Nomad Support Desk Free - Detailed User Guide

The ticket lifecycle

A ticket normally starts as Open, moves through Pending or Waiting on Customer, becomes Resolved when work is complete and is Closed after final confirmation or sign-off. Staff should use statuses consistently so customer views, filters, analytics and CRM tags remain meaningful.

Who uses which screen

Ticket fields

• Ticket number and subject
• Description
• Customer
• Status and priority
• Product/service and website URL when present
• Assigned WordPress user, primary resource and additional resources
• Replies and internal notes
• Time entries
• Customer signatures

Before you begin

Service Desk is a shared operational record. A customer sees the tickets linked to the customer's verified email record; an active resource sees work assigned to that resource; support managers use the WordPress administration screens to manage the full queue. Always sign in with your own named account so access, replies, time and sign-off activity can be attributed correctly.

The ticket timeline is the authoritative history. Email notices and dashboard totals help users find work, but they do not replace the saved ticket. After any important action, wait for the success message and confirm the new entry appears in the timeline before closing the page.

Ticket anatomy

Lifecycle decision guide

• Leave a genuinely new or newly reactivated request Open
• Use Pending while support owns an active or scheduled next action
• Use Waiting on Customer only after stating exactly what the customer must provide
• Use Resolved after supplying the solution or completing the work
• Use Closed after the completion record, approval or final confirmation is complete
• Add a timeline note whenever a status change would otherwise be unclear

Open the portal

1. Sign in with the WordPress account whose email belongs to the customer record.
2. Open the site's Support Desk page.
3. Confirm the customer name and ticket summary belong to the correct account.
4. Use the New Ticket area or open an existing ticket.

Create a useful ticket

1. Enter a short subject that identifies the problem.
2. Choose the appropriate priority; use Urgent only for genuinely critical impact.
3. Select or describe the product/service when available.
4. Enter the relevant website URL when useful.
5. Describe what you expected, what happened, when it started and what changed.
6. Remove passwords, private keys and payment information.
7. Submit once and note the ticket number.

Description checklist

• Exact error wording
• Affected page or feature
• Device/browser when relevant
• Steps that reproduce the problem
• Business impact
• Recent plugin, theme, hosting or configuration changes
• What has already been tried

Reply and follow progress

Open the ticket from the portal, read public replies in order and add one clear response. If the ticket is Waiting on Customer, answer the requested question before asking for another update. Status-change entries help explain lifecycle movement.

Sign-in and customer matching

Portal access is based on the email address of the signed-in WordPress account and the Service Desk customer record. If the account email is the primary or an authorised additional address, the portal can show that customer's tickets. Approved company-domain matching may also be used by the site's configuration. A customer who changes email address should ask support to update the Service Desk customer record before assuming historical tickets are lost.

1. Open the website's normal sign-in page and authenticate with your own account.
2. Open Support Desk and check the displayed customer or ticket information.
3. If the organisation is wrong, sign out immediately and report the access problem without opening ticket details.
4. If no customer is found, give support the signed-in email address and organisation name; do not create duplicate accounts repeatedly.

Create, confirm and correct a request

Submitting the form creates one numbered ticket. The confirmation and ticket list should show the new number. If the browser appears slow, do not press Submit repeatedly; wait, then refresh the ticket list once. Duplicate submissions create separate operational records and should be reported so staff can close or remove the confirmed duplicate.

1. Re-read the subject and description, confirming they describe one main issue.
2. Check the selected priority against the actual impact.
3. Submit once and record the displayed ticket number.
4. Open the new ticket and confirm the complete description is present.
5. Add a public reply to correct missing facts; do not create another ticket merely to correct wording.

Write a diagnostic description

Run a pre-ticket query

1. Choose Provided resource files, Resource files + internet or Internet only, if those options are enabled.
2. Describe the issue with symptoms and context but without secrets.
3. Select Ask Support AI.
4. Read the issue assessment, likely causes, diagnostics, possible resolution, draft reply and uncertainties.
5. Open the Sources list and verify relevant evidence.
6. Use Copy suggestions or Use in ticket description when useful.
7. Edit the inserted text so it accurately describes your situation before submitting.

