OTRS Timers

[Rbrt]

Hi Guys,

I have a problem with ticket resolution/update timers.

Background; we needed a new state added between open and closed. We created a resolved state. Ticket flow is now; NEW->OPEN->RESOLVED->CLOSED. The Resolved->Closed is for service desk to confirm with customer its resolved correctly and should not impact the SLA time. SLA should be from NEW->RESOLVED. OTRSEscalationSuspend module does not do what we want as when the ticket is closed, it adds on to the final solution time, which is not good for reporting. We need the solution time to be completely stopped at resolved state.

Current attempt is: I have added a new state-type in the database called "post-closed". I have set the Resolved state to be of state-type "closed successful" and set the Closed state to be of state-type "post-closed" (my new state type). When the ticket is now set to resolved, the ticket solution timer is correctly stopped. The problem is when i move the ticket to state Closed now, it brings up an Update timer and is shown on the dashboard as an upcoming escalated event.

How can i disable this triggering the update timer? What dictates which state-types do not effect the timers or is there any better way of doing this?

Any information or enlightenment would be very helpful

[diginin]

Important to understand is that as long as a ticket does not have a state of closed, merged, or removed (in a default otrs) it is viewable and therefore counters will be active.

OTRS is not quite flexible "enough" in this area.

NOTE: A ticket never dies, it just gets older.

[Rbrt]

Any ideas on how to implement what we need then?

NEW->OPEN->RESOLVED [Solution timer ends] -> CLOSED

Obviously the Closed state needs state type closed-successful then, any way of stopping the solution timer for good @ the resolved state? When we close a ticket we do not want it to affect the solution timer in any way. Originally we thought the OTRSEscalationSuspend would do this but it just updates the solution time when ticket is closed.

Can i modify the code to not do the timer update on ticket close?

[diginin]

the problem may be that otrs counts the time to escalation, and when the ticket is closed, the solution timer will never be reset. Once closed, always solved.

First Response Timer = Killed by first agent external communication
Solution Time = Killed by closed* state type (no new can be added)
Update Time = Silenced by pending*, but counting diligently in the background.

True solution time is something of a mathematical (computed from ticket history data) expression, and variable. There is one on board stat that computes solution time, but it may not fit your processes.

[Rbrt]

Yeah, thats why i tried to set the "Resolved" state to state-type closed so it kills the solution time. It works but as i said, our last state of closed starts an update timer.

Once we have a ticket in the closed state the ticket will never be re-opened and is not needed any more, just for reporting purposes i.e. the New->Open->Resolved solution time.

If i set the Closed state to state type pending auto, it will silence the update timer? Any negative effects of doing this?

Where would i go about editing the calculation of the solution time expression? Is it feasible to modify this to our needs?

[diginin]

Yeah, thats why i tried to set the "Resolved" state to state-type closed so it kills the solution time. It works ...

I am missing the point here. Why, if resolved does what you want, do you need a further state?

I would set Resolved to pending auto and then have the agents set a time (default 24 hrs) for the closed successful. This would then stop the update time (only the visibilty and messaging) and the solution time would then be the stopped as soon as the ticket is closed.

Either way you cut it, there is no suspend feature (currently) in OTRS.

[Rbrt]

The extra state is for the helpdesk to contact the customer to see if the ticket was resolved properly - this could take a day or a week and thus should have no effect on the tickets solution time. If the ticket was resolved properly then it is closed. When we are reporting we only want to see how long it took to resolve the ticket, not how long it took to resolve + how long it took to follow up with customer.

[diginin]

Then I would define my reporting based upon a special state, and disregard the rest. However, this would require a better reporting engine then currently available. Sorry.

[Rbrt]

Cheers for your help