Install OTRS for shared e-mail accounts (or a similar ticket-tracking system)

[Nelson Pavlosky]

We have several e-mail inboxes which should be shared among multiple people, so that a single person doesn't become a bottleneck for for e-mail. Today we do this with shared IMAP accounts, but there are some problems with that approach... (1) there is no way to leave information for other mailbox readers about a given e-mail, beyond the text of any replies that you send (2) it's hard to track the progress of any issue or to tell when it has been resolved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTRS may be a solution, or at least some similar issue-tracking system. This could allow multiple people to help out with a mailbox without becoming severely confused.

Could we install OTRS and test it out on one of our shared IMAP accounts, without interfering with the normal IMAP delivery of mail?

[Nelson Pavlosky (nelson-freeculture)]

Keeping track of e-mails and keeping our response times short is very important to our organization's effectiveness and reputation. If OTRS can help, then we should test it and deploy it ASAP.

[Gavin Baker (naufragio-deactivatedaccount)]

Specifics to be discussed at strategy meeting: http://wiki.freeculture.org/2007-08-12

Incomplete until we decide specifically what we're doing -- but Critical because we know it's Very Important that we do something.

[Gavin Baker (naufragio-deactivatedaccount)]

To clarify, the reason this is So Important is because we're thinking of setting up a ticket system for the whole organization, i.e. all tasks will be on the system, and people will "check them out" to say they're working on one, etc.

[Gavin Baker (naufragio-deactivatedaccount)]

Help desk software with input from email or Web form:
http://eticket.sourceforge.net/

[Gavin Baker (naufragio-deactivatedaccount)]

We decided how to use OTRS; see http://wiki.freeculture.org/2007-08-12#Notes

[Gavin Baker (naufragio-deactivatedaccount)]

We'll use OTRS as a demo for task management (including email management), while evaluating OTRS and checking out other project management software.

Some tasks were assigned to the demo at the Internet tools meeting on 2007-08-12: http://wiki.freeculture.org/2007-08-12#Notes

[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

I installed OTRS, and it seems to function somewhat. We need to explore it, though.

If you want an account let me know, or maybe I'll give it OpenID magic one day.

[Nelson Pavlosky (nelson-freeculture)]

1) Can we make sure OTRS is installed and up to date?
2) Can we pipe one of our IMAP accounts through it without interfering with normal IMAP delivery while we test it out? Say, <email address hidden>?
3) Can we install the 1-click spam-removal plugin that Wikimedia is using? I can check with Kat Walsh about who we need to contact if you can't figure it out.

[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

On Sun, 24 Aug 2008, Nelson Pavlosky wrote:

> 1) Can we make sure OTRS is installed and up to date?

Will do.

> 2) Can we pipe one of our IMAP accounts through it without interfering with normal IMAP delivery while we test it out? Say, <email address hidden>?

Will do.

> 3) Can we install the 1-click spam-removal plugin that Wikimedia is using? I can check with Kat Walsh about who we need to contact if you can't figure it out.

Nelson - please do this.

-- Asheesh.

--
After all my erstwhile dear,
My no longer cherished,
Need we say it was not love,
Just because it perished?
   -- Edna St. Vincent Millay