Answers and Solutions ltd

Service Desk Ticket Management App

This service implements a website that allows someone to raise a service request ticket. They enter their details and the ticket is forwarded to your help desk. Here you define help-desk agents, roles, teams and departments. The agent can raise tasks for these people. Managers can reallocate tickets and tasks.

Features

• Users can raise a service request tickets with your help-desk.
• Help-desk agents create tasks for whoever will resolve the issue.
• Managers can see lists of outstanding tickets.
• Managers can reallocate tasks to others for completion.
• Once tasks are completed, tickets can be marked closed.

Benefits

• Keep on top of inbound service desk requests.
• Demostrate workloads to senior stakeholders for action.
• Fully understand the costs of Product Support
• Understand where products and systems need improving

£2,400 to £5,000 an instance a year

• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

710842311794039

Contact

Christopher Wainwright
02920733722
Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.co.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
• What software services is the service an extension to: Cloud hosting services.
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Private cloud
  • Community cloud
• Service constraints: The software was designed for routine service issues. Larger tasks would need to be escalated to a Project Office for formal management within a Project Management tool.
• System requirements: A web browser is required

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Usually within a few hours, but our SLA will be 48hrs
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: No
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: We shall produce a base system setup. Extensive self-help support is available from the web. Our price includes some "get you going" support - see the service description documentation
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We can provide an onsite trainer. Online training video's are widely available. Often, someone with good IT skills can master the package within a day.; ; We make sue that the system is fully setup, logon passwords provided and provide an "early days" support service.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: On contract end, we will purchase of a suitable storage device, extract your data onto said device for storage and subsequent delivery to you or a nominated new supplier. This assumes that your total data is less than 10 TB.; ; We will also store your data for 6 months.
• End-of-contract process: On contract end, once your user has secured new hosting we can migrate the installation to the new provider.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• Description of service interface: The Webbrowser based interface with enhanced access rights allows relatively low skilled staff to maintain a site. Someone with a higher skill set will be needed to set it up initially.
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: The interface is well designed, but has not been certified to one of these European standards
• Accessibility testing: This has been informally tested and meets the key aspects required by users of assistive technology.
• API: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: The standard system has a low customization threshold, which keeps the cost low. If you require more advanced feature sets, they are possible with the alternate system we can offer where a much higher level of customization is possible. Please call for details.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: The software will be hosted on servers that we own and operate. These can scale out significantly, and additional servers will be added when the need arises.; ; Our company policy is to over-provision, not under provision.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: We do not provide any service metrics regards to hosting etc. However, the application has service metrics and reporting with it.; ; It is possible at extra cost to get extra service metric reporting produced over and above the reporting that ships with the system

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to Security Clearance (SC)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 3.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data can be exported using one of the many MySQL migration tools available.
• Data export formats: Other
• Other data export formats:
  • The data can be imported into another ticking system
  • Ddata can be exported from the database by the Buyer
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • Data import from a variety of systems is possible
  • Dependent on whether the previous system supports data export compatibility
  • This will require consultancy at SFIA rates

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: We aim for 99.9% availability. In the event of an unplanned outage of one or more hours being notified we will provide a week of free operation.; ; Pre-notified outages do not qualify for refunds since we will liaise with the customer and choose a time mutually acceptable. Planned works are rare, and will be scheduled for out of hours.
• Approach to resilience: This is available on request
• Outage reporting: A public dashboard

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: N/A in this document. Management interfaces are provided in our cloud hosting document
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication: Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: You control when users can access audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: WorldPay
• PCI DSS accreditation date: 31/10/2019
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: We do not store CC details on our servers; CC details are processed by our bank on their PCI DSS certified servers. Our PCI certification was issued with this processing method declared. Most payment processing applications handover to an external CC payment provider, who accepts payment before handing purchase approval back to the application that you would be running on our system. This means that our PCI DSS certification is suitable for eCommerce solutions used by most organisations . If you want to store people CC details on our servers, that can be arranged and our PCI DSS would be amended to suit. Your software solution would need to be PCI DSS compliant. Using a 3rd party processor such as Worldpay [or one of their numerous competitors] is by far the best way to handle PCIO DSS aspects of Credit Card processing.
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: Security is passed across to the buyer once the system is installed since the Admin login details give access to system settings.; ; if desired, we can withhold the Admin login details and provide your admin support for you at our SFIA rates.
• Information security policies and processes: Information security is maintained in house and managed via our Information security policies

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: We use the ITiL Configuration and Change management appraoch
• Vulnerability management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: Pen Testing tools are used. We are subscribed various services that check the integrity of our hosting platform. We run regular Anti-Virus scans.
• Protective monitoring type: Undisclosed
• Protective monitoring approach: We are subscribed various services that check the integrity of our hosting platform. We run regular Anti-Virus scans. The risks not covered include those from people with valid username/passwords who deface a website / damage data etc. Scanning services that address this risk are available at extra cost.; ; Our aim is to avoid being compromised. Our response is determined by the type of compromise detected.
• Incident management type: Undisclosed
• Incident management approach: Users can report incidents via a ticketing system. Reported incidents will be logged and an incident report provided at month end. Reports will not be generated in those months when no incidents occurred unless requested by the buyer

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Our services help climate change by reducing and where appropriate, reducing or even eliminating the volume of home-office commuting necessary. Our data-centres are powered by suppliers who use renewable energy.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Large in-person meetings by people traveling long distances carries a high risk of spreading Covid-19. Through digital communications, our services are helping towards the recovery through reducing mixing between widely spaced geographical locations.

  Tackling economic inequality

  We encourage our staff to do pro-bono work for UK-based charities because it allows them to assume high levels of responsibility and thus gain experience not easily obtained in a high-consequence workplace. Staff who are undertaking such activities are still paid a salary; this has multiple benefits. It benefits the people who use the services of the charity being supported. It also benefits the individual who can strengthen their skills in a safe environment.; ; We also employ people in the regions of the UK still affected by the post-industrial economies. We are able to redistribute economic activity and thus enhance the economic well-being of people in these economically disadvantaged areas.; ; We actively look for SME sized organisations when seeking suppliers and sub-contractors because they offer better value for money, and are usually staffed by highly motivated individuals. Contracts awarded to Answers and Solutions will help the UK Government in its drive towards its leveling up agenda.

  Equal opportunity

  Answers and Solutions are committed to equal opportunities and do not discriminate in any way. We provide opportunities for people whose family commitments make it easier for them to fit their work duties around family duties through not prescribing fixed working hours; we work to goals achieved and not the number of hours spent watching the clock. We allow staff to take extended time off during school holidays or when other caring duties require that.

  Wellbeing

  Self-fulfilled individuals will always make good employees, good employees make for conscientious staff, and that is always good for a Buyer.; ; We encourage al of our staff to develop their skills and stretch their abilities. We encourage our staff to do pro-bono work for UK based charities because it allows them to assume high levels of responsibility and thus gain experience not easily obtained in a high-consequence workplace. We pay our staff while they do such work.

Pricing

• Price: £2,400 to £5,000 an instance a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: We offer a free demonstration system. We reset this from time to time. The demonstration is more than adequate for testing and evaluation. We don't include staff training during the evaluation stage. You should not load live data into the system since we will not be able to migrate it.
• Link to free trial: Links and access logins are provided On Request

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.