OTOBO / Znuny Customer Users - Managing Users

OTOBO allows companies to build an extensive database of customer information, including essential details like location data for shipping and billing purposes, as well as contact information such as email and phone numbers. This is particularly relevant because the efficient management of customer user data is indispensable for customer service and directly contributes to improving customer loyalty.

The platform provides an intuitive interface for editing and expanding contact information within the organizations served by your company. For optimal customer relationship management, an unlimited number of customer users can be added in OTOBO.

Managing Customer Users

To start managing customer users, it is essential to have access to the Customer User management screen. This can be found in the Customer Users module under the Users, Groups & Roles group. A fresh installation of OTOBO initially contains no customer user entries.

Customer User Management [1]

How to Add a Customer User

WARNING

It is only possible to add a customer user if at least one Customer has been created in the system beforehand. This should therefore be the first step.

INFO

Note that customer users can only be added or edited with a database backend. The use of external directory services like LDAP restricts the availability of these functions.

To add a new customer user, follow these steps:

1. Click on Add Customer User in the left navigation panel.
2. Complete all required input fields.
3. Select Save to complete the process.

Adding a new customer user [1]

WARNING

A customer user, once created, cannot be deleted. Instead, it is possible to deactivate them by changing the Validity status to invalid or temporarily invalid.

Editing Existing Customer User Data:

1. Select a customer user from the list.
2. Make the desired changes.
3. Confirm with Save or Save and finish.

To locate specific customer users, use the search field. Enter a search term and initiate the search using the magnifying glass icon or the Enter key. By default, the first 1000 entries are displayed. This facilitates navigation through large amounts of data.

Permissions and Group Assignments

An effective method for managing the access rights of customer users is to assign users or customers to groups. This allows for the configuration of a detailed permission matrix. The final access rights of a user can be viewed at any time in the Effective Permissions section at the bottom of the customer user edit page.

TIP

Activate Customer User Groups to benefit from this feature.

Customer User Configuration

The following fields are available when adding or editing a customer user (required fields are marked with an asterisk):

• Title or Salutation: Optional specification of a prefix, such as Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.
• **First Name * **: Enter the first name of the customer user.
• **Last Name * **: The last name of the customer user.
• Username *: Required for logging into the system.
• Password: A password is generated automatically if this field is left empty.

Conclusion

The management of customer users within OTOBO enables a detailed, structured, and secure organization of customer information, which is crucial for the smooth running of customer relationships. Through individual settings and permission management, OTOBO offers a flexible platform for optimizing customer service.

Extended Customer User Data

Below is an overview of additional fields available when creating or editing customer users in OTOBO:

E-Mail * : The customer user's email address is a central communication channel and is therefore a required field.

Customer ID * : Uniquely identifies the customer company to which the customer user is assigned. The selection is made from the predefined list of Customers stored in the system.

Phone : The phone number allows for direct voice communication with the customer user.

Fax : The fax number provides an alternative way to transmit written documents.

Mobile : The mobile number allows the customer user to be reached on the go.

Street : The street name, along with the following details, is used to generate a complete postal address.

Postal Code : The postal code allows for location-based assignment and identification.

City : The city specification helps to further refine the address.

Country : The country provides information about the customer user's geographical area of activity.

Comment : This optional field can be used to store additional information or notes, thus promoting transparent communication.

Valid * : The validity setting is crucial for the activity of the customer user profile in the system.

TIP

The Customer User ↔ Customer feature makes it possible to assign multiple Customers to individual customer users, which greatly facilitates the flexible management of customer data.

Database Backend

In addition to the standard method of storing customer user data in the internal database, OTOBO also supports connecting to external directory services like LDAP. Administrators can easily configure the database backend to ensure a smooth and seamless integration of customer user data.

## CustomerUser
# Database backend configuration
$Self->{CustomerUser} = {
    Name   => 'Database Backend',
    Module => 'Kernel::System::CustomerUser::DB',
    Params => {

        Table => 'customer_user',

        SearchCaseSensitive => 0,
    },
};

WARNING

Adjustments should never be made directly in the Kernel/Config/Defaults.pm file, as changes can be lost. Instead, editing in Kernel/Config.pm is recommended.

By configuring the database backend according to your specific needs, you ensure that all customer information is stored securely and orderly, while also being used efficiently for authentication processes and personalized customer communication. Within the OTOBO configuration for managing customer users, the structure and scope of the data to be collected can be precisely tailored to a company's needs and processes. The configuration shown opens up numerous possibilities for adapting and optimizing data collection and management, which in turn supports efficient and targeted customer communication.

Detailed Customer Profiles Enable Personalized Communication

The mapping elements specifically define what information is stored in the system and how it should be processed. In particular, the required fields such as Email, Customer ID, and Username are essential for authentication and individual communication with the customer. Fields like Title, First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, Mobile Phone Number, Fax Number, Street, Postal Code, City, Country, and Comment allow for comprehensive data collection that can elevate customer service to a more personal level.

Configuration options like CustomerUserSearchFields, CustomerUserSearchPrefix, CustomerUserSearchSuffix, and CustomerUserSearchListLimit offer further customization possibilities for searching customer user data within the system. This facilitates the quick location and editing of specific customer data and information.

