DugBot Care DeskWhat it is
A first line of IT support that lives on the workstation
Most help desk tickets from clinics are the same handful of problems: a stuck printer, a sign-in loop, a dropped network drive, a frozen Outlook. DugBot handles those directly on the machine where they happen. It isn't a chatbot that tells people what to try. It runs the same checks and repairs a technician would, and it's honest when a problem needs a person.
Fix first
DugBot always tries the repair before suggesting a ticket. "Contact IT" appears only after a real attempt, or when the problem clearly needs a person, like a locked account.
Never asks for admin rights
Staff never see a UAC prompt. The few repairs that need elevated access go through a separate background service that can only run a short, fixed list of operations.
Checks that the fix worked
After each repair, DugBot runs the related check again and reports what it actually sees. A fix that ran without errors isn't counted as a success unless the problem is gone.
Asks before anything disruptive
A restart, a network reset, or a sign-out needs a clear yes first. DugBot says what the fix will interrupt before it does anything.
How it works
From "it's broken" to fixed, or to a ticket that's already written
People can type the problem, pick from a menu, or run a quick system check. Every path follows the same steps.
Describe it
Plain words are enough, typos and all. DugBot matches the request on the machine, with no cloud service involved. If it's unclear, it asks one or two short questions.
Check it
DugBot runs targeted checks on the network, services, apps, and devices related to the complaint, plus a quick baseline scan of the machine.
Fix it
DugBot recommends the repair that fits what it found and runs it. It asks first when the repair interrupts work.
Verify it
DugBot runs the same check again and reports the result honestly: fixed, improved, or still broken.
Hand it off
If the problem is still there, DugBot drafts a ticket listing the symptoms, the checks it ran, and the fixes it tried, then sends it from the user's own mailbox.
What it handles
The problems that fill a help desk queue
DugBot has more than 25 diagnostic checks and 40 repair actions, grouped by the kind of problem people report. Checks for an application only run on machines where that application is installed.
Printing & scanning
- Clear stuck print queues
- Restart the print service
- Resume paused queues
- Label printers: default paper size and paused queues
- Scanner "in use" errors
Network & Wi-Fi
- Find out whether the problem is this machine or the whole site
- Renew the IP address and flush DNS
- Reset the Wi-Fi adapter or the network stack
- Reconnect dropped network drives
- VPN and remote-app connection checks
Email & Microsoft 365
- Outlook won't open, freezes, or runs slow
- Sign-in loops and repeated password prompts
- Teams won't launch or calls misbehave
- OneDrive not syncing
- Webmail and Teams-on-the-web fallbacks
Clinical applications
- Access checks for the web-based EHR
- Dictation software: microphone and cache resets
- Citrix Workspace detection and reset
- Launch and connectivity checks for lab and imaging systems
- PDF tools
Audio, video & devices
- "I can't hear" / "they can't hear me"
- Headset and microphone checks
- Camera not detected
- Restart the Windows audio service
- Clock sync, which breaks sign-ins when it drifts
Performance & health
- Frozen programs and runaway processes
- Low disk space and old downloads
- Pending restarts and long uptime
- Windows Update and Windows Search
- Read-only checks on antivirus, firewall, and encryption status
Beyond repairs
The questions that aren't really problems
Many help desk calls are "how do I…" questions. DugBot answers those too, on the machine, with steps that match how the organization is set up.
How-to guides
Short step-by-step guides for everyday tasks: email signatures, out-of-office replies, shared mailboxes, calendar sharing, Teams status and backgrounds, setting a default printer, editing a PDF, and where to save files.
First-week checklist
A getting-started list for new staff: sign in, set up sign-in verification and a PIN, add a signature, get set up in Teams, add the right printer, and learn how to reach IT. It tracks progress and only shows the steps that apply to that location.
Phone directory
A searchable list of staff extensions, synced from the phone system and bundled with the app, so it works even when the network is down.
Background health watch
While minimized, DugBot runs light checks every 15 minutes and gives a heads-up about things like a stopped print service or a full disk. It only notifies by default. Automatic fixing is optional, limited to safe repairs, and can be paused.
Architecture
Two processes, with a narrow connection between them
The part people use runs with the same permissions they have. The part that can do privileged work has no screen, runs only a fixed list of operations, and records every request.
- Conversation and triage
- Diagnostic checks
- Repair planning and verification
- Usage analytics, stored on the machine
- Runs only operations on the allowlist
- Rejects anything else
- Audit log of every request and its result
RestartPrintSpoolerClearPrintQueueResumePrintQueueSetPrinterDefaultPaperSizeRestartWindowsSearchRestartWindowsAudioResetTcpIpStackResetWinsockResetWiFiAdapterFlushDnsSyncTimeGetServiceInfo
A fixed list, not a command line
The service doesn't accept scripts or arbitrary commands. Each privileged action is a named entry in the allowlist above. Adding a new one means a code change, a review, and a new release.
Knows who is asking
Only signed-in users and SYSTEM can connect to the service. It records the Windows identity of each caller and writes every request to an audit log on the machine.
Timeouts on every network step
Every network operation goes through one shared layer with enforced timeouts, so a bad connection can't leave the app hanging on a spinner.
Managed like any other app
DugBot is deployed through Intune or Group Policy, with detection and remediation scripts that keep the service installed and running. Releases are code-signed.
Privacy & data
Built for machines that handle patient information
Clinic workstations show patient records all day, so DugBot is designed to keep that information out of everything it stores or sends.
| What | How DugBot handles it |
|---|---|
| Understanding requests | Requests are matched on the machine using keyword and phrase scoring with typo correction. They aren't sent to a cloud AI service. |
| Logs | DugBot is designed not to capture patient information at all. As a second layer, a sanitizer removes common identifiers, such as record numbers and names in file paths, before anything is written. |
| Analytics | Which fixes ran and whether they worked is recorded in a local database on the machine, which IT uses to improve the repairs. |
| Tickets | Tickets are sent from the user's own mailbox, so they can see exactly what was sent. They contain device details and the steps DugBot tried, never screen contents. |
| Background checks | Checks are read-only by default. Automatic repair is an opt-in setting, limited to safe fixes. |