by Praveena Jayanarayanan | May 23, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
BizTalk360 v8.4 is now released for public with lots of exciting new features and enhancements. Many of our customers have upgraded to the latest version and started enjoying the new features. We at BizTalk360 support get a lot of queries in the form of tickets. Many customers are asking for the installation path, few raise some clarifications and others may be issues. We categorize the tickets as a clarification, feature requests, and bugs.
Our support team often get some strange issues which did not belong to either of these categories. I am here to explain about one such interesting case and how we identified the root cause and resolved it. As per the below quote,
“The job isn’t to just fix the problem. It is also to restore the customer’s confidence. DO BOTH!” – Shep Hyken
we, the BizTalk360 support team, always work hard to resolve the customers’ issues and achieve customer satisfaction.
The original case stated by the customer
There was a ticket from the customer stating that “Send port is not showing on BT360 Application portal”. In BizTalk360 console, the artifacts get listed when we navigate to Operations -> Application Support -> Applications. The case was that a send port was not getting listed here. But all the send ports were getting listed at the time of assigning alarm for monitoring activity. There was no issue with the other artifacts and they were getting listed properly.
Backtracking and Analyzing the case with the Network Response
Generally, when there is any issue related to UI, we ask for the JSON response from the Network tab in the Developer’s console of the browser. By pressing F12, we can open the browser console and check for any exceptions in the service calls. In the Network tab of the console, the service calls for each operation gets listed from which we can get the request headers and JSON response. This way we can check for the exception details and work on the same. So, we replied to the ticket asking for the network response. But we did not get the required information from the JSON response. The next step was to go on a call with the customer involving one of our technical team members through the web meeting with a screen sharing session.
In the web meeting, we tried different scenarios to check for the send ports. We tried in the Search Artifacts section and it was getting listed without any problem. But there was a weird thing seen. There were multiple entries for the same send port with different URI configured. This is the first time we have come across such an issue. But will this be the issue for the send port not getting listed? Let’s see what’s happening.
Discrepancy in the Send Port information
We exported the send port data from the customer and checked it. There were multiples entries for the same send port but with different transport type and protocols configured. But in BizTalk server, it does not allow us to create send ports with duplicate names. Then how come this would happen at the customer end? We started our investigation further. Then we found that the multiple entries were due to the backup transport configured for the send ports. But this was not the cause of the issue. What a strange issue? Shall we move further with the analysis?
Was the DB2 Adapter causing the real problem
On further analysis on this case, we found that DB2 adapter was being used in one of the send ports and it is not a standard BizTalk adapter. The BizTalk Adapter for DB2 is a send and receive adapter that enables BizTalk orchestrations to interact with host systems. Specifically, the adapter enables to send and receive operations over TCP/IP and APPC connections to DB2 databases running on a mainframe, AS/400, and UDB platforms. Based on Host Integration Server (HIS) technology, the adapter uses the Data Access Library to configure DB2 connections, and the Managed Provider for DB2 to issue SQL commands and stored procedures.
The trace logs also indicated a NULL assignment for the Transport type for the send port with this adapter. It’s a prerequisite for BizTalk360, that BizTalk Admin components must be installed in the BizTalk360 server, in case of the BizTalk360 standalone installation. Since DB2 adapter comes with HIS, it was suggested to the customer to install HIS in the BizTalk360 server and observe for the send ports listing. But even after installing HIS, the same issue persisted. We also tried to replicate the same scenario by installing HIS with the DB2 adapter in a BizTalk360 standalone server. The send ports with different combinations of adapters in the transport types were created and tested. But the issue was not reproducible. So, we concluded that the DB2 adapter was not the real cause of the problem.
The Console App made the trick
Sometimes, the issue may seem to be simple. But identifying the root cause of the issue is very difficult. And that too for some strange issues, it would be extremely difficult if the issue is not reproducible. It might not be good to disturb the customers often since they might be busy. Our next plan was to provide a console app to get the complete details of the send ports configured. This app was quite helpful for us to find the root cause. Read further to know the real cause.
