Next7 IT Client Knowledge Base

Autotask - Co-managed Helpdesk Setup for End-Users

This procedure describes how to set up and configure your new co-managed helpdesk account.
  1. 1

    Create Account

    1. You will receive an account verification email once your Autotask account is created.  Please click the link to finish creating your account.  

    2. It will prompt you to confirm your username and to create a password.  Your username is FirstinitialLastname@next7it.com.  Please use a password manager to generate a random password.
  2. 2

    The URL To Access and Bookmark

    The URL to access Autotask and to bookmark is:  ww3.autotask.net
  3. 3

    Edit your Preferences

    1. In the top right corner, hover your name and click Preferences.
    2. We recommend the following settings:
      1. Under User, set client landing page default to Detail.
      2. Click Use tabs or full browser windows instead of popups when possible 
      3. Click Enable right-click menu in grids checkbox.
      4. Under Display, set your theme to dark or light, depending on your preference.
      5. Click Save
  4. 4

    Setup Dashboards

    We've created a custom dashboard called Find Tickets & Tasks - Co-managed with widgets we think you might find helpful.  You can create additional dashboards by clicking the + sign on the dashboard screen:

    You can start with a blank tab and build it from scratch, or make a copy of a system tab and then customize it.

  5. 5

    Setup Columns when Viewing Dashboard Tickets

    When you click the Show Alloption on a dashboard widget, we can customize the column that display so the most relevant information is available.
    1. On a Dashboard Widget, click Show All.
    2. Click the blocks icon to modify the columns:
    3. We recommend the following columns in this order:
      1. Priority Icon
      2. Client (or Client Name)
      3. Title (or Ticket Title)
      4. Contact
      5. Resources
      6. Status
      7. Estimated Hours
      8. Total Hours Worked
      9. Due
      10. Service Call Scheduled
      11. Age (in days)
      12. Created
      13. Asset
      14. Asset Reference Name

  6. 6

    Using the Find Tickets Dashboard

    The Find Tickets dashboard is meant to help you find:
    1. Tickets to Process (INBOX)
      These are tickets where the status has changed to something that is awaiting your action, including New, Assigned, Scheduling Needed, Overdue Service Call, Waiting Internal Review, In Progress, Feedback Received, Client No Response, Vendor No Response, Ticket Reopened.
    2. Tasks to Process (INBOX)
      The same as above, just for project tasks instead of tickets.
    3. Unassigned Tickets
      Tickets that have been created but are not currently assigned to anyone.  This is generally something that should be reviewed regularly.
    4. Tickets by Resource
      Lists ticket counts by person.
    5. Ticket Waiting on Us
      Lists tickets that are waiting for a response by a particular person.  This is helpful to see if someone is backlogged.  
    6. Tickets by Company
      List of tickets by company.
    7. All Open Tickets
    8. My Tickets Waiting Customer or Vendor
      These are tickets you are expecting a response from so you can track them.
  7. 7

    Using Boards

    You can use boards to group tickets into various buckets on a drag and drop grid.
    1. On a Dashboard Widget, click Show All.
    2. Click Board View
    3. Select the board option you want:
    4. Drag and drop if desired

  8. 8

    Finding and Opening a Ticket using the Dashboard

    1. Click on any ticket in the dashboard to open it up.  

    2. You can also click the Show All link at the bottom of the dashboard widget to view the full list of tickets.
  9. 9

    Action Menu

    You can take different actions on a ticket by using the right-click or menu icon for the ticket.

  10. 10

    Search for Tickets

    1. Hover the Menu and click Service Desk.  
    2. Many filters are available here.  Enter your criteria and click Search. 
      1. There are more filters available by clicking the Choose Filters link in the top right.
    3. In the results of the search, show or hide display columns by clicking the boxes icon.
  11. 11

    General Search

    The general search bar allow you to quickly search for various types of items in Autotask.
  12. 12

    Ticket Work List

    The ticket work list provides a quick way to access the tickets you want to keep track of.  The work list is on the right-hand bar of Autotask pages.  

