All requests, regardless of how they were created, are available in Requests → Requests. You can search, filter, and further process the records.
Unlike a assignee account, a customer account cannot change the assignee or status of a request. You can enable many other actions through permissions, some of which are charged, such as adding a fulfilment to the request.
Double-clicking, clicking on the request name, or right-clicking and selecting the desired action in the request row will open a window with a form similar to the one used when creating a request. After saving the request, most fields on the request form are locked for the customer. However, the form is simultaneously expanded with additional options that make the request module a comprehensive tool not only for the helpdesk. The displayed options depend on the access type and permission level assigned to the user.
If you leave the system in its default state, the following operations can be performed on a request from the customer’s perspective:
- discussion with the operator
- communication via external email
- commenting on quotes for a request
- tracking costs using order fulfilment for a request
- account for a request
Basic overview of the request
Once a request has been created, the record details are accessible to the customer account in Requests → Requests. The customer can only view records for which they have visibility permissions. We cover the topics of visibility and permissions for accessing requests in detail in the documentation sections Permissions and Access to Requests.
After viewing the details of a request that is currently being processed, the customer cannot edit individual fields in the form. However, the customer can monitor the current status of the request or view its detailed history, which is available on the History tab.
In some cases, depending on the permissions or configuration of the request template, the customer can edit the request’s custom fields. This applies primarily to situations where additional information is required from the customer. We will discuss other actions that can be performed on a request from the customer’s role in later sections of this documentation.
Discussion with the operator
The discussion forum is intended for communication between the customer and the assignee. All posts are available under the Discussion tab in the request details (this tab becomes available only after a request is created, and its visibility also depends on the permission settings for the logged-in user). Posts are sorted from newest to oldest. The checkboxes above the list allow you to hide posts informing about changes to the request status. To add a post to the discussion, use the button + Discussion.
After clicking the button, a form for posting a discussion message will appear. The form contains the following fields:
- To – a field for selecting the recipients of the discussion message. Recipients can be added manually by selecting from the list that appears after clicking in the recipient field or by entering an email address. Some recipients are added automatically. Recipients can be removed by clicking the icon x next to the recipient’s name. Below the field is a list of notification recipients:
- Automatically added – recipients are automatically populated based on the notification settings for the request; the recipients also include the contact for the customer who has enabled notifications from requests
- Manually added – a manually added recipient can be a user, a customer contact, or an email address. These recipients are color-coded to distinguish them from automatically added recipients
All contacts set to receive notifications will be notified of all subsequent posts as well, unless they are removed from the list (by clicking the icon x next to the contact).
- Template – the option to choose from predefined templates, which will be used to pre-fill the text of a discussion post. The template must be defined in advance in the section Global Settings → Requests → Basic Settings → section Discussion and ext-mail requests.
- Message – text field for entering the content of the post, with the option to format text, insert images, or videos
- File attachment field – on the right side is a field for uploading a file, such as a screenshot or photo. Clicking this area opens a file selection dialog; alternatively, locate the file on your PC and use drag-&-drop to move it to the field.
- Signature – a field for selecting a signature to be appended to the end of a discussion post. The signature must be defined in advance in the user profile (in the section My Profile → section Setting discussion signatures for requests).
To submit your post, click Post to the discussion. The button Preview discussion allows you to preview the email or customer notification before sending it. Clicking the option Hide post (button X) hides the post and saves it as a draft. Clicking the option Delete permanently deletes the drafted post.
Communication via ext-mail
External mail (Ext-mail) expands communication options beyond standard requests by enabling communication with third parties in a manner similar to email. This feature is available in the request details on the Ext-mail tab, which becomes accessible after creating a request; its visibility also depends on the permission settings for the logged-in user. Communication can be divided into multiple threads according to your needs. Messages are sent only to the specified addresses, and there are no default recipients. Similarly, replies are sent only to the specified addresses within a given thread.
To create a new thread, click the “+ New Ext-mail” button. After clicking, a form will appear with the following fields:
- From – the name and email address of the external email sender. The field is automatically pre-filled with the logged-in user’s name and cannot be edited.