What AI can and cannot do

The assistant can search approved Service Desk resources and, when enabled, current public web sources. It can suggest diagnostics and draft communication. It does not confirm that a repair worked, access private systems on its own or replace technician judgement.

• Verify version-specific instructions
• Back up before risky changes
• Do not run destructive commands merely because they were suggested
• Escalate when evidence is incomplete

Choose the right research mode

Read an AI result

Start with the issue assessment and uncertainties, then examine the proposed diagnostics in order. Open the source list and check that a cited resource actually concerns the product and version in the ticket. A confident writing style is not proof. If sources conflict, preserve the uncertainty in the ticket and ask a technician to decide which instruction applies.

Using the result in the ticket description copies text into the form; it does not submit the request or perform a change. Remove generic material, retain only facts you observed, and clearly label any suggested cause that has not been tested.

Safe next-action checklist

• Prefer observation and reversible diagnostics before configuration changes
• Confirm that a command or setting is for the installed version
• Obtain an appropriate backup before changes that affect data or availability
• Do not paste an API key, password, access token or full licence key into the query
• Stop when an answer requires access or authority you do not have
• Record the actual outcome rather than saying a suggestion was successful without testing

Find assigned work

1. Sign in with the WordPress user linked to your active resource record.
2. Open Support Agent Desk.
3. Use search for ticket number, customer or subject.
4. Filter by status and priority.
5. Choose the sort order and use pagination when required.
6. Open the ticket card or ticket detail.

Mobile controls

• Touch-friendly ticket cards
• Quick status controls
• Sticky save actions on small screens
• Preset time buttons
• Responsive time-entry tables
• Copy ticket/customer details
• Tap-to-call or contact actions when details are available
• Device-local draft retention for unsaved updates

Update a ticket

1. Review the issue, current status, priority and previous conversation.
2. Run Ticket AI if a knowledge or research check would help.
3. Change the status only when the lifecycle meaning changes.
4. Add a customer-visible reply or mark the entry as an internal note.
5. Log time with an accurate note and billable choice.
6. Save once and wait for confirmation before navigating away.

Internal notes

Use an internal note for technician reasoning, handover details or operational information that must not be shown to the customer. Do not use internal notes to store passwords or unrelated personal data.

Draft recovery

The mobile portal can keep update text in device-local storage. Returning to the same ticket on the same device/browser may restore the unsaved draft. A recovered draft is not a submitted reply; review and save it deliberately.

Search, filter, sort and paginate

Search is most effective with an exact ticket number, a distinctive customer name or a short subject phrase. Status and priority filters reduce the list to an operating queue, while sort controls change the order. Pagination means an assigned ticket may be on another page; clear filters before reporting that it is missing.

1. Start with the exact ticket number when known.
2. Apply one status or priority filter at a time and inspect the result count.
3. Sort oldest-first when checking neglected work or newest-first for recent assignments.
4. Move through result pages before clearing the filter.
5. Reset search and filters to return to the complete assigned list.

Work a ticket from start to finish

1. Read the description, public conversation, internal notes and assignment before editing.
2. Confirm whether the customer, support team or another resource owns the next action.
3. Perform the approved diagnostic or work and keep evidence needed for the record.
4. Write a plain-language public reply when the customer needs an update; otherwise record a useful internal note.
5. Log the work duration, note, billable choice and resource accurately.
6. Choose the status that now describes the next action.
7. Save once, wait for confirmation and re-open the timeline entry to verify it.

Mobile and connectivity recovery

Run analysis

1. Open the assigned or admin ticket.
2. Choose the research source mode.
3. Add a focused follow-up question if needed.
4. Select Analyse ticket.
5. Review cited sources and uncertainty statements.
6. Copy the analysis, insert the proposed customer reply or insert a work note.
7. Edit inserted content before saving.

