In this lesson we will cover:
– Installing the Bot
– Halo Configuration
– Using the Bot
– IPs for Whitelisting
– Protocol and Ports
Installing the Bot
Installing the bot is currently a manual process, although it will be made available in the Microsoft Teams app store in the near future.
Begin by downloading the bot's manifest file from one of the below options depending on the Halo product you are using. All three downloads provide the same functionality within the bot. Each link will download a manifest.zip file. Do not unzip this file once it is downloaded.
Select the relevant tool below to download the manifest.zip file.
Now in Microsoft Teams, select Apps > Manage Your Apps > Upload an app to your org's app catalogue:
Fig 1. Upload an app to your org's app catalogue
Select your manifest.zip file that has just been downloaded. The bot will now be available to all of your employees within your organisation. If you would just like to upload the app for yourself to begin with, then you should select "Upload a customised app" instead.
Fig 2. Upload and customised app
Halo Configuration
To allow use of the bot within Microsoft Teams, there are some configuration steps that must be completed within Halo.
Firstly, navigate to Configuration > Integrations and ensure that the Microsoft Teams module has been enabled. Next, open the module and allow access to the bot:
Fig 3. Allow access to the Halo Microsoft Teams Bot
Once you have allowed access, a number of configuration options will be made available to you.
Fig 4. Setup configuration
- Your Azure tenant ID. This allows agents within that tenant to login to Halo using Azure via the bot.
- A ticket type for any new tickets that you create using the bot. You should ensure that the ticket type has no mandatory fields on it, otherwise the bot will not be able to create tickets.
- The action that will be used whenever a note is added to a ticket via the bot. The defaults of your chosen action will be applied when the note is added.
- A default user for any tickets that are created via the bot, where the original teams message is from a user that does not match a user in Halo.
- A default subject for the new ticket screen within Microsoft Teams.
Using the Bot
Once the Halo configuration is complete, and the bot has been deployed for your organisation, navigate to Apps > Built for your org in Microsoft Teams and add the app to your Microsoft Teams.
Fig 5. Adding HaloServiceDesk to Microsoft Teams
Once you have added the bot, you will be immediately greeted by the bot.
Fig 6. The bot greeting
To interact with the bot, type a message in the message compose box. The bot can only respond to certain commands that will automatically display to you when clicking in the message compose box.
Help
Type help, and the bot will provide you with a detailed list of all commands that can be handled.
Fig 7. Bot response to Help
Connect/Disconnect
To connect to your Halo instance, start by typing the word 'connect'. Follow the flow of the conversation with the bot and complete the login process. Once you have connected to your Halo instance, you can then disconnect the bot from the instance using the disconnect command.
Follow/Unfollow
If you would like to follow or unfollow a ticket within Microsoft Teams, use the follow/unfollow command followed by the ticket number you would like to follow or unfollow. For example, "follow 30276" would add you as a follower to ticket 30276.
Find
The find command allows you to find a ticket in your Halo Instance and return some details about the ticket in the form of a card. You can either search by ticket ID number, or by a search phrase. If your search phrase returns more than one result, a carousel of cards will be provided allowing you to scroll through any matching tickets.
Fig 8. Bot response to find
The ticket card has 2 buttons on it. The first button opens the ticket in your Halo web application. The second button allows you to add a note to the ticket from within Microsoft Teams.
Sending Ticket Cards
It is also possible to send ticket cards to other colleagues within Microsoft Teams using an extension of the message box. Below the message compose box, click the three dots and select the Halo app you have installed (you can right click and pin the app to the message box if you always want the extension to be available).
Fig 9. App selection
If you have pinned the app, the Halo icon will appear underneath the message compose box:
Fig 10. Halo icon in the lower right below the message compose box
Clicking this icon opens a small search screen within Teams. You can then search for tickets using this window. By selecting a search result, the ticket card will be added to the message compose box which can then be added to the chat for you and your colleagues to discuss.
Fig 11. Ticket searching
Creating Tickets
To create a ticket from a chat message that you have received, select the three dots next to the message and select the Create Ticket option (sometimes this will be situated under the More actions option).
Fig 12. Create Ticket action
This opens a window allowing you to set the subject and extra notes for the new ticket.
Fig 13. Setting Subject and notes of the ticket
When the ticket is created, the body of the ticket contains the message that the ticket was created from, along with the extra notes you have added.
IP for Whitelisting
51.132.65.185
51.132.65.187
51.132.65.220
51.132.66.233
51.132.67.27
51.132.67.58
51.137.163.32
Protocol and Ports
https on port 443.
