FluentSupport - Customer Support Helpdesk

What FluentSupport Does

FluentSupport is a complete customer support helpdesk system for your website. It enables you to manage customer inquiries, create support tickets, maintain a knowledge base, and provide efficient customer service directly from your site's admin panel.

Accessing FluentSupport

After installation and activation, access FluentSupport through your website's admin dashboard:

1. Log into your admin panel
2. Find "FluentSupport" in the left sidebar menu
3. Click on "FluentSupport" to open the support dashboard

Initial Setup

Configuring Basic Settings

1. Navigate to FluentSupport → Settings
2. Complete the setup wizard:
   • Set your business information
   • Configure email settings
   • Choose your support portal design
   • Set up user permissions
3. Click "Save Settings"

Creating Support Agents

1. Go to FluentSupport → Agents
2. Click "Add New Agent"
3. Select existing users or invite new ones
4. Assign permissions and departments
5. Set availability status
6. Save agent settings

Managing Support Tickets

Viewing and Responding to Tickets

1. Navigate to FluentSupport → Tickets
2. Click on any ticket to open it
3. Review the customer's message and any attachments
4. Type your response in the reply box
5. Choose response options:
   • Reply: Send response and keep ticket open
   • Reply & Close: Send response and mark as resolved
   • Internal Note: Add private notes for other agents
6. Click "Send Response"

Ticket Status Management

Tickets can have various statuses:

• New: Recently submitted, awaiting first response
• Active: Currently being worked on
• Waiting: Awaiting customer response
• Closed: Issue resolved

Assigning Tickets

1. Open the ticket you want to assign
2. Look for the "Assign" dropdown in the ticket details
3. Select an agent or department
4. Add assignment notes if needed
5. Save changes

Creating and Managing Departments

Setting Up Departments

1. Go to FluentSupport → Settings → Departments
2. Click "Add New Department"
3. Enter department details:
   • Name (e.g., "Technical Support", "Billing")
   • Description
   • Email address
   • Assigned agents
4. Configure auto-assignment rules
5. Save department

Building a Knowledge Base

Creating Articles

1. Navigate to FluentSupport → Knowledge Base
2. Click "Add New Article"
3. Enter article title and content
4. Add relevant tags and categories
5. Set article visibility (public/private)
6. Publish the article

Organizing Content

1. Create categories for different topics
2. Use tags for cross-referencing articles
3. Set up a logical hierarchy
4. Add search functionality for easy navigation

Customer Portal Features

Setting Up the Customer Portal

1. Go to FluentSupport → Settings → Portal
2. Configure portal appearance:
   • Logo and branding
   • Color scheme
   • Welcome message
3. Set up customer registration options
4. Enable/disable features (ticket submission, knowledge base, etc.)
5. Save portal settings

Customer Portal Functions

Customers can use the portal to:

• Submit new support tickets
• View and track existing tickets
• Search and browse the knowledge base
• Update their profile information
• Download attachments and files

Automation and Workflows

Setting Up Auto-Responses

1. Navigate to FluentSupport → Settings → Automation
2. Enable automatic acknowledgment emails
3. Customize response templates
4. Set up trigger conditions
5. Configure timing and frequency

Creating Workflow Rules

1. Go to FluentSupport → Workflows
2. Click "Create New Workflow"
3. Define triggers (new ticket, status change, etc.)
4. Set conditions and actions
5. Test the workflow
6. Activate the workflow

Reporting and Analytics

Viewing Performance Reports

1. Access FluentSupport → Reports
2. Choose report type:
   • Ticket volume and trends
   • Agent performance
   • Response time metrics
   • Customer satisfaction
3. Set date ranges and filters
4. Export reports if needed

Key Metrics to Monitor

• First Response Time: How quickly you respond to new tickets
• Resolution Time: Average time to close tickets
• Ticket Volume: Number of tickets over time
• Customer Satisfaction: Ratings and feedback scores
• Agent Workload: Tickets handled per agent

Email Integration

Configuring Email Settings

1. Go to FluentSupport → Settings → Email
2. Set up SMTP configuration
3. Configure email templates
4. Set notification preferences
5. Test email delivery

Email-to-Ticket Conversion

1. Set up a dedicated support email address
2. Configure email parsing rules
3. Map email fields to ticket properties
4. Set up automatic ticket creation
5. Test the email integration

Common Issues and Tips

Ticket Management Best Practices

• Response Time: Aim to respond to tickets within your SLA timeframe
• Clear Communication: Use simple, jargon-free language
• Follow-up: Check if customers are satisfied with solutions
• Documentation: Keep detailed notes for complex issues

Knowledge Base Optimization

• Keep articles up-to-date and accurate
• Use clear, step-by-step instructions
• Include screenshots and examples
• Organize content logically
• Monitor which articles are most accessed

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Email notifications not working: Check SMTP settings and email templates
• Customers can't submit tickets: Verify portal permissions and form settings
• Slow response times: Review agent workload and department assignments
• Missing tickets: Check spam filters and email routing rules

Best Practices for Support Teams

• Set clear SLAs: Define response and resolution time expectations
• Use templates: Create standard responses for common issues
• Escalation procedures: Define when and how to escalate complex issues
• Regular training: Keep agents updated on products and processes
• Customer feedback: Regularly collect and act on customer satisfaction data
• Team collaboration: Use internal notes and team communication features