- To – the field for entering external email recipients. Users from the system are available for selection, or it is possible to manually enter a new email address (even outside the CDESK system).
- Cc – field for entering the email addresses of recipients to be included in the Cc of the ext-mail (similar to standard emails).
- Subject – subject of the ext-mail. The field is automatically pre-filled with the request number and name, which can be edited.
- Message – text field for entering the content of the ext-mail, with text formatting options.
- Signature – field for selecting a signature to be appended to the end of the ext-mail. The signature must be predefined in the user profile (in the section My Profile → section Setting signatures for discussion on requests).
- File attachment field – in this section, you can upload files to the ext-mail. Clicking on this area opens a file selection dialog; alternatively, locate the file on your PC and use drag-&-drop to move it to the field. You can also attach files from the request to the ext-mail by selecting the desired attachments in the form section Attaching files from the request.
On the right side of the form, there is a section for attaching request attributes. By selecting individual parameters, the chosen attributes will be added to the body of the ext-mail, ensuring that message recipients receive all the information they need. The following attributes can be attached:
- Request number and name
- Request description
- Company
- Request completion date
- Solution
- Internal note
You send an external email by clicking the Send E-mail button. If you do not send the composed email, it will remain saved as a draft. All emails recorded on the request are accessible on the Ext-mail tab. All records are displayed, with the option to view only received or only sent ext-mails.
Commenting on offers on a request
The request may also include saved offers. The tab with offers will only become available on the request after the request record has been created. This allows the customer to monitor and comment on offers from the operator. The offer becomes available to the customer once it is set to the awaiting acceptance status, at which point the customer also receives an email notification. The customer is then expected to respond to the individual items in the offer.
The offer details are displayed after clicking on a specific offer in the list of offers. The form is divided into two sections:
- Basic Information – basic information about the offer entered by the operator; the customer cannot edit this information.
- Items – a list of offer items that the customer can approve or deny. Items can be addressed either individually by confirming each line, or in bulk by clicking the accept / deny button above the list of items.
The customer confirms their decision by clicking the Save button.
Depending on the customer’s response, an offer can take on one of the following statuses:
- Accepted – after all items in the offer have been accepted.
- Partially accepted – the offer is set to this status if the customer approves only some of the items or denies some of them.
- Denied – after all items in the offer have been denied.
The customer may change their decision until the offer is marked by the operator as Processed or Cancelled – once the status changes to one of these, the offer can no longer be edited.
Overview of fulfilments on a request (cost tracking)
One of the actions available on an existing request is making the overview of fulfilments accessible. Using fulfilments, the request assignee tracks the work performed while resolving the request. The customer account thus gains an overview of activities carried out on the request and the costs related to fulfilling it. The fulfilment overview is available on the Fulfilments tab in the request detail. This tab becomes accessible once the request is created, and its visibility also depends on the permission settings of the signed-in user.
Account associated with the request
In the Request account section, you can record expected revenue related to the resolution of a request. You transfer the request account to an accounting system, e.g. Seyfor Money, where an incoming purchase order is created. This functionality is available only with a valid connection to a supported accounting system via the CDESK system connector. After connecting the accounting system, the agendas required for this connection—such as the customer directory, inventory cards, inventory status, or price lists—are imported into CDESK.
Stock items assigned to fulfilments with an accounting item are automatically added to the request account. Items not supported by the accounting system—such as labor hours for a delivery in Seyfor Money systems—must be recorded as an stock item; otherwise, they will appear in the Items not included in the request account section.
Once the request has been closed (by changing the status to closed), you can send the prepared request account to the accounting system as an purchase order by clicking the + Create a purchase purchase order in Money S4/S5 from the account button. Based on our experience, we recommend designating a designated person who will receive a notification email upon completion of the request. This person will then review the individual items and send the purchase order to the accounting system, where the invoicing process continues. Details about the created purchase order are displayed in the ERP section (for example, Money S4/S5). In case of additional changes to the items, the purchase order can be updated by clicking the button Update purchase order in Money S4/S5 from the account.