The console app was given to the customer to get the complete details of the send ports. The app would give the result in the JSON format with all the details like the name, URI configured, transport type, send handlers etc., The BizTalk application which contained the send port and the database details must be entered in the app to fetch the response.
From the screenshot, we can see that the sendHandler for the secondaryTransport
does not contain the value of transport type. This was the cause for the send port not getting displayed. It was causing the exception.
Finally, the Backup Transport configuration was the cause
We probed further into the case as to why the sendHandler details were not coming up. The Backup transport was configured to “None” in the BizTalk admin console for that send port. Even though it was configured to None, we again asked them to update it again to None and then save it. This time, the issue was resolved and the send port got listed in BizTalk360 UI. It might have happened when importing the send port configuration, back up Transport Type is set to other than “None”. (Type can be empty or NULL).
If Transport type is other than None, then the code will generate the send handler and look for Transport Type. But it could not find the transport type and hence throws an error. The same issue happened in the production environment also and got resolved the same way.
Conclusion
When we import the send port configuration, we must make sure that the Backup transport type data is properly set to None. It should not be set to NULL or empty. This way we can make sure that all the send ports are getting listed in the BizTalk360 UI without any problem. We could identify this with the help of the console app.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
by Praveena Jayanarayanan | May 8, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
Here comes BizTalk360 version 8.4 with a bunch of exciting new features and enhancements as usual. As per the below quotes,
Customers often know more about your products than you do. Use them as a source of inspiration and ideas for product development. – David J. Greer
we always listen to the ideas of our customers and implement them for the product development. We make sure their suggestions are addressed and update them in the feedback portal. Based on the priority of the voting by the customers, the features are added to the product in the upcoming releases.
The Monitoring capability is the key feature of BizTalk360. Setting up monitoring is a very easy and quick task with two step process, create an alarm and map the artefact to be monitored. We can configure three different types of alarms namely Threshold, Health check and Data monitoring alarms.
In BizTalk360 v8.4, there are certain enhancements done as part of the alarms. The following are the features as part of the alarm configuration.
- Alarm renaming capability
- Segregation of Data monitoring alarms
- Alarm bulk status update.
In this article, we will have a look into each one of them.
Alarm renaming capability
Prior to v8.4, we cannot rename an alarm and it would be grayed when we edit an alarm. As per the feedback from many of the customers, we have included this ability in our latest release. So now you can rename the alarm as per the business requirement. This renaming applies to Data monitoring alarms also. Once the data monitor alarm is renamed, it will be reflected in the Data monitoring section as well.
With respect to the database changes, earlier, only the Alarm Name was referred in all the places and now AlarmId is being referred everywhere.
Limitation:
- You cannot have same names for two different alarms in the same environment. The alarms can have the same names across the environments.
Segregation of Data Monitoring alarms
In BizTalk360 v7.9 the Data Monitoring functionality was introduced. This also came as a requirement from the customers. It was designed to monitor the data transfer happening in the BizTalk server and trigger alerts based on the conditions set.
In the monitoring home dashboard screen, all the alarms are displayed in a drop down. There might be a chance of unintendingly mapping an artefact to the wrong data monitoring. This confusion can be avoided if the data monitoring alarms are separated from the other alarms. Hence the data monitoring alarms are now segregated and they will be available only in the Data Monitoring section. They will no more be available in the Monitoring home dashboard section and under the Manage Mapping drop-down.
Alarm bulk status update
Under Settings -> Stop alert for maintenance, BizTalk360 has the capability to stop all the alarms from triggering emails. This was as per the feedback from the customer for which we received many votes.
From a business perspective, customers can have created many alarms and a situation might arise that they want to disable certain alarms for maintenance purposes, instead of stopping all of them at once.
In this version of BizTalk360, we can select multiple alarms and enable/disable them at once by clicking on the “Status” button. This is a newly added option for alarm status update. It might look like a small improvement done, but it will be very helpful when doing large implementations and transitions.
What happens during the migration?
Migration scenarios occur when a customer upgrades from a lower version to the latest one. Lot of testing efforts is required to ensure that all the information is retained after migrating from a lower version to higher one. We need to take care that all the data gets migrated without any problem and there is no data loss happening from each of the versions. Also, new changes must get reflected. Extensive testing efforts need to be put to see that this is taken care of and we have assured this.