Access and audit

Administrators and assigned active resources can use the ticket assistant for tickets they are permitted to review. Requests are rate-limited and analysis completion is recorded as a Service Desk event.

Build a focused analysis request

Ticket AI already receives the authorised ticket description and conversation, so the follow-up field should ask a precise question rather than repeat the whole ticket. Useful questions ask for a version-aware diagnostic sequence, differences between two likely causes, missing evidence, or a customer-safe explanation. Avoid asking it to assume that untested work succeeded.

• What evidence would distinguish the two most likely causes?
• Which diagnostic can be performed without changing production data?
• Does the cited instruction apply to the recorded product version?
• What customer question would remove the largest uncertainty?
• Draft a concise reply that separates confirmed facts from next checks

Insert, edit and save AI output

1. Choose Insert proposed reply only when the content is suitable for the customer.
2. Choose Insert work note for internal diagnostic reasoning or handover.
3. Remove claims not supported by the ticket or cited sources.
4. Replace generic steps with the approved action, owner and expected result.
5. Check that no sensitive value has appeared in copied text.
6. Save through the normal reply/update control and verify the timeline entry.

When not to use Ticket AI

• The request can be answered directly from a confirmed ticket fact
• The available context would require confidential credentials
• An emergency operating procedure already defines the next action
• The technician cannot verify the suggested change or source
• The customer's approval or an authorised specialist is required first

Dashboard

The dashboard provides workload indicators and shortcuts to add or view tickets. Use it as an overview, then use Tickets for filtered operational work.

• Review open and waiting work
• Check priority distribution
• Watch first-response and resolution trends
• Inspect unbilled value where applicable

Ticket queue

1. Open Support Desk > Tickets.
2. Filter by status, priority, customer or resource.
3. Open high-impact unassigned tickets first.
4. Confirm customer, subject and description.
5. Assign the WordPress support user and resource team.
6. Set the status and priority.
7. Add a reply, internal note or time entry as appropriate.

Create an admin ticket

1. Open Support Desk > Add Ticket.
2. Select the customer.
3. Enter subject, priority and description.
4. Add product/service and website context when relevant.
5. Choose assigned staff and primary/additional resources.
6. Save and confirm the generated ticket number.

Delete with care

Deleting a ticket removes the ticket and its related operational records according to the plugin's cleanup logic. Prefer closing normal work. Delete only confirmed test, duplicate or invalid records and ensure no billing or evidence must be retained.

Triage procedure

1. Review new Open tickets and identify business impact.
2. Correct an obviously inappropriate priority while explaining the reason internally.
3. Confirm customer matching and identify duplicate or related tickets.
4. Assign a support owner and the correct primary/additional resources.
5. Send a public acknowledgement or first useful response according to the service process.
6. Move the status only when it accurately represents the next action.
7. Set a follow-up owner outside Service Desk if the organisation uses a separate scheduling system.

Queue-reading guide

Safe correction and duplicate handling

Correct customer, subject, assignment, status or priority from the ticket edit screen and leave a useful internal explanation when the change affects ownership or reporting. If two records describe the same request, choose one master ticket, place the other number in an internal note, move necessary customer-visible information to the master through an appropriate reply, and close the duplicate according to policy. Delete only when retention rules permit it.

Customer maintenance

1. Open Support Desk > Customers.
2. Search or select the customer.
3. Update company, contact, primary email, additional emails, domains and phone.
4. Confirm CRM and Accounting references where shown.
5. Save and test access if an email address changed.

Resource maintenance

1. Open Support Desk > Resources.
2. Add or edit the resource.
3. Link the correct WordPress user and optional HR employee.
4. Maintain contact details, role, rate, currency and capacity.
5. Deactivate people who should no longer receive new assignments.

Assignment meanings

Customer email changes and access

Changing a customer email can change which WordPress account resolves to that customer. Before saving, confirm the requested address through the organisation's approved identity process. After saving, test with a customer-level account and confirm the previous address no longer grants access if it was removed. Additional addresses should be named, current and authorised; domains should be used only for controlled company mail domains.

