Skip to main content

Support & Help Requirements

Story Prefix: SUP Feature Area: Support & Help System Overview: university-reg-features.md

SUP-001: Browse FAQ and Help Documentation​

As a Student I want to access a self-service help center with FAQs and step-by-step guides So that I can resolve common questions without waiting for support staff

Acceptance Criteria​

  • A help center is accessible from the main navigation (unauthenticated and authenticated users)
  • Articles are organized by topic (e.g., Registration, Billing, Academic Records, Technical Issues) and are keyword-searchable
  • Each article includes a "Was this helpful?" feedback prompt; negative feedback prompts a prompt to submit a support ticket (SUP-002)
  • Administrators can create, edit, archive, and delete help articles via a content management interface
  • Archived articles are hidden from users but remain accessible to Administrators for reference

SUP-002: Submit a Support Ticket​

As a Student I want to submit a support ticket when I have an issue the help center does not resolve So that I can get personalized assistance from support staff

Acceptance Criteria​

  • Authenticated users can submit a ticket with: subject, category (Registration, Billing, Technical, Other), priority (Standard / Urgent), and description
  • Submitters can attach files (screenshots, documents) up to 10 MB per attachment, 3 attachments per ticket
  • Upon submission, the user receives an in-system notification and email confirmation with a unique ticket number and expected response time
  • Students without an active login (locked out) can submit a ticket via an unauthenticated form using their student ID and registered email address

SUP-003: Track Status of a Submitted Ticket​

As a Student I want to see the current status of my support tickets So that I know whether my issue is being worked on and when it was resolved

Acceptance Criteria​

  • Users can view all their submitted tickets in a "My Tickets" page with: ticket number, subject, category, status (Open / In Progress / Awaiting User Response / Resolved / Closed), and last updated timestamp
  • Clicking a ticket shows the full conversation thread between the user and support staff
  • Users are notified via email and in-system notification when their ticket status changes or when support staff add a reply
  • Users can add a follow-up reply to an open or in-progress ticket
  • Resolved tickets are automatically closed after 7 days with no follow-up; users can reopen a closed ticket within 30 days by replying

SUP-004: Support Staff View and Respond to Tickets​

As a Support Staff member (Administrator role) I want to view and respond to incoming support tickets So that I can resolve user issues efficiently

Acceptance Criteria​

  • Administrators can view a queue of all tickets filterable by: status, category, priority, and date range
  • Tickets can be assigned to a specific staff member; the assigned staff member receives a notification
  • Staff can add internal notes to a ticket that are visible only to other staff, not to the submitter
  • Staff can change ticket status, reassign tickets, and merge duplicate tickets
  • When staff add a public reply, the submitter is notified via email and in-system notification
  • Staff can mark a ticket as resolved; the submitter is notified and given the option to confirm resolution or request further assistance

SUP-005: Admin View Ticket Volume and Resolution Metrics​

As an Administrator I want to view support ticket volume and resolution metrics So that I can assess team performance and identify recurring issues for process improvement

Acceptance Criteria​

  • The admin dashboard displays: total tickets submitted (by day/week/month), tickets by category and status, average first response time, average resolution time, and satisfaction score (from user feedback)
  • Metrics can be filtered by date range and support staff member
  • Tickets with resolution time exceeding SLA thresholds (configurable by Administrator) are highlighted in the queue
  • Report data can be exported as CSV (see reporting-requirements.md RPT-004)
  • Access to metrics is restricted to Administrators