Non-Jira users as requestors in Service Desk

[Ganesan]

Our customers(Non-Jira users) are sending email to our Service Desk. Once we received the email, we have to create the Jira service desk ticket and Jira Software backlog. Requestor name has to be updated in Jira Software backlog. 

Can we update the Non-Jira user in the requestor name without adding as an Jira user?

Or Do we need to add user and purchase license for our Non-Jira users. Please confirm.

[Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_ · Accepted solution]

JSD Customers are free and are normally not members of any groups.

I believe what was meant here is "when the JSD request is converted into a Jira issue for developers to fix/address e.g. by creating a linked issue in JSW project can the reporter still be the JSD customer i.e. original reporter".

@Ganesan can you explain why exactly you'd want that? Are you wanting to let JSW email the original customer with updates? This is usually not recommended as there is only one notification scheme in JSW intended for Jira users, so to separate private comments from public one would be required to ALWAYS set security on comments (and humans are bad at this).

Normally, developers work in their JSW project, leave comments (that are often unsuitable to be emailed to customers), and once they are finished or have a clarification request - the internal issue moves to a particular status (Resolved or Waiting for Info). This can be automatically caught by JSD automation (linked issue transitions or is resolved), which can then attract attention of the agent (to parse developers' speak and compose a response to the customer).

[Ganesan]

"Are you wanting to let JSW email the original customer with updates? "

Yes @Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_. Thanks very much. This is my requirement. I want to communicate with the original customer directly from JSW without any manual intervention. Send comments/attachments updated by the JIRA developer in software and also update the comments/attachments sent by customer through email.

How to achieve this automatically in JIRA?

[Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_]

I don't think you can, without paying for a Jira user license. You can try to achieve it with automation, moving comments and attachments from JSW to JSD (and vice versa), but I really do not recommend this - I haven't yet seen an implementation (I represent Atlassian Gold Solution Partner in New Zealand) of this that works well.

You can try using 3rd party plugins like Email This Issue (JETI), which will happily email from JSW to arbitrary email addresses, and possibly to the members of user picker custom field (if you transfer Reporter from JSD request to JSW issue traversing the issue link using some automation). This will require an explicit UI action from the developer or a workflow transition with a post function (e.g. Send Update to Customer) CC: @Tibor Hegyi _META-INF_ 

I would still emphasise that in Atlassian's "view of the world" what you desire to achieve is fundamentally wrong and crosses the license revenue demarcation lines: free customers - stay in JSD, developers - dwell in JSW, never talk to each other directly, only through an agent. If your developers talk to customers directly - they are really agents, and need a JSD license (and then you can get rid of JSW/JSD dichotomy and just overlay a single JSD project with a JSW board if required. I do realise that you will be paying for your developers twice)

[Ganesan]

Thanks Very much for the solution. I have to think of the better solution here with respect to the cost also.

Thanks,

Ganesan

[Jack Brickey]

Hi @Ganesan JSD customers are free and the way it works is that when a user sends in an email it should create the issue with the from email as the Reporter. I’m not quite sure what problem you are experiencing but maybe you have your project configured such that Customers are added only by your agents and you are referring to actions required for new customers sending in emails? If so, indeed you need to create the customer before they can send in emails and automatically create issues.

[Ganesan]

Thanks for your response Jack, 

I'm using JSD trial version for checking as of now, My customer name(email) is added as Reporter in JSD ticket as well as Jira Software backlog.

I'm able to see in my Audit log, User has been created for the Customer email id.

So I want to make sure, do i need to pay license fee for JIRA user created? I have seen the below documentation in jira about Create Users.

[Jack Brickey]

Ganesan, so as long as the user is only added as a JSD Customer there will be not charge for the license. What throws me here a bit is you stating "as well as Jira Software backlog". I don't understand why an issue being created in JSD results in an action in JSW. Can you check one of these user to see what access they have. Go to Jira settings > User management and search for the person by name there. If found, click on Show details and let me know what application access they have. If they do not show then check under the Jira Service Desk page under User Management.

[Ganesan]

Thanks for the response Jack. I'm not able to see the User Management option in Jira Settings. I feel since i'm a local administrator. I will check with my administrator and let you know.

Thanks,

Ganesan