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This introduction article will help TeamDynamix Administrators to configure Questions and Question Categories using TDAdmin. The user must have Administrative permissions in TDAdmin.
Overview
Questions can be used to encourage communication between the technician and the client. Users and clients no longer need to email support representatives directly. The user community and TeamDynamix support team respond in the threaded question comments.
The Questions application makes it easy to respond to a question in the Client Portal. At the bottom of every Questions page in the Portal, you will find a Contribute an answer button.
Where to Find This
This feature appears in the TDAdmin, TDNext, and TDClient interfaces.
TDAdmin is where TeamDynamix Administrators will configure the Questions and Questions Categories, TDNext is where technicians will sort and manage incoming questions, and TDClient is where users will submit questions.
Navigate to Questions following these paths:
- TDAdmin > Applications > Client Portal Application > Questions
- TDNext > Analysis > New Report > Questions Report
- To access the Analysis application, you must have an Enterprise License.
- TDClient > Questions
Using Questions
Asking a Question
In the Client Portal – Questions section, click + New Question.
- Choose a Category for your Question
- Title the Question and fill in the body
- Choose whether you would like to “Follow” the question. This will notify you via email of activity on this question.
- Click Save
Responding to a Question
Comment replies are threaded, so to continue a discussion, click the Comment link on a response. To contribute an additional answer to the Questions follow these steps:
- Click Contribute an Answer
- Fill in the body
- Click Save
Notifications
The following people are notified when a new answer is posted to a question in the TeamDynamix Client Portal:
- The TeamDynamix support team.
- The original author of the question.
- Anyone else who contributed an answer to the question.
About Question Categories
Question categories enable you to separate questions by type. Although question categories can be deleted in TDAdmin, they can only be created or modified in the Client Portal. Since these actions are only available from within the Questions application, you must have appropriate permissions to perform these actions.
A list of all categories can be seen in Admin by navigating to Client Portal > Question Categories. However, this page only supports deletion of categories. Any category creation or editing must be performed in the Client Portal. Clicking the name of a category in Admin will open the category in Client, where it can be edited.
Question Category Permissions
There are only category-level permissions, they cannot be configured at the question level. In addition, there is no concept of group permissions in the Questions system.
Rather, there are Public, Published, and Not Published options. Public articles are visible to all users and Published articles require the user to be logged in. Marking a question category as Not Published will ensure it is only visible to authenticated users who have access to TDNext.
The following permissions regarding question categories are enforced in the TeamDynamix system:
- Add Categories – Allows you to create new categories within the Questions application.
- Edit Categories – Allows you to edit all Question categories.
Creating Questions Categories
Categories can only be added to the root level of the Questions system, there are no subcategories.
To create a new question category:
- In the Client Portal, click the Questions link on the top navigation.
- Click the +New Category button.
- Fill in the required and desired fields as follows:
- Enter a Title for the category.
- Enter a Description for the category.
- Choose the Visibility of the category:
- Not Published – Only TDNext users can see and participate in the category.
- Published – Authenticated or signed-in Client Portal users can see and participate in the category.
- Public – All users can see questions in this category, including unauthenticated users.
- Check the Follow This Category checkbox to receive emails about activity in this category.
- Click the Save button.
Modifying Questions Categories
If you have the Edit Categories permission, you can edit any category in the Questions system. Otherwise, you can edit all categories that you have created.
To modify a question category:
- In the Client Portal, click the Questions link on the top navigation.
- Navigate to the category you would like to modify, then click the Pencil icon at the top right of the page.
- Edit the required and optional fields as desired.
- Click the Save button.
Deleting Questions Categories
Categories are sometimes incorrectly created and must be removed. Before deleting a category, make sure that no members of your organization are still using it.
To delete a question category:
- In TDAdmin, go to Applications > Client Portal > Questions > Questions Categories.
- Click the Delete link next to the category you would like to delete.
- Click the OK button in the confirmation popup.
Gotchas & Pitfalls
- Many users and clients attempt to email support representatives directly because they think that they should not respond to a question or they have additional questions. We assure our users and clients that whether they have more questions to ask us, or want to follow up on your original question, the Contribute an answer button is the correct path to get a response.
- For organizations who are new to having a Service Catalog and Client Portal, adding Questions for end users can be overwhelming. Make sure that you have the resources to support this additional channel.
Examples