What is the Helpdesk?
The UPOU Techsupport Helpdesk is our response to the need for responsive and efficient technical support services. The Helpdesk allows users to post inquiries online, and track responses to these. On UPOU's part, we can monitor how well and how fast services are rendered, so we can ensure that all requests are handled promptly.
Who can use the Helpdesk?
The Helpdesk is for all users of MyPortal - students, faculty and staff.
What kinds of inquiries are handled by the Helpdesk?
The Helpdesk handles only technical support requests. That is, inquiries related to MyPortal, the UPOU website, as well as university email services. Questions regarding course content should be addressed directly to the faculty. Administrative matters (e.g., payment, dropping, leave of absence) are handled by the Deans' offices, the Learning Centers or the Office of the University Registrar. It is best to contact these other offices directly.
What's the advantage of using the Helpdesk instead of emailing?
Sometimes emails are not received or are inadvertently deleted. Also, one technical support staff may assume that certain requests have already been acted upon by another staff member, when in fact it isn't so. In a few cases, technical support staff need more information to solve a problem, but the sender cannot be reached. In short, there are many points where communication breakdown can happen and your emails are not answered.
The Helpdesk, on the other hand, has an interaction log, which allows the user as well as UPOU to track the following:
- sender of a ticket (type of request, inquiry or suggestion)
- date ticket was sent and when it was received
- which technical support staff member acted on the problem
- how the problem was resolved
- follow-up communications, if any
What is a ticket?
A ticket is a message you send to the Helpdesk - a request, inquiry or suggestion to be acted upon by technical support staff. Each ticket has a unique number, which allows all parties to track what actions have been taken and whether the problem has been resolved.
In creating a ticket, you need to fill up all these fields:
- Priority - choose from Low, Normal or Urgent
-Category - choose from the drop down list
-Subject - enter a descriptive title
-Content - enter your request, inquiry or suggestion
If the subject or content fields are left unchanged, and you click "Submit", the process does not proceed and page simply refreshes. Be sure to fill in all the required fields before clicking "Submit".
An Open Ticket is currently being acted upon. A Closed Ticket is a problem that has been resolved. You may choose to close a ticket if your question has been answered. The status and history of all your tickets (even the closed ones) can be viewed in your Helpdesk account.
How can I add an attachment?
Go to the "Add an attachment" area of the ticket then click "Browse". Choose the file you want to attach (.txt, .doc, .pdf) then click "Upload". The page refreshes to show your files under the "Current attachments" list.
Is it secure? What if someone pretending to be me asks for my password?
Sensitive information such as usernames and passwords will be sent to the email address we have in our official files. These data will not be sent through the Helpdesk unless your Helpdesk account has the same email address as your MyPortal/IVLE account. In case we need to further verify your identitiy, we will either send a verification email or call you by phone.
How do I use the Helpdesk?
- From the homepage of MyPortal/IVLE, click on the link to the Helpdesk. You can also click on the the image below.
- Create an account by encoding a username, password and email address (telephone number is optional but will give us another option to reach you). Your username and password are not necessarily the same as your IVLE login information. You can create new login data just for the Helpdesk. If you want to be notified by email regarding actions on your request, put a check in the "Notify" box. Once done, click "Register". Your request is immediately processed and you will go back to the home page. From there, enter the username and password that you just created.
- You can now immediately access the Helpdesk. Begin by checking your profile to make sure your email address is correct. All the messages related to your ticket will be sent to the email you listed.
- Create a New Ticket and type your request/inquiry/suggestion.
- Monitor your email or login to the Helpdesk to see what action has been taken.
Does my login information (username and password) have to be the same as what I use in my other UPOU accounts?
No. You can create an entirely new username and password for the Helpdesk.
What if I forget my username and password?
As soon as you create your account, the Helpdesk sends an email to the address you used in the registration form. This email contains your login information. Be sure to keep this email for future reference. It is better to have just one account containing all your inquiries, rather than to have several accounts with one inquiry each. Having a single account allows you to keep track of all your techsupport questions over time.
I noticed this error message when I created my account. Is this a serious problem?
error no.: 8
error type: Notice
error message: Only variable references should be returned by reference
filename: /home/upounet/public_html/helpdesk/includes/htmlMimeMail.php
line no.: 440
This error message appears because of an incompatibility between the system's preferred email address and the user's email. However, the process of creating an account should proceed normally and you will be brought back to the homepage where you can use your new account.
What do you mean by browser "redirection"?
Some web browsers do not allow you to automatically move from one page to another, and require you to click a link in order to proceed. The pages that require redirection appear with the note "If your browser does not support automatic redirection, click here." If it seems like a page is taking too long to update, click on the "redirection" option.
