The day is here!
You need not wait another day to get your hands on Kayako Version 4 Beta. We’ve been working around the clock (quite literally) in order to reach this milestone, which we are overjoyed to announce.
The whole team is very grateful for the patience everyone has shown during the development of our new product line-up.
We believe that version 4 is the finest help desk software available today, and it will continue to get better — through community development of custom modules and add-on products, as well as from ongoing development here at Kayako.
So, who’s invited to the party?
All existing owned license or leased license customers with an active support and upgrades subscription are eligible for beta. Unfortunately we do not yet have any sandboxes available for our hosted customers to test V4. When this is ready, we’ll let you know.
How to RSVP
We realize there are questions that must be addressed for customers considering upgrading their support desk to V4 Beta, so we’ve compiled a small list of the questions we would want answered if we were in your shoes:
1.) What are my upgrade options?
We will be introducing a new way of licensing and pricing for new V4 customers. However, this is not the case for existing customers; most of who can upgrade without adopting the new licensing scheme. You can read more about existing customer upgrade options here. We will be releasing more information about the full pricing plan soon.
2.) Is the upgrade process difficult and/or time consuming?
The upgrade is largely automated. The bulk of the work comes in the form of importing your existing database into version 4. Depending on the size of your database (number of tickets, etc.), it could take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours to complete. Detailed upgrade instructions can be found here.
If you wish to just create a test installation without using your production help desk, installation instructions are here.
We also recommend that you take a look at the getting started page to become more familiar with system requirements.
3.) Is it safe to upgrade?
If a proper backup is taken before the upgrade process, if anything happens to go awry, you can always revert right back to where you were with version 3. In this way, yes, the upgrade process is safe.
This Beta release has been thoroughly tested in-house, and is currently in production use on my.kayako.com. We have been running live V4 tests on our own website for two months.
In order to properly migrate all of your data, you’ll have to take your support desk offline during the upgrade (so that no new data is added in the interim). As a result, we recommend upgrading your desk when your clients are least likely to be visiting — on the weekend, for example.
We will all be on red alert to respond quickly to any major bugs or problems you encounter. We’ll do our absolute best to get problems resolved and turned around quickly (even over the weekend).
4.) Are any features I currently use not present in the Beta release?
We are maintaining a list of features and functionality that are not yet complete (scheduled for addition during the Beta program). The installation guide and upgrade notes are also worth taking a look at, since they describe important changes that have been made.
5.) Where do I get it?
The Beta package is available now from my.kayako.com.
Use your members’ area e-mail address and password to log in. Once logged in, you will be presented with a special widget that will take you to your Beta software. (Note – if your password gets rejected, use the “Lost password” link to have a new one e-mailed to you.)
5.) Where is the installation manual?
You’ll find the installation guide, import guide and release notes for Beta in the new Kayako Wiki: wiki.kayako.com
6.) Where can I report bugs, get help and provide feedback?
We have set up a special V4 Beta forum for V4 questions and suggestions. If you run into any problems using V4 or think you’ve found a bug, please submit a ticket to V4 Beta on my.kayako.com.
Happy supporting!
Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have difficulties or questions during the Beta testing program. We are honored to have you with us!