Customer and Agents

[marcuoli]

First of all, thanks for the excellent software.

In a real case enterprise, Agents can act like Customers openning tickets and beeing serviced by other Agents.

Must I have two logins for this person (The Agent who needs to be also a Customer). One ID to act like an Agent and one id to act like a Customer ?

I don't know if I'm making myself clear.

I work with BMC Remedy and all users are treated the same (from the username and passord perspective) as this situation deals with the described situation with no problems. I don't see why Agents and Customers must have sepadated Ids (Do they ?) . The separation is done by the groups/queues/roles associated with that user.

What am I missing ?

Thanks a lot.

Marcus

[crythias]

You're not missing anything. Customers are different from users. If you want agents as customers, you can add the backend to the customer side.

[marcuoli]

Thanks a lot for the fast answer.

Would you mind going deeper in
"...you can add the backed to the customer side." ?

Thanks a lot.

Marcus

[yuri0001]

Thanks a lot for the fast answer.

Would you mind going deeper in
"...you can add the backed to the customer side." ?

Thanks a lot.

Marcus

To my mind it need to read as ...you can add the backend to the customer side.

[crythias]

Heh, yes. backend. http://doc.otrs.org/3.0/en/html/external-backends.html

[marcuoli]

Thanks a lot,

I'm going futher into this and tell you guys if it solved my needs.

Thanks again.

Marcus

[marcuoli]

I've been thinking...

Okay I'm going to have an Agent and Customer with the same name and with the same password but they are still two different users, aren't they (not on LDAP, for example, but in OTRS yes) ? Will I have to create both (with the same name) on Agents and Customers interfaces ?

They have to use indexs.pl or customer.pl to act as such. Isn't it ? I can't just enter index.pl as a Customer. May I ?

Thanks again...

I'm not criticising OTRS but this nuance of behavior separating Agents of Customers is not usual on Enterprise Solutions. It could cause some confusion/difficulties and even some desistances in using OTRS. I will not giv up, I see a lot of value in it. Maybe as I get to know it these doubts will disappear and I'm going to see it clearly. But I confess it's kind of difficult to set some parallels among the solutions available.

I think a solution (Agent/Customer/Company) a little bit more "Coffee and Milk" (simple) and less "confusing" would make it a lot easier to sell.

The way we see Agents and Customers brings effetcs on every aspect of the solution. It unfolds untill the Company itself (Another unusual way if treating Enterprises inside the same system).

If I may add, the documentation focuses primarily on the technicals but forgets the conceptuals. Many times (not always) it's difficult to understand YOUR understandings on some terms. The relation among all of them. How to integrate them to achieve some result.

I'm just trying to expose some opinion about this awsome software. Maybe could help, may not. Doesn't cost me anything to try .

Thanks a lot, again, for the excellent software you built.

Marcus

[crythias]

I'm just a guy.

Will I have to create both (with the same name) on Agents and Customers interfaces ?

Yes. but also know that a ticket can be created by email, which (may) negate web logins for customer submitted tickets.

In general, there isn't *necessarily* a reason that agents (people who fix tickets) necessarily need to submit tickets as customers, but it could happen. As well, it's not generally necessary that a customer should be privy to the agent side.

Incidentally, you're the first person who has indicated this separation is unusual.

[marcuoli]

Thanks for the fastest reply ever.

The separation I'm talking about is the index.pl and customer.pl thing AND the fact that we have to create two users for the SAME GUY if he acts on two roles (even with the same password).

A clear example that happens on EVERY enterprise, even the little ones :

* The desktop guy, needs to have access on a netrowk folder, for example. He, the Desktop guy, services the customers from sales (for example) and needs, in this case, to be serviced by the AD Admin (to get the access). Eventually the AD Admin needs some fix in his desktop and needs to be serviced by the Desktop Guy ;

I extend this concept beyond TI scope. Imagine if I want to create this ticket thing to every service my employees work on. The Accounting guy, the Finance Guy, the TI guy... all of them are customers and agents of each other. It'd be very boring and confusing to have to logoff/login on index.pl or customer.pl depending on the acting role. It'd be very nice to logon on a single page and see what I asked (as customer) and what I've been asked for (as agent).

Maybe my very bad english doesn't make me clear enough. I'm sorry for that.

About your last line. Sorry, I've been working on paid solutions like this for some 10+ years (BMC Remedy, Home Made Solutions, Sharepoint variants and so on) and never seen this level/type of separation before.

Thanks again.

Marcus