When the customers migrate from the old versions to the latest one, the ability to edit the alarm name will be shown. The following picture contains some of the migration scenarios that were tested.
One important thing to be noted is the listing of data monitoring alarms. In the older versions, we can see the data monitoring alarms getting listed along with the other types of alarms. Now in the new version, they will get displayed only in the data monitoring section. However, we can edit the names of those alarms in the Manage Alarms page.
Conclusion
Apart from the alarm configuration changes, we have a lot of new features like Logic Apps Data monitoring, IBM MQ monitoring and folder monitoring. We always hear the feedback and suggestions from the customers and try hard to fulfill them to make our product better and at the same time to achieve 100% customer satisfaction.
You can write to us at support@biztalk360.com. Have a try at our latest version by downloading a 14-day free trial of BizTalk360.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
by Praveena Jayanarayanan | May 8, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
Here comes BizTalk360 version 8.4 with a bunch of exciting new features and enhancements as usual. As per the below quotes,
Customers often know more about your products than you do. Use them as a source of inspiration and ideas for product development. – David J. Greer
we always listen to the ideas of our customers and implement them for the product development. We make sure their suggestions are addressed and update them in the feedback portal. Based on the priority of the voting by the customers, the features are added to the product in the upcoming releases.
The Monitoring capability is the key feature of BizTalk360. Setting up monitoring is a very easy and quick task with two step process, create an alarm and map the artefact to be monitored. We can configure three different types of alarms namely Threshold, Health check and Data monitoring alarms.
In BizTalk360 v8.4, there are certain enhancements done as part of the alarms. The following are the features as part of the alarm configuration.
- Alarm renaming capability
- Segregation of Data monitoring alarms
- Alarm bulk status update.
In this article, we will have a look into each one of them.
Alarm renaming capability
Prior to v8.4, we cannot rename an alarm and it would be grayed when we edit an alarm. As per the feedback from many of the customers, we have included this ability in our latest release. So now you can rename the alarm as per the business requirement. This renaming applies to Data monitoring alarms also. Once the data monitor alarm is renamed, it will be reflected in the Data monitoring section as well.
With respect to the database changes, earlier, only the Alarm Name was referred in all the places and now AlarmId is being referred everywhere.
Limitation:
- You cannot have same names for two different alarms in the same environment. The alarms can have the same names across the environments.
Segregation of Data Monitoring alarms
In BizTalk360 v7.9 the Data Monitoring functionality was introduced. This also came as a requirement from the customers. It was designed to monitor the data transfer happening in the BizTalk server and trigger alerts based on the conditions set.
In the monitoring home dashboard screen, all the alarms are displayed in a drop down. There might be a chance of unintendingly mapping an artefact to the wrong data monitoring. This confusion can be avoided if the data monitoring alarms are separated from the other alarms. Hence the data monitoring alarms are now segregated and they will be available only in the Data Monitoring section. They will no more be available in the Monitoring home dashboard section and under the Manage Mapping drop-down.
Alarm bulk status update
Under Settings -> Stop alert for maintenance, BizTalk360 has the capability to stop all the alarms from triggering emails. This was as per the feedback from the customer for which we received many votes.
From a business perspective, customers can have created many alarms and a situation might arise that they want to disable certain alarms for maintenance purposes, instead of stopping all of them at once.
In this version of BizTalk360, we can select multiple alarms and enable/disable them at once by clicking on the “Status” button. This is a newly added option for alarm status update. It might look like a small improvement done, but it will be very helpful when doing large implementations and transitions.
What happens during the migration?
Migration scenarios occur when a customer upgrades from a lower version to the latest one. Lot of testing efforts is required to ensure that all the information is retained after migrating from a lower version to higher one. We need to take care that all the data gets migrated without any problem and there is no data loss happening from each of the versions. Also, new changes must get reflected. Extensive testing efforts need to be put to see that this is taken care of and we have assured this.
