A brief tour of Casework Manager
This tour takes you through the main steps of using Casework Manager for a fictitious case. It covers:
Casework Manager is a very flexible tool and there are many options for adapting it to your own requirements that are not covered in this brief tour. Contact the EARS team at DataTrans for more information.
Entering a new case
Activate Casework 
From the menu bar select Enter New Person/Case.
Pick the client from the electoral roll. Double click or press ENTER to select. Casework Manager will then display all the residents with that last name. You can refine the search by putting the road name.
On pressing ENTER you are taken to the Person Details screen (not illustrated). You can add extra details such as telephone numbers, email addresses and so on. The cursor is automatically placed in the Title box so you can add this easily.
On selecting OK you are taken to Choose a Keyword. This list can be tailored to suit your needs. You can create new headings and sub headings easily using the Create Keyword option.
On selecting a Keyword you will be taken to the card index screen where actions are recorded.
Select New Action
Select Acknowledge Out and then click 
Casework offers you a list of template letters that you have prepared to suit your own needs. Word opens automatically and you may need to wait while it adds in the name and address for you. You can then edit the text to suit and print the letter. When you close the letter, Casework will automatically save it as a new name made up of client name and date, in accordance with your preferences.
You then need to refer the letter to someone either by letter or email, so select New Action from the main case screen
Select Referred Out, as you are going to ask someone to either sort out the problem or advise you on the issues.
Click on the Pick referred to box, this brings up the index of all your contacts. You can restrict this to a discrete group e.g. local council officers. Using the search bar at the bottom you can type name if known or you can use a text filter to find say everyone engaged in ‘parking’ so that you can choose the appropriate person. In this case you want Edward Davy. You can add new contacts using the buttons at the top.
Having chosen who to refer the case to, you pick one of compose letter, email, fax or phone. Again you will be offered template letters to choose from and Word will update the letter for you.
When you click OK on the referred out action, Casework asks if you expect a reply to your letter and will set up a Waiting action. You can then choose a deadline for the reply.
Updating an existing case
When you receive replies relating to your cases you need to pick Update Person/Case from the main menu toolbar.
You can search for your case using case reference, surname, road, keyword or even the dates your original letter was sent. In our example, picking Jonathan Jones will open up his case history.
If this is the reply you are waiting for, then select the relevant history line and press ENTER or double click to open an Action window. Click the yellow button to "mark as reply received".
You can put a summary here if you wish. Select OK and you get another What Next box. This takes you to Word to send a reply to Mr Jones. Again this action is automatically registered.
This case is now closed unless Mr Jones is not happy with the response, in which case you can add extra actions as necessary.
Reviewing Cases
You can review your existing cases in a variety of ways: including a Waiting List of items where you are waiting for replies from other people, a To Do List of things you need to do yourself, and by various categories.
