RTI Lotus Notes

CustomerFirst^®'s
NOTES REMOTE and INTERNOTES OPTIONS

Repository Technologies, Inc. (RTI) has introduced the next generation of customer support software: CustomerFirst Notes Remote. By coupling the robust help desk capability of CustomerFirst with the database distribution capabilities of Lotus Notes, RTI has provided support centers the tools for remote offices and individual customers to access information on all problem resolutions as well as their own open incidents. They can even enter new incidents and provide additional information about existing incidents; all through Lotus Notes, the most popular groupware product on the market today. The ability for remote users to take a slice of the central support database and use it locally brings an added dimension to supporting users and interacting with customers.

Would your users or customers benefit from directly accessing your support center database? Could you reduce calls to your support staff by allowing remote users or customers to access your resolution database? Would your support staff's productivity increase if users and customers were able to input their own support incidents? RTI's clients have realized all these benefits and several more by using CustomerFirst Notes Remote.

How CustomerFirst Notes Remote works

The central database of incidents is maintained in the SQL-based CustomerFirst system (CFS) database. The database administrator sets the rules for selecting incidents to be downloaded to a user's personal database. The subset of the CFS database is replicated for the user to access via Lotus Notes. With the personal database loaded on the user's system, the user can access information on resolved problems, check the status of open incidents, enter new incidents, and also make new entries for incidents encountered by the user. With proper authorization, users can reassign incidents, change the status, and perform other operations.

Periodically, the remote user's entries are replicated to a Notes database at the host site and then uploaded to the master CFS database. The remote user may transmit entries to CFS as often as desired; however, the CFS database administrator controls the timing of updates to the master database. By storing database entries at a remote site and then batch transmitting them on a daily or weekly basis, the support center is providing local access to the database of support incidents without the expense of high speed data communication lines. Also, the remote user is able to submit new incidents for the support center's response without expensive data communication lines.

Who benefits from CustomerFirst Notes Remote?

CustomerFirst Notes Remote was designed to benefit a variety of players in the world of support. From the product engineers and developers to the support staff, distributors, and end users, CustomerFirst Notes Remote enhances the way we resolve software incidents and distribute the information to our users. Consider the following graphic displaying the connection of users to the main software support center:

• For the customer who encounters a problem and needs to determine if other users have encountered the same problem, CustomerFirst Notes Remote puts the customer support database of resolved problems at their fingertips.

• For the consultant in the field, CustomerFirst Notes Remote allows direct entry of new incidents on a laptop for uploading to the CFS central database. Authorized users can also "work" their incidents through Notes Remote.

• For the remote international support center or distributor, CustomerFirst Notes Remote allows the remote office to actively support customers and escalate problems to other departments at the main site without the expense of leased lines for continuous data communication.

• For the remote sales office or salesperson, the status of any open incidents for their customers can be reviewed before making a sales call.

For these reasons, CustomerFirst Notes Remote provides you a means of increasing your customers' satisfaction. You will be providing a communication mechanism from remote groups to other individuals and departments at the central site. This will speed up your customers' access to vital information and will provide improvements in support at a reduced cost. RTI is eager to assist you with your move to the next plateau in customer support.

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