documentation/content/applications/services/helpdesk/overview/receiving_tickets.rst

=================
Receiving tickets
=================

Odoo *Helpdesk* offers multiple channels where customers can reach out for assistance, such as
email, live chat, and through a website's submission form. The variety of these contact options
provides customers with multiple opportunities to receive support quickly while also allowing the
support team to manage multi-channel support tickets from one central location.

Enable channel options to submit tickets
========================================

Go to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams`, and choose an existing
team, or click :guilabel:`New` to :doc:`create a new team <getting_started>`.

On the team's settings page, scroll down to the :guilabel:`Channels` and :guilabel:`Help Center`
sections. Enable one or more channels by checking the respective boxes.

- :ref:`Email Alias <helpdesk/receiving_tickets/email-alias>`
- :ref:`Live Chat <helpdesk/receiving_tickets/live-chat>`
- :ref:`Website Form <helpdesk/receiving_tickets/website-form>`

.. _helpdesk/receiving_tickets/email-alias:

Email Alias
-----------

The *Email Alias* setting creates tickets from messages sent to that team's specified email alias.

.. important::
   The following steps are for **Odoo Online** and **Odoo.sh** databases. For **On-premise**
   databases, external servers are required for email aliases.

When a new *Helpdesk* team is created, an email alias is created for it. This alias can be changed
on the team's settings page.

To change a *Helpdesk* team's email alias, navigate to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app -->
Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams`, and click on a team name to open its settings page.

Then, scroll to :menuselection:`Channels --> Email Alias`. In the :guilabel:`Alias` field, type the
desired name for the team's email alias.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-email-alias.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the settings page of a Helpdesk team emphasizing the email alias feature in Odoo
         Helpdesk.

.. note::
   Custom email domains are **not** required in order to use an email alias, however, they can be
   configured through the *Settings* app.

   If the database does not have a custom domain already configured, click :guilabel:`Set an Alias
   Domain` to be redirected to the :guilabel:`Settings` page. From there, enable :guilabel:`Custom
   Email Servers`.

When an email is received, the subject line becomes the title of a new *Helpdesk* ticket. The body
of the email is also added to the ticket, under the :guilabel:`Description` tab, and in the ticket's
chatter.

.. _helpdesk/receiving_tickets/live-chat:

Live Chat
---------

The *Live Chat* feature lets website visitors connect directly with a support agent or chatbot.
*Helpdesk* tickets can be instantly created during these conversations using the :doc:`response
command </applications/websites/livechat/responses>` `/ticket`.

To enable *Live Chat*, navigate to the :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Helpdesk
Teams` list view, select a team, and on the team's settings page, click the checkbox next to
:guilabel:`Live Chat`, under the :guilabel:`Channels` section.

.. note::
   If this is the first time :doc:`Live Chat </applications/websites/livechat>` has been enabled on
   the database, the page may need to be saved manually and refreshed before any further steps can
   be taken.

After the :guilabel:`Live Chat` setting is enabled on a *Helpdesk* team, a new *Live Chat* channel
is created. Click on :guilabel:`Configure Live Chat Channel` to update the channel's settings.

Live Chat channel configuration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the channel's settings page, :guilabel:`Channel Name` can be edited, though, Odoo names the
channel to match the *Helpdesk* team name, by default.

.. example::
   If a *Helpdesk* team is named `Customer Care`, a *Live Chat* channel is created called `Customer
   Care`.

   .. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-live-chat-new-channel.png
      :align: center
      :alt: View of the Kanban cards for the available Live Chat channels.

On the channel form, navigate through the tabs to complete the setup.

Operators tab
*************

*Operators* are the users who act as agents and respond to live chat requests from customers. The
user who created the live chat channel is added by default.

To add additional users, click on the :guilabel:`Operators` tab, then click :guilabel:`Add`.


Click the checkbox next to the users to be added on the :guilabel:`Add: Operators` pop-up window
that appears, then click :guilabel:`Select`.

Click :guilabel:`New` to create new operators, if needed.

When the desired addition is complete, click :guilabel:`Save & Close`, or :guilabel:`Save & New` to
add multiple new operators.

.. danger::
   Creating a new user can impact the status of an Odoo subscription, as the total number of users
   in a database counts towards the billing rate. Proceed with caution before creating a new user.
   If a user already exists, adding them as an operator will **not** alter the subscription or
   billing rate for a database.

Additionally, current operators can be edited or removed by clicking on their respective boxes in
the :guilabel:`Operators` tab, and then adjusting their form values on the pop-up form that appears,
or by using one of the buttons located at the bottom of the form, such as :guilabel:`Remove`.

