Case Timeline and Configuration Options

This article looks at a typical case and lists the configuration options available at each point in its timeline.

Overview

Raising a Case

Cases are raised by form submissions. The form submissions start the case management workflow process.

• Create a form people will use to raise a case
• Add the "Case Management - New Case" form snippet at the end of the final page
• See Creating New Case Types for more information

Notifications

When a new case is raised case management sends out email notifications.

• The user who raised the case always gets an email. This uses the "New case" email template
• You can choose whether case managers receive emails. Use the "Email group" setting in the "Setup/Naming" section

Assignment

When cases are raised they create tasks for groups of case managers to claim and work on.

• Set which group of case managers should work on the case in the "Groups" section

Status and Target SLA

When a case is raised it can have a status and SLA assigned to it automatically. You can choose whether or not case managers are allowed to set this themselves.

• Use the "SLA" section to set the SLA target, reminder, and whether case managers can set (if one isn't set by default) or extend the SLA
• Use the "Status" section to set the names of the various states. All cases must have a single "new" and "closed" status. You can set as many "in progress" statuses as you like. Case managers can pick the appropriate in progress status while working on the case

Automatic Tasks

These are tasks generated automatically as soon as a case is raised. Note that these tasks can't be assigned directly to the case manager who begins work on the case because at the point these tasks are generated the case manager isn't known.

• Fill out the "Tasks" section and choose "Auto-generate Task" in the configuration
• Add a system user to the "Setup/Naming" section

Case Manager Actions

The following things can be customised, changing the options a case manager has when working on a case.

Additional Details

This is an additional tab in the case manager interface.

• Switch this on in the "Setup/Naming" section
• Add the name of the form to use

Appointments

Select which user groups appointments can be made with (if any).

• In the "Groups" section enter the name of user groups appointments can be made with

Case Details (Summary, Status and SLA)

These settings control what a case manager sees and can do on the main case details page.

• When a case manager is looking at the case details the button underneath can link to a read-only version of the case, a custom read-only form to display parts of the case, or display highlighted field from the case. Set this up in the "read-only" section
• If you want case managers to be able to set or extend the SLA, update the settings in the "SLA" section
• Case managers can update the status of a case. The options are set in the "Status" section

Close

Cases are closed by filling out a form. The case manager has to say why they are closing the case.

• To change the options in the "reasons" drop-down, update the list in the "Closure Reasons" section
• In the "Email" section edit the template that will be used for notifications

Contact

Case managers are always able to contact the person who raised the case. These options control reminders and attachments.

• In the "Contact Loop" section set the time period for the reminder email to be sent to the case manager after they have asked a question that doesn't get a response
• In the "Contact Loop" section set the time period for the reminder email to be sent to the user if they don't reply to a case manager's question
• In the "Contact Loop" section set the number and file size of attachments that can be sent

Convert

Cases can be converted from one type to another with the value of fields mapped to the new case type.

• In the "Convert" section select the new case type, whether or not SLAs should reset, and field mappings
• If you don't add any case types the option to convert the case will be disabled
• See Convert Case for more information about field value mapping

Manual Escalations

Cases can become escalated when they breach their SLA or be manually escalated by a case manager at any time.

• In the "Reasons" section enter the options that will appear in the drop-down when a case manager manually escalates a case
• In the "Groups" section enter the names of the user groups who will be notified about escalated cases
• In the "Email" section edit the template that will be used for notifications
• In the "Status" section enter the name that will be used for the escalated case status

Reassign

Case managers can reassign cases to a group of users to pick up, or directly to a named user.

• In the "Reasons" section enter the options that will appear in the drop-down when a case manager reassigns the case
• In the "Groups" section enter the names of the user groups the case can be reassigned to
• In the "Setup/Naming" section choose whether case managers should be emailed when a case is reassigned to their group

Tasks

The configuration allows you to add tasks to your case. You can add existing tasks or create new ones.

• Run through the "Tasks" section
• You can pick tasks, name them, set SLAs and choose who the task can be assigned to
• If you are adding a new task you'll need to know the name of the workflow process to start and the names of the forms to use
• In the "Setup/Naming" section set whether contact details and a link to the full case are included with all tasks

User Actions

Once a user has raised a case they can track its progress and add updates.

• In the "Setup/Naming" section choose whether the names of case managers are visible to users in the case history
• In the "Email" section edit the templates that will be used when updates are sent to the user
• In the "Contact Loop" section set whether reminder emails are sent to the user if they don't respond to questions from the case manager
• In the "Contact Loop" section set the size and number of attachments users can add to the case

SLA Escalations

Cases can be escalated manually by case managers, described above, or automatically when they breach SLA.

• In the "SLA" section set the number of days before a case becomes escalated
• In the "Groups" section enter the names of the user groups who will be notified about escalated cases
• In the "Email" section edit the template that will be used for notifications
• In the "Status" section enter the name that will be used for the escalated case status

Closing a Case

Cases are closed by case managers. The configuration options are described above.

Email Templates

All of the email templates used by Case Management are listed in Emails and Notifications.