Helpdesk Plugin

Introduction #

The Redmineflux Helpdesk Plugin is a fully integrated support management system built on top of the Redmine project management system, designed to streamline customer communication, automate workflows, and improve response efficiency. This plugin empowers support teams by providing advanced ticket management features, SLA-driven automation, intelligent email processing, and a complete set of tools to handle customer queries from creation to resolution. 

Version Compatibility  #

The Redmineflux Helpdesk Plugin is compatible with the following

Redmine Versions:

• 5.0.x, 5.1.x
• 6.0.x

Installation   #

To install Redmineflux Helpdesk Plugin follow these steps: –

1. Make sure you have a working installation of Redmine. 
2. Unzip the archive and upload the Redmineflux Helpdesk plugin folder to Redmine/plugins and do not change the folder name. 
3.  Run the following commands to install the require dependencies 
   bundle install 
4. Run migrate command for database migration 
   1. In Production

   RAILS_ENV=Production bundle exec rails redmine:plugins:migrate

   2. In Development 

   RAILS_ENV=Development bundle exec rails redmine:plugins:migrate

5. Redis is required to handle background jobs for the plugin. Follow these steps to install and start Redis
   
   5.1 . Install Redis (if not already installed) 
   
   • On Ubuntu/Debian 
       sudo apt update 

  sudo apt install redis-server 
   • On macOS (using Homebrew)  
     brew install redis 
     
     
6. Start Redis  
   sudo service redis-server start
       
7. Start Sidekiq for Background Jobs Sidekiq is required to process background jobs   for the plugin. Start Sidekiq using 
   bundle exec sidekiq
    
8. Start Sidekiq for Background Jobs  
   Rails s     

User License Information #

Every Redmineflux license includes support for up to 100 active Redmine users by default. If your organization requires more than 100 active users, you’ll need to purchase additional user licenses.

You have two options to update your user license:

1. Purchase additional user licenses during your initial plugin purchase.

2. After the purchase, go to the “My Account” section in your profile to upgrade the number of users.

Configuration  #

Step 1:  To Enable REST API  

• Login as a administrator.  
• Navigate to the Administration tab from the top menu.  
• Click on Settings and find the API tab and enable the rest API. 

Step 2: Enabling Helpdesk Plugin in a project    

• Navigate to the projects tab on top menu.  
• Click on any project from the list.  
• Navigate to project settings  
• Enable the Helpdesk from the modules and click on save to apply the changes.  
• Now you can see the Helpdesk plugin on the project menu.  

Step 3: Ensure that default values are set for the following attributes  

To ensure the Helpdesk module works correctly, the following default settings must be configured in the project and system. These settings are mandatory prerequisites before using Helpdesk features such as tickets, SLA, and support levels. 

Enable Helpdesk Module in Project #

The plugin includes a pre-configured environment: 

Steps: 

• Go to Project Settings → Modules 
• Ensure Helpdesk module is checked/enabled 

Only projects with the Helpdesk module enabled can use Helpdesk features like Customers, SLA, Support Levels, and Tickets.  

Support Tracker Configuration (Mandatory) #

The Support Tracker is compulsory for Helpdesk ticket creation. 

Requirements: 

• A Support Tracker must exist in the system. 
• If the Support Tracker is not already created, it must be created first from:  Administration → Trackers → New Tracker 

• After creation, the Support Tracker must be added to the Helpdesk-enabled project: 
  
  • Go to Project Settings → Trackers 
  • Select Support Tracker 

Helpdesk tickets can only be created using the Support Tracker. 

Customer fields: Products, Issue Categories #

The following entities are created by default in the system, but must be added to the Helpdesk project and issue configuration: 

• Products 
• Issue Categories 
• Required Custom Fields are added to the Support Tracker / Issue form 

These entities are required for proper Helpdesk ticket classification and reporting. 

Enabling Helpdesk Plugin Email Configuration in a Project #

The Helpdesk plugin allows each project to configure its incoming email, outgoing email, and ticket settings. 
This enables automatic ticket creation from emails and ensures replies are sent from the project’s support mailbox. 

The Email Configuration page is divided into three sections: 

1.Outgoing Email Configuration (SMTP)

Used for sending replies, notifications, and acknowledgment emails from the helpdesk. 

Fields: 

• SMTP Server – Mail server hostname  
• SMTP Port – Default: 587 (TLS) 
• Authentication – Authentication method (e.g., Plain) 
• SMTP Username – Outgoing email account username 
• SMTP Password – Outgoing email account password 
• Email From Address – Email address used as sender for all helpdesk emails 

This ensures that all helpdesk replies and notifications are sent from the configured support email address. 

2. Incoming Email Configuration (IMAP/POP3)

Used to receive customer emails and convert them into helpdesk tickets. 

