Multi Agent Group Tickets

  • 9 June 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 308 views

Userlevel 3
Badge +7

We are adding more and more other departments to our Freshservice platform, such as HR and Payroll.

Just looking for best practice / guidance when it comes to tickets/process where we each need to action certain elements, or need to compete a part and then pass on.


In the scenario of multiple elements needing to be completed by the various departments (such as a role change, location change etc.), is it best to create 1 ticket and then create tasks that are assigned to each agent/group? How would the other Agents see the ticket / task if the ticket is on another group's board? How do the agents assign time to the task/ticket? When running reports, and an agent can only see their own Agent group, how does that get impacted if the ticket is sitting on another group?

OR

Is it best to create Child tickets from the parent, and assign the child ticket over to the other group? What happens to notes on each ticket, can they be seen by the other group's agents? Do all Child tickets have to be resolved/completed before the parent one can be closed? Do Workflow automations work on Child tickets?

OR

If one group completes their tasks, and then re-assigns the ticket to the other group, once the ticket is closed and reports are run etc., does that time and info get included in group1's stats, or the last group in the chain?


A scenario would be:

-Staff logs a SR to change their name

-IT Update systems such as Active Directory etc.

-HR need to update HR systems and contracts etc.

-Payroll need to update Payroll info etc.


In this scenario, do we create 3 tickets? 1 ticket + 3 tasks? 1 ticket and pass along once done? or another method / suggestion?


Kind Regards




5 replies

Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Hi Martin,


We suggest creating child tickets to best achieve your requirements.


You can create a parent service item with additional items which will be created as child tickets. You can use workflow automator rules to auto-assign these child tickets to respective groups.


To view replies/notes on the parent ticket assigned to a different group you can make use of the default app called Parent-Child Synchronization. This app helps to synchronize conversations i.e. replies and notes from the parent ticket to its children and vice versa so that no important information is lost. Using this app, each of those groups may stay updated about any conversations made. You can install the app from here.


Agents can add time entries on the child tickets they worked on and this way you can generate individual reports for every group and agent and track the metrics accordingly.


You can also achieve this by creating tasks for agents and set up Ticket Closure rules to ensure the service request ticket can’t be closed before all the associated tasks are completed. Note that this is feasible only if agents have global access to tickets outside of their respective groups. This is to ensure that agents can access tickets from other groups if there was a task assigned to them in that particular ticket.


Drop us an email at support@freshservice.com if you have any questions. We can help you set this up as required.


Warm Regards,

Sanofar



Userlevel 3
Badge +7

Thanks Sanofar

I'll check out Child tickets. Of interest, do child tickets need to be resolved before the parent ticket can be resolved? and also, if a Parent ticket gets resolved, does it then auto resolve all child tickets regardless of their status?

Cheers

Marty


Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Martin,


It is not necessary to resolve all the child tickets before the parent ticket can be marked as resolved. However you can use Ticket Closure Rules to ensure this if needed.


 

We automatically close child tickets when the parent is marked as ‘Closed’. But you can set up a workflow to update the status of the associated child tickets when the parent ticket status is modified for other status values like ‘Resolved’.


To perform actions on associated child tickets:

  1. Navigate to Admin -> Workflow Automator -> New Automator -> Ticket.

  2. Set Event as “Ticket is Updated” or “Status is Updated from Any to Resolved”.

  3. Set Condition as Status is Resolved. 

  4. In the Action block select Associated Child Tickets and add the required actions. Eg: “Set Status as Resolved”.



 I hope that clarifies your queries.


Warm Regards,

Sanofar

Team Freshservice

Userlevel 3
Badge +7

Thanks Sanofar


Userlevel 3
Badge +7

HI Sofar. One question I have is, why you can't add child tickets once there is an approved or pending approval?

Ideally we do not want to create the child ticket UNTIL the request has been approved, otherwise there could be work performed on the child ticket by other departments, not realizing the request is still pending approval. Is there a way for Child ticket Agents (who would be on another group) to see if the Parent ticket is pending approval?


Conceptually a request should be:

1. Requested

2. Approved

3. Work then assigned and actioned


Currently it seems it would be

1. Requested

2. Work assigned and possibly actioned

3. Approval sent


marty


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