When the customers migrate from the old versions to the latest one, the ability to edit the alarm name will be shown. The following picture contains some of the migration scenarios that were tested.
One important thing to be noted is the listing of data monitoring alarms. In the older versions, we can see the data monitoring alarms getting listed along with the other types of alarms. Now in the new version, they will get displayed only in the data monitoring section. However, we can edit the names of those alarms in the Manage Alarms page.
Conclusion
Apart from the alarm configuration changes, we have a lot of new features like Logic Apps Data monitoring, IBM MQ monitoring and folder monitoring. We always hear the feedback and suggestions from the customers and try hard to fulfill them to make our product better and at the same time to achieve 100% customer satisfaction.
You can write to us at support@biztalk360.com. Have a try at our latest version by downloading a 14-day free trial of BizTalk360.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
by Praveena Jayanarayanan | May 8, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
Here comes BizTalk360 version 8.4 with a bunch of exciting new features and enhancements as usual. As per the below quotes,
Customers often know more about your products than you do. Use them as a source of inspiration and ideas for product development. – David J. Greer
we always listen to the ideas of our customers and implement them for the product development. We make sure their suggestions are addressed and update them in the feedback portal. Based on the priority of the voting by the customers, the features are added to the product in the upcoming releases.
The Monitoring capability is the key feature of BizTalk360. Setting up monitoring is a very easy and quick task with two step process, create an alarm and map the artefact to be monitored. We can configure three different types of alarms namely Threshold, Health check and Data monitoring alarms.
In BizTalk360 v8.4, there are certain enhancements done as part of the alarms. The following are the features as part of the alarm configuration.
- Alarm renaming capability
- Segregation of Data monitoring alarms
- Alarm bulk status update.
In this article, we will have a look into each one of them.
Alarm renaming capability
Prior to v8.4, we cannot rename an alarm and it would be grayed when we edit an alarm. As per the feedback from many of the customers, we have included this ability in our latest release. So now you can rename the alarm as per the business requirement. This renaming applies to Data monitoring alarms also. Once the data monitor alarm is renamed, it will be reflected in the Data monitoring section as well.
With respect to the database changes, earlier, only the Alarm Name was referred in all the places and now AlarmId is being referred everywhere.
Limitation:
- You cannot have same names for two different alarms in the same environment. The alarms can have the same names across the environments.
Segregation of Data Monitoring alarms
In BizTalk360 v7.9 the Data Monitoring functionality was introduced. This also came as a requirement from the customers. It was designed to monitor the data transfer happening in the BizTalk server and trigger alerts based on the conditions set.
In the monitoring home dashboard screen, all the alarms are displayed in a drop down. There might be a chance of unintendingly mapping an artefact to the wrong data monitoring. This confusion can be avoided if the data monitoring alarms are separated from the other alarms. Hence the data monitoring alarms are now segregated and they will be available only in the Data Monitoring section. They will no more be available in the Monitoring home dashboard section and under the Manage Mapping drop-down.
Alarm bulk status update
Under Settings -> Stop alert for maintenance, BizTalk360 has the capability to stop all the alarms from triggering emails. This was as per the feedback from the customer for which we received many votes.
From a business perspective, customers can have created many alarms and a situation might arise that they want to disable certain alarms for maintenance purposes, instead of stopping all of them at once.
In this version of BizTalk360, we can select multiple alarms and enable/disable them at once by clicking on the “Status” button. This is a newly added option for alarm status update. It might look like a small improvement done, but it will be very helpful when doing large implementations and transitions.
What happens during the migration?
Migration scenarios occur when a customer upgrades from a lower version to the latest one. Lot of testing efforts is required to ensure that all the information is retained after migrating from a lower version to higher one. We need to take care that all the data gets migrated without any problem and there is no data loss happening from each of the versions. Also, new changes must get reflected. Extensive testing efforts need to be put to see that this is taken care of and we have assured this.
When the customers migrate from the old versions to the latest one, the ability to edit the alarm name will be shown. The following picture contains some of the migration scenarios that were tested.