Fields: 

• Mail Protocol – IMAP (Recommended – keeps emails) or POP3 
• Mail Server – Incoming mail server hostname  
• Mail Port – Default: 993 for IMAP SSL 
• Mail Username – Inbox username 
• Mail Password – Inbox password 
• Use SSL/TLS – Enable for secure email retrieval 

 Note: IMAP is recommended because emails remain in the mailbox. POP3 may delete emails depending on server configuration. 

3. Ticket Settings

Defines how emails are converted into tickets and how automation works. 

Fields: 

• Identifier Keywords – Keywords used to detect ticket-related emails (e.g., redmineflux) 
• Email Subject Prefix – Prefix added to ticket email subjects (e.g., Email ticket -) 
• Default Tracker – Tracker type for tickets created via email (e.g., Support) 
• Auto Close Ticket (Days) – Automatically close resolved tickets after specified days (leave blank to disable) 

After Saving Configuration 

• The project mailbox will automatically convert incoming emails into tickets 
• Support agents can reply directly from Redmine 
• Acknowledgment and auto-response emails will be sent correctly 
• Auto-close rules will work based on configured days  
  

How to View Helpdesk   #

To access the Helpdesk for a specific project, navigate to the project where you want to view helpdesk tickets and features. 

Inside the project, click on the “Helpdesk” tab to open the Helpdesk dashboard for that project. 

Global Helpdesk (Helpdesk Control Center) 

The Global Helpdesk is displayed as “Helpdesk Control Center” in the top menu. 

• The Helpdesk Control Center is visible only to Admin users. 
• Admins can view all helpdesk tickets, activities, and project-wise helpdesk data from a single centralized dashboard. 

How to view the Helpdesk Dashboard #

Shows the overall status of tickets for the current month. You can filter by custom dates and create new tickets directly from the dashboard. 

1. Go to the top menu and click on “Helpdesk Control Center” to open the global helpdesk view. 
2. The Helpdesk Dashboard will automatically appear, showing ticket data for the current month. 
3. The dashboard displays ticket status cards such as Unassigned, Open, On Hold, Overdue, and Unresolved. 
4. A bar chart is shown with the count of tickets based on their status. 
5. Use the Date From/To filter on the top-right to view ticket data for any custom date range. 
6. Click on the “New Ticket” button to create a new helpdesk ticket directly from the dashboard. 

How to Create a Helpdesk Ticket #

Allows you to manually create a new support ticket by entering the subject, description, status, priority, organization, and other custom fields. 
Admins and Support roles can assign tickets to agents 

1. Go to the Global Helpdesk from the top menu. 
2. On the left sidebar, click on the Helpdesk Ticket Tabs. This will display the Support Ticket List for all projects. 
3. Click on the “New Ticket” button on the right side. 
4. Fill in the required ticket details such as Subject, Description, Tracker, Priority, and Status. 
5. Select the custom fields (Products, Issue Category, etc.). 
6. (Optional) Assign the ticket to a Support Agent — This option is available for users with Admin or Support Desk roles. 
7. (Optional) Attach files or screenshots if needed. 
8. Click “Create” or “Save” to generate the ticket. 
9. The newly created ticket will now appear on the Support Tickets list. 

Organizations can be created and managed at both the global level and project level. The same organization can be reused across multiple projects, ensuring consistent configuration and centralized management. 

1. Go to the Top Menu and click on Helpdesk Control Center. 
2. In the left sidebar, click on the Organization tab. 
3. Click the “Add Organization” button on the right side. 
4. Enter the organization details 
5. Click Save to create the organization. 
6. The newly created organization will appear in the organization list, where you can: 
   
   1. Edit the organization details 
   2. Delete the organization if required 

How to Create Holiday  #

Holidays can be created at both the global level and project level, and the same holiday can be reused for both scopes. 
Holidays are used in SLA calculations to exclude non-working days. When a holiday is configured, the SLA timer skips that date, so tickets are not marked as late. 

Purpose of Holidays in SLA #

• Holidays block non-working days from SLA response and resolution calculations. 
• Tickets created or active on holidays will not count toward SLA for breach of timing. 

1. Go to the Top Menu and click Helpdesk Control Center. 
2. In the left sidebar, click on the Settings tab. 
3. Under Settings, select the Holidays section. 
4. Click the “Add Holiday” button on the right side. 
5. Enter the following holiday details: 
   
   1. Holiday Name 
   2. Start Date 
   3. End Date 
   4. Description 
   
   
6. Click Save to add the holiday. 
7. The newly added holiday will appear in the Holiday List, where you can: 
   1. Edit the holiday 
   2. Delete the holiday 

How to Create Helpdesk SLA  #

SLA (Service Level Agreement) is configured project-wise and is used to define response time, resolution time, working hours, holidays, and escalation rules. 
This SLA helps the system track tickets, calculate deadlines, and trigger automatic escalations. 

