Issue Resolution Application (IRA) Documentation
IRA Overview
The Issue Resolution Application (IRA) is a web-based intranet application that
was developed to replace the paper-based Escalation Forms that were used to
track issues that needed to be escalated to supervisors, other departments or to
contractors. IRA depends on users monitoring issues that are entered into the
application. If the system is not monitored, the user will not know that an issue
has been assigned to them.
IRA is based on logical Groups of employees, such as Customer Service, NOC,
Digital Phone, etc. Each Group has two permission levels: Supervisors and
Members. Supervisors have the ability to assign issues to their Members or to
other Groups. Supervisors cannot assign an issue to a specific Member of
another Group. Supervisors have other specific permissions that are detailed in
the following documentation. Members can update and close issues. Every issue
is categorized with both a general issue category like Installation or Service, and
then with a specific issue problem like digital upgrade or trouble call. These Issue
Categories and Problems can be edited by Supervisors and are an important part
of Issue Searching and Reporting.
IRA Administration
There are two administration functions that are part of IRA. Groups
administration allows Supervisors to add/remove employees to/from their
Supervisors and Members Groups. Issue Problems administration allows
Supervisors to add and edit Issue Categories and Problems. To access the
Administration screens, click on the left-hand menu item labeled “Administration”
and then click on either “Groups” or “Issue Problems”. If you do not see either
one or both of these menu items then you do not have the access permission to
those applications. If you need to have access to one or both of these
administration applications please contact your supervisor or the Help Desk to
request a change in your access rights.
Groups Administration
Access permissions for the Time Warner intranet are controlled by Groups
and Privileges. Employees are placed in Groups and Groups are given
access to intranet applications. Every Group has a single designated
Group Head. That person has the ability to add/remove employees to/from
their Supervisors and Members Groups. The following is a sample Edit
Group screen. The user accessing this screen is the designated Group
Head of the IRA Central Customer Service Members and Supervisors
groups.
Across from each Group Name is the Status of the Group. If a Group’s
Status is “Inactive” it will not appear in the IRA application. Next to the
Status is the Assign link that takes the user to the following Assign
Users screen.
The left column shows a list of all TWC employees that are entered in the
system. The right column shows a list of the users currently assigned to
the Current Group listed at the top. To add a user to the group, click on
their name in the left column and click on the Add >> button. To remove a
user from the group, click on their name in the right column and click on
the << Remove button. To add or remove multiple users, hold down the
Ctrl key while clicking on their names. When you are finished adding
and/or removing users click on the Done link. If you forget to click on
Done no changes will be made.
Only Web Administrators can create groups. If you need to have a new
group created contact the Help Desk and request a new IRA Group to be
created. Group names must follow a naming convention. All group names
must start with “IRA” and end with either “Members” or “Supervisors”.
Between “IRA” and “Members” or “Supervisors” you must enter the name
of the group. Do not use restricted characters including ({}[]|\/?<>-_&*^
%#@!+=). It may contain spaces. IRA groups are always created in pairs,
one IRA Supervisors group and one IRA Members group.
All users in the Supervisor Group must also be placed in the associated
Members Group. The Supervisors Group must be placed in the Privilege
called “Issue Supervisors”. Supervisors and Members Groups must be
placed in the Navigation Category called Issues. Supervisor Groups must
also be placed in the Administration Navigation Category.
Issue Problems Administration
Every issue must be categorized before it is entered into IRA. The Issue
Categories and Problems assist the users when searching for issues or
reporting on issues by enabling reports to be grouped by issue categories
or problems. The following is a sample Add New Issue Problems screen:
Across from each Issue Category and Problem is their Status. If the
Status is Inactive, the Category or Problem will not appear in IRA.
To add a new Issue Problem to a Category, click on the Add New Issue
Problem link at the top of the screen. Select the Issue Category from the
drop-down list and enter the Issue Problem and Description (required
fields). To also add a new Category at the same time, enter the New Issue
Category and Description. Click on the Add Entry button when done.
To reassign a Problem to a new Category click on the Edit link across
from the Problem and select the Issue Category from the drop-down list.
To Edit the Issue Problem or the Problem Description, click on the Edit link
across from the Problem and edit the text in those fields. The Issue
Problem should be lower case because it is appended to the Issue
Category which should have an initial capital.