    Click the bar to expand it:

    Here is what each option does:
  13. 13

    Recent Items

    Hover over the clock icon to see a list of recently accessed items so you can quickly find that item again.
  14. 14

    Understanding Ticket Statuses

    The following ticket statuses are preconfigured in the account:

    StatusExplanation
    NewTickets that have not been processed.  This is the default for all newly created tickets.
    AssignedTickets that have been assigned to an individual are automatically changed to Assigned.  Once work has been done, it should be moved to another status.
    In ProgressThe ticket is actively being worked on.
    ScheduledThe ticket has been reviewed, and the user has been made aware that it will be worked at a date in the future.  
    Waiting Internal Review
    		Used when a ticket is waiting on review from someone on your team. 
    Waiting MaterialsThe ticket requires some piece of hardware or software, and the order for it has been place.  We are awaiting its arrival.
    Waiting CustomerWe are awaiting some type of response from the user before additional work can be performed.  
    Waiting VendorTicket is being worked on with a 3rd party vendor, and we are awaiting some sort of response from them.  An example would be support from a software vendor for a Line of Business application.
    Vendor No ResponseA ticket that was set to Waiting Customer but has no response after eight business days is set to this for internal review.  
     
    Client No ResponseA ticket that was set to Waiting Customer but has no response after eight business days is automatically set to this for internal review.  
    Feedback ReceivedWhen a user sends a reply of some sort to the support mailbox, and a ticket note is appended to an existing ticket, the ticket status will automatically change to “Feedback Received”.  This helps track tickets that have received responses to questions that we have asked them.
    Ticket ReopenedIf a note is added by a user or N-Central after a ticket has been marked complete, it is placed into this status to differentiate it from notes added by users on tickets that have not yet been completed (which go to Client Feedback Received).
    Auto-ResolvedAlerts that come from the RMM N-Central may create tickets, but then subsequently, N-Central finds that the problem resolved itself (for example – server reboot takes longer than expected, but comes back up eventually).  
    Auto-Complete in 2 DaysSetting the ticket to auto-complete in 2 days is useful when the work is complete, and you have not been able to confirm with the user.  Send them an email and voicemail to let them know that you think it is complete, then set the ticket to auto-complete in 2 days.  This gives them an opportunity to respond, but if they don’t, it closes the ticket.
    CompleteAll work has been completed.  The user has confirmed the issue is resolved to their satisfaction.
  15. 15

    Details on a Ticket

    When you open or create a ticket in Autotask, these options are available:
    ItemExplanation
    ClientSelect the company this ticket is for.
    ContactThis is the user who requested this work.
    StatusSee details on statuses above.
    Priority
    UndeterminedNew tickets that have not been triaged for priority.
    0 - Critical 
    		Outage level incident or something severe enough to extensively impact productivity 
    1 - HighThe issue is extremely important, but the scope is more limited than critical. 
    2 - Medium HighHigher than normal.
    3 - MediumNormal priority.
    4 - Medium LowLower than normal.
    5 - LowWhen convenient.
    Send Contact Email NotificationsIf you don't want the contact to be notified, select no.  Defaults to yes.
    Additional ContactsIf other users should be on this ticket and potentially made aware of updates.
    QueueCo-managed queue is the only option by default.
    Primary ResourceThe tech who owns this ticket for resolution.
    Secondary ResourcesOther techs who may want to stay up to date on this ticket.  Any note or time entry by anyone other than themselves will send an email update to all other primary or secondary resources on the ticket.
    Issue TypeBroad category of what the ticket is about.
    Sub-Issue TypeMore specific category.
    LocationIf the company has multiple locations, which is this one at?
    Due DateWhen do you expect this to be completed?
    Estimated HoursHow long the work is expected to take in total.
    ProjectIf the ticket is associated to a project, it will be listed here.  Can only be associated by opening up the project and modifying associated tickets there.
    AssetWhich asset is this related to.  For end users, this is typically their laptop or desktop.
    Additional AssetsAny other assets that may be related.  For example, if multiple switches are having a problem.
    Planned Replacement DateThis is the date tracked by Next7 for when this piece of equipment is budgeted for replacement.

  16. 16

    Creating a Ticket

    1. Hover over Create and click Ticket.  You can also simply click Create.
    2. You can also create tickets by opening the company and clicking the tickets tab > New.
    3. When you are searching for tickets, there is a New button.