Resource onboarding

1. Create or identify the person's named WordPress account.
2. Create the resource record and link that exact user.
3. Set role/title, contact details, rate, currency and capacity from approved information.
4. Keep the resource Active and assign a disposable test ticket.
5. Sign in as the resource and confirm only assigned work appears.
6. Remove the test assignment and verify access follows the change.

Resource change and offboarding

1. List the person's Open, Pending and Waiting tickets.
2. Assign a new primary resource and support owner where needed.
3. Preserve historical time and timeline entries under the original person.
4. Deactivate the resource so new assignments and portal access stop.
5. Disable or remove the WordPress account according to the site's account policy.
6. Check shared devices, documentation ownership and scheduled work outside the plugin.

Customer-visible reply

• State what was checked
• Explain the result in plain language
• Give the next action and owner
• Ask one clear question when waiting on the customer
• Avoid internal speculation and confidential operational details

Internal handover note

• Current diagnosis and evidence
• Steps already completed
• What must happen next
• Dependencies or scheduled date
• Time already logged
• Risks and escalation owner

Status discipline

Do not use Pending as a permanent holding state. Use Waiting on Customer when action genuinely rests with the customer, Resolved when a solution has been delivered and Closed when the record is complete.

Write a complete public reply

1. Open with the confirmed outcome or current state.
2. State what was checked or changed without exposing internal-only information.
3. Explain what the result means in language appropriate for the customer.
4. Give the next action, owner and any required timing.
5. If waiting, ask a specific question the customer can answer.
6. Proofread names, links, dates and ticket references before saving.

Write a reusable handover

Reopening and closure

If new customer information shows that a Resolved ticket is not complete, move it to Open or Pending, explain what changed and assign the next action. Close only when no further action is expected and required sign-off or commercial records are complete. A later unrelated problem should receive a new ticket so lifecycle and time remain understandable.

Log time

1. Open the ticket.
2. Choose a time preset or enter minutes.
3. Add a concise work note.
4. Select billable or non-billable correctly.
5. Confirm the responsible resource and rate context.
6. Save and verify the ticket total changes.

Billable versus non-billable

Create a billing batch

1. Open Support Desk > Billing.
2. Review customers with unbilled minutes and value.
3. Choose the customer and optional period.
4. Create the batch.
5. Review total time, amount, currency and status.
6. Create the Accounting invoice only after review.

Rounding

The configured billing increment influences charge calculation. Keep work notes accurate even when commercial rounding is applied, and review the customer agreement before invoicing.

Time-entry quality standard

Record the actual work period in minutes and describe the outcome, not merely 'support'. A useful note identifies the diagnostic, configuration, communication or repair completed. Select billable only when the customer agreement and work scope allow it. The resource and rate context should reflect the person and commercial arrangement used for that work.

Review a billing batch

1. Confirm the batch customer and period.
2. Compare each selected time entry with its source ticket and note.
3. Check minutes, increment rounding, rate, amount and currency.
4. Remove or correct ineligible work before invoicing through the supported workflow.
5. Confirm the Accounting customer and service product mapping.
6. Create the invoice once and record its resulting reference.
7. If the response is uncertain, check Accounting before repeating the action.

Correcting time

If a saved time entry is wrong, use the available management controls and organisation policy to correct it before batching. If it has already entered a billing batch or invoice, do not create a compensating entry without billing approval; preserve the audit trail and follow the Accounting correction process.

Customer view

The customer analytics shortcode and full portal show ticket measures for the logged-in customer's matched record. Use the overview to understand volume and status, then open individual tickets for context.

• Ticket counts
• Status distribution
• Recent ticket history
• Available service indicators

Admin analytics

Support Desk > Analytics shows status and priority counts, average first-response time, average resolution time and total billable time value. Trends depend on consistent status changes, first public responses and time capture.

How the measures are formed

Use analytics for service review

1. Choose the customer and reporting period when the screen provides them.
2. Compare current counts with the previous equivalent period.
3. Open the tickets behind any unusual average or status count.
4. Separate one exceptional incident from a repeated service pattern.
5. Agree one operational action and the measure that will show improvement.