To edit an Issue Category, click on the Edit button across from the
Category and edit the Category.
Getting Started
When the user first clicks on the Issues menu on the left they will see a screen
that displays the following types of issues if they exist:
Issues Assigned to the User
Callback Issues Assigned to the User
Follow-up Issues Assigned to the User
Group Unassigned Issues
Group Assigned Issues
The following screen shot is an example of a user’s initial view of issues:
The section headings are in bold on a light blue background, column headings
are bold on a light yellow background and Issues are color coded depending on
their Age compared to their Callback and Close Priorities. The Age and Priorities
are measured in hours. When the issue Age is less than both Priorities the Issue
color is green. When the Issue Age is equal to either Priority and up to twice the
Priority, the color is yellow. When the Issue Age is greater than twice either
Priority the color is red. Issues age until they are Closed. This page is
automatically refreshed every five (5) minutes so any new Issues or changes to
current issues will be seen without having to manually refresh the page. The
Issue numbers in the first column are hyperlinks to the Issue Details page for that
Issue. The names of users are hyperlinks to their information page so that you
can quickly find their phone number or send them an email message.
Issue Details
The Issue Details page is displayed when an Issue number is selected and after
an Issue is edited. It displays all of the information that has been entered for the
Issue, including a list of all activities logged for the Issue in reverse chronological
order (most recent activity at the top). The user can Edit the Issue or Email the
Issue by clicking on the appropriate button. The user can also print a PDF
version of the Issue by clicking on the PDF Format button.
If a Group button is displayed the user can click on it to group together several
related Issues. For example, if there is a fiber cut and several Issues are entered
that are related to this they can all be grouped together so that when the Issue
needs to be edited only the one grouped Issue needs to be selected. When the
Group button is selected all open Issues are displayed for the user’s group. Any
Issue that is not currently being worked on can be selected and grouped with the
primary Issue by selecting (checking) the checkbox next to it. Click on the Group
Issues button to complete the process of grouping the checked Issues.
If a Consolidate button is displayed the user can consolidate Issues that have
been assigned to the same Contact. Often a customer may call in several times
for the same Issue. This may cause several Issues to be created. The
Consolidate button enables the user to consolidate these Issues into one Issue.
If the Edit button does not appear, the reason is displayed. If the issue indicates
that it is being worked on by someone you know is actually not working on the
issue (they are gone or they are working on something else), a group supervisor
must either change the status of the issue or reassign the issue.
Issue Details
Here is a sample screen:
Enter Issue
Entering an Issue first requires the user to find the contact record in the Time
Warner customer database. If it does not exist or cannot be found, the user can
create a new customer record. After the customer record is established, the
Issue can be created.
Contact Search
The Contact Search form is the first step in the process to enter an Issue. You
must check to see if the person calling is already in the system and has an
account. You can enter as much or as little information as you want in the search
fields, but your results will depend on how accurate and specific the information
is. The system contains only active accounts and they are updated every night.
Your search results are limited to a maximum of 100 records.
Selecting a Search Parameter
Next to most of the fields is a drop-down list of search parameters:
You can select any of the search parameters to help narrow your search
results or find a specific record.
Order Your Search Results
After the search fields is a list of parameters that you can use to order
your search results:
By default, the results are ordered by the contact's last name and then first
name. Click on the radio button to change the order of the results. You will
also be able to sort the results on the search results screen by clicking on
any of the column headers.
Search
Click on the Search button when you have finished selecting search
criteria and/or entering search information.
Clear Values
The Clear Values button will reset the search form to it's default settings,
erasing any information that is entered in the fields. The default area code
is 919 and the default state is NC.
Contact Search Results
After entering Contact Search criteria and clicking on the Search button, the
Contact Search Results screen will be displayed. If the screen shows that 100
records were returned you may want to click on the Back button on your browser
menu and try narrowing your search by entering more customer information. The
following is a sample screen when searching for the last name of “Smith”. The
user has clicked on the Next button twice to see records 21 through 30.
The navigation buttons on the top help the user move through the found records.
The column headings allow the user to change the way the records are sorted.