One important thing to be noted is the listing of data monitoring alarms. In the older versions, we can see the data monitoring alarms getting listed along with the other types of alarms. Now in the new version, they will get displayed only in the data monitoring section. However, we can edit the names of those alarms in the Manage Alarms page.
Conclusion
Apart from the alarm configuration changes, we have a lot of new features like Logic Apps Data monitoring, IBM MQ monitoring and folder monitoring. We always hear the feedback and suggestions from the customers and try hard to fulfill them to make our product better and at the same time to achieve 100% customer satisfaction.
You can write to us at support@biztalk360.com. Have a try at our latest version by downloading a 14-day free trial of BizTalk360.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
by Praveena Jayanarayanan | May 3, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
In my previous blog, I have explained about the BizTalk360 support process and the different steps we have taken to resolve the ticket raised by the customer. It includes sending emails, getting into calls with the customer with screen sharing sessions, internal tracking of the tickets in case of a bug and escalating to the next level senior technical members.
In this blog, I will explain about the responsibilities of the support engineers, different levels of Support and how we are working hard to extend the support journey to the next level by making it happen 24 x 7.
Let’s get the real picture of support. Here we go!!!
The BizTalk360 Support team:
We have two teams working in support, one from India office and the other from UK office. This way we make sure that the customer tickets are taken care, irrespective of time and time zone.
We receive support tickets through many channels.
- Directly from BizTalk360 application. We have the question mark icon on the top right corner of the application UI. In case of any issues, the customer can directly create support tickets by clicking on that link.
- Through feedback forums. The customers can post their valuable suggestions and feedback in that forum. Also, for any enhancements, which are required from customer end, we do have an option of posting enhancements/ feature requests in our user-voice portal http://feedback.biztalk360.com/ where we collect all requirements in a single place and we pick the popular features to be implemented based on the voting done by various customers.
- The sales and marketing teams also get queries and issues that the customer raise through a mailing to them. They can also create support tickets and assign to us.
- Finally, we get the support tickets directly through our support channel.
When a customer finds an issue with BizTalk360, they can either send an email to support@biztalk360.com or log in to the Support portal and create the ticket. Our support engineers will get an email notification for the same. The support assist portal gives a clear picture of the number of tickets raised and which agent is working on which ticket. So, once an email notification is received by the agent, they go to the portal and check the ticket.
Escalation Levels:
There are three levels of the support team at BizTalk360. The ticket once raised gets assigned to a level 1 (L1) support engineer. They do the first level of analysis and respond to the customer if the resolution is available. BizTalk360 Support Portal consists of more than 500 articles explaining about the functionality of each module. We also forward articles to customers, if they are relevant to the issue. The conversations move between the support engineer and the customer till the issue is resolved and the ticket is closed after customer’s confirmation.
We will segregate the ticket as clarification, bug and feature request.
What if the case is clarification?
If the customer has raised a ticket asking for some clarification regarding the functionality of a feature, or some issues in loading the application, we ask for the setup details from the customer, like the environment configuration. There may be back and forth communication happening with the details. Our support portal consists of numerous articles with detailed steps for resolving certain issues and details about the functionality of each module. Hence we also point to the relevant assist document that may resolve the issue reported.
What if the case raised is a bug?
We test the cases raised and if we can reproduce them, then they are considered as bugs which need to be fixed in the releases, based on the severity and priority. We have an internal tracking system to take care of the bugs with the defined workflow. You might have already guessed it: Yes, it’s JIRA! Some cases may be issues, but not reproducible. In that scenario, we ask for the web meeting with the customer and check it at their environment with the screen sharing session.
After the first step analysis of the L1 team, what if they are not able to find the cause of the issue? Here comes the L2 team for support!!!! We would escalate the issue to the L2 team which consists of the technical team. They would analyze the case and provide their inputs as a reply to the ticket. From the start of the ticket raised, till it’s getting closed, is taken care by the L1 team. We send the meeting invite on behalf of the L2 team in case a call is required with the customer. From the ticket raised till it’s getting closed, it’s the responsibility of the L1 support engineer to see if the ticket is properly followed up and getting closed. This prevents that the customer gets confused as otherwise, they would have to deal with different support agents.
