarms if no action is taken against them within specific times. Note that calls are alarmed by active queue monitors. If no queues are being monitored anywhere throughout your network or none of the active queues are defined for alarms then calls will never alarm. o First Response Alarm When enabled this option causes the active Queue Monitor to scan for timed-out calls whose current status is NEW and that meet the other queue profile criteria, but have had no action taken against them since first created. New calls will not time-out and trigger an alarm if this option is disabled. There are several areas that must be configured if this option is enabled. These are as follows. 1. Timeouts in Minutes This list area shows how long a new call call will sit before it times-out and triggers a new call alarm. The time-out periods are different for each priority assigned to that call. Only priorities 1 through 4 are defined for a time-out period. Calls with a priority of 0 will alarm immediately and therefore have no timeout period. Calls with a priority of 5 never alarm and also do not need a timeout period. Default First Response timeouts in Minutes by Priority ┌────────┬────────┐ │Priority│Timeout │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 1 │ 60 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 2 │ 120 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 3 │ 240 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 4 │ 360 │ └────────┴────────┘ Change the timout period for a specific priority by holding down the Alt key and then clicking in the Timout column for that priority entry. When the input box appears delete the previous setting and enter the new number of minutes. Then click somewhere else on that list. When completed click the Save button on the Call Profile page to make the changes permanent. 2. First Response Alarm action The information specified in this section control what action(s) the active Queue Monitor takes when one or more alarmed calls are detected. You can choose one or more of these options. - Beep speaker When enabled the active Queue Monitor will start a beeping alarm on the user's PC when a first response alarm timeout occurs. The tone can be one of low, medium, or high and is a double-beep made about every three seconds until either the user disables the beeping (if Flash Alarm popup is also enabled) or until the alarmed call is handled and the Queue Monitor refreshed. - run program When enabled the active Queue Monitor will start an external program you specify in the adjacent field when a first response alarm timeout occurs. The program name can be fully qualified with a drive and path or can be just the executable name if the user's PATH statement in the CONFIG.SYS points to it. - Flash Alarm popup When enabled the active Queue Monitor pops up a list of all alarmed calls detected that match the alarm criteria. From this popup the user can open the alarmed call profile to take some action against the call. Select Alarmed Calls for more detail. o Inactivity Alarm When enabled the Inactivity Alarm option works just like the First Response alarm for all calls except new calls. Refer to the previous list for general operations; the information presented below details just the different defaults. 1. Timeouts in Minutes Like the First Response timeouts this list area shows how long a new call call will sit before it times-out and triggers an Inactive call alarm. The time-out periods are different for each priority assigned to that call and defined in hours. Defaults are as follows. Default Inactivity timeouts in Minutes by Priority ┌────────┬────────┐ │Priority│Timeout │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 1 │ 60 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 2 │ 120 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 3 │ 240 │ ├────────┼────────┤ │ 4 │ 360 │ └────────┴────────┘ 2. Inactivity Alarm action These options work just like those for First Response alarms. Refer back to the above information for detail. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.4. View/Change Queues ═══ View/Change Queues Queue Profiles can be started in a View or Change mode from the Queues List. Profiles can also be displayed in these respective modes by the Queue Profile by clearing the panel, typing the alias into the Alias field, and clicking the Refresh button. Profiles cannot be changed when displayed in View mode. View mode is typically faster to get to and display and should be used when needing to quickly see how a Queue Monitor is defined. You can change the profile for one or more queues by selecting the respective entries and then selecting the Change option from the Resources menu. Select Create Queues for detail on the fields and pages available in the Queue Profile. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.5. Delete Queues ═══ Delete Queues Queue profiles can be deleted from both the Queues List and from their Queue Profile. Once deleted their profiles cannot be recovered except from database backups. You can delete the profile for one or more queues displayed in the Queues List by selecting the respective entries and then selecting the Delete option from the Resources menu. Once deleted queues cannot be recovered except from database backups. Select Queue problem recovery if you encounter problems. ═══ 5.6. Queue problem recovery ═══ o 'The Control Panel is not active' All Supporter modules require that the user both start the Control Panel and logon to the Supporter system before they will start. When a Supporter module displays this error it will automatically try to start the Control Panel so that you can logon. Once you click the OK button on this message box the module will close itself. After logging-on restart the module. o 'You are not logged into a HODstar session' All Supporter modules require that the user both start the Control Panel and logon to the Supporter system before they will start. If you have logged-on but you are getting this error then the system administrator may have forced off your session or you may be encountering a problem maintaining a connection with the HODstar Common Database. Contact your system administrator if you are not able to logon or to use Supporter after logon. ═══ 6. Trademarks ═══ The following products are Trade Marks of HODstar(TM) Support Solutions: o HODstar Monitor o HODstar Supporter o HODstar Pager o HODstar Broadcaster o HODstar Supporter o HODstar Loader The following products are Trade Marks of International Business Machines, Inc.: o Database2 (DB2) o Database 2/2 (DB2/2) o Operating System/2 (OS/2) o OS/2 LAN Server The following products are Trade Marks of Microsoft Corporation: o Windows o Windows NT o Windows 95 Netware is a Trade Mark of Novell Corporation.