When the desired record is found the user needs to click on the Enter Issue link
to the right of the record. If the record is not found, the user must click on the
Enter New Contact link at the top of the page.
Enter New Contact
When the user cannot find the customer’s record in the system they must enter a
new record into the system.
The user should enter as much information as possible into this form. When
done, the user must click on the Add Entry button.
Contact Details
The Contact Details page is displayed after entering a new customer record or
after editing a customer record.
The user can click on the Edit button to edit the entry, the Cancel button will bring
the user to the previously viewed page (which is usually the Edit page) and the
Enter Issue button will take the contact information and open the Enter Issue
screen.
Enter Issue
This screen is used to enter a new issue. Depending on your privileges and
group membership you will see different versions of this screen. "Supervisors"
are users that have the ability to assign Issues: to other groups, to users within
their group, and to contractors. Supervisors can assign users within their group to
call back the customer and to follow-up with the customer. "Members" can
update, complete and close Issues. All Supervisors are also Members. If you are
a member of the "Supervisors" group you will see some options that are not
available to Members. If you are a member of the "Members" group and you
have the "Assign to Group" privilege you will see the “District” and "Assign to
Group" options.
Here is a sample Enter Issue screen displaying all options:
Submitted by User
If a Supervisor needs to create an Issue for a user within their group the
Submitted by User drop-down contains a list of users that can be selected.
The system also stores the user information for the supervisor that
originated the Issue.
District
By default, your district will be selected. If you need to assign the Issue to
another group, whether it is in your District or another District you must
select it from the drop-down menu. If you need to assign the Issue to a
user within your group just select their name from the Assign to User drop-
down menu, there is no need to select the District and Group.
Assign to Group
The Assign to Group menu contains a list of groups that Issues can be
assigned to, including the user's own group. If a Supervisor wants to
assign the Issue to a member of their own group then their group name
should be selected in this menu. If this menu appears, a group must be
selected before the form is submitted. By default, the Issue is assigned to
the user's group.
Assign to User
The Assign to User menu contains a list of users that are Members of the
logged in user's group. Supervisors can use this menu to assign an issue
to a member of their group. Supervisors cannot assign an issue to a
Member of another group, only to the other group as a whole using the
Assign to Group menu. The Supervisor's group should be selected in the
Assign to Group menu if a user is selected in the Assign to User menu.
Assign Callback
The Assign Callback menu contains a list of users that are Members of the
logged in user's group. Supervisors can use this menu to assign an issue
to a Member of their group to call back the customer once the issue is
completed. After the customer is called the issue should be edited and the
Callback checkbox selected (checked). This will stop the Callback aging
process. By default, the Callback is assigned to the user entering the
issue.
Issue Category
The Issue Category menu is a set of two related pull-down menus.
Selecting an option in the first menu will automatically change options in
the second menu. The first menu is a general list of issue areas and the
second is a list of specific issue problems. All issues must be categorized
when they are entered. Supervisors have the ability to add and edit both
lists through an Administration screen.
Issue Categories and Problems
Installation - Installation issue
collect/pickup - Used to schedule a converter pick up
digital upgrade - Telemarketing Use Only - Digital Campaigns
home networking - Home Networking - Installs and Upgrades
HSD install - HSD New Install
HSD upgrade - HSD Upgrade
wall fish - Install or Upgrade with a Wallfish
install - New Customer Install
reconnect - Reconnect
disconnect - Voluntary Disconnect
non-pay disconnect - Non-Pay Disconnect
installation repair/maintenance - Installation Repair, rewire outlets, etc.
upgrade/downgrade - Upgrade or Downgrade of Service
drop bury underground - To have a contractor bury a drop
Service - Service issue
trouble call - To schedule trouble calls
repair/maintenance - Service repair or maintenance
Billing - Billing issue
ref not received - reference? not received
plant/drop corrected - plant/drop corrected
install late or no show - install late or no show
PPV discrepancy - Pay Per View discrepancy
Serviceability - Serviceability issue
not serviceable - Customer is not in a serviceable area
no such address - Address not found
already in system - Customer is already in system
need directions - Service technician needs directions
needs construction extension - Service requires construction extension
under construction - Building is under construction
Other - Other issue
other - Please indicate below
Issue Description
The Issue Description text field is for entering a description of the issue
problem. The issue description should be as detailed as necessary for the
assigned user to know how to handle the issue. Once the issue
description is entered and submitted it cannot be edited or updated.