What if the case raised is a feature request?
Most of the customers give their valuable suggestions and feedback regarding the features in BizTalk360. They may also request for additional features to be included. The ideas are collected and posted in the feedback portal and later taken into development based on the priority of voting by the customers.
Handover process:
As mentioned earlier, we have two support teams working in different time zones. To keep track of the tickets and to see that they are responded in time, we have a handover process maintained in our support. We send the handover mail from one to another at the end of the day. The mail will contain the details of the ticket number, the agent working on, the status of the ticket and the instructions to be followed during the follow-up. So, the agent following the ticket will take necessary action based on the comments.
Since about half a year we started using Microsoft Teams as an alternative to Skype and Outlook. This creates a clear visibility to all the team members about the tasks we do and the tickets worked upon. The handover process is also continued in the Teams. During the end of the day, each team will be sending the details of the follow-up tickets.
We do conduct catch up meetings twice a day to discuss the tickets that require technical assistance. This is also posted in Teams. This way we make sure that the tickets are responded with the relevant details and properly tracked.
Conclusion
We are aiming to extend the support to make it 24/7 so that the tickets raised by all our customers over the globe are tracked and responded appropriately. This way we can achieve 100% customer satisfaction and contribute to the growth of the company.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
by Praveena Jayanarayanan | Feb 20, 2017 | BizTalk Community Blogs via Syndication
The BizTalk360 Support Process
As the product support team, we are customer facing people. The support forms the backbone of every product developed. In BizTalk360 we follow the mantra of “Exceptional Customer Support” and this is made possible through our support process.
In our flagship product, BizTalk360, the all-in-one solution for Operating, Monitoring and Analyzing Microsoft BizTalk environments, customer support plays a major role. The BizTalk360 support started with the tradition ways like emails and calls. Soon our CTO, Saravana Kumar, realized that we should have a proper channel for communication and recording the issues. This was possible with Freshdesk. There starts the support process: a complete rule management system.
The customers raise issues and we track these through the assist portal with Freshdesk. What if that issue is really a bug? We have to provide the fix. Here comes the Jira software for internal tracking purpose and to coordinate with the internal technical team. Sometimes, we do need to check for issues at customer end. Then we use GoToMeeting for a screen sharing session with the customer. This is the complete pack of the BizTalk360 support process.
The story of BizTalk360 support with Freshdesk
The motto being “Customer happiness, refreshingly easy“, BizTalk360 support also aims for the same. The dashboard is the most significant feature, it gives a clear picture of all the open, overdue and unresolved tickets. We can see our conversations with the customer by clicking on each ticket. This channel seems to have improved the support process.
As a Product support team, we make sure there are no long pending tickets. We have included the customer survey which will rate our support to the customer. The portal takes care of rule management so that the tickets get assigned to the right people. Whenever a customer raises an issue, support team members get a notification email. The ticket gets assigned to the person who will take the responsibility of resolving the issue.
The number of conversations with the customer also matters. We cannot go on dragging the issue for a long time until and unless, the customer is busy and delayed in response. There is an “Add private note” section where the internal team members get notified about the discussion on the issue raised, if any technical assistance is required.
We have the escalation process in our support to make sure the customer’s issue is taken care of and resolved in time. There are different levels of support team namely L1, L2, L3 and L4 in the ascending order. When a customer raises a ticket, it gets assigned to the L1 Team. This team does the analysis and provides the solution to the customer. In case, if we need any help in resolving the ticket, we escalate it to the next L2 level technical team, adding our observations and details in the private notes section. If it cannot be resolved by L2, then its moved to the L3 team and so on. The L1 team will make the follow ups on the escalated tickets and make sure that they are responded in time and closed after getting resolved.
Interested to have a look at the BizTalk360 Support Portal?
Leader-board Achievements
The activities of the support team can be monitored through the dashboard of the BizTalk360 Freshdesk. It says who has done what. The rating in the Leaderboard is based on the number of conversations that we handle to resolve the issue and close the ticket. This helps to improve the agent productivity. The different trophies based on the different criteria include:
- Most Valuable Player: Agent with the most overall points for the current month.