1. Go to the Project Menu and open the project where you want to configure the SLA. 
2. In the left sidebar, click on the Helpdesk SLA tab. 
3. Click the “New SLA” button on the right side. 
4. Fill in the SLA details, including: 
   
   1. SLA Name 
   2. Description 
   3. First Response Time 
   4. Resolution Time 
   5. Working Hours  
   6. Working Days 
   7. Holidays 
   8. Active SLA checkbox 
   
   
5. (Optional) Upload the SLA Agreement document if required. 
6. Click Save to create the SLA. 
7. The newly created SLA will appear on the SLA List. 
8. From the list, you can: 
   
   1. Edit SLA configuration 
   2. Delete the SLA 

Note: All times are stored in UTC timezone

How to Create Support Level  #

Support Levels are configured project-wise to define multi-level ticket handling (L1, L2, L3, etc.) 
They are used for ticket assignments and escalation workflows based on defined support hierarchy. 

1. Go to the Project Menu and open the project where you want to configure the support levels. 
2. In the left sidebar, click on the Helpdesk Support Level tab. 
3. Click the “New Support Level” button on the right side. 
4. Fill in the support level details, including: 
   
   1. Support Level Name 
   2. Level Order 
   3. Description 
   4. Support Assignees 
   5. Escalation Level 
   6. Active checkbox 
      
      
5. Click Save to add the support level. 
6. The newly created support level will appear in the Support Level List. 
7. From the list, you can:
   
   1. Edit support level details 
   2. Change escalation mapping 
   3. Delete the support level 

Escalation To  #

• None (Last Level) or select a higher-level support group (Admin User). 
• Escalation is allowed only to higher levels based on Level Order.
  Example: Level Order 1 → can escalate to Level Order 2 or 3.  

How Support Level Escalation Works  #

1. New Ticket Assignment: 
   
   1. A new ticket is created by a customer or system (email/web/helpdesk form). 
   2. By default, the ticket status is Unassigned. 
   3. A Support Team member or Admin reviews the ticket. 
   4. The ticket is assigned to a support user or support level (L1/L2/L3). 
   5. After assignment, SLA timers and escalation rules start based on the configured SLA. 
2. L1 to L2 Escalation: 
   
   1. If L1 assignee doesn’t respond within SLA response time 
   2. Ticket automatically escalates to L2 Support user 
      
      
3. L2 to L3 Escalation: 
   
   1. If L2 assignee doesn’t respond within SLA response time 
   2. Ticket automatically escalates to L3 Support user 
      
      
4. Critical Alert: 
   
   1. If L3 (final level) breaches SLA 
   2. Critical SLA Breach Alert is sent to all L3 team members 
   3. Manual intervention required 

How to Create Canned Responses   #

These are quick pre-written responses used by support agents in replies.  
Canned responses save time by allowing agents to insert ready-made text for common issues.  

• Go to the ADMINISTRATION menu from the top navigation.  
• Open Plugins Section.  
• Plugin will appear, In the Redmineflux helpdesk plugin configuration, navigate to the Canned Responses tab.  
• Click on the “New Canned Response” button.  
• A form will appear to enter the following details: Name, Content.  
• (Optional) Add dynamic placeholders like {%ticket.subject%} and add attachments if needed.  
• Click Save to create the canned response.  
• The newly created canned response will appear in the list, where you can edit or delete it anytime. 

How to Use Canned Responses  #

Canned Responses are predefined reply to templates that help support agents respond to tickets quickly and consistently. 
They can be inserted directly into the reply to editor while responding to an issue. 

1. Go to the Issue Details / Show Issue page. 
2. Click the Reply button. 
   i) This will open the Reply Note section. 
   
3. Below the reply note editor, locate the Canned Response dropdown. 
4. Select your desired Canned Response template from the dropdown. 
5. After Selecting a Canned Response 
6. The template content is automatically inserted into the reply note text box. 
7. Macros (placeholders) in the template (e.g., customer name, ticket ID, project name) are automatically replaced with actual values. 
8. You can edit or customize the inserted text before sending the reply. 
9. Review or modify the inserted canned response content. 
10. Click Save to send the reply. 

Result: 

• The reply note is saved in the Helpdesk Conversation Tab. 
• An email is automatically sent to the customer with the reply content. 

Customer Management  #

How to Register a New Customer  #

Customers can be added from the Helpdesk Control Center to manage helpdesk users and link them with organizations and tickets. 

