Definitely an IT time-saver
Written: Oct 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very easy to use and learn
Cons: Have to ping by name, not just IP Address
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| emcphers's Full Review: Clarify ClearSupport |
We have been running Clarify in my department for call tracking and support for the past 4 years. We started with Clarify 4.0 running on Windows NT 3.51 and just last September we upgraded to Windows NT 4.0 with Microsoft SQL 7.0 and Clarify 6.0 SR3.
When I started with this company I was trained on the Clarify 4.0 system. It was very easy to use and learn. Someone showed you once how to track information and to pull reports from the system and you could definitely do it again. We upgraded in late September, which I’m sure a lot of people are familiar, because of non-Y2K compliant software on the server.
Ease of Upgrade
Our in house DBA (Data Base Administrator) and myself sat down and planned the upgrade and made sure we had all the necessary software and hardware. Our main objective was not to lose the 7500 records that were recorded in the database already.
We loaded Windows NT 4.0 and SQL 7.0 on the new server and then transferred the database over and converted it into the new SQL. We then loaded Clarify 6.0 SR3 and accessed one of the old records. All the information that we had previously was brought up without an error. All the information from the old Clarify worked seamlessly in the new.
Totally Customizable
When we purchased Clarify 4.0 four years ago, it was customized specifically for our needs. Our entire problem code list, supported hardware, and solution database were added through Clarify Tech Support. They sent one of their technicians to our site for that install and also for the upgrade last September. The technician that they sent was very knowledgeable of the product and had us up and running well under our allowed downtime.
As the administrator of our Clarify server I am responsible for keeping all the information current and the server up and running smoothly. Adding new hardware that we are supporting and also taking away of old hardware is very easily accomplished. Just with a click of the button and typing in your new field, you have enabled that for all users of the system.
Learning Clarify
I have probably taught over 100 employees in my staff how to use and get the most from the Clarify system. These employees range from the savviest computer engineer to a night data entry clerk. It is very easy to use and teach. With a click of the button you have started the entry, then by typing the first few names of the company you can search the database for any matches. You then have 4 totally customizable drop-down lists that will let the technician know with one glance exactly what the call was about.
Main Pro’s and Con’s
We actually use two different call tracking programs in my company: McAfee and Clarify. Loading, using, and troubleshooting the Clarify system is much, much easier than the McAfee architecture. Clarify is not only 3-4 times faster on the client than McAfee but much easier for people to use and understand.
The only Con that I have found since upgrading from Clarify 4.0 to Clarify 6.0 SR3 is in the login process. I’m pretty sure that I’ve narrowed this down to a Microsoft SQL 7.0 problem. You must be able to ping the Clarify server by name in order to connect using Clarify. The old server was also the same way, but we were able to add the hostname of the server to our HOSTS file on the client and everything was fine. Now, if we do the same thing by adding the hostname, Clarify client will give us a General Protection Fault. There is no way around this other than making sure all of the clients are on the same switch with the same DNS servers and they are able to ping the Microsoft SQL 7.0 server by name and not just by IP address. I’m still working on this little problem though.
I think I probably would’ve figured it out a long time ago if I could have just worked on it and not been so addicted to writing these epinions. :-) Have a great day.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
emcphers
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Member: Erik McPherson
Location: Preston, OK
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 52 members
About Me:
36 year old married father of 5 awesome kiddos, including a set of triplets.
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