Customer support in pulpClient: requests, deadlines, satisfaction

The support part of pulpClient follows your customers' requests: who wrote, what about, where the handling stands, within what deadlines and with what result. Each request is linked to a contact, to their organization and, if needed, to an opportunity. Everything stays on your device, like the rest of pulpClient, and is shared the same way (see Share a file).

First steps

1. Open pulpClient, then Support in the menu. To start, create a request, paste an email or import the history from another tool. The first time, the pulpClient example already holds eight fictitious requests (one overdue, one waiting for the customer, resolved ones with their satisfaction score, a likely duplicate) and three articles; File › See the example again reopens it.
2. New request (or Create › New request): pick the requester, write the subject and description, then save. The request gets a readable number (SUP-1, SUP-2…).
3. The Support screen has three tabs: Requests, Indicators and Knowledge base. pulpClient's Home shows overdue requests.

Common tasks

How do I create a request from an email?

Support › More actions › From an email, or simply drop an .eml file onto the pulpClient window. Paste the message text (with or without its From, Subject… headers): pulpClient recognizes the requester among your contacts, finds their organization from their address, removes quotes of earlier messages and suggests a category and a priority. If the sender is unknown, a contact can be created. Nothing is created until you click Create request.

If the email replies to an existing request (same conversation thread, or an SUP-n number in the subject), pulpClient offers to add it to that thread instead of opening a new request. .msg files are not read: open them in pulpInbox and paste the text.

How do I reply to a customer?

In the request, the area at the bottom has three tabs:

• Reply to customer: visible to the customer. Send with pulpInbox, Copy reply and .eml draft are for sending it; Record reply adds it to the thread without sending it. The first recorded reply sets the first-reply deadline as met and moves the request from "New" to "In progress".
• Internal note: for the team only, never visible to the customer. It is amber with a padlock so it cannot be mistaken for a reply.
• Message received: to log what the customer wrote or said (email, phone, on site). Paste an email: quotes are removed and the date is kept. A customer message on a "waiting" or "resolved" request reopens it.

What does "Send with pulpInbox" do?

The button opens pulpInbox on a message that is already filled in: the customer's address, a subject with the request number, the text, attachments, and the conversation thread (the reply lands in the same conversation on the customer's side). You review it, edit it if needed, then click Send: nothing leaves before that click. The sending account is the one that already holds the conversation, otherwise the one matching the original address, otherwise the default account (you can change it). As soon as the message has gone out, the reply is added to the thread as a sent reply, visible to the customer, dated when it was sent. If pulpClient is closed at that moment, it is added the next time it is shown. If you had already clicked Record reply, it is not added a second time: the recorded reply takes the sending date. With no connected mail account, pulpInbox says so and offers to connect one or to save the draft.

What does the automatic help suggest?

It never decides for you: every suggestion is explained and waits for your click.

• Tone and urgency: pulpClient spots the words, exclamation marks and capitals in a message and says whether it looks calm, annoyed or very unhappy, quoting what decided it. It can advise a higher priority.
• Likely category, from the words or from requests already sorted.
• Duplicate or similar requests: same email, same contact with similar text, or very close text. You can link them or mark the new request as a duplicate (it is then closed and an internal note says so).
• Suggested replies: from the replies already given to resolved requests and from your knowledge base. The draft is put in your name and in the customer's language; always review it before recording.

Search by meaning (optional, Turn on search by meaning button) makes these matches finer: it asks your permission, installs a small module on the device and then works without sending anything. Without it, words alone do the job.

How do deadlines work?

Each priority has a first-reply deadline and a resolution deadline (Settings: by default 1 h / 4 h for an urgent request, up to 8 h / 72 h for a low one), counted during opening hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, editable) or day and night. A red Late 3 h badge flags a missed deadline, an amber one a deadline coming up.

• When the request goes to Waiting for customer, the resolution deadline is paused, then pushed back by the time spent waiting.
• Changing the priority recalculates the deadlines not yet met.
• Overdue requests show on Home and in the Overdue tab.

How do I measure satisfaction?

When you move a request to Resolved or Closed, pulpClient offers a short survey: a one-sentence invitation, in the customer's language, to send with pulpInbox, copy or download. When the customer answers, paste their answer ("4/5, thanks!"): the score is read automatically, or enter it with the stars. You can also ask later (⋯ › Ask for the customer's feedback).

What does the Indicators tab show?

Over 7, 30 or 90 days, or since the start: requests to handle and overdue, average first-reply and resolution times, share of deadlines met, average satisfaction with its breakdown, requests received and resolved per week, breakdown by status, category and channel.

How do I keep a knowledge base?

In the Knowledge base tab, write the answers you give often. Each article is internal (team only) or publishable (the customer portal of the pulpSuite server will be able to show it to your customers). Link an article to a request with Link an article; it is also suggested automatically when a request looks like it. Search works by words, and by meaning if turned on.

Where do I see the requests of a contact or an organization?

On the record, the Support tab lists their requests, with counters, average satisfaction and a New request button. For an organization it also gathers those of its contacts.

How do I set deadlines, categories, signature?

Settings › Customer support: deadlines per priority, opening hours and days, added categories, reply signature, satisfaction survey at closing. Requests already received keep their deadlines.

How do I bring in the history from another tool?

Support › More actions › Import requests (or drop the file onto pulpClient). CSV exports from Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot (tickets) and Jira Service Management are recognized, as well as pulpClient's own: columns are recognized automatically, you only correct what is wrong. The preview announces what will be created, what is already there and the new contacts and organizations. Unknown requesters can become contacts, without marketing consent. Importing the same file again creates nothing. Requests keep their original date, so those still open may show as overdue.

How do I export?

Support › More actions › Export requests (CSV), with English headers or in your language, or Export this request from a request's ⋯ menu. The full pulpClient backup (Settings › Full backup) also contains requests, articles and attachments.

What about the right of access and erasure (GDPR)?

A contact's access sheet lists their requests and threads. Erase this person also removes them from their requests and messages (name, address and number disappear from the text).

Working with others

Requests are shared like other records: shared file in a synced folder, direct exchange, phone, guest on a record (see Share a file). Two people changing the same request at the same time are merged field by field; a reply and a note added at the same time are both kept. If two devices give the same number to two requests while offline, the most recent one is renumbered ("SUP-5 became SUP-8") and the old number is kept. A guest on a request sees its thread; a read-only guest can neither reply nor change anything.

Formats

Known limits:

• pulpClient does not send replies itself: they go out from pulpInbox, with a connected mail account;
• the reply is only added to the thread once the message has really been sent (not for a draft, nor from the local mailbox);
• .msg files are not read;
• the customer portal (where a customer would follow their requests and see only public replies) comes with the pulpSuite server; the data is already ready: each message is marked "visible to the customer" or "internal note";
• automatic matches are aids: a suggested duplicate or category can be wrong.

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