1. Go to the Top Menu and click on Helpdesk Control Center. 
2. In the left sidebar, click on the Customers tab. 
3. Click the “Add Customer” button on the right side. 
4. Fill in the customer details, including: 
   
   1. Login 
   2. First Name 
   3. Last Name 
   4. Email 
   5. Password 
5. Click Save Customer to create the customer. 
6. The newly created customer will appear in the customer list, where you can: 
   
   1. Edit customer details 
   2. Delete the customer record 

How to Add Customer to a Project  #

1. Navigate to your project 
2. Go to project Settings tab 
3. Select Customer tab 
4. Click Add Customer button 
5. Under Customer, select one or more customers from the list (checkbox). 
6. Select the SLA Name, Organization Name, Support Level (L1, L2, L3, etc.) from the dropdown (optional but recommended). 
7. Click Add to add the customers 

After Adding 

• The selected customer will be linked to the ticket / helpdesk project. 
• SLA rules, organization mapping, and support level escalation will be applied to that customer. 

How to Edit Customer Assignment  #

1. Go to Helpdesk Enabled Project → Settings → Customer tab 
2. Find the customer in the list 
3. Click the Edit icon next to the customer 
4. Update the following as needed: 
   
   1. SLA  
   2. Organization 
   3. Support Level 
5. Click Save 

How to Remove Customer from Project  #

1. Go to Helpdesk Enabled Project → Settings → Customer tab 
2. Find the customer you want to remove 
3. Click the Delete icon 
4. Confirm the removal 

Ticket Management  #

How to Create a Ticket from Email  #

For Registered Customers: 

1. Customer must be registered as a helpdesk customer in our helpdesk system 
2. Customer must be added to the project 
3. Customer sends an email to the configured helpdesk email address 
4. Email subject and body are checked against Identifier Keywords (if configured) 
5. If keywords match (or no keywords configured), ticket is automatically created 
6. Email Subject Prefix is added to the ticket subject 
7. Customer receives confirmation email 

For Unregistered Users: 

• Unregistered users who send emails receive a notification: “You have not registered on our Redmineflux platform. Please register yourself first.” 
• Their ticket creation request is blocked 

How to Reply to a Ticket via Email  #

1. Customer receives ticket notification email 
2. Customer replies directly to that email 
3. Their reply is automatically added to the ticket as a note 
4. Reply is saved in Email History tab (not shown in Notes tab) 
5. Support team can view the reply in Email History 
6. Email threading is maintained for conversation flow 

How to View Ticket Email History  #

1. Open any helpdesk ticket 
2. Click on the Email History tab 
3. You can see: 
   
   1. All incoming and outgoing emails related to this ticket 
   2. Sender and recipient addresses 
   3. Email subject and content 
   4. Timestamps 

How to Send Notes to Customers  #

Support agents can send notes to customers directly from the Helpdesk ticket. These notes are saved in the ticket conversation and sent via email to the customer. 

1. Open the Helpdesk Ticket (Issue Details / Show Issue page). 
2. Click the Reply button. 
3. This will open the Reply Note section. 
4. In the notes section, check the “Send Note” checkbox. 
5. Write your response in the Reply Note editor. 

Troubleshooting  #

• Emails are not creating tickets 
  
  • Check IMAP settings (server, port, SSL). 
  • Verify the IMAP username/password. 
  • Make sure the mailbox is accessible and not blocked by firewalls. 
  • Confirm that “Incoming Email Configuration” is enabled for the project.

• Outgoing emails are not being sent 
  
  • Validate SMTP server, port, and authentication type. 
  • Ensure SMTP username/password is correct. 
  • Enable STARTTLS if required by your email provider. 

• SLA is not triggering or calculating incorrectly 
  
  • Verify that SLA is set to Active. 
  • Check if the ticket has an assigned agent (SLA starts after assignment). 
  • Confirm working hours, holidays, and timezone settings. 

• Helpdesk tab not visible in project 
  
  • Make sure the Helpdesk module is enabled under Project Settings → Modules. 
  • Ensure your role has permission to view helpdesk items. 

• Organization or Customer not showing in dropdowns 
  
  • Confirm that the organization/customer is marked as Active. 
  • Check if the user belongs to the organization. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  #

Q1.Who can access the Helpdesk?
A1: Users with Admin, Support Agent, or Support Desk Role   permissions.

Q2. How does SLA get applied to a ticket?
A2: SLA is assigned based on the Organization linked to the customer   and starts when the ticket is assigne

Q3. Can customers create tickets without logging in?
A3: Yes, if email-to-ticket functionality (IMAP) is configured. 

Q4. How do escalations work?
A4: Based on SLA rules:

L1 → L2 → L3 escalation depending on priority and allowed   response time. 

Conclusion  #

The Redmineflux Helpdesk Plugin provides a complete, customizable solution for managing customer support within Redmine. 
With powerful features like SLA tracking, email-to-ticket automation, organizations, customers, templates, canned responses, support levels, and your support team can work efficiently and professionally.