.. tip::
   Users can add themselves as an operator by clicking the :guilabel:`Join Channel` button on a
   *Live Chat* channel.

   .. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-join-live-chat.png
      :align: center
      :alt: View of a live chat channel Kanban card with the join button emphasized.

Options tab
***********

The :guilabel:`Options` tab contains the visual and text settings for the live chat window.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-options-tab.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the options tab of a Live Chat channel's settings.

- :guilabel:`Notification Text`: this field updates the greeting displayed in the text bubble when
  the live chat button appears on the website.

- :guilabel:`Livechat Button Color`: this field alters the color of the live chat button as it
  appears on the website. To change the color, click on a color bubble to open the color selection
  window, then click and drag the circle along the color gradient. Click out of the selection window
  once complete. Click the refresh icon to the right of the color bubbles to reset the colors to the
  default selection.

- :guilabel:`Show`: the chat button displays on the selected page.
- :guilabel:`Show with notification`: the chat button is displayed, with the addition of the
  :guilabel:`Notification text` from the :guilabel:`Options` tab.
- :guilabel:`Open automatically`: the chat button is displayed, and automatically opens the chat
  window after a designated amount of time. The amount of time is designated in the :guilabel:`Open
  automatically timer` field, which appears only when this display option is selected.
- :guilabel:`Hide`: the chat button is hidden from display on the webpage.

.. tip::
   Color selection, for the button or header, can be made manually, or through RGB, HSL, or HEX code
   selection. Different options are available, depending on the operating system or browser.

Channel Rules tab
*****************

The :guilabel:`Channel Rules` tab determines when the live chat window opens on the website by logic
of when a :guilabel:`URL Regex` action is triggered (e.g., a page visit).

.. tip::
   A regex, or regular expression, is sometimes referred to as a rational expression. It is a
   sequence of characters that specifies a match pattern in text. A match is made within the given
   range of numbers or for the set of characters.

Edit existing rules by selecting them from the :guilabel:`Channel Rules` tab, or create a new rule
by clicking :guilabel:`Add a line`.

Then, proceed to configure the details for how the rule should apply on the pop-up form that
appears.

Choose how the *Live Chat Button* displays on the webpage.

- :guilabel:`Show`: the chat button displays on the selected page.

- :guilabel:`Show with notification`: the chat button is displayed, with the addition of the
  :guilabel:`Notification text` from the :guilabel:`Options` tab.

- :guilabel:`Open automatically`: the chat button is displayed, and automatically opens the chat
  window after a designated amount of time. The amount of time is designated in the :guilabel:`Open
  automatically timer` field, which appears only when this display option is selected.

- :guilabel:`Hide`: the chat button is hidden from display on the webpage.

To include a :guilabel:`Chatbot` on this channel, select it from the drop-down menu. If the chatbot
should only be active when no operators are available, check the box labeled :guilabel:`Enabled only
if no operator`.

.. note::
   If a :doc:`chatbot </applications/websites/livechat/chatbots>` is added to a live chat channel, a
   new :guilabel:`Chatbots` smart button appears on the channel settings form. Click here to create
   and update the chatbot *script*.

   Each line in the script contains a :guilabel:`Message`, :guilabel:`Step Type`,
   :guilabel:`Answers`, and conditional *Only If* logic that applies when certain pre-filled answers
   are chosen.

   To create more steps in the script, click :guilabel:`Add a line`, and fill out the script steps
   form, according to the desired logic.

Add the URLs for the pages where the channel should appear in the :guilabel:`URL Regex` field. Only
the path from the root domain is needed, not the full URL.

If this channel should only be available to users in specific countries, add those countries to the
:guilabel:`Country` field. If this field is left blank, the channel is available to all site
visitors.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-channel-rules.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the Kanban cards for the available Live Chat channels.

Widget tab
**********

The :guilabel:`Widget` tab on the live chat channel form offers a website widget that can be added
to third-party websites. Additionally, a URL is available, that can provide instant access to a live
chat window.

The live chat :guilabel:`Widget` can be applied to websites created through Odoo by navigating to
the :menuselection:`Website app --> Configuration --> Settings --> Email & Marketing`. Then, scroll
to the :guilabel:`Live Chat` field, and select the channel to add to the site. Click
:guilabel:`Save` to apply.

To add the widget to a website created on a third-party website, click the :guilabel:`Copy` button
next to the first listed code, and paste the code into the `<head>` tag on the site.

To send a live chat session to a customer or supplier, click the :guilabel:`Copy` button next to the
second listed code, and send the URL via email.

