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

===========
Help Center
===========

Odoo *Helpdesk* integrates with the *Forum*, *eLearning*, and *Knowledge* apps to create the *Help
Center*. The *Help Center* is a centralized location where teams and customers can search for and
share detailed information about products and services.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-enable-features.png
   :align: center
   :alt: Overview of the settings page of a team emphasizing the Help Center features.

Configuration
=============

To activate any *Help Center* features (*Forums*, *eLearning*, or *Knowledge*) on a *Helpdesk* team,
go to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams` and select a team, or
create a :doc:`new one <../../helpdesk>`. Verify the :guilabel:`Visibility` of the team is set to
:guilabel:`Invited portal users and all internal users (public)` in the :guilabel:`Visibility &
Assignment` section.

Additionally, the :guilabel:`Website Form` option on the *Helpdesk* team page **must** be enabled to
activate any of the *Help Center* features. When one or more of the *Help Center* features is
enabled, the :guilabel:`Website Form` is automatically enabled, as well.

.. danger::
   Since all of the *Help Center* features require integration with other applications, enabling any
   of them may result in the installation of additional modules or applications.

   Installing a new application on a *One-App-Free* database will trigger a 15-day trial. At the end
   of the trial, if a paid subscription has **not** been added to the database, it will no longer be
   active or accessible.

.. seealso::
   :doc:`Helpdesk Overview <../../helpdesk>`

Knowledge
=========

Odoo's *Knowledge* application is a collaborative library, where users can store, edit, and share
information. The *Knowledge* app is accessible throughout the database by clicking on the
:guilabel:`Knowledge (bookmark)` icon.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-knowledge-bookmark-icon.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a message in Helpdesk focusing on the Knowledge bookmark icon.

Enable Knowledge on a Helpdesk team
-----------------------------------

To enable the *Knowledge* feature on a *Helpdesk* team, go to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app -->
Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams` and select a team, or create a :doc:`new one <../../helpdesk>`.

When a team has been selected or created, Odoo displays that team's detail form.

On the team's detail form, scroll down to the :guilabel:`Help Center` section. Then, click the box
next to :guilabel:`Knowledge` to activate the *Knowledge* feature. When clicked, a new field
labeled, :guilabel:`Article` appears.

Clicking the :guilabel:`Article` field reveals a drop-down menu. At first, there is only one option
in the drop-down menu titled :guilabel:`Help`, which Odoo provides by default. Select
:guilabel:`Help` from the drop-down menu to choose this article.

.. tip::
   To create a new article, go to the :menuselection:`Knowledge app`, then hover the cursor next to
   the :guilabel:`Workspace` section heading, located in the left sidebar. Moving the cursor there
   reveals a hidden :guilabel:`➕ (plus sign)` icon.

   Click the :guilabel:`➕ (plus sign)` icon to create a new article in the :guilabel:`Workspace`.
   In the upper-right corner of the page, click the :guilabel:`Share` button, and slide the
   :guilabel:`Share to Web` toggle switch until it reads :guilabel:`Article Published`. It can then
   be added to a *Helpdesk* team.

Once an article has been created and assigned to a *Helpdesk* team, content can be added and
organized through the *Knowledge* app.

.. seealso::
   :doc:`Editing Knowledge articles <../../../productivity/knowledge/articles_editing>`

Search articles from a Helpdesk ticket
--------------------------------------

When members of a *Helpdesk* team are trying to solve a ticket, they can search through the content
in the *Knowledge* app for more information on the issue.

To search *Knowledge* articles, open a ticket — either from the *Helpdesk* app dashboard, or by
going to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Tickets --> All Tickets`, then select a ticket from the
list.

When a ticket is selected, Odoo reveals that ticket's detail form.

Click the :guilabel:`Knowledge (bookmark)` icon, located at the top-right of the page, to open a
pop-up search window.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-knowledge-search.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of knowledge search window from a helpdesk ticket.

.. tip::
   *Knowledge* articles can also be searched by pressing :command:`Ctrl + K` to open the command
   palette, then typing `?`, followed by the name of the desired article.

When Odoo reveals the desired article, click it, or highlight the :guilabel:`Article` title, and
press :command:`Enter`. This will open the article in the :guilabel:`Knowledge` application.

To open the article in a new tab, press :command:`Ctrl + Enter`.

.. tip::
   If a more in-depth search is required, press :command:`Alt + B`. That reveals a separate page, in
   which a more detailed search can occur.

Share an article to the Help Center
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make a *Knowledge* article available to customers and website visitors, it **must** be published.

