In this guide you will find everything you need to know on how to manage the Service desk available on our Online Community. The Service Desk is run on the Jira platform and is a way for Forum or site users to find self-help articles (available on our web portal) and to get in touch with the team directly.

Customers can contact us directly on the service desk through a ticketing system. It facilitates the efficient handling of requests and issues reported by users of the Online Community.

Key features include:

Service desk ticketing system: Users can report issues or requests, which are then tracked as tickets. This system allows for efficient management and prioritisation of these requests.
Web portal: A user-friendly interface where users can easily submit requests and find answers to common questions, reducing the need for direct contact.

Bookmark your projects page to your Bookmarks bar and access the Service desk from there - this will give you quick access to all of your projects. Don’t forget to click on the star icon in the top right-hand corner of the page to bookmark it on Jira.

Service desk

Below is an image of how the Service Desk looks, on the left-hand sidebar menu, the main you’ll mainly be using the ‘Queues' and 'Knowledge base’.

The dashboard shows the list of tickets, categorized by their statuses (e.g., Open, In Progress, Resolved).
Use the filters on the left-hand side to find tickets assigned to you, your team, or specific categories.

Managing tickets

a. Changing ticket status

Statuses represent the stage of the ticket in the workflow. To change the status:

Open the ticket you’re working on.
Locate the Status dropdown at the top of the ticket.
Select the appropriate status:
- Open: The ticket is new and needs attention.
- In Progress: You are currently working on the ticket.
- Waiting for Customer: You've requested more information from the customer.
- Resolved/Closed/Done: The issue has been resolved, and no further action is required.

Pro Tip: Always add a comment explaining why the status is being changed to keep everything clear for the team.

Communicating with customers

a. Adding a Public comment

Public comments are visible to customers and should be clear and polite.

Open the ticket and scroll to the Comments section.
Click on Add Comment.
Write your response in plain language and avoid technical jargon.

Example: "Hi [Name], thanks for raising this issue. We’re looking into it now and will get back to you as soon as possible. If you have any additional information, feel free to share it here."

Click Add to send the comment.

b. Adding an Internal comment

Internal comments are for team communication and not visible to the customer.

In the Comments section, click on Add Internal Note.
Write the note (e.g., updates on the issue, actions taken so far).
Click Add to save the note.

Resolving a ticket

Once the issue is resolved, change the status to Resolved.
Add a public comment informing the customer about the resolution.

Example: "Hi [Name], we’ve resolved the issue you reported. Please let us know if you experience any further problems. Have a great day!"

If the customer doesn’t respond within the follow-up timeframe (e.g., 5–7 days), close the ticket with a follow-up message.

Reopening a ticket

If a customer replies to the ticket again after it has been closed and reports that the issue hasn’t been resolved:

Change the ticket status back to In Progress.
Add a public comment acknowledging the update and explaining the next steps.

Searching for tickets

Use the search bar at the top of the dashboard.
Enter keywords or ticket IDs.
Click Search to view results.

Best practices

Keep communication clear: Always use polite, plain language in customer replies. If they have any accessibility needs, try to help where you can.
Provide updates: Keep the customer informed of the ticket’s progress, especially if progress takes an unusually long time.
Follow up: If you need more information, follow up politely, and remind them if they don’t get back to you in good time.
Document thoroughly: Use internal comments to document progress and decisions.
Close tickets promptly: Don’t leave resolved tickets open longer than necessary, as this affects our SLA. Always write a closing message when closing a ticket to inform the customer that the issue has been resolved and to let them know they can reopen the ticket or submit a new one if they need further assistance.

Troubleshooting

If you're unsure about how to handle a ticket, escalate it to your manager or a team lead. If manager or team lead is not available, consult the Dev team, specifically Charles Folkes or Alex Brown.

Web portal

Accessing the Knowledge Base

You can find Knowledge Base articles directly in the Knowledge Base section of the service desk.
These articles are designed to help customers and provide quick answers to common questions, such as navigating the Online Community.
You can also create new articles from this page.

Editing or updating articles

If you need to edit or create a Knowledge Base article, you’ll do this through Confluence. Follow these steps:

Navigate to the relevant article in Confluence in the FAQs space.
Click Edit to make changes or update the content.
Use clear, simple language that is easy for customers to understand.
Either Publish your article or just Close it. Closing the article automatically saves it as a Draft.

Publishing articles

Before publishing, ensure someone from the team proofreads your article for accuracy and clarity.
Make sure your images are visible and have a grey border around them.
Once the article is finalised, publish it so it becomes available in the Service desk.

Introduction Guide