Trouble Ticket/Issue Tracking system?
 

Just putting out the fingers.

I'm looking for an open-source or low cost ticketing solution for a customer who has daily interaction with 10-20 customers. Low volume, but possibly complex transactions and issues.

Primary users will be agent and management for now, but may later include end-users.

It should have multiple user levels and web access to everything but install/maint.

I'm familiar with Remedy installs but this is for a small customer with relatively simple requirements. I'd start throwing something together but that means months of tidying up. Much better would be some semi-popular package that's evolved since I last looked.

Anything hot out there?

I keep looking at this one, dotproject, but I haven't tried it out yet. It's web-based and there is a demo on the site.

It uses the right set of tools. That looks good. The interface is a little much but I'd rather trim stuff out than start from nothing.

(subscribes to thread)

We've been using Cerberus (http://www.cerberusweb.com/) for over a year now. So far ... so good.

hmm i haven't looked at some of the most recent softwares... goign to subscribe to this thread as well... and contribute what I can as I dig about...

We use Remedy for tracking tickets throughout our network, but It's much much larger then 20-30 people. I would suggest just using an access database and allowing users to add tickets themselves.

I'd concur --Over the years I've used many of the off the shelf applications and found that they are over priced and really don't do 100 percent of what you want them to do...

it's a lot easier and less painful just to come up wtih a pretty basic access database and go from there..

Familiar with a custom lotus notes system, Remedy, clarify, and Seibel, but as several others have, I will reasearch this as well.

I have even some simply coded web based data entry ticketing systems that weren't to complex, dumped into access, and had a few prepopulated fields, a few drop downs, and a free form entry field as well.

Doesn't sound to difficult to code, but I'll bet also that something already exists, freeware wise. A variant of "bugzilla" springs to mind.

-bear

Here's a bunch of stuff from sourceforge.net.

I suspect you will find that which you seek here.

-bear

http://www.helpdesks.com

has a matrix that lists them by feature and cost.

I recall finding one here for a company and they used it for about 2 years. The grad student that wrote it was very happy to have someone using it and also he made mods for no charge. YMMV.

(argh.. bad connection)

I should have mentioned Sourceforge was my first stop. It's rich with possibilities in the project management and ticketing areas. I came here for a reality filter from a bunch of smart folk.

I can't take on a ground-up project. Been there. Too much else going on for the inevitable creep. If I can modify tables and PHP for the last 10% I'll be ecstatic. The client, too. Remedy licensing would kill them.

I'm setting up dotproject on a box now. It's busy but nicely structured and extensible. Promising. Still, I promise to keep an open mind. Keep 'em coming!

There went my weekend. :)

but isn't access really just a "toy" database? If you are going to do a *business* system you shouldn't use a toy database.

Access can work, but let's just say its strengths don't bring anything to this project.

This thing has some standard CRM requirements - ticklers based on product mix, service reminders, etc. - but their project depth tells me we'll do better adding simple CRM to a project manager.

Happily I'm just getting started. Decisions are off in the distance.

Best Practical's Request Tracker.

Fantastic ticketing system; we've been using it since version 1.0 and just recently merged five independent help ticketing systems into one RT server. It's open source, runs on modest hardware, is fast, expandable, easy to use, works with all browsers, etc etc etc.

Plus there's an O'Reilly book that talks about it -- how cool is that?!

http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/