.. important::
   Even though the *Help* article has been enabled on a team, Odoo does **not** share all the nested
   articles to the web. Individual articles intended for customers **must** be published for them to
   be viewable on the website.

To publish an article, navigate to the desired article, by following the above steps, and click the
:guilabel:`Share` icon in the upper-right corner. This reveals a menu. Slide the toggle button
labeled :guilabel:`Share to Web` to read :guilabel:`Article Published`.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-knowledge-sharing.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a knowledge article focused on sharing and publishing options.

Solve tickets with a clipboard box
----------------------------------

*Clipboard* boxes can be added to *Knowledge* articles to allow content to be reused, copied, sent
as messages, or added to the description on a ticket. This allows teams to maintain consistency when
answering customer tickets, and minimize the amount of time spent on responding to repeat questions.

Add clipboard boxes to articles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To create a clipboard box, go to :menuselection:`Knowledge app --> Help`. Click on an existing
nested article or create a new one by clicking the :guilabel:`➕ (plus sign)` icon next to *Help*.

Type `/` to open the *powerbox*, and view a drop-down list of :doc:`commands
<../../../productivity/knowledge/articles_editing>`. Select or type `clipboard`. A gray block is
then added to the page. Add any necessary content to this block.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-knowledge-clipboard-options.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a clipboard in knowledge with focus on send and copy options.

.. note::
   Clipboard boxes only display the :guilabel:`Use as description` or :guilabel:`Send as Message`
   options if they are accessed directly from the *Helpdesk*.

Use clipboard boxes in tickets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clipboard boxes can be used to respond directly to a *Helpdesk* ticket as a message, or to add
information to the ticket's description.

To use clipboard boxes in a *Helpdesk* ticket, first, open a ticket, either from the
:guilabel:`Helpdesk` dashboard or by going to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Tickets --> All
Tickets` and selecting a ticket from the list.

Click on the :guilabel:`Knowledge (bookmark)` icon in the top-right corner. This opens a search
window. In this search window, select, or search, for the desired article. Doing so reveals that
article page in the Odoo *Knowledge* application.

To use a clipboard box to respond to a ticket, click :guilabel:`Send as message` in the upper-right
corner of the clipboard box, located in the body of the article.

Doing so opens a :guilabel:`Compose Email` pop-up window. In this window, select the recipients,
make any necessary additions or edits to the clipboard content, then click :guilabel:`Send`.

.. tip::
   To use a clipboard box to add information to a ticket's description, click :guilabel:`Use as
   description` in the upper-right corner of the clipboard box, located in the body of the article.
   Doing so does **not** replace the existing text in a ticket's description. The content from the
   clipboard box is added as additional text.

.. _helpdesk/forum:

Community Forum
===============

A *Community Forum* provides a space for customers to answer each other's questions and share
information. By integrating a forum with a *Helpdesk* team, tickets submitted by customers can be
converted to posts and shared.

Enable forums on a Helpdesk team
--------------------------------

To enable :guilabel:`Community Forums` on a *Helpdesk* team, start by navigating to
:menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams` and select a team, or create a
:doc:`new one <../../helpdesk>`.

Selecting or creating a team reveals that team's detail form. Scroll down to the :guilabel:`Help
Center` section of features, and enable :guilabel:`Community Forum`, by checking the box beside it.

When activated, a new field labeled :guilabel:`Forums` appears beneath.

Click the empty :guilabel:`Forums` field to reveal a drop-down menu. By default, there is only one
option to begin with, labeled :guilabel:`Help`. That is the option Odoo automatically created when
the :guilabel:`Community Forums` feature was enabled. Select :guilabel:`Help` from the drop-down
menu to enable that forum.

To create a new forum, type a name into the blank :guilabel:`Forums` field, then click the
:guilabel:`Create and Edit` option. Multiple forums can be selected in this field.

.. seealso::
   :doc:`Forum documentation <../../../websites/forum>`

Create a forum post from a Helpdesk ticket
------------------------------------------

When a *Helpdesk* team has a *Forum* enabled, tickets submitted to that team can be converted to
forum posts.

To do that, select a ticket, either from a team's pipeline or from :menuselection:`Tickets --> All
Tickets` in the :guilabel:`Helpdesk` application.

At the top of the ticket detail form, click the :guilabel:`Share on Forum` button.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-share-on-forum.png
   :align: center
   :alt: Overview of the Forums page of a website to show the available ones in Odoo Helpdesk.

