Introduction to Finalsite Support

Misty Flowers

November 10, 2017 12:46

The Finalsite Help menu (help icon in the Composer bottom-left corner) provides access to the Knowledge Base, Finalsite Training, the Status Page, the idea submission portal, and the Submit a Request ticketing button. This article covers accessing support, why the Submit a Request button may not appear, and how to reach your Client Success Manager.

💡Quick answers

Where is the Submit a Request button in Composer? In the Finalsite Help menu (bottom-left help icon) or on the Composer dashboard; it only appears once your site is live and you have ticketing rights enabled.
Why might the Submit a Request button not be visible? Three reasons: your site is still in deployment, you don't have ticketing rights for your account (support can help!), or you are logged in to your deployment domain instead of your live domain.
What is the correct URL format for accessing ticketing features? Your live domain — schoolname.org/admin — not the deployment domain (schoolname.finalsite.com/admin).
Where is your Composer region displayed? In the top right corner of your Composer dashboard; it is also sometimes visible on the main Finalsite Support page.
How do you reach your Client Success Manager if you don't know who they are? Email clientsuccess@finalsite.com and a team member will connect you with your assigned CSM.

Accessing Finalsite Help

After logging in to the back end of your site, you can find many ways to get the support you need. The Finalsite Help menu brings together all of the various resources to learn about Finalsite, get answers to your questions, find learning resources, and contact Support for any help you might need.

Clicking on the help icon in the bottom left corner to open the Finalsite Help menu.

help icon.png finalsite help menu.png

Here you'll find:

Product Updates

Read our software release blog to get excited and keep learning! Stay up to date on all the latest software releases and bug fixes. A number indicator will appear when a new update has been posted so you'll never miss out!

Support & Training

Submit a Request will open the ticket-entry window (if you have permission to create tickets). Tickets are the primary way to communicate with Finalsite Support about any issues you might have with your site. If you don't have ticketing rights, you will see the option to Contact a Site Administrator.

The Knowledge Base provides 24/7 access to hundreds of help articles easily searchable for instant support.

Finalsite Training will immediately direct you to our Training Portal, which you can also access in the top right corner of your dashboard by clicking the Training button. Finalsite Training presents content developed to get new users up and running and introduce you to modules you aren't familiar with yet. With interactive pages, searchable videos, practical exercises, and graded knowledge checks, Finalsite Training is a valuable tool for learning about your Composer website, its modules, and more.

Important Note

Access this content directly from your website! There's no need to create another account and log in. Once you log in to your CMS, you will immediately be redirected and logged in to the Training Portal when clicking from the Dashboard.

View Status Page is a great page to subscribe to so that you can monitor your site's performance and stay informed of any posted incidents. Learn more about how to read status updates in the article Checking the status of your site. We strongly suggest that you subscribe to alerts so that you receive a text message or an email as soon as our status page is updated.

Submitting a request to support

Once your site is live, you may Submit a Request to support or manage your tickets either in the Finalsite Help menu in the bottom left corner or by clicking either of these buttons in your Dashboard:

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Don't see the Submit a Request button?

If you are logged in to your Finalsite CMS but do not see the Submit a Request button, this means you do not have ticketing rights enabled and is usually due to one of three reasons:

1. Your site is still in deployment

If your site has not yet launched (gone live), the ticketing system is not yet active for your account. Please reach out directly to your Project Management team for assistance.

2. Finalsite Support or your Project Management team needs to enable "ticketing rights" on your behalf

Ticketing rights are not automatically granted to every CMS user. If you see Contact an Administrator message instead of the Submit a Request button, your user account does not have ticketing permissions enabled.

All users (staff, admins, and site admins): Contact Finalsite Support. They can enable ticketing rights for you.

3. You are logged into the wrong domain

Ticketing features only appear on your Live Domain.

Check your URL: Ensure you are logged in at yourshool.org/admin.
Avoid: schoolname.finalsite.com/admin (this is your deployment/staging domain).

Best Practices for requests

If you do not see the Submit a Request button and your site is live, contact Finalsite Support to have ticketing rights enabled for your account.
Once your site is live, ensure that you are logged in to your LIVE DOMAIN and discontinue use of your DEPLOYMENT DOMAIN.
- LIVE DOMAIN = schoolname.org/admin
- DEPLOYMENT DOMAIN = schoolnameorg.finalsite.com/admin
Include as much detail as possible when submitting a request. The more context you provide, the faster we can replicate and resolve your issue.
Demonstrate your issue with a video or a screenshot. One product we love is called Jing. This product allows you to create videos and upload them to their storage cloud for quick sharing of links to videos.
If you are unable to log in to the support portal, email help@finalsite.com but only if you have ticketing rights and your site is live.
Response times may vary based on ticket volume, but we work to get back to you as quickly as possible.

Finding your Composer Region

It's important to know which region you are in, especially when referring to the Finalsite Status page which alerts you about different issues that are occurring. A particular issue may only be happening in a certain Composer Region.

The best place to locate your Composer region is on your CMS Dashboard. To locate your region, log in to your Composer site and navigate to the top right corner:

Some users may, additionally, see the region listed on the main Finalsite Support page in the top left but the best place to look first is the CMS Dashboard.

find your region.png

Reaching your Client Success Manager (CSM)

Your Client Success Manager (CSM) is your primary partner at Finalsite, dedicated to helping your district or school reach its goals and ensuring you have the right tools for success.

Don’t know who your CSM is? If you aren't sure who your specific representative is, don't worry! You can easily get connected:

Email us: Send a message to clientsuccess@finalsite.com.
What happens next: A member of our team will review your request and personally connect you with your assigned CSM.

Whether you are looking to start your mobile app upgrade or want to explore new features, your CSM is ready to help guide the way.