ServiceDesk 4.5.15 Update 04/23/11

Yes, this one gets a much bigger announcement-heading than most, because it truly is BIG NEWS. 

It was some four years ago when we introduced our CyberOffice suite of functions, which involve Rossware-provided plug-in interfaces for your website, combined in several instances with emailed hotlinks.  From almost the get-go, we envisioned six core elements in the system: (1) initial online booking of jobs by a customers who browse to your website; (2) online scheduling of first visit on basis of hotlink-equipped email (e.g., you get an order from a third-party for the service and email the location-party with a hotlink to schedule); (3) re-booking appointments after parts arrive; (4) confirming appointments on the day or evening prior; (5) online job-status checking by customers; and (6)  online technician tracking by customers. 

Scenarios 1 through 4 (as above-listed) were working with our very first roll-out of CyberOffice.  We'd intended to add scenarios 5 and 6 soon after, but complications with our online programmer and other priorities intervened.  Of course, we did not forget -- and, though later than expected, we are now very pleased and proud to announce that our full CyberOffice vision is now deployed and ready for your use, enjoyment and profit.  Scenarios 5 and 6 have been added, and they are beautiful. 

In fact, Job-Status checking has been available for about two months, and we have just now opened Tech-Tracking to general use.  Here is a comment received after our first beta user had been using the feature for just four days:

"Glade, we started using the technician tracking tool this week and we already have had 119 people visit this page!!!  We have also had several compliments from customers who have used this tool.  I figured you might like to hear."

Yes, I indeed do love to hear such good news, and I encourage the rest of you to make haste in the effort to likewise benefit via the implementation of these great new features. 

For more detailed information, we invite you to consult resources.  The first is our CyberOffice Handbook.  Second (especially if you are not already familiar with kinds of interfaces that CyberOffice offers your customers) is theCyberOffice section on our website. 

This particular release of ServiceDesk is especially pertinent to announcing such new capabilities in CyberOffice, by the way, because it includes an internal enhancement to fully accommodate the last fundamental element.  Specifically, when emailing the customer with a request to confirm the next day's appointment, it now uploads a couple of added data elements.  It's on the basis of these that, when the customer confirms, the SD-CyberLink program is then able to email the customer a follow-up.  Essentially, that follow-up says:

"Thank you for confirming . . . and, by the way, if you are curious how your tech is running tomorrow, click on this link [link actually provided in genuine email].  You'll see progress in his route on the way to you."

The actual tracking page, the user will see, looks something like this:

Of course, the actual list and details will vary according to the actual situation. 

Simultaneous with the above-announced release of ServiceDesk, we are also releasing Ver. 4.5.0 of the SD-CyberLinkprogram.  Besides itself accommodating the above-described email response when a customer confirms, it also now adds integration with the Rossware-Direct Email Agent. 

This is the alternate emailing system that we added several months ago as an option in SD-MobileLink, after that into ServiceDesk itself for non-user-reviewed emails, and just recently (two releases back) we enhanced its implementation to accommodate user-reviewed, compose-window-needed emails. 

To review, this facility allows emails to be sent using solely Rossware programming, and without reliance on the Windows mail client.  It thereby circumvents all the frustrations that were in some instances associated with using the Windows mail client.  Much as in the SD-MobileLink program, the new SD-CyberLink features an "Email Setup" button on which you may click to specify your preference to use the Rossware Direct-Mail-Agent, in preference to the default Windows client. 

Based on feedback from those who've switched to using the the direct-mail agent, we can certify it is a great advancement over using the standard Windows mail client.