    Most tickets are considered Service Requests.  There are four other types: 
    Alert - A ticket generated by a monitoring service.
    Change Request: a ticket to approve a change request.
    Problem:  If an outage creates more than one ticket, consider changing one ticket to a problem that you will work out of, and then associating all of the other tickets as incidents.  That way, users who report the problem can be notified of updates and it's easier to track them all internally.
    Incident: Associated to a problem ticket.
  17. 17

    Access Knowledgebase

    If you would like to document specific fixes or other information, you can view and edit the knowledgebase by going to Menu > Service Desk > Knowledge Base Articles.


    You can create a new article by clicking New.  You can associate the article to various tickets or assets in the Related Items section.
  18. 18

    Adding a Ticket Note

    We recommend treating notes like emails to the end user.  Instead of opening up a new email, open a new note, and then tick the box to notify the user.  
    1. Create a new note with any of these options:
      1. When you have a ticket open, use the icon on the top left to add a note.
      2. In a list of tickets, using the context menu you can add a note:
    2. Details on the note
      1. Title: Optional
      2. Description: Body of your message.
      3. Quick Notification: If you want to notify the contact of this new note, tick the box next to Ticket Contact.  If you want the additional contacts notified, also click the Additional Contacts box.
        1. There are additional options for primary resources as well.
        2. To notify anyone by typing in their name, click the Notification button

  19. 19

    Adding a Ticket Time Entry

    Time entries can be used for documenting actual work and the time it takes.  By simply opening up the ticket, a timer will start running to make it easy to record your time.
    1. Create a new time entry with any of these options:
      1. Using the icon in the top left corner of the ticket.
      2. Using the record icon next to the timer in the ticket.
      3. In a list of tickets, using the context menu to click Time Entry.
    2. Details on time entry
      1. Date, Start Time, End Time, and Time Worked will automatically calculate based on the time you opened up the ticket and had it running.
      2. Summary Notes: High level details of what was done with the ticket.  We use this as something legible to the end user.
      3. Internal Notes: Details about what was done to troubleshoot the problem including screenshots, logs of actions taken, and links to resources.
      4. Quick Notification: Similar to notes section above.
  20. 20

    Viewing Your Timesheet

    The timesheet is a summary of all work done within a given week.
    Hover over My and click Current Timesheet

  21. 21

    Open your company

    1. Hover the Menu > Click CRM > Clients
    2. Click Search
    3. Click your company name

    4. There are two different views: Dashboard View and Detail View.  We find the detail view more helpful.  Click that option.  It will remember this setting the next time you open the client.
    5. You can see a group of useful tabs:
      1. Activity - Lists recent work.
      2. Tickets - List of tickets.  Can filter for complete or incomplete tickets.
      3. Assets
      4. Contacts
      5. Notes
      6. Projects
      7. Locations

  22. 22

    Access Projects

    You can view your projects by clicking My > Projects

  23. 23

    Ask for Help on a Ticket from Next7 IT

    To ask for help on a ticket:
    1. Open the ticket in Autotask.
    2. Click Transfer to Service Provider
    3. Wait about 15 seconds for the workflow rule to execute and reassign the ticket.  When you refresh the ticket, it will show that the ticket is being worked on by Next7 IT and that the queue and status were changed:

    4. Similarly, a ticket assigned to be worked on by Next7 IT can be transferred back to your company with a similar link by Next7.

  24. 24

    Understanding Notifications

    Various actions in Autotask will generate email notifications.  They are summarized here:
    ItemExplanation
    Ticket AssignmentWhen you have been set as the Primary Resource on a ticket.
    Time Entry AddedAssigned resources will get an update when a time entry is added.
    Ticket Note AddedAssigned resources will get an update when a note is added.
    Ticket Transferred from Next7 to ClientPrimary co-managed user is notified.
    Ticket CompeteTicket contact will get an email letting them know the ticket has been completed.
  25. 25

    Attachments

    The original email is attached to all tickets.  Open the ticket, and on the Attachment tab, find the .eml file to download and view if needed.

  26. 26

    Additional Help

    Autotask has an extensive knowledge base available.  Hover the question mark icon and then click Knowledge Base.