<chapter id="faq-system">
<title>The FAQ System</title>

<sect1 id="what-are-faqs">
<title>What are FAQs?</title>

<para>
'FAQ' is the abbreviation of 'Frequently Asked Question(s)'. The longer you run your OTRS system, the sooner you will get the impression of spending a lot of time by sending out the same answers to the same questions again and again.
</para>
<para>
To provide you with a mean to solve this puzzle, we integrated an FAQ database in OTRS (min. 1.2.x). Now your customers might find the answer before overloading your support team. When they contact you at last, you are able to provide a broad knowledge in a structurized way from within your OTRS installation. Your agents have more time to do something productive.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="faq-preparations">
<title>Preparations</title>

<para>
The FAQ database need not be activated in any way, but you must be a member of the 'faq' group to be able to work on it. Do so before proceeding, or you won't be able to see anything of the following.
</para>
<para>
To have full control over the FAQ section, ie. to be able to post new FAQ entries, give yourself 'rw' rights, resp. to some designated agents. One  needs at least 'ro' rights to be able to read the FAQs. Your customers need the 'ro' right, too.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="faq-interfaces">
<title>Interfaces</title>

<para>
<emphasis>Agent:</emphasis> The Agent logs into the FAQ section via the FAQ icon in OTRS menu bar (if the admin has placed one there), or via this link: <ulink url="http://localhost/otrs/index.pl?Action=FAQ"><citetitle>http://localhost/otrs/index.pl?Action=FAQ</citetitle></ulink>. If there is no icon pointing towards the FAQ area, it might be you are no member of the 'faq' group, ie. you're missing 'ro' rights in this group at least.
</para>
<para>
Agents with 'rw' rights are able to see all types of FAQs, including the 'internal' ones.
</para>
<para>
<emphasis>Customer:</emphasis> Your customers can view the FAQs then via a similar entry in their menu bar, which points to <ulink url="http://localhost/otrs/customer.pl?Action=CustomerFAQ"><citetitle>http://localhost/otrs/customer.pl?Action=CustomerFAQ</citetitle></ulink>.
</para>
<para>
Customers can view the public and the customer FAQs. The latter own the state type 'external' to be distinguished from the 'public' FAQs.
</para>
<para>
Everyone (depends on your webserver configuration, though), may use
<ulink url="http://localhost/otrs/faq.pl"><citetitle>http://localhost/otrs/faq.pl</citetitle></ulink> to at least view the public FAQs.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="faq-functions">
<title>FAQ Functions</title>

<sect2 id="faq-functions-agent">
<title>FAQ Agent Functions</title>

<para>
Despite the well-known icons for logging out of OTRS and accessing the Agent- and Admin-Areas, the FAQ-Area bears the following functions that enable you to maintain the FAQs.
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>FAQ screen</screeninfo>
<graphic srccredit="FAQ screen - screenshot" scale="40" fileref="screenshots/faq-system.png"></graphic>
</screenshot>
Most of the different functions allow to be work with in an intuitive manner. A brief description of each one follows.
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para><emphasis>Search:</emphasis> You may perform a search over all FAQ entries using a free text or keyword search, combined with a set of languages and categories.
</para>
<para>
You may also select a specific entry from an overview of all available FAQs, as shown underneath the search section.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<emphasis>New article:</emphasis> Here you compose new articles, ie. new FAQ entries.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<emphasis>History:</emphasis> The complete history let's you see who has submitted/changed which FAQ entry and when.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<emphasis>Category:</emphasis> To distinguish certain areas of knowledge, you may use categories. Imagine having a list of Categories reflecting your prodcut portfolio, for example.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<emphasis>Language:</emphasis> You define which languages are used in the FAQs here.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<emphasis>State:</emphasis> You may define more than the three initial FAQ states 'internal', 'external' and 'public'.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="faq-functions-customer">
<title>FAQ Functions for Customers</title>
<para>
Your customers are able to search the FAQ, very similar to the agent's search. They may select a specific entry from the overview of the available FAQs, too.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="faq-functions-public">
<title>FAQ Functions for public FAQs</title>
<para>
What applies for your customers, applies to public FAQs, too: They can be searched and there is a list of them to choose from, despite you need not login to <ulink url="http://localhost/otrs/faq.pl"><citetitle>http://localhost/otrs/faq.pl</citetitle></ulink> to view them. Again, this depends on your webserver's configuration, too.
</para>
<para>
Public FAQs are also included in the customers' view and search capabilities.
</para>
</sect2>

</sect1>

</chapter>
