Managing Service Requests
Service Requests are customer requests submitted either by a back-end user using CRM.COM, or a Contact via a self-service platform (e.g. an app or portal). CRM.COM helps you log, track and manage your customer’s requests quickly and efficiently.
Refer to Application settings for explanation of how the service request shall be created when created via Self service.
Navigate to CRM > Service Requests
Select the queue to view the Service Requests for. Service Requests are visible in either Kanban view or List view, switch between the views using the icon in the top right-hand corner.
When a Service Request is being created it’s mandatory to provide the queue, relate it to a Contact and provide a description of the issue.
Queues
A queue consists of a set of statuses which a Service Request progresses through during it’s life cycle. Multiple queues can be setup to cater for different types of Service Requests, when a Service Request is created it’s assigned to a specific queue which determines it’s course.
Assign Owner
The owner is the person (a system user) to whom the Service Request will be assigned to. If not assigned, then the Service Request will by default be assigned to the logged-in user.
Linked Service Requests
It is possible to link a service request to another if the service requests are related.
Categories
Categories provide a business classification to the service request, multiple categories can be defined for a single Service Request.
Tags
Assign tags associated to the Service Request. Tags can be used as a filtering option on summary screens and can be configured via Settings > Platform > Tags.
Priority
The priority of a Service Request will be based on the Impact and Urgency selection, which is calculated based on the priority matrix set up in Settings.
Affected Services
If the contact is a subscription service member, and the Service Request is being raised for a particular service, then select the options button (…) > Edit option to specify the service.
Activities
An Activity can be created if any type of task needs to be scheduled as part of the Service Request. To create an Activity navigate to options (…) > Create Activity.
Refer to the Activities manual for further information on configuring and managing Activities.
Notes
Create notes relevant to the Service Request for internal use. Important notes can be pinned to appear at the top of the list of notes.
Attachments
Upload any attachment related to the Service Request for easy referencing.
Charges
Any applicable charges can be stated on the Service Request, the Contact will only be invoiced for these charges once the Service Request has been Closed and marked as Resolved.
It is only possible to add physical goods, expenses and one-time service type products as Charges.
Ad hoc Discount
An amount or percentage discount can be applied on the total amount of all charges. The discount is applied on the total and will be distributed equally between the charges in the Service Request.
Handling a Service Request
Select a Service Request from the Summary screen.
All values of a service request are editable except the Contact and the Queue associated to a service request.
Progressing & Regressing a Service Request
To progress a Service Request simply select the next stage in the queue. A Service Request can only progressed to the next status following the current status. Alternatively, the Service Request can simply be Closed.
To regress a Service Request, simply select the previous stage in the queue, the user will have to provide a reason for regressing. The history of regression is displayed below the progress bar.
Progressing and regressing a Service Request can also be done from the summary screen using the hamburger icon to drag-and-drop the request to the desired queue stage.
Closing a Service Request
Close a Service Request by selecting the Close button either from the summary screen or from the Service Request screen itself. The user will be prompted to specify if the request has been resolved or not, if resolved, then the Contact will be billed for the itemised charges on the Service Request, if not resolved, then no charges will be applied.
Delete
A Service Request in any queue status can be deleted. This action is not reversible.
Service Request Settings
To configure Service Request settings click on your logged-in user name in the top right-hand-corner of the screen > Settings > CRM > Service Requests.
Queues
Queues define the stages that a Service Request will progress through until it’s closed. Multiple queues can be defined, and one of these must be assigned to each Service Request when it’s created.
The New and Closed stages exist by default and it’s not compulsory to define any additional stages if not required. The New stage will be automatically assigned to a Service Request upon creation, and Closed is always the final stage where a request terminates. A description and colour code must be provided for each status.
Once a Queue has been saved, 3 additional options are available to the user:
Edit alert times for queue
Edit completion times for queue
Configure application settings
Edit Alert Times for Queue
Configure alerts to notify users when a Service Request has not progressed from the New stage yet. The alert times can vary depending on the priority of the Service Request.
Notifications for overdue progression will appear as below on the Service Request screen.
The overdue notification appears on the Service request card on the summary screen.
Edit Completion Times for Queue
Set how long a Service Request should take to be completed from time of creation based on it’s priority.
Closure dates are calculated and shown as below on the Service Request.
Configure Application Settings
If you will be allowing your Contacts to create Service Requests themselves for this queue (using another platform such as an app or portal), then you will need to enable the Self Service feature and complete the following information:
Classification - Define the classification option the Contacts will see and be able to select for their request. Upon creation, the service request will be created in the respective queue related to the classification selected by the contact
Resource - Set the system user to whom the requests of this queue will be automatically assigned to
Default priority - Set the impact and urgency to calculate the priority of requests assigned to this queue
Default tags - Select the optional tags to be assigned to all requests of this queue
The Service Requests module must also be enabled via Settings > Platform > Applications > Features for Service Requests to be available on apps or portals.
Numbering Schemes
Select the numbering format for Service Requests. Each new Service Request will be assigned a sequential number based on the given format.
Priorities
Set up the model to be used by the system for prioritising Service Requests. Select the priority based on impact/urgency combination.
Impact - Represents how important the request is for the customer
Urgency - Relates to how quickly a resolution must be provided
Categories
Optionally setup Categories to provide a business classification for Service Requests, categories can be defined in a hierarchical structure. Service Request can be assigned multiple categories, and can be used for reporting purposes.
Closure Reasons
Setup the closure reasons that will be available to the select from, if a Service Request is closed without being resolved.
Reference Material
You may also find it useful to refer to the following manuals for further reading in relation to Service Requests.
Contacts
Activities
Applications
Configure application Settings for consumer app
Platform
Tags
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