ServiceDesk 4.8.56 Update 04/12/18

In June of last year (see entry pertaining to Rel. 4.8.29) we enabled User-defined Email- and SMS-Templates (in a nutshell, you can create and contextually deploy your own "form-letter" setups for emailing or SMS-messaging your customers). 

Recently, Matt Parker suggested a context where you might want to use a special-purpose such template.  That purpose is where you have first scheduled a new job with a customer.  Perhaps you want to send an email thanking the customer, advising of general policies and what to expect, etc. 

It seemed like a great idea. 

To make it effective, we obviously needed something more than to simply rely on a CSR to volitionally think of sending such a missive in each instance.  We needed for the sending to be more automated, and definite. 

Matt's idea was to optionally incorporate this sending event right into SD's Job/Sale transition.  So, that's what we've done, via a new option as seen here:

As you can see, we are calling our new and special kind of missive the "StartOfJob Communique."   The option to pick its use is (or, at least, we think it should be) self-evident. 

Regardless, I'll explain. 

Assuming you leave that new box checked, ServiceDesk will automatically send (in conjunction with job-creation) the particular User-defined Template that you have designated for this purpose. 

Please note this new option will automatically activate and insert a checkmark if in a suitable situation (e.g., the Callsheet that you're transitioning from is setup for COD work and includes a consumer email address, plus you have setup your system overall with a suitable template for the COD situation).  Thus, the default for any applicable situation is "on," and it's only by deliberate user action (un-checking that box) that sending will not be inclusive to the Job/Sale transition. 

In regard to designation of a template for this purpose, it's done by the title you give to the underlying file that contains the template, and you can in fact designate two different templates: one for COD jobs and one for third-party-payer jobs (presumably, suitable language is different for those different situations).  Complete instructions have been added as the last page in our User-Defined-Templates Handbook.