Seamless Integration into Existing System Landscapes

OTOBO supports connections to customer backends like databases and LDAP, allowing customer user management to be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructures. By providing a configuration that is directly customizable via Kernel/Config.pm, OTOBO ensures flexible handling of various user data sources. Special settings like CacheTTL for controlling cache lifetime allow for fine-tuned performance optimization according to individual requirements.

Security and Compliance through Clear Access Rules

With configuration options like ReadOnly and the restriction on displaying one's own tickets in the customer panel (CustomerUserExcludePrimaryCustomerID), OTOBO offers comprehensive possibilities to meet security and compliance requirements. The unique assignment of customers to companies (CustomerCompanySupport) also simplifies access rights management and promotes adherence to data protection policies.

Final Thoughts

Configuring OTOBO for the optimal use of customer user data is a crucial step for companies looking to enhance their service quality and create personalized customer experiences. The flexibility in customization and the choice between database or LDAP-based backends provide a solid foundation for implementing effective customer management. Here, I will show you how to specifically extend and adapt the customer user configuration in OTOBO to meet your company-specific requirements.

Extending Customer User Data

Integrating new fields or modifying existing ones within the mapping allows for a tailored collection of customer information. For example, adding a room number field can improve internal organization by making specific customer data immediately available.

1. Update the customer_user database table: To add a field like room for the room number, you must first add the corresponding column to the table.

   For MySQL or MariaDB:

   mysql -u root -p -e 'ALTER TABLE otobo.customer_user ADD room VARCHAR (250)'

   For PostgreSQL:

   psql -c 'ALTER TABLE customer_user ADD COLUMN room varchar(250)'

2. Adaptation in Kernel/Config.pm: Copy the $Self->{CustomerUser} section from Kernel/Config/Defaults.pm to Kernel/Config.pm and extend it with the new field in the Map array.

   [ 'UserRoom', 'Room', 'room', 0, 1, 'var', '', 0, undef, undef ],

LDAP Backend

For organizations that already use LDAP for managing user identities, OTOBO offers the option to configure this existing directory service as a backend for customer user data. Integration with LDAP allows for synchronized and automated data exchange, minimizing manually intensive maintenance processes.

$Self->{CustomerUser} = {
    Name => 'LDAP Backend',
    Module => 'Kernel::System::CustomerUser::LDAP',
    Params => {
        Host => 'your.ldap.server',
        BaseDN => 'ou=users,o=example',
        SSCOPE => 'sub',
        UserDN => '',
        UserPw => '',
        AlwaysFilter => '',
        SourceCharset => 'utf-8',
        Params => {
            port    => 389,
            timeout => 120,
            async   => 0,
            version => 3,
        },
    },
    CustomerKey => 'uid',
    CustomerID => 'mail',
    CustomerUserListFields => ['cn', 'mail'],
    CustomerUserSearchFields => ['uid', 'cn', 'mail'],
    Map => [
        ['UserTitle', 'Title or Salutation', 'title', 1, 0, 'var', '', 1, undef, undef],
        ['UserFirstname', 'First Name', 'givenname', 1, 1, 'var', '', 1, undef, undef],
        ...
    ],
};

Conclusion

By adapting and extending the customer user configuration in OTOBO, companies can build a more detailed and meaningful database of their customers. The choice between a database and an LDAP-based solution provides the necessary flexibility to optimally integrate customer management into the existing IT landscape. Such adaptations lay the foundation for improved customer service and deeper customer relationships. The management of customer users in OTOBO offers enormous flexibility to integrate different data sources like databases and LDAP directories, as well as to effectively transfer customer data into dynamic fields of tickets. This allows companies to use detailed customer information for improved service and efficient processes.

Using Multiple Customer User Backends

OTOBO allows the parallel use of multiple backends for managing customer user data. For example, you can use both a database and an LDAP directory to store and retrieve central customer information. By numbering the configuration parameters like CustomerUser1, CustomerUser2, etc., up to 10 different backends can be seamlessly integrated.

To activate and configure an LDAP backend, it is necessary to copy the corresponding $Self->{CustomerUser} section from Kernel/Config/Defaults.pm to Kernel/Config.pm and activate the commented-out lines by removing the comment characters. The configuration can be personalized by adding further attributes, such as a mobile phone number, to map additional information stored in the LDAP directory.

Dynamic Fields for Customer Data

An advanced way to use customer information is to store this data directly in dynamic fields of tickets. This can be used, among other things, to create specific statistics on customer data. To enable this feature, the corresponding settings Ticket::EventModulePost###4100-DynamicFieldFromCustomerUser and DynamicFieldFromCustomerUser::Mapping must be activated within OTOBO. After activation, selected customer data can be automatically transferred to the defined dynamic fields of a ticket as soon as the ticket is created or the customer user of a ticket is changed. By setting up dynamic fields that can be set manually, OTOBO provides an additional layer of personalization and data enrichment for each customer contact. It is important to ensure that dynamic fields set automatically by the system based on customer user data do not conflict with manually edited fields in various ticket creation frontends such as phone, email, or customer view.

