How do I configure email for Help Desk?

Use the following tasks to configure email for Help Desk.

Configuring Outbound Email Profile Options

As one of the most common channels of communication, Help Desk Agents often use email to respond to employees and to forward Help Desk requests to other authorized internal resources. In addition, Help Desk uses email to send automatic system responses to employees for events such as the submission of a Help Desk request.

To configure the Help Desk email channel, several configuration activities are recommended.

1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, use the following:

   • Offering: Help Desk

   • Functional Area: Email Communication Channel

   • Task: Manage Outbound Email Profile Options for HR Help Desk Requests Templates

2. Configure the following profile option types with the appropriate System Response Email Templates.

   The following list shows profile codes that end in '_HRD' and are used in HR Help Desk service requests. Non-HR Help Desk service requests can also use similar profile codes, but without '_HRD' at the end.

   • SVC_SR_RESPONSE_TEMPLATE_NAME_HRD

   • SVC_SR_FORWARD_TEMPLATE_NAME_HRD

   • SVC_SR_SYSTEM_RESPONSE_TEMPLATE_NAME_HRD

Creating a Dedicated Help Desk Inbound Email Channel

To ensure the security of sensitive Help Desk communications, Help Desk includes a dedicated inbound email channel that's separate from the email channel that serves all non-Help Desk requests. To ensure the security of Help Desk communications with employees, the behavior of the Help Desk Inbound Email Channel is different from all other Email Channels, which in turn, ensures the security of Help Desk Requests. All email addresses included in email communications through the Help Desk Inbound Email Channel are added as contacts on an associate's Help Desk Request (enabling communications about the request. No other permissions are granted to these associated contacts).

Now, you create a new email channel using the following procedure:

1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, use the following:

   • Offering: Help Desk

   • Functional Area: Other Communication Channels

   • Task: Manage Communication Channels

2. Click the Create Channel button.

3. In the Create Channel view, do the following:

   1. Expand the Stripe Code menu, and select either HR Help Desk Request Stripe or Internal Service Request Stripe.

   2. Expand the Channel Type menu and choose the channel type you'd like to create, such as Email.

   3. In the Account Name field, provide the email address for which the channel is intended. For example, [e-mail].

   4. In the Channel Code field, specify a code channel that indicates the communication channel.

   5. In the Display Name field, enter the display name that you want for the channel. This is the value that employee users see.

   6. If multi BU is enabled, expand the Business Unit menu and choose the correct business unit.

   7. Enable the record by checking the Active box.

   8. Click Save and Close.

Setting Up Forwarding Rules for Email Channels

Now you create a new forwarding rule on your company email server to redirect emails addressed to your organization's Help Desk email account to the Help Desk address that Oracle provided at the time of provisioning. This rule and address are different from the rule and address used for all other service requests. For example, all the support emails that are sent to [e-mail] are forwarded to [e-mail] for processing. The SVC_INBOUND_EMAIL_ADDRESSES profile option indicates the Oracle email ID to which the support mails must be forwarded. Here's how you set this profile option:

1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, use the following:

   • Offering: Help Desk

   • Functional Area: Email Communication Channels

   • Task: Manage Inbound Email Profile Options

2. Click the SVC_INBOUND_EMAIL_ADDRESSES link, and do the following:

   1. In the Profile Values area select New from the Actions drop-down list.

   2. Click the Profile Level drop-down list, and select Site.

   3. In the Profile Value field, enter the Oracle email ID where support email will be forwarded.

   4. Click Save and Close.

It's recommended that you then schedule a reoccurring job to process SR and SR message records.