Mundo phpBB

Support Triage

Extension for phpBB 3.3 aimed at organized technical support, featuring guided triage, status, priority, smart queue in the MCP, knowledge base, metrics, and operation tools for the team.

Vendor: Extension: ------------------------------------------------------------

What it is

The Support Triage extension was created to transform a standard phpBB forum into a more structured technical support center.

Instead of relying solely on loose topics, the extension adds a support workflow with:

• guided ticket opening;
• collection of the user's technical information;
• status and priority per topic;
• smart queue in the MCP;
• quick replies for the team;
• promotion of resolved topics to knowledge base drafts;
• metrics, reports, and maintenance tools.

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Main Features

1. Topic creation wizard
When creating a new ticket, the user can fill out a more comprehensive triage, focused on technical support.

The extension helps collect information such as:

• phpBB version;
• PHP version;
• database;
• style used;
• active extensions;
• steps to reproduce the issue;
• error message;
• type of issue.

There are also conditional fields by scenario, such as:

• issue with an extension;
• issue after an update;
• issue with a style/theme;
• permissions issue;
• email issue.

2. Triage Status
Each topic can have its own support status.

Available states:

• New
• Under Review
• Awaiting Reply
• Resolved
• No Reply

These statuses appear in the topic, in the forum list, and in the MCP.

3. Ticket Priority
Besides the status, each ticket can receive an operational priority:

• Low
• Normal
• High
• Critical

Priority can be set:

• by default in the ACP;
• when opening the topic;
• manually by the team;
• automatically, according to configured rules.

4. Workflow and SLA Automation
The extension can automate part of the support process.

Examples:

• when the team replies, the topic can change to Awaiting Reply;
• when the author replies again, it can revert to Under Review;
• after a certain time without the author's reply, it can change to No Reply.

There are also alerts related to deadlines and queues.

5. Smart Queue in the MCP
The team gets a much more useful support queue in the Moderator Control Panel.

Queue features:

• filters by status;
• filters by priority;
• highlighted alerts;
• workflow view;
• sorting by urgency;
• quick actions;
• bulk actions.

Included practical views:

• Needs action now
• Awaiting team
• Awaiting author

6. Canned and Suggested Replies
The team can use snippets to speed up support.

Examples of canned replies:

• clear cache;
• test with prosilver;
• disable extensions;
• enable debug mode;
• ask for exact steps to reproduce.

Besides the general snippets panel, the extension also offers contextually suggested replies, based on elements like:

• status;
• priority;
• topic title;
• initial ticket content.

7. Knowledge Base (KB)
When a ticket is resolved, the team can promote the topic to a knowledge base draft.

The workflow includes:

• creating the draft in a forum configured in the ACP;
• linking the support topic and the KB topic;
• subsequent updates to the draft;
• preserving manual sections during synchronization.

This helps transform recurring support into useful documentation.

8. Internal Notifications and Alerts
The extension has internal features to highlight situations that need attention, such as:

• author replied;
• SLA close to expiring;
• topic in No Reply;
• KB already linked.

These notices appear operationally for the team within the topic and the MCP.

9. Metrics and Export
In the ACP, the extension offers operational metrics and CSV export.

Examples of available data:

• topics created;
• topics resolved;
• KB drafts created;
• logged actions;
• average time to first reply;
• average time to resolution;
• most active team members;
• oldest open topics.

Available exports:

• metrics;
• history/logs;
• open queue.

Supporting filters by:

• period;
• action;
• status;
• priority;
• forums;
• stalled topics.

10. Health and Maintenance
The extension also includes tools for administration and installation review.

Examples:

• quick installation health diagnostics;
• check for missing rows in the control table;
• repair monitored topics;
• clear internal notifications;
• clear logs;
• diagnostics for phpBB's native approval system.

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Installation

1. Upload the extension folder to:
   Código: Selecionar todos

   ext/mundophpbb/supporttriage

2. In the ACP, navigate to:
   Customize > Manage extensions
3. Enable the extension.
4. Then go to:
   ACP > Extensions > Support Triage
5. Configure the monitored forums, default status, default priority, and the features you wish to use.

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Recommended Initial Configuration

For a technical support environment, the best setup is:

• set the support forums in the ACP;
• enable triage status;
• enable priority;
• enable SLA automations;
• enable the MCP queue;
• configure basic reply snippets;
• set the target forum for the KB;
• review the extension's moderator permissions.

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Permissions

The extension primarily uses moderator permissions.

These should be reviewed in the forum permissions, especially for the team operating the workflow. Depending on the installed version, you might find permissions related to:

• changing status;
• using snippets;
• creating KB drafts;
• syncing the KB;
• changing priority.

Important note on approval
The extension does not control phpBB's native topic or post approval.

If a topic requires approval, this usually comes from:

• native phpBB permissions;
• forum configuration;
• the Newly Registered Users group;
• rules from phpBB's own moderation system.

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Recommended Workflow

For Users

1. Open the ticket using the guided form.
2. Provide as many technical details as possible.
3. Follow up on the team's replies.

For the Support Team

1. Monitor the MCP queue.
2. Sort by urgency and priority.
3. Use snippets and suggested replies when appropriate.
4. Update the topic status as it progresses.
5. Mark as resolved when the case is closed.
6. Promote to KB when the content has documentation value.

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Strongest Use Cases

Support Triage is especially useful for forums dealing with:

• phpBB support;
• extension support;
• styles/themes support;
• technical maintenance for communities;
• documenting recurring errors;
• organized technical support by a team.

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Value Delivered by the Extension

In practice, this extension helps to:

• reduce poorly opened topics;
• better organize support;
• speed up the team's work;
• turn repetitive replies into reusable knowledge;
• improve visibility of what is stalled, urgent, or resolved;
• give phpBB a more professional support workflow.

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Included Tools

Quick summary of available tools:

• triage wizard;
• status per ticket;
• priority per ticket;
• SLA automation;
• smart queue in the MCP;
• quick and bulk actions;
• snippets and suggested replies;
• promotion to KB;
• KB synchronization;
• operational history;
• metrics and reports;
• CSV export;
• health and maintenance;
• native approval diagnostics.

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Final Remarks

The goal of Support Triage is not to replace phpBB.

The aim is to leverage phpBB's structure and add a specialized operational layer for technical support, offering practical tools for both the user and the team.

If you manage a support community, this extension was designed to help transform your forum into a clearer, faster, and more reusable support workflow.