Multi asset by ticket, how to?

[Rayman]

Hi guys I am in trial period, sorry if this question has already been answered.

Lets say a customer call to go check 10 machines. How to add more than one asset to a ticket, and particulary add troubleshooting notes to each one, as well to replaced parts?

Do I need to create a ticket for every machine? How about if the customer calls in and says have three machines with problems, but when the tech arrives he/she realizes are 10 machines with problems instead of three? How to add those machines on demand.

Regards,

[Support Team]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Thank you for asking. A Ticket should be created for each device separately. This is even more true when, as you described, technicians needs to write specific notes at the machine level. This way the entire service history for each machine (Asset) will be displayed under the Asset without mixing other Assets service notes and history.

Also, you can easily copy an existing Ticket to a new one - when you do - you can select the Asset you now want to link it to. All of the Ticket record details will be copied automatically.

Hope this helps.

[AN-Tech]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Commit, Can you tell me if there has been alot of requests for being able to multiple assets to a ticket? I know that we requested it many years ago and still would greatly benefit from this feature.

In our case because we cannot have more then one asset on the ticket we do not typically even use the field and instead record the computers worked on in the description, history notes, or resolution fields. It doesn't make any sense to create 10 separate tickets for identical work being performed on them. It makes much more sense to have one ticket with 10 assets tied to it. Currently to look at the history of a system we have to use multiple filters on the ticket list. It would make it alot cleaner and easier to just be able to select an asset and have a complete history tab.

[Support Team]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Yes, we have received other requests for this and we evaluate it from time to time. The level of complexity this adds is very high. Much more than meets the eye when initially suggested. Yet, we thank you for the feedback and this is not our last word on this subject.

[AN-Tech]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

I can understand that it may be complex to update. I just hate to see features that go unused in CommitCRM because they don't support the way technicians do things. Being able to add only one asset to a ticket might not sound like a big deal but if you try to use it in the real world it just doesn't work, I'm sure many here would agree.

[Support Team]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

We definitely understand and we've analyzed this business case already. The result is more open questions than we started up with, what might have result in making the system way more complex. For example, if one Asset is managed and another one is not - which Contract the Ticket is opened under? If the technician spent two hours - should you remove it from the block of time for one-off repairs, or is it covered by the managed contract? so, you can then split the Charges into many Charges but again, many will don't want to do that. Another example, the Asset lists its own history and tickets related to it, now if many different Assets are related to the same Ticket lot of history notes, charges and other performed activity might be listed under the Asset history even though it completely relates to another Asset under the ticket. There are plenty of other such questions that need to be answered before we go ahead and adding support 1:N relationship support between a Ticket and Assets. What we really try to avoid is making the system too complex with unexpected end user results. We've seen some implementations of this which are, well, really bad. We really try to avoid getting there... We're not saying that we will not be supporting this sometime, however, we do say that the design here is more complex than it seems. Rest assure that we definitely understand your requirements and needs here. Hope this makes sense and thanks again for discussing this with us.

[nattivillin]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Thanks for the breakdown. It helps me to put the request into a not easy to do category. Not just from your side, but from our side as well.

I often start with "how will this monster look when we're done?" It seems you have already pondered that.

When we do a checkup that involves many systems, we don't assign it to any of them. We create an asset called general, and charge all general support items that that.

[Rayman]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Thanks support, Is there any way to speed up adding tickets on demand process from a mobile phone? It may just be that the navigation design makes it feel adding more tickets takes so many taps and time. In fact the whole mobile website is clumsy . I gave it to two of my young techs that are pretty good with smartphones, and they said easily lose track of where they were creating a whole bunch of duplicates. Mobile website needs urgent work.

[Support Team]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

As an alternative you can consider using the Email Connector with these advanced configurations - then - a technician simply sends an email to the RangerMSP Email Connector which in turn automatically converts it into a service Ticket under the identified account.

[raymond]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

we also keep touching on the notion of adding multiple asset references to a ticket. since this can't be done, we simply don't link any assets to any tickets (it needs to be an all or nothing process or will quickly become useless information/work). When working on a ticket, we often touch multiple assets so this would definitly be useful. Even if it were initiated from the asset (right click in the tickets tab and select our new "link ticket" option).

On a side note, it would be super useful to be able to link a document to multiple assets.

thanks --

//ray

[extrascope]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Hi, we are in the process of evaluating the software and whilst we will most likely purchase, it is a major downside that we cannot add multiple assets to a ticket. It is so rare that we would attend a callout to carry out just one job. There are usually about 3 or 4 and that is then doubled on site. Adding all this information into seperate tickets is very time consuming and so we dont see ourselves using this feature.

Maybe it would be useful to have the system automatically create the additional tickets for you via a popu windows where you can enter asset, problem, resolution information for each sub-ticket. The sub-tickets can then inherit main information from the master ticket.

[Support Team]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. It will be considered.

[raymond]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

We had the discussion again in our weekly meeting and it seems that all our techs still come to the conclusion that linking a ticket to multiple assets is critical to being able to see and understand what is happening with that asset. All we want to do is build a history of what happened with an asset by linking any ticket that had something key about that asset – and it happens frequently that a ticket touches multiple assets. As far as I can see, linking a ticket to an asset has absolutely nothing to do with contracts or charges so talking about splitting charges doesn’t apply here. In fact, assets don't even have a contract field or custom charges tab!!

There is also mention of something about how the history information would become mixed and overwhelming... I'm not understanding this at all. Ticket history stays with the ticket... asset history stays with the asset. When these are linked, the history for each item should show when it was linked but that's it... there is no blending of the history from one into the other (it doesn't do that now) -- nothing changes! We look at the ticket list under the asset, review the ticket and if we need to get more details, we open the ticket and review that. Simple.

There seems to be a very simple resolution to all this: get rid of the asset field for tickets and create an asset tab just like there is a ticket tab for assets. Done!!!

Unless I'm missing something (and if I am, please explain what the asset field in a ticket does other than create a link back to an asset), this really is simple to implement (it's just a pointer list) and as you said, "we have received other requests for this and we evaluate it from time to time". Maybe it’s time to implement?

Thanks --

//ray

[Rayman]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

We decided not to go with CommitCRM because of this. Every tech sees an average of 5 devices per visit, I cant always send the same guy for the next visit so we rely on previous history. Without a real asset history tracking my techs and I would be lost. I cant remember the number of systems I've tried and I see a huge lack of understanding from the software developer prospective of how a Tech day in the field is. They dont realize that three months down the road one have to go back to the same place and remember what the heck you or someone else did on the last visit, then waste hours troubleshooting something previosly diagnosed, that with proper software information could've taken 5 minutes. That really affects my bottom line, I know there is a smart way.

I may need to hire a developer.

Rayman

[aaspeer]

Re: Multi asset by ticket, how to?

We would really like to see this feature added, we consider it one of the big features that CommitCRM is lacking (that and direct exchange sync support) Other than that, we are very happy with CommitCRM.

Austin Speer
Onward IT Consultants