Data-quality checks

• Close confirmed test and duplicate tickets appropriately
• Keep customer matching accurate
• Record the first public response in Service Desk
• Use status transitions consistently
• Log work on the ticket where it occurred
• Review missing or exceptional rates before relying on value totals

Technician-assisted sign-off

1. Open the completed ticket on the resource portal.
2. Confirm the work summary and ticket number with the customer.
3. Open the sign-off control or secure link.
4. Ask the signer to enter their own name/email and review the consent text.
5. Let the customer draw the signature.
6. Submit and wait for confirmation.
7. Verify the signature record is visible before leaving the site.

Customer self-service sign-off

1. Open the secure link supplied for the ticket.
2. Confirm the ticket identity and completion information.
3. Enter signer details.
4. Draw the signature and accept the stated consent.
5. Submit once.

If a signature fails

• Do not repeatedly submit
• Confirm connectivity and that the token belongs to the correct ticket
• Preserve the completed work note
• Escalate to an administrator if the record does not appear

Prepare the ticket for sign-off

1. Confirm all agreed work and validation are recorded in the ticket.
2. Write a customer-readable completion summary.
3. Check time entries and status for accuracy.
4. Confirm the signer is authorised under the organisation's process.
5. Open the sign-off page for the correct ticket and review the ticket number together.

Signing on a touch device

1. Keep the device on the sign-off page and avoid browser navigation.
2. Enter the signer's own name and email.
3. Read the consent statement before drawing.
4. Use Clear if the drawing needs to be restarted.
5. Submit once and wait until confirmation appears.
6. Return to the ticket and verify the new signature record and resulting status.

Corrections and repeat signatures

A later submission creates another signature record rather than replacing earlier evidence. If the wrong ticket was presented, the signer details are wrong or the completion statement needs correction, stop and inform a manager. Record the reason, correct the ticket through the normal process and obtain a new signature only when authorised; do not try to disguise the earlier record.

Create a ticket by email

Send the support mailbox a meaningful subject and plain description. The bridge submits it to Service Desk, which matches the sender by exact email or approved company domain and may create a customer if administrators allow it.

Reply to an existing ticket

Keep the ticket reference, for example [NSD-1001], in the subject. Removing or changing it can cause the reply to be treated as a new request.

Write an email that becomes a useful ticket

• Put the affected product or service and symptom in the subject
• Use a plain-text description with expected and actual behaviour
• Include the affected URL when appropriate
• State timing, impact and safe checks already performed
• Send from the authorised customer address
• Remove signatures or quoted history that adds no diagnostic value

How matching and threading work

A new sender is matched first through the customer information configured by the administrator. Exact authorised email addresses are safest. An approved company domain may be used when enabled, and an unknown sender may be rejected or used to create a customer depending on policy. For an existing ticket, the human-readable ticket number in the subject is the primary threading cue.

Email recovery guide

Start of day

• Review Urgent and High priorities
• Check unassigned Open tickets
• Review Waiting on Customer tickets that have new replies
• Confirm today's assigned or onsite work
• Check failed inbound mail or AI connection notices

During the day

• Update status when ownership changes
• Log time at the end of each work block
• Use internal notes for handover
• Keep customer replies specific
• Capture sign-off immediately after completion

End of day

• Save or clear mobile drafts
• Review tickets left Pending
• Confirm billable time is recorded
• Hand over urgent unresolved work
• Sign out of shared devices

Resource shift checklist

Manager queue cadence

At least once during the working period, review unassigned Open tickets, long-running Pending work, Waiting tickets with new customer replies, Resolved work needing sign-off, and billable time that lacks useful notes. The exact frequency should match service commitments, but ownership must never depend on someone remembering an email alone.

