logo

powderDesk v1.5 - Email Notifications

With the release of powderDesk v1.5 we now offer an Email Notification system.  Below is a summarized list of scenarios where an email notification will be sent by powderDesk.  If you would like to take a closer look at how these features work, feel free to schedule a live tour with us.

 

New Ticket: When a new ticket is created, an email will be sent to both the assigned responder for the ticket, and the assigned client

Deleted Ticket: When an existing ticket is deleted, an email will be sent to the responder that had been assigned to the ticket.

New Note: When an existing ticket has a new note added, both the assigned responder and the assigned client will receive a notification about the new note. However if the client is a submitter user and the new note is submitter-hidden, only the responder will receive an email.

Updated Ticket: When certain fields of a ticket are updated, emails will be sent out to the recipients as outlined below. A single email will be sent that lists all the changes that were made to a ticket each time it is updated.

  • Status: both responder and client
  • Assigned Responder: the new responder
  • Priority: responder
  • Due Date: responder
  • Assets: responder
  • Client: responder
  • Request Type: responder
  • Detail: responder

 

Email Notification Opt-Out: To support the ability to opt-out of various email notifications, we provide options in three areas of the application to turn them off. If any of these flags are "off", the email will not be sent.

  • Per User: Visiting the My Account area will present you with an Email Notifications switch.
  • Per Request Type: Admin level accounts also have the option to disable email notifications per request type from config/tickets/request_types.  Selecting a given request type from the list will bring up a modal screen that includes a switch to Enable Email Notifications (screenshot).
  • Application-Wide: Admin level accounts will now see a "General Settings" button in /config.  Clicking that option will take you to an area where you can enable system wide notifications.  We include some helpful language if you click on the blue question mark icons. (screenshot).

 

Email Settings: As mentioned above we have a new admin-only configuration area called "General Settings" which contains an "Email Settings" tab. In addition to the global notifcation on/off switch described above, you can also configure the "From" address which will be used for emails sent out by the system. 

NOTE:  Independent from the three opt-out options, the system will not send out any emails unless the following items are all appropriately configured:

  • The "Enable Outgoing Email" option which is set through powderBox configuration for local powderDesk instances. For powderCloud instances this is always "on".
  • The application's "hostname" value must be defined, which is done through powderBox configuration. Cloud-based powderCloud instances will already have the hostname value setup.
  • The "From" email field in "Configuration > General Settings > Email Settings" must also be defined.  We recommend using a logical address (i.e. support@yourdomain.com) in case your users accidentally reply to the notification.

If you are in "Configuration > General Settings > Email Settings" and the fields in this tab are disabled, it means you have either not yet setup your "hostname" value or you have "Enable Outgoing Email" turned off, or both.

 

 

Other New Features:

  • When choosing a request type on a ticket, the assigned responder will now auto-update to the default responder for the selected request type.
  • In Ticket details, powderDesk will display a visual alert when any fields of the ticket have been changed. Additionally if you attempt to leave the page while you still have unsaved ticket changes, you will be asked to confirm that you wish to leave the page.
  • For submitter users, the current ticket status is now shown in the ticket details page.

 

Behavior Changes:

  • The status and priority drop down filter menus on the tickets listing page (submitter users only see the status menu) now stay open until you click the 'Save' button or click outside the drop down menu. This allows easier selecting of multiple filters at the same time.

 

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue with the Configuration > Tickets > Locations tab where the data table was not behaving properly for responder (non-admin) users.

In the Works:

The next phase of powderDesk development is focused on converting incoming emails into new tickets.  Then we plan to address grouping Responders by their skill sets.  If you're interested in discussing our road map or if you would like a tour of powderDesk, feel free to contact us

 

Nathan Nadeau

Lead Developer

Spire Business Services

Nathan Nadeau