Getting Started with Supportbench!

Marcel Gravelle

20-Aug-2024

Getting Started with Supportbench

Welcome to Supportbench! We’re thrilled to have you on board. This article will help you get started with the essential features and functionalities to enhance your customer support operations. The first thing you should know is that at supportbench, we refer to tickets as “cases” because we believe each one is a project!
 

Introduction to Supportbench

Supportbench is designed to streamline your customer support operations, providing tools to manage emails, tickets, user roles, and more. This article and our getting start 📙guide will walk you through the initial setup and introduce you to key features.

Setting Up Your Account

Set your Supportbench instance to reflect your business colors and logo to give your bench a more comfortable look and feel.

Step 1: Customize Your Profile
Customize your profile and set your notification preferences, so you always know when a ticket is assigned to you.
 

1. Navigate to the profile settings in the bottom left corner.
   
   
    
2. Update your personal information, upload a profile picture, and set your notification preferences in Settings.
   
   

Step 2: Customize your Supportbench Account
Customize your Supportbench look and feel, and create a sandbox in order to freely test new configurations before deployment.

1.  Navigate to Configuration > Configuration / Style.
2.  Add your account details, Logo and Logo icons, and add your prefered colors (this will impact the entire instance, for all agents).
3.  Create your Sandbox.

Managing Emails

Learn how to quickly set up your email configuration, so that we can start getting mail into your bench.

Step 1: Email Configuration
Set up your new email route(s) before forwarding your current support addresses into them.

1. Go to Configuration > Email Configuration > Routes.
2. Add routes by clicking Add New Route.
3. Follow the prompts to enter your route name and address.

Step 2: Default system signatures
Add your default support email address (that will be forwarded into your route) and create a custom signature.

1. Go to Email Configuration > Address/Signature > New Address
2. Fill in your Reply Address (make sure this is a real address, one you'll set forwarding up with) and reply display name.
3. Decide if this will be your default system reply address and make sure its active.
4. Add your signature.
5. Save Changes.
   
   

Step 3: Email Forwarding
Forward your current support address into your newly created routes so that mail/tickets start ending up in your bench.
 

Setting up forwarding involves configuring your email service provider to automatically forward incoming support emails to a specific email address associated with Supportbench. The exact steps to set up email forwarding depend on your email service provider. Typically, you'll need to access your email account settings and look for options related to email forwarding or email rules. Configure the forwarding settings to send support-related emails to the designated Supportbench email address.

Video Tutorial: ▶️Watch Email Management 

Ticket Management

Efficient ticket management is crucial for delivering outstanding customer support and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. Supportbench provides a powerful set of tools to help you manage tickets effectively, from creation to resolution. Refer to this article: *add ticket management article* for a more detailed walkthrough.

Step 1: Creating Tickets
Easily create new tickets on the fly.
 

1. Click on the “Add new Item” button > Click + Case
   
   
    
2. Fill in the necessary details such as customer information, summary, and priority level.
3. Click Create Case to create the case.

Step 2: Easily Manage Tickets
Manage tickets efficiently with supportbenchs robust features.

1. Easily review ticket logs using the audit.
   
   
    
2. Easily update a tickets status or priority within the ticket.
   
   
    
3. Ammend an SLA manually.
   
   
    
4. Easily discuss ticket details using the discussion tab.
   
   
    
5. Easily use internal notes to communicate with other agents by clicking the “New” button  and add an internal note.
   
   
    
6. Easily Leverage dataviews to see the tickets that are important to you, or to get a report on specific tickets.
   
   

Video Tutorial: ▶️Ticket Management

Divisions and Queues

Think of a division as a department. They are at the top level when we consider security.

They help you organize and manage different teams or "departments" within your organization, such as sales, technical support, and billing. Queues, on the other hand, are used to organize and manage incoming tickets or customer inquiries. Queues act as containers or lists that hold tickets awaiting processing or assignment. They help distribute and prioritize tickets among agents or teams, ensuring efficient handling of customer support requests.

Step 1: Setting Up Divisions
Divisions are the top level when we consider security and are crucial for efficient security and segregation within your system.

1. Navigate to Configuration > Divisions > New Division.
2. Select a parent division if necessary.
3. Select a default email if necessary.
4. Save Changes.
   
   

Step 2: Creating Queues
Queues are crucial for improved organization, efficient workflow management and scalablity. 

1. Navigate to Configuration > Organization > Queues > New Queue.
2. Give the Queue a name, a parent queue if necessary and decide on if this is a global queue.
3. Add the main/primary team that will be working out of this Queue and make sure its active.
4. Set the Queue Availability (Business hours).
5. Decide on if this queue is going to auto assign tickets to the agents that you intend to have working in it.
6. Add your agents to the queue (if you've already added agents).
   
   

Adding Users and Assigning Roles

A user role refers to a defined set of permissions and access levels assigned to individuals who use the platform. 

Step 1: Adding New Users
Add your team to Supportbench and start conquering the support world.

1. Navigate to Configuration > Organization > Agents > New Agent.
2. Add the Agents Username (email,) first and last name.
3. Choose the agents working days and hours.
4. Select the Agents division, and teams they will be apart of.
5. Select the agents working Queues.
6. Select the agents Role (this can be changed anytime within the users profile).
7. Decide on if the agent will be using the default system signature
8. Add any Assets the agent will be handling.
9. Decide on the agents settings (max # of cases[tickets], etc).
10. Set the agents password manually or decide if they'll get a password reset email.
11. Save Profile!

Step 2: Creating Roles
Assigning roles to agents ensures that they have the necessary permissions to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

1. Navigate to Configuration > Organization > Roles > New Role.
2. Give your Role a name and Select the Divisions this role will be locked down to (agents will not be able to see tickets outside of this division.).
3. Go through every tab and select the permissions you'd want the role to maintain.
4. Save the Role.
   
   

Video Tutorial: ▶️Watch Adding Users and User Roles

Additional Resources

For further assistance and advanced features, explore the following resources:

• Support Portal: Visit our 📙Support Portal for FAQs and troubleshooting guides.
• Customer Support: Contact our support team via the 📙Support Portal or email us at 📧support@supportbench.com.

We’re excited to see how Supportbench will enhance your customer support operations. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to 📧support@supportbench.com!

Happy Supporting!