- Customer “Wow” Champion: Agent with the maximum Customer Satisfaction points for the current month.
- Sharpshooter: Agent with the highest First Call Resolution (Ticket was solved with only one interaction between agent and customer) points for the current month.
- Speed Racer: Agent with the maximum points for Fast Resolution (Ticket was solved in under an hour) for the current month.
The Leaderboard is reset on the first of every month so everyone can start over with a clean slate.
Recently we started with the addition of survey rating for our support. When the survey rating was started, my teammate Sivaramakrishnan was leading in all the four categories. Our team is really proud of him. Being with the team for two whole years, he has gained a very good knowledge on the functionality of the product.
Behind every brilliant performance there were countless hours of practice and preparation.
– Eric Butterworth
This motivation is required for each and every team member to gain high customer satisfaction with clear and appropriate resolution to the issues raised. Of course, we do have some lags when the issue raised by the customer is a rare scenario, which we might not have seen before. Then unfortunately there are a large number of interactions which may make the customer frustrated. The customer’s experience or feelings will help to improve business, especially in the areas of Sales and Marketing. Positive experiences get passed along and even the bad experience would turn into a lesson of improvement for our BizTalk360 Support team. For quick resolution we also set up web meetings through GoToMeeting website where we can have a screen sharing session with customers.
The SLA’s for the tickets would be based on the priority of the tickets raised. For example, for a low priority ticket, the due date would be three days. We see to it that we resolve the tickets on time for better customer satisfaction.
The status of the tickets is categorized as Open, Pending, Bug, New Feature Request etc., based on the issues raised and the conversations handled. When we wait for a reply from the customer, we set the status as “Waiting on Customer”. The status of the ticket is changed to closed, once the issue is resolved. This is called “refreshingly easy”, where every act refreshes the status of the issue raised. For the New Feature request, we recommend the customer to add it to our user voice in the feedback portal, where we collect new requirements or enhanced requirements of existing features and take it for development, based on the number of votes received.
The Jira software
The customer raises an issue and if it’s found to be a bug, we have an internal tracking system called Jira. This issue tracking software is used by development and technical support team to get more work done and getting it done faster. When we confirm that an issue is a bug, we create a Jira ticket, assign it to the development team and tag the ticket as “bug” in the Assist portal. They will fix the issue and add it to the upcoming release. We can define the workflow for the same. This is used as an internal tracking system for us. Jira is updated whenever the issue is fixed. We will inform the customer about the fix and close the ticket once after the customer confirmation.
The GoToMeeting
What if we are not able to reproduce the issue raised by the customer or we need to know their environment setup? Instead of dragging on too many conversations, it would be better if we contact the customer directly. But how? Here comes the GoToMeeting, which is an online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software that enables the user to meet customers via internet in real time. This way, the customer will be able to show their issue where either we can directly resolve them or get the appropriate details regarding the issue.
Before arranging for the meeting, we will confirm the convenient time of the customer and then send the invite. This helps the customer to prepare their environment and even helps us to collect the necessary details. Some customers feel happy when we ask for the call because they feel that it is the faster way to resolve the issue. But some may feel that it’s a waste of time, if we don’t provide a solution or if we ask for some other information.
We get a chance to interact with different types of customers in the call. Some of them would patiently listen to us, explain their problem and provide the required details. But some of them would become impatient when we ask them some details. But we assure that the issue gets resolved at the earliest so that the customer’s confidence is not shaken.
Conclusion
With the different tracking systems along with the Support Assist portal, we are providing an exceptional customer support. This can be known from the customer survey ratings, where we have got the rating as “Awesome” making the agents as the “Customer Wow Champion”. We continue our teamwork in achieving “Maximum Customer Satisfaction”.
Author: Praveena Jayanarayanan
I am working as Senior Support Engineer at BizTalk360. I always believe in team work leading to success because “We all cannot do everything or solve every issue. ‘It’s impossible’. However, if we each simply do our part, make our own contribution, regardless of how small we may think it is…. together it adds up and great things get accomplished.” View all posts by Praveena Jayanarayanan