Contact First Name
The Contact First Name text field contains the first name of the contact
that was found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. This can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the contact name
needs to be changed.
Contact Last Name
The Contact Last Name text field contains the last name of the contact
that was found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. This can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the contact name
needs to be changed.
User Account
This is the User Account of the customer contact that was found or
entered in the first step of entering an issue. This information cannot be
changed.
Phone
This is the area code and phone number of the customer contact that was
found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. They can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the area code and/or
phone number needs to be changed. No dash should be used when
entering the phone number. The phone field only allows 7 characters to be
entered.
Job No.
This is the Job number field. It can contain a maximum of 15 alphanumeric
characters.
Tech No.
This is the Technician number field. It can contain a maximum of 15
alphanumeric characters.
Initial Response
This indicates the priority of the issue callback by showing the number of
hours within which the contact person should be called. Once the Callback
checkbox is selected (checked) the aging of the Callback is stopped. Only
the originating group Supervisors can change the callback priority of an
issue.
Time to Close
This indicates the issue close priority by showing the number of hours
within which the issue should be closed. When the Issue is marked as
Closed the aging of the Issue is stopped. Only the originating group
Supervisors can change the close priority of an issue.
Update Issue
This screen is used to update an existing issue. Depending on your privileges
and group membership you will see different versions of this screen.
"Supervisors" are users that have the ability to assign issues: to other groups, to
users within their group, and to contractors. Supervisors can assign users within
their group to call back the customer and to follow-up with the customer.
"Members" can update, complete and resolve issues. All Supervisors are also
Members. If you are a member of the "Supervisors" group you will see menu
options that are not available to Members. If you are a member of the "Members"
group and you have the "Assign to Group" privilege you will see the "Assign to
Group" menu.
Here is a sample Update Issue screen displaying all options:
Submitted by User
If a Supervisor needs to create an Issue for a user within their group the
Submitted by User drop-down contains a list of users that can be selected.
The system also stores the user information for the supervisor that
originated the Issue.
District
By default, your district will be selected. If you need to assign the Issue to
another group, whether it is in your District or another District you must
select it from the drop-down menu. If you need to assign the Issue to a
user within your group just select their name from the Assign to User drop-
down menu, there is no need to select the District and Group.
Assign to Group
The Assign to Group menu contains a list of groups that Issues can be
assigned to, including the user's own group. If a Supervisor wants to
assign the Issue to a member of their own group then their group name
should be selected in this menu. If this menu appears, a group must be
selected before the form is submitted. By default, the Issue is assigned to
the user's group.
Assign to User
The Assign to User menu contains a list of users that are Members of the
logged in user's group. Supervisors can use this menu to assign an issue
to a member of their group. Supervisors cannot assign an issue to a
Member of another group, only to the other group as a whole using the
Assign to Group menu. The Supervisor's group should be selected in the
Assign to Group menu if a user is selected in the Assign to User menu.
Assign Callback
The Assign Callback menu contains a list of users that are Members of the
logged in user's group. Supervisors can use this menu to assign an issue
to a Member of their group to call back the customer once the issue is
completed. After the customer is called the issue should be edited and the
Callback checkbox selected (checked). This will stop the Callback aging
process. By default, the Callback is assigned to the user entering the
issue.
Issue Category
The Issue Category menu is a set of two related pull-down menus.
Selecting an option in the first menu will automatically change options in
the second menu. The first menu is a general list of issue areas and the
second is a list of specific issue problems. All issues must be categorized
when they are entered. Supervisors have the ability to add and edit both
lists through an Administration screen.