Customer User ↔ Customer Relations

The structured management of Customer User ↔ Customer relations offers companies the ability to grant individual customer users access to tickets of multiple customers. This is particularly useful in complex organizational structures or in cases where partners or corporations need insight into requests from their subsidiaries or related companies.

Assigning a Customer User to One or More Customers:

1. Select the Customer User: In the management overview, click on the name of the customer user to whom you want to assign additional customers.
2. Select the Assignable Customers: Check the boxes next to the customers to be assigned to this user.
3. Save the Assignment: Confirm the selection by clicking Save or Save and Finish to set the new customer relations.

Assigning Multiple Customer Users to a Customer

1. Select the Customer: In the management overview, click on the name of the customer to whom you want to assign additional customer users.
2. Select the Assignable Customer Users: Check the boxes next to the customer users to be assigned to this customer.
3. Save the Assignment: Confirm the selection and save the changed relations.

Customer User ↔ Groups Access Management

Assigning group permissions to customer users in OTOBO allows for differentiated access control, ensuring that customers can only view and edit information that is relevant to them. This protects against unauthorized access to internal processes and ensures clear, structured, and focused communication.

Conclusion

The sophisticated options for configuring customer relations and access rights in OTOBO ensure that companies can establish efficient and targeted customer communication. By carefully designing access rights and relationship structures between customer users, customers, and groups, customer service processes can be optimized and customer satisfaction increased. Managing Customer User ↔ Group relations in OTOBO allows organizations to effectively control their customers' access to tickets and processes. This not only increases security and data protection within the ticket system but also helps customer users focus on relevant content without being distracted by the complexity of internal procedures.

Customer User ↔ Group Relations

To optimize the use of this feature, a customer user and one or more groups must first be registered in the system. Subsequently, the administrator can establish specific relations between customer users and groups, which allows customer users to access defined tickets and information.

Manage Customer User-Group Relations[1]

Activating the Customer Group Feature

Before the customer group feature can be used, it must be activated in the OTOBO system. This can be done via the system configuration. When using external backends or directory services, a special configuration file may be necessary.

Activate Customer Group Feature [1]

Steps for Assigning Groups to Customer Users:

1. Select the Customer User: Click on the name of the customer user to whom you want to assign groups.
2. Assign the Groups: Select the appropriate groups to be assigned to this customer user.
3. Save the Settings: Confirm your selection by clicking Save.

Change Group Relations for Customer User [1]

Steps for Assigning Customer Users to Groups:

1. Select the Group: Select the group to which customer users should be assigned.
2. Assign the Customer Users: Check the customer users who should receive access to the group.
3. Save the Settings: Confirm the changes by clicking Save.

Change Customer User Relations for Group [1]

Reference for Customer User ↔ Group Permissions

The assignment of permissions is the core of designing relations between customer users and groups. By defining permissions, it is regulated which actions customer users are allowed to perform with regard to tickets and ticket groups. These permissions typically include:

• Read: Allows customer users to read tickets of a group.
• Create: Allows customer users to create new tickets in a group.
• Edit: Allows customer users to edit tickets in a group.

The careful coordination of these permissions ensures that customer users receive exactly the right amount of access to communicate their concerns effectively without violating security or data protection policies. The management of Customer User ↔ Service relations in OTOBO is an essential module that enables a high degree of service personalization for end customers. This process allows specific services to be assigned to a customer user or vice versa, which can result in a significant increase in service quality and customer satisfaction. Manage OTOBO Groups

Managing Access Permissions

There are two main types of permissions that can be set when assigning resources to customer users or groups:

• Read-only access (ro): Allows access to a resource without being able to make changes to it.
• Full read and write access (rw): Grants comprehensive access to a resource, including the ability to edit it.

The detailed control of these permissions ensures secure and targeted resource utilization as well as the integrity of the service processes.

Assigning Services to Customer Users and Vice Versa

The core functionality of the Customer User ↔ Services module allows for a fine-grained assignment of services to individual customer users or groups of customer users to specific services. This helps companies offer a tailored service portfolio while simplifying internal service management.

To assign specific services to a customer user or customer users to a service, follow these steps:

1. Select the Assignment Object: Choose either a customer user or a service from the corresponding column.
2. Make the Assignment: Select the desired services or customer users.
3. Confirmation: Save your selection with a click on the Save or Save and Finish button.

Change Service Relations for Customer User [1]Manage OTOBO Services

Managing Default Services

The feature to set default services significantly reduces administrative effort by allowing certain services to be assigned as a default to all customer users. This is particularly useful for basic or general services that should be accessible to every customer.

To edit the default services:

1. Edit Default Services: Via the corresponding button in the sidebar.
2. Select the Services: Choose the desired services that should be available to all customer users.
3. Save the Configuration: With a click on Save.

Assign Services to Customer Users Screen [1]

Conclusion

The Customer User ↔ Services module in OTOBO is a powerful tool that enables companies to optimally structure their service offerings and respond individually to customer needs. Through careful management of service access, companies can not only improve their service quality but also make their internal processes more efficient.