Issue # 160 Zzajrant 3 (WordPress Help Desk ticket system)

 

7 March, 2016 – Many of my readers know that I got my start in the Information Technology world way back (in the late 1980’s, before the Internet was well-known by the public).  When I first started that journey, we were only able to browse library catalogs; there wasn’t really much of a concept about website development, and certainly no tools available for easy and rapid deployment of ways and methods to assist customers.

 

As the tools were made available, I designed, developed, deployed and administered ever-evolving sites using packages like ADS (Application Development System, a forms-based package, where you had to write the code behind the form, then test it before making it available to those needing assistance), Paradox (an Object-Oriented database that was much easier to work in), and ultimately – before Microsoft realized the capabilities they had in that package – MS Access, which (at that time) allowed us to interface without having to purchase their SQL Server product… many others along the way, too, but those were the three primary tools we used “back in the day” for putting a product out there that the customer could easily learn how to interface with.

 

When I first started working with WordPress (about 6 years ago, I guess), I tried a few program scripts, like “PHPTickets”, and “Help Center Live”, but they were not really the best for integrated packages, and certainly required more in the way of writing manuals that users would understand and be able to work with.  I kind of “lost interest” in Customer Support once I retired from my (nearly) 45 years in military and government service in 2014.  However, when I began working with a superb non-profit outfit this year, Bonazah Community Development of Africa, it was easy to see that I needed to research and determine what the best WordPress Support Ticket Plugins might be… since the people working with Bonazah were spread across the globe (all the way from my location in Seattle, to their HQ in Chesterfield, Virginia and at remote sites on the ground in Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya)!

 

After a day or so of downloading and activating the various plugins, it was clear that the BEST CHOICE for supporting that broad range of customers and locations was the WP Support Plus package; even the free version had almost everything required, but after my initial testing, it was clear that an upgrade to the Pro version was needed for a true and professionally functional experience for staff users… here are a few of the 33 or so features in the Pro version that made it easy to choose this excellent plugin:

 

HTML editing of tickets
Support Ticket Filtering
Edit subject, thread, custom fields
Add notes to ticket
Add extra CC, BCC while ticket reply for notification
Ticket Assign to single/multiple agents
Change Status, Priority, Category without replying to a ticket (Individual/Bulk)
Restrict front-end user role to access support functionality
Public/Private tickets
FAQ functionality

 

It was not only easy to install, but only required ONE “short-code” to make it functional and totally user-friendly.  My 45 years of experience in providing Customer Service allows me to provide a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for this unique and fully tailorable piece of software (and, NO, I am not being “paid” to say this)!!!  GET IT – now!!!

 

 

Extra-professional power provided by a generous donation of software and time from our friends at:

 

Mr. Pradeep Makone

And to Mr.