Issue Categories and Problems
Installation - Installation issue
collect/pickup - Used to schedule a converter pick up
digital upgrade - Telemarketing Use Only - Digital Campaigns
home networking - Home Networking - Installs and Upgrades
HSD install - HSD New Install
HSD upgrade - HSD Upgrade
wall fish - Install or Upgrade with a Wallfish
install - New Customer Install
reconnect - Reconnect
disconnect - Voluntary Disconnect
non-pay disconnect - Non-Pay Disconnect
installation repair/maintenance - Installation Repair, rewire outlets, etc.
upgrade/downgrade - Upgrade or Downgrade of Service
drop bury underground - To have a contractor bury a drop
Service - Service issue
trouble call - To schedule trouble calls
repair/maintenance - Service repair or maintenance
Billing - Billing issue
ref not received - reference? not received
plant/drop corrected - plant/drop corrected
install late or no show - install late or no show
PPV discrepancy - Pay Per View discrepancy
Serviceability - Serviceability issue
not serviceable - Customer is not in a serviceable area
no such address - Address not found
already in system - Customer is already in system
need directions - Service technician needs directions
needs construction extension - Service requires construction extension
under construction - Building is under construction
Other - Other issue
other - Please indicate below
Issue Description
The Issue Description text field is for entering a description of the issue
problem. The issue description should be as detailed as necessary for the
assigned user to know how to handle the issue. Once the issue
description is entered and submitted it cannot be edited or updated.
Contact First Name
The Contact First Name text field contains the first name of the contact
that was found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. This can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the contact name
needs to be changed.
Contact Last Name
The Contact Last Name text field contains the last name of the contact
that was found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. This can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the contact name
needs to be changed.
User Account
This is the User Account of the customer contact that was found or
entered in the first step of entering an issue. This information cannot be
changed.
Phone
This is the area code and phone number of the customer contact that was
found or entered in the first step of entering an issue. They can be
changed if, during the process of resolving the issue, the area code and/or
phone number needs to be changed. No dash should be used when
entering the phone number. The phone field only allows 7 characters to be
entered.
Contact Called
This checkbox should be selected (checked) when the customer is first
called about the Issue. This will stop the aging of the Callback priority.
Job No.
This is the Job number field. It can contain a maximum of 15 alphanumeric
characters.
Tech No.
This is the Technician number field. It can contain a maximum of 15
alphanumeric characters.
Initial Response
This indicates the priority of the issue callback by showing the number of
hours within which the contact person should be called. Once the Callback
checkbox is selected (checked) the aging of the Callback is stopped. Only
the originating group Supervisors can change the callback priority of an
issue.
Time to Close
This indicates the issue close priority by showing the number of hours
within which the issue should be closed. When the Issue is marked as
Closed the aging of the Issue is stopped. Only the originating group
Supervisors can change the close priority of an issue.
Issue Status
This indicates the issue status. When an issue is first entered its status is
Entered. When an issue is assigned to a user its status is changed to
Assigned. When the Edit button is clicked on the Issue Details page the
status of the issue is changed to Working and no other Member can then
open the issue for editing. Only the assigned group Supervisors can
change the status of an issue or edit an issue with a status of Working.
Here is a list of possible values for issue status:
Status Codes
Entered
Assigned
Working
Closed
Cancelled
Issue Activity
This series of radio buttons enables the user to quickly indicate the type of
activity on the Issue. Only one activity may be selected. If the user needs
to indicate more than one activity they must edit the issue again and select
the additional activity. The possible activities include:
Called and spoke with Calling and speaking with someone who is
not the indicated Contact listed. In this case, the user should enter
the name of the person called and select (check) the Contact
Called checkbox. If the user calls and speaks with the listed
Contact there is no need to select this radio button, just select the
Contact Called checkbox.
Visited If a technician went to the Contact address the user should
indicate this here and can enter a short note in the box to the right.
Closed If the Issue has been resolved or the work completed the
Close radio button should be selected. This stops the aging of the
Issue Close Priority.
Cancelled If the Issue is considered false or in error the Cancelled
radio button should be selected. This stops the aging of the Issue
Close Priority.
Unnecessary If the Issue should not have been escalated then the
Unnecessary radio button should be selected. This stops the aging
of the Issue Close Priority.
Issue Update/Resolution/Follow-up Instructions
This text box area is for entering information about the Issue.
Follow-up Date
The Follow-up Date is the date by which the Contact should be called to
check on the quality of the work or service performed in the Issue. If the
Issue does not require a follow-up, this field can be left blank.
Assign Follow-up to
Select the user from your Group that is responsible for calling back the
Contact to check on the quality of the work or service performed in the
issue. If the Issue does not require a follow-up, this field can be left blank.