When clicked, a pop-up window appears. Here, the :guilabel:`Forum` post and :guilabel:`Title` can be
edited to correct any typos, or modified to remove any proprietary or client information.

:guilabel:`Tags` can also be added to help organize the post in the forum, making it easier for
users to locate during a search. When all adjustments have been made, click :guilabel:`Create and
View Post`.

eLearning
=========

Odoo *eLearning* courses offer customers additional training and content in the form of videos,
presentations, and certifications/quizzes. Providing additional training enables customers to work
through issues and find solutions on their own. They can also develop a deeper understanding of the
services and products they are using.

Enable eLearning courses on a Helpdesk team
-------------------------------------------

To enable *eLearning* courses on a *Helpdesk* team, go to :menuselection:`Helpdesk app -->
Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams` and select a team, or create a :doc:`new one <../../helpdesk>`.

On the team's settings page, scroll to the :guilabel:`Help Center` section, and check the box next
to :guilabel:`eLearning`. A new field appears below, labeled :guilabel:`Courses`.

Click the empty field next to :guilabel:`Courses` beneath the :guilabel:`eLearning` feature to
reveal a drop-down menu. Select an available course from the drop-down menu, or type a title into
the field, and click :guilabel:`Create and edit` to create a new course from this page. Multiple
courses can be assigned to a single team.

Create an eLearning course
--------------------------

A new *eLearning* course can be created from the :guilabel:`Helpdesk` team's settings page, as in
the step above, or from the *eLearning* app.

To create a course directly through the *eLearning* application, navigate to
:menuselection:`eLearning --> New`. This reveals a blank course template that can be customized and
modified as needed.

On the course template page, add a :guilabel:`Course Title`, and below that, :guilabel:`Tags`.

Click on the :guilabel:`Options` tab.

Under :guilabel:`Access Rights`, select which users are able to view and enroll in the course.

The :guilabel:`Show Course To` field defines who can access the courses. The :guilabel:`Enroll
Policy` field specifies how they can register for the course.

Under :guilabel:`Display`, choose the preferred course :guilabel:`Type`.

Add content to an eLearning course
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To add content to a course, click the :guilabel:`Content` tab and select :guilabel:`Add Content`.
Choose the :guilabel:`Content Type` from the drop-down menu and upload the file, or paste the link,
where instructed. Click :guilabel:`Save` when finished. Click :guilabel:`Add Section` to organize
the course in sections.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-elearning-course-contents-page.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a course being published for Odoo Helpdesk.

.. note::
   In order to add a certification to a course, go to :menuselection:`eLearning --> Configuration
   --> Settings`, check the box labeled :guilabel:`Certifications`, and :guilabel:`Save` to activate
   the setting.

.. seealso::
   `Odoo Tutorials: eLearning <https://www.odoo.com/slides/elearning-56>`_

Publish an eLearning course
---------------------------

To allow customers to enroll in a course, both the course and the contents **must** be published.

.. tip::
   If the course is published, but the contents of the course are **not** published, customers can
   enroll in the course on the website, but they are **not** able to view any of the course content.
   Knowing this, it may be beneficial to publish the course first, if the course contents are
   intended to be released over time, such as classes with a weekly schedule.

To make the entire course available at once, each piece of course content must be published first,
then the course can be published.

To publish a course, choose a course from the *eLearning* dashboard. On the course template page,
click the :guilabel:`Go to Website` smart button.

This will reveal the front end of the course's web page. At the top of the course web page, move
the :guilabel:`Unpublished` toggle switch to :guilabel:`Published`.

Publish eLearning course contents from the back-end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To publish *eLearning* course content from the back-end, choose a course from the *eLearning*
dashboard. On the course template page, click the :guilabel:`Published Contents` smart button.

Doing so reveals a separate page displaying all the published content related to that course. Remove
the default :guilabel:`Published` filter from the search bar in the upper-right corner, to reveal
all the content related to the course - even the non-published content.

Click the :guilabel:`≣ (bars)` icon in the upper-right corner, directly beneath the search bar to
switch to list view.

While in list view, there is a checkbox on the far-left of the screen, above the listed courses, to
the left of the :guilabel:`Title` column title. When that checkbox is clicked, all the course
contents are selected at once.

With all the course content selected, click any of the boxes in the :guilabel:`Is Published` column.
This reveals a pop-up window, asking for confirmation that all selected records are intended to be
published. Click :guilabel:`Confirm` to automatically publish all course content.

.. image:: help_center/help-center-elearning-publish-back-end.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a course contents being published in Odoo Helpdesk back-end.