The challenge in communicating with another ticket system is the following:

1. The i-net HelpDesk must recognize its own ticket ID when receiving replies from the third-party system.
   • e.g. new ticket from "Third Party" with their ID –> reply with i-net HelpDesk ID –> reply from "Third Party"
2. The Ticket ID of the foreign system must always be given to the i-net HelpDesk ticket when replying.
   • e.g. Mail with i-net HelpDesk ID to "Third Party" –> Reply with "Third Party ID" –> Subject of the i-net HelpDesk ticket does not change, i.e. the "Third Party ID" must be recorded somewhere in the i-net HelpDesk for a possible reply.

The reference to the ticket ID of the foreign system can be stored in any column of the i-net HelpDesk database (usually an order field), e.g. for the field "auftrag7".

The i-net HelpDesk field for the "foreign ID" can be filled either manually by copying or automatically by parameter transfer. Possibilities for parameter passing:

• JavaScript (script file still has to be created).
  • Subject or body of the incoming mail can be evaluated.
• Inbound mail interface of the i-net HelpDesk.
  • If the foreign system is able to map the following syntax into the mail it sends (e.g. in a template) in the body.
  • e.g.: #start# order7 = AR4711ABCD0815 #end#

For example, the i-net HelpDesk server inserts the following information for each outgoing email:

• X-Mailer: i-net HelpDesk
• X-SendIdent: [TicketID 1234ABCD] (example for the TicketID of the respective job).

This enables i-net HelpDesk to distinguish own tickets from another "foreign" i-net HelpDesk.

Example: Of course i-net software uses the i-net HelpDesk for its own support. Now, when a HelpDesk customer sends a request from his HelpDesk, the subject contains a valid ticket ID. However, i-net HelpDesk recognizes from the header entry that the request originates from a third-party system and that the ticket ID contained in the subject does not belong to any of its own requests.

If a reference for a third-party system has been defined for the HelpDesk, then the it will place the "Third Party ID" at the beginning of the subject and also in the mail header in the entry X-SendReference for every manual e-mail from the order.