Create a support ticket from a live chat session
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Operators who have joined a live chat channel are able to communicate with site visitors in
real-time.

During the conversation, an operator can use the shortcut :doc:`command
</applications/websites/livechat/responses>` `/ticket` to create a ticket without leaving the chat
window. The transcript from the conversation is added to the new ticket, under the
:guilabel:`Description` tab.

.. tip::
   *Helpdesk* tickets can also be created through the :doc:`WhatsApp
   </applications/productivity/whatsapp>` app using the same `/ticket` command.

.. _helpdesk/receiving_tickets/website-form:

Website Form
------------

Enabling the *Website Form* setting adds a new page to the website with a customizable form. A new
ticket is created once the required form fields are filled out and submitted.

To activate the website form, navigate to a team's settings page under :menuselection:`Helpdesk app
--> Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams`, and selecting the desired team from the list.

Then, locate the :guilabel:`Website Form` feature, under the :guilabel:`Help Center` section, and
check the box.

If more than one website is active on the database, confirm the correct website is listed in the
:guilabel:`Website` field. If not, select the correct one from the drop-down list.

After the feature is activated, click the :guilabel:`Go to Website` smart button at the top of the
:guilabel:`Teams` settings page to view and edit the new website form, which is created
automatically by Odoo.

.. note::
   After enabling the :guilabel:`Website Form` setting, the team's settings page may need to be
   refreshed before the :guilabel:`Go to Website` smart button appears.

   Additionally, if a *Help Center* is published, the smart button navigates there first. Simply
   click the :guilabel:`Contact Us` button, at the bottom of the forum, to navigate to the ticket
   submission form.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-go-to-website.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the settings page of a helpdesk team emphasizing the Go to Website button in
         Odoo Helpdesk.

Website ticket form customization
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To customize the default ticket submission form, while on the website, click the :guilabel:`Edit`
button in the upper-right corner of the page. This opens the editing sidebar on the right side.
Then, click on one of the fields in the form, on the body of the website, to edit it.

To add a new field, go to the :guilabel:`Field` section of the sidebar, and click :guilabel:`+
Field`.

Click the :guilabel:`🗑️ (trash can)` icon to delete the field, if necessary.

Edit the other options for the new field in the sidebar, as desired:

- :guilabel:`Type`: matches an Odoo model value to the field (e.g. `Customer Name`).
- :guilabel:`Input Type`: determine what type of input the field should be, like `Text`, `Email`,
  `Telephone`, or `URL`.
- :guilabel:`Label`: give the form field a label (e.g. `Full Name`, `Email Address`, etc.). Also
  control the label position on the form by using the nested :guilabel:`Position` options.
- :guilabel:`Description`: determine whether or not to add an editable line under the input box to
  provide additional contextual information related to the field.
- :guilabel:`Placeholder`: add a sample input value.
- :guilabel:`Default Value`: add common use case values that most customers would find valuable.
  For example, this can include prompts of information customers should include to make it easier to
  solve their issue, such as an account number, or product number.
- :guilabel:`Required`: determine whether or not to mark a field as required, in order for the form
  to be submitted. Toggle the switch from gray to blue.
- :guilabel:`Visibility`: allow for absolute or conditional visibility of the field. Nested options,
  such as, device visibility, appear when certain options are selected.
- :guilabel:`Animation`: choose whether or not the field should include animation.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-web-form.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the unpublished website form to submit a ticket for Odoo Helpdesk.

Once the form has been optimized, and is ready for public use, click :guilabel:`Save` to apply the
changes. Then, publish the form by toggling the :guilabel:`Unpublished` switch to
:guilabel:`Published` at the top of the page, if necessary.

Prioritizing tickets
====================

All tickets include a :guilabel:`Priority` field. The highest priority tickets appear at the top of
the Kanban and list views.

.. image:: receiving_tickets/receiving-tickets-priority.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a team's Kanban view and the prioritized tasks in Odoo Helpdesk.

The priority levels are represented by stars:

- 0 stars = *Low Priority*
- 1 star = *Medium Priority*
- 2 stars = *High Priority*
- 3 stars = *Urgent*

Tickets are set to low priority (0 stars) by default. To change the priority level, select the
appropriate number of stars on the Kanban card, or on the ticket.

.. warning::
   As priority levels can be used as criteria for assigning :doc:`SLAs <sla>`, changing the priority
   level of a ticket can alter the :abbr:`SLA (Service Level Agreement)` deadline.

.. seealso::
   - :doc:`/applications/services/helpdesk/advanced/close_tickets`
   - :doc:`/applications/general/email_communication/email_servers`
   - :doc:`/applications/websites/livechat`