Google Form for logging ICT issues?

[talksr]

Hi there,

 

Just wondering if anyone has ever used a Google Form for staff to log their ICT issues?

I visit a school for a day a week and in the past, they have used a folder which inevitably goes missing.

 

I don't think it is worth investing lots of time into finding a solution for but I was just thinking, if I set up a basic Google Form for staff to report:

Name, Location, Description of Fault, Severity

 

I would have an easy way to see each week what issues people have encountered, provided they have a working computer to log the fault.

Each week I can either clear the jobs or keep them as a way of showing which jobs have come in and what I did to resolve them?

[FN-GM]

I could work. But I would spin up a cloud instance of Spiceworks instead. It’s free and simple and is designed for the job. It will make it much easier to manage.

[Primus]

I could work. But I would spin up a cloud instance of Spiceworks instead. It’s free and simple and is designed for the job. It will make it much easier to manage.

 

I'd do the same.

[bitznpcz]

OSTicket is also a good option... I'm in a similar situation, but teachers still prefer the 'pouncing in the corridor' approach! [emoji2357][emoji1787]

[F_admin]

Freshdesk is the one you want imo.

https://freshdesk.com/pricing

[talksr]

Thanks everyone for your help on this.

 

Do the solutions listed allow users to log calls without having to log in? My idea with Google Forms was that anyone with the link (which I could add to shared areas) could open and immediately report their issues making it as easy as possible, just like pouncing in the corridors as @bitzncz rightly said!

[Davit2005]

Instead of building yourself, I would not bother re-inventing the wheel jus get a off the shelf product. Spiceworks, or other suggestions above.

 

Or are you referring to some sort of single sign on system. But I still think you are better off getting a off the shelf system.

Edited August 24, 2022 by Davit2005

[atcoates]

We use freshdesk and users just email the help and that raises a ticket under their name and school.

[jmak]

Thanks everyone for your help on this.

 

Do the solutions listed allow users to log calls without having to log in? My idea with Google Forms was that anyone with the link (which I could add to shared areas) could open and immediately report their issues making it as easy as possible, just like pouncing in the corridors as @bitzncz rightly said!

Pretty sure with Spiceworks you can set it up so that you don't need to sign in. You get a semi-custom URL for your school and iirc users had to enter their email address, but not sign in. Obviously you wouldn't want the URL to become widely known or it'll be full of spam. Users could also email the address I set up. That was similarly set up to only allow emails from the school's domain.

[FN-GM]

Thanks everyone for your help on this.

 

Do the solutions listed allow users to log calls without having to log in? My idea with Google Forms was that anyone with the link (which I could add to shared areas) could open and immediately report their issues making it as easy as possible, just like pouncing in the corridors as @bitzncz rightly said!

 

Spiceworks does.

[bitznpcz]

Thanks everyone for your help on this.

 

Do the solutions listed allow users to log calls without having to log in? My idea with Google Forms was that anyone with the link (which I could add to shared areas) could open and immediately report their issues making it as easy as possible, just like pouncing in the corridors as @bitzncz rightly said!

You can login with OSticket but you don't have to. You can also set it up so users can email a set address to create a ticket.

 

You will need a domain and hosting so not as easy as the other suggestions though...

[talksr]

Thanks guys for your posts, really helpful. Certainly easier in this case to use what is already out there then waste time making something myself!

[NPostill]

2nd or 3rded for Spiceworks, with email to ticket and web portal if wanted.

 

With regards to the pouncing teachers, I had that when I brought in the helpdesk, got collared by a teacher in the middle of a playground who when I replied, please send an email to the helpdesk, actually replied to me "I won't remember by the time I get back to my desk what with people asking me things".....my response "Yes, exactly my point". Never did get a ticket!

 

Regards

 

Nick

[ITGURU]

Used to host osticket in house but now external so one less internal system. our users don't log in to the ticket system but email our support address and it auto creates a ticket. If caught in corridor response is raise a ticket. they will get email updates on ticket update.

[TwistedHelixis]

I used to use a Google forms, it worked really well. I stopped using it because some users would still email me, so I just asked everyone to email me instead.

[Davit2005]

I'd be careful if you have no traceability of who logged calls. Not sure what the user base is like but I've had and continue to get calls with no where near enough info, not even a location/IP address anything. One such call still makes me laugh although the amount of time it took to resolve the issue took a lot less than actually speaking to the user and finding out what the actual issue was.

 

If you do not know who raised the ticket you will lose that whereas if you get a corridor request at least you have a face and can ask a bit more info.

[jthompson]

Email-based ticketing all the way, so use one of the free cloud-based systems already recommended. You might worry about the lack of structured data (location, problem type, etc.) but tbh that kind of stuff will naturally work it's way into people's requests. If not, you have the option to reply to the ticket to request further info. People can also attach screenshots, which they won't be able to do with a Google Forms approach.