Weekly service hygiene

• Review inactive or incorrectly linked resources
• Find customer records with duplicate or obsolete email addresses
• Confirm long-waiting tickets have a clear next action
• Review representative public replies and internal handovers
• Reconcile unbilled work and unexpected currency/rate values
• Report failed mail, AI or integration events to the correct owner

Quick fixes

What to include when escalating

• Ticket number
• Your role and page used
• Device/browser
• Exact action taken
• Exact message shown
• Time of the event
• Screenshot without secrets
• Whether retrying in a normal private test session changes the result

A repeatable problem-solving method

1. Confirm the account and role being used.
2. Record the page URL, ticket number, action and exact message.
3. Refresh once after confirming the previous action finished.
4. Clear filters or use a private browser session for an access comparison.
5. Check whether the same issue occurs on another permitted ticket or device.
6. Stop before repeating an action that could create a duplicate ticket, reply, signature or invoice.
7. Escalate with the smallest evidence set that reproduces the problem.

Role-specific access checks

Protect information while escalating

A useful screenshot shows the relevant control and message, but it should hide passwords, tokens, full licence keys, private customer content and unrelated browser tabs. Provide ticket number, timestamp, role, browser/device and reproduction steps first. Send confidential evidence only through the organisation's approved support channel when an authorised responder requests it.

Glossary

Shortcodes

Navigation reference

Data and visibility reference

Frequently asked questions

Customer procedure

1. Sign in and verify the correct organisation.
2. Search existing tickets before creating a related request.
3. Create one ticket with impact, evidence and expected result.
4. Keep the ticket number in email replies.
5. Respond promptly when the status is Waiting on Customer.
6. Review the completion summary before sign-off or closure.

Resource procedure

1. Review assigned work and confirm the next-action owner.
2. Read the complete timeline before diagnosing.
3. Record customer-safe communication separately from internal reasoning.
4. Log accurate time and choose billable status according to policy.
5. Set the lifecycle status and verify the saved result.
6. Complete a structured handover for unfinished work.

Manager procedure

1. Triage impact, customer matching and duplicates.
2. Assign the support owner and resource team.
3. Monitor unassigned, urgent, long-pending and newly answered waiting work.
4. Review communication, time quality, sign-off and billing readiness.
5. Maintain customers and resources through controlled access changes.
6. Escalate platform failures with reproducible evidence.

Records to retain

• Ticket timeline and status history
• Public replies and internal handover notes
• Time entries and billing-batch linkage
• Customer sign-off evidence
• Approved AI sources and saved operational decisions
• Access, customer email and resource changes according to policy

First-response structure

• Acknowledge the specific issue and its observed impact
• State what support has confirmed so far
• Name the next diagnostic or action and its owner
• Give an honest timing expectation when one is known
• Ask only for information that is necessary and safe to share

Waiting-on-customer structure

• Explain why the requested information is needed
• Ask a numbered, answerable question
• Give a safe method for collecting the evidence
• State what must not be included, such as a password or token
• Move to Waiting on Customer only after the request is visible in the ticket

Resolution and handover structures

Service Desk Agent access

• All tickets, customers, resources and assignments
• Public replies, internal notes, time and sign-off
• Analytics, billing batches and Accounting invoice actions
• Support Desk settings and embedded AI resources/settings
• Service Desk user creation and ticket deletion

Create a user

1. Open Support Desk > Users.
2. Enter the required username and email and optional name fields.
3. Enter a password or leave it blank for secure generation.
4. Choose whether WordPress should email the login/set-password notification.
5. Select Create User.
6. Confirm the account appears in Existing Service Desk Users and shows an active resource.
7. Test login, Support Desk access and unrelated wp-admin blocking.

Login and menu behaviour

A non-administrator Service Desk Agent lands on the Support Desk dashboard. The WordPress menu is reduced to Support Desk, unauthorised direct administration URLs redirect to the desk, and the front-end admin bar is hidden. WordPress Administrators remain unrestricted.

Access review

1. Review the Existing Service Desk Users list regularly.
2. Confirm each person still requires complete Service Desk access.
3. Reassign active tickets before disabling an account.
4. Disable the WordPress login and deactivate the resource according to the organisation's offboarding policy.
5. Retain historical replies, time and sign-off records.